Keston The Magazine News of your Parish and Village Dec/Jan 2020 Keston Parish Church Church Rd., Keston, BR2 6HT kestonparishchurch.org.uk Rector Rev’d Carol Morrison 01689 853186 email: [email protected] Days working for Keston Parish: Sunday to Wednesday Licensed Lay Minister Tricia Coward 01689 854373 & Parish Administrator email: [email protected] Churchwardens Neil Morrison 07900 081696 John Molnar 07709 818073 Verger Patricia Geiger 01959 574008 Parish Secretary & Heather Molnar 07816 464880 Safeguarding Officer email: [email protected] Treasurer Anna Bailey 01689 852583 Organist & Choirmaster David Cook 020 8289 5768 Church Hall Tricia Coward 01689 854373 [email protected] Messy Church Tricia Coward 01689 854373 y Churchus Magazine Editor & Sally Churchus 020 8462 8750 Book Reading Fellowship email: [email protected] Keston Singers Pam Robertson 01689 856318 Beavers/Cubs/Scouts Samantha Strange 07507 519114 27th Bromley [email protected] Women’s Instute email: [email protected] Residents’ Associaon www.kvra.org.uk Village Hall Tina Lupton 01689 859906 Bless the Children John Goldby 01689 851000 Welcare in Bromley Caroline Cook 020 8289 5768 Keston C.E. Primary School Julia Evison 01689 858399 Friends of Keston Common High Elms Country Park 01689 862815 website: www.friendsoestoncommon.btck.co.uk Keston Residents’ Road Safety Group email: [email protected] cover: Bailey by Front picture Navity ©Anna Sall But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people”. Luke 2:10 2 Thought for the month Joy to the World! There are certainly many circumstances in the world around us that are joy-less, but Christmas can serve to remind us that with an attitude of love for our fellow humans we could make the world a better place – a joy-full one. The whole of creation sings out with joy at the coming of the one who will save souls and offer an eternal existence with the Creator who, above all else, loves us. The carol says: ‘(God) rules the world with truth and grace…and wonders of his love’. The message of One of my favourite Christmas carols, Christmas truly is all about love, and if by far, is ‘Joy to the World’ – for me it we could get to a place of love amongst sums up what Christmas is all about. peoples we would know a deeper joy. ‘Joy!’. The word in itself is not used Pastor and Author Rick Warren says: much in everyday language – it means “Joy is the settled assurance that God is a feeling of delight, great pleasure and in control of all the details of my life, jubilation. Although it is, of course, the quiet confidence that ultimately about being happy – it is beyond happy, everything is going to be alright, and the joy goes deeper and isn’t dependent on determined choice to praise God in external factors. every situation”. It’s such a shame that Christmas In this carol we sing ‘Let every heart makes so many people stressed or prepare him room’ – praising with a anxious, whether they be unable to good Christmas carol opens our hearts afford all the material things involved, to make room for God to bring in or the season reminds them of a lost peace, comfort and joy. loved one, or the indulgence of the I wish you all joy this Christmas, and festivities puts a burden of temptation if you want to join me and others from on recovery from an addiction. our community in singing ‘Joy to the Such a shame, because this season is World’ and other carols then do come all about joy. Something the disciple to our Carol Service on John wrote in the Bible sums up why Sunday 22nd Jesus came as that baby, which we December celebrate at Christmas, he wrote: ‘God at 6.30pm. loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes will not perish but have eternal life.’ Knowing ourselves to be loved this much brings a sense of joy our Rev’d Carol circumstances can’t take away. Morrison 3 Cover Story Keston Village Christmas Lights The Christmas lights will be put up on the first weekend of December and will be alight straight away. Unfortunately, this year, we have not The cover on this issue is from part of a been able to picture done by resident Anna Bailey – arrange an event for that weekend, but the Treasurer for Keston Parish Church. we are hoping to be able to run at least I visited her house in the summer and one community event during the spring saw this wonderful picture, which is or early summer as we do need to raise quite large, (about 100cm x 70cm), and enough money to keep having the admired it. It was only recently that I Christmas lights. If you have any ideas found out that she had done it herself! for events we might run please drop me She did A level art and now enjoys art an email at [email protected] . as a hobby; her favoured media is chalk Also, if you would like to make a pastel. She told me that the inspiration donation towards the upkeep of the for this picture came from Christmas lights you can do so by making a bank cards. Thank you, Anna, for letting us transfer to: KVRA sort code 09-01-29 use it on the front cover of our and a/c 35321237 reference Xmas Christmas issue. (Although it was a lights, or drop a cheque, with Christmas devil to photograph behind the glass!). lights on the back, through my letterbox Sally Churchus at 21 Heathfield Road. Hilary Ryder Windmill Opening Open House London weekend at the Ravensbourne end of September was very successful Morris Men and three people from the village As usual, (56 years now), we will be responded to the Keston Magazine dancing outside The Greyhound at article to come and help. We had 218 12.30pm on Boxing Day. visitors to the windmill, 16 helpers and raised £750 which was divided between 60s Music Night four charities: Demelza Hospice Care for Children, St. Christopher’s Hospice, More details soon to come on our Muscular Dystrophy UK and the website kestonparishchurch.org.uk, and Cystic Fibrosis Trust. around the village, but put Saturday Elizabeth Anker 25th January in your diary! 4 Blue Plaque Article and Christians in the former Soviet Union who were reaching out to the and ChildAid poor and needy in their communities. In our last edition, we wrote about the The charity supplied orphanages and Keston College Blue Plaque unveiling homes for the elderly and disabled with and were delighted to hear from one of the clothing, medical supplies, bedding our readers that the legacy of Keston and food they so desperately needed. College continues today, in Bromley, Economic crisis and instability in the through a small Christian charity called region led to many vulnerable children ChildAid to Eastern Europe. due to extreme poverty, family In 1973, one of Canon Michael breakdowns, unemployment and Bourdeaux’s key researchers, Jane Ellis, alcoholism. As a result, the charity established Aid to Russian Christians, began to focus on children’s charitable (ARC), as the first organisation with the initiatives and today they help families aim of supplying material aid and in crisis, orphans, children living with Providing life saving fuel Refugee children in Ukraine spiritual support to Orthodox Christians disabilities, families affected by the war suffering for their faith in Russia. in Ukraine and refugees from that Although its name has changed to ongoing conflict. ChildAid it has remained steadfastly The Soviet Union held that the people committed to serving the weak, were there to serve the state, and that vulnerable and disadvantaged those who were not capable of service exclusively in countries which formed were of no account and should be the Soviet Union. Canon Michael accorded the minimum of resources and Bordeaux is still a Patron. largely ignored – the “put away and Things changed when the USSR forget” mentality. For ChildAid, the collapsed in 1991, but not all for the state is there to serve the people and better. ChildAid responded to everybody should have the opportunity increasing requests to help the churches to live in reasonably decent 5 circumstances and make the most of Prevention of abandonment services their potential within the main body of Practical family support services society – a “care for and integrate” Health and education mentality. With offices based at 5 Walters Yard, Sadly, the old Soviet mindset lingers Bromley North, ChildAid have a on in many areas of the former Union, delightful range of Christian Christmas so ChildAid partner with local Christian cards and also welcome certain items, projects aimed at helping disadvantaged (jewellery, old bank notes/coins, home children turn their lives around so that, ink cartridges, mobile phones, electronic as adults, they can lead normal and games), for recycling to help raise funds useful lives, or, where this is not for their mission. possible because of inability, to live Visit their informative website at decent lives within and be accepted by www.childaidee.org.uk or call them on society. Their work is focused in 020 8460 6046 to drop in and meet the Moldova and Ukraine, with partners small team. also in Belarus and Siberia, and offer s Free to use rehabilitation therapy The reader who centres provided this Children’s centres (play and health information was care) Martin Wilcox, Respite and day care centres Director to ChildAid Celebraon 2000 Prayer (Seen by Nicola Kingswood, a member of our congregaon, on a visit to Old St.