ONLINE The magazine for the Parish of St Nicholas with St Barnabas Kenilworth May 2020 Worshiping from Home Visit the church website at: www.stnicholaskenilworth.org.uk where you will find ways of gathering and praying together so that the church living dispersed, continues to live out God’s love and hold the nation in prayer. Visit this link for Worship from Home which has audio and video worship for the week, including details of how you can attend virtually services in your home - http://www.stnicholaskenilworth.org.uk/worship-from-home/ You can also access orders of service so that you can follow the service and join in. Make sure that the office has your current email address so that you can receive regular notices, updates and information about church life and worship during these difficult times. St Nicholas with St Barnabas Kenilworth A Parish in the Church of England Diocese of Coventry and Registered Charity 1126227 e-mail: [email protected] www.stnicholaskenilworth.org.uk 2 The Vicar’s Letter - May 2020 I have often watched movies of epic heroism in the past and wondered to myself, ‘What sort of person would I be in a similar situation?’ My hope is that the values that I try to live by when all is calm, would be the same values that kick in when the waves are crashing in because of the storm. At its extreme, this is our fight or flight mode, inbuilt within us all. It is the survival instinct that kicks in, meaning we either run towards the danger or away from it. The inner ability to face danger is what means some in our society can undertake roles such as being a firefighter, whilst the rest of us look on in awe. But this ability can also be trained into us and has its beginnings in how you understand and see the world. Through what lens do you view the world’s problems and therefore make conclusions that influence your actions? This is why one of my favourite saints in Maximilian Kolbe, who was a Polish Franciscan Friar. During the second world war he founded a temporary hospital and hid over 2000 Jews in his monastery. Due to his political writings he was arrested and later interned at Auschwitz. When the camp commander ordered the killing of ten prisoners in retaliation of a person escaping, Kolbe volunteered to take the place of a man who had a family. Well, we are living through such a time as those epic movies and stories of saints. Okay, we don’t have planes circling above our town offering a visible and direct threat, but we are living through a situation where we know that our life is possibly in danger. When we look at ourselves in a mirror during this time, do we see the reflection of someone living in accordance with the values of our faith? At the very core of these values is the commandment Jesus gave ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. Treat someone as you would want to be treated. It is a call that says the collective is more important than the individual, the other is more important than the me. We are all being asked to make sacrifices at this time, not principally for the safety of ourselves but the safety of other people. Those who fall into an at-risk category are those who work in the NHS who are dealing with the consequences of this illness day in and day out, trying to ensure that our hospitals are not overwhelmed. Those in our society need to cooperate with the slowing down of transmission of the virus to help the NHS. At the core of this compliance is the importance that society is more important than the individual. The ‘other’ is more important than ‘me’. Compare this to the protests in America where the plaques waved are underlined by the philosophy of me. ‘MY constitutional rights’ ‘Give ME liberty or continued on page 4 3 Continued from page 3 | The Vicar’s Letter give ME covid’ and, in a crazy turn of phrase from people who normally vote for restrictions of other peoples medical liberty such as abortion, ‘MY body MY choice’. The motivation for those protesting in America is a desire for financial gain and for the economy to be re-opened. So encouraged by their national leader, assault rifle wielding protesters gather with families in the streets waving plaques including statements such as ‘Sacrifice the weak, we are the land of the free’. Whilst elected officials come out with controversial statements saying that the lesser of two evils is to open the economy knowing it will result in people’s deaths. Repeatedly scripture reminds us that we are not judged by how successful we are but by how we care for the poor and weak amongst us. Matthew 25 v31- 46 highlights just this ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ When you look at yourself in the mirror with all of this, what do you see? Other than the need for a haircut, who is the person reflected back? Is it an individual with the thoughts of I or me and my own.? Or is it the face of one who is part of a collective, part of a whole, part of and greater than the sum of its parts? Is it the face of someone who strives to live for the other in these difficult times? Stella Revd Stella Bailey As all Mothers’ Union meetings have been cancelled for the present this is a message for everyone to stay safe and keep in touch with each other. We look forward to being able to meet up again, until then I hope you are all keeping well, love in Christ, Margaret Rogers 4 Dear readers … We hope you enjoy this free online edition of The Grapevine magazine. This edition has ‘Print out and Play’ puzzles which you may find easier to complete if printed. The regular edition of The Grapevine is unlikely to be printed until restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so. If possible, I will put together an online version each month. If you wish to contribute, my copy date is normally the 15th of the previous month, although that is very flexible at the moment. (see page 28 for details) Keep safe and well. Ed Printed editions are currently suspended Staying Connected In these times of isolation and not being able to meet with family and friends we can all make good use of video conferencing and Social Media - and it’s not just for kids! Here are a few ideas to try out … Facebook - this is where you can ‘attend’ virtual church services on Sundays, look for St Nicholas & St Barnabas Churches Kenilworth. You can also replay services you may have missed. (Order of Service is on the church website). Zoom - a great way to ‘get together’. It uses your web camera and microphone (built in to your phone, tablet or laptop) so that you can see and talk to your family and friends. Used widely by many for holding coffee mornings, Slimming World sessions, choir practice, birthday parties, family quizzes or just for a face to face chat. Well worth trying. There is also Google Hangouts, Apple have Facetime for your iPads and iPhones and there is still the popular Skype. WhatsApp - great for chatting and sharing photos as you create groups that only you and your family or friends can see. Set up as many groups as you wish for all sorts of short catch-ups and messages. They are all free to use and easy to set up, or you could get one of the youngsters to set it up for you. 5 Dates for your Diary 2020 Friday 8 May VE 75th Anniversary & May Bank Holiday Thursday 21 May Ascension Day 17 - 20 May Rogationtide [see page 7] Sunday 31 May Pentecost 15 -16 August VE / VJ 75th Anniversary Celebrations Wardens’ Words It’s so difficult to know what to write at a time like this. At the time of writing we’ve travelled through a Holy Week like we’ve never had before and the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection seems more pertinent than ever. We’re so grateful to Stella, Ali, Richard, Karen and Heather for their remarkable efforts since church services were suspended. They’ve all embraced the technology required and seem to have moved effortlessly into the realm of virtual church. We hope that it goes without saying that we miss seeing you all at services but we still really look forward to seeing the Vicar at 10am on a Sunday morning broadcasting to the world with only occasional adlibs from Stewie.