St Lawrence, Seal Chart Parish Magazine July 2015

Transcription

1 Services at St Margaret s Underriver during July 2015 In the Church, every Thursday at 08:30, Morning Prayer (said) - CW St Lawrence, Seal Chart Parish Magazine July 2015 Sunday 5 July 11:15 All Age Family Service Sunday 12 July 08:00 Holy Communion BCP 18:00 Evensong BCP Sunday 19 July 11:15 Patronal Festival - Holy Communion CW Sunday 26 July 11:15 Family Holy Communion (short) CW Sunday 2 Aug 11:15 All Age Family Service ST LAWRENCE CHURCH AND VILLAGE CONTACTS Vicar - Revd Carol Kitchener Reader - St Lawrence Church - Mrs Gretel Wakeham Admin Assistant - Tim Pearce admin@stlawrencesealchart.com Parish Website - Churchwardens Ron Drury Rob Otto PCC Hon Secretary John Morris PCC Hon Treasurer Andy Rowell Electoral Roll Clive McLintock Covenant & Envelopes Rob Otto Organist Lizzie Veglio Choir Director John Morris Bellringers Hon Secretary Peter Wharton Sevenoaks Deanery Synod Ron Drury Peter Wharton Sunday School Hilary Darque Child Protection Rep Kate Clark Church Flowers Sheila Jackson St Lawrence CE Primary School Headteacher Alison Saunders Chairman of Governors Paul Martin Clerk to the Governors Sarah Brew St Lawrence Pre-School Becky Stammers st St Lawrence Brownies Janet Boswell S oaks District Councillors Julia Thornton Roderick Hogarth Seal Parish Council Chairman Robin Watson Vice-Chairman Edward Oatley Clerk Lorna Talbot Ward Councillors Peter Granville Tony Bulleid St Lawrence Village Hall Management Committee Chairman Peter Wharton Secretary Janice Brooker Treasurer Andy Smaggasgale Bookings Secretary Clare Murray Cricket Club Secretary Robin Webster Badm ton Club Contact Peter Wharton Archery Club Secretary Mike Davies Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators Stone Street Contact Janice Brooker Seal Chart Contact Nicola Mitchell Copy for the next issue should be sent, preferably by , to the editor, Brian Sutton ( ) at manofkent99@yahoo.com to arrive by 08:00 on Wednesday 15 July 2015 The next issue of the Parish Magazine will be in Church on Sunday 26 July 2015 Edited and Typeset by Brian Sutton, 50 The Crescent, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3QY ( ) Printed by Highland Printers, Church Farm, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 0AN ( ) Vicar The Revd Carol Kitchener St Lawrence Vicarage Stone Street Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0LQ Ron Drury Garden Cottage, Raspit Hill Ivy Hatch Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0PE Church Wardens Reader Mrs Gretel Wakeham The White House Bitchet Green Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0NA Rob Otto 23 Hillingdon Avenue Sevenoaks Kent TN13 3RB

2 Our Vicar s Page In the summer months we celebrate the founding of the two churches in the 19 th century. Both churches were built with generous donations from local families and were received by the people of the villages with joy. The long journeys along muddy lanes to Seal church would no longer need to be made! Over the years monuments have been added to the buildings and in the churchyards to commemorate the dead of the world wars and in memory of much loved vicars and local people. The churches have come to reflect the lives of the people who have lived around them. The two churchyards have become places of memory as families have buried their dead, the same names cropping up again and again in church registers. Today the churchyards are quiet places visited by people remembering their loved ones and also by walkers stopping for a rest and sometimes to eat their lunch. The desire to build a church, to raise the money needed for such a building, to give land and to employ craftsmen comes from a desire to serve God, as well as to serve the community. Individuals with mature faith understood the spiritual needs of others. The building of these two churches challenges us to think about how much we value our faith and to ask what could we do to help people to come to faith, or live and flourish as people of faith? In both churches we give generously to charities based in this country and abroad. We show our concern for the physical and spiritual well being of people we will never meet. We open our churches so that people can visit them - St Lawrence s is open daily and St Margaret s at weekends our visitor s books testify to people s delight in finding that they are open. Some of things written in the visitor s books inform our prayers when Gretel and I go to a St Lawrence s on Tuesday morning, or St Margaret s on Thursday morning. We have beautiful churches, built to the glory of God and for the needs of local people, as well as the needs of visitors. The inheritance we have received is precious and we need to pass this on to the next generation, we can do that by caring for our buildings and churchyards and praying for the people who stop and visit our churches and churchyards as they enjoy the countryside. Yours in the love of Christ For the Children 2 11

3 To give is to receive --- it happens! In the Christian tradition, helping the poor is a requirement for salvation. Jesus told the rich man if you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor. How do we manage this advice in today s society with its emphasis on material acquisition and ownership? As we wonder how to deal with the desperate migrants beyond our borders who flee war and oppression, our conscience as Christians is bound to be troubled. In a world of suffering, Jesus would have no time for an excuse that Charity begins at home. It has been my good fortune to have had a home in Africa for many years and divide my time between there and Kemsing. Kenya is typical of many undeveloped countries in that the poor are the majority. Not starving or homeless but lacking things we take for granted. Just one is the provision of free secondary education. Miss the school experience for want of money and a very diminished life ahead is a certainty. With this problem on my doorstep in rural Africa, the option to turn a blind eye was not on. Eight years ago the Sevenoaks Kenya Education Trust (SKET) was set up whereby a young Kenyan can be connected to a sponsor here who can pay their school fees. It is very successful and given pleasure to many here in UK. The model is used by huge charities but there lies the difference as SKET is small and efficient with just 120 students in school this year and run with a very personal touch. If money flows one way, friendship is two way and I have been surprised by the care bonding that has resulted and justifies the title of my contribution to this Magazine. SKET :UK Reg Charity. Website sket.org.uk and managed by David Debenham who welcomes enquiry A Few Thoughts Shared Happiness depends on ourselves. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. I have never learned anything when I was talking. Responsibilities gravitate to those who can bear them. Life isn t about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain. Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It only empties today of its strengths. Found on line Notes from the PCC These notes give a brief summary of some of the main discussions at a recent meeting of the Parochial Church Council: Our treasurer reported that the Christian Aid collection around the parish had been successful, raising The work associated with the five-yearly inspection of the church by the diocesan architect (the Quinquennial review) has been satisfactorily completed. At a meeting in March the PCC decided to proceed with establishing a Joint Benefice with St Margaret s Underriver. The reason for this initiative is to formalise the legal relationship between the two churches so that we can offer a new incumbent, on the departure of our current Vicar, a halftime post rather than two quarter time positions. This difference is significant when the diocese is considering how to allocate scarce resources. Following discussion on the implications of a Joint Benefice at the Annual Parish Meeting in April the PCC has decided to continue with the decision made at the March meeting. The Rochester diocese initiated a Challenging Poverty 2015 project, seeking the support of all churches. As our contribution we held a fund-raising brunch in aid of the Emmaus Medway, a charity for the homeless. The meeting heard that the brunch raised 720 for the charity. The Annual Garden Party in May was very successful and raised 3600 to be shared between our two churches. The meeting considered arrangements for future such events. The PCC has accepted the generous offer of a bench for the churchyard in memory of a deceased parishioner. It was agreed that estimates will be obtained for the treatment of the wooden lychgate and the fence along the roadside. John Morris, PCC Secretary I m confused! A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. 10 3

4 The Allegri Singers Conducted by Tom Bullard Poetry in Music The School Building Project Last month there was a summary of what is happening on the asite to the south of the school building and now footing have been dug and an outline of the new classroom may be imagined. I am indebted to Clive Garnier for these two pictures of the site at present. in St Barnabas Church, Perth Road, Beckenham, BR3 6PP at 7:45 pm on Saturday 11 July 2015 Tickets (on the door) 12 (concessions 10) Mary had a Little Lamb Mary had a little lamb, His fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, The Lamb was sure to go. And then the rules all changed one day, Illegal it became. To bring the Lamb of God to school, Or even speak his Name. He followed her to school each day, Twasn't even in the rule. He made the children laugh and play. To have a Lamb at school. Everyday got worse and worse, And days turned into years. Instead of hearing children laugh, We heard gun shots and tears. What must we do to stop the crime, That's in our schools today? Let's let the Lamb come back to school, And teach our kids to pray! Contributed Anon Your Prayers are asked for.. the Christian Church in the Middle East; our linked diocese in Zimbabwe; all churches and congregations in the Rochester Diocese; our Bishops, Arch Deacon, Rural Dean, Vicar and Reader; Lord, in Your Mercy, Hear our Prayer 4 Watch this space for further news. Ed In the Holy Land A little while ago, Robin Kidell enjoyed a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and, needless to say, came home with many photographs, enough to fill several year s parish magazines! On the right is a classic view of Jerusalem taken from the Mount of Olives with the old wall in the middle distance and the Dome of the Rock on the right. The picture on the left is of a beach at the Dead Sea, 1400 feet below sea level, where one can float; it is impossible to swim. After one s float it is essential to wash off the oily saline deposit from one s skin and the thermal springs in the valley provide clean water for the showers. The salinity is nearly ten times that of ordinary sea water. 9

5 Finders Keepers finding things in street The gospels have a number of stories about things lost and found. The lost sheep, the prodigal son, and one of my favourites - the lost coin. I wonder if Our Lord had someone in mind when He told that parable? Perhaps He had seen a lady searching high and low, turning the house upside down - could it have been His mother, Mary? Just a thought. I am always losing things myself; usually essentials like glasses and keys and once my wife. We got separated from each other in a museum in Germany. I spoke to a warder who took me to a room where all the CCTV cameras were, and I was invited to select a wife. In the end, to get her back, I had to make an announcement over the tannoy. I am also always finding things. Maybe it is because I look downwards all the time. I have found keys, a wallet, a suit jacket, bank cards and a bobble hat on a train. The suit jacket was on a train so I could easily tell the guard. The wallet was outside a station in the drop off zone and I just handed it in. Things lost in other places are best handed to the police station. There they will take down your details and if not claimed they can give it back to you. If, like me, you often lose things, it is sensible to be careful. Do not put your pin number with bank cards. It is probably not a good idea to keep documents in your car that could be traced to you. Do you have a separate note of important telephone and other numbers if something is stolen? Do not put your address on your key tab. The bobble hat is another story. It was left on a first class carriage and I could remember the man and where he was sitting. I gave a full description of the man, the seat and which train he was on to a lady at enquiries at Newcastle station. I do not think it was ever claimed. Between you and me, I suspect he has spent much of his life trying to get away from it. Why Women Bishops have Clergy Husbands The first three women bishops to be appointed (Libby Lane to Stockport, Alison White to Hull and Rachel Treweek to Gloucester) all have clergy husbands. Why? Prof Linda Woodhead has speculated: The most amusing suggestion I ve heard is that the Church is looking for women bishops with experience of managing male clergy. 8 The Sky at Night The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. Red peppers, cucumbers and the flower garden Wies Landheer, a qualified doctor and mission partner with CMS in Rwanda, reflects on what we can learn from our garden When I came to Rwanda, I didn t plan to garden. I didn t have any green fingers! The land around my flat had some majestic trees and flowers, which indicated it had once been a nice garden. I decided to attempt to restore it. The more time and thought I invested in this, the more I started to like gardening. Could it be that God can use a garden to teach us lessons about mission? Is it possible that as we try to grow cucumbers for the first time ever, that God is actually showing us how to build his kingdom? To one side stands a Jacaranda tree, likely planted by the first missionaries here. We enjoy its benefits. In the same way in my work, I build on the efforts of people who came here before me a century ago and planted the structures for the hospital and the Anglican Church. On one hand we are blessed that others have done the ground-breaking; on the other, sometimes a tree is cut down and replaced with new seedlings. The labour ward here was built to accommodate one woman but now is overcrowded with four beds. So the hospital is preparing to build a new obstetrics and gynaecology block that will have its own operating theatre for emergencies. My garden holds a collection of plants, mostly copied from other gardens near and far. I have learned that the closer we find the plant to copy from, the bigger the chance that it will also grow well in our garden. In cross-cultural mission we can try to copy an idea or concept from home into our new environment but it is often better to be led by local experience. What happens with a seed after you have planted it is quite a mystery, and mostly beyond your control. What we can do is little: watering, weeding and being patient. I find patience hard. Sometimes I cannot stop myself from digging up seeds to see if they have sprouted. Impatience can harm our harvest. My mother sent me seeds for red peppers. They bore a lot of large fruit, but it was all green. Fairly convinced that they would never turn red, we picked and ate them. They tasted good. What a surprise it was when one day a pepper, still on the plant, showed some patches of red! I can tell you that they tasted even better. Together we are gardeners in God s garden. Let us encourage each other to plant seeds of love, work hard and wait patiently as God performs his miracles. Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for President and fifty for Miss America? 5

6 Services and Events at The Church of St Lawrence Seal Chart during July 2015 Every Tuesday at 08:30, in the Church Morning Prayer (said) (CW) Sunday 5 July Fifth Sunday after Trinity 08:00 Holy Communion BCP 2 Corinthians Mark 6: :45 All Age Family Service 2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9-10 Tuesday 7 July Prayer Time - (lasts about an hour - all are welcome) 10:00 At Grenadiers, Riding Lane Sunday 12 July Sixth Sunday after Trinity 09:45 Family Communion CW Ephesians 1: 3-14 Mark 6: Sunday 19 July St Margaret s Patronal Festival 11:15 Joint Holy Communion at St Margaret s Underriver CW Ephesians 2: Mark 6: 3-34, Monday 20 July Prayer Time - (lasts about an hour - all are welcome) 10:00 At 50 The Crescent Sunday 26 July Eighth Sunday after Trinity 09:45 Matins BCP Ephesians 3: 14-end John 6: 1-21 Sunday 2 August Ninth Sunday after Trinity 08:00 Holy Communion BCP Ephesians 4: 1-16 John 6: :45 All Age Family Service John 6: (CEV) Key: BCP = Book of Common Prayer - a service using tradional (17th C) language and form; CW = Common Worship - a service using contemporary (21st C) language and form The Cover Picture Church Flowers Sunday 5 July Sheila Jackson Sunday 12 July Bridget Stephens Sunday 19 July Bridget Stephens Sunday 26 July Jean Stirling Sunday 2 Aug Jean Stirling The Parish Church of St Lawrence the Martyr, Abbots Langley, stands on a site which has been a Christian burial ground for over 1000 years and on which formerly stood a Saxon Church, but the present church is Norman in origin; the tower was added during the 12th or 13th century and there are later additions. The church is mainly constructed from Totternhoe stone and flint but the church's ancient roof was partially destroyed by a fire in There are some faint Medieval wall paintings inside the church which were discovered during renovation work in the 1930s; and, despite being an Anglican Church, it contains a modern plaque to Nicholas Breakspear [below], born a few miles away at Bedmond, who, as Adrian IV, became the only English pope. It was announced recently that in September this year the present vicar of St Lawrence, Abbots Langley, The Revd Dr Jo Spreadbury, has been appointed to a new post as Canon Precentor at Portsmouth Cathedral. We wish her well in this new appointment. Children meet promptly at 09:45 in St Lawrence School Hall on the dates shown ibelow They will rejoin their parents in the church towards the end of the service. All children aged 3 and upwards are welcome 19 July Diocesan Big Day out at Leybourne Castle & Parish Picnic (Details of both events to follow later) For further information contact Hilary Darque [ ] 6 7