CASSINGTON & WORTON NEWS News and views from the parish of Cassington and Worton January 2012 – Issue 415 . visit our village website . www.wospweb.com/site/Cassington-Online . From the team We hope you had a very enjoyable Christmas and wish you all a very Happy New Year, and look forward to sharing your news, views and events throughout 2012. As ever, we would like to thank our advertisers for making it possible to make more of CAWN, and hope they will forgive us for a small rise in our advertising rates. Our rates have remained the same since we first took advertising in April 2004, but to ensure we can meet our print costs and have something left over to support causes in our community we do need to make a small increase. The rates remain modest (see below), and those who still have time to run on an existing booking won’t see an increase until this needs to be renewed. For new bookings, renewals Thank you! and occasional ads, the increases will take effect from February 2012. A big ‘thank you’ once again to everyone for sending in their pictures for the Cassington Calendar 2012, and to everyone who has bought copies for We hope we can continue to rely on themselves, family and friends. All copies, including the few spares ordered, your support and look forward to have now been sold so if you don’t have a copy I’m afraid you will have to see informing our readers through 2012. if anyone is trying to turn a profit by touting their copy on Ebay. CAWN Thanks also to Dan Bakewell and all at Fineprint for the quality of the finished calendars. Their skills go far beyond such modest things and we would encourage anyone with a proper, paying, business print requirement to Advertising rates (from February 2012) give them a call - 01993 777450. Local ‘what’s on’ and fund-raising stuff is free. Simple local services, ‘for sales’ etc, are also free Taking into account the receipts from sales, donations, a generous deal on the on noticeboard. Suitable commercial business are invited to printing by Fineprint and a little rounding up from CAWN funds, we are support our community by buying advertising delighted to announce we have raised £400. As promised, this will be divided space ... 1/8 page, £6 (£60 per year) equally between the Sports and Social Club for the refurbishment of the 1/4 page, £10 (£100 per year) pavilion, and the Friends of St Peter’s Bell Appeal. 1/2 page, £15 (£150 per year) Full page, £25 (£250 per year) There is no fixed plan to repeat the exercise, but if you want to send in your Technical details for artwork available on photos, and let us know if you would like to see a Cassington Calendar for request. All material included at the discretion of CAWN. Profits will be passed to the Cassington 2013, we’ll see how the year develops. Parochial Charities to support our community. Contributions should ideally be provided by email (in the body or as a Word attachment) to: [email protected]; delivered on floppy disc, or (as a last resort) typed or clearly handwritten, to Kevin Hinton, Mill Lane House, Mill Lane, Cassington, Witney OX29 4DL, by the 20th of the month. We look forward to hearing from you. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF A Christmas ‘Cracker’ – Happy New Year 2012AD ST PETER, EYNSHAM I love the jokes and riddles in Christmas crackers and one of the best riddles I’ve had in a cracker is this one: Abbey Street, Eynsham, OX29 4HR Tel: 01865 881613 www.communigate.co.uk/oxford/rcchurch/page3 Question: “In which year did New Years Day come before Christmas?” Serving the Hanboroughs, Freeland, Cassington, South Leigh, Stanton Harcourt, Sutton and Answer at the end of the article. Northmoor. Many non-Catholics come to our Christmas wasn’t celebrated by the early church at all. The Church or get help from our Priest. You are always early Christians were much more interested in celebrating welcome. Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter than his birthday. THE PRIEST: Fr. Martin Flatman is happy to receive So it was only much later in the 4th century that a date enquiries by phone, email or text. was set to celebrate Christ’s birth and, with no evidence in Mobile 07719 646790 [email protected]. the scriptures or elsewhere, the date of 25th December HIS WEEKLY TALK (Homily) can be sent to you by was chosen almost at random. In fact most biblical email. Just email your request. He is also on Facebook historians regard midwinter as highly unlikely for the and has a Blog : frmartinflatman.wordpress.com. actual date of Jesus birth. THE CHURCH is open for prayer every day. Our years have been numbered, since the 6th century, THE HALL (The Tolkien Room) is available for hire. from the believed birth year (or conception year) of Tel:01865 464320 Christ at that time. (However, it’s reckoned there may be a slight error here of about 4 years.) So this New Year is PRAYERS FOR HEALING can always be given for 2012AD. people on request, but twice a year we actually have a special time after our Sunday Mass when people can I remember (as a young child) thinking that BC stood for come forward one at a time so that they, or someone ‘Before Christ’ and AD stood for ‘After Dead’. The second they know who is sick, can be prayed for. This will be of these is of course completely wrong as the AD actually on Sunday 8th January after the 10.00am Mass. stands for Anno Domini which is Medieval Latin for “In the year of our Lord”. So our years have been counted CANDLEMAS is the day when we celebrate the from the believed birth year of Jesus up to this current Presentation of Jesus as a baby in the Temple. Old year of 2012AD (or AD2012). Simeon and Anna recognise that God is present in this child. May we do the same. This year it falls on Some people, not wishing to use a specifically Christian Thursday 2nd February so the Mass will be at 5.30pm connotation, use 2012”CE” (current era). Notably here and will begin with the Traditional Candlelight are the modern Chinese in their political, industrial and Procession from which we get the name Candlemas. financial areas but also many non-Christian historians and writers worldwide often use “CE” in their books and TIMES FOR SILENT PRAYER AND ADORATION articles. I was recently informed of pressure apparently are changing in 2012. We will still have the time from being placed on UK schools to use and teach “CE” and 6.30pm on Saturday evening, but the time on not “AD” so as not to cause offence – so much for being a Wednesday will be after the 9.30am Mass rather than Christian country! before, and we will have an additional time on Mondays from 4.30pm. Do join us for one of these However, in the 4th Century, when the date for Christmas times. The Blessed Sacrament is always exposed as a was selected as 25th December, that date, just before new focus for our prayer and praise. year, made (and still makes) great symbolic sense. This is because immediately after the birth of Jesus (the Christ) a THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY new era was created in human history. The first new year runs from the 18th – 25th January and during this after Jesus’ birth was the first year of this new epoch, this week we will pray for a different Christian new beginning, the beginning of God’s new kingdom and denomination every day. of its Lord – Jesus Christ. Hence the suffix (or prefix) THURSDAYS in JANUARY will see a regular Mass at “AD” - “Anno Domini”. 12 Noon. This may continue into February if Father So we have begun 2012 Anno Domini. The year of our Martin has finished as Chaplain of Oxford Brookes Lord 2012. University by this time; but on 2nd February Mass is at 5.30pm as explained above. There is no other for which, for so many, even our years have been counted – Jesus our living Lord 2012(ish) years A NUMBER OF FUND-RAISING EVENTS before young. Christmas raised sums to help pay off our Interest Free Debts. We now only owe £7000 which we should Happy New Year – 2012AD (or AD2012) be able to pay off completely next Autumn. Thanks Rev’d Roger Aston everyone. Answer: “Every year” 2 ST PETER’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND CASSINGTON The Church of St. Peter's is here as a fellowship to worship God, build people up in Christ and share his love with others SERVICES JANUARY 2012 There is usually a service of Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 9.30am. There is a prayer meeting at 12 noon on Thursdays. Sunday 1 January Sunday 22 January 9am Holy Communion (BCP) 10am Holy Communion Rev Roger Aston Mike Madden 10.45am Holy Communion service at 11.45am Holy Communion at St Leonard’s Church Eynsham Longlands Nursing Home Revd Roger Aston Sunday 8 January 6pm Evening Prayer (BCP) 10am Holy Communion Keith Jones Rev Hugh Atherstone Sunday 29 January Sunday 15 January 8am Holy Communion (BCP) 8am Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Andrew Atherstone 10am Morning Worship 10am Morning Worship Revd Morey Andrews Tim Cooper Children are very welcome in St Peter's Church. There are some toys and books available at the back of church for younger children to use during the services.