February/March 2019 a LETTER from the EDITOR
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The Chronicle The Parish Magazine of Christ Church Charnock Richard February/March 2019 A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hello Everyone, First of all I would like to wish you all a very happy and healthy new year. I must offer my sincere apologies for the non-production of the Chronicle. It does take quite a lot of time preparing the Chronicle and I am afraid, as a result of my other commitments, I have been unable to devote the time. I know many of you have missed the Chronicle for keeping you updated on the activities in this village and I am very sorry. I will try to bring you up to date in this issue. I would like to begin by thanking Andy and Abi Leigh for organising the Christmas Bingo in the Football Club just before Christmas 2017. This event raised £720.00 for the Church. Andy gives a great deal of his time for the benefit of others, particularly our young people, and we thank you most sincerely. Charnock Richard Brass presented their Christmas Concert in Church. Gayle Coleman founded the band in April 2009 to create opportunities for people of all ages to learn to play a brass instrument in a fun and friendly environment. There were two bands: Charnock Richard Training Band which catered for beginner players and those up to grade 2 standard, and Charnock Richard Brass, a band aimed at the more experienced brass players. They have been meeting in the Old School each Friday evening, since the band was formed. In September they changed their evening to Tuesday evening. Both bands have been in great demand for concerts and marches and they have upheld an excellent reputation within the local and wider communities. Gayle studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and she has performed with the Halle Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of Opera North. Gayle now works as an Ensemble Development Leader for the Lancashire Music Service, teaching brass throughout Lancashire schools. Unfortunately, just before Christmas, the band gave their last performance. They finished on a high with many old members joining Gayle for their last event at St. James’s Church, Brindle. On 13th March 2018 an announcement was made from 10, Downing Street naming the new Church of England Bishop of Lancaster, Reverend Dr. Jill Duff. Jill was the founding Director of St. Mellitus College, North West, which is the first full-time ordination course in the North West for over 40 years, offering context-based ordination training and theology courses. Jill attended Bolton School before studying at Christ College, Cambridge and Worcester College, Oxford. She spent several years in the oil industry before training for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Jill was consecrated at York Minster on 29th June 2018 and installed as Bishop of Lancaster in Blackburn Cathedral on 3rd July 2018. Jill is married to Revd. Prof. Jeremy Duff, who is Principal of the St. Padarn’s Institute in the Church in Wales, and they have two sons, Robbie aged 13, and Harry, aged 10. On Thursday 15th March 2018 we held the Women’s World Day of Prayer in our Church. We were joined by members of Coppull St. John’s, Coppull Parish, Coppull Spendmore Lane Methodists and Coppull St. Oswalds. The service is held in a different church each year and it was the first time it was held in our Church. The theme was “All God’s Creation is Very Good” and it was prepared by Christian women of Suriname. Suriname is a small country on the north eastern coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south. It is a beautiful country boasting wonderful forests and has great rivers with very impressive rapids. It is a country rich with flowers and animals, and provides enough food for all. The women of Suriname urged us, in the service, to cherish God’s exquisite gift of Creation and to commit ourselves to caring for God’s world responsibly, so that we may pass it on, unspoiled, to future generations. The music in the service was beautiful and quite different and we were greatly indebted to Gareth Edwards and Rachel Simm for leading the music. Members of our congregation provided the refreshments and this was greatly appreciated by our visitors. On Thursday 19th April 2018 we held the Annual Meeting of Parishioners and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in Church. Malcolm Stewart and Jacqueline Worthington were re-elected as Churchwardens and John Hind retired as treasurer after 18 years. John has served this parish faithfully over the years looking after our finances and keeping the accounts in good order. We wish him well in his well-earned retirement. At this point I would like to thank everyone who assists in the running of our Church, including the cleaners, the churchyard maintenance team and the flower arrangers. On 22nd April 2018 Malcolm and I were invited to the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers St. George’s Day celebrations at Southlands Sports Arena. It was a very enjoyable afternoon as we watched a great many of our young people participating in various activities. Thanks must be given to the leaders of the various organisations for giving their time willingly and joyfully, and providing wonderful opportunities for the young people in their charge. We were also very impressed with the magnificent new Sports Hall at Southlands. On Thursday 26th April 2018 five of our children and one adult were confirmed at Eccleston St. Mary the Virgin by the Bishop of Burnley. This was a Celebration of the Holy Eucharist with Confirmation on Ascension Day. All of the candidates, who were already baptised, were asked if they were ready to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ. They all said they were ready and prepared to affirm their faith for themselves. When they were baptised, their godparents made these promises on their behalf. They all renounced evil and asked for repentance of their sins. Bishop Philip bestowed on each of them the gift of the Holy Spirit. He dipped his thumb in the Oil of Chrism and made a sign of the cross on the forehead of each candidate. Chrism is olive oil mixed with balsam. The oil is a symbol of strength; the perfume is a symbol of the “fragrance of Christ” which the Christian must spread. The candidates have now embarked on the next stage of their pilgrim journey and we wish them well. On 7th July 2018 we held our Annual Procession of Witness around the village. We were led by the musicians from Charnock Richard Brass and we were joined by people of all ages from various sections of our community. It was a glorious day and I would like to thank David Newton and all who helped with the traffic management of the event. On 3rd September 2018, Merchant Navy Day, a small group of people congregated in the Memorial Garden to honour the brave men and women who kept our “island nation” afloat during both World Wars. They also celebrated our dependence on modern day merchant seafarers who are responsible for 95% of United Kingdom imports, including half the food we eat, a great deal of the fuel we burn and virtually all the products and goods we take for granted. This was the fourth year Seafarers UK have campaigned for the Red Ensign, the UK Merchant Navy’s official flag, to be flown on 3rd September on civic buildings and landmark flag poles across the UK. A message of support from HRH the Earl of Wessex was read out “to remember the sacrifices, salute the courage, and support the future of the often unsung personnel of our Merchant Navy”. On 7th September 2018 Voices in Harmony, previously Wigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society, performed a concert in Church. They provide a wide range of music, under the control of musical director, Mr. Ken Rees and they raise funds for charity. They gave a performance of four part harmony and solos including a Wizard of Oz medley, a World War 1 medley of songs, 60’s hits and contemporary music. It was a very enjoyable evening. On 23rd September 2018 we celebrated Reverend John Bacon’s Diamond Anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood. John was ordained on 21st September 1958 by the Bishop of Manchester, The Right Reverend W D L Greer. John had been appointed curate at Bury St. Paul in 1957, remaining there until 1959 when he was appointed Curate-in-Charge of Clifton Green St. Thomas, a tin mission church, which apparently used to move in the wind. Whilst at Clifton Green St. Thomas, John was involved in building a new church, and John, together with some of the men from the parish, built up and installed an ex-theatre organ for the Church. In 1971 John was appointed vicar of Astley Bridge St. Paul and he remained there until his retirement in 1987. On his retirement John and Con came to live in Charnock Richard. He has served our parish extremely well, especially during interregnums. He officiated at the Thursday morning service at the Almshouses Chapel for many years and we are truly grateful. This year on Remembrance Sunday we held a special service to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Reverend David Long prepared a souvenir service booklet to mark the occasion and the children from school created displays which we exhibited in Church.