Studland Parish News July 2021 St Nicholas Church Studland See the Parish News in full colour – www.studlandchurch.com Note from the editor… I don’t know about you, but summer has started off very busy for me, and my calendar is jammed packed right up to September, when I am due a holiday (hopefully). With two covid jabs under my belt I, and I am sure so many of you out there, will be hoping we can plan and then actually go ahead with holidays again. But as ever, caution must remain. We are currently in a pause at Step 3 of the roadmap. The government will continue to review data and hope that England will move to Step 4 on 19th July. However, step 3 has allowed many things to go ahead already in the village and there has been a sense of ‘normality’ returning. Attending Church, the return of our village coffee mornings, WSL events, Village Hall bookings etc. Another return to normal in this edition, is the St Nicholas Rota, which we have not seen since March last year! It was a lovely surprise to receive this from Tony again. Please check when you are down for readings and remember to please swap if you cannot do any of these dates. What will you miss about lockdown? - A recent study by King’s College London and Ipsos Mori found that more than half of us admit that we will miss some aspects of the restrictions, especially spending more time at home with our family, and appreciating the quieter roads. Three in ten feel closer to immediate family than before the pandemic, while just one in six say we have grown further apart. One in five say that finances are better because of the pandemic. While we would all rather the pandemic hadn’t happened, it shows that even in adversity, there are positives to be found if we look. Looking at my jammed calendar, I think the thing I will miss from the lockdown is simple peace and quiet. What about you? Sharon Westman, Editor Gratefulness “Small grateful acts every day can uplift us, make a difference for others, and help change the world.” Blessing of the month You bless us with friendship - life’s supreme gift, rare, precious, and fragile. May we show ourselves worthy of our friends by being faithful, patient, and affectionate while we have the time to do so, aware that all things are passing, even firm friendships. August edition submission deadline is: JULY 21st 9am - Late contributions cannot be guaranteed. [email protected] / 01929 450358 2 Swanage and Studland Team Ministry Team Rector The Very Revd John Mann The Rectory, 12 Church Hill, Swanage, BH19 1HU Tel. 01929 422916 Email: [email protected] Team Office Tel. 01929 421117 Email: [email protected] St Nicholas Church, Studland Resident Priest Rev’d Tony Higgins The Old School House, School Lane, Studland BH19 3AJ Tel. 01929 450691 Email: [email protected] Church Wardens Barbara Matthews Old Harry, The Glebe, Studland BH19 3AS Tel. 01929 450218 Email: [email protected] Mr Eric Stobart Knapwynd, School Lane, Studland BH19 3AJ Tel: 01929 450222 Email: [email protected] Hon. Treasurer Mr Andrew Goodwin St Nicholas Church Hall, Church Road, Studland, BH19 3AT Email: [email protected] Hon. Secretary Mrs Carol Wadley 34 Jubilee Road, Swanage, BH19 2SF 01929 424388 [email protected] 3 Rota of readers and Readings for St Nicholas Church July 2021 Service Presiding Sides Readers Readings Person Sun Rev Peter Barbara Trish Moore Ezekiel 2.1-5 04/07/21 Burtwell Matthews Trinity 5 David Psalm 123 10.00am Holy Hogsflesh 2 Cor.12.2-10 Communion Mark 6.1-13 Sun Rev Tony June Jennings Ezekiel 2.1-5 04/07/21 Higgins Trinity 5 Peter Mark 6.1-13 Zoom Zoom Jennings Sun Rev John Carol Diana Amos 7.7-15 11/07/21 Staples Wadley Edmonds Trinity 6 Psalm 85.8-13 10.00am Morning Susie Marsh Prayer Mark 6.14-29 Sun Rev Tony Barbara Lesley Cocks Jer. 23.1-6 18/07/21 Higgins Matthews Psalm 23 Trinity 7 10.00am Holy Audrey Eph. 2,11-22 Communion Farrell Mark 6,30-34 & 53- 56 Sun Rev Tony David Jer. 23.1-6 18/07/21 Higgins Endicott Trinity 7 Mark 6,30-34 Zoom Zoom David Corben & 53- 56 Sun Rev Solveig Eric Stobart 2 Kings 4.42-43 25/07/21 Sonet David & 10.00am Sally Jane Psalm 145.10-19 James the Morning Hogsflesh Hawkesworth Apostle Prayer John 6,1-21 We are still limited with numbers of 30 until mid-July therefore please contact Barbara Matthews on 01929 450218 or email: [email protected] to book a place. Please swap if you cannot do any of these dates. 4 The Team Rector Writes… The time lag between writing an article for a particular issue of a parish magazine and it appearing is frequently not critical and we may be writing about something on-going and not changing very quickly, but the experience through the pandemic has been different. I am preparing this without knowing the outcome of the scientific advice that we may be required to hold on to the remaining restrictions to do with singing, social distancing and (vitally for the entertainment industry) the position regarding numbers that can attend events. So, we carry on planning, knowing that changes may yet be required. With regard to the way that the Parish of Swanage is managing both financially and organisationally, there are many factors to consider - and plenty of unknowns. How, for example, can we tell whether or not the income will stabilise or reveal a bounce back, or be permanently dented by the differing conditions of those who donate so generously? We are working on assumptions and guesses and the evidence of people’s changing habits as we all use less cash and rely on other ways of paying for things we need. All of this said, we approach the height of the summer 2021 with considerable anticipation. Perhaps it is the prospect of congregations being allowed to sing in Church again that whets the appetite for bringing a feeling of normality back into what we are managing in worship. In so many ways we are creatures of habit, and we have been finding the months of restrictions become the new norm - almost without realising it. I fancy that we shall shake ourselves out of this narrow view of what we can do as soon as the chance comes. One of the things that I am looking forward to most of all is hearing the St Mary’s bells ring out properly once more. Maybe out there we may find new ringers whose experience of not hearing the bells may stir them into a, “well, I think I would like a go at that”, as absence makes the heart grow fonder! Choirs could see an influx of new singers; bands experience fresh volunteers; flower arrangers gaining new ideas, coffee and tea makers besieged by new offers of help; re-visioned committees making exciting plans for the future. In a peculiar sort of way, though for many reasons we might expect people to be down and cautious about the months to come, I see and hear the beginnings of buzz and the whisper of excitement and new ideas. We shouldn’t really be surprised, should we? It has long been recognised that churches and sometimes individuals are brought low for one reason or another and it is at that very dip in people’s expectations and energy that a revitalised church arises. Just when every door seems to be shutting in our faces, so something happens that changes it all and makes us open our eyes to what we have been unable to see. It will be about three weeks after I have written this that you will see the fruits of my Thursday afternoon spent in front of a computer tapping out this and other articles for this magazine, but I hope and pray that as you read it you might just 5 glimpse something within your own experience at the moment that rings true to these thoughts of renewal of hope. “Time will tell”, is a well-used saying about how events pan out from a new beginning, but it also allows us to imagine and dream dreams. In other words, it is not fatalistic, it is a recognition that God does amazing things and brings about the most startling of unexpected occasions for encouragement. July is high summer and the schools are moving towards holidays. Year 7 children from St Mark’s Primary and the other schools too are preparing to leave and transfer in September into secondary education. Older children have had disruption and disappointment during the months of lockdown and I feel sure that many of us, even through our own days of life’s restrictions will be hoping and praying that our young people may particularly find doors opening and opportunity knocking for them. Whatever is in store, may our heavenly Father be with you, Christ be our guide and the Holy Spirit the strength and joy of all who seek the face of God in these days and in every day. Yours in Christ Jesus, John Mann Rectory Ramblings I ramble quite a bit in normal times, and at the moment the rambling is punctuated with moments that could best be described as sitting with my finger on a pause button. To mix my analogies further, parish life is ever a matter of trying to keep plates spinning and taking a break can be inclined to allow a few to crash to the ground.