6 February 2013 From the Registers Volume 10 Issue Funeral: 7 January Jennifer Ann Groves The Everdon Light Services at Everdon Dear Friends, 3 Feb 11 am Joint Family Service at Dodford After a very busy, and hopefully, wonderful Christmas season for you all, we no sooner take an opportunity to catch our breath before we seem to be back into the 10 Feb 11 am Holy Communion thick of it all again! And to cap it all, we now have snow and ice to contend with! This year Easter is very early, and Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the forty days 13 Feb 7.30 pm Ash Wednesday service at Weedon of Lent - is on the 13 th February. 17 Feb 11 am Holy Communion Last year’s Lenten Bible study was a great success, and much appreciated by all. But because it was an evening event, some missed out because they don’t like to travel 24 Feb 11 am Benefice service at Weedon around at night. So this year there will be two study groups. An afternoon one at 2pm in the Chapter House, and the evening one – as per last year, at 8pm at Sam and Cleaning Fran Eastwood’s home in Lower Everdon. Both these groups will be on Thursdays 3 Feb J Clark beginning on the 14 ththth February and ending the week before Holy Week. 10 Feb D Coulson, B Whittaker 17 Feb M Lewis, E Powell Another first this year. Because Easter falls on the last Sunday of the month – 31 st 24 Feb E Bowman, P Gratton March when we normally have a Benefice service at the later hour of 10.30am for members of all three Churches to gather together – it has been decided that we will The Real Easter Egg campaign have just the one Easter Service at 10.30am. So we intend to make this something very special with the whole Benefice celebrating in real style Christ’s resurrection Out of the 80 million chocolate Easter eggs sold each year in the UK, The from the dead! So come along and join us for this! Real Easter Egg is the only Fairtrade chocolate egg to explain the meaning of Easter. This year the Real Easter Egg has a free activity pack in the box And here’s a real advance notice. This year for the first time in who knows how long, which includes the Easter story, an activity poster, free i-tune download the Daventry Deanery is planning a Deanery- wide celebration. It includes all CofE and a sticker set. The resurrection text from Mark can also be found inside parishes from Kilsby in the north to Preston Capes in the south, and from Hellidon the lid along with the greeting Happy Easter! in the West to Rothersthorpe in the East. And they have chosen Everdon to be the host village! How special for us! It will be an afternoon event on Sunday 12 th May, With each sale a donation is made to Traidcraft Exchange and will close with a special Eucharist (celebrated out in the open) by Bishop John. to support some of the poorest farmers in the world. Every Church is being invited to bring along special banners made for the occasion! So the Benefice has decided there will be no morning services on that day, and There is free delivery on orders for twelve or more eggs Volume 10 Issue everyone is encouraged to take part in this great celebration. placed before 11 th February. The eggs will also be available in some supermarkets. For more details see the How to It’s going to be a great year! Every blessing to you all, buy section at www.realeasteregg.co.uk John 4 1 The Ven Christine Allsopp, Archdeacon of Northampton writes: Dates for the Diary Women bishops and all that Tuesday 12 th February Mothers Union 2.30 pm in the Chapter House:: A few years ago I led worship at a rural church in my speaker Raymond Wake on A Railway Childhood in Far Cotton archdeaconry. I was welcomed at the beginning of the service but afterwards someone came up to me and said: “I Thursday 14th February 7.30 pm Like Minded Ladies eveningevening in the Chapter couldn’t quite hear – are you the Bishop of Brixworth?” House After the publicity surrounding the vote against the Women Bishops’ Measure in Thursday 14th February Lent Course 8 pm The Old House, Little Everdon General Synod last November I assume that everyone now realises that women cannot yet be bishops in the Church of England, but I may be wrong! Thursday 28th February Craft Evening 7.30 pm , bring along something ‘to The “no” vote has led to a considerable reaction. In Archbishop Rowan Williams’ do’ and join in with coffee and a chat. Christmas sermon, commenting on the census results in which only 59% had said that they were Christian, he said: “In the deeply painful aftermath of the Synod’s vote last month, what was startling was how many people who certainly wouldn’t Weedon Christmas Tree Festival 2012 have said yes to the census question turned out to have a sort of investment in the Weedon PCC would like to thank everyone who attended the Tree Festival, Church, a desire to see the Church looking credible and a real sense of loss when - all who helped make the event such a twinkling success, Dave Keeler, the as they saw it - the Church failed to sort its business out.” electrician, who organised the wiring of the Church, the volunteers who I have personally never received so many comments on any subject in Christmas helped erect the trees and the 34 village organisations and families who Cards as I did recently, some from the most unlikely people. But the comment that decorated the trees so imaginatively. Fund raising for Weedon church roof gave me most concern came from my niece and goddaughter. She wrote that her is an on-going task and with only a small congregation, all donations daughter, age 17, had decided to leave the Church of England because of the “no” received from the village and beyond were really appreciated. vote. I immediately wrote to her and I have persuaded her to stay for now. Unfortunately, not every teenage girl has an ordained great aunt. The result is deeply damaging to the Church and its mission. Services around the benefice I know that in this diocese the vast majority of church members are in favour of women bishops and this is true in the Church of England as a whole. Most people Weedon Dodford had simply assumed that it would happen without them having to get involved. Even those who cannot accept that women can even be priests or bishops have 3 Feb 9.30 am Holy Communion 11 am Benefice Family acknowledged that they know it will happen sooner or later. Perhaps this is a wake-up call to the silent majority to find out more about the 10 Feb 9.30 am Holy Communion Church to which they belong; to find out who represents them on Deanery Synod, the members of which elect people to General Synod; to find out the views of those 13 Feb 7.30 pm Ash Wednesday service who stand for General Synod. By the time you read this, the announcement of my retirement this autumn will 17 Feb 9.30 am Morning Praise 9.30 am Holy Communion have been made. When I move to a retirement ministry in the Oxford Diocese I assure you I will continue to work and pray for the full inclusion of women as 24 Feb 10.30 am Benefice Service at Weedon bishops, priest and deacons in our Church. 2 3.