NETWORK
MAY 2015
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EDITORIAL
By the time you receive this issue of Network we shall know who will be in
charge of the nation's destiny for the next five years. Inevitably some
will be pleased about the outcome, others may be in despair. You can
please some of the people all the time: you can please all the people
some of the time: but it is impossible to please all the people all the time.
That is the dilemma that faces us all when decisions are made, whether
democratically or otherwise. Thus it is with the nation: and so also it will
be for St. Peter's. Over the next eighteen months crucial decisions will
have to be made about St. Peter's role in the mission to central Bedford.
There will be meetings: there will be consultations and discussions: there
will be disagreements. But in the end decisions will have to be made, and
the buck will, of course, stop with Mike. For the sake of St. Peter's
witness to the love of Christ here in our community, it will be essential
that we stand with him and assure him of our support and understanding.
CONTENTS;
PAGE
Mike’s Letter
My Life with Dogs: Charlotte Fricker
An Improbable Saint: Richard Cole
Why not try…..Bowls?: John Handley
Summer Recipes: Marion Swift
The John Bunyan and the Ouse: Teresa Clark
In Memoriam – Elsie Thrush:
Who was Burnaby?: Michael Potter
Heather’s Thoughts: Heather Harris
Confirmation Celebration: Mike Fudger
Book Review: Sylvia MacDowell
Children’s Page: Delia Walker
Nones, St Peter’s and Merton Priory: (extract from) Sheila Fairbank
Summer Concert
Notices
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3
5
6
7
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11
12
13
14
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15
17
18
20
Mike’s Letter
Dear All,
I am writing this on Election Day, and I find myself reflecting on what is
happening around us.
I suspect I’m not alone in finding the election campaign both
disappointing and worrying. What seemed to be missing from the national
debate, at least as it has been presented to us, was a vision of the future,
a big picture of what we in this country could be, want to be and should
be, and of what is our place, our part, in the wider world. There was
none of that, but rather, as commentators have reflected, just a parochial
argument about book-keeping.
This isn’t surprising, I suppose. At a time of great change, it can seem
dangerous to open up too many questions. Certainly at the hustings I
attended last Sunday there seemed on the platform to be a real mood of
‘stick to what you know’. Will this really do, with so many large and
inescapable questions looming on our horizon – how we treat our planet,
our global economy, and all the shifts that these two immense forces
mean in terms of population movement and the effects that has on all of
us?
Yet who are we to point fingers? At St. Peter’s we are in the midst of a
debate about our future, to which the wider church seems to be acting in
exactly the same way as the political world – a denial that comes partly
through fear, but also because they, like us, don’t know the answers!
I’m currently reading a book called ‘The Establishment’ by Owen Jones.
It’s a challenging and engaging read – and certainly not a dispassionate
analysis of the state of things in this country.
Ever since Britain was plunged into economic disaster in September 2008,
there has been a concerted attempt to redirect people’s anger – both over
their own plight and that of the nation as a whole – away from the
powerful. Instead the British public are routinely encouraged to direct
their frustrations at other, more visible targets, who have long been
vilified by elite politicians and media alike... I wanted to try and redress
the balance.’
We may or may not agree with that premise, but he goes on to explore
the way ‘Establishment’ works, and to suggest ways we could ‘redress the
balance’.
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His definition of ‘Establishment’ is interesting. ‘Today’s Establishment is
made up – as it has always been – of powerful groups that need to
protect their position in a democracy in which almost the entire adult
population has the right to vote... and represents an attempt to make
sure that their own interests are not threatened.’
The Church of England is part of this, of course. We could, and perhaps
one day will have to, debate whether or not to remain the ‘established’
Church in this country. But the sense that we – because you and I are
part of it! – are trying hard to hold onto a position of power and influence
rings true for me. Often that is what seems to happen, and why change is
so difficult for us.
There are clearly other ways of being church. That again is a subject far
too vast to explore here. But to mention a few: the new monasticism,
Community Organising (look at the Citizens UK website if you want to
know more) and even secular expressions of ‘church’ are all different
ways of seeing and doing what has been done for centuries from the
parish church.
What are we to make of all this as followers of Jesus? As we approach the
Feast of Pentecost, one thing seems clear to me: that we shouldn’t fear
change, or be worried that we don’t know the answers to the questions
we are being challenged with. ‘Behold I make all things new’ relates the
author of ‘Revelations’. Pentecost was nothing if not a moment of
profound change, and embraced with huge courage and faith by the first
disciples, even if they didn’t really know what was going on. But it was of
God, and that was all they cared about. Would that we saw things with
such simplicity and clarity!
What the result of today’s election will be you’ll already know by the time
you read this. I hope at least some of us are happy.... But we won’t know
the effects of it in the longer term, which matters much more. There will
be change – there has to be. But perhaps Jones’ aim of ‘redressing the
balance isn’t a bad one. For Christians, the way power is used, and
abused, must always be a fundamental issue. And if we had the
confidence of those first disciples, to dare to let go of our control and
allow God to set us alight with love and justice and joy, perhaps then we’ll
have an important part to play in envisioning the future of this nation,
and this world, that God will recognise and cheer!
With my love,
Mike
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My life with dogs
I have loved animals all my life and especially dogs. I now have three
dogs of my own. My biggest dog is 7 years old
and I have had him from puppy. He is called
Cadbury
Cadbury after Cadbury Castle which is near to
where my grandparents lived in Somerset. He
is a kelpie, a kind of Australian collie, and a
beautiful caramel colour.
In Australia, he
would be used to herd sheep and cattle.
Cadbury loves to herd and guard! He can run
like the wind and he is very friendly and affectionate to his owners.
My middle sized dog is called ‘Flight Lieutenant
Blackdown Biggles’. He is a Jura Hound, a breed
which is not found in England. I got him from
Cyprus Dogs UK who rescued him from Cyprus. He
was bred for hunting but he was too gentle to hunt.
They clipped his ears and tied him to a post where
he was luckily found by an English family. Cyprus
Dogs paid his vet and transport bills and organized
Biggles.
his passport, so he came to England three years ago
when he was 18 months old. He has long, floppy
ears, and is very gentle and affectionate. He loves to run and children
adore him. He will sniff out food (especially banana skins) anywhere!
My third smallest dog is an eleven year old King Charles Cavalier spaniel
called Holly. She belonged to a very close friend in the village who sadly
died in June. I agreed to take Holly as I used to walk her and knew her
very well. She is very sweet natured and everyone who meets her loves
her very much. Despite her age, she is still able to run, jump and chase
squirrels!
As well as having my own
dogs, I also run my own
dog walking business.
I
enjoy this work very much
because no day is ever the
same. I get out in the
fresh air and meet lots of
interesting
people
and
Holly (front) with
their dogs.
Ladybug.
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Every evening, I have to plan very carefully which dogs I need to collect
so I am not driving backwards and forwards over Bedford. I also need to
ensure that the dogs I walk get on well with each other. I have to be very
flexible because I can plan the day and then one of my owners will phone
me early in the morning to say that their shift pattern has changed and
they would like their dog walking. I then have to change my timetable for
the day.
I can think some of this out when I take Cadbury for a run first thing in
the morning. We both enjoy this time together. I then collect Biggles and
Holly who often come out with me. I also have to ensure I have all the
dogs’ equipment, especially leads, treats and poo bags! I have to be sure
that I have food, drink, waterproof clothing and occasionally sunscreen!
Some of my owners are very kind and leave food and drink out for me
when I collect their dogs but I cannot rely on this!
When I collect the dogs, I take them to parks and open spaces so they
can have a good walk or a run off their lead if the owner gives permission.
Some owners want their dogs to be with other dogs so that they learn to
socialize. They have a lot of fun running around and enjoying each other’s
company. Sometimes people see me and like what I am doing and will
ask me if I will walk their dogs if they are busy. I love my work and I
have made many good friends both human and canine!
Improbable Saint:
11th July
St. Benedict of Nursia
The Patron of Europe, he was born in Italy towards the end of the fifth
century and from early on was very good at miracles.
When he was
tempted by an alluring young woman, a thicket of thorns miraculously
sprang forth and he rolled around in them until the moment passed.
Another time, when he was doing some DIY, the head flew off his axe and
fell in a pond.
Benedict merely held up the shaft and the axe-head
jumped out of the pond and fixed itself back on the shaft. His sister, St.
Scholastica, was quite good at miracles as well. If she was enjoying a
dinner party, she would conjure up thunderstorms thus preventing
anyone from leaving. Benedict was called to go and live as a hermit in a
cave high on a mountain.
Nobody knew of his whereabouts except a
friend who lowered him food on a rope, which must have been quite
burdensome after a while. After three years of this he was asked to be
abbot of a monastery nearby, but he was so strict that his brethren tried
to kill him. First, they poisoned his cup, but it shattered when he raised
it to his lips.
Next, they poisoned his breakfast bun, but a raven
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swooped down and took it away. Nevertheless he went back to his cave,
and followers flocked to him which so annoyed the local vicar that he had
to leave again. He founded a great monastery where he is said to have
written his famous rule, still in use today, which regulates the form of life
and prayer for monks and nuns.
It is a very sensible rule, forged in
practical experience and piety.
It is very down on Gyrovagues* and
gossip, and very keen on physical labour and shutting up.
from Richard Cole, Lives of the Improbable Saints. Published by Darton,
Longman and Todd.
*Gyrovagues: wandering or itinerant monks without fixed residence or
leadership, who relied on charity and the hospitality of others.
Why not try?.......Bowls
One of the very best things that has ever happened to me was my dentist
suggesting a “roll-up”. Not in his surgery, or at McDonalds, but at a bowls
club!
I guess as the years trip on, and hope springs eternal, we hope to keep
physically active and mentally stimulated. Above all else, we want
companionship. We do not want danger or any threat of breaking bones
or pulled muscles.
If you wonder what those two thoughts have got in common, the answer
is BOWLS.
Bowling is exciting and fun, certainly not a fuddy-duddy game. It is gently
active, played with people who are genuinely friendly and encouraging.
There is little risk of sprains or strains! You can play outdoors , sun on
your face, grass under your feet, every day from April to the end of
September. Indoors, all the year round. In village and church halls there
is Short Mat bowls. There are Bowling Greens in nearly all the Council
parks in Bedford and Kempston as well as many private clubs in the
immediate vicinity. You do not have to be a member of a club but it is
probably even more fun if you are. My choice was Priory in Greyfriars,
just before the childrens play area and the cycle shop as you come from
Union Street. It is a little oasis in the heart of Bedford with a club- house ,
parking space and a bus stop opposite the entrance.
Bowls is one of the most accessible sports and one of the least expensive
to take up. You can get started with virtually no expense. All clubs have
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woods (bowls!) for beginners for taster sessions, you just need flat-soled
shoes or trainers. The learning curve is very encouraging - you just get
better every time you bowl a wood! And the better you get, the more
rewarding it all feels. If you have never stood with a bowl in your hand,
eyeing the jack twenty yards in front , and determined to hit it, you
have a magical moment to come!
So there we are. Something that is fun, physically, mentally and socially
stimulating , with no risk of sprains or strains. Bliss!
As I said at the
beginning, the roll-up introduction to bowls eight years ago was, for me,
one of the very best things that has happened. Since then, unalloyed
pleasure, exercise , friendship and fun.
What next? Just turn up at one of the Greens, ask for a set of woods
and have a go. When you start a new journey you can’t always guess
where it will lead. It could be the St. Peter’s Bowls team, Inter-church
friendlies, Diocesan League, Bishops Challenge Cup...........? You will
never regret it!
If you want to know more, just speak to John or leave a telephone
message on 01234 342127, or email him on jahandley@btinternet.com
(Editor’s note; A member of the congregations’ aunt has just become
regional bowls champion in Taranaki, NZ. Fancy an away match, John?)
Spring Recipes
Chocolate brownies
These do not require cooking, are made entirely of natural ingredients,
are very nutritious and equally delicious.
Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews (soak overnight and drain)
1 cup pitted dates (chopped)
half a cup cocoa powder
half teaspoon vanilla essence
half a cup melted coconut oil
quarter of a cup clear maple syrup or honey
Place the nuts in a food processor and blend: add the rest of the
ingredients and blend again until fairly smooth; then press in a tray,
approximately 8" x 8"; Chill in the fridge until set (approximately 1 hour:
then cut into squares: ice and decorate as desired
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And another, from Marion's sister Sue in Australia........
Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
125 grams butter/margarine
110 grams granulated sugar
110 grams soft brown sugar
half teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
220 grams self-raising flour
half teaspoon salt
125 grams dark chocolate chips
60 grams macadamia nuts, chopped
Cream the butter, sugars and vanilla: gradually add lightly beaten egg:
mix in sifted flour and salt: add chocolate chips and chopped nuts and mix
well: shape teaspoon size piece into balls and place on a lightly greased
tray, allowing for spreading: finally bake in a moderate oven (350 F: 180
C; Gas 4) for 10-15 minutes until the colour changes from pale to light
brown (shorter time for chewy cookies: longer time for crunchy cookies).
Volunteering on Bedford’s community boat
‘John Bunyan’.
The “John Bunyan” river-boat made its maiden voyage in July 2013 after
more than 2 years of building work. The boat was the brain-child of the
Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust and was the culmination of
two years hard planning and fundraising.
Basil Hubbard won a contest to name the boat, choosing the name “John
Bunyan” because it represented the spirit of the town. The boat was
officially named in a special ceremony attended by representatives from
the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterways Trust, Bedford BID and the
High Sheriff, Deborah Inskip.
Companies based in Bedford are
working with the John Bunyan to
encourage people to visit the
town centre and during its first
month 1,000 visitors booked
cruises or charter trips up and
down the River Great Ouse.
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The boat begins a new season on Easter Sunday with a charter booked by
the Swan Hotel. It is almost entirely run by volunteers who provide crew
for the cabin, man the deck and helm the boat. Special training is
provided every season to maintain the skills required to float a happy and
safe vessel.
The JB is a steel hulled vessel, weighing 37 tons and travels at a
maximum speed of about 6 knots, a leisurely cruising speed with plenty of
opportunities to enjoy the riverside for both passengers and crew. It is
72feet long and 10feet wide and can seat up to 70 passengers, although
for comfort on special occasions, I would say 35 to 45.
My husband, Darryl, was immediately smitten with becoming a volunteer
and was one of the first batch of boatmasters to be trained for life aboard
the JB. In fact, a fair amount of boat handling skills and river knowledge
was practised using our own narrowboat, named Theta Brown, and also
moored in Priory Marina. This was before the JB was even finished and
delivered to the Marina.
It was a few months after the JB was up and running that I thought I had
better get in on the act, and began my training as deck and cabin crew,
eventually preferring to remain in the cabin where I had much greater
interaction with the public.
From now on, whilst preparing this article, I found my thoughts becoming
increasingly more poetic, so, with apologies to those more learned
readers of this magazine, I offer my ode to the John Bunyan.
Who would a pilgrim be
Onboard John Bunyan.
He knows he at the end
Will glide right up to Kempston.
Upstream from Marina moorings
Through Bedford lock along the Ouse,
Passed weeping willows we will cruise.
The crew on deck with windlass armed
To raise the paddles; waters gush
To lift the boat.Gongoozlers stand
On bridge above in awe and wonder.
Kingfishers, fleeting and iridescent,
Herons, poised as statues on the banks
Cormorants, gulls, mallards and swans
Wildlife in abundance, for which we give thanks.
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Downstream, river widens through fields of green
Cattle grazing, a peaceful scene.
Glide past the boat club, onwards the Barns
Where Samuel Whitbread here was born.
Bedecked, pale blue and creamy white
“John Bunyan” boldly writ on prow,
Befitting his presence in the town,
A man of honour, then as now.
The Fellowship outing is to be on the John Bunyan on Tuesday 7th July,
from 2.30 to 4.30pm.
We have a few spaces to spare, so if anyone would like to join us more
information can be gleaned from myself or from Heather Harris,
chairperson of the Fellowship.
In Memoriam: Elsie Thrush 1912-2015
Elsie Thrush joined the Church Army in 1931 and was commissioned as a
Church Army Evangelist by the founder of CA, Wilson Carlile, in 1933. At
first she worked in the Church Army Girls' Home with young women who
had been thrown out by their families because they were pregnant
outside marriage.
In 1936 she moved to the Mission Caravans and
toured the country sharing the Gospel with communities from Cornwall to
Carlisle.
She became officer in charge of the Mission Caravans and
stayed with them until 1943 when she became involved with the Church
Army's support of the forces overseas in the second World War.
She
served in Morocco and Italy, running youth clubs for the young soldiers.
After the war Elsie served as a Parish Evangelist in London and in 1948
moved to the Church Army Training College near Reading.
She
transferred to the Prisons Welfare Team in 1956 and retired from active
Church Army ministry in 1975.
Elsie was a giant in the Church Army, inspiring all her colleagues with her
enthusiasm, her energy, her compassion, her gentle attitude, her
humour, her positive approach to life and her deep, prayerful faith qualities that she retained until her dying day. To present officers in the
Church Army, she was also the last living link with the Army's founder,
Wilson Carlile.
On the application form to Church Army Elsie completed in 1930 she
wrote: "I am called to Christian work because, after my conversion, I felt
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restless and wanted others to know of God's love, and after much prayer
I feel sure God is calling me to work for him." This ambition and this
commitment remained with her for 85 years.
(Adapted from the address given by the Chief Executive Officer of Church
Army, Mark Russell, at Elsie's funeral service on 15th January, 2015)
The Burnaby Memorial Window: at the west
end of St. Peter's (also on the front cover).
Visitors to St. Peter's are regularly struck by the magnificent stained glass
window that faces them as they turn to leave the building - the Burnaby
Memorial window. Who, they sometimes ask, was the man in whose
memory the window was created?
Frederick Gustavus Burnaby was born in 1842, the son of the Rector of St
Peter's at that time. He was educated first at Bedford (Grammar) School,
then at Harrow and finally in Germany. He was a brilliant scholar with a
particular gift for languages. At sixteen he sat for the Army examinations
and in 1859 he was gazetted as a cornet (today's 2nd lieutenant) in the
cavalry. By the time he reached the late 30s he was a commander.
Burnaby was a giant for the period - 6'4" in height and with a chest
measurement of 46 inches. He was alleged to use a dumb-bell of a
hundredweight and a half (equivalent of 76 kg) and of being able to carry
a pony under one arm.
He was an adventurous man and took part in early experimental flights in
gas balloons, accomplishing in 1882 what he himself described as 'a flight
across the channel' at 10,000 feet. On one occasion the balloon he was
travelling in burst and he would have fallen to his death except that the
torn envelope of the balloon acted as a parachute and saved his life.
Burnaby was an enthusiastic traveller, visiting South Africa early in his
military career. In 1868 he was in Spain
and Tangier and planned to go on to
central Asia.
However, in Naples he
contracted typhoid and had to abandon his
plan and return to Spain. From there he
found his way to France and joined forces
with the army of Don Carlos who was
attempting to take the Spanish throne.
The
London
Times
appointed
him
correspondent in the Carlist camp in 1874.
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Later in 1874 the editor of the Times sent him to join General Gordon in
the Sudan, and he formed a close friendship with Gordon. It was while he
was in the Sudanese city of Khartoum that he heard that the Russians
had banned entry into central Asia by Europeans. Burnaby determined to
defy this, studied the language and geography and in the winter of 1875
was given permission to travel to India via Kabul in Afghanistan. He
crossed 300 miles of steppes in the middle of the severe winter, suffering
acute frostbite. He reached Khiva in present-day Uzbekistan, only to
receive the order to abandon his project.
In the winter of 1876 he spent five months travelling through Asia Minor
and Armenia. The Russians watched his movements and distributed
photographs of him to the guards along the frontier.
But he was
determined to see something of the Russo-Turkish war and, posing as
agent for a commercial company, he joined up with the Turkish army. At
the battle of Tashkessan in 1877 he was in command of a Turkish
brigade.
In 1885 when he was 43, Burnaby heard that his friend Gordon was in
grave danger, and he immediately went as a volunteer without leave to
Egypt. He joined the British forces who were planning to attempt to
relieve Gordon in Khartoum. They forced their way up the Nile to Abou
Klea where their force of 1500 troops faced an enemy of 5000 Dervishes.
The ensuing battle in January 1885 lasted barely fifteen minutes, and
Burnaby was fatally wounded by a spear-thrust in the throat. And, of
course, the attempt to relieve Gordon failed.
Was Burnaby a swash-buckling hero or a nineteenth century mercenary?
He certainly had no taste for a sedentary life. After his Turkish escapade
he married in 1879 and involved himself in politics. He unsuccessfully
fought the 1880 election as Tory candidate for Birmingham.
He was also a successful self-publicist. His account of his 1875 expedition
to Uzbekistan, Ride to Khiva', reached 11 editions in a year, and his antiRussian account of his experiences in Asia Minor in 1876 earned him
£2500 as a first instalment and ran to seven editions.
Heather’s Thoughts.
It looks as if spring has decided to stay and churchwise we continue our
pilgrim liturgy from Easter towards Pentecost, the great stirring of the
early church. The moment of the resurrection had dawned and brought
comfort and mission then as it does in our generation.
The great mysteries of Christian life continue to challenge us all as we try
to live out our commitment to faith and truth. Is there anyone for whom
the pain of bereavement of loved ones hasn’t pondered on the hereafter,
the eternal life given to us by Jesus Christ on Good Friday? Who has not
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wondered how will we know our loved ones? This is one of those difficult
areas of ‘through a glass darkly’! It will continue to be a mystery until the
closure of our own lives. However, thinking about this momentous
subject, especially at Easter, I have been comforted and rejoice in a line
of poetry I’ve known and loved for years. It is a thought brought sharply
into focus by Rupert Brooke, the war poet, in ‘The Soldier’. Will this be the
way we shall know and be known by our loved ones?
Let us welcome Pentecost and endeavour to press on as pilgrims,
O Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being,
we humbly pray to you to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit that in
all the cares and occupations of our daily life, we may never forget you,
but remember that we are ever walking in your sight; for your names’
sake. Amen.
(A prayer of the early church)
Confirmation Celebration
Congratulations to Mark and Ryan on their
confirmation. They made this important step
on their journey of faith on Easter Eve at a
glorious service at St. Paul's. We are very
glad that they're part of our community at
St. Peter's. Please hold them and their loved
ones in your prayers.
Book Review: Sea of Faith
Don Cupitt 1984
Recently at St Peter’s we have been looking at the future role of our
church and, by implication, the future of the wider Church of England.
We have remarked how this is a recurring theme and in 1984 Don Cupitt,
an ordained minister and later Dean of Emmanual College, Cambridge,
provided an overview of Christian faith and doubt both in this book and a
television programme of the same name. It gave rise to many headlines
we still see today: Vicars who don’t believe in God!
He takes the title from Matthew’s Arnold poem Dover Beach, a poem of
1867, which looks at where faith stood in the post Darwinian world:
The Sea of Faith
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Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furl’d.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Don Cupitt, with a scholar’s precision, looks at the writings of both
theologians and philosophers from the ancient and medieval worlds
through to Wittgenstein, all of whom questioned what it was to have a
belief in God and just what they meant by God. He traces the movement
of thought from an external, supernatural deity providing an objective
metaphysical view of the world being developed into a non-realist,
subjective concept of God as human ethics and, above all, love.
He is not unhappy about this. He sees it as a positive movement, one
which can release people from the “spiritual antique shop” he feels the
church has become for many people.
But, he knows it is a hard task. For Christians will need to work out a
demythologised vision of God not given externally but requiring a
personal vision of Christ by which we might grow into what it is to be fully
human. There is no point in asking someone “Do you believe in God?”
but rather “What do you mean by God and what part does God play in
your life?”
Faith “is no longer a guided pilgrimage to a guaranteed destination, but
has become instead a way of creatively framing one’s own life as a
spiritual project.”
Children’s Page
Hi, everyone!
I hope you are all keeping well and
enjoying yourselves!
Happy birthday to: Aaron, who will be 8 on 9 May
Rufus, who will be 9 on 13 May
Nathaniel, who will be 12 on 30 May
Georgina, who will be 7 on 15 June
and Serena, who will be 6 on 20 June.
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Prayer
Dear Father God,
Thank you for our families and friends and for all the good fun we have
together. Thank you for your love for us.
Please help us to be kind and
loving. Amen.
PENTECOST/WHITSUN
On 24 May we celebrate Pentecost (Whit Sunday). Pentecost marks the
day when God’s Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, giving them the skill,
boldness and power to spread the gospel message about Jesus.
This event took place in Jerusalem when the city was full of people from
many parts of the country and beyond.
They all spoke different
languages, but they could all hear Peter’s message about Jesus in their
own language. They then went home and told the good news about Jesus
to all the people in their home towns.
In the book of Acts, written by St Luke, we are told that about 3,000
people believed the gospel message on this occasion, so Pentecost is
often called the birthday of the Church.
QUIZ.
Here is a quiz for you all. The answers all spell a word down the middle.
To help you, I have put in the first letter of the first answer.
1
P
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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Clues. (Bible references are from the Good News Bible.)
1. The name of the disciple who denied Jesus three times before the
cock crowed. (Luke 24:54 to 62.)
2. The name of one of Jesus’ followers on the road to Emmaus, when a
stranger joined them on the way. (Luke 24:18.)
3. The animal on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first Palm
Sunday. (Matthew 21:1 to 11.)
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4. The name of the Roman governor, to whom Jesus was handed over
by his enemies. (Matthew 27:2.)
5. After his death, Jesus was buried in a tomb, wrapped in a linen
sheet. Three days later some women went to the tomb to anoint
his body with spices. What did they find there? --- an ..... ....
(Luke 24:1 to 7.)
6. Jesus was crucified on a ..... to take the punishment for our sins.
(Matthew 15:21 to 32.)
7. The name of one of the women who went to the tomb on that first
Easter Sunday. (Luke 24:10.)
8. God’s Son, who died on the cross for us, was raised to life three
days later and is alive now. He is sitting at the right-hand side of
God’s throne. (Hebrews 12:2.)
9. The name of the disciple who said he would not believe Jesus was
alive unless he saw the scars of the nails in his hands and put his
finger on those scars and his hand in his side. When Jesus
appeared to him a week later and let him see and touch him, that
disciple answered “My Lord and my God”.
With love, Delia
The service of Nones at St Peters and its
association with Merton Augustinian Priory.
‘The old is better’(Luke 5 v39): the Gospel refers to wine, does it also
refer to worship?
King David remembered God seven times a day (Psalm 119 v164). Until
the Reformation prayers were said at every religious house seven times
daily. The prayer which was said at the ninth hour (Acts 3 v1) was called
None(s). This was also the hour when Jesus offered up His soul to His
Father. Nones was said and sung in 1117 as the canons of Merton Priory
entered their new building on the River Wandle.
Soon thirteen "daughter" priories had been founded by the canons.
Holyrood Abbey was one, founded from Merton by King David of Scotland
in 1128. Nones has been said in Holyrood Abbey for several years. This
year the friends of Merton Priory have a choir and a canon at Holyrood
and the Processional which took place at Merton in 1117 will be sung for
the first time.
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Gilbert the Norman, godson of the King and Queen, built Merton Priory
dedicating it on Ascension Day, May 3rd 1117. The first Nones said there
after the Reformation in 1998 was also on 3rd May. Nones has been said
there annually ever since in memory of the work of the canons of Merton
Priory. These includes a martyr, a Pope (Adrian IV, Nicholas Breakspear)
who played a role in the conversion of Scandinavia. Walter de Merton's
rule (based on the Rule of St Augustine of Hippo which he knew from his
time as Clerk at the priory), was used at Merton College, Oxford, founded
by him from Merton Priory and was the first example of collegiate life
used by both Oxford and Cambridge.
The canons of Merton Priory cared for more than 60 churches. The
Church of St Peter de Merton, Bedford, was one. (first mentioned c1242).
Why remember the canons of Merton? In Nones we are remembering the
Doctrine of Grace which is summed up in John Newton's hymn -"Amazing
Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost
but now I am found, was blind but now I see”.
Magna Carta, signed by King John in 1215 was more closely defined at
the priory in 1236 into the 11 Statutes of Merton. The laws made at
Merton remain the first item in the printed Statutes of the Realm. It is
hoped that all the churches dedicated to Walter de Merton and those
cared for by Merton Priory will be able to share in this annual event when
we remember all we owe to the canons of Merton Priory. This year Nones
falls on the same day as in 1117 - 3rd May at 3pm.
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Summer Concert Saturday July 11th
It is with enormous pleasure that we welcome back to St. Peter’s Church
Ms. Lillian Boutté.
After the fabulous evening of entertainment last year that left all present
wanting more, Lillian has agreed to return to wow us a second time.
On the music scene for more than 30 years Lillian is a monument to Jazz,
Gospel and R&B. She has performed and recorded with a myriad of
legendary musicians including Jay Mc Shane,
Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Milt Hinton, Gus Johnson,
Doc Cheatham, Arnett Cobb, Dr. John, Professor
Longhair, Clark Terry and our own Humphrey
Lyttleton. She has quite literally travelled the
world performing her brand of New Orleans Jazz
and R&B. Named "New Orleans Musical
Ambassador" in 1986, she was only the second
jazz legend in the city's history to be accorded
this honour - the first being Louis Armstrong. Lillian has been touring
almost non-stop for the last 19 years doing concerts, club dates and
festivals all over the world and with the help of 17 albums featuring jazz,
pop, blues, soul and gospel has striven to convey New Orleans’s unique
atmosphere to an international audience. A unique singer who blends all
that is best in Jazz, Gospel and R&B in one high energy, enormously
entertaining package. Lillian’s band also features the brilliant UK jazz
guitarist Denny Ilett. Her unique charismatic personality, stunning voice
and love for music make her concerts unforgettable.
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St Peter’s has a number of regular services and groups that
meet throughout the week, an outline of which is listed below.
If you would like further details please visit our website at
www.stpeterdemerton.wordpress.com or ring the office on
01234 360301
Sunday Services;
8.00am Spoken Holy Communion
10.15am Parish Communion with Sunday School
6.30pm Evensong
Morning Prayer is held at 9.00am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Friday.
A service of Holy Communion is held every Thursday at 10.30am
This ‘n’ That and Chat meets on the 1st and 3rd Monday in the Chapter
House at 2.30pm.
The Fellowship (for both men and women) meets on the 2nd and 4th
Monday in the Chapter House also at 2.30pm.
Bellringers practice on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm.
Bible Study meet once a month on a Thursday after the service, dates are
posted on the website in advance.
Doubters Anonymous – a group that grapples honestly with faith in the
modern world, dates are posted on the website.
St Peter’s Playgroup for pre-schoolers and their carers meet on Friday
mornings in the Chapter House from 9.30-11.30am.
Men’s get together occurs approximately every 6 weeks, dates are posted
on the website in advance.
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