MAY 2021 60P R i n g w o o d L i n k T h e C h u r c h o f E n g l a n d i n R i n g w o o d , P o u l n e r , B i s t e r n e , E l l i n g h a m , & H a r b r i d g e w w w . r i n g w o o d b e n e f i c e . o r g . u k A B O U T The Parish of Ringwood with Ellingham and Harbridge lies on U S the western edge of the New Forest and the south-western border of Hampshire. It is part of the Diocese of Winchester, in the Deanery of Christchurch, within the Church of England. R i n g w o o d P a r i s h i s p r o u d t o b e p a r t o f R i n g w o o d B e n e f i c e What is Ringwood Benefice? Goal 1 Ringwood Benefice is a family of six Church of England churches, covering Family the communities of Ringwood, Poulner, Have a toddler group, Messy Ellingham, Harbridge, Bisterne, and Church, and All Age service in St Leonards and St Ives. Ringwood, Poulner and St Leonards & St Ives. We share a common vision to Goal 2 ' D i s c o v e r L i f e & Worship M a k e a D i f f e r e n c e ’ Grow three new worshipping communities. This vision seeks to deepen our life together in Christ and our own Goal 3 personal discipleship, and then to share Community this life across our communities, Launch two social enterprises in homes, and workplaces. Ringwood and Poulner that foster community. We have four ‘big’ goals to live out our vision: Goal 3 Ministry Revitalise, reimagine, and re-establish rural ministry. FACEBOOK.COM/RINGWOODBENEFICE TWITTER.COM/RINGWOODCOFE INSTAGRAM.COM/RINGWOODBENEFICE YOUTUBE.COM - SEARCH RINGWOOD BENEFICE WWW.RINGWOODBENEFICE.ORG.UK O U R T H E C H U R C H O F C H U R C H E S S T P E T E R A N D S T P A U L Market Place Ringwood Hampshire BH24 1AW T H E C H U R C H O F S T J O H N T H E B A P T I S T Linford Road Ringwood Hampshire BH24 1TY T H E C H U R C H O F S T P A U L Ringwood Road Bisterne Hampshire BH24 3BN T H E C H U R C H O F S T M A R Y A N D A L L S A I N T S Ellingham Hampshire BH24 3PJ T H E C H U R C H O F A L L S A I N T S Harbridge Ringwood BH24 3PS P A G E 3 | R I N G W O O D L I N K M A Y 2 0 2 1 CONTACT US VICAR - THE REVD MATTHEW TRICK THE VICARAGE, 65 SOUTHAMPTON ROAD, RINGWOOD, BH24 1HE 01425 489898 / [email protected] ASSOCIATE MINISTER - THE REVD IAN WHITHAM THE VICARAGE, 30 PINE DRIVE, ST IVES, RINGWOOD, BH24 2LN 01425 552180 / [email protected] CURATE – THE REVD KAY PEAD 01425 489898 / [email protected] MINISTER-IN-TRAINING - SANDRA MATTHEWS 01425 489898 / [email protected] CHURCHWARDEN - JACQUELINE BROWN 07894 106402 / [email protected] CHURCHWARDEN - MATTHEW STEELE 07976 381133 / [email protected] BENEFICE OFFICE CONTACT SAMANTHA SWYER RINGWOOD BENEFICE OFFICE, CHURCH OF ST PETER & ST PAUL, MARKET PLACE, RINGWOOD, BH24 1AW 01425 489898 / [email protected] The office is currently closed to visitors however please call or email us, all messages will be answered WWW.RINGWOODBENEFICE.ORG.UK M I N I S T E R ' S L E T T E R Revd Matthew Trick RESILIENCE Most of us are aware of the ‘Footprints’ poem, right? The poem tells us that during times of adversity or stress, God carries us in ways we might not immediately perceive. It is during such times that our resilience is tested and we discover, sometimes refreshingly, sometimes painfully, but always formatively, how well we can respond to run but then had the resilience to such times of stress or adversity. respond to God’s call to lead the liberation of an enslaved Israel from The adversity we are facing might be Egypt. Or think of the faith of the widow physical, emotional, spiritual or more of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 where she likely all three as we are holistic gives away her last stores of oil and creatures where events or issues flour to the prophet Elijah and then goes affecting our bodies also affect our on to see her son die, but has the minds and souls. The pandemic has resilience of faith to trust in Elijah, the brought this into sharp focus. The prophet’s promises. adversity of lockdown may have caused the ‘lockdown pounds’ to increase, In all these events of stress and affecting our mood and potentially even adversity, have you noticed that the impacting how we define ourselves as ability of an individual to be resilient is healthy individuals or otherwise. not just dependent on their own Resilience is about how we respond to physical, emotional and spiritual these events and we see resilient resources, but those of other around individuals throughout the Bible. them? So, would Joseph have been so resilient when re-meeting his brothers Resilient Bible Characters years later, had he not enjoyed the Think of Joseph, sold into slavery by his affirmation and status experienced in brothers, being imprisoned and yet Egypt? years later having the resilience to forgive his brothers and provide them Moses’s Resilience Upheld by Others with food during famine. Think about When we think of biblical greats, you Moses, who whilst being brought up in would have to include Moses on the list, Egypt, killed an Egyptian, went on the right? For four decades he led an entire run but then had the resilience to people through the P A G E 5 | R I N G W O O D L I N K M A Y 2 0 2 1 respond st few people through the barren wilderness whose funerals I take, that one of the towards the Promised Land. Throughout hardest realities of bereavement is that those long decades of adversity, Moses life for those who are mourning had to provide physically for the people, continues. Someone we love dies and it to prevent them starving or dehydrating. leaves a gaping hole, but we get up the He had to mediate between competing next morning with breath and blood in Israelite groups and he, like all leaders, our bodies and have to carry on. In these had to keep the people of Israel spiritually circumstances life teaches us a rather focused on the promise of God. That God painful lesson that life doesn’t end would provide them with their own land. because life changes, rather we must determine how we respond to those That four decades, demanded bucket changes which might have been loads of resilience from Moses. However unpredictable and undesired but have in Exodus 17 we discover a rather bloody nonetheless now happened. It is this but in many ways beautiful scene where reality that goes to the very heart of Moses is enabled in his resilience by the resilience: from the day we are born to physical support of others: the day we die, life continues, the only thing we can determine is how we So Joshua fought the Amalekites as respond. Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As The analogy of bereavement is helpful, long as Moses held up his hands, the because while bereavement is always Israelites were winning, but whenever he deeply individual, in my experience it is lowered his hands, the Amalekites were quite rare for people to carry grief alone. winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, Family, friends, Church members, they took a stone and put it under him colleagues, neighbours, support services and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his tend to play a part in helping us respond hands up, one on one side, one on the resiliently to loss, just as Aaron and Hur other, so that his hands remained steady stood shoulder to shoulder with Moses till sunset. (Exodus 17.10-12) helping me keep going in order to do what was required. Granted this verse in set in the context of a bloody battle between two armies, just The now circa 400 year old poem ‘No Man as our lives are set at the moment in the is an Island’ by John Donne encourages context of a battle with COVID, but our awareness of our relationships with imagine in your mind this image of Moses our fellow human beings, Our lives and growing weary from holding his hands our adversities and our ability to respond aloft and then having companions come to them well, are greatly affected by the alongside him to keep his arms held high. strength and quality of our relationships Resilience in battle was called for on the with those around us.