WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK. ‗Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. (John 20:1). Christ had risen – yet it was still dark. Christ had risen- but it had not yet impacted on their consciousness or on their lives. Christ is risen, Death has been conquered. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in our world. May we know the reality of these words in all our lives. Happy Easter. Martin ps BBC Two will be showing The Gospel of John in three parts this Easter. The producers hope to go on and make all four gospels into films. More details on www.lumoproject.com, including resources for churches and schools. Check TV listings for the exact times. 2 Newey Every Morning. When I arrived at St Edward‘s in 2000 it took me several years to work out who the man was who came to the church at odd times on his motor bike, disappeared inside and rode off again a few minutes later seemingly without ever taking off his helmet.. Mr. Newey the clock man was the answer when I finally asked, come to wind the clock. Every now and then, approximately every three or four years he would sub- mit an invoice for a few pounds to cover his petrol. Eventually I discovered that he was the grandson of the clockmaker and that our clock is a significant ‗Newey Clock‘ in a city full of them. He joined the family business at 14 and was responsible for inspecting and winding over 200 clocks in York. One day, after we had become more aware of our obligations under Health and Safety, we found out that winding the clock meant going up the winding stone staircase and up a wooden ladder. He then had to position a heavy wooden plank with one end on a stone win- dow sill and the other on a rung of the ladder and heave himself onto the plank before winding the clock. By this time he was nearly 80. Sadly this couldn‘t continue and probably much to his chagrin, we opted for an automated system around 2009. What the new system doesn‘t do as well as Geoffrey Newey is tinker with the mecha- nism at every winding to adjust the time. He knew his clocks. Under his care they kept very good time. He was awarded the MBE in 2003 and died this February. I wish I had taken time to get to know him better. Geoff Newey; From BBC York Website Martin 3 Church Council March meeting snippets. We took reports from all our working groups and finished our meeting around 9 pm as I recall. Without the other meetings to do most of the detailed work we would have been there all night! These are Standing Committee, Premises, Communications, Finance, Stewardship, Ministry, and Hall Steering Group and we also had a report from Fiona, our Electoral Roll Officer. In order of importance (not); - the pigeons nesting under the solar panels are now homeless; - we approved the accounts for 2014 and budget for 2015; - a working party (Christine Hanby, Louise Robinson and Charles Croft) was set up to explore how the new halls will operate; - we gratefully acknowledged a legacy of over £10,000 from Eric Sowden, to be divided between church and community hall; - we were unable to offer a home to the Christian Aid Plant Sale this year due to the building works being imminent (by the time you read this the start date should be known); - we waved goodbye to David Lapish and, in absentia, Michael Bailey, who are standing down from the PCC. Hall Update. Since the meeting we have received formal permission (Faculty) from the Diocesan Registrar for the project to go ahead. We have agreed a scheme to replace the electrical supply to the whole site, including the vicarage and are in the process of negotiating with the gas suppliers to re-route the supply to halls and vicarage, and the telephone lines will also need re-siting. Probably sometime in April we will be asking for many volunteers to help transfer articles from the hall into the vicarage garage which will be their home for the next 6 months or so and remain accessible for use. If there are any articles of value then we will find an alternative home somewhere. The funds are sufficiently in place for us to confidently start the project in the expectation that all cost will be covered. This is no small achievement!!! 4 Out of the woodwork. It is fascinating what you uncover when doing a project like this. I knew that the legal boundaries between church and vicarage land are different from how they actually appear on the ground. For instance about half the entrance for cars, a fair chunk of car park and the borders to the West and South are on vicarage land. In the church register for 1905 the Rev Evans takes care to point out that 'The Church Room of St Helen (ie, our community hall) opened on July 30th, stands on vicarage land, as does the path leading to it from the High Road'. Almost certainly the whole church site was built on what was land belonging to the house which became the vicarage. In 1942 the current boundaries were agreed, transferring more of the land to the church. Will this trend continue with eventually the vicarage being re-sited nearer to St Edward‘s Close and the rest of the land going to expand the church's facilities? Something to muse on once the dust of the current project has settled! Martin YOUR VOTE COULD BE VITAL!!!!! No I‘m not talking about the General Election – although as a woman and having lived in Africa I do believe our votes are a great privilege and should be used. However, I‘m talking about voting for the Community Hall project. Soon I will be applying to Aviva for a grant. In April into May the successful applicants will be decided upon by the number of votes they receive from the general public. So watch this space for an update next month. Hopefully your vote will be needed. Sue Baldock 5 6 7 Christian Aid Week 2015 10th-16th May 2015 Living in Dringhouses many of you will be aware that in years gone by there was always a ‗Door to Door‘ collection for Christian Aid during May. As the years have gone by it has become harder to find willing volunteers to carry out this task so this year we are going to try a different approach to the CA annual appeal. In the May copy of ‗The Porch‘ you will find a Christian Aid appeal envelope which we hope you will use to make your donation to this very worthwhile cause. It can be returned to St Edward the Confessor‘s Church in one of three ways: In the collection plate during a service To the parish office during the week Through the vicarage letter box I am also aware that there are still collectors who would be prepared to complete a ‗Door to Door‘ collection. If you wish to do this please contact me through the Parish Office: email [email protected] Christine Hanby PRAYER DIARY Prayer is an important part of our Church life. In order to help us pray for one another, the Parish and those further afield, we have put together a prayer diary. Firstly A HUGE THANK YOU to all those (presently 18 people) who have over the years so faithfully and patiently prayed as part of the ‗Home Based Prayer Fellowship‘ - praying for St Edward‘s and our Community. It is their dedicated prayer which has led to the development of the Prayer Diary with which the whole church can now be involved. (The ‗Home Based Prayer Fellowship‘ will be part of this new initiative) All may use it to fit in with their own rhythm of prayer. The Prayer Diary will be available in Church from Sunday 12th April 2015. Julie Wells. 8 Courthill Chapel Chalet, Wester Ross Courthill Chapel is the parish church of Lochcarron and the surrounding area. It is situated in one of the most scenic parts of Wester Ross, with easy access to Torridon, Applecross, Plockton and Skye. The area abounds in places to eat, walking paths, and interesting places to visit. The church lets a little chalet to clergy and ordinands of the Anglican Communion, but welcomes enquiries from other church people as well. We enjoy meeting people from the wider church, and will invite you to officiate or otherwise take part in our Sunday service if you would like. The chalet provides basic accommodation for four in double and twin rooms. All facilities are provided, and the village of Lochcarron six miles away has all the usual services. We let from May to October, but other dates are possible by arrangement. We provide duvet covers and pillowcases; but please bring bottom sheet and towels. £190 p.w. first week, £170 p.w. for further weeks, electricity at cost. Enquiries to: Sheila Robinson 01520 722909 or Marcus Given 01520 722617 [email protected] Sheila Robinson, The Old Post Office, Main St, Lochcarron. IV54 8YD "Courthill Chapel in the West Highlands of Scotland lets a small chalet to holidaying clergy. Thanks, Marcus" 9 5 Minute Interview. Welcome to a new feature in The Porch. Each month someone will be invited to answer around ten simple questions about themselves.