St Michael & All Angels, Bude Haven St Winwaloe, Poundstock Our Lady & St Anne, Widemouth Bay St Mary the Virgin, Week St Mary St Marwenne, Marhamchurch St Anne, Whitstone November Free 2019 MAIN CONTACTS FOR OUR CLUSTER: Please contact any of the following for information or enquiries about Anglican Church life in the Cluster: Our Parish Priest & Rural Dean: Father David Barnes,The Rectory, The Glebe, Week St Mary, EX22 6UY Tel: 01288 341670 [email protected] Our Churchwardens: St Anne’s, Whitstone: Mervyn Collins: 01288 341598 Phyllis Walter: 01288 341699 St Marwenne’s, Marhamchurch: Rob Corney: 01288 359754 Angela Grills: 01288 361247 St Mary the Virgin, Week St Mary: Lesley Booker: 01288 341221 Dick Sowerby: 01288 341348 St Michael’s, Bude Haven: David Williams: 01288 353932 Our Lady & St Anne’s, Widemouth Bay: Judy MacDonald: 01288 362254 St Winwaloe’s, Poundstock: Hilary Kenny: 01288 361504 Barry Smith: 01288 361716 Stratton Deanery website: www.strattondeanery.co.uk/ Editor of Voices Together: Clare Hicks, Trelowen, Lynstone, Bude EX23 0LR. 01288 352726; [email protected] Copy deadline for December 2019 issue— by Friday 15th November please ELECTRONIC COPIES OF VOICES TOGETHER If you would like to receive a copy of this magazine please email Lesley Booker: [email protected] 2 PARISH NEWSLETTER Dear Friends The Season of Remembrance In France lives a diverse Christian community known as Taizé. Coming to Taizé it is said, is to be invited to search for communion with God through a community of prayer. Prayer expressed through word, silence, community, solitude and famously for the Taizé community and their choir and music. “Jesus remember me” is a song, or more accurately, a chant that draws us into deeper community with God. This sung prayer repeats the line “Jesus, remember me, when I come into your kingdom.” Words from Luke 23:42. Go and have a listen on www.youtube.com Like our friends in the Taizé community, we, in our Stratton Deanery Central Cluster are a community. One that extends into our Diocese here in Truro, with other Dioceses in the UK, and our diverse Christian Global community. One body, called by One God and it is to him we pray ‘Jesus remember me, when I come into your Kingdom.’ It is to him, that through October and November we will come together in our cluster community and prayerfully draw on these words with a particular focus: ‘Jesus remember me’ becomes ‘Jesus remember them, when they come into your Kingdom.’ In October we remembered the names of babies through Baby Loss awareness week. Various All Souls services will remember the names of those loved ones departed, and we will remember the names of those who served and continue to serve this country through Remembrance Sunday. In each case we are petitioning to God to remember them, as they come into his Kingdom. As we each go through this season of remembrance let us remember all those we love. Those lost, those with us near and far. Let us remember the name of God and let us remember ourselves also, be it in word, silence or song. By name, by their Christian name, we will ask God to remember them as they enter his Kingdom. God says “You did 3 not choose me, but I chose you”. Paul wrote, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any- thing else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, our citizenship is in heav- en, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Have a memorable November. Blessings Mark James (Thank you to Mark for writing this piece whilst Father David is on holiday. Editor) THIS MONTH’S VOICES TOGETHER HAS BEEN KINDLY SPONSORED BY REGULAR READER SUE PEGRUM Important note from the editor to all contributors Please note that the deadline for the January/February Voices Together magazine will be on Friday December 6th, a fortnight earlier than usual, in order to get the magazines in to the churches well before Christmas. The January/February edition covers both months, the next issue will then be for March. Thank you all for your contributions to date, much appreciated. Clare Hicks 4 Dates for your NOVEMBER Diary: Friday 1st: St Michael’s Quiz & Fish & Chip Supper, Brendon Arms Saturday 2nd: Gift Day: Feeding the 5,000 Today St Marwenne’s 11 am —4 pm Monday 4th: MU Kingdomtide Bible Study, Bude TIC 2 pm Tuesday 5th: CBS Vespers & Benediction, St Michael’s 4 pm Thursday 7th WSM Church Roof Fund Coffee Morning—details p 23 Saturday 9th: Sausage & Mash Lunch, WSM Parish Hall 12—2.30 pm Weds 20th: MU Prayer Group meeting, 24 Bede Haven Close 11 am Rehearsals for Carols of the Stratton Hundred, Bude Methodist church 2.30 pm Thursday 21st: WSM Church Roof Fund Coffee Morning—details p 23 Saturday 23rd: Day of seasonal song at St Michael’s. (Details pp 7 & 20) Weds 27th: Rehearsals for Carols of the Stratton Hundred, Bude Methodist church 2.30 pm Saturday 30th: Bude Choral Society Concert, St Michael’s 7.30 pm Dates for your DECEMBER Diary: Monday 2nd: MU Advent Carol Service with Bring and Share Tea, St Andrew’s 2.30 pm Carols of the Stratton Hundred, Bude Methodist church 7 pm Thursday 5th: WSM Church Roof Fund Coffee Morning—details p 23 Friday 6th: Mulled Wine Evening, NB 4 Market Place, WSM— details p 24 Saturday 7th: Merry Christmas Fair, St Michael’s 10.30—4 Sunday 8th: Christmas Carol Evening, St Anne’s Hall, Whitstone 7pm The Alpha Course continues to meet every Thursday at St Michael’s at 7.15 pm For groups that meet regularly please see pages 6, 7 and 25 5 MOTHER* & CAMEO TODDLER COFFEE POT CLUB Come And Meet Each Meets every Tuesday 10am— Other 12pm in Next meeting Week St Mary Parish Hall. Friday November 15th Contact Emma Woolfe or Kathy Jeffrey (Search for at Ranelagh WSM from 2 pm Coffee Pots in Facebook onwards Groups) (Sue & Rob Dickenson’s (*Grannies, Grandads, Carers etc) home) All Welcome Contact: Sue Dickenson 01288 341016 DO YOU WANT TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SPACE? Contact Heather Whitlock 07771 964672 for details 6 STRATTON DEANERY BOOK CLUB We are reading: 'WHY' written by Russell Stannard. First Monday of each month 14 Monterey Close, Bude, EX23 8DX at 7.30pm Gail Brace: 01288 352412 New members always welcome Meet ’n’ Eat Widemouth Bay Next Soup and Summerhouse Sweet Lunch Activities Friday Meetings at 2 pm Friday 8th: Making Christmas Cards Monday 4th November Friday 22nd: Playing Games Held in WSM Parish Hall at Ring Hilda on 12.30pm on the first Monday 01288 361323 of each month (not August) for more details Everyone is very Welcome 7 IN PRAISE OF A STRIP OF TARMAC Little did I know, when the laying of an asphalt surface over the grassy path from the eastern gateway into St Michaels’ churchyard was under discussion, that I would be among the first to benefit. I certainly was not anticipating that, within a few short weeks, I would be travelling gratefully along it on a mobility scooter! Amazingly, it is now 30 and 33 years respectively since my arthritic hip- joints underwent replacement surgery. They were then expected to last me about 15 years, so I’ve certainly had very good service from my titanium components up until now. However, there is a well-known saying that “all good things come to an end” and my right hip has done that rather dramatically in the last month. Right now, I am caught up in the waiting game to get it re-done, hence my investment in an aqua-blue mobility scooter (which John refers to as my ‘trolley’). The maiden voyage of this new person-carrier took place on Tuesday 1st October, when I ventured out to attend the CBS service. Thanks to the persuasive powers of St Michael’s foremost ally, Mr Rupert Brendon, consent had been granted very recently for disabled congregation members to use the private road, as far as the eastern gateway, for access to the church. With PCC funding augmented by the Friends of Bude Parish Church, the new surface was duly laid, linking the private drive to the ramp at the little north door. My “trolley” was duly unloaded from the boot and off I went, scootering along. I found the camber a little challenging on the corners and the gradients in places have been likened by one wheelchair user to the Cresta Run! Never-the-less, my little vehicle coped admirably. For the first time in weeks, I was able to get into dear old St Michael’s again. Yippee! Blessings and Godsends come in many forms and guises. This one came as a lorry-load of sticky, smelly, black tarmac! May I offer a heartfelt vote of thanks for it, on behalf of all whose mobility is impaired and who, like me right now, find the main entrance steps simply impossible. A most profound “Thank you” is due to all who have played a part in bringing about this fundamental improvement in disabled access. Susan Cotton 8 A Christmas Postcard from Hayling Island Dear All I can hardly believe it will soon be Christmas, but I think I will make this a Christmas offering! So a very happy and merry Christmas.