March Recognising our limitations by Matthew Street, The Vicar, based on 2 Kings 5:10-13

Transcription

1 The Parish of Wellow Wellow Church and Parish News March 2018 Recognising our limitations by Matthew Street, The Vicar, based on 2 Kings 5:10-13 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed. But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'wash and be cleansed'!" 2 Kings 5:10-13 The higher we rise, the harder we fall - so conventional wisdom tells us. But there is another side to that observation, for we could equally say we must be brought low before we can rise high. In the story of Naaman both of these truths are well demonstrated. Asked to bathe in the muddy waters of the Jordan, Naaman storms off in a fit of pique; the idea of so demeaning himself was complete anathema. It takes the gentle coaxing of his entourage to make him see reason. What does a dent to his pride matter if it leads finally to personal wholeness? To his credit, Naaman succeeds in swallowing his pride and taking their advice. We can hardly miss the absurdity of Naaman's initial reaction, yet do we recognise with equal clarity the same foolishness in ourselves? How often do we allow a misplaced sense of our own importance to blind us to the right way forward? How many times have we rejected sorely required help rather than admit our need of others? It is a natural human tendency to believe we can go it alone - the story of Naaman reminds us that we can't. Visit the Church Website:

2 Sunday Services in March Unsung Witnesses Sunday 4 th March 10:00 Talk: A servant girl 2 Kings 5:1-15 Leader: Dick Beath Speaker: Matthew Street Sunday 11 th March 10:00 HC MOTHERING SUNDAY Talk: Lydia Acts 16:11-15, 40 Leader: Matthew Street Speaker: Sarah Bubyer Sunday 18 th March 10:00 MP & Annual Parochial Church Meeting Talk: The Great Commission Matthew 28:16-20 Leader: Tom Benyon Speaker: Tom Benyon Sunday 25 th March 10:00 Talk: Aquila and Priscilla Acts 18:1-4, 18-22, 24-26, Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Timothy 4:19 Leader: Tom Benyon Speaker: Tom Benyon Contact the Rector: The Revd. Matthew Street mgstreet@me.com or through the church website, see below Want to keep in touch? St Julian s Church sends out a weekly e-newsletter with all the latest news and views from around the Benefice. administrator@stjsgroup.church to subscribe to the mailing list. Advertising in this Newsletter FREE: Voluntary organisations based in Wellow. Fees apply to all other individuals and businesses who seek to gain financial benefit from advertising (irrespective of if they are based in Wellow or not): Contact Jenny Barr for more details and payments. Cheques made out to St. Julian s Church P.C.C Church Community Groups White Ox Mead Community Group Phone Nigel & Jo for more details Wellow Prayer Group Tuesdays at 3pm Will resume on Tuesday 13 th Feb Phone Pauline for details Benefice Praise and Prayer Every Monday, The Vicarage, Peasedown St John God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24 Please join us as we praise God, hear from His Word, and come to Him in prayer. St John s Peasedown 1 st Sunday - 10:30am HC 4:30pm SF 2 nd Sunday - 10:30am MP 4:30pm SF 3 rd Sunday - 10:30am MP 4:30pm SF HC 4 th Sunday- 10:30am MP 4:30pm HC= Holy Communion SF= Soul Food - A service with modern lively music followed by a family tea MP= Morning Praise Benefice Office For anything church related contact the Benefice Office: T: E: office@stjsgroup.church Visit the Church Website:

3 CHURCH NEWS You will know doubt have noticed that the Church clock is striking again. Thank you, Richard Holland. APCM The annual APCM will be held during the service on Sunday March 18 th, please come along to hear what is going on. Easter services Good Friday March 30 th. Meditation on the Cross. St Julian s Church pm Easter Sunday April 1 st A Family Holy Communion Service will take place, this is not specifically a Children s Service, but we would love to see families with Children of all ages come along. Facilities for the very young will be in the Vestry. Pam Pike, Churchwarden FRIENDS OF ST. JULIAN S SATURDAY 28 TH APRIL - Annual Spring Clean 9.30am Please come along to the church on Saturday 28 th April to help give it its annual spring clean. A 9.30 start of bacon butties, tea, coffee & croissants will set you up well for a morning of activity. Please bring toothbrushes, dusters, e- cloths etc. The more, the merrier. Thanks, as always, in advance. SUNDAY 24 TH JUNE - Open Gardens & Art Trail 2-5pm Save the date. This is a Wellow Community Chest Fundraiser, led by The Friends of St Julian's. A family-friendly celebration of Wellow Art & Gardens. Refreshments available. More details to follow. Annabel Chapman FOODBANK Do children still give up sweets for Lent? How many grown-ups abstain from small indulgence for forty days? Be positive: Small change will buy a gift for Foodbank and mean so much to those who need it. Don t forget to visit the Wellow

4 WELLOW PARISH COUNCIL 11 members of the public attended the 19 February meeting. Planning Councillors considered new information on the application for 171 new houses at Sulis Down, in particular the addendum to the traffic survey. They did not believe that their earlier objections to increased traffic on Combe Hay Lane and Bath Hill had been taken into account, as had been promised at a meeting with B&NES, let alone resolved. They applauded the draft response to B&NES and agreed to add a challenge to the methodology because of the failure to consider traffic turning south down Combe Hay Lane from the development. The Parish Council s submission has since been circulated via Parish Post. The Council recommended the felling of one conifer and the pruning of another at The Manor House, High Street. They were content (on the Chair s casting vote) to leave to the tree officer the decision on whether or not to allow felling of a Red Cedar (not a Leyland Cypress as on the application) at Elmlea, Railway Lane. It was thought that in both cases the trees had been part of hedges but had outgrown their sites. The following permissions by B&NES were noted: single storey side extension at Church Farm House; change from barn to dwelling, Parcel 7845, Wellow Road; two storey extension at Middle Twinhoe Farm (after a year s consideration). Other matters B&NES has made a grant of 270 towards planting at the chicanes for visual improvement and traffic calming B&NES has finally agreed to put a proper macadam surface on the track to Wellow Car Park during the 2018/19 financial year Closure of Farm Lane for broadband upgrading: now due 26/2 Pavilion on track for March construction; all parties working well together Next meeting Monday 19 March, 8:00pm in Wellow Village Hall. All welcome. Items for agenda consideration to the Clerk one week in advance, please. Robin Campbell clerk@wellowparish.info

5 WELLOW AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Thanks to Brigit Strawbridge for lovely, engaging talk in February. We can now tell the difference between flies and bees, solitary and bumble bees, and enjoyed discovering that the bumblebees that you see asleep in the morning are the males - the females are out working! With the warmer weather, bees will start appearing. You may already have seen some honey bees. Bumble bees will start appearing very soon the large queens are looking for a new nesting place. Get your camera out to photograph the bees in your garden so you can enter into the photo competition at the Flower show in September! The next Hort Soc event is on the 21 st March when we have two things planned. Firstly, a short film, Queen of the Sun - an engaging and uplifting film which takes us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of honey bees and the mysterious world of the beehive. Secondly, we will have a more hands-on session, showing you how to identify the pollinators in your garden and giving you hints and tips on how to attract them. There are more of them than you might think! There will be an information sheet to take away, some seeds for bee-friendly flowers, and a free 'ready to plant' root cutting of Symphytum ibericum, a pretty dwarf comfrey which flowers early in the year and provides an early nectar source. We hope to run a fun quiz with a small prize. Dates for your diary Plant Sale Saturday 12th May 2-4 p.m. Village Hall. Our increasingly popular plant sale. This is reliant on YOU to produce plentiful seedlings for sale. Please especially grow pollinator friendly plants grow some extra this year! Look at the RHS website and grow plants from their 'Perfect for Pollinators' list. We hope to have children's activities too such as making bug hotels. Sunday 3rd June Bee walk around Wellow, looking at the different types of beehives and colonies in our gardens and in the wild. More at Bridget and the Committee

6 Wanted!! Manager for The Wellow Shop Part-Time, 20 hours per week per hour. We are looking for an enthusiastic, organised, outgoing and reliable person with good sales skills, high standards and a strong commitment to good customer service. You should have a knowledge and interest in food and promoting local produce, good computer skills and be able to communicate with customers through and social media. This is a volunteer run shop and offers a vital role in the community, not only selling food but also offering a friendly, supportive and caring role for those in the village who need it. The shop is run by a management committee which set the overall objectives and targets. The applicant should ideally be able to work at 4-5 mornings a week, including an occasional Saturday morning. However, we can be flexible with school holidays etc. For more information or to apply, please Katiemillar1@hotmail.com or call Closing Date for Applications: Friday, 9th March 2018.

7 SPORTS PAVILLION The Parish Council along with Wellow Recreation and Wellow Valley Tennis are pleased to announce the building of the Sports Pavilion on the Playing fields in Wellow. The facilities will be located between the Play Park and Tennis courts and will include: - a 10x5m Sports Pavilion - a disabled access Toilet - a 3x2m Storage unit for sports use. - a decked out area in front of the buildings The Pavilion will be an exciting new facility for everyone in the community to enjoy. To meet a friend, enjoy the surroundings, join in the sporting activities or whatever appeals to you. Access arrangements are being worked out by the Pavilion committee, but the intent is to seek to make the facilities open as often as possible. These arrangements will depend on volunteer support and the sports groups who will manage these arrangements. Work programme is as follows: 5-7th March - Ground works including water, electricity and foul drainage 19-26th March - building structures are erected April - fitting out the Pavilion, fencing and decking 5th May - launch day Preparations are in place to ensure the minimum of disruption takes place. Contractors have been informed of the health and safety regulations and to avoid critical times of Village Hall usage. We have the funds in place to build the facilities but now we really need any help that you can give by raising funds to kit it out with the final touches and make the Pavilion a special place for you to relax and have fun.

8 We'd be very grateful for any donations you can make. Our page on the local giving website gives a good account of how your contributions will help to build up everything needed for launch day. To access this, you can go to. We hope you will enjoy these facilities for many years to come. Andy Smith On behalf of Wellow Parish Council, Wellow Recreation and Wellow Valley Tennis WELLOW RECREATION AGM Thursday 22 nd March - 7pm in Wellow Village Hall Wellow Recreation invites all parishioners to attend its AGM where our sports groups will share their plans for Also, details of this year's outdoor production by the Miracle Theatre Company on the field in July will be revealed. We welcome your opinions and ideas for increasing participation on the playing field, particularly amongst our younger villagers. This year we are launching a major fundraising initiative to raise money for the renewal of the children's Play Park and we would very much appreciate your input to this important project. Following the meeting refreshments will be served and we hope that ideas will continue to flow! Debbie Clarkson WELLOW COMMUNITY BUS GROUP - AGM Tuesday 27 March 2018 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall All parishioners are cordially invited to attend - we welcome your ideas on how to make our service even better in 2018 Delicious nibbles and refreshments will be available as usual

9 WELLOW WRIGGLERS Back by popular demand! 1 st March am Wrigglers is a friendly and fun playgroup for babies and pre-schoolers held in Wellow village hall. Opening on 1 st March 2018, every Thursday (except the 4th Thursday of the month) TERM TIME ONLY. The cost is 2 on a drop-in basis. Run by Wellow mums, it's a great chance to meet other local parents, carers and child-minders. We have toys to play with, an arts and craft activity each week, snacks and song time. Please come along and join in the fun! Contact Karina on SPARE TOYS NEEDED Wellow Wrigglers playgroup is re-opening and we would appreciate more toys for the children to play with! If you have any unwanted toys, that are in working order that you would like to donate, please contact Karina and I can pick them up. Karina: DOG FOULING ON LITTLE HILL I am writing on behalf of neighbours living adjacent to Little Hill. Despite recent pleas for people to pick up their dog mess, poo bags are still being left on the now cleared side of Little Hill. Why do the culprits pick up and bag the waste, only to cast it aside on the bank? Don t they realize how slow it is to break down, let alone how unsightly it is? Would they like us to leave poo bags in their gardens? Whoever is to blame, please think again, because, if we see you, we will name and shame you! Yours frustratedly Andy Elvin

10 JUMP-TART SOMETHING NEW Winter is over. The hardier Camerton & Peasedown Croquet Club players have battled through the season s storms and emerged once again, hoping to steal a few hoops from their opponents this year. Now their revitalised lawns are verdant and even, ready for the fine-weather players, and Alice s Flamingos, to re-emerge and enjoy a rejuvenating spring. Be pro-active too. Jump at the opportunity to join the club s 5- week Beginners Course starting at 2pm on Sunday 8 th April through to 13 th May excluding Sunday 15 th April. Don t worry if you can t make all five Sundays, comprehensive notes are provided as well as ample time to practice already covered or missed topics with the club s five qualified coaches. By the end of the first session, you will be well into experiencing the buzz of the game. During the five 2½ hour sessions, you will discover golf croquet is not only a game of skill but also surprisingly tactical. But don t worry, you will be taught all its intricacies in the friendly environment of the club. At only 25 for the whole course, laced with free tea or coffee, and with the use of the club s own equipment, you can t afford to miss this opportunity. All they ask is to wear flat soled shoes, like trainers. Many of the last year's course members are now avid players like David Christie who won the club s fun-packed 64 Challenge Handicap Tournament in October that drew many from around the Southwest. If, after being smitten by the new sport, you decide to join CPCC, your course fees will be fully refunded. For more information ring and ask for Brian or Mo alternatively ring asking for Ros. Community Matters: Support your Village The Parlour Shop, the Village Hall, Church and Societies

11 PARISH NEWS Can you let me have any articles for the April edition, by the 19 th of March. As usual, you can either me at leave at the Parlour shop or post it through the letterbox of Honeysuckle Cottage.

12 Printed by St Phillip and St James Church, Oddown. Published and Promoted by St Julian s Parish Church at the St J s Group Office, The Vicarage, Church Road, Peasedown St John, BA2 8AA, administrator@stjsgroup.church