NewSheet. (left) On 22nd April, Gordon

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1 Anniversary Issue 43 June/July 2018 NewSheet Happy Days Sheet Church has hosted hundreds of happy days in its 150 years at the heart of our community. As we celebrate our anniversary in the coming weeks, we remember red-letter days from past decades and celebrate those happening today. In the next few weeks, we have a series of special services and events to which everyone is invited. Find out more inside! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (left) On 22nd April, Gordon (below) William Holmes (5) poses for a souvenir & Rosemary Clark made a special journey to Sheet Church 46 years to the day since they were married here. It s been an amazing morning, they said after joining the congregation at The 10 O Clock Service. We couldn t believe the welcome we got! photo after his baptism on Easter Sunday Bryony McAllister (11) was baptised by full immersion on 5th May after making the promises on her own account. Loving God, Loving People St Mary Magdalen Church, Sheet, Petersfield Registered Charity No

2 Let s celebrate! Sheet Church is 150 years old this year and we re celebrating! Vicar of Sheet Richard Saunders is in party mood... We shall be celebrating the past with an exhibition looking back on some of the key events and colourful characters who have been part of the story of the church down those 150 years. (Many thanks to the hard-working team that has produced this.) We re also celebrating the present with some special services. There will be an open-air service on the village green (with a reminder of the past from first Vicar of Sheet Peter Ingrams) on 1 st July followed by a barbecue and then joining in with the Sheet Village Street Party. And then on St Mary Magdalen s day, 22 nd July, the Bishop of Portsmouth will be coming to lead us in a celebratory service followed by a meal. We re also encouraging church members to celebrate by writing in just 150 words something of what our faith means to us. I wonder what you would write? And we celebrate with an eye to the future too. We re replacing our tired organ with an instrument which will help us worship for the next few decades (if not all of the next 150 years!). And we re aiming to invite 150 people to join us at church events and services during the year and on into the future. The church has not always had much of a reputation for celebration. In fact more often we re probably seen as dull if not as killjoys. Which is sad because it is a travesty of what God is like. He is full of life and joy and fun and huge generosity and liberality. Both the prophet Isaiah (in chapter 25) and the writer of Revelation (in chapter 19) picture the final destruction of evil and suffering by God as celebrated by a feast. 6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine the best of meats and the finest of wines. 8 he will swallow up death for ever. Isaiah 25 In several of his parables Jesus pictures the kingdom of God as a celebratory banquet to which all sorts of people are invited. And after all, his first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding feast. Of course in this world, while evil and suffering continue it s not all celebration. We must take seriously the call to pray and work that God s kingdom may come. To bring the love and joy, justice and goodness of heaven to this earth. Especially for those who are vulnerable and oppressed. And that will take some hard work and struggle. But we can do this celebrating his faithfulness in the past, enjoying his presence with us in the present and looking to the future confident that whatever challenges we face, he is for us and, if we will follow him, he will bring us through to the heavenly banquet. Even death itself is defeated. Do come and celebrate with us at one of the special events or on any Sunday. 2

3 Sheet Church: This is your Life! Yes, it s almost time to visit our church history exhibition. It will be in the church for the week of July 1 st 8 th so mark it in your diary now! More than a year s research by our group has resulted in a fascinating collection of records, stories, facts and pictures telling the story of Sheet church over the past one hundred and fifty years. A storm in a candlestick! Come and find out what was the storm in the candlestick and why was it referred to the Ecclesiastical Court for judgement? Why did Queen Victoria want to be a godparent, and what was the link between the countryside of Sheet and a deprived parish in London s Docklands? Picture this! There will be photos of parishioners past and present, old and young, taking part in church events and activities; there will be stories of the people behind the windows, brass memorials and other parts of the church building. We plan to have the baptism and marriage records back to 1868 available on computer for you to view at certain times, and someone will be on hand to help you search for family names. We would love to invite you to come and see your own or your loved-one s name in the records. As well as the records, there will be a huge range of display boards telling the story of the church, its people and activities throughout the past 150 years. You will be amazed at the fascinating facts and stories we have discovered, taking us from Arctic exploration to the Crimean War, from the London Docklands to Parliament, from America to Mauritius. We have encountered bishops, MPs, bankers, admirals, friars, agricultural labourers, music teachers, soldiers, servants and so many more. 3

4 Specially for Seniors OASIS encompasses all our special activities for older people, from the Thursday afternoon services at The Half Moon (see page 8) to getting together to watch the royal wedding and regular gatherings in pubs and cafes. On the Wednesday after Easter, Seniors Chaplain Julie Slade organised a Holiday at Home, with activities, lunch and entertainment. It was a really enjoyable event and the artwork produced by those who came is now on display in church (see left). As part of our commitment to caring for those who are older, we have become a Dementia-Friendly Church, with a good number of regulars attending their training sessions, including one run by local MP Damian Hinds (below). A Change of Plan Since Christmas, the PCC (Parochial Church Council) has approved the plan to stop passing round collection bags during our services. There is a plate on the font if people wish to donate. We hope this will make things easier and more welcoming for visitors. Women s Brunch Our termly brunches continue to attract good numbers of ladies. From Eileen Jones in April (right) we heard about the amazing equality of the sexes in the early church, sadly undermined over time. We had time to consider how much things are returning to first principles nowadays. The Autumn Brunch will be on 20th October, 10am-12 noon at Herne Farm Leisure Centre Hall, with speaker Ruth Guy. All ladies are most welcome. 4

5 Praying 24/7 The church looked quite different for a week in May when we took on the challenge of filling the church with prayer for a week: 24 hours a day for 7 days. Fifty-four Sheet regulars signed up to cover at least an hour, while some came as a group and nine individuals from other churches joined in. There were various prayer stations around the church to help focus our thoughts (see above). Some helped us pray for our neighbours, others for the wider world. There was also a cross (above left) to help us with prayers of forgiving and being forgiven. Of course, the church is always open in daylight hours and you can always leave a prayer request in the little red box just inside the door. Onward & Upward The church family was sorry to have to say goodbye to curate Max Cross (pictured right, page 1) after almost 4 years with us. Max is now Rector of Bedhampton in charge of two churches. There was a farewell lunch for all on 8th April (left). Meanwhile, steeplejacks mending the spire went literally onward and upward to keep the shingles in good repair (right). A building 150 years old naturally needs constant attention and our Fabric Group, under chair Phil Taylor, oversees all repairs and improvements. 5

6 ****** STAR PAGE****** The monthly page fo r The Ark, SMART and Young-at-Heart. A picture s worth 1,000 words There are lots of pictures in our church building, on walls and in windows. Here s the latest one: a 3-D banner for Pentecost, with a white dove and flames of red, yellow and lilac. It s all about God the Holy Spirit. The Bible often uses word pictures to help us understand things we can t see or touch. There are lots of pictures to explain the Holy Spirit and these are two of them. The dove tells us the Spirit brings peace and gentleness. The flames tell us the Spirit brings light and warmth and power and melts away all that s bad and damaging. Christine Gaut designed and made this beautiful banner Jesus loved using pictures like this. For instance, he talked about knowing God as like finding buried treasure or the most precious pearl in the world. He said the Good News is like a seed that grows and grows and produces lots of good things in the people who take it in. ********************************************************************************************* Sheet Church Makes a Movie Thanks to everyone who took part in the 3-minute film about church, directed and shot by (Youth Worker) David Loveless for the Sheet Film Festival in May. The finished article is very impressive and the people who took part look very relaxed being interviewed. It s very striking how many people said something about the feeling of family at St Mary Magdalen - so perhaps that s why they seem so much at home. The film was premiered in the Village Hall on 26th May and we are planning to post it on the website. 6

7 Our 150th Special Events June: A Celebration Evensong Popular a capella singers The Free Radicals make a welcome return to Sheet to lead us in a special Evensong at 6pm on Sunday 17th June. They have carefully selected music that our Victorian forebears would have known when the church was new. Don t miss it! July 1st - 8th: History Exhibition Come and explore our treasure trove of stories, pictures and memorabilia. S p e c i a l G u e s t s First vicar of the independent parish of Sheet, Rev Peter Ingrams, will be our speaker at 11.30am on Sunday 1st July for our all-age open-air service on the village green. Everyone is welcome to come along. We will have a BBQ lunch afterwards and then be ready to join in the Sheet Village Party from 2pm. The Party will take over Village Street and offer a whole range of activities and refreshments: Stalls WI tea & cakes The Bishop of Portsmouth, Rt Rev Christopher Foster, will be preaching at The 10 O Clock Service on Sunday 22nd July, which is actually St Mary Magdalen s Day. The young people will be at the SMART Summer Camp from Saturday 21st and will walk down to join us for the service. Summer Sundays 29th July - 26th August Children s activities Fancy dress competitions Live music with Pimms Fun dog show Raffle Art show Games Barn Dance BBQ 7 We re taking Celebrations as our theme this year and will be looking at some of the parties and festivals that feature in the Bible. At the 10 O Clock Services, we shall be worshipping all together and giving our ARK and Upper Room leaders a well-earned rest. Newcomers & visitors always welcome.

8 Services for June & July Sunday June 3 Bible Sunday July am Service on the Green with Rev Peter Ingrams, first Vicar of Sheet followed by a barbeque lunch Communion The 10 O Clock Service inc activities for children and young people Sunday July 8 Healing Sunday June 10 Hospitality The 10 O Clock Service inc The Ark + Upper Room with Communion & optional prayers for healing The 10 O Clock Service with Communion, inc The Ark + Upper Room Sunday July 15 Celebration Sunday June 17 Prayer (Fathers Day) Communion The 10 O Clock Service inc activities for under-16s Communion 10 O Clock Together 6pm EVENSONG with The Free Radicals Sunday July 22 St Mary Magdalen Festival Sunday June 24 Contemplation The 10 O Clock Service with Rt Rev Christopher Foster, Bishop of Portsmouth with Communion, inc The Ark & Upper Room The 10 O Clock Service with Communion, inc The Ark & Upper Room Sunday July 29 Camping Out Sunday July 1 Thankfulness Communion Summer Sunday 1 The 10 O Clock Service with all-age Communion Details from Seniors Chaplain Julie Slade Wednesdays 9am Short Communion for all older people: service, tea & cake at The Half Moon, Thursdays Mondays 4th JUNE & 2nd JULY 8pm - 9pm Praise and Prayer 2.30pm, June 14th & 28th, July 12th & 26th From the Registers Baptism Bryony McALLISTER (5 May) Funerals Wedding Billie ELLIS Rowland BERRIMAN Marie APPLETON & Martin WILES (19 May) (2 May) (10 May) NewSheet is free, but a donation of 20p per copy would cover basic costs. (There s a slot in the wall near the church door.) To receive NewSheet in full colour (at no cost to the church) join the church list at admin@sheet.church or click on Magazine on our home page at Feedback, letters and contributions are welcome. Please deliver to newsheet@sheet.church to the pigeonhole at the back of church or to the Parish Office. Material for publication will be edited as necessary. Editor: Linda Clist Vicar Revd Richard Saunders richard@sheet.church Youth Worker David Loveless david@sheet.church Churchwardens Karen Glanville & Phil Taylor churchwardens@sheet.church Parish Administrator Rebecca Whelan admin@sheet.church 8 Hon Clergy Revd Mick Micklethwaite Lay Ministers Linda Clist & Bob Slade Seniors Chaplain / Pastoral Co-ordr Julie Slade Parish Office 2 Pulens Lane, open Wed - Fri mornings