The Green Spire
The Parish Magazine of
St Andrew, Orford with Longford
February 2015
School News
From the Vicar – Finding Christ
What’s on in February
Lent Groups for 2015
Who’s On in February
Making All Things New
Dates for 2015
News from the 33rd (Scout Group)
Snippets from the Church Times
Mission Aviation Fellowship
What the PCC decided...
Balancing the Books
Don’s Quiz
General Synod – February Sessions
Introducing ‘Show Up’
Notice Board
February Saints
The Senior Sound of Music
As I see it – by Churchmouse
From the Registers
Shrove Tuesday
Intentions for February
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The Green Spire is published monthly. Copies are 35p per month, or £3.50 for a year’s
subscription – normally payable in January. Enquiries about advertisements welcome.
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School News
What makes a Church school special? Many
faith schools of all denominations have
wrestled with this question and have
addressed it in various ways. In addition to a
loyal and dedicated staff and lots of lovely
children, the governors have set up a
Committee charged with developing the
distinctive nature of the school. At a recent
review by the committee, it was obvious
that it is working well.
In the past few months, there have been a number of collaborative ventures
such as Messy Church, class Eucharists and joint worship on Sundays that are a
direct result of closer working. Not wanting to sit on our laurels, we are looking
to develop these and other areas of closer working. There is another Messy
Church planned for later this term with an Easter theme. [There are photos of
the Advent Messy Church thanks to Mrs Lightfoot].
The message about good attendance seems to have been heard loud and clear
and even with a number of bugs doing the rounds, children have tried really
hard not to miss a single day more than necessary. On occasions, staff have had
to raise their voices to be heard above the sound of coughing ... but it shows just
how motivated our children are to good attendance. Compared to many other
schools, the level of attendance is the envy of most local head teachers.
We look forward to welcoming two new Higher Level Teaching Assistants after
the half-term break. They will support groups of children and individuals,
enhance the nurture element of school and play a full part in the life of school.
It’s not just the children who benefit from the activities of school. A ‘Family
Learning’ course for parents and carers called “Make a book! Fun with English!”
is due to begin at the end of January and will run for eight weeks.
Links with Beamont Collegiate Academy are developing well with children from
years 5 and 6 going to the High School weekly to hone their writing skills. It is
extremely popular and is already paying dividends in improving writing.
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From the Vicar:
I can’t imagine Christmas on the
beach! And I’m unlikely ever to
experience it. For me, and many
others, Christmas comes at the
coldest, darkest time of the year,
bringing warmth and light to cheer
us all. That’s nothing new, but it
strikes me that the seasons which
are intimately linked to Christmas,
and even those linked to Easter, are
enhanced by the conditions we face
at this time of the year.
comforting light fills the Temple –
and the hearts of believers
everywhere.
I sometimes wonder how Simeon
knew that this was the Lord’s
Messiah and the only conclusion I
can reach is that God’s Holy Spirit
made it clear to Simeon. Not only
had made the promise to Simeon,
but the Spirit had revealed the
Messiah to Simeon at that moment.
Elsewhere in the Bible, we are told
that we have been created in God’s
image. I don’t think that we look like
God but that our make-up reflects
the aspects of God that are most
important to follow. There is, within
each one of us, something of the
loving God who created us.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve
noticed that the evenings are
starting to draw out a little, day by
day. While it was almost dark by four
o’clock, it’s now at least an hour
later before we have to put on the
lights and draw the curtains. It
coincides with the season of
Epiphany when the light of Christ,
and the love of God, are revealed to
us all.
If that is true, then we need to ask
ourselves the same question we
asked a moment ago about how
Simeon recognised the child before
him (probably one of thousands that
had been brought into the Temple
during his time as priest) as the
Messiah, the chosen one of God. Is
there something in each of us that
reflects the character of God, and if
so, how do we recognise it?
Candlemass is now just days away.
Simeon, the old and faithful priest, is
in the Temple, waiting to catch sight
of the promised Messiah. In my
mind, there is a certain gloom in the
Temple when the holy family arrive
but Simeon immediately recognises
that God’s promise to him has been
fulfilled. Here is the ‘light to lighten
the Gentiles and to be the glory of
thy people Israel’. A warm,
To my mind, there is no doubt that
there is something in each of us
which reveals the nature of God at
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work in the world through his
followers. But recognising it is easier
in some people than in others. It can
take time and it needs practice, just
like most other things in life, if we
are to be good at it.
The Imitation of Christ is split up into
four ‘books’. The first three develop
an inward spirituality but the fourth
focuses on the Eucharist and takes
the form of a dialogue between
Jesus and the disciple. He says that
in this sacrament, “spiritual grace is
conferred, the soul’s strength
replenished, and the recipient’s
mind is fortified and strength is given
to the body debilitated by sin.”
So what are you planning for Lent?
Do you intend to do something
conventional, or are you looking for
something a bit more unusual? If
unusual, how about spotting the
Christ in other people? And where
do you start?
Taking part in the Eucharist week by
week is an important part of the life
of a follower of Christ. We give to
God in terms of thanks and time, but
God gives to us more generously
than we might ever realise. Another
Lenten discipline might be to attend
the Eucharist every Sunday, or come
to one of the midweek services in
addition to our Sunday practice.
(One of the drawbacks of this time of
the year is that the weather isn’t
conducive to coming out in the cold
and wet, but hopefully that will start
to improve from now on!)
I guess that the starting point for me
is trying to develop that sense of
Christ within myself first, and only
when I’ve started will I feel able to
look for him in other people.
There is a classic book (listed in the
recent Church Times top 50 list),
written by Thomas a Kempis, called
The Imitation of Christ in which he
provides instruction on the inner,
spiritual life. It is a guide to
organising ourselves inwardly, giving
ourselves time for solitude and time
to enjoy the presence of God in our
lives. It seems to me that this is an
important message today as we try
to cram more and more into already
busy lives. So one Lenten exercise
might simply be setting aside some
time each day to sit quietly and seek
the presence of God in our lives. It
will be time well spent.
Using Lent to grow in faith is an
important part of our calling as
baptised members of the Body of
Christ and it will also help us to
recognise the Christ in one another,
just as Simeon recognised the
Messiah in Mary’s arms. I wish you a
happy and profitable Lent.
Michael Raynor
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What’s on in February ...
Sunday 1st
THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE - CANDLEMASS
10.00am Sung Eucharist and candle procession
12 noon Holy Baptism
Saturday 7th
Sunday 8th
7.00pm Scout’s family Quiz – tickets £5.00.
THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
10.00am Sung Eucharist
Monday 9th
9.00am Stakeholder Committee meeting in school
Tuesday 10th
9.00am Deputy Head Teacher interviews
Wednesday 11th
7.30pm Deanery Synod meeting here at St Andrew’s
Friday 13th
9.00am Admissions Meeting in school
Sunday 15th
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT
10.00am Sung Eucharist
Monday 16th
School Half Term holiday
Wednesday 18th
ASH WEDNESDAY
10.00am Solemn Eucharist with Ashing
7.00pm Solemn Sung Eucharist with Ashing
Friday 20th
Sunday 22nd
6.30pm Stations of the Cross
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
10.00am Sung Eucharist
Wednesday 25th
6.45pm Eucharist (please note time during Lent)
7.30pm Lent Course at St Ann’s Church
Friday 27th
6.30pm Stations of the Cross
Saturday 28th
Churchwarden’s meeting
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Sunday 1st
March
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
10.00am Sung Eucharist
12 noon Holy Baptism
There are regular weekly celebrations of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) on
Wednesday evening at 6.45pm in Lent (7.00pm after Easter) and Thursday
morning at 10.30am. Celebrations on Saint’s Days are published on the Sunday
sheet. All are welcome.
Lent Groups
What makes a good Lent course? Different people would, no doubt, each have
their own idea as to the perfect Lent course. For some, it needs to be serious
and have a real purpose; for others, it’s more about getting together with likeminded people to swap ideas.
This year, both are possible! The Orford Churches are meeting on Wednesday
evenings in Lent to follow the York course. This year’s course is called “Praise
Him – songs of praise in the New Testament”. Contributors include the
Archbishop of Canterbury and Sr Wendy Beckett. Starting at 7.30 and finishing
no later than 9pm, the course will be hosted by St Ann’s and lifts are available
for those who would find them helpful. (The Wednesday Eucharist will start at
6.45pm in Lent to allow us to arrive on time). Don’t worry about it being too
serious, though – it is aimed at the person in the pew and everyone will find
plenty in the course of interest.
Some years ago, we had a lunchtime video club, watching clips from Jesus of
Nazareth before chatting about what we’d seen. We’d like to know if anyone
would be interested in something similar, probably at lunchtime (with a light
lunch thrown in). If you might be interested or want to know a little more,
please have a word with Fr Michael. If there is enough interest, it will be
advertised on the Sunday sheet.
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Who’s on in February…
2015
1 Feb
8 Feb
15 Feb
18 Feb
Ash W.
22 Feb
1 Mar
8 Mar
SIDES-PEOPLE
J. Devereux
M. Ellison
L. Giblin
P. Smith
F. Greatorex
O. Vowles
Volunteers please
B. Boscoe
B. Glover
A. Yeamans
D. Yeamans
M. Greatorex
H. Smyth
READER
INTERCESSOR
OFFERTORY
B. Boscoe
Sunday School
O. Vowles
Dot Miller
F. Greatorex
D. Kirk
Sunday School
M. Harrington
J. Raynor
Volunteers please
Don Miller
D. Yeamans
A. Gorman
Don Miller
M. Brown
K. Rowan
I. Appleton
M. Harrington
E. Chorley
J. Stamp
Dot Miller
Z. Zahorcova
M. Greatorex
H. Smyth
J. Brookman
C. Muir
2015
SUNDAY SCHOOL
COUNTING COLLECTIONS
1 Feb
8 Feb
15 Feb
22 Feb
1 Mar
8 Mar
L. Giblin
L. Giblin
J. Raynor
J. Raynor
J. Raynor
J. Raynor
V. Carter / J. Raynor
B. Boscoe / B. Glover
D. Miller / P. Smith
I. Appleton / M. Ellison
V. Carter / J. Raynor
B. Boscoe / B. Glover
2015
TEA ROTA
READ ON WEDS EVE
HALL CLEANING
1 Feb
8 Feb
15 Feb
22 Feb
1 Mar
8 Mar
M. Harrington / D. Miller
F. Greatorex / L. Giblin
B. Boscoe / B. Glover
M. Ellison / P. Smith
M. Harrington / D. Miller
F. Greatorex / L. Giblin
Dot Miller (4 Feb)
Fr Michael (11 Feb)
Ash Wednesday
Don Miller (25 Feb)
N. Lee (4 Mar)
D. Kirk (11 Mar)
C. Worrall
Fr Michael
J. Devereux
C. Worrall
Fr Michael
J. Devereux
There is a new rota for February to May. If you’re already on the rota, please
check that you can take the turn allotted to you and if not, please find a
replacement. If you’re not already on the rota and would like to offer your help,
please have a word with Fr Michael.
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Making All Things New
Henri Nouwen was a Roman Catholic priest, born in Holland, who spent much of
his ministry in the United States before returning to his native land. He wrote 39
books and hundreds of articles about the Christian life, one of which was called
Making All Things New.
“The spiritual life is a gift. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit who lifts us up into
the kingdom of God’s love. But to say this does not mean that we should wait
passively until the gift is offered to us. Jesus tells us to set our heats on the
kingdom. This involves not only serious aspiration but also strong
determination. It requires human effort. The forces that keep pulling us back
into a worry-filled life are far from easy to overcome. “How hard it is” Jesus
exclaims, “... to enter the kingdom of God.”And to convince us of the need for
hard work, he says, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him
renounce himself and take uphis cross and follow me.”
Here we touch the question of disciplne. A spiritual life without it is
impossible. Discipline is the other side of discipleship. The practice of a
spitiual discipline makes us more sensitive to the small gentle voice of God.
The prophet Elijah did not encounter God in the mighty wind or in the
earthquake or the fire, but in the small voice. Through the practice of a
spiritual discipline we become attentive to that small voice and willing to
respond when we hear it.
A spiritual discipline is the concentrated effort to create some inner or outer
space in our lives where this obedience can be practised. In this way, we
prevent our lives being filled to such an extent that there is no place left to
listen.A spiritual discipline sets us free to pray, or to say it better, allows the
Spirit of God to pray in us.
Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude
begins with a time and a place for God, and him alone. If we really believe not
only that God exists but also that he is really present in our lives – healing,
teaching and guiding - we need to set aside a time and a space to give him
our undivided attention. Jesus says, “Go to your private room and, when you
have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place.”
A timely message for Lent? Let’s hope so.
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Dates for 2015
February: 18th
26th
March:
2nd
April:
5th
Ash Wednesday: services at 10.00am and 7.00pm
Easter themed Messy Church in school – 3pm
Maundy Thursday. School service at 9.15am; Sung Eucharist
and Watch from 7.00pm
Easter Day: Festal Eucharist at 10.00am
May:
4th
5th
10th
18-22nd
24th
Bank Holiday Car Boot Sale
Archdeacon’s Visitation at St Barnabas’ Church
Confirmation at 3pm
Parish Holiday
Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
June:
4th
15-22nd
20th
27th
Corpus Christi
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Afternoon Tea and Crowning of the Rose Queen
Summer Fair
July:
3rd
24th
Warrington Walking Day
School Leaver’s Service
August:
31st
Bank Holiday Car Boot Sale
September: 6th
October:
9th
10th
11th
Dedication Festival
School Harvest Festival service in church at 9.15am
Harvest Supper
Harvest Thanksgiving
November: 21st
Christmas Fair
December: 20th
Carol Service
Other dates may be added during the year. Please see What’s On... in the
monthly Green Spire and the Sunday sheet.
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News from the 33rd
With the start of the New Year, our Scout Group is
delighted to welcome some new Leaders.
Angela Costello now leads the Cubs, ably assisted by
Sylvia Simon; and the Beqavers have a new Assistant Leader in Joanne Harrison.
On the Awards front, our young people have made great strides, with several
winning The Chief Socout’s Award at different levels:
Gold Awards have been won by:
Macy Daley
Matthew Boulton
Kelan Leah
Jonathon Lewter
Cubs’ Silver Awards have been won by:
David Simon
Alex Lghtfoot
Beavers’ Bronze Awards go to:
Jazmin Donnely
Joshua Taylor
Our congratulations to them and to the Leaders who have encouraged and
worked with them.
On Saturday 7th February, there will be a Family Quiz Night, open to everyone –
members of the Group, parents and all at St Andrew’s Church. Tickets are on
sale for £5 and include refreshments. (Tickets may be obtained through Fr
Michael no later than Thursday 5th Feb).
In April,we have the GANG SHOW. St Andrew’s Scouts and Cubs are already
rehearsing because this is one of the highlights of the Scouting Year in
Warrington.Leaders and Scouts from the 33rdtake a large part in this annual
event. It’s a fun event for all the family at takes place at the Parr Hall fro April
18th – 22nd. This year, it’s a musical trip around the world, so why not treat
yourself. More details nearer the time.
Back on the ground, the Beavers have a ‘sleepover’ on the first weekend in
February and the Scouts are planning a night hike in March.
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Snippets from the Church Times
Twelve months ago, a report was published suggesting that numerical decline in
the Church of England could be halted if the Church learned how to retain
teenagers and people in their twenties. This year, the Archbishop’s Council has
published a series of reports aimed at Church Growth. Among the ideas being
put forward are ‘managing talent’, ‘developing discipleship’, ‘simplification’,
‘resourcing the future and ministry’, ‘intergenerational equity’ and ‘reviewing
national Church institutions’. In the end, only time will tell how effective they
are. We will certainly hear more about them shortly.
It is now five years since the devastating earthquake that killed 220,000 people
in Haiti. On the anniversary, relief agencies said that much had been achieved,
but much more still needs to be done. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church said there was abundant opportunity for thanksgiving as communities
were rebuilt. Haiti is the Episcopal Church’s largest diocese with 83,700
members and more than 100 parishes.
Snow in the Middle East is rare, and heavy snowfalls in recent weeks have
brought misery to hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled Syria and
now live in canvas cities. And it’s not just Syria and Iraq that has displaced its
people: deteriorating security in Yemen and Libya has also resulted in thousands
of people seeking safety elsewhere.
If Christmas Tree Festivals are growing in popularity, think for a moment about
St Anne’s Church in Calmore, Winchester which held its first Angel Festival just
before Christmas. Creating three hundred and eighty angels of all shapes and
sizes, using just about everything you could think of, they brought together the
whole community. During the Festival, there were activities for visitors, making
angel biscuits and 3D silver angels, cake stalls, refreshments and even a raffle!
The Archbishop of Canterbury recently received an honorary Doctorate of
Divinity from the University of Durham (where he was briefly diocesan bishop).
Archbishop Justin later said that he was hugely grateful for the honour.
A priest in Tamworth wants to repair his town’s broken electrical appliances free
of charge. He plans to hold his first “Restart Party” at Easter, and told the local
newspaper that the scheme would save money and the environment as fewer
goods would be thrown away!
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Mission Aviation Fellowship
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a Christian charity that works in remote
parts of the world, often only accessible by air. Although their remit is that of a
missionary society to spread the gospel, they do so in practical ways, providing a
link with the ‘outside world’. Here are a few excerpts from their quarterly
magazine Flying for Life.
David Pett works in Arnhem Land, a remote area in northern Australia. Having
fled the nearby mainland after bombing in World War 2, they set up a new base
on Elcho Island just a mile or so off the coast. David and his family share the
island with 2,500 local people where, in 1979, there was a major spiritual revival.
David spends much of his time ferrying people to and from the island, taking sick
people to hospital, bringing in medicines and new born babies that are not born
at home. They double up as a hearse. “These practical functions”, David says,
“mirror Jesus’ message of new life, healing and promise of rest for the weary.”
It’s not always outsiders who work for MAF. Prabhu Pothula. His passion for
flying started as he watched helicopters transporting people to and from
offshore oil rigs near his home in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. His first
flight was on board a jet destined for Cairns, the regional headquarters of MAF
in Asia-Pacific. As a child, his parents had received a prophecy that he would one
day work as a missionary for God, a message that seemed incredible to the
whole family. Yet at twenty-four, that’s escatly what Prabhu was doing, and on a
different continent! Before discovering MAF, Prabhu worked in his home village
with aproject he started Help the Needy, telling people about Jesus through
youth retreats and medical camps. In 2014, Prabhu became MAF’s first Indian
pilot/missionary.
MAF works in some of the most dangerous and deprived parts of the world,
often alongside other organisations. In South SudanAMF is working with Faith
Shiddy, a Health and Nutrition Manager for Universal Intervention and
Development Organisation (UNIDO). During the rainy season, parts of the
country are completely cut off unless you have access by air, and MAf has
helped by delivering special kits to help women give birth in emergency and
refugee situations. On another occasion, the took in ‘plumpy nut’, a highly
nutritious food supplement to combat severe acute malnutrition.
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What the PCC decided...
Being a member of the PCC demands a degree of determination and hardiness –
especially if you’re going to attend a meeting in mid January on one of the
coldest nights of the year! Fortunately, there was a good response and most of
the routine but important financial matters were addressed all at once. The PCC
welcomed Mrs Wendy McKinnon to her first meeting and congratulated her on
her appointment as Head Teacher at St Andrew’s School.
The meeting began, as usual, with the Minutes of the last meeting and an
update on some of the matters arising from those Minutes. It was reported that
our Giving to other charitable bodies, notably the Church overseas, is almost
complete and there are thank you letters from most of those charities pinned to
the notice board in church. [Please have a look; they are quite informative about
the charity’s work]. There is one outstanding payment, to be made to an
ordinand and family. ‘Train a Priest’ runs during Lent and we will send our
cheque then.
The PCC also reviewed the Christmas services which were generally well
attended. It was agreed to improve publicity next year with posters giving the
times and dates of special services. The Guardian advert was thought to have
been worth doing.
Reporting to the PCC, Fr Michael thanked everyone who had helped prepare for
the Fire Safety inspection at the beginning of January. The inspection proved
helpful and raised a number of areas for improvement which will be put in place
over the next few weeks.
New legislation requires anyone who offers food to the public (whether
professionally or as volunteers) to clearly state whether there are any allergens
present in those dishes. There are thirteen key allergens (such as gluten and
lactose, shellfish and soya and more) and those preparing food for fairs and
socials should be aware of the new rules.
One of the main items was to approve the Accounts for 2014. In the absence of
the Treasurer, the vicar presented the accounts, highlighting those areas where
there were significant changes compared to the previous year. (A more detailed
commentary will be published when the accounts are presented to the Annual
Meeting). In essence, our income and expenditure were evenly matched without
taking into account money raised through the Charity Shop. However, Fr Michael
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warned that our income in 2015 would drop by around £1,800 in Planned Giving
and our Parish Share had increased by £700. There is a separate article
explaining these changes. It was agreed to increase the Heating Fund which is
intended to help replace the present system at some date in the future and to
apply the rest of the money raised in the Shop to the Hall Fund. A Budget will for
2015 will be prepared at the next meeting.
Also at this time of the year, the Table of Fees has to be approved. Some of the
fees for weddings and funerals are set by Parliament while there is scope for
locally set costs such as heating and flowers. The PCC approved a new Table of
Fees for 2015.
Finally, dates were set for some of the main social events in 2015 and these can
be found elsewhere in the magazine. Dates may change during the year and
everyone is encouraged to watch the What’s On page in the magazine and the
notices on the Sunday sheet.
The PCC will meet again on Tuesday 24th March at 8pm and the Archdeacon’s
Visitation will be held at St Barnabas’ Church on Tuesday 5th May at 7.30pm
The Annual Meeting
This year’s Annual Meeting takes place on Sunday 19th April after the morning
service. Please make a note of the date now and try to stay for the meeting
itself. It usually only lasts about forty minutes.
The only people eligible to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (to give
it its proper name) are those whose name appears on the Electoral Roll. The
Roll has to be revised each year before the Meeting and a list can be found on
the notice board in church. Please check both that your name appears on the list
and secondly that your details are correct. People sometimes move house and
fail to update their details ont he Electoral Roll). Firther information from Fr
Michael or Kathy Rowan, our current Electoral Roll Officer.
The Annual Report is still to be written and a copy of the Accounts for 2014 will
be posted on the notice board in church shortly. Both documents will be
distributed at the Meeting.
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Balancing the Books?
As part of the PCC’s annual review of finance, they look at a Budget for the
coming year. Although the Budget wasn’t prepared at this month’s meeting, it
was pointed out that there will be a significant shortfall this year if levels of
giving remain as they are. The problem is that we have lost a number of our
faithful members recently who have also been among the most generous. We
predict that we will be £1,800 down on income compared to last year.
The other problem we face is that our Parish Share has increased by 3%, which
amounts to £700 over the year. The Share is paid to the Diocese and helps with
the cost of the vicar (though only part of those costs, the balance coming from
central funds), clergy training and a number of other essential items.
Our Parish Share for 2015 is £19, 068. It is based on the number of people in
church week by week. In 2014, it averaged 34 adults (children are not counted
for financial purposes). If you do the sums, that means £9.60 per adult per visit
to church goes in Parish Share before we do anything else.
The advantage of budgeting is that it gives us a chance to address issues like
these before they get out of hand and unmanageable. We cannot rely on the
Shop to bail us out. While it is a good source of income, which will help us apply
for grant-funding, it may not be there for ever.
We will probably have to hold a Giving Campaign sometime this year, but it
would be prudent to ask everyone to consider their weekly giving at this stage
and see if it is possible to increase what they put into their envelope. Anyone
wishing to join the envelope scheme should have a word with Lynne Giblin
please. Thank you.
St Andrew’s Charity Shop
every Wednesday
from 10am to 3pm in the Hall
Drop-in for tea and toast.
Carer’s advice desk
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Don’s Quiz
[Answers on page 27]
1. Name the only sport in which neither the spectators, the participants or
even the leader know the score until the contest is over.
2. What famous American landmark is constantly moving backwards?
3. Only two vegetables are perennial. Can you name them?
4. Which fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. It is possible to buy “Pear Brandy” which has a real pear inside the
bottle. The pear is ripe and has not been cut in any way. How did the
pear get inside the bottle?
6. There are only three words in “Standard English” that begin with the
letters “DW” name two of them.
7. There are at least 12 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you
name eight of them?
8. Name the only vegetable that is never sold tinned, cooked, processed or
frozen or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with
the letter “S”
®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®
Two clergymen had both spent a holiday in Hawaii and they were sitting,
compaing notes. One thought the place should be pronounced “Hawaii” and the
other thought it should be “Havaii”
They couldn’t agree so they asked a chap who was passing by for his help.
“Excuse me, sir” said one of them, “but is Hawaii pronounced “Hawaii” or
“Havaii”? The man said, without hesitation, “Havaii”. So they both looked at at
each other, one smiling and the other frowning. As he was about to walk away,
the smiling cleric said to him, “Thank you.” The man replied, “You’re velcome!”
From Tidings, the magazine of Workingmen’s Mission
16
General Synod February 2015
The General Synod of the Church of England will meet at Church House,
Westminster from 1pm on Tuesday 10 February 2015 until 5 pm on Thursday 12
February 2015.
The Agenda for the meeting is published today. The main focus of the Synod's
work will be engagement with the wide-ranging programme of reform and
renewal of the Church emerging from the various Task Group Reports and the
materials on Discipleship. These discussions will take up most of Wednesday 11
February and will involve group work and meetings in larger groups as well as
plenary sessions on a series of motions relating to the Task Groups.
The Synod's engagement with the programme for Reform and Renewal and the
Task Group reports will begin on the afternoon of Tuesday 10th February with a
presentation by the Chairs of the Task Groups on the reports that will be
discussed on Wednesday.
On the morning of Wednesday 11 February, Synod members will start with
worship in small groups before moving into group work on the Discipleship
report to prepare for the discussion of the Task Group reports. Later the same
morning, Synod members will move into larger groups which will be meeting in
parallel to discuss the programme emerging from the Task Groups. These will
take the form of four 'ACT' groups (Accountability, Consultation and
Transparency) which will cover Resourcing Ministerial Education, Discerning and
Nurturing Senior Leaders, Resourcing the Future and Inter-Generational Equity
and Simplification.
The Synod will move to a sequence of debates on the Discipleship paper and
each of the Task Group reports on the afternoon of Wednesday 11 February.
The sequence will begin with a debate on a motion on Discipleship moved by the
Bishop of Sheffield. The Synod will then move into a debate on a motion on
'Resourcing the Future and Resourcing Ministerial Education' introduced by
Canon John Spence. The Bishop of Willesden will introduce a debate on the
proposals in the Simplification Group's report. Finally, the First Church Estates
commissioner will introduce a motion on Commissioners' Funds and InterGenerational Equity. This will conclude the sequence of debates on the Task
Groups.
17
The final day of Synod, Thursday 12 February, will return to more usual
business. In the morning there will be a debate on the Revision Stage of the
Draft Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure. Synod will also be debating a
Private Members' Motion from the Revd Dr Michael Parsons on Canon B38
which calls for the introduction of legislation to amend the Canon to allow those
who have taken their own life to be buried in accordance with the rites of the
Church of England. Synod will be debating the Revision Committee stage of the
draft Alternative Baptism Texts which are being introduced by the Liturgical
Commission as an optional alternative to current baptism services in use in the
Church at present.
Finally, Synod will be debating a report from the Mission and Public Affairs
Council on the subject of 'Mission and Growth in Rural Multi-Parish Benefices'.
There are two items of contingency business at this Group of Sessions. The first
is a Diocesan Synod Motion from the former Diocese of Wakefield on 'The
Nature and Structure of the Church of England - National Debate'. The second
item is a debate on a report from the World Council of Churches entitled 'The
Church: Towards a Common Vision'. This will be introduced by the Chair of the
Council of Christian Unity.
Synod will conclude at 5pm on Thursday 12th February.
Fridge and Freezers
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01925 423840
07723 967564
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The ‘flu is both affirmative and negative says William Lyon Phelps.
Why? Because sometimes the eyes have it and sometimes the nose!
Green Spire October 1983
18
Show Up
The next few months will see increasing coverage of the run up to the General
Election in May. It has already started as politicians try to woo voters to their
way of thinking. The NHS and Education are just two of the main issues that the
election will bring into sharp focus as each party tries to show that they are the
only ones to be trusted with these gems of British democracy and life.
All their campaigning (and criticism of one another’s policies) will be in vain if
we, the electorate, don’t turn out on the day and cast our vote. Show Up, a
cross-party movement that seeks to encourage Christians to get involved in
politics, launched their campaign to get us all more involved, and as their name
suggests, to turn up and vote on the day.
There are still plenty of Christians in this country, and if they were all galvanized
into voting, could “genuinely have a profound impact”. Mark Scott from the
umbrella group Christians in Politics said last week.
Although the elections are still three months away, it’s not too early to start
thinking about what’s at stake, what’s on offer, and whether these things are
compatible with our faith. Many people will vote for the party they think will
best suit their interests, but for Christians, we should weigh those promises
against what is best for all the people of this country – and overseas.
With postal votes available, no one has any excuse for not voting. More than
ever before, this election is important. Pray for those who are standing for
Parliament, and pray for discernment in choosing the right candidate.
19
Thanks...
When we send donations to charities, they usually
send a letter of thanks, and it often inlcudes
something about their work. You’ll find the letters on
the notice board where we have tea on Sunday. Do
look at them – there are some very interesting
stories.
Lent Groups
Don’t miss out on this year’s Lent groups.There will be ecumenical Lent Groups
on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm at St Ann’s; and there may be a group
meeting at the vicarage each week (please see page 10 for more details).
As in previous years, the Wednesday Eucharist will begin at 6.45pm so that we
can get to St Ann’s for 7.30pm. The aim is to finish no later than 9pm. Anyone
who would like a lift would be most welcome, and they will be dropped at home
afterwards.
Harvest collection
It may seem quite some time since we gave thanks for the Harvest and you
might wonder why it is mentioned now. In drawing up the Accounts for 2014, we
realised that we’d not announced the amount raised.The collection taken in
church brought in £79.85; the Harvest Supper raised a further £35.00 and the
profit from the Pentecost Barbecue in the summer raised an additional £30.50
making a grand total of £145.35 (some of which was Gift Aided). The money
raised was sent to Christian Aid to help with their work among refugees from
Iraq and Syria. Thank you for your generous support.
and the Christmas collection
As agreed by the PCC, the Christmas collections were sent to the YMCA’s Room
at the Inn project which supports homeless people in Warrington, helping them
both in the short term with an overnight shelter and food, and giving them help
and advice to get back in proper housing and work. The collections raised
£117.40
20
February Saints
In many and varied ways, the saints illuminated the world in which they lived,
filling it with goodness and truth. We continue our series on greater and lesser
saints who have brought the light of God into people’s lives in special ways:
4 February – Gilbert of Sempringham
Born in 1083 in Sempringham, the son of the squire, Gilbert became the parish
priest in 1131. He encouraged the vocation of seven women of the town and
formed them into a company of lay sisters. A group of lay brothers also came
into being and they all kept the Benedictine Rule. Gilbert was unsuccessful in his
bid to obtain pastoral guidance from Cîteaux for the incipient communities and
they came under the ambit of Augustinian canons, Gilbert himself becoming the
Master. At Gilbert's death in 1189, aged 106, there were nine double
monasteries in England and four of male canons only. It was the only purely
English monastic foundation before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the
sixteenth century.
6 February - The Martyrs of Japan
Almost fifty years after Francis Xavier had arrived in Japan as its first Christian
apostle, the presence of several thousand baptised Christians in the land
became a subject of suspicion to the ruler Hideyoshi, who soon began a period
of persecution. Twenty-six men and women, Religious and lay, were put to death
near Nagasaki in 1597. After their martyrdom, their blooded- clothes were kept
and held in reverence by their fellow Christians. The persecution continued for
another 35 years, many new witness-martyrs being added to their number.
14 February – Cyril & Methodius
Cyril and his older brother Methodius were born in Thessalonica, both
developing in their youth the ability to speak several languages, including
Slavonic, a language not yet written down, at least in an alphabet understood by
others. Cyril created the Slavonic alphabet and set about translating the
Scriptures and other liturgical texts into the language. They established the
church in Moravia, but in so doing entered into the controversy between
indigenous and centralised religious practices and worship. Cyril died on this day
in the year 869, whilst the brothers were in Rome, there to obtain papal
approval for their evangelistic work. Methodius returned to Moravia as
21
archbishop, where he completed the translation of the Bible and continued the
missionary work. He died in the year 885. Today they are revered in both
Christian East and West and, as such, are seen as patron saints of ecumenism
between these two great branches of Christendom.
15 February – Sigfrid Bishop, Apostle of Sweden
Sigfrid was most probably an Englishman sent by King Ethelred to assist in the
evangelisation of Norway and Sweden in the eleventh century. He took with him
two fellow missionaries, all three of whom were eventually consecrated bishops.
As Bishop of Vaxjo (pronounced Vek-sha) in Sweden, travelled extensively in
Sweden and Denmark. He died in 1045, much revered throughout Scandinavia.
15 February – Thomas Bray, Priest
Born at Marton in Shropshire in 1656, Thomas Bray was educated at Oxford and
subsequently ordained. He was chosen by the Bishop of London to assist with
the work of organising the church in Maryland in the USA but, during an
extended delay in his setting out, he managed to organise a system of free
libraries, initially for use in America but later instituted in England. This led to his
founding the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) in 1698.
On his return to Europe in 1699, he also founded The Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel (SPG). He died on this day in the year 1730.
27 February – George Herbert, Priest
Born in 1593 into the aristocratic Pembroke family, George Herbert went up
to Cambridge in 1614, eventually becoming a fellow of Trinity College. At the age
of twenty-five, he became Public Orator in the University and then a Member of
Parliament, apparently destined for a life at court. To everyone's surprise, he
decided to be ordained and, after spending a time with his friend Nicholas
Ferrar at Little Gidding, he was made deacon in 1626. He married in 1629, was
priested in 1630 and given the care of souls of the parish of Bemerton, near
Salisbury, where he spent the rest of his short life. He wrote prolifically, his
hymns still being popular throughout the English-speaking world. His
treatise, The Country Parson, on the priestly life, and his poetry, especially The
Temple, earned Herbert a leading place in English literature. He never neglected
the care of the souls of Bemerton, however, and encouraged attendance at the
weekday recitation of the daily office, calling to mind the words of his hymn,
'Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee'. He died in 1633.
22
The (Senior) Sound of Music
Julie Andrews performed this version of “My Favourite Things” at a recent show
for the American Association of Pensioners and it seems to be appropriate to
share it with St Andrew’s congregation. By the way it might be funnier if you
actually sing it.
Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings
Bundles of magazines tied up with string
These are few of my favourite things.
Ford Cars and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses
Steradent and Fixodent, false teeth in glasses
Pacemakers, Golf Carts and porches with swings
These are a few of my favourite things.
When the pipes leak, when the bones creak
When the knees go bad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring
These are a few of my favourite things.
Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinning
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinning
And we won’t mention our short shrunken frames
When we remember our favourite things
When the joints ache, when the hips break
When the eyes grow dim
Then I remember the great life I’ve had
And then I don’t feel so bad.
(She received a standing ovation)
Contributed By Don Miller .
23
As I see it …
“The best laid plans o’ Mice and Men
gang aft a’gley”
I wonder if you made any New Year’s
resolutions this year. If so, how are
you doing? It’s now almost a whole
month since New Year’s Day and it
seems much longer ago to me. Of
course, they do say that time goes
more quickly as you get older, and you
have to remember that I’ve been
writing for Green Spire for seventeen
years – that’s quite some time for a
mouse!
he’d had a narrow squeak (get it?)
with the field mice, showing what a
kind and gentle man he really was. For
the most part, though, we mice tend
to get overlooked all the time.
The St Andrew’s Mice have been very
lucky recently and all because of a nice
lady called Janet who visited us from
Fire Prevention. Because she was
paying a visit (a bit like visits by the
Royal family), it was all hands (and
paws!) to clear anything that might
pose a fire risk. It involved tidying up,
getting rid of rubbish and, in Fr M’s
case, putting up notices over all the
fire exits. Yes, we know there were
some there already, but not as big and
beautiful as the ones that are there
now.
We mice rarely make resolutions, or
plans, because we have very short
memories and would probably forget
what we’d planned before getting
started. Mind you, we are not as bad
as goldfish who, I’m reliably informed,
can only remember for ten seconds at
a time. By the time you’ve swum
round the bowl, you’ve forgotten
you’ve been there already and the
adventure begins all over again!
As you can imagine, this caused great
excitement in our various mouse
holes. Fr M’s idea of rubbish and those
of Granny Mouse didn’t quite agree
and she’s still annoyed about her stock
of soft bedding being taken to the tip.
Not only that, but a few young mice
hid in boxes and nearly got carted off
in Sue and Rob’s car.
Some of you will know that the man
who wrote the quotation at the top of
this page, a man called Robert Burns,
was a farmer as well as a poet. On one
occasion, he drove his plough over a
nest of tiny field mice who don’t have
the sense to build their nests in
sensible places, but just find
somewhere in the middle of a field.
It’s no wonder they get into trouble.
Robert Burns wrote this poem after
It did have a happy ending, though,
because in the great clean-up of 2015
(guess who’s been watching repeats of
the Vicar of Dibley?) we found quite a
24
few things we’d lost, and we also have
a lot more space. The young mice have
several new toys and Grandpa Mouse
found a piece of very blue cheese that
he’d hidden for a rainy day after the
Cheese and Wine party of 2007! His
memory isn’t what it once was – and
neither is his sense of smell. We keep
telling him to have a bath ... but that’s
another story.
We are also most impressed by the
new ‘green’ lighting scheme in the
Hall. There are little LEDs on the new
emergency lighting units that give off a
bright green light at night. With all the
lights turned off, they look really cool.
Grandad Mouse says that he and his
mates find their way home after a few
jars in the “Flying Cat” much more
easily now that the Hall is illuminated.
Churchmouse
From the Registers
Funerals:
8th January
14th January
15th January
20th January
22nd January
23rd January
27th January
Mary Webb
Joyce Graham
Kenneth Hollingsworth
Gladys Kenwright
William Edward Griffiths
Stephan Brian Lafferty
James Clifton Mulvey
Communicants and Collections:
2015
4th Jan
11th Jan
18th Jan
25th Jan
Sunday
Communicants
Midweek
Communicants
Loose
Collections £
Planned
Giving £
36
39
37
40
10
13
12
12
39.98
11.11
52.73
27.33
338.83
171.50
188.50
191.32
25
Donations
We would like to thank everyone who has made a gift or donation to our
various funds recently. Our special thanks go to:
General Fund
 Initial Giving
 In memory of wonderful husband and father (4th January). All my love. I
miss you lots. From Renee (omitted by mistake from last moth – apologies)
 For a wonderful Dad and Husband, with all our love. Renee and family
(omitted by mistake from last moth – apologies)
 From Barbara Richards for the birthday of Joan Roberts (18th January) and
Anniversary of Death of Tom Roberts
 In loving memory of Tommy Crozier from Joyce and family
 In loving memory of Daughter Karen Broadbent (4th February) from Jean
Stamp
 In memory of a dear friend and neighbour, Gladys, from the Hetherington
family
 In memory of Gladys Kenwright from Irene, Carol and family
 In memory of dear Gladys from Margaret Bladon
 In memory of Gladys Kenwright from friends and neighbours
 In loving memory of Ken Hollingsworth and with thanks from Jen and
family
 Verger's fee (3)
Flower Fund
 Christmas memories of Tom from all his loving family – Joan (omitted by
mistake from last moth – apologies)
Winners of the Phoenix Club Draw
First Prize
Second Prize
Third Prize
25th January 2015
12 D. Miller
17 S. Charlton
50 R. Worrall
26
Answers to the Quiz
1) Boxing
2) Niagara Falls. The millions of gallons of water that flow over it every
minute erode them back at a rate of about two and a half feet a year.
3) Asparagus and Rhubarb
4) Strawberry
5) It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when
they are small and wired into place on the tree. When the pear is ripe it
is snipped off at the stem leaving it inside the bottle.
6) Dwarf, Dwell and Dwindle
7) Full stop, Comma, Colon, Semi Colon, Dash, Hyphen, Apostrophe,
Question Mark, Exclamation Mark, Quotation Mark, Parenthesis and
Ellipses.
8) Lettuce
9) Shoes, Socks, Sandals, Sneakers, Slippers, Skis, Skates, Snowshoes,
Stockings, Stilts and I am sure that you will find others.
Elle and Esse
Hair and Beauty Lodge
Unisex Hair Salon
LYNETTE and SUE
Lodge Lane, Bewsey
Warrington
Tel: 01925 232282
A husband took his wife to the theatre but he found they were too far from
the stage. He signalled to the usher and said, “This is a murder mystery and I
love to watch the mystery close up. Get us better seats and I’ll give you a
tip.” The usher found two seats in the centre of the third row. After he had
moved, the man thanked the usher warmly and handed over 50p. The usher
looked at it, smiled, leaned over and quietly whispered, “The wife did it!”
27
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is popular not just in the United Kingdom, but right around the
world. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, but do you know how it got its name,
or how other countries celebrate the last day before Lent?
The word shrove is a form of the English word ‘shrive’, which means to obtain
absolution for sin by way of confession and doing penance. Shrove Tuesday gets
its name from the custom whereby Christians are "shriven" before the start of
Lent. Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "Shrovetide", somewhat similar to the
Carnival tradition that developed separately in countries of Latin Europe.
Here, as in Ireland, Australia and Canada, Shrove Tuesday is sometimes known
as Pancake Day because of the tradition of making pancakes to use up all the
rich foods that were not allowed during the Lenten fast (flour, eggs, sugar).
Pancake races have been popular on these days, which for many years were
‘half-day holidays’ (starting when the church bell rang 11am and lasting the rest
of the day). The most famous race takes place in Olney in Buckinghamshire and
dates back to 1445. Most contestants are women who have to toss the pancake
at the beginning and end of the 415 yard course and must wear an apron and
scarf. Men do occasionally take part but there are no concessions regarding the
dress code! It appears the race began when a housewife was so busy making
pancakes that she lost all sense of time and was surprised by the church bell
summoning the people to church. She rushed out, in her apron and carrying her
frying pan, and ran all the way to the church!
Many cathedrals now hold an annual pancake race, often led by the Dean and
Chapter. In London, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords
race each other and members of the Fourth Estate (the Press) in a race that
raises awareness for Rehab, a charity that works with the disabled and
marginalised.
In many Latin countries, Carnivals (carne levare), to take away meat and another
facet of Lenten fasting are held, the most famous being the Brazilian Carnival in
Rio de Janeiro and the Masquerade in Venice. However it is kept, there is an
element of fun and a sense of preparing for the discipline of Lent.
28
Prayer Intentions for February
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
CANDLEMASS – THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION
Fisher Avenue
Christian Aid
Eskdale Avenue
Bishop Paul
Mendip Avenue
Ebola victims
Buttermere Avenue
Our Scout Group
Grasmere Avenue
St Ann, Warrington
Petworth Avenue
Our councillors
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
Sinclair Avenue
Samaritans and ChildLine
Lancing Avenue
Hollins Park Hospital
Keswick Crescent
Asylum seekers
Marron Avenue
John, Archbishop of York
Dean Crescent
St Barnabas, Warrington
Cleveland Road
Those training for ministry
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT
Kentmere Place
United Society
Poole Avenue
Our Choir and Organist
Seaford Place
A good and holy Lent
Armour Avenue
Israel and Gaza
Cartmel Avenue
Holy Trinity, Warrington
Densham Avenue
Those preparing for confirmation
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Newton Road
The Children’s Society
Ulverston Avenue
Bishop Richard
St Stephen's Avenue
Our ecumenical partners
Hunter Avenue
Social workers
Thirlmere Avenue
St Elphin, Warrington
Chiltern Place
Those to be baptised
29