December 2020 MONTHLY MAGAZINE MARSTON MAGNA AND RIMPTON 1 THE PARISHES OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN, MARSTON MAGNA and RIMPTON www.marstonmagnachurch.org.uk RECTOR. Revd. Barbara Stanton [email protected] Tel: 850745 The Rectory, Camel Street, Marston Magna, BA22 8DD (To whom all enquiries should be made) EDITOR: Samuel David Crabb [email protected] Tel: 850274 Wickham Farm, Marston Magna RIMPTON CONTACT Nicola Benbow, Ash House, Rimpton [email protected] Tel: 850434 MARSTON MAGNA CONTACT S D Crabb, Wickham Farm, Marston Magna [email protected] Tel: 850274 RIMPTON SERVICES: These will vary month by month during the current pandemic. Please refer to page 4 for full details. MARSTON MAGNA SERVICES: These will vary month by month during the current pandemic. Please refer to page 4 for full details. CHURCH OFFICERS RIMPTON MARSTON MAGNA CHURCH WARDENS Mrs H. J. Stephens, Home Farm Cottage 851860 Mr K N Field, 2 Homefield Court Tel: 850705 Mr J Tricker, Lessenden 850922 Mrs R Pengelly, 7 Townsend Tel: 851385 TREASURERS Mrs Pam Hopkins, Ash Cottage, Marston Magna 850949 Mr Hugh Privett, The Manor Tel: 850294 P.C.C. SECRETARIES Mrs. M Green, Lark Rise, Woodhouse Lane 01963 220943 Mrs B Field, 2 Homefield Court Tel: 850705 ORGANISTS Mr Hugh Privett, The Manor Tel: 850294 CAPTAIN of BELL-RINGERS Mrs Caroline Baillie, Ginaville Tel: 850128 CHURCH ROTAS MARSTON MAGNA Flower/Church Cleaning Sidesmen/Readers Vacant Mr. Richard Venning Park Farm Tel: 851104 RIMPTON Flower Rota/Brass Cleaning Church Cleaning Mrs M Le Hardy Tel: 850212 Mrs Green Tel: 01963 220943 THIS MAGAZINE IS DELIVERED FREE OF CHARGE TO EVERY HOUSE IN THE TWO PARISHES AND IS PUBLISHED ON THE FIRST DAY OF EACH MONTH. MATERIAL SHOULD BE SENT TO THE RIMPTON AND MARSTON MAGNA CONTACTS NOT LATER THAN THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH. IT IS PRINTED ON THE 26th MONTHLY. VOLUNTARY DONATIONS TOWARDS PRODUCTION COSTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME THE MAGAZINE IS ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE AT marstonmagnaparish.co.uk AND AT rimpton.net David Floyd took the aerial photos of our churches using his drone. David lives in Marston Magna and his mobile is 07951780180, his email is [email protected] , He has completed the CAA course and has the necessary permissions to fly in airspace not above 400 ft, needed because of Yeovilton. If you are looking for some Aerial Photography to be done of anywhere or of anything in our two villages, just ask him. 2 THE RECTORY December 2020 Dear All Well, we have all heard the grim news. We are in Tier 2. However it does enable us to return to worship in our churches. We can only safely have one service a Sunday. We will have two Carol Services, but they will be different, with no congregational singing, but with music. Reading the words of hymns when we had been allowed back, brought a new dimension to actually understanding what was being sung about and this will be the same for carols. We can also only cope with thirty people to be socially distanced. Masks must also be worn. There will be two Carol Services, one in Marston Magna and one in Rimpton. Please will you phone me if you would like to come to the Carol Service in Marston Magna, or Christmas Communion in Marston Magna and Hilary Stephens for the Carol Service in Rimpton and Christmas Day, on a first come first serve basis? There is a limit of 30 people at all services. Sadly, we cannot hold Crib Services because of the cleaning involved between two services on the same day. In spite of all the necessary restrictions to make an end to the suffering Covid-19 has brought, it is still Christmas, the time we remember the Son of God being born as a human baby. The Word made flesh for our salvation, as the last lesson of our carol services proclaims each and every year corona virus or not. I wish you all a very happy and healthy Christmas of 2020 and we look forward to the New Year with the advent of a vaccine to make life safer again for everyone. Revd. Barbara 01935 850745 [email protected]. STUDY GROUPS Marston/Rimpton Home Group The Study Groups have been meeting fortnightly on Wednesdays since the rule of 6 was introduced. Meeting in a garden, and we can now meet in a church with up to 30 people. If you would like to join us, please ring Revd. Barbara Stanton on 01935 850745. Revd. Barbara Morning Prayer, Compline and Christmas Rimpton are decorating windows for Christmas and that would be lovely too in Marston Magna. Christmas lights have already seen in front gardens. I enjoyed seeing all the scarecrows too. We are allowed to sing carols outside socially distanced. The Christmas tree is now on the Village Green in Marston Magna outside the Church. We will meet there socially distanced, to sing carols at 6 pm on Friday 18th December. If there are more people than the Green can accommodate safely, overflow will be in the Churchyard. As we are not having a Christingle service, donations will be collected for the Children's Society. Morning Prayer at 8 am will be in Rimpton Church Wednesday 9th, 16th and 30th December Compline by Candlelight (bring a torch) 6 pm at Marston Magna Church Wednesday 9th and 16th December Rev'd Barbara 3 CALENDAR OF SERVICES December 2020 SUNDAY 6th December VIOLET ADVENT II MARSTON MAGNA 9.30 am Holy Communion Reader: Mr R Knott Sidesman: Mr R Knott RIMPTON 10.45 a.m. Morning Worship Reader: TBA SUNDAY 13th December VIOLET ADVENT III MARSTON MAGNA 9.30 am Morning Worship Reader: Mrs P Hopkins Sidesman: Mrs P Hopkins RIMPTON 10.45 am Morning Worship Reader: TBA SUNDAY 20th December VIOLET ADVENT IV MARSTON MAGNA 6.30 p.m. Carol Service Reader: Mr E Jackson Sidesman: Mr E Jackson RIMPTON 5.00 p.m. Carol Service, please contact Reader TBA Hilary Stephens 851860 to book a seat. Thursday 24th December WHITE CHRISTMAS EVE MARSTON MAGNA 11.30 p.m. Christmas Communion Reader: Dr T Smith Sidesman: Dr T Smith Friday 25th December WHITE CHRISTMAS DAY RIMPTON 10.45 a.m. Christmas Communion Readers: TBA SUNDAY 27th December WHITE ST John, the Apostle and MUDFORD 11.00 a.m. Christmas Communion Evangelist. (No morning service at Marston Magna or Rimpton) MARSTON MAGNA Church Cleaning Church Flowers Locking Up DECEMBER 2020 High Altar CHURCH WILL BE LOCKED OPEN ONLY FOR SERVICES NO ROTAS IN PLACE RIMPTON Church Cleaning Church Flowers Locking Up DECEMBER 2020 CHURCH WILL BE LOCKED High Altar OPEN ONLY FOR SERVICES NO ROTAS IN PLACE Rimpton Village Hall 100Club Prize-winners in the second draw of this year (25/11/20) were: 1st Simon and Penny Holt 2nd Lee and Ali Bryant 3rd Fiona Hines 4th Jim and Sheila Fewkes 5th Alan and Gillian Pritchard 4 Letter from the Right Reverend Ruth Worsley, and how we have changed or expanded services Bishop of Taunton to support you better during this pandemic. We are For Parish Newsletters – December 2020 also planning for the winter months when more people need health and care services, and we will Bringing comfort and joy need to care for more people with Covid-19 while running our planned services. One of our oldest (16th century) English carols tells us that the story of Jesus’ birth as a baby into our As announced by the Prime Minister on 31 world, is good news, bringing “tidings of comfort October 2020, there is a new national lockdown and joy”. And do not we just need comfort and joy commencing from Thursday 05 November in at this moment! response to a rise in cases of Covid-19. We know that Christmas will not be the same this For now, please continue to attend appointments year. The usual gatherings of family and friends as advised. You do not need to call us to check will not have the same shape this year. Traditional that a booked appointment is going ahead. We will carol services and Midnight Mass may not be be in touch if anything changes with your care. possible either but that does not mean that Christmas is cancelled! We fully understand the anxieties, stress, and This year more than ever we need to carol the worry that have been caused by the ongoing words, ‘comfort and joy’. We need to find new and pandemic and appreciate the toll that this can take novel ways of telling the Christmas story. The on the wellbeing of all of us – patients, carers, staff, Church of England and our own diocesan team family and friends. We know that this continued have provided plenty of ideas by which we can stress and worry can sometimes mean that people bring Christmas to our communities. I am going to are less than kind to each other. We can never fully be both a tax collector and a donkey in some of understand what another person is going through our diocesan video re-telling of the story! but what we can all do is to do our best to treat everyone as we would wish to be treated Perhaps even more important is how we can ourselves – with respect, courtesy and kindness. personally be messengers of comfort and joy. Who do you know who might need you to bring Health and care services in Somerset are open them so comfort this Christmas? Maybe someone and here to help you. If you or someone you love who is alone, especially anxious, grieving a loved or care for has health concerns, please do not put one? How could you offer comfort and support? off seeking help or attending an appointment.