1.
From the Editors
Happy New Year! Though I have a sneaking feeling that February is really
rather too late to say this, particularly as by the time you read this Lent will
have begun, which always seems to me to bring with it the sense that the
year is turning from Winter into Spring. This of course also means that the
garden is waking up from its winter sleep so please consider coming and
joining us in the church garden – there are 4 dates to choose from, all
Saturdays, see page 24 for details!
Christmas therefore seems a very long time ago, but it was very nice to see
so many of the Christmas services so well attended; the Bishop of
Croydon attended our Epiphany service and was most impressed both by
the service and the attendance. It is fantastic to hear that we will welcome
the Bishop of Southwark to our Palm Sunday service, though it is perhaps
unfortunate that the clocks will go forward that same weekend… This
coincidence always brings back memories for me of being part of the
children’s choir which joins the Bach Choir at the Festival Hall for their
annual performances of the St Matthew Passion - with a mandatory 8am
rehearsal prior to the performance, at the age of 16 it felt like a truly
ungodly hour to be out and about!
The Building For Growth working groups have come up with some very
exiting proposals both for immediate action and longer term goals; there
are articles in the magazine enumerating the proposals and in particular
outlining the plans for the Lady Chapel. It has been very interesting to see
how the new Nave Alter layout has bedded in over the last few months;
the new ideas for the Lady Chapel will hopefully complement this very
well; my source on the PCC tells me that the new chairs that have been
chosen for it are very comfortable!
I hope you all enjoy the magazine; it’s an extra-long edition this time (I’m
not sure we’ve ever stretched to 32 pages before!), so there is plenty to
interest and entertain. Happy Easter!
Marie-Claire
2.
From the Rector
Spring 2015
It’s that time of year – Springtime is upon us again. It’s perhaps at
Springtime that we are most aware of the cycle of the seasons. The
snow and ice of January seem a world away as nature is visibly
renewed, and the bulbs we only half-remembered planting last year
spring into life.
And of course there’s Easter. And as we see the chocolate Easter
eggs replacing the chocolate Santas in the shops, there’s a danger that
we might treat the resurrection of Jesus in the same way – here we go
again…
But Easter is too extraordinary to be domesticated like that. There’s
something extravagant, unexpected, disturbing about Easter, about a
man rising from the dead, about God breaking into his world,
something utterly new which is still utterly new and life-changing even
though we remember it each year.
And that’s why there is a subtle change in the liturgies (the forms of
service) we use in church over Holy Week and Easter. All our liturgies
are meant to help us meet with God, to experience something of the
presence of God with us. At Christmas we remember how Jesus
became “God with us”, born as a baby, and we begin to think about
what it means for God himself to share a human life, to walk alongside
us through the joy and sorrow of all that life can throw at us.
3.
As we approach Easter, the Church offers us an opportunity to
encounter God through worship in ways that are radical and unique.
We don’t just remember, we seek to relive and share with Jesus those
last dark days of his life.
On Palm Sunday we gather at the hall and walk across to church,
recreating the excitement of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem, greeted by
crowds waving palm branches. Those same crowds who, we are
reminded as we read the story during the service, turned against him
and shouted for his death.
On Maundy Thursday we gather to remember the events of Jesus’ last
night with his friends. We share the last meal Jesus shared with his
closest friends; we re-enact the scandal of Jesus washing his disciples’
feet (the most menial of tasks) as I and my colleagues in ministry wash
the feet of members of the parish as a reminder to us all of the kind of
service to which the Christian community is called.
At the end of the Last Supper, Jesus took his disciples out to the
Garden of Gethsemane to watch and wait with him in prayer until his
arrest. We too follow him to Gethsemane, as consecrated bread is
taken to the Lady Chapel and we are invited to stay with him in silent
prayer while the rest of the church is stripped of all decoration, recalling
how Jesus himself was stripped after his arrest and all his friends ran
away.
The following afternoon, around the time that Jesus actually died on
the cross, we gather on Good Friday for the simplest and
4.
starkest of liturgies. We hear the story of Jesus’ suffering and death
once again, and everyone is invited to spend a moment of prayer
before the cross – a chance to make Jesus’ cross our own. The
consecrated bread before which we have prayed the night before is
brought to the altar and we receive communion. At the end of the
service, nothing is left and we leave the bare, empty church in silence.
We return at 8pm on Saturday evening for the moment when the
church not just recalls, but relives the moment of Christ’s resurrection.
Once darkness has fallen we join Christians around the world who
gather to witness again the extraordinary work of salvation that we see
in the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. Following customs which date
back to the beginnings of Christianity, we gather outside the church,
around a bonfire, to bring light and heat into a world that would
otherwise be dark and cold. From that fire, the Easter Candle is lit then
processed into church as we proclaim “Christ our Light” and share that
light with each other. We hear again the stories of how God has acted
throughout history to bring his people closer and closer to salvation
until the shout goes up “Christ is Risen!”, and the whole church is filled
with light and noise. We remember and renew our baptism promises,
share communion together and finally take our joy out into the streets
of Selsdon (not far…just beyond the curtilage!) and come back into
church for a party!
This great service has to be experienced! It is
not just a reminder of Jesus’ resurrection (that’s
what we do on Easter Day), it is an attempt to
relive the moment when light broke into
darkness and creation was renewed with new
and unending life. If you’ve not been before –
if you’ve not even thought about coming to
church before - don’t miss it!
Wishing you all the blessings of a very Happy
Easter.
Jenny
5.
Services in Holy Week
Palm Sunday
8am - Said Eucharist in traditional language
10am - Parish Eucharist, with Distribution and
Blessing of Palms and Procession from the Hall to
the
Church.
Please note this service begins promptly at the
Hall. Our special guest this morning is Rt
Revd Christopher
Chessun, Bishop of
Southwark
Monday 7.30pm
a service for Holy Week
Tuesday 7.30pm a service for Holy Week
Wednesday 7.30pm
Maundy Thursday
a service for Holy Week
7.30pm
Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper with the
Washing of Feet, Stripping of the Altars and
Watch until Midnight
Good Friday
Follow the way of the Cross:
1.00pm
Reflections followed by
2-3pm (approx.) The Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion with
the reading of the Passion Gospel, Proclamation of the
Cross, and Distribution of Holy Communion
You are welcome to come and go as you wish through the afternoon –
it would be helpful if you could move during a hymn to minimise distraction for others.
Thank you.
6.
Holy Saturday
10.00am –12noon A Messy Easter – activities for children and families –
all welcome!
8.00pm
The Paschal Vigil and the First Eucharist of Easter with
Lighting of the New Fire and the Paschal Candle, and
renewal of Baptismal vows
At the conclusion of this service there will be a (brief!) party to celebrate the glory of the
Resurrection, and our joy at being God’s Easter people.
If you can’t make the First Eucharist of Easter on Holy Saturday,
service times on Easter Sunday are:
8.00am
10.00am
6.00pm
Said Eucharist in traditional language
Parish Eucharist – and an Easter Egg Hunt!
Choral Evensong
You are very welcome at all these services!
7.
Usual services at St John’s...
Sundays
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist – children are welcome! If you have
young children with you, you may like to take advantage of our Children’s
Area where there is a selection of books and toys. A Welcomer will be on
hand throughout the service to offer you any assistance you may require
with your child to enable both you and your child to enjoy the service
together.
6.00pm
Evening Prayer
First Sunday of each month
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist
Second Sunday of each month
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist for All Ages
6.00pm
Choral Evensong, sung by the Choir of St John’s
Third Sunday of each month
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist
Fourth Sunday of each month
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist
Fifth Sunday of each month
8.00am
Said Eucharist
10.00am
Parish Eucharist
8.
Other weekly services
Thursdays
10.15am - Said Eucharist
Other midweek services
First Monday of each month – 7.30pm – Said Eucharist in honour of Our
Lady of Walsingham
Special events & services
For details of other services and special events, please see the weekly
notice sheet.
Jenny, the Rector, will be happy to see anyone for sacramental Confession,
Counsel, or just a chat – contact her on 0208 657 2343 or
jennyrowley@waitrose.com
The Mothers Union has full programme over the next few months; please
note that Rosemary Kempsell’s talk will take place earlier than the usual
time.
Wed 4th March
2pm Salt of the Earth, with Alan Sheen
Tues 24th March
8pm Easter Service with Wives Group
Wed 1st Apr
2pm
Rev'd Jenny Rowley
Sat 18th Apr
12 noon
Service at Southwark Cathedral
Wed 6th May 12.30pm
“The Changing Face of the MU”
Rosemary Kempsell Lunchtime Meeting
9.
Dates for Your Diary
10am, 29 March – Palm Sunday
The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of
Southwark will be with us on Palm Sunday
for our 10am service. Don’t forget that this
service begins promptly at the hall at 10am and
we walk over to the church remembering how
Jesus entered Jerusalem surrounded by crowds
waving palm branches and shouting
HOSANNA! I hope there will be lots of
friends come to greet our Bishop and shout
HOSANNA at St John’s on Palm Sunday 29th March.
Don’t forget that British Summer Time begins on Palm Sunday, so
your clocks go forward one hour!
FUN WEEKEND AT ST JOHN’S
Put the Weekend of June
20/21 in your diaries!
More details later…
10.
Building for Growth at St John’s
At St John’s we are committed to Growth.
Growth not just in numbers of people who
would consider themselves as “belonging” to
St John’s, but also committed to deepening
our faith and discipleship. From the answers
given to the question posed at our last
Annual Meeting “The reason we have a
church here at St John’s is…” we agreed a
purpose statement for our church:
St John’s exists to worship God and show the love of Jesus
Christ in Selsdon.
We seek to be an accessible, inclusive and welcoming
Christian community, exploring ways we can serve Christ
and share the gift of faith.
This statement is important to us because it begins to inform us of who
we are (not who we were some years ago) and of what we are now called
to do:
The Story so far…
Our working parties have met and come up with ideas on how we can
make our vision of the Church we believe God calls us to be (our Purpose
Statement) a reality. The Steering Group have put all those ideas together
and have made recommendations to PCC. The PCC has decided to action
a number of those ideas, and has identified a number of short-term and
longer-term goals to keep us busy!
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What we’ve done so far…
o We’re developing closer ties with the uniformed organisations, with
services planned for 2015 to include them.
o We’re improving our connection with the Monday and Thursday Baby
and Toddler groups. On a Thursday those enjoying coffee after
the 10.15am Eucharist are encouraged to share a smile and a song!
o At Christmas we reached out to those who are bereaved with the
Remembrance Christmas tree.
o We are reordering the nave area and Lady Chapel to provide disabled
access and a more comfortable and flexible space for prayer
There’s still more to do!
Some of the goals we’ve identified to make our Purpose Statement a
reality are simpler than others, some are more expensive than others, but
each one will need everyone at St John’s working together and supporting
in all sorts of different ways. You can see the complete list on the
noticeboard in the porch, but here are some highlights:
To rearrange the area at the back of church to provide a more welcoming
environment and an easier space for welcoming people to church,
and more space for our children.
To appoint a part-time paid Parish Administrator who will be responsible
for hall bookings, communications and co-ordinating publicity, and
occasional admin for the Rector.
To build on the success of our special services, as we identify and respond
to the needs of the community we serve e.g. special services for those who
are bereaved, a pet service…
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To reorder the church building, making better use of the space we have,
including providing toilet facilities and hospitality, creating a small meeting
room, improving disabled access to all areas and generating safer
pedestrian access to the whole site.
How can you help?
 Get involved! If you’ve been a bit shy up to now, it’s not too late
– have a word with Jenny and become part of Building for Growth
at St John’s. It will take all of us working together to make this
happen.
 Support the actions we begin to take as much as you can
 Be positive! Talk to your friends and neighbours about all the
good things that are going on at St John’s and bring them with you
to see for themselves!
 Pray for everyone involved, perhaps using our new Building for
Growth Prayer:
Lord God,
in Christ you show us the depth of your love for us.
With your Holy Spirit you inspire us to serve you.
Through all that we are, and all that we do,
may Jesus be known and his Kingdom established. Amen
13.
The Lady Chapel at St John’s.
This is a beautiful, peaceful part of our church, much loved by many and
well used for quiet times and private prayer.
As you will know by now, we have been trialling a new
nave altar and repositioned altar rails in the nave area
of the church over the last few months. The Diocesan
authorities have met and I’m delighted to say have
recommended that we be allowed to make this
arrangement a permanent feature of our church. They
have also recommended that we be allowed to proceed
with our plans to reorder the Lady Chapel, by
replacing the chairs there to make the seating more
comfortable and easier to use and putting a ramp at
the Lady Chapel step to improve access for those with
mobility issues.
Once the Lady Chapel is fully accessible we can move our prayer board
and candle stand so that they are together in the chapel and accessible to
everyone, including those with mobility issues. It will be easier for
everyone to light a candle and place a prayer request on the prayer board –
and easier and more comfortable to use the Lady Chapel for its primary
purpose – somewhere to pray, hold smaller services, prayer groups etc.
All the necessary notices have been displayed for the statutory 28 days and
no objections have been raised. Thank you for your patience over the past
few months. We are hopeful that the work to the altar rails and in the
Lady Chapel will be completed by Easter. If you have any questions or
comments on the new arrangements, please speak to Jenny
.
14.
A Surprising Event
‘Fools! For I also had my hour; One far fierce hour and sweet: There was
a shout about my ears, And palms before my feet.’ (from The Donkey by
G.K. Chesterton).
The donkey in the Palm Sunday story highlights some of the surprises in
this familiar story. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a young
donkey to the adulation of the crowd, ‘Many people spread their cloaks on
the road, while others spread branches… Those who went ahead and
those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!’’(Mark 11: 8/9). At the end of the passage, surprisingly
we are told that the crowd disappeared and Jesus left Jerusalem with just
the twelve. If Jesus was truly the Messiah, why didn’t the crowds follow
him everywhere? Secondly, there was no evident opposition from the
authorities. Alongside the crowd, they failed to understand the significance
of what Jesus had done.
In Mark’s account it is clear that Jesus was the only one who really
understood what was happening. He also knew why he was going to
Jerusalem, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be
delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will
condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will
mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will
rise.’ (Mk 10:33/34).
So what can we learn from this story? Firstly, we don’t necessarily
understand all that is going on in our situation! Jesus told the disciples on
a number of occasions that He would die, yet they didn’t get it. He knows
what He is doing in our lives and we can trust our circumstances to Him.
Secondly, we know that Palm Sunday is only the beginning of the story! A
week later Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Day! During dark and
difficult times, because of Jesus’ cross and resurrection, we know that He
shares in the experience of our pain. Jesus also offers us the hope of a
secure future, as we share his resurrection life.
15.
54 YEARS A SIDESMAN
When we arrived in Selsdon our twins Timothy and Philip were just under
three years old, and Diana was pregnant with Jeremy, so I stayed at home
while she went to Holy Communion on her own. On her return she said
“I’m going to like that church, standing in the Porch was a man who
greeted me with a big smile and held the door open for me”. The man was
Harold Gayton, Church Warden. At that tine St John’s had a verger, John
Bradley who was also Hall Caretaker and he rang the bell and did all the
preparations for services that are now done by the Wardens so that they
could be around to greet worshippers.
We quickly became part of the community of St Johns and Diana
“volunteered” me to do the lighting for the Dramatic Society, where I
teamed up with Douglas Walford, who had also been “volunteered” as
Stage Manager. Our collaboration lasted 10 years, until I was asked to go
back into Scouting and remained with the 1st Selsdon Scout Group (St
John’s) for the next 36 years; I also did a spell as District Commissioner.
In 1960 I became a sidesman, which I continued to do until the end of last
year. There was no Parish Eucharist at 10am, only Morning Service and
Mattins at 11.30 at which there was Communion, but this was only
attended by a small number and held in the Lady Chapel, so this meant
that Holy Communion at 8am was very well attended. However when the
Parish Eucharist was introduced during Canon Willmington’s ministry
more and more people decided to have a lie-in on Sunday mornings and
the numbers at the Holy Communion service began to shrink. The result
was that there were two separate congregations that hardly met, and
Andrew Horton, conscious of this introduced the monthly Parish
Breakfast to encourage a common meeting of the two.
With the introduction of the Parish Eucharist it was decided to have a
nave altar, and the portable altar was made by the then Church
16.
Secretary, John Cannon. After the 8am service the two sidesmen would
put the altar in place and it would be taken down again after
Parish Eurcharist, and this continued until Ian Brothwood decided to have
it as a permanent feature.
On one occasion I was on duty at Mattins which was being conducted by
Mr Alchin, a retired priest who helped out with services, when he fell over
as he came down the altar steps and wafers went everywhere. I went
round to help him to his feet when Jacques Willmington appeared and
whispered to me “Take him out”, so helped him to the vestry. Afterwards
I went to see how Mr Alchin was, and he said “I just tripped”, but he
never took another service.
For the first two or three years of our time at St John’s, on one Sunday
each month at Holy Communion there were a couple of hymns, I think a
Communion Hymn and a final hymn, and some of the adult choir
members would come along, but this ended I think during Jacques
Willmington’s ministry. There was never a sermon at 8am, but this was
introduced by Alan Simper speaking from the centre aisle, and lasted less
than five minutes, so some called it a sermonette!
Originally it was only sidesmen, and numbers were limited to 24, so that a
new one was only appointed when an existing sidesman left. Now we have
sidespeople, and with my departure I think there are only two men! In the
last ten years or so I have only been doing my duties for the 8am service
as I am a lover of the Book of Common Prayer, and with occasional
wedding duties. In recent years Helen Stevens and I have mainly shared
the duties between us.
On Sunday 25 December I was “dragged” along to the Parish Eucharist
and presented with a gift for my years of service. This was not the way I
had intended to go, as over the years I have only been doing my duty to
God and my Church, but the gesture is much appreciated.
David Morris
17.
We welcome into the family of God’s Church through Holy Baptism:
14 December 2014
21 December 2014
18 January 2015
1 February 2015
15 February 2015
Adam Christopher Zippo
Henry Jack Wickham
Holly Elizabeth Higgs
Jacob Mark Michael Notaro
Ethan James Manesseh Lindo
Weddings
St John’s is a great place to get married! And a church wedding is a great
way to begin this new chapter in your life together! We welcome everyone
who wants to get married at St John’s, including those who have been
through the pain of divorce in the past. There are legalities about who can
get married where, but we are a church who loves to say “yes” whenever
we can. So if you’re thinking of getting married, think about a church
wedding at St John’s – it doesn’t have to cost the earth; your wedding can
be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. We’re here to help you – call
Jenny on 0208 657 2343
We share in the sadness of those who mourn the death of a loved one,
remembering those whose funeral has taken place, or cremated remains
have been laid to rest:
3rd December 2014
23rd December 2014
23rd December 2014
Nicholas John Griffiths at St John’s
Gareth Jeffrey Waller at St John’s
Raymond Hayles at Beckenham
Crematorium
24th February 2015
Elsie Gertrude Mann at St John’s
18.
Some Thoughts on Charitable Giving
In all aspects of our giving – time, money, hospitality, talents,
Christians are called to give generously.
This is a parish of very generous people – people who
have over the years been generous to God and to others
with their time, talents, hospitality and money. Through
our Building for Growth project we are seeing more
and more people respond generously with offers of help
in all sorts of areas of our life together. And we give
thanks for all of this.
One area that we must talk about and give some attention to is the giving of our
money. Can the generosity of our financial giving match the enthusiasm and
generosity of the giving of our time and talents?
Between May and June we will be addressing our stewardship of all that God
gives to us, particularly our money. This is something that we’ve not addressed
at St John’s for a number of years, so it’s time to ask those questions of ourselves
again. Set in the context of God’s generous love to us, what does our giving look
like?
As a church we are struggling to keep afloat. Our
income is not keeping up with our costs. We have a
building which needs regular maintenance, new
guttering…the list seems endless. And there is so much
we want to do through our Building for Growth project
– including appointing someone to a paid admin role in
the parish to ensure the smooth and efficient working of
our hall, our communications and so many other aspects
of our life together.
So we will be inviting everyone who would consider themselves a regular
member of St John’s (everyone on our Electoral Roll) to review their regular
giving to St John’s. A letter will be sent inviting
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you to review your regular giving to St John’s and ask you to return a slip to say
whether you would like to keep your giving the same, reduce it or increase it.
And to consider whether you could “gift aid” any donations made, so that the
church can reclaim tax paid at no extra cost to the donor. If you’re not on the
Electoral Roll, but would like to receive a letter, please let Jenny know!
Here are some thoughts on giving…
Giving in response to need…
Generous giving leads us to respond spontaneously to the needs we encounter.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I
was in prison and you came to visit me.” (from Matthew 25:31-46)
But there is more to giving than just responding to need…
Giving in response to the needs of your church…
Generous giving requires us to give regularly in a committed way to our church
and the causes God has placed on our hearts. On the first day of every week,
each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your
income (from 1 Corinthians 16:2)
But there is more to giving even than giving regularly to our church or other
charities…
Giving in response to God’s love…
Generous giving responds to a generous God.
Psalm 145 speaks of God’s extravagant generosity…. He showers compassion
on all his creation…Generous to a fault, you lavish
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your favour on all creatures…They celebrate your abundant goodness As
we acknowledge God’s abundant blessing and provision, we give – first of all we
give thanks, but then we are called to pass on God's blessing to others.
How do I know if I’m giving generously?
Some questions to ask yourself…
o When I set my giving in the context of my income, is the percentage I’m
giving away a realistic amount? The Church of England recommends that
Christians aim to give away 10% of their disposable income – 5% to their local
church, 5% to other charities.
o Can I identify an element of sacrifice to my giving? Does my giving have an
impact on my lifestyle?
o Is my giving a priority from what I receive each week or each month, rather
than what’s left over?
o If what I give away was given back to me, would it make a real difference to
me?
“Dearest lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you
deserve; to give and not to count the cost.” Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
If you’d like to know more about regular giving to St John’s please speak to
Jenny or to Michael Lishmund, our planned giving co-ordinator.
PS: It is through the generosity of people like us in past generations that this church has been
built, survived and thrived. We are always grateful to receive donations - and Gift Aid helps us
make the most of whatever we are given. And if you would like to consider leaving a gift to the
church in your will – no matter how small – to enable this church to continue to survive and
thrive in future generations, please speak to Jenny or one of the churchwardens - or your solicitor!
21.
ST JOHN’S WIVES GROUP
The wives group kicked off 2015 with some
terrific informative evenings, the first of these
was a traditional Hogmanay at the Huxley a large
group enjoyed a meal and celebratory drink and a
good old chinwag, this was followed by a most
in-depth look at a missionaries work in war-torn
zones within the Sudan. One cannot imagine the
dangers experienced by both the local people and Jan King, the
missionary, living and working as hostilities continued and enduring
unimaginable personal living conditions.
The members also travelled into Croydon to visit the Mayor’s chambers in
the Town Hall. What a fantastic building with an abundance of Victorian
architecture and a marble staircase to die for! We were then shown the
most exquisite chamber with wood panelling and chandeliers to take your
breath away, then we were shown the gold chain of office. Truly majestic.
Our very own Hilary Blackmans husband then bought in a group of police
cadets they were very brave to come into our wives lair but they survived,
and showed their skills, and told us of their experiences in the group, we
even tried on hats and radios and enjoyed the evening to its fullest and we
did not end up in handcuffs being escorted to the police station. If this all
sounds fun and interesting then here are the following meetings arranged
for your delight.
Forthcoming Events
Thurs 5th March 8 pm - Social & Quiz Night with
Hamsey Green
Our rival group have invited us to a great social evening with quiz. We
always have a great night and like to win at any competitions that they
devise. They always feed us well and we are always made to feel most
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welcome. So join us, do! If travel is a problem there are always cars
travelling to the venue. Please ring me if you need a lift. 8 657 6672.
Tues 10th March 8pm
Auschwitz: the Moral Dilemma
We will be holding an informative evening with a group of youngsters
who recently visited the wartime camp. We will be hearing their tales and
experiences on the moral rights and wrongs, their emotional response to
their visit and more. This is an open invitation to anybody who wishes to
hear about this most talked-about prisoner of war camp. This will not
include any detailed accounts of the crimes made within the camp. I am
sure you will find this a memorable talk, do join us and bring a friend.
Wed 11th March 9 30 am
Making of Mothers Day posies at
10 Sylvan Close
Once again the group will be gathering at Dorothy Sadler’s house to do
this very important task - we do need as many as possible to join the
happy band, bring your secateurs and any greenery not laurel.
Refreshments will be supplied , of course everyone is welcome to join the
celebration on the following Sunday at 10 am in church followed by wine
and cake in the hall.
Tues 24th March 8.pm
Looking towards Easter with
Mothers Union
We will be celebrating our annual Easter Service in church. This is a very
special occasion as we join forces with the Mothers Union. We always
enjoy their company and after we will be enjoying hot cross buns, coffee,
tea and chat. A good time to reflect on what Easter means to us all.
Tues 14th April 8.pm
It’s A Bat Thing
Our speaker is involved in the rescue of endangered bats. We will also
have the privilege of seeing them (not flying around of course!) but I
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am sure you will find this a most interesting subject. Oh, before you ask
no vampires will be on site, so you can leave the garlic at home!
Fri 24th April 1 45pm
Visit to Croydon Minster
A guided tour of the Minster. This promises to be a very interesting visit
given the long period in which worship has taken place on this site and the
many famous people who have worshiped in the church. We will meet
outside the church hall at 1.10 pm and travel down by bus, otherwise meet
us there at 1.45 pm. We will then have tea and cake in one of the many
cafes in the centre of town.
Tues 28th April 8.pm
Traditional night of Clog Dancing
Come and learn how to dance traditional clog dances with dancers from a
long-standing troupe who perform through the region. Come along and
try out your skills (and not too many spills, hopefully!) and have a good
time– we’d love to see you there.
Tues 12th May 8.pm
Christian Aid Chocolate
Bangers &
Bingo.
Our annual charity night will once again take the theme of chocolate bingo
with many yummy prizes available. This will be followed by bangers and
wine. With your help we always raise a healthy amount for this most
worthy cause. So please join us - this event is open to congregation and
friends. Heads down for a full house, you included.
ADVANCE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tues 26 May 8pm AGM and Ploughman’s Supper
Tues 9 June 7pm Midsummer Walk
We do hope that the programme inspires you to join us and we always
welcome any new members. As you can see we aim to please all tastes and
interests if you have any questions concerning the group please contact me
on 86576672.
Jane Guglielmi
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Gardening Dates for Spring 2015
The gardening team will be meeting on
the following dates between 10 am and
12 noon. There will be plenty to do to
tidy and tend the church grounds this
spring. Everyone welcome!
Saturdays - 14th & 28th March,
18th April and 16th May
Michael Lishmund
Lent Courses
During Lent 2015 St John’s will be looking at Stephen Cottrell’s book
“The Things He Carried”, with sessions led by friends from within our
own Church Family. Please see the weekly notice sheets for full details of
each week’s focus, but excitingly the final week will see the Reverend Stiiv
Knowers returning to take a further look at The Jesus Prayer, following its
popularity last year. Meetings take place in the Hall every Thursday
through Lent, from 7.30 – 9pm.
Meanwhile Churches Together in Selsdon and Addington are looking at
following the Lent course, “The Long Road to Heaven” by Tim Heaton.
This is a five-part study course based on the film ‘The Way’, Starring
Martin Sheen as a bereaved father walking the Way of St James to
Santiago de Compostela. The course examines biblical accounts and
images of salvation - past, present and future - and addresses the
questions: What are we saved from? What are we saved for? Who can be
saved? What do we have to do to be saved? How are we saved?
Scout Hut bookings
Please note that Scout HQ booking method has changed. The new
contact address is selsdonscouts@aol.com and GSL Under the scout
group HQ bookings
25.
Trinity Boys Choir reaches 50 not out!
2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Trinity
Boys Choir as a professional choir and there
will be a series of events during the course of
this year to help celebrate. The first of these
will be a Festal Evensong on Saturday 14th
March, 4.00pm at St Michael's and All
Angels, West Croydon, where the current
Trinity Choristers will be augmented by
many old boys and choristers who will join
up to provide a mighty noise!
Everyone is welcome to attend the service
and if you know of any former Trinity boys
who sang in the Boys Choir or in the Choristers and may not have heard
about the celebrations or who may not be in contact with the Alumni
Officer at the school, please pass on this article to them and ask that they
send their contact details by email to:alumni@trinity.croydon.sch.uk
Many of us here at St John's will remember Robert Jones, who was
assistant organist here in the 70's and who is currently Director of Music
at St Bride's, Fleet Street. Robert is one of several eminent singers and
musicians who will be attending the service, and he will conduct the
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis at the service.
Later this year (7th May), there will be a concert by the current Trinity
Boys Choir at 8.00pm in the Concert Hall at Trinity School, with old
choristers joining in to sing 'Worthy is the Lamb' and the 'Amen Chorus'
from 'Messiah', with Tim Garrard (Ex St John's, Selsdon and Kings
College, Cambridge) conducting. Everyone is welcome to attend and there
will also be a drinks reception beforehand for all old choir members.
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Finally, on Friday, 25th September, there will a Trinity Musicians Dinner
where, amongst other things, there will be part of David Squibb's Musical
Archive on display, with programmes, press cuttings and articles dating
back to his earliest days at Trinity (1964) right through to 2001, with
numerous photos of the choir singing at all the famous concert halls in the
UK and abroad, as well at Glyndebourne. It would be really good to see all
old choristers and members of the Boys Choir at this event to celebrate
the last 50 years of singing and music at Trinity, and to toast the Trinity
Boys Choir.
If you can please pass on these notes to anyone who you know attended
Trinity and sang in the choir, so we can invite them to get in touch and to
come along to the celebrations, I and all fellow choristers would be
grateful.
Laurie King
DO YOU ENJOY SINGING?
Do you have a son or daughter aged seven or above who would like to
join a choir? If so, the church choir at St John the Divine in Upper
Selsdon Road would like to hear from you. We are hoping to expand our
already thriving group, as we aim to expand the range of music we sing.
At the end of January we sang in Southwark Cathedral and we are
planning visits to other great cathedrals in future. Our DBS supervised
rehearsals are on Friday evenings and our younger singers all work
towards the externally examined singing awards backed by the Royal
School of Church Music. If you would like to know more, please contact
Ian Brentnall by phone on (020) 8290 6594 or e mail at
ianbrentnall1@sky.com.
27.
On the perils of parking near church
The Rectory
St. James the Least
My dear Nephew Darren
I cannot be wholly sympathetic because your church car park is now
inadequate, only having space for 100 cars. Your solution of advising
members of the congregation to park in the adjoining supermarket car
park may not have been wise. The maximum time people can stop there is
90 minutes, and as your sermons alone often reach that length, returning
to find their cars clamped may not make you universally popular –
although it may give your congregation the opportunity of practising
Christian forgiveness.
Since the medieval architect who built St. James the Least was not overly
concerned with car parking, the only space we have is along the road by
the church. Inevitably, it gets blocked, which causes us all immense
satisfaction when those not attending church but intending to have a
morning shopping, find themselves unable to get out of the village until
Mattins is over.
I did once encourage people to walk to church across the fields, but when
the present Earl of Stowe started to get his staff to lay waterproof sheeting
along the paths so he could avoid getting mud on his shoes, I decided the
idea was best dropped.
For most, the inconvenience of parking only makes attending church
more of a pleasurable challenge; we so enjoy having something to
complain about. Major Hastings, however, who has complained endlessly
about parking problems, made a point last Christmas by leaving his car in
the middle of the vicarage lawn. I was so pleased he happened to park just
where I had had a garden pond filled in only the previous week. He
returned to find that the car had sunk up to the
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windscreen and needed a crane to remove it. And it would have made a
charming garden feature; I could even picture it with garden gnomes on its
roof.
For weddings, a farmer allows us to use the field adjoining the church.
While he rarely attends church on Sundays, he is always there the week
before – I suspect praying for heavy rain, so he can make a fortune
charging to tow out with his tractor those who have got stuck. Perhaps the
greatest act of witness your church could perform would be to get
everyone attending church to park on the ring road, bringing the entire
town to a halt until your three hour Sunday morning Service is over.
Your loving uncle,
Eustace
Further Thoughts on Parking…
A story is doing the rounds via Facebook of a newly qualified policeman
sent out late one Christmas Eve with a full book of parking tickets and
orders from his superior not to return until all the tickets had been issued.
On his rounds he passed a church, full of people celebrating Midnight
Mass, and with cars parked everywhere along the road – what a temptation
to get his job finished quickly…
The policeman duly returned very promptly to his station, to the disbelief
of his superior, and when the congregation emerged from the church they
found that each car now sported a distinctly unfestive decoration.
Outrage! And then the first victim opened his yellow envelope, to find a
cheery “Merry Christmas” written on the ticket, and nothing more.
Yes, a practical joke, and practical jokes can be hurtful, but also one which
is somehow full of the Christmas spirit and a valuable reminder that Christ
sometimes meets us in unexpected ways and places.
29.
30.
Contact Selsdon Community
Centre 132 Addington Road
South Croydon CR2 8LA
Telephone: 020 8651 4944
www
ntact.org.uk
Fax: 020 8657 2268
Email info@selsdoncontact.org.uk
TRAIN TO BECOME A MINIBUS DRIVER WITH
SELSDON CONTACT
CONTACT, your local Neighbourhood Care Scheme, operates
regular shopping bus trips to Sainsbury’s, Warlingham.
We would like to train a further driver to complement our team
of minibus drivers for our shopping bus scheme and occasionally
for day trips when needed. Full training is paid for by Contact
and is carried out at Croydon Accessible Transport.
We run between six or seven buses each month on a rota basis.
The round trip takes approximately three hours and the buses
run on Wednesday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
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This service is especially for people who are unable to
supermarket shop for themselves, carry their own shopping and
otherwise have to rely on other people choosing their shopping
for them. We provide a door-to-door service. On board we have
escorts who assist clients by helping them on/off the minibus at
either end, and also lend a helping hand around the store.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver for
Contact, we would really like to hear from you. You may either
telephone us on 8651 4944 or call into our office for further
details and the necessary application form. We are situated on
the lower ground floor of the Selsdon Community Centre.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.
Selsdon Churches Neighbourhood Care
Registered Charity 1124346
Company limited by guarantee Registered in
England. No. 6582829
Last Word
Answering machine message:
'I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to
call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a
message after the bleep. If i do not return your call, you are one
of the changes.'
32.
St John’s Church, Selsdon
A MESSY EASTER
Come and discover the story of
Easter through craft and play
Saturday 4th April
10am – 12noon
St John’s Hall Upper Selsdon Road
Great for families and children – All
Welcome!