SEPTEMBER 2021 All Saints’ Church Parish Magazine LEEK WOOTTON LINK Leek Wootton | Guy’s Cliffe | Hill Wootton | Chesford | Goodrest | Wedgnock | North & Middle Woodloes LEEK WOOTTON LINK | SEPTEMBER 2021 the wider community (see the back EDITORIAL cover for some suggestions). Welcome to the September issue of Details of Community Live (this The Link. parish’s own event focussing on re- It is good to feel that life is returning to establishing its strong network of clubs some sort of ‘normal’ for us all, but and societies), are fully explained on personally, we are missing the the enclosed flyer. We hope the event tremendous sense of community that is successful, that people are able to was engendered at the height of the find their ‘niches' and we look forward pandemic, particularly during the first to receiving up-dates and news from Lockdown. everyone to share with our readers. However, many have managed a holiday this year and all manner of Helen & Lesley Eldridge activities are up and running again in The Editorial Team All Saints’ Church WHO’S WHO? www.leekwoottonchurch.co.uk VICAR Jim Perryman t : 850610 | m : 0744 948 0539 The Vicarage, 4 Hill Wootton Road e : [email protected] READER Audrey Rowberry t : 851498 e : [email protected] READER and CHURCHWARDEN Nigel Stallard t : 850548 e : [email protected] CHURCHWARDEN Jonathan Kingston t : 851181 e : [email protected] PCC SECRETARY Chris de Wolf e : [email protected] PCC TREASURER Iain Wilton m : 07771 664185 e : [email protected] PARISH SAFEGUARDING OFFICER Lesley Allen t : 07963 815773 e : [email protected] FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE LINK, INCLUDING SUBMITTING MATERIAL, ADVERTISING OR APPLYING TO RECEIVE BY EMAIL, SEE BACK PAGES Cover Image: Frog by Charlie Yeomanson Winner of the LW&D Horticultural Society Photographic Competition 2021 (see page 19) 2 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | SEPTEMBER 2021 FROM THE VICARAGE THE TIMES, THEY ARE A’CHANGIN’ – Part 1 I’m writing this in late July, as I plan to be away for much of August. By the time we reach the start of September, we will probably be getting used to normality – or whatever that will be by then. Just thinking about ‘normal’ took me back to the Douglas Adams stories of the ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ where, after a series of highly improbable events, comes the announcement “We will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway.” And a little later, “We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.” (If you’re desperate for a bit of nostalgia and the days when ‘special effects’ looked like something Blue Peter had made earlier out of toilet roll cores and sticky-backed plastic, you can find the relevant episode from the 1981 TV series at www.dailymotion.com/video/x5xwroa - the purists will go for the earlier radio series: Series 1, episode 2! When we look at life around the world, we certainly haven’t yet reached ‘normality’ and it is doubtful that what used to be considered normal will ever return, but living in a constant state of abnormality and uncertainty is highly destructive to people’s mental wellbeing. Life is different now. Things we once took for granted are now recognised as highly valuable – and things we once valued have been shown to be worthless. As Dylan said (Bob, that is, rather than Thomas or the rabbit from Magic Roundabout) “The times, they are a’changin”. As we begin to rediscover some sense of stability, we are needing to work out what really matters. Just turning the clock back and pretending the last 18 months have been a bad dream won’t suffice. Whether in the home, at work, at school, in the church or wherever - times have changed. Rediscovering ‘cultural norms’ will be very hard: should we shake hands with all and sundry, or give social kisses, or will people be generally more distant with just a smile or a nod. I hope the elbow offering and the embarrassed knuckle-glancing ‘fist pump’ will rapidly become history! What will work look like? The charity I work for part-time is based in Coventry. All the staff were local, travelling to be in the same small office. During ‘lockdown’ we have employed someone who lives in Belfast. She’s never actually met any of the rest of us face-to-face and certainly won’t be commuting to Coventry. When we need to employ someone else, as we will in the next few months, where will they be? We’ll be more interested in which time-zone they live in than which town! Office work, at least, will probably never return to what it was – nor many meetings: why get lots of people travelling from different places when you can meet via Zoom. Less time wasted, less travel-related pollution and considerably less cost. Why 3 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | SEPTEMBER 2021 didn’t we do that before? As we start to dare to look ahead again, it’s fairly certain that powerful forces will seek to mould the new normality to suit their agendas. We all need to be careful. It’s time to start thinking about what is truly important to us, before these other forces just push us into an uncomfortable place. When Bob Dylan wrote his song in 1963, the ‘Swinging Sixties’ were only gently rocking. Within five years, the times had drastically changed and many got left behind or trampled on in the rush – pretty much like Dylan had prophesied with his powerful words of warning. And I don’t think that the church will be exempt from this pressure. What ‘shape’ does All Saints’, Leek Wootton need to be in order to best serve God and this community into the future years? If we don’t think through these questions – and I mean the whole community, not just those those attend services, then we, and similar villages, might find that there is no local church in the future. I’d love to hear people’s opinions on what they have come to value about the church and any thoughts about how we could better serve the community moving forward. I’m 65 later this year – I won’t be vicar here forever, but I’d like to think that, together, we can restore a ‘normality’ that sees a thriving church serving a thriving community into the changing times of the future. Jim Perryman DAILY COMMUNITY PRAYER FOCUS: Each weekday, and each weekend, we pray specifically for those who live or work in a different street or area of our parishes. We invite everyone to join in this – perhaps thinking about those you know in a particular place, or just picturing the place in your thoughts – and in a moment of quiet, just ask that peace and blessing may come to the homes and workplaces there. Prayer doesn’t need long words or strange language, just an open heart and a brief stillness of mind. The cycle of prayer for the coming days will be displayed on the front page of the church website. Please make this one of your home pages, or bookmark it, so that you can easily find out who to think about, and when you are being specifically prayed for. You are always invited to submit personal prayer requests to [email protected] where some of the church leaders will pray for your concerns in strict confidence. To enter into conversation about a concern, please contact the vicar or one of the readers or churchwardens directly – see contact details inside the front cover. 4 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | SEPTEMBER 2021 www.leekwoottonchurch.co.uk ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH THE TIMES, THEY ARE A’CHANGIN’ – Part 2 CHURCH SERVICES / EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER As mentioned in the last edition of Link, we are trialling a new pattern of church services with new service times. Many services, and the Mosaic group, will be ‘hybrid’ with a live stream, enabling the housebound, the holidaymaker, or anyone else who doesn’t manage to attend in person, to still be part of the congregation. Sunday, 5 September 8:45am Holy Communion (said – BCP) 10:00am Morning Worship with Baptism – Livestreamed on Zoom 2:30pm Teddy Bear Parachuting (to 4:30pm) 3:00pm Church Summer Teas (to 5:00pm) Sunday, 12 September 10:00am Holy Communion + MOSAIC – Livestreamed on Zoom Wednesday, 15 September 10:30am Midweek Holy Communion Sunday, 19 September 10:00am Holy Communion + MOSAIC – Livestreamed on Zoom Sunday, 26 September HARVEST FESTIVAL 10:00am HARVEST FESTIVAL Parade Service – Livestreamed on Zoom Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 8:50am ONLINE Morning Worship: Prayer, Bible reading, time to reflect on the reading and a song of worship related to the theme, plus a chance to chat at the end. Monday and Wednesday, 8:45pm – 9:00pm ONLINE Compline: A short time of peaceful reflection to end the working day. TO JOIN US ON ZOOM: www.tiny.cc/lwzoom all lower case or use the Zoom Cloud Meeting App Meeting ID 645 991 3128 with Passcode 110720. TO JOIN US IN CHURCH: Come along, but please bring a face covering and abide by all the instructions regarding seating and movement which are given on arrival. Our local restrictions will be regularly reassessed, but we are not yet ready to dispense with all COVID-protective measures. TO CATCH UP LATER: Go to www.leekwoottonchurch.co.uk and follow the menu link to ‘Recent Services’. 5 LEEK WOOTTON LINK | SEPTEMBER 2021 Come and join the fun! Bible Stories, crafts, songs, games and more! Starting Sunday, 12 September at 10:00am at All Saints’ Church and anywhere else! Since April 2020, our Mosaic group has been a mosaic of screens.