FREE SMOKE ALARMS Published jointly by St Thomas à Becket Church Your local Fire Service personnel are happy to make an and Framfield Parish Council appointment to visit your home and discuss fire safety issues that are specific to you. They will also ensure that you have working smoke alarm(s) within your home and where you do not, they will supply and fit 10 year smoke alarms. To request a FREE visit call 0845 230 0252 (call will be charged at a local rate). USEFUL WEALDEN TELEPHONE NOs. General Enquiries: 01273 481000 Adult Education: 01273 481497 Bins and Recycling: 01323 443322 or 01892 653311 Crimestoppers, report crime anonymously 0800 555111 Education, general 01273 481000 Leisure centres, swimming pools and parks: 01323 443322 Planning, development, building control: 01323 443322 Police, non-emergency: 0845 6070999 Road maintenance: 0845 6080193 Recycling sites: 01273 481000 Street Lighting: 0845 6080193 Trading standards (consumer issues): 01323 418200 THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE PUBLISHED IN GOOD FAITH. THE PUBLISHERS DO NOT, F r a m f i e l d, B l a c k b o y s HOWEVER, ENDORSE ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES SPECIFIED and P a l e h o u s e C o m m o n OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2008 - 32 - HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR LOCAL CHURCH WHO'S WHO AT THE St THOMAS À BECKET NEWSLETTER. Priest-in-Charge : Revd Chris D Lawrence 01825 891090 (after hours 01825 890365) Joint Chair - For the Church: Rev. Chris Lawrence Churchwardens : Mrs Pat Tindall (01825 890761) Mr Brian Champion (01825 765634) For the Council: Mr. Eryl Thomas Secretary to PCC : Mrs Pat Herbert Editor: Sue Whitehead Treasurer : Mr Richard Hill Technical Editor: Barry Richardson Secretary and Advertising: All communications for church matters should be directed Ann Newton to the Church Office – 9.15 am – 5 pm (closed Wednesday) Pat Herbert Email - [email protected] Treasurer: Jan Riddle Post - Vicarage Barn, Framfield TN22 5NH Distribution: Derek Thorogood Telephone/ leave a message - 01825 891090 and his team of volunteers Details of Operation Godsend are printed elsewhere in the magazine. Printers: "Print Matters" From the Registers : A bi-monthly Newsletter distributed free to all homes within the Parish. "THANK YOU" to all our contributors. The Editorial team of Barry Sue and Ann would like to thank all our contributors for Marriages – those whom God has joined together, let no one divide: their items for this "one off" very early printing of the St Thomas à Becket Newsletter. Your support has been outstanding and we are most grateful. We would also like to thank th the wonderful band of volunteers who have made this delivery possible - thank you Delia 16 Aug 2008 James Frederich Mc Guinness / Sarah-Louise Abbott and Derek - also to our Printers, who have had to (possibly) re-arrange print runs to accommodate us. Barry, Sue and Ann - 2 - - 31 - OPERATION GODSEND So the world didn’t end on September 10th – but what if it had? September 10th was an interesting day to say the least. It marked the turning on of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC); part of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), Switzerland. The ongoing A SERVICE FOR ALL PARISH experiment has been designed to recreate the conditions of the ‘Big-Bang’, which apparently brought time and space into existence 13.7 billion years RESIDENTS ago. It is hoped that by understanding what happened at the dawn of time we will be able to grasp how life began and how all of what surrounds us came into existence. Examples of the services available are: However, the element of danger couldn’t be discounted. It was apparently a possibility that a ‘black hole’ could have been created that would have swallowed up the earth and all of humanity with it! Transport ‘Switch-on’ was a success, but several people who phoned into Radio 2 seemed genuinely disappointed that the world hadn’t ended! Essential journeys - Visits to doctor's surgery or It begs the question ‘so what if it had?’ hospital, essential shopping, collection of prescriptions A few years ago the family were out for a walk across the fields in Changing library books Rotherfield where we stopped to chat to two elderly men. As the conversation continued, one remarked, “there are only two important questions in life; where have you come from, and where are you going?” Resources Since that time I have often pondered those few, but very significant words. Small handyman/woman tasks - eg changing fuses, Are we indeed the product of some primeval soup from which we altering clocks etc. eventually evolved into human beings or does God as the Bible describes Visiting/befriending. create us in His image? The former hypothesis doesn’t exactly fill one with a sense of intrinsic worth or dignity! The human body is far to complicated to be an accident. Perhaps the psalmist is absolutely right when he writes ‘for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my Requests will be received on an answer phone mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully Tel. No: 01825 891072 made’ (Psalm 139: 13-14). And what of the other question “Where are you going?” Of the two this has Messages will be checked daily (evenings) and callers to be the most significant. Although we cannot see them, the Bible contacted within 24 hours describes Heaven and Hell as real places. At the end of our lives we either go to one place or the other. Hell conjures up many unpleasant images in the mind but fundamentally it has to be a place that is totally devoid of any goodness or love. Simply because God (who is love) will be absent. - 30 - - 3 - In this life we all have choices and we have to live the consequences of Framfield and Blackboys Monday Club those choices. What if the world had ended on the 10th? Where would you have you ended up? It is not a question that can be lightly dismissed – it October 6th : “World of Raystede” by President Morgan Williams is far too important and worthy of our investigation. October 20th: “A Zambian Adventure” by Lynne & Paul Ireland (Demelza House) November 3rd: Boccia – Tea and cakes th During September we will the running two new Alpha courses (see November 17 : (open to all) The Uckfield Singers will be singing a variety of popular separate advertisement on page 8). Alpha is the forum for discussing the and easy listening songs at Framfield Memorial Hall. Entry on the door to include tea/coffee/biscuit. Free entry to Monday Club Members. big questions in life, in a friendly non-threatening environment. It takes For more info ring 01825 840648. ten weeks to complete the course and begins with a meal followed by a short video presentation and a time of discussion. If previous courses are Welcome Baptist Blackboys - SPREE 2008! a good indicator then everyone should have a really interesting and enjoyable time with the added opportunity to make some new friends. Spree is the nationally-run weekend camp held at Great Walstead School for Urban Saints (formerly Crusaders) groups from the Southeast of England. nd I will sign off with some words from the apostle Peter’s 2 letter. During the weekend of 18-20 July, 26 young people (8-16 year olds) from Blackboys ‘The Day the Sky Will Collapse’ Urban Saints after school club and Life2themax youth group from Blackboys joined youngsters from across the region for a full weekend of fun and friendship whilst learning st Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as about following Jesus in the 21 century. good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining We were really blessed with a dry weekend and enjoyed some fabulous cooking by Andy Doherty. Some of the highlights for the children included: the talent show, bungee himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't trampolining, balls on water(!) swimming, Head Hunters (don’t ask), mega bouncies, art want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change. and craft, late night hike, even later than midnight movies, the very loud band – oh yes (2 Peter 3: 8-9 The Message translation) and football!!! Mr Sullivan (Deputy Head of Blackboys CE School) made his annual ‘tent inspection’ on the Saturday which is always a highlight, usually revealing how Blessings – Rev’d Chris Lawrence much tuck has been consumed in one night….. Apart from a severe lack of sleep and some disturbingly untouched wash bags….. it was good to spend time together, from the youngest to the oldest playing Footie or Frisbee or helping others wash up. The lively meetings held in the evenings for the different age groups reminded us all about the race we are all in, if we want to try and live life to the FRAMFIELD VILLAGE HALL MARKET DATES: full – following God’s rules. With the Olympics looming we had been learning about 25th October and 22nd November this race before us, where we are reminded in Hebrews 12 v 1 to “throw off everything CHRISTMAS MARKET 20th December (3rd Sat) that hinders and the sin which so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” 10am - 12 noon and every following 4th Saturday Our next special Sunday is September 28 at 3pm, starting at the Blackboys recreation of the month field – Football Training followed by refreshments in the Village Hall at 4.45pm ALL WELCOME followed by a talk by Alan West an ex professional footballer.