FEBRUARY 2010 INSIDE: Traveller’s Tale St Luke’s, Tanzania School’s out! The Jays profiled Lent Reflect, refresh, renew - prepare for Easter OUR CLERGY The Spire VICAR St James’s Church Revd Peter Vannozzi WELCOME Peter was born in Hanwell in 1962, Registered Charity No 1129286 but owes his surname to his Italian This Spire is produced nine times a year on February 2010 great-grandfather who came from behalf of the PCC of St James‖s Church. Florence to the UK in the late 19th century. 020 8979 2069 We make no charge for this magazine but [email protected] hope that you will contribute towards the The Vicarage, 46 St James’s Road, production costs, enabling us to expand our Hampton Hill, Middlesex TW12 1DQ. important outreach across the parish. If you are a regular reader please consider CURATE making an annual donation. Cheques should Revd Debbie Oades be made payable to ‘The PCC of St James’ Debbie was born in Hull in 1963 and and sent to Spire Appeal c/o the Parish Office. is a self-supporting minister. Thank you. 01784 260498 [email protected] GET IN TOUCH BAPTISM AND WEDDING ENQUIRIES STORIES, FEATURES These should be made in person in church on a Janet Nunn is our editor. If you have any ideas or Saturday morning from 10-10.30am. news, or would like to write an article for the The new decade has certainly started in spectacular fashion magazine, please contact her: PARISH OFFICE with all the snow and difficult conditions. 020 8979 6325 PARISH ADMINISTRATOR [email protected] This month the centre-spread features our Sunday School. Kirstie Hird 151 Uxbridge Road, Hampton Hill, For all enquiries and hall bookings. Middlesex TW12 1BQ. Two of our long-standing teachers – Sarah Peterson and The office is open on Monday, Lou Coaker – are standing down after many years of sterling AROUND THE SPIRE Wednesday and Friday mornings. Susan Horner writes Around the Spire. If you work and this means we are facing a lot of new challenges to 020 8941 6003 have any news to be considered, please keep the Sunday School running smoothly. [email protected] email: [email protected] St James’s Church, 46 St James’s Road, The Sunday School is such an important part of our work and Hampton Hill, Middlesex TW12 1DQ. EVENTS Griselda Barrett is listings editor. If you have an we hope we shall be able to maintain the quality of teaching CHURCHWARDENS event to be considered for inclusion, please in the future with new teachers. We shall be featuring Sarah email: [email protected] and Lou‖s work in a later edition of The Spire. Richard Melville 077 7926 6005 WEBSITE/YOUNG SPIRE [email protected] Prill Hinckley is the church webmaster. She also We have changed one feature for 2010. Our Church on the compiles the monthly Young Spire page. Please back page has been replaced with Songs of Praise, telling email: [email protected] the story behind a hymn we will all be singing in the coming Liz Wilmot CIRCULATION weeks. We hope you will enjoy it whilst perhaps learning 020 8977 9434 The Spire is available free from church. It is also something new. [email protected] delivered across the parish or posted further afield. To find out about receiving a regular copy Best wishes SERVICES FOR FEBRUARY this way please contact Susan Horner: 020 8979 9380 Janet Sundays [email protected] 8am Holy Communion 5 St James’s Avenue, Hampton Hill, Janet Nunn, editor 9.30am Parish Communion Middlesex TW12 1HH. [email protected] 7 February - 2nd Sunday Before Lent NEXT ISSUE/COPY DEADLINE Genesis 2.4b-9, 15-end; Revelation 4; The full colour March/April issue is published on Luke 8.22-25 Sunday 28 February. All copy must be with us by For the latest news: www.stjames-hamptonhill.org.uk Monday 8 February. 14 February - Sunday Next Before Lent Exodus 34.29-end CREDITS OTHER CONTACTS Music and Worship Committee 2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2 Book of Remembrance Recorder Peter Vannozzi 020 8979 2069 Luke 9.28-36 EDITORIAL Margaret Hobbs 020 8979 2320 Editor Janet Nunn Organist/Choirmaster 17 February - Ash Wednesday Writers Susan Horner and Dick Wilde Brownies Sarah Reed 020 8241 0499 Vacant — contact the Vicar 9.30am and 7.30pm Regular contributors Prill Hinckley, Holy Communion with Ashing Debbie Oades and Peter Vannozzi Charities and Links Committee Organist Emeritus Joel 2.1,2,12-17 Ann Peterken 020 8891 5862 Geoffrey Bowyer 020 8894 3773 2 Corinthians 5.20b-6.10 PRODUCTION John 8.1-11 Design/Chief Sub-editor Nick Bagge Children’s Advocate PCC Secretary Janet Nunn 020 8979 6325 [email protected] Jane Newman 020 8979 6154 Planned Giving Committee 21 February - 1st Sunday of Lent Sub-editor Prill Hinckley Church Cleaning Rota Gwynneth Lloyd 020 8943 0709 Deuteronomy 26.1-11 Proofreaders Kirstie Hird and Susan Horner Margaret Taylor 020 8979 3961 Romans 10.8b-13 Properties Committee Luke 4.1-13 PUBLISHING Church Flowers Bryan Basdell 020 8979 2040 Printer Justin Hollingsworth 020 8686 4481 Coryn Robinson 020 8979 6786 28 February - 2nd Sunday of Lent Scout Group Paul Fitchett 020 8941 7186 Genesis 15.1-12, 17-18 The Spire magazine is working hard Churches Together Around Hampton Philippians 3.17-4.1 to ensure that all its paper is sourced Ann Peterken 020 8891 5862 Servers Lesley Mortimer 020 8941 2345 Luke 13.31-end from well-managed forests (as laid Deanery Synod Sidespersons Janet Taylor 020 8979 0046 down by the Forest Stewardship 1st Sunday in month Council). This magazine may be Lesley Mortimer 020 8941 2345 Social Committee Liz Wilmot 020 8977 9434 7 February recycled, for use in newspapers or packaging. Electoral Roll Kirstie Hird 020 8941 6003 St James’s Ark Debbie Nunn 020 8979 3078 9.30am All-age Communion Unauthorised reproduction in whole or part is Eco-Group Catherine Gash 020 8783 0563 St James’s Players prohibited without written permission. Some parts Mondays-Fridays (but not Tuesdays) Martin Hinckley 020 8979 0528 9.15am Morning Prayer remain © Parish Pump. Finance Committee Don Barrett 020 8979 3331 Sunday School MSS, photographs and artwork are accepted on Guides Sarah Reed 020 8241 0499 Tuesdays Lou Coaker 020 8978 2040 the basis that The Spire does not accept liability 9.30am Holy Communion Hall Bookings Kirstie Hird 020 8941 6003 for loss or damage to the same. We regret we Treasurer Don Barrett 020 8979 3331 cannot print fiction, poetry or anything subject to Ladies’ Choir Eila Severn 020 8979 1954 1st Wednesday in month copyright. Views expressed are not necessarily Theatre Club Maria Beaumont 020 8943 4336 3 February Mission Partner Link those of the PCC of St James. Weekly Notices/Pew Sheet 7am Commuter Communion Gwynneth Lloyd 020 8943 0709 Kirstie Hird 020 8941 6003 1st Thursday in month Mozambique/Angola Link UPDATES 4 February Liz Wilmot 020 8977 9434 When you have finished with Please tell us about any changes 2pm Holy Communion this magazine please recycle it. 2 The Spire February 2010 THE LEADER COLUMN LENT SHOULD BE A TIME TO REFLECT, TO START AFRESH, TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH IN THOUGHT Feed the soul this Lent AND PRAYER The Collect is a prayer near the beginning of the celebration of the Eucharist. Its function is fundamentally as a collecting prayer, drawing together the prayers of the people at the beginning of the Eucharist. The current contemporary language collects have a strongly seasonal emphasis. This is particularly clear in Lent. There are two collects provided for each Sunday - one usually based on those in the Book of Common Prayer, and the other a completely new composition. Here are some from the season of Lent which can be used as a prayer at home as a private aid to devotion: Ash Wednesday Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, ho am I? The course is designed to help us: may receive from you, the God of all mercy, Why am I here? think through where we are going in our perfect remission and forgiveness; Where am I going? lives through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, W What’s it all for? ask questions about the Christian faith who is alive and reigns with you, discover the good news of Jesus in the unity of the Holy Spirit, For some people these questions are consider how we want to respond to it and one God, now and for ever. answered easily. to him Who am I? This is all in an accessible way, in a home, A biological entity with the use of a variety of material including a DVD. The dates and time are on page Why am I here? seven, along with contact details. The product of the physical activity of two people, either by accident or design Peter For some reading this, Start! will seem a strange word as Christianity has figured Where am I going? strongly in their life for years. It may be, Nowhere – you‖re born, you live, you die Vannozzi though, that if that is you, a fresh exploration of your faith would nonetheless encourage What’s it all for? and renew you. This question is irrelevant – I just am for a period of time, and then that is that.