Sophia Gallia wsletter Ne One, two, three, four, five! Quintuplet lambs herald the spring at Nether Cerne. The Buckland Newton, Cerne Abbas, Godmanstone and Minterne Magna Minterne and Godmanstone Abbas, Cerne Newton, Buckland March 2020 £1 Benefice CA Theatre Club 15 Cerne Valley NOW Cerne 26 Benefice Services 3 Coffee, cake, chat 11 Artsreach 20 Short Mat Bowls 23 From the Vicarage 5 Friends of St Mary’s 11 CA CE VC First School 20 Godmanstone 28 Buckland Newton 26 Other village news 15 CA Surgery 18 Minterne 26 Cerne Abbas St Mary’s Church 7 CV Cricket Club 21 Snippets 28 CA Historical Society 13 CA Village Cinema 13 CV Parish Council 18 CA Soc for Horticulture 13 CA Village Hall 11 CVYPT 23 2 Services in the Benefice 1 March Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11 Lent 1 Godmanstone 9.30am Matins BCP Minterne Magna 9.30am Holy Communion BCP Cerne Abbas 11am Holy Communion CW Buckland Newton 11am Matins BCP Cerne Abbas 6pm Taizé 8 March Genesis 12:1-4a; John 3:1-17 Lent 2 Cerne Abbas 9.30am Come Celebrate Godmanstone 9.30am Matins BCP Buckland Newton 11am Holy Communion CW Cerne Abbas 6pm Evensong BCP 15 March Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-42 Lent 3 Buckland Newton 9.30am Family Service Cerne Abbas 11am Holy Communion CW 22 March Exodus 2:1-10; Luke 2:33-35 Lent 4 Godmanstone 9.30am Holy Communion CW Cerne Abbas 11am Matins BCP Buckland Newton 11am Holy Communion CW 29 March Ezekiel 37: 1-14; John 11: 1-45 Mothering Sunday Cerne Abbas 11am Benefice Service CW (one week late) 5 April Matthew 21:1-11 Palm Sunday Minterne Magna 9.30am Holy Communion BCP Godmanstone 9.30am Matins BCP Cerne Abbas 11am Holy Communion CW Buckland Newton 6pm Evensong BCP Weekday Jane Tearle Services. Morning Prayer. 9am Cerne Abbas (Tues); 9am Minterne Magna (Weds). 3 4 From The Vicarage Dear Friends Jane Still The ‘Vestry’ is a Victorian term which still carries a certain resonance. It was the organ of local government in rural areas up until the Local Government Act of 1894. Churchwardens and the Church Vestry had wide responsibilities – civic and ecclesiastical – for the entire community. With the population and urban industrial expansion of the 19th century such a traditional organisation could not cope with the pressing national need for transport, sewerage and other infrastructure. The 1888 Local Government Act set up Local Authorities for Counties and We celebrated Candelmas and the ancient County Boroughs. festival of Imbolc at St Catherine’s Well in In 1894 these reforms came to February. each rural parish. There was a strong Non-Conformist lobby within the Liberal Party which objected to Church of England influence over the creation of Church Schools, and the collection of tithes from the whole community to be disbursed for public projects under church patronage and direction. The 1894 Act therefore set up Civil Parish Councils, specifically separated from the ecclesiastical interests which remained with the Churchwardens and Vestry. This may have been temporarily a relief to Churchwardens, but it cut them off from the general life of the Village and made church life an exception. Previously the maintenance and use of the church was considered together with the need of a new bridge, a village school, or of a sewage scheme. It was all part of the social fabric put to the common charge and interest. After the Act, the church became more exclusive, more isolated from common life. The Vestry evolved into the Parochial Church Council (PCC) which considered matters from a purely church perspective. I think this was a negative development in rural life, one which our current congregations are keen to bridge at every opportunity. 5 Absolute Great news if you beginners to are looking for Improvers... something Just Like You! exciting, fun and creative to do! Learn to Paint & Draw People & Places Over the 14 week course you will explore four different media: Drawing, Painting with Watercolour, Acrylics, & Oil Pastels. Discover how to paint faces, figures, friends, family and stunning landscapes. Learn artists’ secrets needed to create beautiful pieces of original art. 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DORCHESTER 6 SA06236 Dorchester A5 bw.indd 1 04/06/2019 8:48 pm Cerne Abbas NEWS St Mary’s Church TAIZÉ FOR LENT Service at St Mary’s on Sunday 1st March at 6pm. There will be a candlelit evening service with songs and prayers for Lent in the style of the Brothers of the ecumenical community of Taizé in France. Come and rejoice in the worship of Taizé by singing the songs, saying the prayers, hearing the music and deepening the value of silence together. CANTAMUS CONCERT Chamber choir Cantamus returns to Cerne Abbas in March to give a concert of music for Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Since the choir’s last visit to St Mary’s it has appointed a new musical director, Martin Schellenberg, who is a musician and choir director with many years of experience. Their programme, ‘Miserere’, is named after Allegri’s masterpiece, which is sure to be one of the highlights of the concert. The choir will also sing movements from the Mass in G minor by Vaughan Williams and the Missa ‘O Magnum. Join us on Saturday 21st March at 7pm. Tickets £10 from Cerne Abbas Stores or on the door. Jane Tearle MOTHERING SUNDAY Mothering Sunday this year will be celebrated on Sunday 29th March at 11am when all the Benefice will meet together for a service in St Mary’s Church. Come to celebrate all our mothers and to receive a posy for your mother. PCC PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE ST MARY’S CHURCH IMPROVEMENT PLAN Over the past year, the PCC has been meeting regularly to prepare the paperwork required to advise the Diocese of the works we wish to do to update and improve the church’s facilities. This work has Looking forward to Mothering Sunday. In been made possible thanks to the Cerne we will celebrate this one week late bequest from the Margaret Mann this year on 29th March. estate, whose generosity is providing an opportunity to develop the current facilities throughout the building and gardens. The aim is to develop a more inclusive church, which the current entrances into the church are preventing. A new ramp will enable those using wheelchairs to enter the church independently. The current kitchen, used for catering, storage and flower preparation, is not functioning easily for those volunteers who 7 The New Inn 14 Long Street,The Cerne New Abbas, Inn Dorset DT2 7JF 14 Long Street,01300 Cerne341274 Abbas,/ 07889 646Dorset 856 DT2 7JF www.thenewinncerneabbas.co.uk01300 341274 / 07889 646 856 www.thenewinncerneabbas.co.ukInn of the Year 2015 Dorset Dining InnPub of of the the Year year 2015 2012, 2014 & 2015 Dorset DiningLandlord Pub of theof the year year 2012, 2012 2014 & 2015 LandlordMichelin of theGuide year 2015 2012 TASTE OF THEMichelin WEST GOLDGuide MEDAL2015 2013 & 2014 InspectedTASTE OF and THE Selected WEST byGOLD Sawday’s MEDAL - a 2013Special & 2014 Place Inspected and Selected by Sawday’s - a Special Place 8 manage the coffee mornings and other functions. Therefore, an alteration to improve the kitchen area is being thought through. The PCC is working closely with the Diocese-approved architect, who has developed options and plans to build a ‘Statement of Needs’. This document has been submitted to the Diocese’s Advisory Committee (DAC) and will become an agenda item for discussion at its next meeting. Following this, we hope that the relevant professionals will make a visit to the church within six months. We all benefit from the church being available for the Cerne Valley community and others outside it. The PCC hopes that the planned improvements will encourage the community and worshippers to use the church into the future. It is important to keep this ancient and beautiful building for future generations. Throughout history the church has responded to changes in culture, as can be seen through the patchwork of alterations in the building. There is evidence that rural churches are struggling to remain open, so the PCC wanted to consider how to keep St Mary’s Church thriving. The community will be updated as the PCC is informed on DAC discussions. SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS It takes a community to support our next generation and those in a vulnerable situation. The Church of England has developed clear guidelines on the part it plays when maintaining the safety of our children and vulnerable adults. Training is provided to Safeguarding Officers and those working within the church community. A copy of the Diocese policy is displayed on each church notice board.