Our Benefice This Week. From the Editor s chair

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1 Churches of the Cley Hill Villages Through the Open Doors Issue 444 3rd November 2017 Our Benefice This Week Church Calendar Around and About the Benefice Our Friends in South Sudan Benefice Contacts Page Page Page Page From the Editor s chair The donations at the October Soup Lunch were in aid of Shelterbox. I am very pleased to be able to inform you that the donations were 310, which were matched by the Church Charity Fund. The Gift Aid on the donations was and we added a small top-up of This gave a grand total of 700 and the cheque has been sent to Shelterbox. At present Shelterbox is supporting the agencies providing help for the Rohingya refugees forced to flee their homes in Myanmar. From the September Soup Lunch we have sent a cheque for 100 to the Warminster Foodbank. This year we are planning that at our services on November 26 th and December 3rd we shall hold a special Christmas collection for the Foodbank. The Foodbank at Christmas tries to supplement the essentials with some extras to provide a little Christmas spirit. Please do try and support these special collections so that the Foodbank is able to distribute some Christmas cheer. The donated food will be delivered to the Foodbank following these services. Christmas items required (B&M at the time of checking were the best value, other shops can provide!!): Selection pack of chocolate for children, tinned ham, small Christmas puddings, mince pies, tinned Chicken in white wine sauce. Items always required: Semi-skimmed milk UHT, Fruit juice longlife carton, Pasta sauce tin or packet, toiletries, rice, tinned tomatoes, tinned potatoes or instant mash, tinned vegetables, tinned meat or fish, tinned soup, tinned pasta, tinned fruit, tinned rice or custard, squash or cordial, coffee, tea, jam, biscuits or snack bars.

2 A reminder that we shall be collecting the filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes at the services on November 5th and 12th. Strategically Important In the past few months there have been various meetings and visits at our churches which have resulted in discussions about what developments were possible in our three churches. It is recognised that we need to develop a strategy for our Churches and their role in our community for the future as far as we can reasonably foresee! We are very anxious that our wonderful buildings should not be used for a very small number of hours each month, but to be available as a space for community use as well as church use. This might be achieved by remodelling the interiors of the churches, but which church or churches? St Margaret s is used several times a year for concerts as the church has excellent acoustics. Should we be offering the church as a music venue? One issue that is of great concern is the provision of facilities. St Margaret s does have toilets and a kitchen area but in modern definition this is not a kitchen as it does not have a cooker, fridge or microwave. St Mary s and St Philip & St James have no toilets or kitchen facilities which in the 21st century is not acceptable. With unlimited funds there is much that can be done. We do not have unlimited funds so the question that needs to asked and hopefully answered is where do invest our limited funds to best advantage. Our community is rural and widely spread geographically. Our congregation s average age is creeping upwards. But we are surrounded with a growing community who might wish to use our facilities in the future, if they were up to modern standards. We would all love the house of God to be warm, cosy and welcoming even in the depths of winter! So many imponderables and questions to be answered! This is where you come in. On Saturday 27th January from 10am to mid-day at the Reading Rooms we will be holding an open meeting to discuss the future and strategy of our parish and the three churches within the communities of Corsley and Chapmanslade. Keith Muston

3 Benefice of Cley Hill Villages Church Calendar Sunday 5th November 2017 All Saints Day 8am at St Michael the Archangel, Brixton Deverill 1662 Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion President Canon Tony Watts 9.30am at St Margaret of Antioch, Corsley President Reverend Pauline Reid Welcome Judith Helliar & Charlie Thackway; Readers John Helliar & Charlie Thackway; Intercessor Pat Ryan; Server Pat Ryan; Chalice Richard Dean; Coffee Eileen Shimwell 10.30am at St Peter & St Pauls, Longbridge Deverill Morning Worship Lay Led Readings First reading: Revelation 7: verses 9 to end Second reading: 1 John 3: verses 1 to 3 Gospel reading: Matthew 5: verses 1 to 12 Monday 6th November 10.30am at 5 Brimhill Rise, Chapmanslade to Think Home Group Psalm 84 - details from Phil on Tuesday 7th November 7.30pm at The Anchorage, Lyes Green, Corsley After Alpha Home Group details from Richard on Sun 12 Nov Sun 12 Nov Sun 12 Nov Sun 12 Nov Thu 16 Nov Sat 18 Nov Sun 19 Nov Sun 19 Nov Mon 20 Nov Tue 21 Nov November Service or Event Remembrance (MC) Remembrance Service (Lay led) Remembrance Service (PR) Remembrance Service (DB) Coffee Morning (PR) Family Worship (LWT) to Think Home Group After Alpha Home Group Horningsham War Mem 47 High Street, Chapman 9 Cleyhill Gardens 129d Forest Walk

4 Wed 22 Nov Sun 26 Nov Sun 26 Nov Sun 3 Dec Sun 3 Dec Sun 3 Dec Mon 4 Dec Wed 6 Dec Sun 10 Dec Sun 10 Dec Sun 10 Dec Sun 10 Dec Sun 17 Dec Sun 17 Dec Sun 17 Dec Thu 21 Dec Sun 24 Dec Sun 24 Dec Sun 24 Dec Sun 31 Dec Tue 2 Jan Sun 7 Jan Sun 7 Jan Sun 7 Jan Sun 14 Jan Sun 14 Jan Sun 14 Jan Tue 16 Jan Thu 18 Jan Sun 21 Jan Sun 21 Jan Wed 24 Jan Sat 27 Jan Sun 28 Jan Sun 28 Jan Thu 15 Feb Wed 28 Feb Thu 15 Mar Wed 28 Mar Thu 29 Mar (HS) (PR) December Service or Event 1662 BCP Holy Communion (PR) (TW) Christingle & Posada (PR) Advent meditation Light Bites Christmas Lunch (PR) (MC) Matins From Darkness to Light (PR) (PR) Carol service (PR) Carol Service (Village led) Crib Service (DB) Crib Service (PR) Benefice Midnight Service (PR) 1662 BCP Holy Communion (TW) (MC) Family Holy Communion (PR) (DB) Christmas Worship (JB) Benefice (PR) January Service or Event After Alpha Home Group 1662 BCP Holy Communion Morning Worship Matins After Alpha Home Group Family Worship (LWT) Parish Strategy Meeting February Service or Event March Service or Event Maundy Thursday 131 High Street St Mary s, Temple St Mary s, Temple St John s, Horningsham St Mary s, Temple

5 Fri 30 Mar Sun 1 Apr Thu 19 Apr Wed 25 Apr Thu 17 May Wed 23 May Thu 21 Jun Thu 19 Jul Thu 16 Aug Thu 20 Sep Wed 26 Sep Thu 18 Oct Wed 24 Oct Good Friday April Service or Event Easter Sunday May Service or Event June Service or Event July Service or Event August Service or Event September Service or Event October Service or Event Around and About the Benefice Advent Meditation On Monday 4th December we shall hold an Advent Meditation at 131 High Street, Chapmanslade. The session will be led by Reverend Pauline Reid and will start at 10am and is due to finish at 12 mid-day. West Wilts Theology Group I am attaching our initial publicity for the first meeting of a new venture - the West Wiltshire Theology Group. This group, locally planned, intends to attract interest, debate and reflection in the range of theological concerns in an open, inclusive and challenging manner. As you will note, the Bishop of Salisbury is our first speaker - addressing the matter of marriage and the Church. There will be further meetings in once every three months. All meetings take place in the St Boniface hall of Warminster School. There will be no charge. All are welcome to attend. May I invite you to forward this message to any others you feel might be interested. I shall also be using the Salisbury Diocesan contacts to broaden awareness. Best wishes Harold Stephens

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7 Corsley and Chapmanslade Churches Coffee Morning Saturday 18th November 10am 12 noon 47 High Street, Chapmanslade Bring and Buy 50/50 Club Draw Hosted by Sue and Andy Fear

8 Our Friends in South Sudan Dear friends Pressures grow on President Kiir: The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has visited South Sudan and had an "extremely frank" conversation with President Kiir about the lack of progress towards peace - she said "The time for action is now", and pointed out President Trump was likely to put more pressure on regional leaders to end the South Sudan war. The Pope and Justin Welby, meeting last Friday in the Vatican, also in the course of their discussions appealed for peace in South Sudan. The former SPLM secretary for foreign relations, Suzanne Jambo, has declared she will challenge President Kiir in the 2018 general elections. Currently living in the USA, she plans to form her own political party before the polls. A new rebel group has been formed in South Sudan, seemingly an alliance of several rebel groups, calling itself the National Resistance Front. Pray that the response to these pressures will be genuine moves to progress the peace agreement and establish an effective permanent ceasefire. Maridi: The mayor of Maridi town has urged people to keep the town and surroundings clean, to make it both beautiful and healthy; he also advised them to end the practice of defecating in the open especially near the market. Head teachers in Maridi county have expressed concern at the shortage of teachers - they often have to hire part-time teachers instead of full-time, and say educational standards are affected. There was some fighting near Maridi town last Friday, and some people apparently fled to the safety of the Church compound, a couple of miles from the town. Lynn Treneary, CMS Mission Partner who lives on the compound, has confirmed that she is "fine and trusting God".She asks for prayer, so let us pray for a cessation of any fighting or retribution. Pray for peace to return so people fells free to go back home. Pray also for Bishop Justin and Maridi Diocese staff and clergy; and this week pray for the Mabilindi Archdeaconry, which falls in the eastern part of the Diocese of Maridi. It is led by Rev. Canon Martin Lemi Lako. Pray for the farmers who have embarked much on agriculture and cultivated new land this year, that their efforts will bear fruit and will be a lesson to many people in the Diocese. Sudan: Give thanks that the EU has announced $124 million in humanitarian and development aid for Sudan. This is for displaced people, mainly in the Darfurregion, and also to support South Sudanese refugees. Presidents Kiir and Bashir are to meet tomorrow, 31st October, to address outstanding issues between the two nations, in particular the status of the disputed area of Abyei. Pray that the deadlock over negotiating Abyei's final status will somehow be broken, and other issues also be resolved. The leaders of the Sudan Church of Christ church in Khartoum, which was forcibly closed by the authorities last Sunday, are to appear before a judge tomorrow, 31st October, for "causing chaos and riot". Pray for a fair hearing and for justice to be done. Continuing instability: Heavy fighting has been reported from Northern Liech state. An ambush in Duk county killed a woman and two children. But, in an encouraging move, President Kiir has ordered all pastoralists and cattle-keepers, who came form Jonglei, East Lakes and Terekeka and moved into five Equatorian (agricultural) states, to return peacefully to their own states. The army has been directed to move them. The Equatorian states include Maridi, Amadiand Yei River. If effectively implemented, this separation of pastoralists and agriculturalists will do a great deal to ensure peace and security. Pray that these moves may be accomplished quickly and peacefully. With every blessing - Jane The Reverend Jane Shaw, Manor Farm House, Corton, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0SZ Tel: or Mobile:

9 Benefice Contacts Clergy Rural Dean (day off Friday) Reverend Pauline Reid Lay Pastoral Assistants Barbara Hughes Claire Tanner Richard Dean Churchwardens St John the Baptist, Horningsham Tim Moore St Margaret of Antioch, Corsley John Helliar St Mary the Virgin, Kingston Deverill Robert Shuler St Michael the Archangel, Brixton Deverill Richard Lucas St Peter & St Paul, Longbridge Deverill ditto Guy Ratcliffe Tim Young St Philip & St James, Chapmanslade Ian Buick Deputy Churchwardens St Mary s, Temple St Philip & St James, Chapmanslade Judith Helliar Harcourt Gough Janet Aylesbury Benefice Team Administrator Marion Muston or The office at St Margaret s is usually open from 10am to 12pm on Mondays. Please phone Marion on if you plan to visit and want to make sure that Marion will be there. Safeguarding Officer Webmaster Marion Muston or cleyhillchurches@gmail.com Ian Buick For contacts for the Parish of Corsley & Chapmanslade or for the Parish of the Deverills and Horningsham please see the contacts section of the Benefice website Production and distribution of this newsletter Usually published on Friday. Contributions are very welcome from all and should be sent to Keith Muston using where possible. Sorry, Through the Open Door is distributed by only. Please contact Keith Muston at themustons@btinternet.com if you wish to be added to or deleted from the distribution list. If you do not use then we will make every effort to link you to someone who has and will provide you with a paper copy.