Parish News. March Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity, Westwood and Wingfield.

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1 Parish News Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity, Westwood and Wingfield In this issue Holy Trinity s vision unfolds Fairtrade Mothers Day gifts Essential Lent reading And all the news from around the Benefice... March

2 DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY Rector The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BoA BA15 1AF Tel: Associate Priest The Revd Dr Ali Green, 36 Budbury Close, BoA BA15 1QG Tel: Churchwardens David Milne, 37 Palairet Close, BA15 1UT Tel: Judith Holland, 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD Tel: Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton Admin Assistant Aylene Clack Assistant Wardens Brian Netley, Val Payne Retired Clergy The Ven John Burgess, Canon David Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon Peter Hardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins. Director of Music Vacant Times of Services Holy Trinity Sundays Weekday Eucharist Daily Times of Meetings mainly music Choir Practice Mothers Union Saxon Club Bell Practice Benefice website Weekly Bulletin (Check Bulletins and notices or Church website) 9.30am Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 2nd Sundays 9.30am In the Round (coffee afterwards) 6pm Evensong, Compline, etc 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwards (not Sundays or Tuesdays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm 10.30am, Tuesdays 6.30pm, Christ Church, Tuesdays 2.30pm, usually 3rd Thursday of every month 2 4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church Hall pm 2nd and 4th Mondays Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday. Please see the bulletin or visit for more details on service times and locations. 2

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4 HOLY TRINITY DIARY FOR MARCH Ash 7.30pm Sung Eucharist with the Imposition Wednesday of Ashes 2 Thursday 12 noon 2pm Holy Trinity Lent Lunch in aid of The Children s Society 7.15pm- BACT Lent Course United Church 9.15pm 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory 3 Friday 10.30am Women s World Day of Prayer St James, Trowbridge 5 SUNDAY THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 9.30am Sung Eucharist with Holy Baptism of Francesca Elizabeth Miles 6pm Compline 9 Thursday 12 noon 2pm Holy Trinity Lent Lunch in aid of The Children s Society 2.30pm pm SPAB Deanery Church Maintenance Training 7.15pm-9.15pm BACT Lent Course United Church 12 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT 9.30am 6pm In the Round Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness 15 Wednesday 7pm Holy Trinity PCC The Vicarage 16 Thursday 12 noon 2pm Holy Trinity Lent Lunch in aid of The Children s Society 2.30pm 4.30pm Mothers Union Meeting with guest speaker Revd Melanie Otto 7.15pm-9.15pm BACT Lent Course United Church 18 Saturday 10am 3.30pm Organ Fund Bric a Brac Sale 19 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 9.30am Sung Eucharist with Dave Lewis talking about the Kadugli Diocese in Sudan, and showing slides afterwards. 6pm Evensong Westwood 23 Thursday 12 noon 2pm Holy Trinity Lent Lunch in aid of The Children s Society 7.15pm-9.15pm BACT Lent Course United Church 4

5 25 Saturday 9am 1pm mainly music Family Fun Day 7.30pm 26 SUNDAY MOTHERING SUNDAY 9.30am 2.30pm Capella Nova concert Family Eucharist Holy Baptism of Isabella Niamh McGauley 6pm Evensong 30 Thursday 12 noon 2pm Holy Trinity Lent Lunch in aid of The Children s Society 7.15pm- 9.15pm BACT Lent Course United Church WEEKLY GROUPS Monday 7.30pm (fortnightly) Faith Explored (for venue ring Erin Shields-Pett on ) Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children school term only), Holy Trinity 1 Ash Wednesday 10am WESTWOOD & WINGFIELD DIARY FOR MARCH 2017 Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes 5 SUNDAY THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 5 Westwood 9.30am Morning Prayer Wingfield 11.15am Family Service Westwood 9 Thursday 7.30pm Westwood PCC Meeting 82/83 Lower Westwood 12 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT 9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield 11.15am Holy Communion Westwood 19 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 9.30am Family Service Wingfield 11.15am Mattins (BCP) Westwood 6pm Evensong Westwood 26 SUNDAY MOTHERING SUNDAY 9.30am Family Service Wingfield 11.15am Family Service Westwood

6 Lent to Give Up or to Take Up That is the Question... T he month of March sits happily in Lent this year. But it comes at something of a crossroads in our life as a church as we feel our way forwards in pastures new at Holy Trinity, and at a time of spiritual and theological debate as yet more horrendous abuse and pain comes to light in the wider church. It strikes me that Lent can feed into all this very neatly. It is the traditional time for hair-shirts, sackcloth and ashes and fasting as we recall Christ s 40 days of temptation and fasting in the desert. And that is very much the tone of the Ash Wednesday liturgy which prepares us and gives us the focus for the season, and we very often take the opportunity to be ashed hearing the words: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ. But then the flip-side of this idea is very present in the liturgy too the message of forgiveness and of grace. Christians take to heart the call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and so grow in faith and in devotion to our Lord and then, having been ashed, we have the glorious words of the absolution, The Lord enrich you with his grace, and nourish you with his blessing. For as Christian people, people of the resurrection, we cannot forget that message of grace and of forgiveness. And so a vitally important part of all this is not to try and outdo one another in the hair-shirt / deprivation stakes but to deepen our faith, to take time out to reflect and to pray and so to grow a pace or two along the way of our Christian journey. It is very easy to see where the concept of giving something up for Lent (chocolate and alcohol being the favourites!) has come from. But that is actually a relatively easy 40 day personal discipline - and those of us of a certain age have that word firmly rooted deep within us, as a good thing. But in the light of our ever-increasing insights into human nature and behaviour, I am not so sure that discipline, per se, is necessarily a good thing after all. Does it lead to an increased love for and experience of God? Does it enrich us with his grace? In many cases, I have my doubts. But what the very act of giving up, by definition, does achieve is 6

7 something negative. It creates a downward spiral, and does nothing to breathe life abundant. What s more, the church as a whole has maybe increasingly a very negative image in the eyes of the world. It is an image of being all about rules and restrictions, and then there is that cunning little matter (or so it seems) of convicting you of your sin s0 that you can then be placed in the subservient and ever so unworthy position of begging for forgiveness. But to take something on is to be positive to be full of hope and energy - to breathe life into a situation. We all complain at the media being full of bad news stories. So let s contribute to the good news! Let s explore God s grace let s seek to grow, to change. What our wonderful new Holy Trinity really needs now is a burst of energy and enthusiasm from within and that needn t even involve getting out of our arm-chair! Can you begin to imagine the energy and the buzz which would come if each and every one of us during Lent took on a little project of prayer, reading or compassionate action and emerged with new insight however small? Can you begin to imagine how rich our Easter joy would then be? What s more we could fill the pages of Parish News for months to come! With my love and prayers and every blessing for a richly fruitful Lent FROM THE REGISTERS Funerals Christopher James ( Jim ) Caunt 30 January Kay Frances Powell 1 February Helena Eileen Green 14 February Cemetery Chapel 7

8 A hostel for unaccompanied child refugees in Greece has been given a lifeline following a cash injection from Anglican and ecumenical Christian agencies. The Hestia Boys Hostel in Athens, run by the Greek Orthodox Church, has been providing accommodation and training for child refugees from Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria since But a restructuring by the European Union meant that its funding had been suspended. Now, the Diocese in Europe s Athens chaplaincy has stepped in to keep the centre open, with the support of the Anglican mission T CHRISTIAN AID AGENCIES HELP CHILD REFUGEES 8 agency USPG and the British ecumenical agency Christian Aid. The senior Anglican Chaplain in Athens, Father Malcolm Bradshaw, has been co-ordinating the Anglican Church s response to the refugee crisis. In welcoming the new financial support package for Hestia, he said: It is important that all support for children on the move must be child-friendly, holding the best interests of the child as uppermost. The practice of holding minors in detention centres must be brought to a speedy end. Alternative centres must be established. CONTINUING VIOLENCE IN KAJO KEJI he Episcopal Church in South Sudan and Sudan has warned of the deteriorating security situation in the town of Kajo Keji. It says violent incidents have prompted local people to flee their homes and head for refuge in neighbouring northern Uganda. A communiqué from the Diocese of Kajo Keji reported armed men killing a local official; and government forces being ambushed about 10 km from Kajo Keji with five civilians killed in the gunfire. There was also an attack on police with two members of the security forces being killed. Local residents fled and many sought refuge in Emmanuel Cathedral, in Romogi, the nearby diocesan headquarters. The Bishop of the Diocese of Kajo Keji, the Rt Revd Canon Emmanuel Murye, said that the Church would continue to care for its flock in the most difficult circumstances, but he called on the international community to intervene quickly: We the church strongly condemn both warring sides and call on both sides to refrain from such atrocities on the civilians whom each respective side claim to protect and fight for their rights.

9 CHURCH ASSETS CAN BOOST INCOME & MISSION C hurches in the UK that are left empty during the week may be missing out on potential income, the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) has recently claimed. Its report, Assets not Burdens: Using Church Property to Accelerate Church Mission, published in February, concludes that many churches are sitting on huge assets that could increase both their income and mission. The Bishop of Stepney, the Rt Revd Adrian Newman, writes in the foreword: We need to shift our mindset from liability to asset, and to embrace our buildings as gifts and not burdens. The report mentions case studies of larger churches which, it says, are already very good at managing their buildings. The solution lies in recognising their potential for mission which leads to church growth. We need a change of mindset. Unlocking this potential, it says, produces significant missional and financial benefits. Opening up churches could mean, for instance, leaving them open for visitors, hiring out them out for community activities or entering into partnerships with nurseries. Tim Thorlby, development director at the Centre for Theology & Community in east London, commented: By making better use of its spaces, the Church will serve communities more faithfully, and accelerate mission and church growth. It will have turned burdens into assets. The Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, Lead Bishop for cathedrals and church buildings, welcomed the recommendations: Church buildings should never be mausoleums but vibrant centres of service at the heart of their local community. GRANTS AWARDED FOR CHURCH RENEWAL O ver 9 million has been awarded by the Archbishops' Council to seven dioceses across England for projects to promote church growth. Since 2014, 20 dioceses have so far benefitted from such grants. Beneficiary of the largest grant million is the Diocese of Birmingham, for projects working multi-culturally with younger 9 people. Plans include planting 15 new churches, revitalizing 15 existing church communities, making over a 1000 new disciples, training up to 1000 missional leaders and increasing ordained vocations by more than 50%. Bristol has been awarded 950,000 to develop three parish churches as 'resource churches' for specific Mission Areas.

10 I t was with some trepidation that the Friends Committee hosted this event as there were so many unanswered questions and I have never understood why we Sassenachs choose to celebrate something that we can never hope to understand. However, 90 folk turned up to enjoy an evening that was a great success. This was the first real test of our new facilities and of our organisation and it was inordinately satisfyingly when everything worked so well. We enjoyed a smoked salmon starter, haggis, neeps and tatties and then trifle with coffee and mints. The evening was rounded off with music, renditions from the bard, speeches and singing, and the evening raised nearly 1,500. Thanks to Joan Finch and the team who prepared the meal feast, and to all who set up, organized, offered entertainment and cleared up. We learned lots of lessons from this experiment, not least that we should not be afraid of being bold in future! John Cox T BURNS NIGHT SUPPER HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE here are places available on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, led by Rev. Peter Whatton, 20 th - 28 th November For more information on the retreat, ring or peter.whatton@gmail.com. 10

11 A OPENING DATE FOR WESTWOOD PARISH ROOM date for the formal opening of Westwood Parish Room has been set for Saturday, 6 May. However, parishioners hope that the room will already be in use before the big day. The new path and disabled access are now complete except A s part of the Big Community Connection vision, Holy Trinity welcomed local people to spend an evening in February using music and movement to relax and meditate. The group meets regularly in Bradford on Avon, but this was the first time it had used the church, now an ideal venue with plenty of floor space and an ideal atmosphere for meditative 11 for the terrace in front of the Parish Room which, David Chalmers reports, is waiting for the new door to be fitted. Internally the fitting out is progressing well with plumbing complete, he said. Outside, landscaping works are being done as weather permits. EXPLORING SACRED SPACE AT HOLY TRINITY exploration. For many participants this was their first visit to Holy Trinity, and they remarked on the beauty of the reordered interior. Among many positive comments, one person who had recently moved to Bradford on Avon said, It was amazing to dance in this sacred space. It made me feel as if I have found the right place to settle down. STICKY WORK AT THE JAM FACTORY R esponding to Anne s call for marmalade-makers, I found myself one morning sitting at her kitchen table, faced with a plateful of justcooked Seville oranges. I spent an hour chopping and slicing, assailed by wonderful smells coming from the simmering copper pan. Orange, three-fruit, St Clement s and dark marmalade are now available, all at Orders can be left in church for collection. Anne hopes that marmalade will be available at the bric-a-brac sale, Saturday, 18 March. If you can help contact Anne at zen16073@zen.co.uk or Ali Green

12 B y the time you read this we will be in Fairtrade Fortnight (27, February - 12, March). The Fairtrade Foundation holds this fortnight annually for promoting justice in trading. Its aim is to point out the unjust trading systems which keep rural farmers poor in so many parts of the world. Bradford on Avon is a Fairtrade town and Bishop Ed has recently written that he is encouraging all churches to join in the campaign for Fairtrade County status for Wiltshire. Don't feed exploitation, Choose Fairtrade The food on our tables, the tea and coffee in our mugs, is all from farmers who sweat and toil. Yet these farmers are so often trapped in a system that is unfair, one that leaves them in poverty. However hard they work to provide things we depend on, they still aren't paid what they need. And every time people buy these products they become part of the problem. But we consumers have a choice: we can buy Fairtrade. At our last PCC we agreed the principal that we should work FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT You can contact the editorial team on: ht.parishnews@gmail.com April issue copy deadline Thursday, 16 March 2017 towards becoming an Eco Church. This means choosing Eco products to clean, recycled paper for the loos, careful use of resources - and also Fairtrade in our consumption of food and drinks. Get Involved During this fortnight Traidcraft and other Fairtrade goods are on sale in Holy Trinity: tea, coffee, biscuits, recycled paper goods and more. The stall is open after the services and during the week. A Traidcraft catalogue will be available for taking regular orders. Saturday morning and Thursday morning on the first week are already staffed. If anyone can help with the second week please let me know. Also on Sunday, 5 March there is a Fairtrade lunch in the Mason's Hall. And at 4pm Patrick Kiberia Mathaura, a Kenyan tea farmer who benefits from Fairtrade, will join us at Holy Trinity for tea. Do come, meet Patrick and then stay for Compline at 6pm. Judith Holland, , judithholland23@gmail.com 12

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14 T he Mothers Union branches of Holy Trinity and Christ Church met at 9.30am on a Monday morning to pray together in a service marking the diocesan links that Salisbury diocese has with Botswana, Marsabit in Kenya, Idah and Jebba in Nigeria and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off India. All the dioceses with MU branches are included in succession through the year and this is known as the Wave of Prayer. We are all linked by this time of prayer and remembering. In our regular meeting we had a talk by Chris Hodge on My Treasures. She revealed objects one by one (22 in the end) that traced a trail through her life. I n February we heard from two of the working groups tasked with developing the overall vision for Holy Trinity. Here are reports from another two groups. Hospitality Group Member of this group are Lesley Bishop, Janet Brown, Alison Cook, Joan Finch, Caroline Francis, Eve Humphrey, Val Payne and Mary Nutt. We have been meeting regularly over the year in order to:- MU LOCAL MEETINGS HT - THE VISION UNFOLDS 14 There were reminders of her early life such as a china horse that she had given her mother. There were certificates of achievements and photos and framed objects that recorded events and places visited. Many of the objects were from places she had holidayed in - a Fabergé egg from Russia, a Jerusalem cross and a toy Mounty from Canada. Each one prompted a story that brought back treasured memories. Finally the treasures were not objects at all but a person who is a close friend and lastly and importantly her faith. We were all guided to consider what we treasure in our own life and objects that remind us of them. Jill Wright 1. Look at possible Hospitality events which could be held in our newly re-ordered church providing that enough 'helping hands' are available. The group would be delighted to receive suggestions for possible events and, eventually, offers of help. 2. Research carefully and then purchase, within the allotted budget, all the necessary equipment to allow catering

15 for up to 100 people in HT.. 3. Obtain 'child friendly' colourful plates, mugs and bowls for possible children's activities 4. Co-ordinate the Sunday morning Coffee Rota as a group. If you feel able to help on a Sunday morning please speak to any one of the group members. Having all the facilities in one place in our new kitchen, and a dishwasher too, is making life so much easier for the Coffee/Tea Makers. No more plastic cups either. 5. Sharing the 'know-how' on the use of the new equipment with all willing helpers Having successfully served mulled wine and mince pies at the Christmas Tree festival, cake, wine and nibbles at the Celebration Service on 18 December and providing 90 guests with supper on Burns Night on 25 January we have tested the new kitchen to its capacity. Joan Finch Children and Young People s Vision Group Our meetings have been full of ideas and it has been quite a challenge in deciding which ones to pursue. We have visited and talked to similar groups and eight group members have attended a Messy Church Training Day. To help us move forward, we divided our ideas into three sections: 1. those activities we can possibly do straight away 2. those that will take a little more planning and time 3. those ideas that we keep on 'the back burner' with a view to being able to implement later. Two ideas that we have implemented straight away are coffee mornings on a Tuesday during school holidays and holding a Mainly Music Fun Day on 25 March. Mainly Music sessions are only held in school term time so we now hold coffee mornings during the holidays, which means that our Mainly Music families can bring their older children and friends as well into Church. Our Mainly Music Fun Day on 25 March is for all families and will include craft activities, Mainly Music songs, helping with posies for Mothering Sunday which is the following day, and of course, coffee and cake. A questionnaire was composed for completion by families, asking what kind of worship or other event in church would work for 15

16 them. From that questionnaire, the popular vote is for something once a month on a Sunday about 4 o'clock. It would seem that Messy Church could meet these criteria as it is generally well known and easily identifiable but does need quite a number resources. The question is ''Can we do it?'' We hope the answer is "Yes, we can!" Marlene Haffenden W MAINLY MUSIC - MARCH e always thank God for the fun we have on a Tuesday morning and since we have been back in Church, it seems that we have even more fun! We have more room to operate in the middle at the back, there is no furniture to move and we do not have bumped heads on the shelves of pews or 'lose' any children under the pews. On arriving, we lay our floor of colourful, interlocking foam backed rubber tiles. Even this is fun - rather aged adults on all fours! Corners first, then sides and lastly, the middle pieces, just like you would put together any puzzle. One of our grandmothers gave us more tiles so that there is more room to sit on for our music & rhyme time and for the children's playtime when we bring out the toys. It is bright, soft, non slip and shock absorbing so it does help to avoid any nasty bumps and bruises. As we now have a specific refreshment area, no hot coffee or tea is carried across where the children play. One of our mums, whose two children are now at school, regularly comes to help. Her husband has given us a very nice laptop on which we play our dvds and cds. We are blessed to have this connection with the families and we love the friendships we have made. We enjoy it and the families often remark that Tuesday mornings are the best time of the week! Long may the popularity continue with both helpers and families! Marlene Haffenden F LENT STUDY COURSE or anyone looking for a Lent study course, and have Thursday evenings free, why not try this? Christianity Explored: St Mark s Gospel. Weekly Thursday evening meetings, beginning 2 March at the United Church from 7.15pm to 9.15pm with a final session on Palm Sunday, 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Refreshments - Worship - DVD - Group discussion. 16

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18 Prayer Paths Blessed are those who mourn... J esus Christ s whole ministry was one of self-emptying and surrender (kenosis), a mission that led to the cross. He didn t shun suffering and death, but rather transformed them and He invites us to follow in His way. Our deepest prayer comes down to self-emptying: surrendering our selves, laying down habitual thoughts, harmful memories, judgments, selfcentred wants and nagging feelings, and entering into the silence where the Spirit transforms us. In other words, in prayer we re letting go of our ego that rules our waking, thinking, doing life. This letting go is a small death; we normally spend a lot of energy feeding and protecting our ego, and don t want to lose it. From birth we ve worked hard at finding out who we are and where our boundaries lie, marking out our territory with all its little habits and preferences, anxieties, hopes and fears. We re very attached to it, and mourn any sense of loss of our own idea of self. But this small death is a necessary one if we want to find our true self that is "in Christ, hidden in God" (Col 3:3). Jesus and many of the great spiritual teachers talk about this quite a lot. Thomas Merton, a Cistercian monk and spiritual writer, used the term false self to clarify Jesus' central teaching that we must die to ourselves, or "lose ourselves to find ourselves" (Mark 8:35). From our earliest childhood we have all experienced the suffering of loss. We know what it is to mourn, to grieve. Above: Thomas Merton When we learn from Christ the art of coming to terms with our suffering, with dying and letting go, then we find we are comforted that is, strengthened in our spirit, and we discover the peace and freedom which come from knowing that our true identity is hidden in God. With that liberation we are better able to bring comfort to others in their distress, their mourning and grief. Paul says, the God of compassion comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. (2 Cor 1:4) Ali Green 18

19 Books: Sacred Reading for Lent 2017 S acred Reading, known as Lectio divina, is a spiritual practice that, guided by the Holy Spirit, invites you to interact with the words of scripture. This short book invites the reader to use this form of prayer during the Lent season. It is produced by The Apostleship of Prayer, an international Jesuit prayer ministry which has brought out a series of such titles on prayer. It leads you through Lent in an accessible, six-step process that will help create moments of reflection when you can listen to God's Word, prayerfully respond, and easily explore ways the readings can be applied to your own daily life. Inspired by Ignatian spirituality, the layout and commentary are designed to lead the reader into an imaginative and personal encounter with God. The short, daily sections of the gospels are printed out and accompanied by a few words of commentary and prayer suggestions. Every entry has simple prompts to help you focus on each of the six questions that you are asked each day. Each page takes only a few minutes to read, but lends itself to ample reflection. As you read them you join your prayers with those of 19 believers throughout the world. Each day from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day you are invited as you use this book to make six simple but profound steps:- Know that God is present with you; Read the gospel; Notice what you think; Pray as you are led for yourself and others; Listen to Jesus; Ask God to show you how to live today. This kind of prayerful reading is practised by Christians across the world. It is a real blessing to think that this is something we all can share. The book is published by Ave Maria Press and is available for less than 2.00 from religious bookshops or online. Hugh Wright Other Lent books available now: Let Me Go There: the Spirit Of Lent, a daily companion by bestselling author Paula Gooder Live Lent With Christian Aid: Into The Wilderness, simple reflections, practical suggestions, beautiful images The Word In The Wilderness: A Poem A Day, chosen by poet Malcolm Guite

20 Harriet Baka - Inspirational Women of Peace H arriet Baka, Mothers' Union provincial coordinator for the Episcopal Church of Sudan and South Sudan (ECSSS), was shortlisted for the 2015 Bond Humanitarian Award in recognition for her tireless work for peace and sustainable development in her country. She has been inspirational not only in her own country of South Sudan but also across the Anglican Communion. Mama Harriet Harriet works selflessly to bring relief and dignity under very difficult conditions, said Anglican Alliance Co-Director Rachel Carnegie. She is an inspiration to many others who work alongside her in South Sudan and across the Communion. Personally, it has been a privilege to get to know her and to accompany her and her colleagues from the ECSSS Emergency Crisis Committee on visits to the IDP communities. 20 Harriet Baka is a familiar and welcome sight in Lologo 2, a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Juba, South Sudan s capital city. Mama Harriet, as she is fondly known, has been visiting the community, mostly women and children, since they fled intense violence in Bor in early Not only is Harriet Provincial coordinator of Mothers Union in South Sudan and Sudan, she also is part of ECSSS s Emergency Crisis Committee. The Committee has responded to the humanitarian crisis that unfolded following the outbreak of armed conflict in South Sudan in December 2013 as a result of a political dispute. In the face of the displacement of 1.5 million people internally and nearly half a million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries, Harriet helped to identify areas most in need of assistance, drawing on her network of diocesan Mothers Union co-

21 ordinators around the country. By training local distribution teams, Harriet has ensured that essential food rations reach the most vulnerable - women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities even in remote areas where access has been hampered by ongoing conflict and flooding. Difficult terrain, long days and fatigue have not stopped her determination to help those in need. This drive to serve the most vulnerable doesn t end with making sure people receive the basic essentials. Peace-building Conscious that being displaced often means being robbed of the income and dignity of a livelihood, she has set up catering, dressmaking and farming projects in the Bor area. News of these income-generating activities has filtered back to the women in Lologo 2 camp, giving them the confidence to return home and start anew. She continues to work with others, particularly with women, to bring the peace to South Sudan that is so sorely needed for development initiatives to be sustainable. In June of 2014 Harriet joined a CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa) consultation with women delegates from ten Anglican provinces in Africa condemning the widespread poverty and lack of peace and security in many African countries. The women urged leaders to ensure peaceful coexistence and pledged to make a solidarity visit to the ECSSS as a sign of their peace-building commitment. On International Women's Day 2015, she, together with women from the ECSSS, spoke out against ongoing tribalism and violence and called on all the women of South Sudan to forge a common agenda for peace. Recognition The Humanitarian Award is one of four awards conferred annually by Bond, a UK body of NGOs active in international development. It recognises inspiring individuals working on the frontline in some of the most challenging contexts around the world. 13 individuals were shortlisted for the 2015 Humanitarian Award. The 2015 Bond Awards were conferred on 1 June at King's Place, London. Although Harriet did not end up with an award, being short listed was a superb recognition of her work. 21

22 A Gift For Mothering Sunday T he Mothers Day Appeal offers ethical gifts that make a real difference to mothers and communities across the world. Go to to find a range of practical gifts that you buy, from 10 to help a mother learn a skill to start a business and earn a living for her family, to 100 to support a church self-help group as they lead their community in solving its greatest challenges. Supported by Mothers Union, each gift helps mothers learn to read, become a better parent or find the strength in God to change things for the better. You can also purchase Mothering Sunday cards from their online shop, eshop.org. Among some attractive and useful items on sale are eco shopping bags that cut down on those unnecessary plastic bags. Above: The Mothers Day Appeal is supported by the Mothers Union Right: Eco-bag, You can send your own personalised Mothering Sunday ecard by going to the site of Friends of the Earth. It has a range of cards depicting mainly animals, flowers and landscapes. Friends of the Earth work to protect the natural environment. Last year they launched a campaign to ban nonrecyclable coffee cups and reward people for bringing reusable ones. They are also campaigning to protect bees and help communities to green local spaces. Gorgeous Gifts ( has an enormous range of tempting gifts for mum, from cards to chocolate, jewellery and scarves. Many of the environmentally-friendly products are handmade from recycled materials. Check out their Special Offers page for some real bargains and even at these sale prices all of the fair trade producers around the globe have received full payment for the products they've supplied. So in choosing to buy Traidcraft products, you re helping to continue Traidcraft's pioneering work in transforming the lives of small-scale artisans, farmers and their communities across the developing world.

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24 Families E ach time I go on holiday I have a house sitter to care for pets and plants and the sitter gets a holiday, too, in lovely Bradford on Avon. A modest amount of money is generated from this scheme by the organizing charity, Christian House Sitters, run by Ray and Marilyn White. All the funds raised go to a very special family in Kenya. A Caring Home This is the Home of Peace, an interdenominational children s home in which a dedicated team looks after 53 children. The staff of 14 includes the Manager, the Administrator and a Qualified Social Worker. They are overseen by Marilyn on a daily basis. Ray and Marilyn are responsible for all the financial needs of the Home of Peace and oversee the work, monitoring where every penny is spent, under the UK Registered Charity TLC Children s Trust, and are closely monitored by the Trustees. Many of the youngsters parents have died from AIDS, typhoid, malaria or other diseases and as a result they were left homeless and to had fend for themselves because their home village was too poor to take on an extra The Family: Home of Peace 24 hungry child. Some children, as young as three or four years old, were taken from their tiny villages in the bush and dumped in the town of Siaya because the family could no longer look after them. Once in Siaya they were simply left and had to beg or steal to survive. Thanks to the Home of Peace these children now have a home, medical care and clothing, and they attend a local school. The manager recently purchased two sewing machines and employed a qualified seamstress to make all the children's play clothes, church clothes, school uniforms and the staff uniforms. She also repairs any damaged clothing a big longterm money-saver. Following a major storm last year the home had to undertake a major building project. This Happy Feet: The children show off their new Christmas shoes

25 resulted in two new boys dormitories, two staff bedrooms, a laundry, additional toilets and washing facilities, a new water storage tank and the conversion of a temporary dining room into a permanent structure. Last Christmas the Home of Peace sent out an appeal to all members of Christian House Sitters and their response allowed the children to get new shoes and underwear and to celebrate Christmas with a special meal. Residents invited local boys and girls to join them for Christmas dinner. These were children who would otherwise not have had a special meal at Christmas. Help for a Needy Family A few weeks ago a community worker reported coming across a local household that captured her attention. She took a picture of their house and wrote: It is a nuclear family with five children. Both parents are alive but are living from hand to mouth. My concern was the fourth born girl, ten years old. I was shocked. The mother said she has not been going to school because of lack of food. She seems weak and febrile. Their homestead Above: One family s homestead 25 is a one-roomed thatched house with a small table sketchily structured at the centre of the room. Nothing to sit on, a papyrus mat spread at the corner as the family bed. They are indeed in abject poverty. The Home of Peace arranged some emergency food for the family and contacted Children's Services to see what else could be done. Shortly after Christmas I received a message from Ray: I am delighted to say that we have managed to sort out all the red tape and this young girl is now living safely at Home of Peace, getting nutritious meals, having good health care, getting an education and is happy. Her parents are also thrilled. You can find out more about the Home of Peace and Christian House Sitters at Ali Green

26 A ugust 31 st 2017 sees the 200 th anniversary of the birth of William Henry Jones, better known in Bradford as Canon William Henry Rich Jones, Vicar of Holy Trinity from 1851 to Jones had a considerable impact on the town: he renamed it Bradford-on-Avon; discovered the Saxon Church; re-built Holy Trinity Church; wrote a History of the town, and promoted a proper water supply. He was not only a historian, but also a linguist and a musician and was deeply involved with the welfare of his parishioners. Jones was born in the parish of Christ Church, Surrey, better known today as Southwark. He was the eldest son of William Jones and his wife Maria Cooper, a Sunday School teacher. William Jones was a solicitor and Corresponding Secretary to the Religious Tract Society, an evangelical organisation which on no account should be confused with the later Tractarians. The RTS took advantage of the advances in printing technology in the early 19 th century initially with helpful pamphlets on leading a Christian life, but later with books, periodicals, including The Boys Own Paper and The Girls Own Paper, and novels. Authors were Canon Jones - Part One 26 often ladies who had little or no other income. Works also included hymns and it is likely that the Jones family contributed to these. Clapham Sect William and Maria Jones belonged to the Clapham sect, the evangelical group of which William Wilberforce was a member, but William Jones s churchmanship embraced all creeds and he was highly regarded by all shades of opinion within and beyond the Anglican Church. The family attended the Surrey Chapel, or Round Church, an Independent Congregational Methodist Church in Southwark that used the Book of Common Prayer. Here William Jones was a Lay Preacher and William Henry and several of his siblings were baptised by the Surrey Chapel s Minister, the great preacher and evangelist Rowland Hill. The chapel was known for its music, and one of the choir members was the father of Henry Willis, the organ builder. William and Maria Jones had eight children; four boys and four girls of whom a boy and a girl died in infancy, and another sister in her early twenties following complications after childbirth. Their second son Richard

27 followed his father into the legal profession; the third, Samuel Flood Jones, became Precentor of Westminster Abbey. According to the Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) Clerical Directory William Henry was initially educated privately in Totteridge, Hertfordshire. He was one of the first pupils to attend the newly opened (1831) King s College school on The Strand where pupils either studied arts and sciences or medicine. (The King was George IV who took a keen interest in the project). Scholarship The curriculum was far wider than that available at Public Schools at the time; all King s arts and science students followed a compulsory core in divinity, classical languages, mathematics and English literature and history, supplemented by optional classes in law, political economy, geology, zoology, natural philosophy and modern languages, in preparation for Oxbridge colleges. In 1836 Jones matriculated to Magdalen Hall, Oxford where he was supported by a Meek Scholarship worth 100 a year, and later a Boden Scholarship in Sanskrit. (Magdalen Hall, which should not be confused with Magdalen College, is now Hertford College.) At Jones s time it was as near a non-conformist college as it was possible to have at Oxford. It had been known as a Puritan Hall and past students included William Tyndale, the Bible translator, and Thomas Hobbes, the Malmesbury philosopher. A fellow student of Jones was Thomas Helmore, son of an Independent Minister from Kidderminster, who became one of a group responsible for the revival of choral music in churches in the second half of the 19 th century. Ordination After graduating in 1840 Jones was ordained deacon in 1841 and was curate for a year at St Andrews, Holborn, before being priested in He then became curate at St Martin in the Fields but was never Vicar there, which would have been quite remarkable after only a year in Holy Orders. The error seems to come from the DNB, and may have been wishful thinking by his widow, who sadly died of dementia. In 1845 he became Vicar of St James, Curtain Road, Hoxton, a parish, which with several others, had been formed from the enormous parish of St Leonard, Shoreditch which at that time had 27

28 a population of over 83,000. The church had been built in the early 1840s on or near the site of the Above: Holy Trinity before Canon Jones changes. Pic courtesy of Bradford Museum Curtain Theatre, which had been built in the 1570s near the curtain or city wall of London, and was used by Shakespeare s company. In the 1860s, after Jones had left the parish, a Shakespeare window was installed in the church. This was moved to St Leonards, Shoreditch after St James was closed and demolished in the 1930s, but did not survive WWII. The site was professionally excavated in 2016 with some amazing Shakespearean finds. In 1842 Jones married Elizabeth Woodhouse Perks of Hitchin who was the daughter of William Perks, ACROSS: 1, Corinthians. 9, Abandon. 10, Eglon. 11, Spa. 13, Deem. 16, Hi-fi. 17, Abijah. 18, Ohad. 20, Myth. 21, Now see. 22, Knit. 23, Tide. 25, Arm. 28, Nahor. 29, All done. 30, Kind-hearted. DOWN: 2, Of age. 3, ISDN. 4, Tens. 5, Idea. 6, Nullify. 7, Hardworking. 8, Enlightened. 12, Praise. 14, Mad. 15, Vigour. 19, Abishai. 20, Met. 24, Is one. 25, Arid. 26, Male. 27, Slur. 28

29 a partner in Perks & Llewellyn of Hitchin who had a countrywide reputation for their lavender products. Curiously Elizabeth had a Shakespeare connection. The Perks family came from Snitterfield, Warwickshire where since 1500 they had lived in a house almost opposite William Shakespeare's grandfather and uncle. William Shakespeare twice referred to Squire Perks of the hills in his writings. Elizabeth died of tuberculosis in October 1848, and there do not seem to have been any children of the marriage. In October 1849 Jones married Mary Caroline Lydia Rich; the couple had a daughter Isobel Mary Rich in In 1851 Jones accepted the living of Bradford with Westwood where his three other children were born; William Osborn Rich in 1852; Agnes Catherine Rich in 1861 and Bertha Elizabeth Rich in To be continued Anne Willis Your Letters ANOTHER SMALL PILGRIM PLACE I read Ali s very evocative article about her walk to one of the small pilgrim churches in Netherbury not one I ve ever visited, but I did visit a superb one last spring at Escomb, just outside Bishop Auckland. Its setting is rather unusual on a grass circle surrounded by council houses and it is obviously used as a parish church on a regular basis. Thank you for a really refreshing article. Sue Snailum Left: The church at Escomb dates from about 670AD and has changed little in thirteen centuries. 29

30 PENNIES FOR KADUGLI T he great suffering continues in the Sudan so we have decided to collect pennies in our collection pot for the desperate, homeless and starving people of Kadugli and the Nuba Mountains. The brutal war and violence has meant millions of people have fled from their homes, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. There is unimaginable suffering and dreadful starvation made so much worse by a drought across Eastern and Southern Africa. Their water sources have dried up, crops are failing and livestock dying. In South Sudan alone 4.8 million people need food. Our Mothers Union supported Kadugli in 2012/13; their amazing fundraising effort resulted in a grinding mill, medical supplies and other essentials being sent to a Refugee Camp and to the Nuba Mountains. We hope you have spotted our Collection Pot and information on the Welcome Desk. Please, please spare any change in your pockets, dropped into the pot whenever you can. We hope it will go towards helping again, sending our love and some hope and support in this desperately needy situation - and importantly keeping them all in our prayers. I would like to thank everyone who continued collecting while we were at Christ Church, also those who gave so generously at the BACT Service last month. So we are off to a good start already supporting our Kadugli Sudan Deanery Link. Dave Lewis, the Sudan Link Co-ordinator, is coming to talk to us at the 9.30 Service on 19 March and showing some slides afterwards, which we are sure will be very interesting and giving us lots more information. With many, many thanks Celia & David MEMORIES OF JAPAN I spent a good hour reading the February Parish News from cover to cover - I don't remember ever getting so involved before. I was particularly interested in Malcolm's visit to other Christian communities in Bradford and David Driscoll's article about the Church in Japan. The latter reminded me of a visit to Japan in 2014, when I visited a Christian church and school, having come across it by chance, when walking down a shopping street in Nara, I think. The gentleman looking after the church gave me some information about the Church. I had, earlier in the trip, also visited Hiroshima, a very emotional visit. Brian Netley 30

31 LOCAL DRIVERS TAKE NOTE... W e were contacted by a parishioner concerned about the parking situation in Lamb s Yard and Kingston Road. Drivers have been finding notices on their cars and have been charged heavily for leaving their cars here. Ron Dell, who lives in this area, explains As a resident of Kingston Mills estate I am well familiar with this parking situation. All the properties here are leasehold; we pay ground rent to the landlord as well as management charges to Pentland Estate Management to maintain the grounds and the communal areas. The land is all private; Kingston Road has not been adopted by the Local Authority and parking enforcement is not the responsibility of the police. Parking has been chaotic until recently, with cars and vans parked everywhere, blocking traffic. People parked anywhere while shopping, at work, or eating at the restaurants, all in order to avoid using public car parks and paying a fee. At times it was difficult to drive out of the garage or even get out of one s own front door if disabled. All this changed in November when Parking and Property Management was appointed. They issued permits to residents to display on windscreens, starting on 22 November. That very day several residents were issued 100 Parking Charge Notices at 5am for not displaying permits, even though we were parked in our own spaces, purchased with our apartments! To date I have personally paid out 220 on behalf of myself and visitors who were caught. The upside of this operation is that the streets of the estate are now magically clear of parked vehicles and one can drive through without difficulty, which is a blessing. One must not blame the young people who act as enforcers, as they are only doing their job. One I have spoken to is a Romanian lad who seemed a very pleasant individual and pleased to have a job in England. My advice to anyone who is thinking of parking on Kingston Mills is DON T, and don t say that you were not warned! Ron Dell 31

32 Saint for the Season: Oscar Romero O scar Romero ( ) was a Roman Catholic bishop in El Salvador. One of a large family, he felt called to the priesthood and eventually entered a seminary where he was an outstanding theological student. Ordained priest in Rome in 1942, he remained in Italy for further studies before returning to El Salvador. He served as a parish priest at San Miguel, then as rector of a seminary, editor of a church newspaper and secretary of the bishops conference in El Salvador. In 1970, Romero was appointed an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Salvador, and later Bishop of the poor rural diocese of Santiago de Maria. In 1977, Romero was made Archbishop of San Salvador. Welcomed by the government, many priests influenced by liberation theology were disappointed due to his apparent conservatism. Liberation theology had taken off in Latin America with its commitment to the poor, but it had its critics because of its Marxist tendencies. Progressive priests who feared that Romero s reputation for conservatism would have negative effects soon discovered his strong support for the Christian roots of liberation theology, notably when 32 he spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. Romero soon became internationally known, especially with his weekly sermon broadcasts criticising the new Revolutionary Government Junta. It had come to power amidst a wave of human rights abuses both by paramilitary right-wing groups as well as the government itself. Spiralling violence eventually resulted in the Salvadoran Civil War. Romero also criticised the United States for providing military aid to the government. On 24 March 1980 Romero was fatally shot while celebrating Mass at a small hospital chapel, a day after a sermon calling on Salvadoran soldiers to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights. His Funeral Mass was attended by more than 250,000 mourners from all over the world. Archbishop Oscar Romero was a church leader who fearlessly spoke out against social and political injustice, leaving behind an example for all church leaders to follow. He is commemorated on 24 March. David Driscoll

33 For Prayer in March To see real personal growth during Lent Our three APCMs and a commitment to serve Those to be baptised Those refugees settled in Wiltshire The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westwood Churchwardens: Jonathan Azis jonathan@azis.co.uk Paul Slade greenaleigh@talk21.com PCC Secretary Jill Ross jillbenedictross@gmail.com The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield Churchwarden: David Robinson david.robinson@paultonsstreet.com PCC Secretary Vacant 33

34 Quick Crossword The Bible version is the NIV Solutions on page 28 Clues across 1 These letters come between Romans and Galatians (11) 9 You will not me to the grave (Psalm 16:10) (7) 10 King of Moab to whom the Israelites were subject for 18 years (Judges 3:14) (5) 11 Town possessing mineral spring (3) 13 Mede (anag.) (4) 16 High-fidelity (abbrev.) (4) 17 He succeeded his father Rehoboam as king of Judah (1 Kings 14:31) (6) 18 A son of Simeon (Genesis 46:10) (4) 20 Controversial religious book of the 1970s, The of God Incarnate (4) 21 He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you and hear (Acts 2:33) (3,3) 22 You me together in my mother s womb (Psalm 139:13) (4) 23 Edit (anag.) (4) 25 Who has believed our message and to whom has the of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1) (3) 28 Abraham s brother (Genesis 22:23) (5) 29 When Mordecai learned of that had been, he tore his clothes (Esther 4:1) (3,4) 30 Sympathetic (Proverbs 11:16) (4-7) Source: Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon 34 Clues down 2 That was why his parents said, He is ; ask him (John 9:23) (2,3) 3 Integrated Services Digital Network (1,1,1,1) 4 4 Saul has slain his thousands, and David his of thousands (1 Samuel 18:7) (4) 5 Concept (John 8:14) (4) 6 Do we, then, the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law (Romans 3:31) (7) 7 Industrious (2 Timothy 2:6) (11) 8 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you (Ephesians 1:18) (11) 12 Out of the same mouth come and cursing (James 3:10) (6) 14 This was how many of the Jewish leaders described Jesus (John 10:20) (3) 15 Vitality (Job 20:11) (6) 19 He urged David to kill Saul at Hakilah (1 Samuel 26:8) (7) 20 So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul with the church and taught great numbers of people (Acts 11:26) (3) 24 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4) (2,3) 25 Parched (Matthew 12:43) (4) 26 In the image of God he created him; and female he created them (Genesis 1:27) (4) 27 Disparagement (Psalm 15:3) (4)