Great Totham Parish
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Great Totham Parish Magazine sent to every home in Great Totham April 2019 Easter Services at St. Peter’s Church Maundy Thursday 18th April 7:30pm until 9pm Eucharist of the Last Supper followed by Prayer Watch Good Friday 19th April 2pm Stations of the Cross Easter Day 21st April 6am Dawn Eucharist 8am Morning Prayer 10am Family Communion All Welcome Inside This Edition: Looking forward to Easter Children’s Activities 2 Sunday (see page 10 for details) 8am Holy Communion (Prayerbook) or Morning Prayer 10am Parish Communion or Service of the Word (with Sunday Club for children) 6pm Evensong Choir Practice Mondays 10.30 am Senior Citizens Lunch Club Tuesdays in the Honywood Hall 11am Study & Discussion Wednesdays 10.30am at Honywood Hall Thursday 10.30am Edward Bear Club (Toddler Service, followed by coffee and play) Parish Contacts: Mother’s Union During the Interregnum 4th Friday of each month, 1.45pm for all church matters please Bell-ringing Practice contact: Fridays at 7.45 pm Associate Priest Rev’d Sue Godsmark : 01621 891513 Email : [email protected] If you are unable to contact the Associate Priest please speak to the Churchwardens Churchwardens Isobel Doubleday : 01621 891329 Karen Tarpey : 01621 892122 Baptism Co-ordinator Janet Gleghorn : 01621 892746 Magazine: Enquiries : Helen Mutton : 01621 891067 Adverts : Pauline Stebbing : 01621 892059 Email : [email protected] Website: www.essexinfo.net/st-peter-s-church-great-totham 3 Church News Dedication of Communion Wine Vessels Earlier this year, a glass communion wine vessel was broken and a replacement was proving difficult (impossible) to find. Knowing that I was in the glass trade, Karin Mann approached me to see if I could help. This is where the story begins. In 2014, a very good Polish friend of mine, Tom Czecho, lost his wife, Kate Skupin; he was naturally devastated. Knowing my connection with St Peters, which he had visited, he asked if we could add his wife’s name to the weekly prayers, which was duly done. Poland is a very religious Roman Catholic country, in fact, during the communist regime when religion was frowned upon, Poland rebelled, but, as a consequence had to submit to severe hardships. I remember visiting, where, on a Sunday, there were only one or two priests for the entire city and worshippers crowded in the streets outside the churches; those that were open!! During our many trips, my wife Angela and I also visited a city called Czestochowa (a famous Polish shrine), which was always packed (like Lourdes). Czestochowa is a fascinating city with a beautiful cathedral. So, now up to date, Poland is a well known producer of glassware, so I contacted Tom to ask if he could help. He in turn contacted a Crystal Glass Factory, called ‘Violetta’. The Polish named a lot of their glassworks with female names, thanks to the communist regime in nationalising them! Violetta is situated in the south of Poland, by the Czech border, about 200 miles from Warsaw, 100 miles or so from Krakow. /continued on page 5 4 Church News /continued from page 4 The vessels (bottles) are lead crystal, mouth blown and hand cut, and of extremely good quality. This factory also makes for Waterford, Edinburgh and other well known makes. They, courtesy of Tom, supplied them without charge, but with a spe- cial request. On asking the cost, I was asked that St Peter’s remem- bered Kate in their prayers on 24th February, the date she died, and asked for a psalm to be read in her memory. As a consequence of this, the vessels were kindly donated and Kate was remembered in our prayers during the service on 24th February. In addition, Rev’d Sue Godsmark also blessed and dedicated the ves- sels. The 23rd Psalm was also read, being probably the most well-known and appropriate for the circumstanc- es The same is read (but not sung) in Poland, where it is also well known. A similar service was held the same day in Szczecin (Stettin), Poland, on the Baltic. Together with our connection to Bragernes Kirke in Drammen, Norway, we have truly interna- tional connections. Grateful thanks were received from Tom, who tendered all good wishes and peace to the congregation of St Peter’s Church, Great Totham. Peter Roast 5 Church News Wednesday 3rdWednesday April 3rd“ JustApril as a bulb cannot“Just beas a bulb readycannot for be Springready unless for it hasSpring lived unless throughit has Win-lived ter,through so Chris- Win- tianster, cannot so Chris- betians ready cannot for Easterbe ready unless for theyEaster have unless ob- servedthey haveLent- ob- Godserved’s Spring- Lent- timeGod” ’s Spring- time” 6 Church News Lent and Easter Study St Peter’s Church continues our Lent and Easter study at The Honywood, Hall Road (opposite St Peter’s Walk) each Wednesday in Lent from 10.30am. Below is our programme for April, it is not too late to join us and we welcome you. Sometimes it's serious; sometimes it's fun; sometimes it's serious fun! For more details contact Paul on 01621-893153, email [email protected] “Just as a bulb cannot be ready for Spring unless it has lived through Winter, so Chris- tians cannot be ready for Easter unless they have observed Lent-God’s Springtime” Wed 3rd April - Lent Study 5 73 Brother, sister, let me serve you John 13:21-30 328 Make me a channel of Your Peace Wed 10th April - Lent Study 6 499 There is a Green Hill Mark 15:1-38 549 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Wed 17th April - Easter Study 1 88 Come and See Mark 15:39-47 & John 19:31-42 399 On a hill Far Away Wed 24th April - Easter Study 2 508 This is The Day John 20 & 21 503 Thine be the Glory In your prayers at home this month, please include: Our ‘Friendship Church’ - Bragernes Kirke, Drammen, Norway; Bob, Adam, Mary, Keith, Daphne, Roger, Pat, Roger, Sylvia, Dennis, Geoff, Laura, David, Lucy, Joe and Noah. 7 Church News Easter Rev’d Sue Godsmark, the Churchwardens and Parochial Church Council wish you all a very happy Easter. We would be delighted to see you at one of our services. For more details, please contact Rev’d Sue, Isobel Doubleday, Karen Tarpey or any member of the congregation. February Coffee Morning Will we be reading this when the weather has turned cold again, remembering the very sunny warm days at the end of February? There was standing room only that week and Nick had to go out and buy more baps after running out of ‘butties’ too soon. OR have people dropped off the wagon of the January diet?..... A very enjoyable morning catching up with friends. We look forward to seeing you all again on Saturday, 27th April. Sheila Allen Sunday Club - 3rd March See what we get up to for yourself; come along at 10am on any Sunday morning at St Peter’s Church. All welcome. 8 Church News Decorating St. Peter’s for Easter The period of Lent has meant a time without any flowers decorating our Church and to celebrate the rising of the Lord on Easter Day we would like to have a wonderful display throughout our Church. Please come along to help decorate St. Peter’s on Saturday, 20th April from 9am. You are all very welcome. Christine Walker Easter Lilies If you would like to commemorate a loved one you are invited to make a donation towards the cost of lilies to decorate St. Peter’s for Easter. Donations can be given to Sue Keyes, Peter Roast or the Churchwardens, Isobel Doubleday or Karen Tarpey. Christine Walker Ash Wednesday Rev’d Sue Godsmark led our Ash Wednesday service on March 6th, the day after Shrove Tuesday. Psalm 51 was read by Robert Tarpey and John Doubleday read 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 20 to chapter 6, verse 10. Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent and is considered a day to cleanse the soul before Lent begins. Palm crosses from the last Palm Sunday are burned and the ash is used to mark parishioners with a cross on their foreheads to symbolize repentance for sin. Christine Walker 200+ Club Draw Winners February First Prize - Ivy Coker Second Prize - Julian Mann Third Prize - Madge Dewing If you would like to join the scheme, whose proceeds benefit the church, please contact Roger Allen on 892334 9 Church News Services at St Peter’s Church April Sunday, 7th April 8am Holy Communion Fifth Sunday of Lent 10am Morning Service of the Word 6pm Evensong Sunday, 14th April 8am Morning Prayer Palm Sunday 10am Family Communion 6pm Evensong Thursday, 18th April 7.30pm Eucharist of the Last Maundy Thursday Supper followed by Prayer Watch Friday, 19th April 2pm Stations of the Cross Good Friday Sunday, 21st April 6am Dawn Eucharist Easter Day 8am Morning Prayer 10am Family Communion Sunday, 28th April 8am Morning Prayer Second Sunday of Easter 10am Morning Service of the Word 6pm Evensong If you are considering baptism for yourself or your children, confirmation, weddings, funeral arrangements, Holy Communion at home, or you would just like a visit, please get in touch with Rev’d Sue Godsmark or one of the Churchwardens (see page 3 for contact details). Photographs On many occasions, photographs are taken of adults and children for the Parish Magazine, Church Website and Church Facebook page to record the life and work of the church in Great Totham. If at any time you would prefer that a photograph was neither kept nor used, please indicate this to the photographer who will delete the image.