PARISH MAGAZINE
All Saints’ with St Cedd’s Shrub End , Colchester August 2020
Price 35p or £3.50 per annum
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CLERGY AND OFFICERS
Vicar Vacant
Churchwarden Robin Webb 10 Stuart House St Peter’s Street Colchester Tel: 860900
Sacristan Vacant
PCC Secretary Brenda Pettit
PCC Treasurer Brian Waller 16 Devon Road Colchester Tel: 540449
Gift Aid Officer Iain Hay 47 Gainsborough Road Colchester Tel: 545352
Electoral Roll Officer Frances Poulter 22 Halstead Road Colchester Tel: 532066
Parish Office Tel: 765145
SUNDAY WORSHIP
As you are aware by now, we were not able to hold any services in our two churches, but this hopefully will change from Sunday 6th September.
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Under the direction of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the two buildings were closed. However the Prayerslips and Services sheets are now online only.
LECTIONARY
We are currently using Year A on Sundays and Year 2 on Weekdays.
SUNDAY READINGS FOR AUGUST 2020
EUCHARIST EVENSONG
2nd August – Trinity 8 Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 80 Psalm 17:1-7, 16 1 Kings 10:1-13 Romans 9:1-5 Acts 13:1-13 Matthew 14:13-21
9th August – Trinity 9 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Psalm 86 Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b 1 Kings 11:41-12:20 Romans 10:5-15 John 6:35, 41-51 Matthew 14:22-33
16th August – Trinity 10 Genesis 45:1-15 Psalm 90 Psalm 133 2 Kings 4:1-37 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 John 6:51-58 Matthew 15:21-28
23rd August – Trinity 11 Exodus 1:8-2:10 Psalm 95 Psalm 124 2 Kings 6:8-23 Romans 12:1-8 Acts 17:15-end Matthew 16:13-20
30th August – Trinity 12 Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 105:1-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b 2 Kings 6:24, 25, 7:3-end Romans 12:9-end Acts 18:1-16 Matthew 16:21-end
SICKNESS LIST AND THE REGISTERS
We continue to pray for all who are remembered on our Prayerslips – Rev Tony Rose, Ethel Munson, Angela Marsh, Gillian, Aidan Cooke, Angela,
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Dawn and her family, John Barker, Christopher Browne, Ron Harden, Margaret, Chris Parkes and his family, Amy, Pat Rickard, Louise, Rachel and Shareen Rouvray, John Swinburne, Tabitha, Geoffrey Webb, Edward Wiles, Emma, Shirley and John Hall.
Burial in the churchyard – Julie Ashworth (aged 62) - 10th July
HOME WORSHIP
Thanks to the good work of the Ray Sams, a weekly service sheet is being prepared for us and this is now being shown on the church website – www.shrubendparish.co.uk - This is under the Home Page heading “Home Worship”. A similar heading can also be found for the Prayerslips prepared by our Parish Administrator Also online are some special prayers, particularly for the current COVID19 virus.
FROM THE CHURCH WARDEN
Dear Parish Friends,
Who would have thought it. A two year old child that had been starved back to his birth weight by the atrocities of the German occupation of our Channel Islands would be contemplating the possibility of commencing his eightieth year this month of August. The threads by which we all live are so fragile that only a firm belief in the love of God makes any sense of it. My life was saved then by Dr Darling, the Registrar of the General Hospital in St. Helier. Had he not decided to go to Jersey in the late 1930s to broaden his training, had he not volunteered to stay behind during the 1940 evacuation and had not the German Army overruled the 1942 Gestapo orders to deport him, he would not have been able to take me under his wing when my family received their deportation orders. Five times the Gestapo ordered his deportation to a concentration camp on the Continent and five times the German Army defied the illegal order because they knew he was a good doctor and they needed him on the Island. And through this traumatic time he brought me back to life and health. If God can care for me, the least of his people, think how he must care for you. I feel like the seed that fell amongst thistles. I feel burdened down by the trials and troubles surrounding me, but even so, God loves me and buoys me up and guides me on. Think also how much he loves you, trust in him.
We live in a time where everything appears to be in Biblical proportions. In this time of Covid 19, I commend to you the prophetic words of Julian of Norwich. “All will be well and all manner of things will be well.”
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Most of the volunteer priests who assisted us so well before the lockdown, are themselves in the vulnerable or extremely vulnerable categories and are over 70 so will not be able to take services for some time. However, I have been able to start services again at 10:00 every Sunday until the New Year starting from the first Sunday in September at St Cedd’s. Rev. Ray Sams has volunteered to conduct Holy Communion every first Sunday until the New year. Phill Wood will conduct Morning Prayer at All Saints every second Sunday and the Ven Ruth has volunteered to conduct Holy Communion at All Saints every third Sunday. Being down in Sussex I haven’t yet managed to contact Rev Sue Gridley by telephone, but I do hope she will be able to assist us in ensuring we hold a service every Sunday.
As I remarked last month, I am in the group required to be in lockdown until 1st August. Unless the Government modifies it’s guidance, I propose to fly to France to check my house there and do not expect to return to the parish until later in August. Until I am back with you all, do stay safe and continue to help your neighbours in need with love and understanding.
May God be with us all
Robin Webb
NEWS FROM THE REVEREND RAY SAMS “GO; DO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL”
I was sitting in the garden the other day thinking about how as each week passes there is gradually more and more traffic on the roads. Which is, I suppose, a good thing, because it means that we are spending less time walled up in our own premises and more time getting about a bit. Then, being of a generally miserable disposition, I found myself thinking that it wouldn’t be too long before we started experiencing major hold-ups on the roads again. And then I remembered these words from an evangelistic hymn, “Go: do something beautiful”. They came to mind a few years ago, when I was caught up in the aftermath of a bad accident on the A12. Like many others, I had set off expecting it to be a pretty normal day; only to find that most of the morning was lost. I sat in my car, in a queue of traffic, going nowhere for a couple of hours. My thoughts ran much as I imagined most other people’s did: some initial annoyance at the disruption; then a sense of guilt, and prayer, when I realised the anguish and pain of those involved in the accident far outweighed any inconvenience to me. Actually, the only surprising thing is that things don’t go wrong more often.
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All over the world, people suffer the consequences of events over which they had no control; earthquakes, droughts, economic crises, and so on. Every day, even trivial incidents deflect me from my plans; forgetting to set the alarm, running out of bread or milk, or misplacing my keys. (When I was small, my mum made me an “idiot string” for my gloves: a length of ribbon which ran up one sleeve of my coat, across the shoulders and down the other sleeve, with a glove attached at each end, so that I couldn’t lose my gloves. It wouldn’t work for keys though, more’s the pity because I’m constantly forgetting where I put them down.) Some days, it’s a wonder I get anything done at all. And some days I get nothing done at all. I suspect that the reason the world works, more or less, is because ordinary people do good things, spontaneously or otherwise, but often. At the accident I mentioned before, a man got out of his car and sat with a trapped and injured woman, reassuring her until the emergency services arrived. That was a beautiful thing to do. The unexpected things in life need not always be nasty, dangerous, or disruptive. Every day, human beings, whether Christians or not but made (I believe) in the image of God, help to build God’s kingdom by doing beautiful, Godly things, which make the world work better. Beautiful things need not be flashy or huge things, and they can perfectly well be things that other people don’t find especially beautiful. At heart, they are simply things which bring us some joy. So maybe the antidote to the frustration we feel when something disrupts our life is nearer, and easier, than we think. Maybe this whole lockdown thing can be more bearable if we do more beautiful things. Play with our toys, whatever they are. Discover new toys. Share them. Respond to our own dismay by making a beautiful difference for someone else. So, go: do something beautiful. Now.
Ray Sams
PARISH FINANCE
Another month has passed and many thanks to all the people who have posted or given me cheques. Recent times has seen a few more of the normal bills paid, including grass cutting, water, repairs to a mower and a new second hand one. The insurance for both churches will also be paid at the start of August by direct debit and this came to around £3,000. Also planned to be done is the hall floor at St Cedd’s with a likely cost of around £3,000 too. In this time away from church, people may wish to either send their giving to me by cheque made payable to All Saints PCC to my address – 16 Devon Road, Colchester, CO2 9BB or transfer the money direct into our bank account sort code 20-22-67 account number 00111112, with a reference to your name please.
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EDITOR’S NOTES
If you want anything included in the September magazine, if things are not back to normal, please email Brian on – [email protected]
Items included in this magazine are with thanks to information found in various church websites and from the book written by the late Richard Cooper and Geoff Pettit, who both served this parish well over many years. Many thanks for anyone from the parish who sent me a birthday card for 10th July. A week later I was visiting Daphne for coffee on her big day and she exceeded my sum as at the last count she had 25. Then on the eighth of August, Robin is celebrating a big day too.
A BIG THANK YOU – NIGEL AND BRENDA
In the lockdown we have been experiencing has meant that many of the jobs performed by PCC and Church members had to stop. However, Nigel and Brenda, even though they were still going to work, being youthful and energetic have voluntarily stepped in and performed a number of valuable jobs both at All Saints’ and St. Cedd’s. They have been routinely checking the premises and initially secured the gates of St. Cedd’s to stop unauthorised entry. In order to do some jobs they had to make purchases when the retail business had also been hugely disrupted. More recently, they have installed sanitisers with the proper notices and tried to prepare for the reopening of our churches. And, no doubt they have performed other jobs that they haven’t told us about. Thank you so much, Nigel and Brenda, for helping out when others were not able to do so.
AND ALSO MY TRIBUTES TOO
As several people have said it too to me, so I must thank Brian who has done a sterling job in recent months as apart from the treasurer’s job, he has also done a lot of admin work, dealing with post and phone calls. He has written, printed, assembled and delivered with the help of Susan Rich all the recent church magazines. He has also updated the church website also and done various other checks. We would also like to thank Ray who writes a weekly service for us and also the parish are grateful for the work done by Dave Millin, Trevor and others in the churchyard. Also a very big thank you to Jennifer Millin who has asked to give up the role of organising the flowers at All Saints church, so we will need a volunteer to take on this role in the future. Thanks also for all who have donated money towards the purchase of the Easter church flowers, which sadly could not take place or gave money at other times during the last year. There is a flower fund in the church books which will be used as and when we need to money, please feel free to contact Brian Waller if you need any help.
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Finally my special thanks to Terry who has dealt with a lot of issues involving St Cedd’s church hall and the difficult things encountered with trying to re-open it again in the near future.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON GROUP
All refreshments at the Thursday Afternoon Group are supplied free of charge to those who are attending. Should anyone wish to make a donation towards costs, any (unsolicited) contributions are then sent to a charity. At the start of lockdown there was £63.05 in the fund of which £30 was sent to Water Aid and the balance to the NHS Appeal for PPE.
Many thanks Stephanie D’Silva
DIGNITY ABBEY FUNERAL SERVICE 23 Drury Road, Colchester, CO2 7UY
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Email [email protected]
For more details, please contact TREVOR, MELANIE OR SAUL HUNNABALL
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VARIOUS REPORTS FROM BRENDA
Mothers' Union I hope all members have been keeping well and safe during these very strange times we have found ourselves in. Regrettably, as the current situation seems to be on going, I know dear Boris is relaxing rules weekly, daily or even hourly (hard to keep up with it), I have taken the decision to suspend Mothers' Union meetings for the rest of this year. Saying that, I do hope that perhaps we can have a get together one afternoon and have a cuppa, as and when things are eased, we will meet - Watch this space!!
Children's Society I'm pleased to report that from the boxes I managed to collect, I have been able to send off to the Children's Society a total of £471.30. I know due to Covid 19, some boxes, have not come in. Please do not worry, keep adding your coins to them and I will empty them next year now. If your box fills up - please ask me for a spare box or use another suitable coin collector. Thank you for continuing to support the Children's Society. I know they are very grateful for all donations received.
Harvest Unfortunately, a Harvest lunch this year is not going to be practical. It is in the best of interests of everyone to stay well and safe.
MARK NAYLER PLUMBING AND COMPLETE PROPERTY SERVICES LTD For all your property needs
TELEPHONE: (01206) 522581 or (07763) 468391
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Lord, at the moment nothing seems to be able to help the loss I feel. My heart is broken and my spirit mourns. All I know is that your grace is sufficient. This day, this hour, moment by moment, I choose to lean on you, For when I am at my weakest your strength is strongest. I pour out my grief to you and praise you that on one glorious day when all suffering is extinguished and love has conquered We shall walk together again.
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Here for you every hour of every day
98 The Commons, Prettygate
Telephone: (01206) 803643
www.eastofengland.coop/funerals
FRIENDS OF ALL SAINTS
Do you have links with the Parish of Shrub End ?
Were you or a loved one, baptised, confirmed or married there ?
Is a loved one buried in the churchyard ?
If so, you would probably wish All Saints to stand there in perpetuity as a keeper of your own memories and to provide the same service to others.
Have you considered joining the Friends of All Saints ?
By expressing your support with a modest annual subscription you can help to ensure this church’s survival against the ravages of time.
Please contact Stephanie D’Silva on (01206) 576370 for some further information.
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R GWINNELL & SONS Family, Funeral Directors and Monument Masons
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Across 7 Inappropriate act — I’m close, manoeuvring alongside son (8) 9 A prop on dry land (6) 10 Like church officer given sign of approval mostly (6) 11 Beach sometimes covered — it’d upset wild animal (8) 12 Admission of fault from criminal going to Moroccan city, then Jerusalem (10) 14 Army’s repeated farewell (2-2) 15 Believer from Antioch mixing with Mo and Carl (5,8) 17 Wildfowl appearing regularly is something to be revered (4)
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18 One praying confused pupils with jargon (10) 20 Show a bit of backbone! (8) 21 Keen army officer accepting the last word (6) 23 Make disclosure about meat (6) 24 Member of clergy from Bodmin is terrific! (8)
Down 1 Right round with repeatedly firm art style (6) 2 Bible passage formerly included by Rechabite (4) 3 One among new deacons in ecclesiastical area (8) 4 Lay officer in bunker? (6) 5 Greek character formerly left in charge of one type of collection (10) 6 Wildly excited female meeting Frenchman and twitching (8) 8 Church song Templar claims to be original (8,5) 13 The growth of genealogy (6,4) 15 Looking embarrassed always, this writer embraced Saviour (8) 16 Sacred territory in Netherlands unknown character enters (4,4) 18 Not immediately obvious, it is discarded from secondary name (6) 19 Ann set out from French city (6) 22 Mother’s second service (4)
Answers are on Page 35
MAIN AUGUST SAINTS AND MEMORABLE PEOPLES’ DAYS
4th Jean-Batiste Vianney - commonly known in English as Saint John Vianney, was a French parish priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars" (i.e. the parish priest of Ars), internationally known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics attribute this to his saintly life, mortification, persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. His feast day is 4 August.
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5th Oswald, King of Northumbria (642) - was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is venerated as a saint, of whom there was a particular cult in the Middle Ages. Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile. After defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira once again under a single ruler, and promoted the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. He was given a strongly positive assessment by the historian Bede, writing a little less than a century after Oswald's death, who regarded Oswald as a saintly king; it is also Bede who is the main source for present-day historical knowledge of Oswald. After eight years of rule, in which he was the most powerful ruler in Britain, Oswald was killed in the Battle of Maserfield.
6th The Transfiguration of Our Lord - is a story told in the New Testament when Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2– 8, Luke 9:28–36) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it (2 Peter 1:16–18). It has also been hypothesized that the first chapter of the Gospel of John alludes to it John 1:14). In these accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, go to a mountain (the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is then called "Son" by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Father, as in the Baptism of Jesus. Many Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, commemorate the event in the Feast of the Transfiguration, a major festival.
7th John Mason Neale, Priest and Hymn Writer (1866) – Neale was born in London on 24 January 1818, his parents being the clergyman Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good. A younger sister Elizabeth Neale (1822–1901) founded the Community of the of the Holy Cross. He was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where (despite being said to be the best classical scholar in his year) his lack of ability in mathematics prevented him taking an honours degree.[2] Neale was named after the Puritan cleric and hymn writer John Mason (1645–94), of whom his mother Susanna was a descendant.
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8th Dominic, Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers (1221) - was a Castilian priest and founder of the Dominican Order. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers. According to Guiraud, Dominic abstained from meat, "observed stated fasts and periods of silence", "selected the worst accommodations and the meanest clothes", and "never allowed himself the luxury of a bed". "When travelling, he beguiled the journey with spiritual instruction and prayers". Guiraud also states that Dominic frequently travelled barefoot and that "rain and other discomforts elicited from his lips nothing but praises to God".
9th Mary Sumner – Founder of the Mothers’ Union (1921) - was born Mary Elizabeth Heywood in Swinton near Salford, Lancashire, the third of four children. Her father Thomas Heywood was a banker and keen antiquarian; and her mother was a woman of personal piety. The family moved to Colwall near Ledbury, Herefordshire, in 1832, where Sumner's mother held mothers' meetings. A year after their arrival in Herefordshire, Sumner's six-week-old brother died. Her mother's faith, her women's meetings and her brother's infant death may have all inspired Sumner decades later to begin the Mothers' Union. Educated at home, young Mary learned to speak three foreign languages and sing well. To complete her musical education, she travelled with her mother and elder sister to Rome. Whilst there she met her future husband, George Henry Sumner, the son of Charles Richard Sumner, the Bishop of Winchester and a relative of William Wilberforce. The couple were married in Colwall on 26 July 1848, 18 months after George's ordination as an Anglican cleric. They had three children: Margaret, Louise and George; the latter became a well known artist. In 1851, Rev. George Sumner received the living of Old Alresford, Hampshire, in his father's diocese. Sumner dedicated herself to raising her children and helping her husband in his ministry by providing music and Bible classes.
10th Laurence – Deacon at Rome and Martyr (258) - was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258. Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the cathedral church.
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11th Clare of Assisi – Founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares) (1253) - born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara and is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, and wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she founded was renamed in her honour as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares.
11th John Henry Newman – Priest and Tractarian (1890) - was an English theologian and poet, first an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and cardinal, who was an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. He was known nationally by the mid-1830s, and was canonised as a saint in the Catholic Church in 2019.
13th Florence Nightingale – Nurse and Social Reformer (1910) - was an English social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers. She gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night. Nightingale was a prodigious and versatile writer. In her lifetime, much of her published work was concerned with spreading medical knowledge. Some of her tracts were written in simple English so that they could easily be understood by those with poor literary skills. She was also a pioneer in data with the use of infographics, Much of her writing, including her extensive work on religion and mysticism, has only been published posthumously.
15th The Blessed Virgin Mary - was a first-century Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph, and the mother of Jesus, according to the canonical gospels and the Quran. The gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament and the Quran describe Mary as a virgin. In Matthew and Luke she is betrothed to Joseph. According to Christian theology she conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit while still a virgin. She accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. 20th William and Catherine Booth – Founders of the Salvation Army (1912 and 1890) – he was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded The Salvation Army and became its first
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General (1878–1912). The Christian movement with a quasi-military structure and government founded in 1865 has spread from London, England, to many parts of the world and is known for being one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid. In 2002, Booth was named among the 100 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll. She was born as Catherine Mumford in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England, in 1829 to Methodist parents, John Mumford and Sarah Milward. Her father was an occasional lay preacher and carriage maker. Her family later moved to Boston, Lincolnshire, and later lived in Brixton, London. From an early age, Catherine was a serious and sensitive girl. She had a strong Christian upbringing and was said to have read the Bible through eight times before the age of 12. 30th John Bunyan – Spiritual Writer (1688) - was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress. In addition to The Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan wrote nearly sixty titles, many of them expanded sermons. Bunyan came from the village of Elstow, near Bedford. He had some schooling and at the age of sixteen joined the Parliamentary Army during the first stage of the English Civil War. After three years in the army he returned to Elstow and took up the trade of tinker, which he had learned from his father. He became interested in religion after his marriage, attending first the parish church and then joining the Bedford Meeting, a nonconformist group in Bedford, and becoming a preacher. 31st Aidan – Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary (651) - was an Irish monk and missionary credited with converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindisfarne Priory, served as its first bishop, and travelled ceaselessly throughout the countryside, spreading the gospel to both the Anglo-Saxon nobility and the socially disenfranchised (including children and slaves). He is known as the Apostle of Northumbria and is recognised as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others. MEMORIES OF THE PAST Some of you may remember that Beryl once wrote about her memory of me in the past when I was a young and curly haired lad who use to travel with his father on his rounds at the Old Heath Laundry, when she lived in Wimpole Road. She now has a few better memories that she would like to tell us about. Just lately we have lost two great entertainers in the memories of lots of us. The first I remember fondly is the great Roy Hudd.
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In the sixties when Shrub End Ladies Group was in its heyday we went as a group to the theatre at Clacton where he as a fairly new star was appearing. Our leader at that time was dear Connie Turkentine and no doubt he was told of our group in the audience and he welcomed us and our leader Mrs Turkentine. For some reason her name tickled him and several times during the evening he would interrupt what he was saying and exclaim Turkentine and burst out laughing. I have never before or since laughed so much that I felt ill and really thought I would have to go outside the theatre. He gave so much pleasure to audiences for years, both as a standup comedian and also as an actor. (Editor – indeed I may have been on that trip too as I can recall seeing him there when he was starting out).
The other great entertainer is of course the great Vera Lynn During the war we had soldiers stationed in our Suffolk village in the great Hall given over to the ministry of Defence by the squire who then retired to a smaller property. The village seemed full of men in khaki and there was a great deal of activity ,such as dances in the village hall with their own band. It really shook up the population with much excitement. We even had visiting well known artists as concerts were put on in the village hall. Most homes would invite soldiers into their homes for Sunday tea and we were no exception. There would always be four or five and how my Mum put on a Sunday tea with rationing I will never know. My Dad had a good vegetable garden and we kept a few chickens. There would always be a lovely salad topped with sliced hard boiled eggs and grated cheese. Dad had extra cheese ration as he was a farm worker. She always made a custard tart and jam tarts.
On Sunday afternoon was the Vera Lynn show on the wireless. One of the man Freddie Franklin was besotted, we were not allowed to utter a word during the programme. Mum used to put up wives if they had a weekend off from their war work and we even had the Padres wife at one time. The wife of one of the Scottish soldiers was so pleased that we had welcomed him into our home that she kept up a correspondence with Mum for years afterwards, although we never met her. People came to the dances from neighbouring villages the girls with curlers in their hair to be removed in the cloakroom and their dresses pinned up, so as not to get them entangled on the bicycle wheels. Although it was a time of real worry people made their fun where they could. I think that particular company went out to North Africa, but of course there was no way of knowing. To hear Vera's crystal clear voice gives me goose pimples and I am immediately back in my childhood remembering Dusty, Freddie, John and
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Bobby. I hope she will never be forgotten as her voice was so distinctive and her songs are timeless. Beryl Whent
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BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WORDSEARCH Words are horizontally, vertically, diagonally and back to front
H T U R H A B A K K U K M M M A R K C A E K Q N Z M A Y R B R Y S U T K N A A T T R Z E T K G T U R H X T M A R H H E E M M L A E H E T E A N I B A U C Z C E D R B E S E R K E Z R R W H A S N R O E F T A Y W A K I O S A G W U T T U R K S I A R Z E W S U D O X E T S A R Q U E E N E M J A G J E R E M I A C D U T N E Z R R A K H G A D N I C L E J O S H U A G E K L E U M A S C E K E M M A T T H E M A R R S A A S M L A S P N C H I L E X O D U U W R D J N H A M O N H O J O H O A A H A G G A I J P A E D I A A M G Y N O S C L S M Y M C I U A B G I L L E W B O F N N S J M Y Y R H A B S H I S A I A H E K D R K W L E I N A D J
AMOS, DANIEL, ESTHER, EXODUS, EZRA, GENESIS, HABAKKUK, HAGGAI, ISAIAH, JEREMIAH, JOB, JOEL, JOHN, JOSHUA, JUDGES, KINGS, LAMENTATIONS, LUKE, MARK, MATTHEW, MICAH, NUMBERS, PSALMS, RUTH, SAMUEL ON MY TRAVELS AGAIN
As many of you know, until the troubles of this year, I made many trips out on buses and trains. On 17th June 2017, I returned to Rochester, a place that I been to once before on a trip out with my disabled group.
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This time I went on my own and it was on the High Speed Train out from the Stratford International station. Sadly even with a Senior rail card and going on a Saturday, it was expensive as any trips towards London and past it were costly. So here is a little about what I saw when I went there. After a gap of many years, I made a return visit to Rochester in Kent. It was once again a very early start out for me as I got the 710 number 64a bus from Layer Road to town and the train fare was £27. After reaching Stratford I hurried through the Westfields shopping centre, and luckily I managed to get the 832 train from the International station and I was off on the High Speed Train through the stations of Ebbsfleet International, Gravesend, Strood and 30 minutes later we were in Rochester. Luckily the station was close to the town centre as I got off my train, pictured below.
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Cutting across the road, I was soon heading towards the castle and the cathedral and I went into the latter where a service was going on in a side annexe and I took a few photos of the building.
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Having been in the cathedral, I retracked back to the High Street and was soon going into my first charity shop and then with nothing in there of interest, I was soon into a Subway for a breakfast. After my eat and drink I was going back down the High Street and going into a lot more charity shops and many others of interest. The feature of the High Street in Rochester is that it lacks all the big major stores but there were plenty of others to see and look in.
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Close by there were a couple of other churches, which I took photos of and then I went into two museums, the Huguenot one, which there was a charge, but the main and much bigger one was free.
St Nicholas
In what looked like the Tourist Board, I went upstairs to what was the Huguenot Museum and up there I was to find that it was £3 admission, but very little to see. Then it was to the Guildhall Museum and to see numerous good displays and down underneath is a penny farthing bicycle.
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Splendid view of the railway track over the river
Thoughts were to go in the Castle but seeing another flight of stairs and on what was a very hot day, I opted to return home on the HST at 1128.
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CHURCHES OF COLCHESTER
As I return to my look of the churches of Colchester, I continue from where I left off last time.
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Eld Lane Baptist, Eld Lane, Colchester
In Eld Lane, built in 1834 on the site of Colchester's first purpose-built Baptist chapel of 1711. The first Baptist church in England was established by Thomas Helwys in 1612 in London. He died in Newgate Prison but the faith spread.
There were Baptists in Colchester by 1630. In the Civil War period views of what the Christian faith should be contended within existing churches. With the Restoration in 1660 the Church of England was supreme and those who had other views had to worship underground. The Glorious Revolution of 1689 gave toleration to Dissenters. It was then that Colchester Baptist Church was formed.
In 1690 the Church registered its meeting house in East Stockwell Street, just off the High Street, and its minister, John Hammond. In 1711 the church moved to Eld Lane on part of its present site and called John Rootsey as its minister. Rootsey built up the church and made the first contacts which led to Baptist churches in Ipswich.
In 1832 the site of their premises was increased fourfold and the present church was built on it in 1834. This was largely due to the benefactions of Benjamin Nice, a farmer living in Ardleigh. One of their members at that time, James Paxman asked that his name be removed from the roll due to 'improper conduct'. Thus his son, James Noah Paxman, was brought up in the Church of England. He went on to found the major engineering company that bore his name.
In January 1850 the young Charles Haddon Spurgeon came to a knowledge of Christ in a Sunday morning service in the Primitive Methodist Church in Artillery Street.
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That evening Spurgeon worshipped at Eld Lane and it is as a Baptist that Spurgeon became the foremost Christian influence in 19th century Britain. In 1866 with the minister ill but unable to retire Eld Lane looked to Spurgeon, who had just founded the theological college that bears his name, for help. He offered Edward Spurrier as assistant minister and agreed to preach himself twice a year to cover the cost. Spurrier soon had the church in a healthy state. On one of his visits Spurgeon saw the need for a school hall. With a gift and a loan from him the Church was equal to the challenge. In recent years this hall has needed rebuilding but is essentially the hall Spurgeon built.
Spurrier stayed at Eld Lane over 40 years. In that time out-stations were built at Parsons Heath (Wycliffe) and Blackheath (Orchard). Both are now independent churches. One of their ministers in subsequent years, Warwick Bailey, served from 1944 to 1972. He was a Borough Councillor for nine years and was mayor of Colchester in 1949/50. Two further additions have been made to the premises. That in front of the school hall was named after Spurrier and opened in 1923. A wing on the other side was added in 1991. It houses Open Door, founded in 1986 as a welcome to all who want to come on four weekdays.
Greek Orthodox of St Helen’s Chapel, Maidenburgh Street, Colchester
Dedicated to Saint Helena, the 14th century Chronicle of Colchester states that the chapel was founded by the saint herself and refounded by Eudo Dapifer in 1076.
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Most of the present building dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, incorporating Roman brick. Excavations in 1981 and 1984 in Maidenburgh Street, have shown that the Roman stone and brickwork under the north and east walls were part of a theatre. In the 14th century, chantries were established in the chapel, but it was closed in 1539 after the Dissolution of St John's Abbey and it went into secular use.
It became a house, a school, a library, a Quaker meeting-house and a warehouse. In the 1880s, the Round family who owned the castle, had the chapel restored by William Butterfield. After use as a clergy meeting- room and a parish hall, it was used by the Castle Museum as a store. Since 2000, it has again been used as a place of worship by the Orthodox Parish of St Helen.
Holy Trinity, Trinity Street, Colchester
Holy Trinity is the oldest surviving church building in Colchester. It is on Trinity Street in the town centre. Parts of the church tower are Anglo- Saxon, believed to date from about 1020. The Saxon doorway in the west side of the tower has a triangular head: a feature common in Anglo-Saxon windows but unusual in a doorway. An earlier church building may have existed on the site.
The churchyard reportedly includes the graves of William Gilbert, discoverer of electromagnetism and physician to Elizabeth I, and the composer John Wilbye. The Church has been used as a café and youth venue for arts and music.
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Wordsearch and Crossword Solutions H T U R H A B A K K U K M M A R K E A S N T T G U T H E M L H E N B U E R E S E K W S N R E I O S S I A R Z E S U D O X E T S J A G U T N D N I J O S H U A G E K L E U M A S E M S A S M L A S P L J H N H O J H O A H A G G A I J A E I A O C L M M B I E O M R S I S A I A H E L E I N A D J
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O Blessed Lord, accept this burning candle as a sign of my faith and love for you. Like this candle, I am ready to be used in your service, without asking why and to what purpose. Even as this candle, I wish to stand in your presence to be consumed in the light and warmth of your love. Please hear my prayer and, if it be your will, grant my petition. Above all, make me loyal and faithful to you in all circumstances of my life.
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MY LOCK IN CHALLENGES
Left with one more page to fill in this month’s magazines, I thought I could continue to reflect what has been happening to me in recent weeks. At this time of year normally, I am either at football or cricket, or going for my many trips out on buses and trains. In the last three years I have managed to visit well over 100 places which includes going to the North Norfolk Coast to Sheringham and Cromer, the former was where my nephew was doing his youth work and studying, before we were all put under lock and key, so to speak. Rarely have I been much further than the end of my road to fetch my daily papers and the odd bit of shopping, for myself and my dear neighbour Doreen. After about six weeks, in the need of some tins of coffee and jars of hot chocolate, I dared venture to Tescos at the Hythe, but even early on a Saturday at 8am that was not a great time, very crowded and people not obeying the one way system instore.
After a couple of Iceland shops online, I have mostly walks to town to go to Wilko’s, Poundland and Iceland and in later times I have even walked from home to the Range to buy fish tank supplies, to Pets at Home to buy six more cory fish. They are great fish for keeping fish tanks clean and to the Range again to buy a tank bulb. As luck would have it, I don’t need to buy many other fish, as having initially bought ten guppies about a year ago, as the shop tell you, they breed well. Although I have lost a few, the ones I now have got have multiplied to over 40. This includes 17 more new babies born in the last ten days. I have two main tanks of twenty litres each and a much smaller baby tank for the little ones. As a guppy grows bigger, the male have beautiful coloured tails.
Another few days and I will be going to print with the church magazine again, and quite a bit of time will be spent, finalising it, printing it, sorting and stapling it and distributing it. Some will be emailed, others posted and between myself and Susan we will hand deliver it. We have done our best to get it to as many people as we can, but I am always happy to add new names to my list. I still have back copies of previous months are required by anyone else. Last month 65 were printed and around that number were also circulated in one form or another.
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Groups and Contacts
Bellringers Pauline Millatt – Tel 330327 (Wednesday Nights)
Children’s Society Brenda Pettit – Tel 522957
Church Cleaning Denise Turner – Tel 738733
Church Flowers All Saints – Vacant
St Cedds – Sandra Hill – Tel 503032
Susan Rich 767356
Friends of All Saints Stephanie D’Silva -Tel 576370
Thursday Open Afternoon Stephanie D’Silva -Tel 576370 between (230-430pm)
Magazine Distribution Pauline Millatt -Tel 330327
Mothers’ Union Brenda Pettit – Tel 522957
St Cedd’s Bookings Community Halls in Partnership with an email of [email protected] and Tel 870266
Websites All Saints – www.shrubendparish.co.uk, Deanery of www.colchesterdeanery.org.uk and the Deanery News of [email protected]
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