THE SIX VILLAGES NEWSLETTER Eltisley Church MARCH 2016 UNIT 11 HARLEY IND. PARK PAXTON HILL, ST NEOTS, CAMBS PE19 6TA ►MOT’s ►REPAIRS ►TYRES ►SERVICING ►EXHAUSTS ►BRAKES ►CLUTCHES ►BATTERIES ►RECOVERY ►WINDSCREENS ►CAR SALES ►AIR CONDITIONING www.paxtonhillgarage.co.uk 01480 217806 Email: [email protected] “We offer a quality professional service in a clean, well equipped workshop for all your motor engineering needs”. FROM REV NIGEL DI CASTIGLIONE: One of the many encouraging recurrences I am finding around the villages making up the Papworth Team Ministry is the recognition that, whilst many regular churchgoers like the form and style of worship we provide currently, there is both the need and the desire to see something different that will make Christian worship more accessible and appealing to a new generation of churchgoers. This sentiment is held by churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike. This is not a question of discarding and dismantling much that we know, value and find strength from. Rather it is the awareness that our parish churches are for the blessing and use of everyone, not just those who make it to church on a regular basis. Therefore we have to hold and honour the best of what has been passed down to us whilst recognising that, as Jesus said, new wine can't be kept and enjoyed if it is put in old wines-skins. Look carefully and we find he valued both the old and the new! This is a matter of national debate as much as of local interest. It affects people of all ages. It relates to the sort of music we use, the ways in which our buildings can be adapted, the times and format for when we meet for Christian worship and so on. At the same time the challenges and opportunities are different in the different villages. For example one of the most effective of the services I attended in the run-up to Christmas was a carol service held in Papworth Village Hall. People poured into a venue they clearly feel at home in, finding surroundings they were comfortable in with facilities to serve people of all ages. Just a few days earlier I sat in an exciting PCC meeting held in Papworth church where initial plans were mooted about upgrading some facilities to serve the congregation and the desire to grow the ministry of the church. For some the question might be > why bother improving the church facilities (in Papworth) if we can use what is already available in the Village Hall? The answer, in my view, is that we need both. We need to care for, improve and make sure the traditional church building is 'fit-for- purpose' in the 21st century; and look to create new access places and points for more people to access Christian worship and ministry. This will not happen if we try to contain all we are and do in what is increasingly a small space for a growing village. Where I live in Elsworth the challenge is similar but different. Here we have a static population in terms of size. Nevertheless, in my view - notwithstanding the good sports pavilion and the generous welcome offered by Elsworth School as much as is practical - are we at the point when we need to think soon of examining the potential as well as raise resources to improve facilities the church premises can offer as part of the overall mix? This is the sort of debate that could and should be happening in all the villages. I am sure this is something many people will have an opinion on and one in which the many need to be heard. At the end of any talking, praying and subsequent decision-making, whatever we do with church buildings and activities must serve the core purposes for which the church exists, also benefit both regular worshippers and serve the enrichment of community life as a whole. At the moment I am asking the questions without having any master plan or easy solutions I am waiting to pull out of my filing cabinet! ! RICHARD KENYON MASTER THATCHER Home: 01487 843377 Mobile: 07873 549872 E@mail: [email protected] The Barn, 59 Wood End, Bluntisham, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3LE REGULAR MEETINGS in the 6 Villages: WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY meets during term time fortnightly on Fridays, 10.30am, at Oaktree House, Potton End, Eltisley - Contact Sarah on 880214. HOPE BIBLE STUDY: Every Wednesday during term time at 8pm - call 880409 for details. LADIES CIRCLE For women up to the age of 45. We meet 2 Tuesday evenings a month with a varied programme. For info contact Nicky on 880114. YELLING ART GROUP meets In Yelling Village Hall on Thursday mornings. We are a small, friendly group. Interested? Please ring Joyce on 477045 or Prema on 474157. THE SIX VILLAGES NEWSLETTER Editor: Anne Pettifor, Tel 07974 082604, email: [email protected] Treasurer: Angela Weldon, Tel 01480 880303 Deadline for APRIL issue: 15th March. Many thanks to all who help with the production and distribution of this Newsletter – everyone a volunteer. Community/charitable advertising is free. Opinions expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor or correspondents. All advertisements are accepted in good faith. The quality and reliability of the goods and services advertised cannot be guaranteed by the editor or staff. Bird House Beauty www.birdhousebeauty.co.uk Bird House Beauty is new to Yelling offering spa like relaxation in a pretty country garden far away from the hustle and bustle of town centres Nails, tans, massage and eyelashes. 07787 163747 RENDEZVOUS COFFEE MORNING: A reminder about our COFFEE MORNING on Tuesday 29th March, 10am-12noon at Papworth Village Hall. Come and meet us and find out more about this year’s ‘Rendezvous’ Holiday Week, 16th-19th August. For more information please contact Anne (880672) or, for transport contact Nichola (880285). YELLING Visit: www.yellingvillage.co.uk for news & info Correspondent: Elly Peal YELLING VILLAGE HALL: Facilities include: a refurbished kitchen with dishwasher, oven, hob, fridge and freezer, enclosed patio and garden with barbeque as well as a large flexible hall space. Perfect for parties, meetings, dance and fitness classes – any type of get together. Available for hire - £8 per hour. See website www.yellingvillage.co.uk YELLING ART GROUP: Yelling art group is looking for new members. We meet every Thursday morning in term time 10am-1pm in Yelling Village Hall. We are a friendly group - painting and drawing in a variety of medias and subjects, sometimes with the help of a visiting professional artist. Interested? For more information ring Joyce 01480 477045 or Prema 01480 474157 Dates for your Diary from Yelling: Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May - am: Plant Sale from 10.00am at the Church - come and stock up your garden with flower and vegetable plants, then have a cup of coffee! A request please to anyone who is splitting plants or planting seeds, if, by April, you find you have surplus plants, please donate to Yelling Plant Sale. Contact Pauline: Tel 880606. Saturday 25th June from 7.30pm: Retro Pop in the Churchyard - bring a picnic and "bop" the night away. Bank Holiday Monday 29th August: Yelling Produce Show: Entries welcomed from all villages. Classes include: Vegetables, Flowers, Crafts, Photography (Theme: The Seasons), Homemade Beer. Classes for children include: Baking, Collage and Plants. Fete, Refreshments, Barbecue. Saturday 1st October from 7.30pm: Yelling Harvest Supper - All welcome. Menu to follow later. Yelling Village Hall from 7.30pm. YELLING Visit: www.yellingvillage.co.uk for news & info Correspondent: Elly Peal SWISHING At Yelling Village Hall Friday 18th March, 7.30pm Bring a couple of items of clothes, shoes, jewellery, belts or bags that you no longer want or wear Enjoy a glass of wine and chose something that you like This is a fun charity event: £5 each YELLING AND DISTRICT WOMEN'S INSTITUTE As Ratty said to Mole in The Wind in the Willows, "There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats". On Tuesday 15th March, Jenny Fennell will be sharing with us her boating experiences in a talk entitled 'Misty Morning - Cruising the Inland Waterways of France'. This is sure to remind us of those lazy, hazy days of summer and perhaps give us inspiration for this year's holiday! The meeting begins at 7.30 pm in Yelling Village Hall, and visitors are most welcome (there is a £4 entrance fee which includes refreshments and a raffle). In the coming months our programme includes the History of Toy Dolls, the new banknotes, and tasting Spanish food (and learning a few Spanish phrases too). If you would like more information about the WI please contact Susan on 01480 880014. We look forward to welcoming you at our meetings. ST PANDIONIA’S PARISH, ELTISLEY A busy month ahead as we prepare for Easter. The Six Villages Lent Course continues every Wednesday evening in the church - do come along to one or more of the sessions even if you haven't manage to get to the first few weeks. The Lent Tent is now up in the church - a cosy space for prayer and refection with lots of books and other resources available to encourage and inspire. Over Easter weekend, our Good Friday walk will start at Graveley at 10.00am to get to Eltisley in time for the Stations of the Cross service at noon and on Easter Sunday we will celebrate together with an All Age Communion service at 10.30am. This year we need to do a number of urgent repairs to the fabric of the church for which we need your support.