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Parish News
Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity,
Westwood and Wingfield
In this issue...

Costing the Earth - Goodbye to
Fossil Fuels?

Westwood Life
And your guide to Holy Week and
Easter services around the Benefice!
MARCH 2015
1
DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Rector
The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BoA BA15 1AF
[email protected]
864444
Associate Priest
The Revd Dr Ali Green, 36 Budbury Close, BoA BA15 1QG
[email protected]
0785 547 0069
Churchwardens
Trevor Ford
25 Downavon, BA15 1JH
862240
Judith Holland 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD 866215
Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton [email protected]
Admin Assistant
Aylene Clack
[email protected]
Assistant Wardens
David Emerson, David Milne, Brian Netley, Val Payne,
John Woods
Retired Clergy
Canon Richard Askew, The Ven John Burgess, Canon David
Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon Peter Hardman,
The Revd Jim Hill, The Rt Revd Bill Ind, The Ven Ian Stanes,
The Revd Karl Wiggins.
Benefice Lay Ministers Graham Dove (licensed)
07989 930950
Dr Malcolm Walsh (Permission to Officiate)
Director of Music
Thomas Pelham
07922 849982
Times of Services
Sundays
(Check Bulletins and notices or Church web site)
8am
Eucharist (Traditional language)
9.30am
Sung Eucharist (coffee afterwards)
6pm
Evensong, Compline, etc
Weekday Eucharist
10am
Wednesdays
12 noon
Fridays (Traditional language)
with lunch out afterwards
Daily (not Sundays or Tuesdays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm
(please enter via the north door opposite the Saxon Church.)
Church opening times April to September: the church is usually open to
visitors on weekdays from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
Times of Meetings
mainly music
Choir Practice
Team Trinity
Mothers’ Union
Saxon Club
Bell Practice
Benefice web-site
Weekly Bulletin
10.30am Church, Tuesdays
6.30pm Church, Tuesdays
9.30am Guide HQ (1st and 2nd Sundays in
the month, September to July, except Easter)
7.30pm 3rd Thursday, Cedar Court, Berryfield Road, BoA.
2–4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church Hall
7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th Mondays
www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk
Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday
for the following Sunday.
Please let the Rector, an LLM, or any other member of the Pastoral
Care Team know if someone needs visiting at home or in hospital.
2
HOLY TRINITY DIARY FOR MARCH
1 SUNDAY
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
3.30pm
BACT Lent Course
6pm
Compline
5 Thursday
8pm
Contemplative Hour
St Mary Tory
6 Friday
2pm
Women’s World Day of Prayer Service
Christ Church
8 SUNDAY
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
3.30pm
13 Friday
14 Saturday
15 SUNDAY
19 Thursday
22 SUNDAY
United Church
7pm
Wingfield Monkton Combe Concert
Wingfield
2.30pm Marriage of Peter Ramsden & Victoria Young
MOTHERING SUNDAY
9.30am
‘Sing Hosanna’ Eucharist with the Holy Baptism of
Darcey Grace Vivian
3.30pm
BACT Lent Course
6pm
7.30pm
Evensong
Mothers’ Union Meeting, Preparation
for Holy Week & Easter with Rev Ali
Green
United Church
Westwood
Cedar Court
THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
9.30am Sung Eucharist
3.30pm
25 Wednesday 2.30pm
29 SUNDAY
BACT Lent Course
BACT Lent Course
Bearfield
Church
Mother’s Union Deanery Lady Day Service
PALM SUNDAY
9.30am
Sung Eucharist with Procession of Palms
WEEKLY GROUPS
Monday
7.30pm (fortnightly) ‘Faith Explored’ (for venue ring 07989 930950)
Tuesday
10.30am mainly music (a group for young children school term only)
Thursday
11am ‘Faith Explored’ (but not 5th or 19th March) at the Vicarage, 18A,
Woolley Street
3
W
ell this is our homework from Bishop Nicholas – and it is the
diocesan project and ‘mantra’ for the next year or so! ‘The
aim is to be inspired by and share stories with each other; to
give time to prayer as a foundation of our life and to service in God’s
world, in the confident hope that these have always been the foundations for both personal growth and the growth of the Church…. Despite
national headlines on decline our churches are bursting with stories of
people whose lives have been transformed and who have gone on to
transform the lives of others around them.’ I for one am constantly hearing such stories, and it has to be good to share them and to concentrate
on the positive. Building one another up in love has t0 be so much more
positive than trying to score points by running one another down! The
bishop told us that the Senior Staff Team now start their meetings by
going round the room to see ‘what has renewed their hope’ in the last
month. A great practice – and, actually, discipline! We have started doing the same at the beginning of our ‘Faith Explored’ gatherings.
The month of March this year falls in its entirety in the Season of Lent
and so, as we take some time apart to journey with our Lord, what better opportunity to reflect on this great Christian message of HOPE? It is
a concept which fits perfectly – in its different ways - with Lent, Holy
Week and Easter. For if we follow the example of Jesus Christ which (as
Christians) we have been called to do, then we shall be focussing our
lives on prayer and on service. And prayer and service lead us to that
firm assurance of hope - and so to growth.
Our worship and times of prayer (see the centre spread for Holy Week
and Easter) are planned t0 help us on our way, and Ali’s BACT Lent
Course is designed to be something very different this year, to give us
the space to reflect and to wonder, and so to grow. Jesus spent those
40 days in the desert in solitude and in prayer. Yet we can often find it
hard to spend 40 minutes… This very special period of Lent and Holy
Week gives us the excuse, the framework, which we need. The journey
4
becomes more intense in Holy Week, and so it is the only week in the
year when we celebrate the Eucharist at Holy Trinity daily, apart from
Good Friday. There will be a short reflective address on the gospel of the
day on Monday-Wednesday at 6pm. There is no sermon at the ‘Liturgy
of Maundy Thursday’ Eucharist, but there we include the deeply ‘tactile’
and poignant foot-washing, and there is the ‘Watch until Midnight’ as we
‘watch and wait’ with Jesus before the Lady Chapel Altar until midnight.
Good Friday, we keep as the day of ‘darkness’ and meditation on the
cross as we celebrate the ‘Liturgy of Good Friday’ at 2pm, for the last
hour on the cross. We don’t celebrate the Eucharist or, as is the tradition in some churches, share the sacrament which has been reserved
following the Maundy Thursday Eucharist. So this is the one occasion in
the year when the aumbry is bare, and the sacrament is not reserved.
But then… following the tradition of the early church, we gather in the
darkness on Holy Saturday evening, light the fire, and carry the new
paschal candle into the dark church, Tom sings the ancient hymn of
praise, the Exsultet –‘ Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne! Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!’ –
we hear and identify with our Old Testament story – and then, with
great celebration and jubilation, there is the joyous ‘Alleluia, Christ is
risen!’, the lights go on, and we are prepared to celebrate the ‘First Eucharist of Easter’. It is a great experience. And we shall be delighted to
welcome Bishop Ed amongst us this year for the Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and Holy Saturday liturgies. And then, of course, we look
forward to our celebrations of the Eucharist on Easter Day itself!
But of course we have a long journey to travel – in prayer, in service and
in hope – before we reach that exhilarating moment of new growth…
With my love and prayers and every blessing
You can contact the editorial team on: [email protected]
Next issue copy deadline Thursday, 12 March 2015
5
T
CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST TAX AVOIDANCE
ax avoidance was the subject of a talk given in the Masonic
Hall, Bradford on Avon in February by Toby Quantrill from Christian
Aid. This is something that happens not only in the UK but in poor
countries as well. In fact, Toby explained, these countries may be losing
more money from tax avoidance by large companies than they are
receiving in foreign aid.
This is why organizations such as Christian Aid are working to try and
increase transparency and change the rules to make it harder for large
companies to dodge taxes in poor countries. There have already been a
number of successes, with new rules in development in the UK and the
EU. “This is despite resistance from those who benefit from the current
situation”, Toby said, “and shows that individuals working together can
make a difference against the odds”.
Christian Aid, Oxfam, Action Aid and others are working together asking all
parties to commit to a tax dodging bill in the first 100 days of the new parliament.: www.taxdodgingbill.org.uk.
T
GENERAL ELECTION
he Rt Revd Dr Edward
Condry, Bishop of Ramsbury
has made the following comments
on the upcoming General Election.
“The starting gun seems to
have been fired. The General
Election is on the way. The result
is the most unpredictable for
years. There are many parties
which might take power in May.
T
It is our duty to take part, to
listen to the debates, and to consider our votes carefully. We ...
want people who recognise the
limitations of politics. But surely
we want people who have imagination: politicians who can lift the
debate beyond the distorted exchange of statistics and arid criticism of the opponent.”
LORDS SPIRITUAL
he Rt. Revd Nicholas Holtam, our Diocesan Bishop, has been appointed as one of the 26 Lords Spiritual who sit in the House of Lords.
Speaking afterwards, he said that the role of the Lords Spiritual was
to represent the whole community and not just Christians. He has special responsibility for the environment and will focus on that, as well as
on matters that affect the Diocese of Salisbury.
6
S
FOOD BANK UPDATE
ince we took over the Food
Bank from Bryan and Margaret in August last year, the system
of collection has been working reasonably well
We have taken 3-4 completed
boxes of food to Bearsfield
Church each month for onward
distribution to the various agencies; each box contains a specific
range of food items sufficient for
a family for three days.
In the next few weeks it is
hoped that the Hub will open in
W
Church Street. They will then be
taking over the food bank from
Bearsfield Church and will be running it on behalf of the whole
town. Arrangements may change
then and we will keep people informed. Meanwhile, we will continue to collect your donations in
Church on the first Sunday of every month as before. Tie a knot in
your handkerchiefs so that you
remember! With heartfelt thanks
for your generous contributions.
Alan and Heather Knight
PENNIES FOR CLEAN WATER
e really really need your
help please…
Your pennies, or small change
is very much needed to help fill up
our Water Aid Jar which you can
find on the table ‘at the crossing.’
At the moment it is looking rather
sad and neglected! We really do
need your help to enable us to
send off our regular (3 monthly)
contributions to Samaritans’
Purse. They are doing amazing
things to help provide water fil-
ters, wells, and also the essential
training in water filtration, helping to prevent typhoid, and many
other terrible diseases caused by
drinking untreated water. Every
little certainly does help. So
please, please keep dropping your
spare coins in the jar if you can,
and help Samaritan’s Purse to
provide essential life giving clean
water to those in need in Africa.
With many thanks.
Celia & David Milne
SACRED MUSIC CONCERT
Come and enjoy a concert of Sacred Music by Salisbury Cathedral Choir
(Men & Girls) on Monday, March 9th at St. Mary's Church, Broughton
Gifford at 7.30pm.Tickets from Holt Superstore and Christopher Fielden
(01225782509) Adults £8, concessions £6. Children up age of 11, free. All
proceeds to our link diocese of Kadugli & the Nuba Mountains, in Sudan.
7
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 2015
17 April
Skittles Evening
May /June Coach trip to visit nearby churches that have
recently been re-ordered. Date to be confirmed.
4 July
Street Market
9 July
AGM at 7pm in church. Talk to be given by the Architects
prior to our re-ordering project commencing.
19 July (pm) Jazz on the Lawn – repeat of the successful event held in
2013 with thanks to Mrs O’Kane for the use of her garden
September Skittles Evening – date to be decided.
21 October Trafalgar Night Dinner A formal dinner with surprises
(Dinner Jackets/Lounge Suits and smart frocks). The Toast to the Immortal Memory of Admiral Lord Nelson will be proposed by Commodore
Dan Conley, Royal Navy Retired. More details later.
26 – 29
November Christmas Spectacular with Chandlers Coaches
to Ely Cathedral and Thursford (Norfolk). The Friends have 10 places reserved at a discount with profits going to the Friends. Spaces are still
available so please speak to Chris Hodge.
November Fish & Chips Supper Quiz in United Church Hall at 7pm.
Date to be decided.
December The Christmas Tree Festival will probably not go ahead this
year due to church re-ordering project.
W
WESTWOOD PARISH ROOM
ith the terrific response to
our fundraising campaign
headed by Richard Askew we are
now past the half way mark towards the £150,000 we need!
More than £30,000 has been
given by residents of the village.
We are now in a position to start
the next phase of work.
Salisbury Diocese has agreed
to the wording of the constitution
for the Charitable Incorporated
Organisation. However, we still
await the response from the Diocese on the legal agreement for
the transfer of ownership of the
Parish Room and land to the PCC
& the terms of the 99 year lease.
An application to the Diocese
for a faculty for the changes in the
consecrated churchyard for disabled access and the gathering
area outside the West Door has
been made and is expected to be
granted within a month or two.
David Chalmers
8
BACT MEETING – 19 JANUARY 2015
T
he January Bradford on Avon
Churches Together
meeting was held in
the United Church building in St.
Margaret’s Street on a cold winter’s
evening, with 21 members present.
where they try to let people know
about their faith. Some churches
hold pre-school groups and lunches for the elderly. Bearfield is running an Alpha Course and the Debt
Advice Service is considered ‘soft
evangelism’. Arousing the interest
of the ‘un-churched’ continues to
present a problem. Several suggestions were made as to what BACT
might do to further evangelism.
4. There seem to be insufficient
Ecumenical services in BoA. Planning for these would be handed
over to church leaders and several
prime events in the church calendar were listed to be followed up.
5. ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’ runs until
March 8th and will focus on the
farmers who grow the products
that we use and love. Vivienne
Kynaston (Fairtrade BoA) will be
speaking at our next meeting
(March 16th) and will ask what each
member church is doing to promote Fairtrade products.
The main topics covered were :1. St. Katherine’s Church in Holt,
after much deliberation, decided
that they would continue to affiliate themselves to the Melksham
branch of Churches Together and
therefore declined our offer for a
BSACT meeting to be held in Holt.
2. The question of BACT hosting a
‘Hustings’ event for the General
Election, to be held in St. Margaret’s Hall, was raised. Church
leaders, and most members present were quite interested and a
heading of “Wellbeing”, including
health, spiritual, society and community were suggested.
3. It was acknowledged that there
is much activity from individual
churches in BoA but under the
BACT banner we are still not making sufficient impact. We seem to
be missing out on one or more
generations within the community
and it was asked if Bradford
churches (and indeed BACT) have
a policy on evangelism. Quakers
have an ‘outreach week’ each year
THE HUB@BA15
Avril Clarke (865598) is now Hub
Co-ordinator and will need prayer
and support. A Charity status has
been applied for and the Commission’s response is awaited. The RC
church (who owns the old HSBC
building) have undertaken to rewire the building, and the bank
9
vaults will be made suitable for
storing dry food for the Food
Bank. Volunteers are needed to
help with the Food Bank (even if
you can only spare an hour a
week) either sorting food or distributing food boxes. Training for
these tasks will be on 10th & 19th
March at The Hub. This is a real
cause for celebration. God is at
work in this project and He
shows His love in churches
working together.
have offered their buildings to be
used as rest places in a time of
emergency (flood, heavy snow,
fire etc.)
The date of our next meeting is
Monday 16 March at 7.30pm at St.
Nicholas Church Hall, Winsley. The
meeting will focus on the ‘Justice
and Peace’ Group. If any HT parishioner would like to attend any of
the BACT meetings and would like
a lift, please let me know.
NOTE: A complete version of the
minutes of BACT meetings can be
found at the back of the church
David Rawstron
BOA TOWN COUNCIL EMERGENCY VOLUNTEERS
Quakers and the United Church
Y
A QUIET DAY
O
END OF THE PIER SHOW?
ou are invited to a Quiet Day at St George’s Harnham, Salisbury, Friday 13 March 2015 from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. The theme of the day
is ‘Something Understood - an approach to Lent’
with George Herbert’, and the leader will be the
Revd. Canon Jeremy Davies
Enjoy the peace of this ancient church, close to
the river and the water meadows where George
Herbert walked. Bring your own lunch, but drinks
provided. The Old Mill at Harnham is nearby if you prefer to eat out.
Contact Liz on 01380 722404 or [email protected].
n March 28th at 7pm in the Scout Hut , St Margaret's Hill, come and
enjoy a light-hearted evening and support Amnesty International.
The show will be miscellany of songs, anecdotes and other entertainments introduced by our Master of Ceremonies, Jon Monie. Price: £6 to
include a glass of wine and nibbles Tickets: Ex Libris, or at the door.
10
11
C
ome and join us at mainly music Fun Time on Saturday,
14 March between 10am and 12 noon. Join us for
cakes, coffee, tea, soft drinks, music, crafts and lots of fun.
Last year, our open morning was so successful due to lots
of support from you all, so do come and celebrate with us again. All ages
welcome! We like to do this on a Saturday as it gives an opportunity for
fathers, siblings, grandparents and friends to become familiar with what
the children do on a Tuesday morning. Donations towards the cost of
the morning will be most welcome.
The number of families attending regularly on a Tuesday morning
remain static and we have four families on the waiting list. It seems that
once they start coming, they stay with us until their children attend junior school. Generally, new families come on the recommendations of
their friends. They love our homemade cakes so cake makers you do an
excellent job!
Marlene Haffenden
I
STEWARDS’ NEWS
would like to thank all the
Stewards who gave up their
time to open our Church to visitors
during the summer months and
also for the Christmas Tree Festival
in early December.
Last year we opened the
Church from 14th April until the
end of September and welcomed
2260 visitors during the summer
opening, which was 692 fewer
than the total in 2013. In addition
we had 1780 visitors to the Christmas Tree Festival. We managed
to open the church for 118 days
out of a possible 170 days. Unfortunately we were unable to open
every day due to the shortage of
stewards and the odd wedding.
Unless we can recruit more stewards or stewards can do additional days, we will be in an even
worse situation this year as sadly
we had so many days when we
were not open due to the shortage of stewards
I hope that we can count on
the continuing support from our
much needed volunteers again
this year, and if you know of anyone who would like to become a
steward, I would be really happy
to speak to them. Thank you all
once again.
David Milne
Chief Steward
12
S
ince our last report 24 members and
friends met for the annual New Year
Dinner at the Poplars. The excellent meal in nice surroundings was followed by the usual committee 5-minute pantomime! This year we were
treated to “Babes in the Wood and Robin Hood”, the latter being brought
in to give it a happy ending! Altogether it was a very enjoyable evening
and included a raffle organised by Angela.
February 6th saw a number of our members at Pewsey for the annual
Wave of Prayer Service. Our February meeting at Cedar Court had the
“mysterious “ title Operation Mobilisation and was given by Amy Lee
with assistance form her mother Jane. Amy and her husband John
along with their two children live on board the Logos Hope. The ship
has a crew and staff of about 400 from about 50 nationalities. The organisation has three aims “Knowledge, Help and Hope”, aims that are
communicated in many ways. The books that are carried include Christian as well as educational and children’s, some for sale others given
away free. The staff also go ashore at the various stopping points to
speak about HIV & AIDS, work with refugees, set up libraries and many
other things which are needed in the countries being visited.
Janet gave the vote of thanks and Nan, Dawn and Mary D served the
refreshments. George (a regular visitor to our meetings!) won the flowers. It was a very happy evening and we were sorry so many of our
members were absent due to illness – get well soon!
Our next meeting is on 19th March when Rev Ali Green will be helping
us prepare for Holy Week and Easter and on 25th March, Lady Day, Holy
Trinity will be hosting the Deanery Service at 2.30pm.
Sylvia and Ian
MANY THANKS for the loving support of prayer, messages and visits
following my recent accident. The hip is mending nicely. Karl Wiggins
Crossword solutions
ACROSS: 1, Planet. 4, Rugged. 7, True. 8, Augustus. 9, Attitude. 13, Bed. 16,
Participation. 17, War. 19, Hillside. 24, Baldhead. 25, Bede. 26, Census. 27, Arisen.
DOWN: 1, Path. 2, Adulterer. 3, Tract. 4, Rigid. 5, Gust. 6, Exude. 10, Irish. 11, Uriel. 12,
Esau’s. 13, Blindness. 14, Deny. 15, Spew. 18, Awake. 20, Ideas. 21, Lydia. 22, Odes. 23,
Lean.
13
Reordering Project:
Holy Trinity Church,
Bradford on Avon
Progress Report for
March
O
ver the last month the Reordering Project Team has been
reviewing the various comments received following the DAC
presentation. We have taken note of the various heritage and
preservation societies’ comments and will be meeting up with
representatives therefrom to discuss their points of interest.
One item that is overdue is the County’s response to the Pre
Application Submission; this will soon start to have an effect on our
overall programme. We can only progress a certain way without their
comments.
John Cox has submitted the first application for a grant; a thankless
task at the best of times made a bit more difficult as we are still working
through the comments received. Well done John, let’s hope this makes
the next one easier to compile!
During the next month to six weeks we will be preparing the detail
for the Planning/Listed Building Consent and full Faculty submissions.
These will be very detailed and also lead to the documentation that will
be required for tender.
Eds: Don’t miss the project page on the Holy
Trinity website - www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk/
reordering - with lots of information available
about the options and schemes!
14
Holy Trinity PCC - Stewardship
W
e have a fantastically generous God – and Holy Trinity has
been very blessed. So what is our response?
The re-ordering and its huge capital budget has been very
much to the fore of late in our thoughts and prayers. But Holy Trinity
PCC is also constantly monitoring our day to day income budget, and s0
this is something which we’ve decided to share on a regular basis in Parish News. For this is where our personal stewardship comes in. And it’s
perhaps important to remind folk that whereas the re-ordering capital
funds come from money locked up in a very restricted fund for that particular purpose, we actually have to raise all of our income needs one
way or another.
And at Holy Trinity, that is in the order of some £140,000 a year (or
£2,700 a week): a massive amount for us to have to raise by any standards. But we do! And that is fantastic – so a huge thank you to you all
from your PCC. We certainly have some very ‘cheerful’ and very generous givers at Holy Trinity. And this is all about our all-important spiritual
sense of stewardship. God has given us so much of what is his own, we
hold it on trust, and so we are constantly prayerfully challenged as to
just how we use it. And what better time to do so than Lent!
We do totally rely on the planned giving of our regular congregation
and others to ensure that we are able to meet our day to day running
costs, and it is a finely balanced equation – so there can be some tricky
cash-flow moments for our hard-pressed Treasurer. In the light of bank
charges and travel, giving by Standing Order really is by far the most
helpful and efficient option for the PCC. But envelopes – and also Gift
Aid Forms – can always be obtained from our Stewardship Secretary,
Pam Harman, on 01225 635193.
So here are our bank details for Standing Orders and one-off donations:
HSBC Bank, 46 Fore Street, Trowbridge, BA14 8EL
Sort Code: 40-13-17 Parochial Church Council Holy Trinity Account Number: 60649074
Thank you!
15
Hymns - ancient or modern?
O
vine, all love excelling'. Does nostalgia for ancient, irrelevant
hymns need booting out? Many
of the rising generation have little
grounding in the older hymns.
Would an African chant or a Taizé
verse reach out to them better?
ne of the comments I
heard from two women at
Christingle was 'What's
your favourite carol?' Seasonal
hymns and carols are one of the
delights of the church’s year.
In the time of advent is a lovely
hymn whose melody is such an
annual treat: 'Lo he comes with
clouds descending'. But on the
third time of singing I realised I
could no longer sing the third
verse. ‘Those dear tokens of his
passion still his dazzling body
bears/with what rapture gaze we
on those glorious scars!‘. I was
extremely uncomfortable with
the idea that I should gaze on
scars that were as a result of terrible abuse of a human body. It got
me thinking about the hymns.
WHY SING?
One of the Brownie packs is currently doing their Faith badge.
Sitting on the carpet at their visit
to HT I asked what they thought
happened in a church. 'You sing
hymns' one replied. And why sing,
I asked. 'Because it makes you
feel good'. That Brownie knew
the power of the singing voice to
energise our spirits, calm our
fears and feel good. Many adults
now find their own spiritual needs
met in community choirs.
TOO ANCIENT?
Over a cup of tea I looked through
the book. Most of the hymns
were written so long ago. Theology, psychology, emotional literacy were so different. Britain was a
rigid class society and many of
the words were written to engender guilt and an awareness of sin.
Perhaps to rally the workers into
church, there is much tub thumping. But the flip side also exists.
Charles Wesley wrote one of the
most sublime hymns, 'Love di-
ALLELUIA!
Thinking of the power of song, I
looked up the upcoming hymns
for Eastertide, and picked out
some that I shall look forward to
singing with great gusto: 153,
Love is come again; 140, Christ is
alive! Let Christians sing; 136, Alleluia alleluia give thanks to the
risen Lord. Finally, I know we'll all
be glad to sing again, 147, 'Jesus
Christ is risen today ALLELUIA!'
Judith Holland
16
M
The Divine Liturgy
alcolm Walsh describes what happens during an Orthodox
service of worship.
The Orthodox Liturgy begins with the Prothesis, conducted
by the ministers alone in the chapel behind a screen (iconostas). The
priest vests in shift, stole, girdle, cuffs, rhombus (sword) and chasuble,
asking for a blessing before donning each
item. As in the west, colours are used as signifiers: white (from O.T. priesthood), red
(incarnation, Christmas, martyrs), blue
(Mother of God), green (Holy Spirit or nature).
The celebrant washes his hands using prescribed prayers and prepares the offerings.
With a lance he separates out the central part
of a loaf, bearing a special stamp, and places it
on a paten. The rest of the loaf is cut into pieces and arranged in a specific pattern in honour
of the various people who are to be remembered. The wine is poured into the chalice.
Service: The distribution of
The paten is covered by a star and both paten
communion
and chalice are veiled, censed and left on the
table. The priest now leaves the chapel and begins the Liturgy of the
Catechumens.
The first part of this liturgy is led by the deacon, and includes ministers carrying the Book of the Gospels to the Holy Table. After the Epistle
reading, the deacon sings the Gospel of the Day. The Liturgy of the
Faithful includes a procession bringing the sacred vessels containing the
prepared bread and wine from the chapel to the altar while the choir
sing. The Holy Gifts are placed on the Holy Table. After various prayers,
the deacon recites a short litany, followed by the Creed. During the Canon of the Mass, the priest leads the people in praying the Our Father.
After the officiating clergy have communicated, the deacon and priest
invite those who wish to communicate. This is done in both kinds by
means of a spoon. There follows a set of thanksgiving and closing prayers. The remaining unconsecrated bread is then distributed. The service
ends with a set of blessings, including invocation of the historic saints.
Malcolm Walsh
17
S
Prayer Paths—Sacred Space
ome places seem to emanate a particular resonance
of prayer – built up, like the
patina on well-polished furniture,
perhaps from centuries of devotion, or from a palpable sense of
care and attentiveness in worship.
Such a place for me is the ancient ruined city of Ephesus in
Turkey, where St Paul sojourned
during his missionary journeys.
Ephesus was one of the seven
churches of Asia that are mentioned in the Book of Revelation,
and it was the site of several 5th
century Christian Councils.
In one corner of the huge site
lie the ruins of a very early church,
originally formed from a Roman
warehouse, but now still recognisable as a church, with its altar
and a baptismal pool where some
of the earliest Christian converts
would have been initiated. That
ruinous church still powerfully
echoes with countless prayers and with the long and amazingly
rich heritage of our faith over
two millennia.
A relatively modern wooden
building, St Faith’s Anglican
Church by Lake Rotorua, New
Zealand, holds a similar resonance for me. The interior is decorated with traditional Maori images and materials. Near the altar
is a window, giving a view over
the placid lake, formed originally
from volcanic activity. On the
window the figure of Christ,
dressed in a Maori cloak, is etched
onto the glass, and positioned so
that he appears to be walking
over the water of the lake towards the viewer.
It’s a wonderful
prompt for prayerful
reflection on our God
who transcends all
times and cultures.
Then there is the
seventeenth century
cathedral in St Cristobal, Mexico, which I
Ancient church: The
baptismal pool at
Ephesus
18
wandered into and found that the
Mass was underway. I couldn’t
follow the priest’s words – he was
speaking in Spanish - but from his
gestures at the altar I soon identified where we were in the liturgy,
and wordlessly joined in the worship, moved by the devotion of
the largely indigenous congregation. I didn’t need to understand
the spoken language, or to speak
aloud, in order to be able to join
in the prayer and come away
blessed. Prayer is primarily not
a form of words but a disposition
of the spirit.
How fortunate we are in Bradford on Avon to have quiet places
– St Lawrence Church, St Mary
Tory, for example – where we can
wander in to enjoy the sacred
space in quiet and solitude. How
good it will be when the refurbishments to Holy Trinity will allow for quite spaces and times
when we can enter into unhurried
Ornate: The Cathedral at St Cristobal
private silence and reflection. And
we each also have our own unique
places – a particular room, or spot
in the garden, a woodland path,
even a special chair – that become for us a prayer space, rich in
our own private devotions.
Poet Thomas Traherne wrote
of the spiritual beauties that
adorn and clothe all these places,
commenting that:
“he that seeth them may esteem them all to be his own and
wonder at the divine bounty for
giving them so richly”.
(Select Meditations)
Ali Green
FROM THE REGISTERS
Baptisms
25 January 2015
Jessica Mary Cleave
Funerals
Enid Kathleen German
Donald Peter Miles
6 February 2015
27 February 2015
19
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES
ACROSS THE BENEFICE
Sunday 29 March – PALM SUNDAY
9.30am - Holy Trinity and St Mary, Wingfield
11.15am – St Mary the Virgin, Westwood
At all three services, we start outside the church gate (by the Saxon
Church for Holy Trinity), hear the Palm Gospel, and
then process into church singing ‘All glory, laud and
honour’ , before celebrating Christ’s triumphal entry
into Jerusalem - on a donkey – with Holy Communion. At Westwood and Wingfield the Dramatised
Passion according to Mark will be read.
Monday – Wednesday, 30 March – 1 April – HOLY WEEK
6pm – Eucharist at Holy Trinity with a short reflection on the gospel
Wednesday, 1 April
10am – Eucharist at Holy Trinity
2 April - MAUNDY THURSDAY
We look forward to Bishop Edward
joining us at Holy Trinity until Saturday evening.
8pm – Holy Trinity – The Liturgy of
Maundy Thursday with the footwashing, Holy Communion, the stripping of the altar, and the Watch until
Midnight - with the Holy Trinity Choir and with Bishop Edward
20
3 April – GOOD FRIDAY
A poignant time of prayer and contemplation
together as we watch and wait with Christ on
the cross.
10am - St Mary, Wingfield – The Liturgy of Good
Friday
11am – BACT Walk of Witness from Westbury
Gardens to Christ Church
2pm - St Mary the Virgin, Westwood - The Liturgy of Good Friday
2pm - Holy Trinity - The Liturgy of Good Friday
with the Holy Trinity Choir and with Bishop
Edward
4 April – HOLY SATURDAY
8pm – Holy Trinity - The Easter
Vigil and First Eucharist of Easter with
the Holy Trinity Choir and
with Bishop Edward (see the
Rector’s Letter)
5 April – EASTER DAY
8am – Holy Trinity – Traditional Language Eucharist with Bishop
Bill Ind
9.30am – Holy Trinity – Sung Eucharist with the Holy Trinity Choir
9.30am – St Mary, Wingfield – Family Holy Communion
11.15am - St Mary the Virgin,
Westwood - Holy
Communion
21
22
L
Westwood Life
ong-time Westwood village
residents Betty and Viv
Hancock reflect on life in
this pretty Wiltshire village.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the Ministry of
Works built ninety red bungalows
on land between Upper and Lower Westwood, so joining the two
hamlets together.
They were built to house the
families of workers from Redditch, in the Midlands, whose engineering jobs were relocated to
the old underground Bath stone
quarries beneath the village. This
doubled the
size of the village practically overnight.
demolished and we moved into
one of the new council houses
that replaced them. We are still in
that house today, nearly fifty
years later
Since coming to live in Westwood we have ben involved in
village and church life in various
capacities, from Sunday School
teacher to Church Warden and
lots in between. In 1966 I joined
the Westwood WI.
FLOWER SHOW
The first Westwood Flower Show
was held by the WI in 1987, and it
is still an annual village event, now organized by a dedicated committee of villagers. It has grown
in size and popularity, regularly attracting over 500 visitors
each August Bank
Holiday. We have been involved
since its beginning, both as organisers and exhibitors.
June 2012 was very exciting
when a large beacon was lit on
the Church tower as part of national celebrations of the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee. Many villagers
made merry around the manor,
tythe barn and churchyard for
this event.
Betty and Viv Hancock
HOUSING
When the war
ended, many
of the families
returned to the Midlands and the
Council took over ownership of
the bungalows. We were allocated a bungalow in 1953, shortly
after our marriage, and enjoyed
the luxury of a bathroom with
indoor toilet for the first time.
Other properties in Westwood
were not linked to the mains sewage system until the 1960s.
We lived there for fourteen
years until all the bungalows were
23
M
MAF’S Reponse to Ebola
In August, the outbreak of
Ebola in Liberia sadly meant that
Programme Manager Emil Kundig
and his wife had to put their moving plans on hold. Having packed
up their home in Germany and
said their goodbyes, the couple
was advised by medical experts
and MAF partners in Liberia that
it wasn’t safe to travel. Instead,
they headed for Uganda where
Emil has now started essential
preparations – including the conversion of his pilot licences for
some new aircraft.
Emil says “We wish we could
be setting up camp in Liberia, but
we are part of God’s plan nevertheless. We trust Him for His
planning and timing. Our hearts
and prayers go out to the people
in Liberia, and
we hope that
things will
soon be under
control”.
ission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) planes have
been helping transport
medical personnel and supplies
into the remote Boende district of
the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), where Ebola cases and
deaths have been confirmed.
MAF is able to use Boende’s
small airstrip to deliver essential
supplies such as quarantine
equipment, medication and syringes, as there are no paved
roads to the Ebola outbreak site.
In the midst of the outbreak,
MAF’s Liberia Programme Manager, Emil Kundig and his wife
Margrit are also praying for the
people of Liberia and trust in God
for the right time to commence
operations there.
Disinfecting:
A Red Cross
worker disinfects MAF’s
plane after
landing back
in Boende
(MAF)
24
CAREFUL MONITORING
Unfortunately it is still very difficult to say when MAF will be flying in Liberia. The necessary planning arrangements have continued to be made from outside Liberia while praying for the many
victims suffering from this fatal
virus. According to the World
Health Organisation, Liberia has
reported the most cases and
deaths of any affected country
since the outbreak in West Africa.
With a surge of cases in the
capital, Monrovia, where many
people live in tightly-packed
slums, the virus could affect thousands of people. Working alongside the Department for International Development and attending inter-agency meetings, MAF
is closely monitoring the continually changing situation.
now the Ebola crisis. There’s so
much work to be done”.
Please pray for Emil and
Margrit as they both wait in
Uganda, and ask God for His divine intervention in the critical
situation in West Africa.
Jo Lamb
Adapted by permission
by David Rawstron
ENVIRONMENTAL
CHALLENGES
MAF’s amazing work enables
physical and spiritual care to
reach countless thousands of
people in the world, cut off due
to formidable geographical barriers, natural disasters and political unrest. Each flight carries
help and hope to men, women
and children, for whom flying is
not a luxury but a lifeline. Transforming lives through enabling
access, MAF is ‘Flying for Life’.
To read more about MAF’s
essential work, go to
www.maf-uk.org
Donations are always most
gratefully accepted by MAF to
further their work :MAF, Castle Hill Avenue,
Folkestone,
Kent. CT20 2TN
LIBERIA NEEDS US
Emil and Margrit still feel God’s
call to this country. “Liberia really
needs us” says Emil. “We want to
help the people back onto their
feet. Because English is the national language, we hope to build
relationships with the locals. It
opens up realms of opportunity.
The people carry so many scars –
every child above the age of ten
has lived through civil war, and
25
T
Ten Minutes with ‘Josh’
his is a story about a man I
shall call ‘Josh’ as I don’t
know his real name. Just a
few days before Christmas we
went to Bath. We had our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren over from America and it
was their special request to catch
the train.
Having done our shopping we
went to catch the 2.25pm train
back to Bradford on Avon. The
platform was packed with people
with large bags of Christmas
shopping. Suddenly we saw a
man making a beeline for us. He
had some difficulty walking and
his trousers were held up with a
safety pin. He had a big smile on
his face and was very clean looking, probably in his mid-30s (it
turned out he was 39).
Many questions went through
our heads: did we know him? Was
he after money? Was he a busker?
Was he trying to sell something?
No - he simply wanted to check if
he was on the right platform. He
was carrying just one shopping
bag which he was very excited
about. Josh had been to M&S
where he had spent £14 and
bought his food for Christmas. By
buying food that was coming to
the end of its shelf-life he had
saved himself £6.
It didn’t seem appropriate to
ask him more as he was very contented with what he had and was
looking forward to Christmas. He
said he still had £16 left and this
would be enough to take him into
the New Year. He did tell us he
was a farm labourer who cleaned
up behind the cows and had a
rented cottage where he lived on
his own. He grew vegetables in
his garden and the farmer was
going to provide him with a chicken. During his time with us Josh
was having trouble with his ancient mobile ‘phone. He eventually opened it up, checked the sim
card and battery, cleaned them
off and put them back together
and all worked perfectly.
I couldn’t help glancing around
the platform and observing the
stress showing on the faces of the
other passengers. I wondered
how many of us could get
through Christmas and the New
Year on around £30 and be happy
about it.
May God take care of Josh
and bring him abundant blessings
wherever life takes him. The ten
minutes Josh spent with us certainly made an impact on our
world. He was the first one to
wish us all a Happy Christmas.
Tony Haffenden
26
27
Top Ten Christian Books Countdown: 7 & 8
F
ollowing the Church times
publication of their 100 best
Christian books, we asked
local people to look at the top ten
and choose books that have influenced them. Having published
comments last
month on the
tenth and ninth
in the running
order, here are
numbers eight
and seven.
tempt to refute that and establish
a Christian philosophy of history.
Without his thinking western theology would not have taken its
familiar shape.
Hugh Wright
7. The Pilgrim's
Progress: John
Bunyan
I suppose there is
no book whose
title and author
are so well known
and yet today is
read by so very
few people. A
shortened edited
version was on the curriculum at
school and I certainly remember
reading of Christian, the pilgrim,
his companions and Apollyon the
dragon.
I am conscious that my own
life is a pilgrimage with parallels
to that of Christian, having experience of both the Delectable
Mountains and the Slough of Despond. Glancing through my own
copy, printed in 1871 and nicely
bound in brown leather with gold
edges to the pages, I am tempted
to put The Pilgrim's Progress on
my list of 'must reads'...in Lent
perhaps?
Muriel Freeborn
8. City of God: St
Augustine
of Hippo.
I have just
bought it and have been glad to
follow advice on which bits to
read first! Don’t attempt it if you
are feeling tired. This seems to be
universally acknowledged to have
been one of the most influential
pieces of writing on theology ever
written. He was inspired to write
it by the fall of Rome to Alaric in
410 AD. As a great exponent of
Greek and Roman rhetoric and
philosophy this was for him and
everyone in the western world an
earth-shaking event.
The pagans said Rome fell because of Constantine’s abolition
of their ‘heathen worship’. Its
twenty- two books are an at28
29
30
Costing the Earth - Goodbye to Fossil Fuels?
I
n the second article of this series, we focus on climate change
and the challenges of moving
away from fossil fuels.
One of the greatest challenges
facing the world today is that of
climate change, generally considered to be man-made and caused
by “greenhouse gases” emitted to
the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide from the combustion
of fossil fuels (coal, petroleum
and natural gas). This challenge is
qualitatively different from other
environmental issues because the
use of fossil fuels is universal and
modern life depends upon them
for virtually all its activities. Replacing fossil fuels is the only way
of managing a lifestyle that is truly sustainable in the long term.
The problems of transitioning
from fossil fuels to renewable energy on a global scale are formidable, not least because energy
cannot readily be stored until
needed. Fossil fuels are not just a
convenient and relatively cheap
form of energy; they are also energy stores. The demand for energy fluctuates wildly between summer and winter, day and night,
weekday and weekend and this
fluctuation can be met by fossil
fuels, whereas with renewable
forms of energy, both the supply
and the demand fluctuate. The
wind does not always blow, the
sun does not always shine and
wave energy is erratic. Of the non
-carbon forms of energy, only nuclear power is steady and reliable
as a base electricity supply.
Among other difficulties to be
faced are the massive upheaval
and costs of introducing renewable forms of energy on a large
scale. In the medium term, at
least, this will result in higher prices for most goods and a decline in
living standards that will hit the
poorest in society most. But perhaps the biggest single obstacle is
political. As climate change is a
global phenomenon there is little
point in one country addressing it
if others do not, thereby disadvantaging itself to little effect. It is
said that carbon emissions from
the UK are around 2% of the
31
world total so if we gave up the
use of fossil fuels entirely it would
have little impact on climate
change. Attempts have been
made at addressing the issue
globally through the medium of
the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (the IPCC) but
this has met with little success to
date because governments have
seen growth and the elimination
of poverty as more urgent.
CHRISTIANS ACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
aith for the Climate is a new movement of UK Christians concerned
about the immense challenges of climate change. It includes A Rocha UK, Climate Stewards, Operation Noah, Christian Aid, Tearfund, and the Church of England’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign,
among several other groups.
Through its ‘Pray and Fast for the Climate’ campaign, Faith for the
Climate is urging Christians to pause for just one day each month, praying and fasting in God’s presence for His help in facing global climate
change issues. Specifically the movement is looking for a meaningful
and just global climate agreement at the UN climate talks in Paris later
this year. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and
universal agreement on climate, from all
the nations of the world.
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Capetown has written a prayer for Christians
everywhere to use:
“Spirit of God, You established the
dance of Creation; bring life out of death
bring order out of chaos. Call us to radical
action: to care for the web of Creation to
share our resources justly and to work for
the renewal of our Mother, Earth”.
Meanwhile, with a general election in
the UK coming up in May 2015, MPs and candidates representing all the
political parties are being asked what action they are taking to tackle
the threat of climate charge, to raise their ambitions to the level required, and then (if elected) to put their commitments, and the international agreements reached in UN summits, into effect.
F
32
I
Spring Flowers
n the garden and the countryside, colourful flowering plants
are one of the first signs of
spring. Many native woodland species, such as primula, come into
flower often under trees before
they form a thick canopy of leaves.
An interesting woodland harbinger of spring that is worth
hunting out is the toothwort
(Lathraea squamaria), a member
of the broomrape family. As its
common name implies, it looks
rather like strings of teeth on a
spike. Standing a modest few
inches tall, the spike is pale ivory
and pink/mauve in colour. Being a
parasite, it contains no chlorophyll that makes other
plants green, but gains
its nutrients from the
roots of trees (usually
hazel and alder). So
look out of for this plant
in shady woods and
under hedges.
The colourless stems
and leaves are underground, so the plant is invisible
for most of the year, until the
flowering spike appears from late
March, pushing up through the
leaf litter and showing ghostly
pinkish-white flowers. Its palid
hue may explain the reason for its
other common name, the corpse
flower. It’s not common, but
does occur in this area. A good
place to look is Inwoods and
Warleigh Woods, next to the lane
leading northwards from Conkwell to Warleigh.
While you’re on the hunt for
toothwort, notice the hazel overhead. We are all familiar with the
catkins, but this is only half the
story. The catkin is the male flower, producing clouds of yellow
pollen. Waiting nearby, on the
same branch, to catch the pollen
are tiny little star-like, red female
flowers. It is from these that the
hazelnuts grow and eventually
ripen in the autumn.
Left: A female Hazel
flower
Below: The Common
Toothwort
33
Hazel was for many centuries
associated with protection
against evil, including witchcraft.
One legend tells that the seventh
century Saint Mungo was unable
to light his monastery lamps at
cockcrow because some boys had
put out the fire. In despair he left
the monastery but thought to
pluck a hazel switch. Returning to
his church and praying for heavenly aid, a fire sprang forth from
the branch. An old charm for curing an adder bite requires a cross
to be made from pieces of hazelwood and placed on the wound.
Something of the magical power
of the hazel still lives on today
with water-divining, using hazelrods for dowsing.
In the Garden
Readers share some seasonal tips
T
his is the month that things begin to
get busy for the vegetable gardener.
Now is the time to plant strawberries. If you are planting in rows directly into the garden soil, avoid frostprone or windy sites where pollinating insects have difficulty reaching the
flowers. If your soil is poor, you can grow strawberry plants in raised beds,
big flowerpots or grow-bags. Growing them under a cloche or in an unheated greenhouse will produce earlier crops. Keep the plants watered, but
avoid overhead watering as this can rot the flowers.
Late March is also the month to start to plant chitted potatoes, as
long as the soil has begun to warm up. Choose early-cropping varieties
for a smaller garden, when shop-bought ones are more expensive; there
is also less chance of pest problems with earlies. A light sprinkling of fertilizer put in the trench before planting can help growth. As you plant the
potatoes in the trench, handle them carefully to avoid harming the new
shoots. Cover them lightly with soil.
This month, nest-building begins in earnest, with garden birds flying
back and forth with twigs and other plant debris. Place tiny twigs, dried
moss, and stringy vegetable matter near your bird feeders so they are at
hand for the nest-builders. Frogs, toads and newts will be getting active
now. Attract them into your garden with undisturbed damp places, such
as long grass and piles of stones for shelter.
34
J
Wiltshire Butterflies - Jan/Feb 2015
anuary was the sunniest since
2003 and the first half was
exceptionally mild with some
fine sunny days. Butterflies are not
normally expected to be seen but
the first of the year were reported
on 2nd - two Small Tortoiseshells at
Wanborough near Swindon and
another in a garden on 3rd.
Three Peacocks were reported
from Westbury, Farley near Salisbury and Bradford-on-Avon ( on
8th plus the first Red Admiral from
Wilton near Salisbury with another at Staverton on 9th. A Red
Admiral was seen flying in the
centre of Salisbury on 17th. The
first Brimstone was reported from
Alderbury, near Salisbury on 19th.
Total reported sightings for
January were 1 Brimstone, 6 Red
Admirals, 5 Small Tortoiseshells
and 5 Peacocks. The first week of
February was cold but the 8th and
9th were fairly mild and sunny and
4 Red Admirals and 2 Small Tortoiseshells were reported from
widespread sites in the county.
All these butterflies, tempted
out of hibernation by brief spells
of warmer weather, would probably die from starvation, nectar
sources being virtually absent at
this time of year, unless they were
able to re-enter hibernation with
the onset of colder conditions.
Mike Fuller, Wiltshire
Butterfly Recorder
THOUGHTS OF AN AGEING GARDENER
his is an important year for me in gardening terms. I looked out of
my window to survey my garden during February, and in studying
it, I gave an inward sigh.
The garden looked so sad and ill-kept. How could I possibly think
about what seeds I would plant when there was so much work to do! I
reminded myself of the maxim 'little and often'. But the question was,
would my 'little and often' be enough this year to bring my garden under
control? A decided walk around outside to lessen any gloomy thoughts
brought hope. After visualising a garden free from pots, and deciding to
engage help later, I began to feel that I could cope. The sight of yellow
crocus and the darling daffs, saying, "yes, we are still here to welcome
Spring", set my heart throbbing. So, it will be lettuces, runner beans,
courgettes and perhaps spring onions this year after all, and maybe the
lawn will be cut once or twice as well.
Muriel Freeborn
T
35
A Saint for the Season: Martyrs Old & New
T
he assassination of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador in
1980, while celebrating mass, shocked the world. But it was not a
surprise. Many Roman Catholics in El Salvador had been openly
supporting the poor and wanted left-leaning government. They were at
first disappointed when Oscar Romero, a conservative in politics, was appointed Archbishop in 1977.
A revolutionary junta seized power in 1979 and ruthlessly attacked
anyone who opposed them. Oscar Romero had already begun to speak
out in defence of the oppressed and his weekly sermons and talks on the
radio were popular broadcasts. The diocesan magazine printed the most
accurate records of the crimes of the government. In these ways he gave the facts
about what was going on.
Soon after visiting John Paul II in the
Vatican he was assassinated. His witness
has been widely recognized: he is among
the saints and martyrs listed in Common
Worship, and honoured on March 24th, the
day of his death. He is also one of those
modern martyrs commemorated above
the west door of Westminster Abbey and
is in process of being made a saint by the
Catholic Church.
Such persecution is not new. Forty soldiers of a legion stationed in Turkey in
320AD refused to obey an order of the Emperor
Licinius that Christians must repudiate their
faith. They were stripped naked and herded onto a frozen pond. By the next day most were
dead; those still living were killed. Only one
failed this ordeal, and a fellow soldier, moved by
the example of the others, declared himself a Christian and took his
place. Very near where these forty martyrs died Christians are even now
being persecuted for their faith. Surrounded as we are in the Church of
England more by indifference than persecution we must not fail to honour the witness of those past and present who die for their faith.
36
For Prayer in March
We pray for:
 Peace and wholeness in The Sudan
 Our personal Lenten journey
 Growth through prayer
 Growth through service
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westwood
Churchwardens:
Jonathan Azis
[email protected]
David Chalmers
[email protected]
PCC Secretary
Julie Adcock
[email protected]
The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield
Churchwardens:
David Robinson
david.robinson@paultons
street.com
Sue Phillips
[email protected]
PCC Secretary
Sue Phillips
[email protected]
37
Quick Crossword
The Bible version is the NIV
Clues across
2 Sexually immoral person whom God will judge
(Hebrews 13:4) (9)
3 Gospel leaflet (5)
4 Physical state of the boy brought to Jesus for
healing (Mark 9:18)
5 Tugs (anag.) (4)
6 To put forth (5)
10 Nationality associated with St Patrick (5)
11 Leader of the descendants of Kohath (1
Chronicles 15:5) (5)
12 ‘After this, his brother came out, with his hand
grasping — heel’ (Genesis 25:26) (5)
13 At Dothan the Lord struck the Arameans with
— at Elisha’srequest (2 Kings 6:18) (9)
14 ‘Peter, before the cock crows today, you will —
three times that you know me’ (Luke22:34) (4)
15 Spit out (Psalm 59:7) (4)
18 ‘When I — , I am still with you’ (Psalm 139:18)
(5)
20 Concepts (Acts 17:20) (5)
21 Thyatira’s dealer in purple cloth (Acts 16:14) (5)
22 Does (anag.) (4)
23 The second set of seven cows in Pharaoh’s
dream were this (Genesis 41:19) (4)
81 The earth is one (6)
4 ‘On a hill far away stood an old — cross’ (6)
7 ‘I am the — vine and my Father is the
gardener’ (John 15:1) (4)
8 The Caesar who was Roman Emperor at the
time of Jesus’ birth(Luke 2:1) (8)
9 ‘Your — should be the same as that of Christ
Jesus’(Philippians 2:5) (8)
13 Jesus said that no one would put a lighted
lamp under this(Luke 8:16) (3)
16 Involvement (1 Corinthians 10:16) (13)
17 Armed conflict (2 Chronicles 15:19) (3)
19 Where the Gaderene pigs were feeding
(Mark 5:11) (8)
24 What jeering youths called Elisha on the
road to Bethel (2 Kings 2:23) (8)
25 The Venerable — , eighth-century Jarrow
ecclesiastical scholar (4)
Clues down
1 Where some of the seed scattered by the
sower fell (Matthew 13:4) (4)
Solutions on page 12
38
Source: Parish Pump
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
Officers
The Revd Joanna Abecassis, Chair
Judith Holland (Churchwarden), Vice Chair
Trevor Ford (Churchwarden)
Members
Alison Cook
Elaine Crabbe
Ron Dell
Graham Dove
Joan Finch
Ali Green
Marlene Haffenden
Jeremy Lavis*
(Treasurer†)
Thomas Pelham
Bette Riddle
Erin Shields-Pett
Malcolm Walsh
Anne Willis*
Hugh Wright
Chris Hodge
(co-opted)
PCC Secretary
* Deanery Synod
representatives
THE STANDING COMMITTEE
Chair, Churchwardens, Associate Priest, LLM and Treasurer
CHURCHWARDENS EMERITI
Jeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch.
THE PASTORAL CARE TEAM
Joanna, Graham, Anne Carter, Alison Cook, Elaine Crabbe, Joan Finch, Marlene
Haffenden, Tony Haffenden, Chris Hodge, Evelyn Humphrey, Heather Knight,
Sue Lavis, Val Payne, David Rawstron, Hazel Rawstron, Geneviève Roberts and
Sylvia Stanes.
THE FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Chairman: John Cox
Secretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller Treasurer: John Woods
Committee: Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Chris Hodge, Jeremy Lavis,
Revd Angela Onions, Raymond Winrow
Ex officio: Judith Holland, Trevor Ford
BRADFORD GROUP MINISTRY
This is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North Bradford
on Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a much closer bond
and to this end joint meetings and services have recently been held, and the Group
clergy meet regularly.
PARISH NEWS
Email copy to:
[email protected]
39
OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS
PCC Secretary
Chris Hodge
869357
email: [email protected]
PCC Treasurer
Jeremy Lavis
863600
Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton
[email protected]
Benefice Admin Assistant Aylene Clack
[email protected]
Bellringers
Sarah Quintin
869469
Bookstall
Brass Cleaning
Chris Hodge
869357
Coffee on Sunday
Janet Brown and
862188
Malcolm Walsh
862702
Church Stewards
David Milne
864341
Director of Music
Thomas Pelham
07922 849982
Electoral Roll Officer
Alan Knight
860991
Flowers
Jonquil Burgess
868905
Food Bank
Heather and Alan Knight
860991
BACT Foodbank contact Frank Turner
309102
Guides & Brownies
Sarah Bennett
[email protected]
Mothers’ Union
Ian & Sylvia Stanes
309036
MU Prayer Circle
Chris Hodge
869357
Servers
Mary Ford
862240
Saxon Club
David Driscoll
865314
Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees:
Chairman
Anna Tanfield (all bookings)
863819
Secretary
Diana Shaw Stewart
863253
Treasurer
Jeremy Lavis
863600
Sidespersons Rota
Judith Holland
866215
Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman
635193
Street Market:
Community Stalls John Cox
864270
Church Stalls
Communications Deborah Robinson
866552
Team Trinity
June Harrison
863745
Parish Representatives on other organisations:
Bradford Group Council: The Churchwardens
Children’s Society:
Anne Carter
Christian Aid:
Jonquil Burgess
Deanery Synod:
Jeremy Lavis and Anne Willis
BoA Churches Together: David Rawstron
St Laurence School:
The Revd Joanna Abecassis
and Lindsay Driscoll (Foundation Governors)
Printed at the Parish Office, 18A Woolley Street, Bradford on Avon.
Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk. Previous
issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.
40