LET’S KEEP YOU UP TO We are sorry to have to tell you that we have DATE WITH THE made the decision to postpone this year’s Art Festival until 2022. LATEST NEWS We did not make this decision lightly but with all the uncertainty around at the moment we Our weekly information sheet want to ensure the safety of everybody and is sent by email as well as being make certain that the huge amount of work available in church on Sundays. and money that goes into staging the event is It tells you what is happening at not wasted. church each week; recorded The event will return services, times of services and bigger and better next year! other news as well. It is the ideal way to keep up to date. If you are not already receiving these please let us know your email address by sending it to [email protected] (You can opt out at any time.) “Chosen” (Lost and found between Christianity and Judaism) “Chosen” is the title of a new book by Giles Fraser and published in May this year. You might have heard of Giles Fraser, an Anglican priest whose voice is sometimes heard on Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’. He is usually thought- provoking and can be controversial in some of his views. He certainly took a very strong stand when he was Canon Chancellor of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 2011, in contrast with many of his colleagues. This was at the time of the financial crisis when peaceful protesters camped out around the cathedral. His sympathies were with the Occupy movement in their protest about the Capitalist banking system that many felt had largely contributed to the huge problems facing Western Governments and financial institutions. In the end it came to a vote to evict the Occupy movement and he could not, in conscience, support his colleagues and had to resign his post. This is where the story starts and he writes of how his life fell apart, with no job, his marriage break-up and very real thoughts of suicide. This was the point at which he decided to write about his experiences which would be healing and help him recover. He was also at this time asked to look at a new position at Liverpool Cathedral and although not particularly interested in the job, he travelled to Liverpool. He spent some time visiting a Victorian synagogue where one of his ancestors had been the Rabbi and he realised there was much he did not know about his Jewish roots. His research and discoveries are absolutely fascinating and will make you really think again about the Jewish faith and its relationship with Christianity. It will open your eyes to the history of the Christian faith and church, in relation to Judaism providing some very interesting insights into Jewish/Christian relations. It is a personal testimony of how Giles Fraser challenged the institutional church and came to a much deeper under- standing of what it is to be “chosen” in both the Jewish and Christian context of faith. I cannot recommend it too highly, especially for a deeper understanding of the Jewish and Christian story and faith. Robert Fletcher News from the tower. Freedom Day has meant a few changes for our band of bellringers in the tower. We are now not limited to six people in the ringing room, though more than ten at present might be uncomfortable. We can ring for longer than the previous suggested limit of forty five minutes, but the ventilation must be the best that we can achieve. We are fortunate in having three large windows, each facing in a different direction, one to the North, one to the West and one to the South. Depend- ing on the strength of the wind we can have all three fully open. Other local towers are not as lucky as we are. We are all double jabbed and are carrying out Lateral Flow Tests in the forty eight hours before ringing. That way should anyone of us SA. She told her incredible story of test positive we can avoid the risk of infecting the rest of the band. Sanitising both when arriving ham a few years ago. You may have in church before climbing the fifty steps and again in the ringing room keeps the risk of spreading heard it. But it also makes me won- any form of contamination as low as possible. der where these mugs may be in the Lastly we are still carrying face masks to wear when appropriate. Face to face teaching would be the most obvious situation when they would definitely be required. Hopefully things will get better soon and we can return to normal. Roy Adcock In time of need, we have Pastoral Care! Pastoral care of members of the church and wider parish community is a priority for us especially at this time. We have a Church pastoral care group who have been trained to respond to anyone in need - whether it be illness, bereavement, personal difficulty or a practical need. We are here to help and support in whatever way we can. If you would like to talk to one of our group please contact: Vicar 01923 854209 - Annie Wiggs 07810 264099 - Sue Barnard 01923 852754 I have attended a course in 'spiritual direction' and would be very happy to offer such assistance to anyone who would like to explore or know more about this, please contact me. Robert Fletcher (Vicar) 01923 854209 Your Church Choir needs YOU! For more than three-quarters of a millennium, our church here in Aldenham has resounded to the sound of hymns, psalms, and canticles. Music is an integral part of our worship, and we carry on an Anglican musical tradition which is increasingly rare in the wider Church. During the pandemic, most of us have keenly felt the absence of singing from the regular services, and as restrictions lift, we all look forward to the return of congregational singing. Directed by our Organist and Choirmaster, Gary Eyre, the Church Choir is a small but dedicated group of singers who lead and support the congregation and Vicar in this musical tradition. Sadly, during the pandemic, our numbers have been diminished. We are very much in need of new voices. Whether or not you have previous experience singing in a choir, church or otherwise, if you enjoy singing and would like to support our musical tradition, we would very much welcome you. Although some ability to read music is useful, it is not essential. We practice on Fridays at 7:30pm at the church; why not come along and find out more or contact Gary at [email protected]. OPENING SOON! The church doors will be open soon to welcome you into the church for a look round. It won’t be open every day but the signs will be out when it is, so look out for them. Access inside will be limited to the church only, the tower will not be accessible and there will be no toilet facilities available. There will be a ‘short guide’ available to take you on a tour of the highlights of the church and just some of its many treasures. There will also be our ‘Tap and Pay’ system for donations or an amount of £5 can be made by texting ALDENHAMCH to 70580. Come and see us, all welcome! May Wiggs 1923 - 2021 May was born in 1923 into a military family meaning that she , her older sister Eleanor and younger brother Jimmy had many moves around the UK and overseas through their early childhood. It was always with great pride that, in later life, she wore a beautiful brooch representing her father's regiment the Green Howards, the Yorkshire Regiment, based in Richmond. As the children grew up, moving with their father's postings became unmanageable and education in boarding school became a necessity. May, along with Eleanor went to the Royal School in Bath, for children of officers. The school was evacuated to Longleat during WW2 to the surprise and delight of the girls and May recalled Lord Bath being very welcoming but rather alarmed by so many bicycles arriving with the girls too. School years led to May fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor and gaining a place to study medicine at St Andrews. She qualified successfully and moved around many jobs in hospitals in England and Ireland. Having moved to a job in this area she met Graham, a local solicitor, and they were married in 1951. To their delight their daughter Jennifer was born in 1952, followed by Anthony in 1954. May was now working as a local GP having set up an "all woman" practice with a colleague, a rare occurrence at the time. She had always been a keen sportswoman enjoying lacrosse, cricket, hockey, golf and latterly tennis in Radlett. A blue in hockey while at St Andrews was a particular highlight. Her love of sport, participation and later viewing, endured throughout her life and she never lost her passion for this. Her husband Graham lived with Parkinson's disease, diagnosed at a very young age and May embraced his care at their home in Letchmore Heath for many years before he moved to The Ridgeway nursing home in Radlett. May was delighted by the arrival, over the years, of 6 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. They were all the apple of her eye and their lives and adventures were central to her.