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Parish News Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity,
Westwood and Wingfield
February 2017
www.htboa.org
In this issue… Family: worshipping together & apart Ali continues her journey to small
pilgrim places And all the latest news from around the Benefice...
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DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY
Rector The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BoA BA15 1AF [email protected] Tel: 864444 Associate Priest The Revd Dr Ali Green, 36 Budbury Close, BoA BA15 1QG [email protected] Tel: 0785 547 0069 Churchwardens David Milne, 37 Palairet Close, BA15 1UT Tel: 864341
Judith Holland, 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD Tel: 866215 Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton [email protected] Admin Assistant Aylene Clack [email protected] 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 (Check Bulletins and notices or Church website) Sundays 9.30am Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 2nd Sundays 9.30am ‘In the Round’ (coffee afterwards) 6pm Evensong, Compline, etc Weekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwards Daily (not Sundays or Tuesdays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm Times of Meetings mainly music 10.30am, Tuesdays Choir Practice 6.30pm, Christ Church, Tuesdays Mothers’ Union 2.30pm, usually 3rd Thursday of every month Saxon Club 2–4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church Hall Bell Practice 7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th Mondays Benefice website www.htboa.org Weekly Bulletin Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday.
Please see the bulletin or visit www.htboa.org for more details on service times and locations.
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WEEKLY GROUPS Monday 7.30pm (fortnightly) ‘Faith Explored’ (for venue ring Erin Shields-Pett on 684460) Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children school term only), Bradford on Avon Youth and Community Centre
HOLY TRINITY
DIARY FOR FEBRUARY 2017
Baptisms
Chloe Isabel Sheppard 22 January
FROM THE REGISTERS
Funerals
Eileen Sheppard 21 December
2 Thursday 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory
5 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Compline
12 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am ‘In the Round’
6pm Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness
16 Thursday 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Mothers’ Union Meeting
19 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Evensong Westwood
26 SUNDAY THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Evensong
Marriages
Clive Tomlinson & Stephanie Squire 31 December
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WESTWOOD & WINGFIELD
DIARY FOR FEBRUARY 2017
5 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am Morning Prayer Wingfield
11.15am Family Service Westwood
12 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield
11.15am Holy Communion Westwood
19 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
9.30am Family Service Wingfield
11.15am Mattins (BCP) Westwood
6pm Evensong Westwood
22 Wednesday 7pm Wingfield PCC Church Farm
26 SUNDAY THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT
9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield
11.15am Holy Communion Westwood
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I was struck by this comment which I recently came across in a ‘Church
Times’ leader. It was referring to the visit of the magi at Epiphany, and
of course throughout that season and the one of Christmas before it, we find ourselves reflecting upon those stories of ‘transformed lives’. The
shepherds and the magi are nice examples - and then Paul is another,
whose dramatic ‘one encounter’ conversion we celebrated at the end of January. And it is a wonderfully positive statement, full of hope.
Somehow it encapsulates our vision for Holy Trinity – which has already exceeded all expectations - as the very building and the presence of God
within it is speaking to people in ways and at times which words never
could. And, with so many people wandering in day in and day out, how exciting for us to think of that very real possibility of lives being
‘transformed utterly’? God can do his work very happily without us, we
just need to prepare the ‘space’ and leave that door open… As I read in another profound remark (by Canon Alan Billings): ‘These are moments
when the timeless intersects with time, and God lies in wait’. So here are
some of the amazing comments we have received:
‘No photograph could express the real hands-on experience’.
‘We came to visit your beautiful church again last Saturday. The church
was packed and there was a choir singing. The Christmas Trees looked
wonderful and the choir sounded great. We were only there for a short time but it was quite a moving experience’.
‘Awesome and beautiful’. ‘A lovely serene and peaceful space’.
‘I came here to feel safe and to ask for help and guidance. Thank you for
the peace and safeness I have felt here. Thank you for having this beautiful place to help me.’
But then of course we have also enjoyed the exhilaration of the Christmas Tree Festival (complete with our new kitchen working overtime) and the
‘Even today, it need take only one encounter with
Christ to transform someone’s life utterly’.
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very happy Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving presided over by Bishop Nicholas when it was such a delight to welcome our many, many
guests to our first ‘real’ Service. And we were ready – though with just
hours to spare - and still frantically learning how everything worked! Then we were on a roll with large numbers again for Nine Lessons, some 450
for the Crib and Christingle as they just kept coming.. and then of course
Midnight Mass and Christmas Day itself. But hard on its heels was the biggest and most amazing wedding ever of Stephanie and Clive on New
Year’s Eve – see photos later in this issue!
So what stories our new building could tell already in its first two months
of life! And at the risk of boring you with yet another quote, this time from
the Archbishop of Canterbury’s New Year Message, here we have our agenda for the future perfectly mapped out: ‘If we’re welcoming to those
in need, if we’re generous in giving, if we take hold of our new future with
determination and courage, then we will flourish. Living well together despite our differences, offering hospitality to the stranger and those in
exile, with unshakeable hope for the future — these are the gifts, the
commands, and the promises of Jesus Christ.’ We’ve made a fantastic start and already have lots of bookings for future events. But I think we
do need always to be aware of the importance of the balance between
these joyful community events and ‘weIcoming those in need’ and being ‘generous in giving’ – and I am really excited to be in conversation with the
Area Board, Alzheimer’s Support and the Health Centre about the setting
up of a Memory Café (or something similar) for dementia sufferers and their carers. And so, hey, WE WILL FLOURISH!
With my love and prayers and every blessing
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T his was the year that we broke
all previous records! There
were over 60 trees on display and a total of 4002 visitors came
through our doors, compared with
2300 last year and 700 in 2011 when the Festival started.
I have to thank our stalwart
team who helped set up and take down in record time, served
refreshments, entertained and
warmly welcomed visitors, wearing their fingers to the bone pushing
the clicker. It really was a special
event made all the more worth
while by the cries of amazement
from those seeing what a transformation has been wrought
in Holy Trinity.
We raised over £6000, which the Friends will put towards items
which had to be deferred from the
original specification, or towards things which it becomes apparent
we really do need to make the
building “work” once we have settled back in.
John Cox
AROUND THE BENEFICE AT THE TURN OF THE YEAR
CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL RECORD BREAKER
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BISHOP NICHOLAS’S VISIT
A congregation of 250 filled Holy Trinity on 18 December, when Bishop Nicholas presided.
Regulars were joined by members of Christ Church and visitors from
across town and further afield.
Left: Etched glass doors arrived at Holy Trinity just in time to receive a blessing by Bishop Nicholas, along with the new kitchen, the translocated font and the new nave altar Below: Bishop Nicholas with Holy Trinity’s ex Director of Music Tom Pelham and fiancée Sarah
Above: Churchwarden Judith Holland chats after the service with Jim Crouch of BuroHappold who managed the reordering project
Left: One of the celebration cakes gave a reminder of Holy Trinity before reordering
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FOLLOW THE STAR
A big Thank You for the wonderful response to our request for Nativity
set loans for the exhibition in St Mary’s church. We were able to show
79 sets and what an amazing variety there were. We had 25 sets from countries abroad - many
from Africa and South America. Several
families have sets and figures carved from olive wood from Bethlehem. There was a beautifully
elegant set from Rwanda, carved from dark hard
wood, and a tiny African set meticulously made from grasses, leaves and rolled paper. Home
made sets included knitted sets and a large
tapestry hanging of a view onto the Nativity scene through an
attic window. The main altar piece was a
life-sized model of the Holy Family and looked quite stunning. Thank you again for all
the contributions and to all the people who
helped in so many ways to put on what was a very interesting show.
Paul Slade, Westwood
Left: Youngsters attending the Christmas Day family service at Westwood gather at the altar with Ali Green Above: Rose and Amelia Hatfield admire the Christmas tree before Wingfield Christmas Day family service
WINGFIELD & WESTWOOD CHRISTMAS SERVICES
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S tephanie Squire and Clive Tomlinson took Holy Trinity by storm on New Years’ Eve – filling the church for the first and last wedding of 2016.
And it was certainly a really happy and memorable occasion - with a full
choir of friends and plenty of amazing music - as we all escorted them on the Orient Express. We wish Mr & Mrs Tomlinson every blessing for their
new life ahead.
WEDDING OF THE YEAR
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FISH ‘N’ CHIP SUPPER QUIZ
C oinciding with the town’s Christmas lights switch on, 52 quiz-zers formed nine teams to compete in this stimulating evening
of searching questions. Nine categories of 10 questions each chal-
lenged the assembled teams. A welcome supper break with fish ‘n’ chips provided by Station Place gave Chris Hodge opportunity to draw the raffle
and thanks to her very persuasive manner, £89 was raised.
The winning team led by John Sealy, and curiously called ‘Marion is back’, won by 73 points out of a possible total of 90, just one point ahead
of Vic Holden’s team. Two teams tied for 3rd place – The Friends and ‘Fuzzy
Faith’ led by Alan Knight. Thanks to all who helped set up and clear away and to those who donated raffle prizes; to Station Place for providing the
supper; and of course to all those who came and supported the quiz. A
total profit for the evening was £319; which will be used by The Friends to help finance the re-ordering of Holy Trinity Church.
Mike Fuller
LENT LUNCHES
since. Today, they are a national charity that
runs local projects,
helping children and young people when
they are at their most vulnerable,
and have nowhere left to turn. They listen. And Bradford on Avon
has had a fundraising committee
for a very long time, with Liz Forbes who has come up with this
idea having served on it for over 30
years and now taking the chair! So do take this opportunity to come
and chat and eat in our wonderful
new church, and help us make change so that these desperately
struggling children of today might
have better lives. Thank you.
W e are teaming up this year to provide delicious Lent
Lunches of a bowl of soup and a roll,
to be followed by tea or coffee and fruit, every Thursday in Lent from 12
noon to 2pm, starting on 2 March.
The Children’s Society was founded some 140 years ago as a
result of the work of a Sunday
School teacher, Edward Rudolf , shocked to find some of his chil
dren begging for food on the
streets, their father having died, leaving their mother struggling to
bring up seven children under 11
years old. The Church of England ‘Central Home for Waifs and
Strays’ was soon established – and
the work has mushroomed ever
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You can contact the editorial team on: [email protected]
March issue copy deadline Friday, 10 February 2017
W e were very pleased to welcome Revd Ali to Mainly
Music to tell the story of Christmas. This photo shows
some of the children and mums listening and Janet holding the star. Among our group we have Mary, Joseph and two babies
although on this occasion
we did not use a real baby. Also, we do have a
child who was born on
Christmas Day so when Ali asked, 'Who was born
on Christmas Day?', the
children answered 'Jesus' and Alfie said, 'And me'.
We sang Twinkle, Twin
kle, Little Star, and Away in a Manger.
Marlene Haffenden
MU LOCAL MEETINGS
T he Mothers Union Holy Trinity
branch is meeting in church on February 6 between 9.30 and
10.30am as part of the Wave of
Prayer which carries on continually so each of our dioceses are prayed
for during the year.
Salisbury diocese will be praying with our linked dioceses of Botswa
na, Marsabit in Kenya, Idah and
Jebba in Nigeria and the Andaman and Car Nicobar Islands off India.
Our meetings for 2017 are all
planned and will be taking place on the third Thursday of the
month at 2.30p.m. in Holy
Trinity Church. On February 16th Chris Hodge is
going to talk about 'My Treasures'.
We hope that the new time will be favoured by more members
and the new venue will be more
spacious and comfortable. Jill Wright
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ACROSS: 1, Wage. 3, Cleansed. 9, Plateau. 10, Ready. 11, Did so. 12, Hollow. 14, Unregenerated. 17, Offers. 19, Islam. 22, Is not. 23, Overran. 24, Barracks. 25, Legs. DOWN: 1, Wiped out. 2, Guard. 4, Laughing-stock. 5, April. 6, Seaport. 7, Days. 8, Belong. 13, Oddments. 15, Refiner. 16, Raided. 18, Extra. 20, Large. 21, Limb.
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HT - the Vision Unfolds
F or the past year, several working groups have been developing the overall vision for Holy Trinity. Here is a
round-up from two of the groups.
Arts and Community Events Group
One of the main aims of the reordering was to open our doors and make
Holy Trinity a focus for the community at large and the working group have been looking at the practicalities, such as a job description for the
caretaker, booking forms and charges for the hire of the church or the
Tower Room. We have also been looking at ways and means to improve visitor experience through new displays and the provision of information
about the church and those commemorated.
We are very mindful of the fact that we need to generate income to pay for the caretaker and the cost of heating and lighting our wonderful “new”
building and are doing what we can to advertise Holy Trinity as a venue.
John Cox
The Worship Group
We started with thinking about that first day after the handover, with the daily offices and the midday Eucharist. That idea developed into the first
whole week being called the ‘Mary Week’ with a regular pattern of wor
ship. Suggested prayers were printed for key areas in the church, which was to be a place for quiet reflection and wonder. And so it turned out, as
the many written comments proved. The following weeks were taken up
with preparing for the service with Bishop Nicholas on 18 December. We thought too about the pattern of Sunday services, and proposed
that we have a non-Eucharistic service called ‘In the Round’ on the second
Sunday each month, making flexible use of the reordered space. This would explore various themes, music and readings, whilst centring on the
Gospel. On this day, as well as the 8.00am Eucharist, there is now also an
evening Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness of a kind which brings peace and which many parishes have found very helpful and inspiring.
We hope that these plans will develop as we find the best ways of using
our wonderful new Church – centred on worship and transformed so that we can be transformed.
Hugh Wright
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Farewell to Richard and Margaret
R ichard has been an Anglican
Minister for more than 50
years, serving in the leafy commuter belt of Surrey, Liverpool,
Salisbury and Bath Abbey – and,
further afield: Ethiopia and South Sudan. Margaret was always by
his side contributing hugely to his
work. She even helped produce 600 rather smart tracksuits for the
orphans in Ethiopia.
Richard left Bath Abbey in 2000 and became second in command
of the team in the
Deverill Valley for nine years. After
that, he called him
self “a redundant vicar” and put him
self and Margaret
out to pasture in Westwood, where
some of his family
were already living. But not for
them the life of tea
parties, leisurely walks and reading by the fire; on the contrary, they
both threw themselves enthusias
tically into village life. At Bath Abbey, Richard had been known as
“Richard Ask You” as he was such a
successful fund-raiser; so he was asked to organise a huge fund-
raising for Westwood Church and
Parish Room. He raised a stagger
ing £10,000 for the improvements
and alterations currently being un
dertaken and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to him and Margaret
for their involvement in our village
life; and their hospitality to various groups who met in their home.
Richard’s sermons were always
fascinating and very often highly amusing! I remember one where
he was quoting from one of those
depressing tombstones which lie around the edge of Bath Abbey; in
part it read that the
late man, whose life had been exemplary,
was now looking
forward to a life of “immorality”!
Obviously, the stone
mason had had a hard day and omitted a “t”.
I think the sermon was
“doing things carefully…”. And now they
are down-sizing from
Westwood to “monitored” housing in Bathampton. We’re so lucky to
have had them in our village for
nine years and they will be sorely missed. Maybe they will come to
Church occasionally and we could
be treated to another of Richard’s sermons. We wish them both good
health and happiness in the future.
Sue Snailum
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Pr
ayer
Pa
ths
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
T he greatest treasure we can ever have is one that we can’t
buy or manufacture or win. If we’re
spiritually aware, we’ll know that our deepest desire - to live in loving
union with God – is realized by
simple surrender. God’s grace is sheer gift, and
with that gift we live ever more
deeply in Christ and follow that path of poverty of spirit: simplicity,
humility, modera
tion, compassion, self-control. This is
a paradox of faith:
when we let go of what our ego
craves – status,
possessions, power, influence – then
we find untold
riches in our relationship with our
Creator, with creation and with
other people. In surrendering to spiritual poverty, we find that the
deepest desires of our heart and
spirit can be fulfilled. It’s a process that takes time and discipline, and
a prayer path we journey for the
rest of our lives. Contemplative practice is an
effective prayer path for letting go
of those things the world tells us are important - our illusions and
addictions, temptations and anxie
ties, fears and false assumptions -
in order to dwell in the reality of
our true inherent union with our Creator. Prayer in this sense is
quite simply a profound experience
of our core being - who we are, as Paul says, “hidden with Christ in
God” (Col 3:3). On our path of
prayer we learn to trust God enough to let go of all the “stuff”
of our small lives and enter into
our greater life in Christ (1 Cor 2:16)
where we are in
union with God and with one another
and with all of the
created universe (Eph 4:4-5). Pray
ing for poverty of
spirit is unlikely to be a comfortable
ride. We may find
we’re being challenged to let go of something we’re really attached
to – whether it’s a well-worn habit,
a familiar old grudge or a closely-guarded fear. But if we’re serious
about prayer, we’ll know that it’s
just in those moments of challenge or crisis that we’re being invited to
grow and mature in our disciple
ship. And it’s in this uncomfortable space that we may well recognize
the much larger kingdom of God.
Ali Green
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O ne of the great blessings of now having all three churches in our benefice open all day is that anyone can pop in, whenever they
want to enjoy the peace and stillness and, if they wish, to pray.
Joanna and others regularly meet together at Holy Trinity Church to say the office at 8.30am when the church opens, and 5.30pm before it closes, and
anyone is most welcome to come along at these times. However, there are
days when a clergy person is not available because of rest days, holidays or other commitments.
But now that the church is open every day, there is no reason why daily
morning and evening prayer can’t carry on each day of the week except for Sundays. In the chancel you’ll find the lectionary and prayer books used
for the offices; please do make use of these. If you prefer, there are also
leaflets with forms of shorter morning and evening prayer. And if your preference is silent meditation, then please feel free to pray in that way.
There are other prayer aids available as well – do take the opportunity to
discover them and try them out. The important thing is to be a praying community, so let’s make sure
that we uphold the daily rhythm of prayer in our wonderful, renewed
worship space. And if you happen to be popping into church, especially around these set-aside prayer times, please respect the silence so as not to
disturb those at prayer. Better still: come and join in. Whatever the task
you’ve come to carry out, do give yourself a moment’s pause to remember God’s presence, offer a prayer and come away with God’s blessing.
Ali Green
Left: The new nave altar, choir stalls and seating
Morning and Evening Prayer
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The Family: Worshipping Together and Apart
N o two families are the same and they all keep
changing. Yet we often
persist in thinking that there is such a thing as a normal family. It is usu-
ally rather like the ones we imag-
ined we knew forty years ago. We are all familiar with Christmas letter
accounts which report the successes
of all concerned in the past year. But that often means leaving some
things out! Here then is a brief ac-
count of our family, to kick off our new series this year on the broad
theme of families.
Growing Family
We were married in Bedford in
1962 and have three sons, all over forty and one over fifty – that
makes us feel old. Two are married
with two children, so four grandchildren. Our eldest runs a preci
sion engineering company in South Yorkshire, the other is a care home
nurse in South Wales. This is a re
cent career change from property developing in the Emirates. Their
wives work full time; one is a uni
versity lecturer, one is changing from running her own PR company
to executive coaching (she did the
sparkling wine tasting evening as a fund raiser for Holy Trinity recent
ly). James is unable to work and is
in psychiatric care. He is on the Holy Trinity prayer list.
All go to church regularly: one
family to their parish church; one has recently changed from their
parish church to the Methodists as
Above: The Chapel at Kingswood school, Bath Left: Hugh and Jill and their family
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it suits the whole family; the third
is taken regularly to both and stays in the Sunday services he goes to
as long as he can. This pattern of
church membership started when they were at Kingswood School,
Bath, a Methodist school founded
by John Wesley himself. When they were there, those wishing to join
the church were prepared as both
Anglicans and Methodists and were made members of both in the
same service by the then Bishop of
Bath and Wells, John Bickersteth, and Rupert Davies, President of
the Methodist Conference in 1970
who was also chairman of the school governors.
Affirming One Another The reason for this remarkable
piece of cooperation between the
two churches needs explanation. Since the war two official Conver
sations between the two churches
have taken place in the UK, in the 1960s and the 1970s. Sadly, agree
ment to unite has not been
reached. This is in strong contrast to the successful unity schemes
which have taken place elsewhere.
These are: Canada 1925, S India 1947, Zambia 1965, Pakistan 1970,
N India 1970, Australia 1977 and
seven European Methodist churches joined with communities of
Protestant churches in 1996.
More hopefully, here in 2003 both churches signed a Covenant
to work together to overcome
their remaining differences. This is the wording of it: We affirm
one another’s churches as true
churches belonging to one Holy and Apostolic church of Jesus
Christ and as truly participating in
the apostolic mission of the whole people of God.
Bishop John Bickersteth and Dr
Rupert Davies both represented their churches in the failed conver
sations which ended in 1980.
They decided that there was no reason why they should not use
at Kingswood the joint induction
service that had actually already been agreed as part of the Act of
Unity. All three of our sons took
part in this. What a good idea this was. It has born rich fruit in
all their lives.
These are just a few words of introduction to our family. We
are hoping James will have
joined a therapeutic community in Bristol by the time you read
this and we thank you for your
prayers. He is an example of faithfulness to us all and all
the family has united to help
him through. Hugh Wright
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T his is the last of a series in which I have been asking
whether a new reformation
is needed for the Church. This year marks the 500th anniversary of
Martin Luther’s 95 theses which
triggered a reformation triggering a lasting effect on Christendom – and
is perhaps still worth thinking about
with a new look Holy Trinity.
Questions Raised
I’ve raised questions about how we can attract people and give a warm
welcome, especially to younger
generations. And how can we create a sense of mystery, awe and
drama in our services, that gives us
a deep experience of earth meeting heaven? In our outreach, how
do we effectively engage the wider
community? One way is in addressing long-term needs where a differ
ence could be made, with partners
who share in our enterprise. We also need to identify situations
where there is injustice, and work
together to make things better. There are issues too around the
environment and climate change:
for example, how might local churches collaborate more closely
with Climate Friendly Bradford
on Avon? National discussions about
church reform include the report
commissioned by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, ‘Reform
and Renewal in the Church of Eng
land’, which has had rather a mixed reception. Whatever is eventually
decided, lay people need a much
greater role in the life of the Church, with local initiatives rather
than too many top-down strate
gies. The Church could well learn from secular bodies rather than
thinking we have all the answers.
We have allies in the other churches, nationally and locally, and a lot
in common with other faith com
munities. How might we work more closely with them? Reading
and studying the Bible helps us to
address these issues; it is the sourcebook of our faith and re
mains relevant today.
We have uncertainty and division both at home and abroad. Sadly, in
recent months we’ve discovered
that Britain is more selfish, mean-spirited and intolerant than
perhaps we thought it was, and
also more divided! Would a reformation make any difference?
Might it lead to a renewal of the
Church to confront these issues?
Prayer
One last vital issue is Prayer. Churches pray about problems in
the world Sunday by Sunday, but is
A New Reformation: Praying the Kingdom
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it is doing any good? Is God listening to our prayers, and if so what is
God going to do about it? I have
often puzzled over this, but I was greatly helped by a book, ‘Praying
the Kingdom’ (DLT 1985) by
Charles Elliott, an ordained priest, spiritual writer and university lec
turer in global development. Elliott
shows that the Church is not an end in itself but a pointer to the
kingdom, for whose coming we
pray every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. He provides examples of
how prayer can come alive, espe
cially through words of scripture, using the Ignatian method Ali
Green frequently talks about. We
are thus enabled to see how God is working in the world, and our part
and the part of the Church in God’s
work. We also receive encouragement not to lose heart, even in
situations that seem increasingly
hopeless - and this applies also to
the Church!
In prayer we are placing these problems into God’s presence. This
doesn’t mean that they are not al
ready within the loving purposes of God, or that God will make things
better by some miraculous divine
intervention. God has given us free will, and as a result we all too
frequently get into a mess. Howev
er, we can pray for the people who are closely involved in these situa
tions, that with God’s grace, hearts
and minds might become attuned to the divine will. At the same time
we can pray to discover a deeper
awareness of the part we and our churches might play. We can’t get
involved in every situation, but
with God’s guidance we may be
‘Be transformed by the renewal of
your minds…’ Rom 12:2
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able to discern where and how we can work in a small way to make
a difference.
Prayer has to be at the heart of any reformation, or
‘transformation’. As Paul says
to the Christians in Rome, ‘Conform no longer to the pattern
of this present world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your minds…’ (Romans 12:2).
There is an ecumenical initiative
at a national level for 10 days of
prayer between Ascension Day
and Pentecost next year based on the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.
I’m rather pessimistic about
top-down initiatives, but I do hope and pray this will be successful.
If we, the Body of Christ, are fully
open to God, and if we carefully listen, who knows what might
be achieved!
David Driscoll
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Book Review: Dethroning Mammon Dethroning Mammon: Making Money Serve Grace
Archbishop Justin Welby
W hat is mammon?
Mammon rules the
secular world. It is the lust for money, for possessions and
for power over others. Some strive
for large bank accounts, some for possessions, others for successful
careers with promotion
and power over colleagues. Mammon
is characterised by
competition, efficiency and productivity.
But is this all there is to
life? Archbishop Welby does not deny the right
ful role of mammon in
today’s society, if a nation is to operate at all in
a competitive world, but says in
effect “Stop a moment and think. Where is God in this picture?
What about the down-trodden,
the impoverished, those with an intellectual disability, do they not
have a role in this brave new
world?” He argues that each person is unique, gifted with qualities
that should be recognised. Often
those of lowest intellect have most to offer in terms of love, tender
ness and kindness towards others.
In short, society has its priorities wrong and mammon should be
“dethroned” from its dominant
role and put in its place: we should all be more like Jesus, humble and
meek rather than ambitious and
thrusting. I am reminded of the child’s prayer “Gentle Jesus, meek
and mild, look upon a little child”.
“Dethroning Mammon” is Archbishop Welby’s first full length
book, a paperback of
169 pages with six short chapters. Published
recently, it is intended
for Lent reading and study. In the introduc
tion he says that he was
motivated to write it by reflecting on the
extraordinary contrast
between mammon and Christ. Individual
chapters deal inter alia with
what we value in our lives, our powerful motivation to hold on
to our possessions and the
spiritual rewards that come from being charitable.
Welby’s commercial history in
economics and high finance make him well qualified to write on this
subject. This is a book whose time
has come to address some of the failings of today’s world.
Ron Dell
26
I t was the coldest day of the
winter so far when I set off walking southwards from
Crewkerne station. Travelling there
by train I’d passed fields and woods glistening white under a hard frost.
This was the fourth leg of my travels
around Small Pilgrim Places, and my destination was the Church of
St Mary, Netherbury.
It was be beginning of January, and I looked out (as usual on the
first walk of the year) for any
flowering plants. I had spotted very few around my neighbourhood, so
wasn’t hopeful of a high count. But
keeping an eye on sun-warmed hedgebanks and farm gateways,
over the round trip of 28km I
clocked up over a dozen species in flower, including the trusty gorse
with its bright yellow, coconut-
scented blooms appearing almost all year round.
I followed old tracks, footpaths
and holloways, some turned to shallow streams and thick mud
after winter rains. Where the
sun’s rays reached, the frost melted under a cloudless, bright
blue sky enhanced by a pale half-
moon. I passed no other walkers, but had the company of many
robins, and other small songbirds
making the most of the brief warmth, and also of a handsome
fox who trotted across my path.
Passing through Mosterton I popped into the church and found
a relatively modern stained glass
window depicting Christ above a working tractor, its engine parts
picked out in loving detail – a
fitting benediction for this farming community. I picked up
a sandwich from a local shop and
half an hour later ate a picnic on a high ridge where my footpath
crossed the Monarch’s Way trail
before descending the valley into Beaminster.
By the time I reached the folds
of the hills around Netherbury the sun was dipping below the
horizon and the air quickly cooled.
Shady tracks here had remained covered all day in ice-filled ruts
and puddles.
A Journey to Small Pilgrim Places—Netherbury
27
I found St Mary’s Church just in
time to explore its location and admire its fine stone exterior in the
lingering light. The churchyard is
evidently being managed carefully, and a sign explained that it is part
of the Dorset Wildlife Trust Living
Churchyard Project, aimed at preserving and enhancing the
nature conservation value
of such sites. Inside, I found some interesting
features, including an ancient font
and an elegant Elizabethan wood-panelled pulpit with a gleaming
brass stair-rail. An area is set aside
for quiet prayer, and here a variety of prayer aids are available, includ
ing stones in a bowl of water, a
pathway of footprints leading to a prayer tree, a prie-dieu, candles
and a host of prayer requests hung
around an old tombstone. An arc of
chairs on a soft carpet invites
visitors to rest and reflect.
Leaving the churchyard some time later, I came across a trio of
handsome dogs and their owner,
who introduced herself as Jackie Bush, the hospitaller. How good
to make her acquaintance. She
directed me to a local farm, my night’s B&B. Later that evening,
eating a fireside supper of home-
reared lamb, I could hear the church bells up the valley as the
ringers practised.
Next morning I left soon after sunrise, keen to keep ahead of
threatening rainclouds. I took a
more easterly route, passing through South Perrott under
gathering clouds, but thankfully
reached Crewkerne station before the first raindrops fell.
Ali Green
Sunshine: St Mary’s church Netherbury
28
side to see the layout and occupan
cy of the seating space. Relief! Having chosen my desired
“seat”, the next impression came
from how welcoming those around were. I always explained who I was
and why I had come and all around
were very welcoming, putting me at ease right away. Next impres
sions came from how comfortable
the seating was and how warm and light were the surroundings. Then
there was the question of knee
room and space for kneeling. At the start of the service clarity
from the worship leader was im
portant for me, either by direct hearing or through the sound
~system. Next came the clarity
of order of service: hymn number and how noisy would the music be?
Fortunately in many cases all
seemed comfortably familiar. I was interested in the preacher’s
theology and relevance of the ser
mon/talk and how the leading minister engaged with the congrega
tion. Were we brought into the
worshipping and thinking process or was it all as if we were pew fod
der there to be talked-at and edu
cated? Were we given a task at the end to think about during the com
ing week? In cases of Holy Com
munion, guidance and inclusivity were also important.
A Year in Exile
W hen Holy Trinity closed in
2016, it raised the ques-tion of where would we
worship. I decided to attend my
nearest church, the United Church, where I knew several members;
this would become my new
worshipping base. But I decided that I would make
a personal pilgrimage one Sunday
each month to all the other Bradford churches, to learn about their
ways of worship, get to know other
Bradford Christians, be buoyed up by their witness and hopefully
show that it was good to be in uni
ty. This was an exciting challenge which I managed to accomplish on
18 December, and such a wonder
ful experience that I would like to share some of it with you.
I approached each worshipping
community with some trepidation. Was I at the right place at the right
time? What would they be like?
Where to sit? Would I be able to follow their worship? In each place
I was rapidly put at ease and made
very welcome by the people at the door, sometimes even by name! I
found this initial entry always easi
er if the local environment was beneficial: light, easy atmosphere,
handed books and notices for the
day between the outer and the inner doors, and able to glimpse in
29
As to endings, were we invited to
socialise over refreshments and made welcome there, or would I be
invited back? Having now complet
ed my pilgrimage I would like to say how welcoming everybody has
been. Well done! The whole experi
ence was very encouraging: meeting new people and realising that
there are many more active wor
shipping Christians in Bradford than one might think. In all the congre
gations with their differing styles of worshipping, buildings, history,
theology and evangelical and pas
toral activities, I found less than generosity of spirit in theology on
only one occasion, and none in
brotherly welcome. My hope is that we reflect this to newcomers
in our Holy Trinity congregation,
now that we have returned to our “home”.
Malcolm Walsh
Your Letters
POSTCARD UPDATE
A report from Len Whittaker, the volunteer
organiser for 30 years of postcards donated in the UK in aid of the Sudan Church Associa-
tion, states that the money raised in 2016 was £3,800.
18,000 cards from January -June,40,000 from July - December; surprisingly, far less than previous years.
Salisbury, the Church House collection point was the lowest ever
collected. My collection has been very poor this year; fashions change, and holidaymakers find other ways of recording where they are. I would
like to thank Chris Hodge and Beryl Cox who continue to send me post
cards when they are away; these all end up in Salisbury earning money, however small the amount, for SCA. Mr Whittaker has raised £209,000 in
the years he has been organising the collection of postcards. He should be
applauded for this unsung effort. I would like to meet him! After many years collecting, this will be my final year. If anyone has
been meaning to sort out old postcards they do not want, now is the time.
The needs of the Sudan Church are almost beyond our imagining. I have reported the Postcard collection through Parish News over the years, so
please help to make this year a final big collection for me.
Muriel Freeborn
30
31
A late report was of an
estimated 700 Red Admirals
flying south along the Ridgeway near Swindon on 4
October. Usually only a few are
reported heading back towards the continent and to witness this huge
number is quite exceptional. The first
week of December was far too cold for butterfly activity but
the remainder of the
month was mild, calm and mainly dry .
During a walk around
Widbrook Plantation on 7th, a warm sunny day, I
expected and saw two
Red Admirals. However a Peacock was a great
surprise, tempted out
from hibernation by the warmth no doubt. On the 11th a
Small Tortoiseshell was fluttering
in Westwood church during the morning service, aroused by the
warm conditions.* The 14th was
another lovely day and a Comma was reported outside from
Stourhead and a Red Admiral from
Pertwood Organic Farm, south of Longbridge Deverell. Finally for
2016, on 18th during our church
re-dedication service a Small Tortoiseshell was flying low in the
chancel, aroused from hibernation
by the warmth and perhaps the
joyfulness of the occasion – a good omen for our future. Most unex
pectedly, on 1 January 2017 a
Peacock butterfly was reported from the village of Farley near
Salisbury, perched on a gate post.
It was moved into a more sheltered situation where hopefully it would
have re-entered into hibernation.
This will be my last butterfly contribution
until the May 2017 is
sue of Parish News. By then the over-
wintering hibernating
butterflies will have emerged from their
long sleep and be bus
ily seeking out mates to continue their spe
cies. Also, some spe
cies that over-wintered in the chrysalis stage will be on the wing.
Another year of butterfly activity
to look forward to and hopefully better than the 2016 season.
Mike Fuller,
Wiltshire Butterfly Recorder 3 January 2017
* There was a butterfly flitting around Westwood church at the end
of the Christmas Day service – I
wonder if this was the same Small Tortoiseshell as seen on 11th.
Ali Green
Above: A small tortoise-shell butterfly
Wiltshire Butterflies - December 2016
32
Saint for the Season: Martyrs of Japan
F rancis Xavier (1506-1552), the ‘Apostle to the Indies’,
brought Christianity to Japan
in 1549 and it is said made 2000 converts. He also established
churches in Goa, Ceylon and Malaya.
The church continued to expand after he left Japan but some years
later the ruler, Hideyoshi began
to suspect the church’s growth heralded Ja
pan being
made by the West in
to a colony.
In 1587, Hideyoshi
ordered the
prohibition of Christian worship and the
expulsion of foreigners. The
church managed to keep going until, in 1596, he authorised an
outright persecution of Christians,
which was extremely severe over the first two years.
One significant incident was the
brutal martyrdom of twenty six Japanese Christians in 1597 near
Nagasaki. The church kept their
bloodied clothes as a sign of reverence for their martyrdom.
It took a further thirty five years
before the persecution finally died down. But relations between the
church and the Japanese govern
ment remained far from easy. However, in 1859, a treaty was
signed between France and Japan,
opening up relations with the West and leading to the government
allowing the Japanese church
freedom of worship. New missions were established in Japan
although, to their surprise, they
found an indigenous church which had continued
to survive
despite having no clergy or
education
resources. An Anglican church
was established
in 1887 with the title, Nippon Sei Ko Kwai (Holy
Catholic Church of Japan). This was
a peaceful period for the Japanese churches, lasting until the rise of
militarism with renewed opposi
tion to the churches during the 1930s and 1940s. Churches were
again allowed to worship freely
after the Second World War. Today Japan is a comparatively
secular country with only 40% of
the population professing a faith. Most are Buddhist with Christians
numbering 2.3% of the population.
The Martyrs of Japan are commemorated on 6 February.
David Driscoll
Above: Worshippers at an Anglican service
33
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westwood
Churchwardens: Jonathan Azis
Paul Slade [email protected]
PCC Secretary
Jill Ross [email protected]
The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield
Churchwarden:
David Robinson
[email protected] PCC Secretary
Vacant
For Prayer in February
World peace Our personal call to ministry New life at Holy Trinity Thanksgiving for all our blessings
34
Quick Crossword The Bible version is the NIV
Clues across 1 Salary (Isaiah 19:10) (4) 3 Question Jesus asked of those healed of leprosy, ‘Were not all ten — ?’ (Luke 17:17) (8) 9 Wide, elevated level area of land (Joshua 13:9) (7) 10 ‘So you also must be — , because the Son of Man will come... when you do not expect him’ (Matthew 24:44) (5) 11 ‘[He] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He — — , and his hand was completely restored’ (Luke 6:10) (3,2) 12 ‘Who has gathered up the wind in the — of his hand?’ (Proverbs 30:4) (6) 14 Not born again (13) 17 ‘Again and again he — the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins’ (Hebrews 10:11) (6) 19 Mails (anag.) (5) 22 ‘He — — here; he has risen’ (Matthew 28:6) (2,3) 23 Defeated (Judges 20:43) (7) 24 Soldiers’ quarters (Acts 21:34) (8) 25 ‘Pillars of marble’ were how the Beloved described those of her Lover (Song of Songs 5:15) (4)
Source: Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon
Solutions on page 15
Clues down 1 Totally destroyed (Genesis 7:23) (5,3) 2 What the Philippian jailer was told to do with his prisoners Paul and Silas (Acts 16:23) (5) 4 Object of ridicule (Job 12:4) (8-5) 5 In most years, the month in which Easter falls (5) 6 For example, Caesarea, Joppa, Tyre, Sidon (7) 7 ‘[Jesus] was in the desert for forty — , being tempted by Satan’ (Mark 1:13) (4) 8 ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power — to our God’ (Revelation 19:1) (6) 13 Mend dots (anag.) (8) 15 Purifier (Malachi 3:3) (7) 16 Attacked (1 Samuel 27:8) (6) 18 The good Samaritan to the innkeeper: ‘When I return, I will reimburse you for any — expense you may have’ (Luke 10:35) (5) 20 How Matthew described the crowds who followed Jesus (Matthew 4:25) (5) 21 For example, one of 25 Across (Judges 19:29) (4)
35
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Officers
The Revd Joanna Abecassis, Chair
The Rev Dr Ali Green (Associate Priest)
Judith Holland (Churchwarden), Vice Chair
David Milne (Churchwarden)
Members
Chris Hodge, PCC Secretary
* Deanery Synod representatives
The Standing Committee
Chair, Churchwardens, Associate Priest and Treasurer
Churchwardens Emeriti
Jeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch, Trevor Ford
The Pastoral Care Team
Joanna, Anne Carter, Alison Cook, Joan Finch, Marlene Haffenden, Tony Haffenden,
Chris Hodge, Evelyn Humphrey, Heather Knight, Sue Lavis, Val Payne, David Raw
stron, Hazel Rawstron, Geneviève Roberts and Sylvia Stanes.
The Friends of Holy Trinity Church
Chairman: John Cox, Secretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller, Treasurer: Vacant
Committee: Michael Cottle, Chris Hodge
Ex officio: Revd Joanna Abecassis, Judith Holland and David Milne
Bradford Group Ministry
This is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North
Bradford on Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a
much closer bond and to this end joint meetings and services have recently been
held, and the Group clergy meet regularly.
Alison Cook
Joh Cox
Deirdre Garrett
Steve Fountain
Marlene Haffenden
Jeremy Lavis* (Treasurer)
Denise Pape
Anne Willis*
Jill Wright
36
OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS PCC Secretary Chris Hodge 869357 email: [email protected] PCC Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton [email protected] Benefice Admin Assistant Aylene Clack [email protected] Bellringers Sarah Quintin 869469 Bookstall Brass Cleaning Chris Hodge 869357 Coffee on Sunday Janet Brown and 862188 Malcolm Walsh 862702 Church Stewards David Milne 864341 Director of Music Electoral Roll Officer Alan Knight 860991 Flowers Jonquil Burgess 868905 Food Bank Heather and Alan Knight 860991 Guides & Brownies Sarah Bennett [email protected] mainly music Marlene Haffenden 864412 [email protected] Mothers’ Union Jill Wright 287786 MU Prayer Circle Chris Hodge 869357 Re-ordering Fundraiser Steve Fountain [email protected] Servers Mary Ford 862240 Saxon Club David Driscoll 865314 Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees: Chairman Anna Tanfield (all bookings) 863819 Secretary Anne Carter 862146 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Sidespersons Judith Holland 866215 Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman [email protected] Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Communications Church Stalls Mervyn Harris 863440 Team Trinity June Harrison 863745
Parish Representatives on other organisations: Bradford Group Council: The Churchwardens Children’s Society: Anne Carter Christian Aid: Judith Holland Deanery Synod: Jeremy Lavis and Anne Willis BoA Churches Together: c/o The Revd Joanna Abecassis St Laurence School: The Revd Joanna Abecassis and Lindsay Driscoll (Foundation Governors)
Printed at the Parish Office, 18A Woolley Street, Bradford on Avon. Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.htboa.org. Previous issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.