The Parish Magazine of Crowton, Norley and Kingsley

JANUARY 2013

St. John, Kingsley

St. John, Norley

Christ Church, Crowton

UNITED BENEFICE OF CHRIST CHURCH, CROWTON ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, KINGSLEY & ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, NORLEY

VICAR Revd. Pete Rugen The Vicarage, Pike Lane, Kingsley 01928 787 180 email [email protected] CURATE Revd. Gill Stanning Fullwood, Blakemere Lane, Hatchmere 01928 788 623 email: [email protected] YOUTH & YOUNG FAMILIES WORKER Joe Smith e-mail: [email protected] 07702425344 READER Mrs. H. Merrington Cartref, Ball Lane, Kingsley 01928 788 087 READER IN TRAINING

Dr A Davidson Lund Hollies Barn, Onston Lane, Crowton 01606 853 556

CHURCHWARDENS NORLEY Dr. G. Archer Mara. Delamere Lane, Norley 01928 788 911 Mr. D. Askwith West Winds, Fingerpost Lane, Norley 01928 787 655 VERGER Mr. A. Nield The Lilacs, Post Office Lane, Norley 01928 787 087

CROWTON

Mrs, B Thorne Trevaylor, Kingsley Road, Crowton 01928 788 018 Mr. J. Barber Fieldview Cottage, Ainsworth Lane, Crowton 01928 787 409 KINGSLEY Mr. G. Merrington Cartref, Ball Lane, Kingsley 01928 788 087

Mrs. K. Duff Norley Cottage, Blakemere Lane, Norley 01928 787 344 MAGAZINE EDITOR Mr. K. Rickman Lyndale, Station Road, Mouldsworth, Chester 01928 740 861 Email: [email protected] Articles by 14th of preceding month PARISH WEBSITE www.nck.org.uk

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Whilst Christmas is the time when we celebrate the coming of Christ as a vulnerable child, Epiphany is the time of searching and of discovery. It is the season when the Wise Men went in search of a new king, and discovered Gods Son, the Christ, who would rule in peace and with justice. Fittingly, New Year falls at the beginning of the season of Epiphany and is often associated with a fresh start, a new order, a time to begin again, wipe the slate clean and to try new things.

St Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! This new order which Paul talks about isn’t an external thing...it isn’t about giving things up or trying to be different on the outside; instead it is about a change within ourselves which Jesus himself gives us as a free gift. This change cannot be forced but is something Christ produces when we turn to him with the same hope and faith which the Wise Men demonstrated all those years ago.

This January let us resolve to turn our faces to the future with renewed faith and hope. Let us believe that the Christ whom we worship will change our hearts and our outlook as he did for those Wise Men who sought him so long ago.

Gill

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The King is on his way! (Luke 3: 15-17, 21,22)

An English clergyman and an Australian missionary were travelling through Tanzania a number of years ago when they came upon an African road- worker, busy slashing away at the thick foliage lining the dusty road. “Good morning!” the Australian missionary hailed the African. “We appreciate all this work you are doing! You are opening the way for us!” “Well,” came the shy smiling reply, “not quite. You see, the President’s on his way!”

Whether it be a visit from Julius Nyerere, or the presidential inauguration of a Barack Obama, the degree of preparation for a big event is a true measure of its estimated importance.

Think back to Israel’s Jordan valley in the first century AD, as a wild man from the desert arrives, with his fiery message to repent and ‘prepare the way for the Lord.’ John the Baptist was never credited with a single miracle or sign, no mighty deeds; yet this trail-blazer — who declared himself unworthy even to loosen the straps on Jesus’ sandals - stamped himself on the whole nation. In terms of the effectiveness of a single life, John the Baptist offers several secrets:

One call to obey. For all of thirty years John had been preparing, in his desert existence for this single task – to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3 – to ‘prepare the way for the Lord.’ Forget the hair, leather and locusts! Effective servants of Jesus Christ are not identified by distinctive clothing, by their head-gear or dietary requirements, by language or nationality, nor by any amount of rituals or pilgrimages. The question for any believer is, How can I please my Lord in the times ahead?

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One message to uphold. No one around the Jordan was left in any doubt as to the repentance that John the Baptist stood for as he ‘exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.’ The challenge lies there. It was the preacher D.L. Moody of Chicago who once said, “I pity any person who lives so that people have to ask, ‘Is he a Christian?’” The call is to make sure that the Christian message is not quarantined within the congregation! One Person to promote. John baptized with water. ‘But I’m not the important one!’ he emphasized. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). God was marching on – and the King was on his way! Question: What is the one thing that you are meant to be focusing on, in the months ahead of you? Get that right, and the rest will follow…. Canon Richard Bewes

New Year Prayer Sovereign Lord, Here we are at the gateway of another year. A gateway we have to go through, leaving behind all the events and memories of the old year – all of that now known and recorded and part of our history. Here we are, with no choice but to step out into the unknown, into the uncertainty of the future. But while we may not know what lies ahead, we thank you that we can know who lies ahead, if we put our trust in Jesus. He promises to be the Way, the Truth and the Life for all time. Thank you that no matter what this New Year may bring, we do not move into it or through it alone. You are already there, as you were in the beginning. So in this and every year we say, Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as we walk forward with confidence and in faith. Amen. Daphne Kitching

Parish Magazine Subscription 2013

The £5 Subscription is due in January Please give to your distributor as soon as possible

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Kingsley, Norley & Crowton Mothers Union

We had an excellent lunch at the Tigers Head on December 13th instead of our normal meeting, very smoothly as we had ordered our choice of menu beforehand. There wawhich should have been 4th December. Hilary organised the event which went s a good choice of food and special diets were catered for. The service was first class and the whole atmosphere was celebratory for Christmas, definitely something we will think about doing again next year!

The Nativity Scene has been in front of the pulpit in church and it was rewarding to see our handiwork looking so good on display.

The next meeting is our AGM and will be held on Tuesday 8th January 2013 at 7.30pm in the Church Room. We will be reviewing the dates and times of the meetings for the coming year and looking forward to celebrating our 70th anniversary. For more information contact Pam Lee on 787343 or Hilary Merrington on 788087

Three Parishes Ladies Fellowship

We had a lovely Chrismassy after noon on December 6th. Poems and stories were shared and it was lovely to have the Rev Sue Levitt with us. It was good of her to take time out from her busy schedule to spend time with us. Thank you to all who provided such super refreshments.

Our January meeting is lunch at the Tigers Head. We will meet there at 12.15.If you have any problems getting there speak to Katie 788077 or Joan 788874.

We wish everyone a very happy, healthy New Year

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A Contemporary Worship Service @Kingsley St Johns. Next Service—27th January at 6.30 p.m.

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Steps on the Way: the Diary of a Postulant Nun

Happy new year! Of course I can't tell you about Christmas yet, I'm writing this a week before. So that will have to be February... nearly Easter, in fact..

During November we had a week's silent retreat. People probably think of this in terms of pure heaven or pure hell, according to personality. I found it to be a bit of both. The main problem for me was that some of the Sisters interpret silence more strictly than others, and count even eye contact as a form of conversation. As this is not how I see it, I found it quite difficult to remember which people I couldn't smile at! and by the middle of the week had gone into an Eeyore-like gloomy shutdown. (Eeyore, of course, didn't keep his gloom to himself - I didn't even have that relief!) It was quite amazing, however, to realise the difference total silence made to the house. There were no guests in, and the quiet was almost tangible as I walked down corridors or sat in the library with a book.

On the Thursday it all got to me, and I swore violently and full volume at the kitchen broom (luckily it was rest-period and there was no-one around to hear) and then went out for a walk in the grounds, flinging pine-cones and sticks around with all the force of which I'm capable. As this is not very much, it must have looked a bit like a midge in a rage. The walk took me to the (empty) self-catering retreat house, Michaelgarth, where I sat on the veranda and sang praise songs until I felt better, then ran home in the beginnings of a heavy rainstorm.

I did learn something about myself in the time, however. (There was nothing new to me in the above!) Being bereft of my normal daily jobs, I found I had no idea what I existed for. It seems that my entire sense of self- worth is built on what I do for other people. I'm sure this is not at all unusual: but it is very rare in the normal rush of life to have so much time to discover it. I'm not quite sure what to do with the discovery as yet. I'll let you know if I find out.

At the beginning of December the other postulant, Alison, was clothed as a novice: she now wears a grey habit and crucifix, but not a veil. A few days later the two of us set out on the train to Derby for a novices' study

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day at the convent where I've been associated, the Community of the Holy Name. Because there are fewer novices in general now, we all train together, meeting a few times a year. This day was on the Eucharistic Liturgy, but of course the main advantage was getting to know others in similar situations in different communities.

All for now. Janet Ogleby.

Norley 200 Club

Major prize winner this year was Mr & Mrs J Holmes with ticket No 169

November Prize winners were:- 1st No 87 Mr Oliver 2nd No 124 Mrs S Starkey 3rd No 153 Mrs J Griffiths 4th No 49 Mrs C Kokouri

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Next Alpha Course

Where: Hare and Hounds, Crowton When: Launch Meal on Thursday 17th January 2013 at 7:30pm. Then every Thursday at 7:30pm starting on 24th Jan. Contacts: Vicar Pete, Hilary Merrington John Dawson

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See, Amid the Winter’s Snow

See, amid the winter’s snow Lots of cars that just won’t go; It is not the drivers’ fault – Councils have run out of salt!

Here, we sit the whole night long! Where have all the snowploughs gone? If we’d known we’d be delayed We’d perhaps have a brought a spade!

Say, ye cheerful children, say Why aren’t you in school today? ‘We are skating round and round ‘Cos the heating’s broken down!

‘Yes, the heating’s gone beserk! ‘Mum has missed a day at work! ‘Though she’s cross and seems on edge, ‘We can ride upon our sledge!’

Sages on the weather show Said the sun would surely glow, And, said they, we may be sure Of a glorious day in store!

But they missed a detail, small And the snow did thickly fall! But the met-men feel no shame – Their computer takes the blame! Nigel Beeton

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Looking forward to the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury

The Right Reverend Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, will be enthroned as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral on 21st March. So – what is the new Archbishop like? Where does he come from?

Born in 1956 in London, the Right Reverend Justin Welby was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied history and law. For 11 years - five in Paris and six in London – he worked in the oil industry, becoming group treasurer of a large British exploration and production company. He focused mainly on West African and North Sea projects. During this period he became a lay leader at Holy Trinity, Brompton in London, having been a council member at St Michael’s Church in Paris.His father’s family were German Jewish immigrants who moved to England to escape anti-Semitism in the late 19th century, and integrated quickly.

A major influence both on Justin and his wife Caroline was their experience of personal tragedy. In 1983 their seven -month old daughter died in a car crash in France. Six years later in 1989, after sensing a call from God, Bishop Justin stood down from industry to train for ordination. He took a theology degree at St John’s College, Durham, in which he focused on ethics – particularly in business. He has since published articles on ethics, international finance and reconciliation.

For 20 years, Justin Welby’s ministry has blended deep devotion to his parish communities with church work around the world, especially in areas of conflict. After being ordained Deacon in 1992, he spent 15 years serving Coventry Diocese. His curacy was at All Saints Chilvers Coton with St Mary the Virgin Astley, in Nuneaton. In 1995 he became Rector of St James, Southam, a small market town in the same Diocese – and also the next year of St Michael and All Angels, Ufton, the neighbouring parish. He helped revive both churches, growing their congregations and launching bereavement and baptism teams, among other things.

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In 2002, he was made a Canon of Coventry Cathedral, where he ran the reconciliation work based there. He met with religious and political leaders in Israel and Palestine, and on one trip to Baghdad reopened the Anglican Church with Canon Andrew White, shortly after the allied invasion. He left Coventry five years later, being installed Dean of Liverpool on 8 December 2007, replacing the Right Reverend Rupert Hoare. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral in England. Its local area, Toxteth, is among the most deprived in north- west Europe.

During his deanship, he brought the Cathedral into much greater contact with its local community, working with asylum seekers and in partnership with neighbouring churches. The Cathedral also hosted events from a TUC rally to royal services. Over his four years, during which he also continued to work on reconciliation and mediation projects overseas, the Cathedral’s congregation increased significantly.

In 2011, Justin Welby returned to the place where his journey towards becoming Archbishop began: on 2 June 2011, he was announced as the new Bishop of Durham, taking over from the Right Reverend Tom Wright. He was enthroned at Durham Cathedral on 26 November 2011, and drew parallels between Liverpool and Durham – noting both the struggles and the enduring spirit of the two places.

On 9 November 2012, the Right Reverend Justin Welby was announced as the 105th Archbishop of the See of Canterbury.

An expert on the politics and history of Kenya and Nigeria, he has lectured on reconciliation at the US State Department. In the summer of 2012, he was asked to join the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards. His interests include French culture, sailing and politics. He is married to Caroline, who studied Classics at Cambridge, where they met. They have two sons and three daughters.

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2013 - THE ALLURE OF THE NEW All over the land in January - pantomime season - the evil Abenazar will be crying his seductive offer, ‘New lamps for old’. And (as we all fear) stupid Aladdin will assume that ‘new’ is always better than ‘old’ and hand over his lamp, and with it its magical powers.

It’s a wonderful annual reminder of the seductive allure of the new. New car, new kitchen, new trousers in the sale, a new job or a new friend: we can’t wait to tell someone about it. And of course there is something alluring about new things. For a start, they usually work better, look better, shine with their very newness. Perhaps that’s why at the New Year people celebrate, jump into fountains, get drunk and sing ‘auld lang syne’. Surely new is always better - and especially when we didn’t like the old one very much?

There’s a touching if slightly pathetic naivety about it all, as though we didn’t already know that new things quite rapidly become old, and sometimes (like New Years) prove a terrible disappointment. Old shoes are generally more comfortable than new ones. Old friends are often the ones who stick longest. The Allure of the New can lead us down some frustrating paths. At this point, my reader may assume that I’m going to say that it serves us right, because the Christian faith, for instance, which is undeniably old, is surely a far better guide to life than any of its brand new, modern alternatives. Go to church, and find out what ‘old’ really means! Turn the clock back. Put on your best suit or frock and make your way through those iron-studded doors.

In fact, that’s more or less the opposite of what I wanted to say, because right at the heart of the Christian message are the last words of God himself in the Bible: ‘See, I am making everything new!’ The ‘old’ was suffering, pain, evil, tears and death. The ‘new’ was their abolition: ‘God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ Given that choice, who would settle for the ‘old’?

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The truth is that clothes and kitchens and cars get old, but God doesn’t, no matter how old-fashioned the Church may sometimes seem. His real name is ‘Yahweh’ (we used to call it ‘Jehovah’), which means ‘I am’. God is present tense, always and for ever. You can’t be more up to date than that. Canon David Winter

Are you wearing the bell?

There was a field in the countryside with two horses in it. From a distance, they looked like any other pair of contented, grazing horses. But local people knew better. One of the horses was blind. Even so, his owner had chosen not to have him put down, but to instead provide him with some help. He had attached a small bell to the halter of the other horse. That way the blind horse could always know where his field companion was. The blind horse stayed near to his sighted companion, and followed the sound of her bell, wherever she went. Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems that leave us feeling helpless. Instead, he watches over us and even brings others into our lives, to help us when we are in need. Sometimes in life, we are the blind horse, being helped along by someone sent to us from God. At other times, with other people, we are the guide horse that others can lean upon, to find their way. As you look forward to 2013, ask God to send you whatever help you need this year, as well as the grace and stamina to be the help that others may need. The Bible urges us to ‘bear one another’s burdens’. (Gal. 6.2) Joan Payton

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St. John’s, Kingsley

FAMOUS SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE & BATCH LUNCH

TUESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY AT 12 NOON IN KINGSLEY PARISH ROOM

All for £5 per person We look forward to seeing you there

Your Cat's 12 top New Year's Resolutions

1. My human will never let me eat their pet hamster, and I am at peace with that. 2. I will not lean way over to drink out of the tub, fall in, and then pelt right for the box of clumping cat litter. (It took FOREVER to get the stuff out of my fur.) 3. I will not use the bathtub to store live mice for late-night snacks. 4. I will not play "Thundering Wildebeest Stampeding Across the Plains of the Serengeti" over any humans asleep in bed at night. 5. I will not stick my paw into any container to see if there is something in it. If I do, I will not hiss and scratch when my human has to shave me to get the rubber cement off. 6. When it rains, it will be raining on all sides of the house. It is not necessary to check every door. 7. I will not play "dead cat on the stairs" while people are trying to bring in groceries or laundry, or else one of these days, it will really come true. 8. When my human is typing at the computer, their forearms are not a hammock.

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9. TV screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail. 10. I will not suddenly freeze and puff my entire body to twice its size for no reason after my human has watched a late night horror movie. 11. I will not perch on my human's chest in the middle of the night and stare until they wake up. 12. Above all, I will not walk on the key board when my human is writing important adagfsg gdjag ;lnk*?!

Crowton WI

President Jane Bell welcomed members and one visitor to the December Meeting.

Jane thanked everyone who had attended the Remembrance Day Service at Crowton Church. Jane reminded members to attend the Group Carol Service at Helsby Methodist Church on December 10th. This is always an enjoyable event and this time the Weaver Valley W.I Choir were to be in attendance to sing some of their Christmas repertoire. The darts team won their latest match against Antrobus W.I and are looking forward to their next match in the New Year. The walking group continue to enjoy their walks in the Cheshire countryside and the first walk in January will start from Carey Park in Northwich. Other dates include the New Year Dinner on the 18th January at The Lord Binning and there will be a trip to York in March. Preparations are well underway for the Holiday to Nottingham in June.

The speaker for the evening was Keith Yearsley who entertained us on the piano and told us amusing tales about his early life as a Head Teacher and Choir Master. Keith trained to be a teacher in York and joined the York Minster choir. He is the Choir Master of the Macclesfield Oriana Choir and is the organist at Gawsworth Church. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Keith’s stories and musical renditions.

Our next meeting is on January 8th 2013 when Pete Turner will tell us about the ‘Inside Secrets of a Magician’. The competition is a toy rabbit in a hat. Visitors and potential new members are always welcome.

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From the Registers

St John. Kingsley Service of Thanksgiving following Cremation 26th November Beryl Paulson

On 6 January we celebrate Epiphany - the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus. But who were these wise men? No one knows for sure. Matthew calls them ‘Magi’, and that was the name of an ancient caste of a priestly kind from Persia. It wasn’t until the third century that they were they called kings - by a church father, Tertullian. Another church father, Origin, assumed there were three - to correspond with the gifts given. Later Christian interpretation came to understand gold as a symbol of wisdom and wealth, incense as a symbol of worship and sacrifice, and myrrh as a symbol of healing - and even embalming. Certainly Jesus challenged and set aright the way in which the world handled all three of these things. Since the eighth century, the magi have had the names Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior.

Midweek Communion Services 10 a.m Thursday 3rd January No Service Thursday 10th January Christ Church, Crowton Thursday 17th January St. John, Kingsley Thursday 24th January St. John, Norley Thursday 31st January Christ Church, Crowton Thursday 7th February St. John, Kingsley

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SIDESPERSONS’ ROTAS ST. JOHN NORLEY 6 January 09.30 J Thomas & A Simpson 13 January 09.30 C & P Burrows 18.30 G Eardley 20 January 08.15 A Nield 09.30 B Buckley 27 January 10.00 R & R Downes 3 February 09.30 J & C Osborne

11.15 A Askwith ST. JOHN KINGSLEY 6 January 09.30 Bob & Sharon McLean 13 January 09.30 Cliff Peartree & Ken Rickman 20 January 09.30 Margaret Wadsworth & Rosemary Carter 3 February 09.30 Derek Coupe & John Dawson CHRIST CHURCH CROWTON 6 January 09.30 Mrs S Starkey & Mr P Gleave 13 January 09.30 Mr & Mrs P W Mann 20 January 09.30 Mrs D Atkinson & Mrs M Barber 3 February 09.30 Mr & Mrs Tom Smith

KINGSLEY CHURCH CLEANING ROTA

Week Commencing January 6 J Brundrett & A Griffiths January 20 N Vickers & K Rickman February 3 J Starkey & S McLean February 17 H Merrington & R Carter

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Principal Services January & Early February 2013

Sunday 6th January Epiphany 08:15 Holy Communion (BCP) Christ Church, Crowton 09.30 Morning Worship Christ Church, Crowton 09.30 Holy Communion (CW) St John, Kingsley 09.30 Holy Communion (CW) St John, Norley 11.15 All Age Service St John, Norley

Sunday 13th January Baptism of Christ 09:30 Morning Worship St. John, Kingsley 09:30 Holy Communion (CW) St. John, Norley 09:30 Holy Communion (CW) Christ Church, Crowton 11:15 All Age Service Christ Church, Crowton 18.30 Plough Service St. John, Norley

Sunday 20th Janaury Epiphany 3 08:15 Holy Communion (BCP) St John, Norley 09.30 Morning Worship St John, Norley 09.30 Holy Communion (CW) Christ Church, Crowton 09.30 Holy Communion (CW) St John, Kingsley 11.15 All Age Service St. John, Kingsley

Sunday 27th January Epiphany 4 10.00 Worshipping Together St. John, Norley 18.30 Encounter Worship St. John, Kingsley Sunday 3rd February 2nd before Lent 08:15 Holy Communion (BCP) Christ Church, Crowton 09:30 Morning Worship Christ Church, Crowton 09:30 Holy Communion (CW) St John, Kingsley 09:30 Holy Communion (CW) St John, Norley 11:15 All Age Service St John, Norley

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