Parish Magazine

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St John the Evangelist Church Dudley Wood and Cradley Heath

Parish Magazine

April/May 2020

Vicar: The Revd Alicia Baker Curate: The Revd Chris Enwerem The Vicarage 15 Morgan Close 29a Upper High Street Cradley Heath Cradley Heath B64 6DH B64 5HX Tel: 01384 936309 Tel: 01384 591096 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Licensed Lay Ministers Mrs Pauline Muller Mrs Val Cope

Churchwardens: Mrs Carol Jervis 01384 341113 Mr Roger Whitehouse 01384 561320

Parish website www.stjohnsdudleywood.org

Useful contacts and telephone numbers for activities at St John’s To know more contact.....

Adventure Club (Tuesdays in term time) B Grundy 01384 258264 Junior Church (Sundays) B Grundy 01384 258264

Rainbows J Smith 01384 562503 Brownies C Grundy 01384 236366 Guides J Hill 01384 625591

Church Allotments TBC

Organist Z Robbins 07894 030322

Fair Trade L Pearson 01384 345240

Fundraising team V Cope 01384 233878

Magazine K Lee 01384 410385

Home Communion O Chilton 01384 637922

Church Hall booking F Wilde 07952 563725

Community Link 01384 861637

Parish Safeguarding Officer M Freeth c/o 01384 591096

Children’s Advocate A Hurley 01384 566765

Flower rota J Hill 01384 625591

If you have Alicia or Chris's mobile phone numbers - or the mobile phone number of any church member - please be careful and ask their permission before giving it to others. Some people do not wish their mobile phone numbers to be made public.

Please feel free to give people Alicia's office number:- 01384 591096.

The editor reserves the right to edit any items submitted for inclusion in the magazine.

Like most churches in our country, St John’s has had to close its doors to public worship. Baptisms and weddings cannot be held at present, and there are restrictions around funerals.

There are various resources available online for praying at home (I have listed some of these on this sheet). We may stream some liturgy during the coming days and weeks. But the best resource is your heart , and your Bible . You can read God’s Word – the psalms are especially useful at this time; and you can pour out your heart to God and know he is listening.

We have set up a phone-buddy service for anyone in Cradley Heath or Dudley Wood who would like to join. Perhaps you are self-isolating, and need to get some medicine or food quickly and there is no-one to get it. Or you feel too isolated and you would just like someone to phone every couple of days or so. Whatever it is, please get in touch. My phone number is 01384 591096, and this number will be manned from 9am to 12 and 4pm to 6pm every day except Tuesdays and Fridays. If you reach the answer-phone please leave a message with your phone number. My email address is [email protected]

Love and prayers

Alicia

PS If you have enough food in your cupboards for yourself during this time, please consider how you might help those who do not. The food bank is still operating from Community Link on Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm and 5pm to 7pm. Outside these times, donations may also be dropped at the Link between 11am and 1pm on Mon- days. If you are unable to deliver anything yourself, get in touch with phone buddies and we’ll collect. Many thanks.

This week and the following weeks and months are going to prove challenging for all of us. For some more than others. For some of us the only struggle might be when can I go to the supermarket to get bread? For others it will be when will I get paid? Will I have a job after this is over? How can I pay my mortgage or my rent? If I can’t go out, how can I get everything I need? For some who are already ill there will be intense worry, and the effort not to panic is immense. Some say having a faith makes a real difference because we have faith in a loving God who is always with us and especially in times of trial. While we are not able to meet for formal worship in the coming weeks, as promised here are a few resources:-

The Church of England website churchofengland.org has lots of resources for us to worship in our homes – some quite lengthy, others simple. For example the prayer for Sunday March 22 nd is God of love, passionate and strong, tender and careful: watch over us and hold us all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This prayer can be memorised and said through this time. Or you might want to have a look each day to see what else there is. Another website is northumbriacommunity.org/offices . This is the one we shall be using for streaming some time in the future. In the meantime, streamed services are available at holytrinity.org.uk from Holy Trinity Church in Old Hill

Lord’s Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory For ever and ever Amen

Night prayers daily at 10pm - https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FfTS3-KXrBI&

Various resources - https://www.churchofengland.org/more/ media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-liturgy-and-prayer-resources

Advice from the NHS

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons: • shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible • one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household • any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person • travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home

Important These 4 reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

Information: There is separate advice about: staying at home if you're at high risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus staying at home if you or someone you live with has symptoms of coronavirus

How to stop infection spreading There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with coronavirus.

Do • wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds • use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available • wash your hands as soon as you get back home • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze • put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Don't • do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Looking after your health and wellbeing To help yourself stay well while you're at home: • stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media • try to keep yourself busy – you could try activities like cooking, reading, online learning and watching films • do light exercise at home, or outside once a day

What to do if you need medical help If you need medical help for any reason, do not go to places like a GP surgery, phar- macy or hospital.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), use the 111 coronavirus service.

If you need help or advice not related to coronavirus: for health information and advice, use the NHS website or your GP surgery website for urgent medical help, use the NHS 111 online service – only call 111 if you're unable to get help online for life-threatening emergencies, call 999 for an ambulance

Pregnancy advice If you're pregnant and worried about coronavirus, you can get advice about coronavirus and pregnancy from the Royal College of Obstretricians and Gynaecologists.

(Information up-to-date on 25th March 2020, but is updated regularly - visit https:// www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ for the latest advice.)

Snow White Pantomime

Another year, another wonderful pantomime performance coming and going from St Johns youth group. The act of choice was the wonderful Snow White , with the titular character being played by the brilliant Lilly Smith, and an adoring cast of heroic helpers.

And less heroic, not-so-helpful villains, naturally.

Snow White, of course, had plenty of help from her fellows; the Prince Rudolph (Danielle Hill), Princess Flora and Prince Fauna (Rebecca Barratt and Katrina Elkins) with their forest friends, the king’s musical reference maker- ah, personal assistant, Whitney (Rachel Grundy), and the king himself- Michael Hill, who likely had to keep reminding himself that villainous dramatics had to be kept to a minimum this year, and there’d be no booing to respond to either.

But wait, if Michael isn’t the villain, then who is? Well, this year, Harry Smith took it upon himself to handle the dark and evil role, and played the part of the dramatic evil Queen wonderfully. It was clear he enjoyed himself a tad too much, as he acted so evilly that even the Magic Mirror (Louise Smith) got sick of him and turned to the side of the heroes. This villainous ‘Queen’ got his comeuppance too, the Mirror ending the play by swapping his personality with that of Julian, the loyal Valet (Daniel Stafford) … which unfortunately meant that Julian became a rather nasty and snippy character instead. Oh well, you can’t have everything, I suppose. Though

I’m still not sure how Harry managed to dance around all night in a dress and heels… let alone three nights in a row!

Of course, the story could not have progressed without the… ‘help’, of the Odd Job Men, Tom, Dick, and Harry (played by Lewis Grundy, Alice Perry, and Harry Stafford respectively), who were employed by the Queen to take Snow White away and dispose of her (and I do hope they got that payment!). The end was not to come yet, and with the help of the woodland animals (Ava Barnett, Liberty Barnett, and Jessica Lee) Snow White was led to the cottage of the Seven Dwarves, where she could get some help and be safe from the Queen’s evil schemes!

…After a quick stop at the home of the retired Dwarves, played by a collection of church members who should really know better than to get roped in at this point (though it did let Phil Smith get in his yearly visit). Thankfully they were very kind to the somewhat lost Snow White, pointing her in the right direction just before the intermission began, and allowing Doc, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy and Dopey (Olivia Salter, Hannah Barratt, Shannon Nevin, Chelsey Pedley-Hood, Charlie Robins, Lacey-Mae Pedley, and Emily Grundy in order) to hide Snow White away.

For about three scenes, before the Queen and Valet managed to track her down and poison her with an apple. Luckily, Prince Rudolph was on hand to save Snow White from the poison with a kiss, and our odd job men got the chance to show their worth by organising our fairy-tale wedding for the cast to enjoy.

The nights were filled with puns, sweets being batted across the audience by Sherry Trifle (played by Lucy Hazle-Rutter, who appears to be enjoying her role as panto dame), and jokes so fun that even the rest of the cast wasn’t able to handle them- not even on the third night along. It was absolutely not a time to be missed, and a fun show for all.

Roll on next year!

Anya J. Simms

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (and more!)

Our Junior Church did us proud once again under the Directorship of Helen and Jane, a Dynamic Duo!

All the hard work of the cast, the endless rehearsals, the wonderful costumes made by The Wardrobe Team, the Scenery and Staging and especially that of The Magic Mirror, Lighting, IT, Music, Tuck Shop, Make-Up, Front of House, and all those who worked behind the scenes led to a wonderful Production of this Pantomime.

All the characters were believable from the young adorable Woodland Animals, to the main characters of Snow White who was ‘quite delightful’ and the Dwarfs both young and old, to the Wicked Queen. Everyone was extremely well-cast, bringing us the dizziness of Sherry Trifle, showering us with her gifts, the true words of The Magic Mirror, the down to earthiness of the Butler, the modern twist of Whitney, PA to the King, who did not hold back from her comments. The humour of the Odd Job Men had us in stitches! The Queen’s Valet also gave his words of wisdom. King Horace and Prince Rudolph added the stability and romance to the Panto. Princess Flora and Prince Fauna convinced us that good and safe things would happen, and we were in their safe hands. The Chorus of Chefs, Maids and Children also made their second appearances credible.

Us, the audience, hopefully laughed and booed in all the right places and we thoroughly enjoyed the Panto and the dancing and singing were very professional.

It was a good old-fashioned Panto and a joy to watch from the youngsters to the adults in the audience alike.

EXTREMELY WELL DONE TO ALL THE CAST

Jen Kerrison

As I write this piece, the stockmarkets have crashed and fear is beginning to mount as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK has risen to over 300. It is difficult to predict where we’ll be by the time you read this and it’s important that we continue to heed official advice.

Alongside this, the Bishop of St Alban’s has come up with four ‘golden rules’ for Christians which we won’t hear from the Government. I commend them to you:

Golden Rule One. Each one of us can think about how we can protect and support our neighbours. So much of the public rhetoric is sowing fear about the danger of other people. So, while ensuring you take all the official precautions, offer help and reassurance to others – and don’t demonise anyone or any group.

Golden Rule Two: Think about who may be suffering most. For those of us who are healthy there is much less to worry about, but the elderly, the housebound and those with chronic health conditions may be very anxious. Could your church do an audit of vulnerable people and share out the responsibility to phone them each day? There’s nothing like a friendly voice to offer solace when someone is worried. A smile can bring cheer, even on the phone. If you visit, follow all the official precautions.

Golden Rule Three. Don’t give into panic and start hoarding food. There is plenty to go around, so practise the Christian discipline of sharing. Ask your neighbours what they need and do your best to help them get it. If you are self-isolating you will of course need some supplies.

Golden Rule Four. Live today to the full. None of us ever know what the future holds. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6. 25 – 34), Jesus challenged his followers to live each day fully and not be afraid. Every time we are tempted to give in to fear we need to make a conscious choice to respond in trust and openness.

To that I would add; don’t forget to pray and remember, as we approach Easter, the wonderful truth that lies at the heart of our faith, that perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4.18)

+John

EASTER – the most joyful day of the year

Easter is the most joyful day of the year for Christians. Christ has died for our sins. We are forgiven. Christ has risen! We are redeemed! We can look forward to an eternity in his joy! Hallelujah!

The Good News of Jesus Christ is a message so simple that you can explain it to someone in a few minutes. It is so profound that for the rest of their lives they will be still be ‘growing’ in their Christian walk with God.

Why does the date more around so much? Because the date of Passover moves around, and according to the biblical account, Easter is tied to the Passover. Passover celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and it lasts for seven days, from the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which equates to late March or early April.

Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first to use the Hebrew lunar calendar to come up with firm dates for Good Friday: Friday 7 April 30 AD or Friday 3 April, 33 AD, with Easter Day falling two days later. Modern scholars continue to think these the most likely.

Most people will tell you that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is broadly true. But the precise calculations are complicated and involve something called an ‘ecclesiastical full moon’, which is not the same as the moon in the sky. The earliest possible date for Easter in the West is 22 March, which last fell in 1818 and won’t fall again until 2285. The latest is 25 April, which last happened in 1943 and is next due in 2038.

Why the name, ‘Easter’? In almost every European language, the festival’s name comes from ‘Pesach’, the Hebrew word for Passover. The Germanic word ‘Easter’, however, seems to come from Eostre, a Saxon fertility goddess mentioned by the Venerable Bede. He thought that the Saxons worshipped her in ‘Eostur month’, but may have confused her with the classical dawn goddesses like Eos and Aurora, whose names mean ‘shining in the east’. So Easter might have meant simply ‘beginning month’ – a good time for starting up again after a long winter.

Finally, why Easter eggs? On one hand, they are an ancient symbol of birth in most European cultures. On the other hand, hens start laying regularly again each Spring. Since eggs were forbidden during Lent, it’s easy to see how decorating and eating them became a practical way to celebrate Easter.

Easter faith

Three years after the Russian Revolution of 1917, a great anti-God rally was arranged in Kiev. The powerful orator Bukharin was sent from Moscow, and for an hour he demolished the Christian faith with argument, abuse and ridicule. At the end there was silence.

Then a man rose and asked to speak. He was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He went and stood next to Bukharin. Facing the people, he raised his arms and spoke just three triumphant words: ‘Christ is risen!’

At once the entire assembly rose to their feet and gave the joyful response, “He is risen indeed!” It was a devastating moment for an atheist politician, who had no answer to give to this ancient Easter liturgy. He had not realised he was simply too late: how can you convince people who have already experienced God, that He does not exist?

Jesus’ appearances after his Resurrection

The following list of witnesses may help you put all those references in order….

Mary Magdalene Mark 16:9-11; John 20:10-18

Other women at the tomb Matthew 28:8-10

Peter in Jerusalem Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5

The two travellers on the road Mark 16:12,13

10 disciples behind closed doors Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25

11 disciples WITH Thomas John 20:26-31; 1 Corinthians 15:5

7 disciples while fishing John 21:1-14

11 disciples on the mountain Matthew 28:16-20

A crowd of 500 1 Corinthians 15:6

Jesus’ brother – James 1 Corinthians 15:7

Those who saw the Ascension Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8

Why Easter will never go away

How do you make sense of the Resurrection? Dead men don’t rise, so why believe that this particular dead man did rise?

At the end of St Luke’s Gospel we read that: “they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement” (Luke 24.4). This is highly significant. The Gospels do not show us a group of disciples who were in a receptive frame of mind. After the crucifixion, they were in hiding, frightened and scattered. Then suddenly, they came out of hiding and were totally different; excited, joyful. By Pentecost they were confident, with one firm message: “You crucified Jesus, but God raised him up!”

How did they know this? Because of experience. Some of them had visited the tomb of Jesus: it was empty. Others claimed to have seen and touched the risen Lord. Were they hallucinating? People can hallucinate in groups – when taking drugs, for example. But of course each one will see a different hallucination. But the disciples all saw the same thing. Or rather, the same person. Jesus.

Were they lying? Jesus had died a humiliating death as a criminal. Perhaps they wanted to rescue His good name. So did they pretend they had seen Him?

This theory has a big problem. Their preaching led them into trouble with the authorities. They were beaten and imprisoned and some of them killed. People will die for ideas and causes which they believe in passionately. But not for things they have made up. We might suffer for our convictions, we will not suffer for our inventions.

What about the ‘swoon’ theory? That Jesus didn’t die on the cross, despite terrible wounds. He recovered in the tomb, and escaped. The disciples nursed Him back to health. But Roman soldiers knew when a man was

dead; and there was the guard on the tomb. Also, the events which followed simply don’t fit.

If the disciples had been hiding Jesus, they would have kept very low-key, and out of the way, so that the authorities did not come after him again.

Besides, to preach that God had raised Jesus from the dead – which is exactly what they did preach – would have been a lie. Beatings and threat of death would soon have loosened their tongues. Inventions crumble under pressure; convictions hold fast.

Another reason for believing in the Resurrection is this: Jesus’ continuing impact. Thousands and soon millions of people in every generation since have shared an inescapable sense of being ‘accompanied’ through life. Though unseen, they identify this presence as the Risen Lord.

Sometimes this experience of meeting Jesus is gentle and fitful. Sometimes it is dramatic and life-changing. This reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus is not just an interesting historical puzzle. It is a vital present day reality. It brings wonderful comfort, assuring us of the central Christian truths: death is dead; Jesus is alive; God is love.

This central notion was captured, most movingly, by the great Albert Schweitzer: “He came to those men who knew Him not. He speaks to us the same word: ‘Follow thou me’, and sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfil for our time. He commands. And to those who obey Him, whether they be wise or simple, He will reveal himself in the toils, the conflicts, the suffering which they shall pass through in His fellowship, and, as ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience who He is.”

Have a joyful – and a challenging – Easter.

The Bishop of Dudley – Martin Gorick

There was a Service of Welcome on 22 nd February 2020 to mark the beginning of the ministry of the Right Reverend Martin Gorick as Bishop of Dudley at Top Church, Dudley (St Thomas and St Luke) at 4pm. Top Church has recently been modernized, replacing the pews with chairs and giving it a welcoming openness for worship.

Bishop Martin was welcomed by The Mayor of Dudley, David Stanley, various members of the Community and Diocese and Signs of Ministry were presented to him – A Bible by John Preston; A Prayer Book by Hilary Higton; A Chalice and Paten by the Archdeacon of Dudley; The Oil for baptism, confirmation and ordination by the Archdeacon of Worcester; A Pectoral Cross by Alice Poole; The Cope and Mitre by the Bishop of Worcester who also handed to him the Pastoral Staff.

The hymns were accompanied by The Worship Group and the Organist. Mrs Helen Shakespeare, PA to the Bishop of Dudley gave the Reading John 20: 19 – end.

The Bishop of Dudley, said that he is looking forward to working with the people in the Borough of Dudley, the local community and churches and hopes to be invited to events for this purpose.

After the Service, Members of the MU from the Diocese were very fortunate to have a joint photo with Bishop Martin as there were many people present.

Coffee, tea and cakes were enjoyed after the Service.

Jen Kerrison

An Overgrowth Of Christmas Trees

The church this year got invaded by an overgrowth of trees, decorated for the occasion with a number of fancy designs. And horrible puns. In fact, there was an entire tree dedicated to just that, covered in bad jokes and puns for you to groan at. Or laugh, I suppose, if that’s your sort of humour. A well-wishes tree stood proudly next to it, offering a number of kind thoughts for people around, and a pretty tree covered in memories.

The Rainbows had made a little craft tree, covered in things they’d made, while the Guides had a war one with many more well wishes and thoughts. Dudley Wood Primary school had a pair of gifts, one covered in robins- with a little cameo from someone who’d clearly gotten a bit tired of fighting crime and needed a break- and the other one where you had to watch the space - literally! The top had a sun on it, and all the way down was a mimicking of the solar system, each planet happily labelled and a couple of rockets making their way to them. It even had a special feature; a press of a button would make it speak up, giving facts about space and planets! A great effort, clearly.

A parliament had taken nest in one of the trees, the owls busy at work doing…owl things, probably sleeping since it was daytime, and a fairy grove had made their own home right next door, a little house built into the tree and mushrooms covering the area. These ones didn’t make anything grow, though, so there wasn’t much chance of super-sized fairies flying about and making a mess of the place.

Alongside this was Harry Smith’s low budget effort, of a ghost of Christmas haunting its way through the church, and an even lower budget effort of the ‘Christmas tree in progress’- a small sapling with a progress bar drawn on paper below it. This one was also courtesy of Harry Smith, so well done for your efforts this year.

I’m led to believe there was also a dementia tree of some kind there as well, along with other assorted crafts and candy canes that made up the rest of the group, and giving the entire hall a very festive feel just in time for the holidays.

Anya J. Simms

100 Club

The 100 Club is open to everyone over the age of 16. The cost is £1 per month, and there is a draw once each month. The more people who join the 100 Club the larger the prize fund (at present the monthly prize is £10) and the more money we can raise for church funds.

Members are welcome at any point during the year, either paying £1 membership monthly, or for the remainder of the year at the time of joining (the ‘100 Club year’ runs from July until June). The monthly prize currently stands at £10, although this may be adjusted if the number of members changes.

Look out for the results of each draw which will be displayed in church and included in the magazine. If you spot your name, please claim your prize! Please note that winners (or people taking responsibility for delivering to winners) will be asked to sign to confirm receipt of prizes.

If you wish to enter the 100 Club please complete a form (available in church or from Kate) and pass it to Kate together with payment.

In order to be entered into the April draw, payment must be received by Kate no later than Friday 17th April . (Any payment received after this date will be included in the May draw.)

In order to be entered into the May draw, payment must be received by Kate no later than Friday 22nd May . (Any payment received after this date will be included in the June draw.)

While we are not using the church or the church hall, the monthly 100 Club draw will be recorded and will appear on the church Facebook page.

A Pure Harmony Evening

It was nice to sit down and have a rest after a busy week, one filled with work and a pair of bustling Christmas fairs to help out at, and a night of Christmas hymns was just the perfect way to do it. Arriving at the Church to the lovely smell of mulled wine, or drinking chocolate if that was more your thing, and took a seat among the beautiful Christmas trees that the churchgoers had arranged around the hall, giving it a brilliantly festive feel as the candlelight bounced around the room and off the baubles on the largest piece at the front.

The choir started up with our help, singing O Little Town of Bethlehem as a warm up piece, then carried on to their own songs, wonderfully singing each one. Every member of the choir sang with a passion to each note, songs like No Room at the Inn and Child in a Manger Born echoing resoundingly around the Church’s rafters and about the hall, and a number of soloists brought their voices out of the mix in order to sing marvellously.

Between each song we were treated to some poems, and the night ended with the entire hall working to sing with the choir again, this time to the familiar tune of Away in a Manger . The entire evening was wonderful, and just the sort of thing that was needed after a long week to relax and prepare in earnest for the upcoming Christmas season. Pure Harmony choir did an excellent job with their songs, and I for one hope to see them return next year for another brilliant performance.

Anya J. Simms

Cool Christmas Celebration

On the 7 th of December, the community once again banded together in the face of bad weather to hold a Christmas market in the church hall. At least the cold was easier to deal with than that horrible heat from before.

The stalls, once again, were numerous, everyone chipping in to do a little bit, and with the cake and kitchen staff working overtime to keep things running there wasn’t a chance of things slowing down. The turkey and pork sandwiches were delicious as always, keeping everything rolling and making sure no-one went hungry during their busy time viewing. Continuing the vein of food, there was a guess-the-sweet jar, where you had to try and figure out how many sweets were in there, a guess-the-price food hamper, and the especially impressive home made stuff stall, run by Roger and Jenny- something that likely took an awful lot of effort to set up! I have it on good authority that the pickled cabbage was gorgeous, too.

As per the usual for a faire, there were plenty of little games set up around the place - less than summer, sadly, but to be expected given that everything was set up inside. Plus, when you’re bundled up to avoid the cold, do you really want to be doing too much? A ball toss was about the most exertion anyone would be performing here, trying to put the balls in the right place to rack up some points and prizes, and just across from that was a similarly done spinning wheel. Raffles and tombolas were naturally abound, winning bottles and presents - y’know, just in case you still haven’t gotten anything for that Christmas gift and are starting to panic - and the adorable teddy that needed someone to head home with, so long as you could guess which name had been handed to the little guy. Alice the Elf acted as the bear’s line of defence there, making sure that only the best at guessing names would become the new partner of our bear.

Anya J. Simms

Black Country Food Bank at the Link

The food bank is always in need of contributions.

Items which are always welcome include: • Tinned items (for example vegetables, fruit, beans, tomatoes, etc.) • Dried pasta • Rice • Tinned rice pudding • Tea • Coffee • Toilet rolls • Packets of biscuits

There is often a trolley at the front of Tesco where you can leave contributions for the food bank, or contributions can be taken to the Link between 10am and 12 noon on Mondays or 1pm and 3pm on Thursday. Alternatively, financial contributions may be given to Carol at any time.

The Food bank costs around £52 a week to run.

If you would be interested in making a regular donation towards the costs, please speak to Carol.

This year the whole of March falls within Lent. That makes it too late to talk about Ash Wednesday and how we should be keeping Lent, and too early to talk about Easter, the great day for which Lent is the time of preparation. So instead, let's remind ourselves that the word 'Lent' is an old English word simply meaning 'spring'. In other languages, the word for Lent refers to the forty days (such as the French Carême) or the season of fasting (such as the German Fastenzeit). Our language invites us to ponder the fact that Lent and Easter occur in the spring.

The connection to new life and rebirth is obvious. As the natural world comes back to life, as leaves and flowers appear, as animals come out of hibernation, as the days lengthen and we spend more time out of doors, so too Christians celebrate the new spiritual life that flows from the dying and rising of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In St John's Gospel, Jesus compares his own death and resurrection to the planting of a seed: 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit . now, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself' (John 12: 24, 32). He is the seed, buried in the earth, but raised up in glory, extending his risen life to all who follow him.

In the natural world, plants produce more seeds, which in turn produce more plants. So too the followers of Jesus are not only the 'fruit' of Jesus's death and resurrection, we are that new generation of seeds which must be planted in order to bear more fruit . Each Christian life is a life of dying and rising. Each Christian life replicates the pattern of Christ's dying and rising. 'We die with him', says St Paul, 'in order that we may live with him'. How do we 'die'? We die to self, we die to selfish and self-destructive instincts, we die to all that separates us from Christ. And how do we 'live'? We gratefully remember the promise of Jesus that he has come that we may have life, and may have it in all its fullness. We allow the risen life of Christ to live in us.

Peter Atkinson Dean of Worcester

100 Club Results January 2020 winner - 1 - Myrtle Nock February 2020 winner - 4 - Madeleine Freeth March 2020 - 15 - Joan Tromans

New members (aged 16 and over) are welcome at any time.

Please see Kate Lee for further details.

June/July magazine deadline Alicia’s day

off is Thursday 21st May usually Friday. Anything received after this date will be included in the August/September magazine. Chris’s day

(Copy to Kate please, electronic if possible! is usually [email protected], 01384 410385) Wednesday.