1. education
2. school

BEVERLEY MINSTER
M AG A Z I N E
MARCH 2015
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£1.00
The Parish Magazine of Beverley Minster, All Saints’ Routh, St Paul’s Tickton, St Leonard’s Molescroft and St Peter’s Woodmansey
THOUGHT FOR
THE MONTH
As Acorn Christian Listeners we are reminded
that in order to become good listeners
we first need to start with ourselves. We
are encouraged to spend time listening to
ourselves, others and most importantly God.
To go on a retreat to a beautiful place like St
Oswald’s, Sleights is one way of being able to
reflect on words such as those from Matthew
11: 28-30. Message translation: “walk with
me and work with me - watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t
lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep
company with me and you’ll learn to live freely
and lightly.” We don’t need to go on a retreat
to discover this; a walk on the Westwood, or
by the sea or in a garden can bring us to a
place of peace so that we can in the words of
Archbishop Sentamu, “Listen to a talking God.”
THE VIC AR’S
EDITORIAL
J E R E M Y F L E TC H E R
Welcome to the MARCH edition of the Minster Magazine.
Contributors this month are:
Jeremy’s letter now appears as ‘The Vicar’s Blog’ on our website and it is also available electronically for those who receive our free eNewsletter.
Sally George, Ben Merrell, Jeremy Fletcher, Marjorie Neaum, Steve Rial, Paul Hawkins,
Barbara Gilman, Margaret Grimshaw, Gill James, Dawn Pollard, Jeannie McMillan,
Val Clarke, Dorothy B. Hailstone, Tony Kelham.
Contributions for the next edition to: [email protected]
It was with pride and gratitude that I viewed
ordaining the Venerable Bede” which can be
the embroidery I made in 2002. The new
seen by turning right when entering by the
space it now occupies in St Katherine’s Chapel
Highgate entrance.
framed by the medieval stone arches, could not
fail to complement a piece of work.
The fabric used was mostly silk and was
hand dyed, plus a bit of pointing where
It was made for the biennial exhibition of the
necessary.
East Yorkshire Embroidery Society which was
Jan Fowler
held in the Minster.
Using a domestic sewing machine, foot off
and dropped feed, work in the frame, turned
The frame was acquired at a sale which set the
out to be the most direct way of covering a
shape. Like everyone else, I had admired the
large area quickly.
stained glass in the Minster and now, I felt, was
the time to have a go.
For the past 12 years it has greeted us at the
top of the stairs.
I spent a few days drawing my chosen subjects
from the north aisle. At the top in window 17
Strangely, the piece which has taken its place
“Jesus enthroned holding the orb and sceptre”
as a painting of stained glass to be found in
to be found near the steps to the former
Hereford Cathedral by Tom Denny (2007),
Chapter House.
commemorates the life of Thomas Traherne,
‘Lent’ is the Anglo Saxon word for the season
when the days lengthen, and I’ve always
enjoyed one author’s description of these
days as ‘God’s Springtime’. With more hours
of daylight it feels like a time to get on with
things, and with more light around some things
show up more – like our dirty windows or
dusty corners.
This time of year combines beautifully with
what the church has done in this season from
its earliest days. When most new Christians
were baptised at Easter, the weeks leading up
to it were full of a spiritual ‘spring cleaning’,
making sure that wrong doing was confessed,
bad habits were got rid of, and good habits
started.
Most people in this country don’t go to church
regularly (though more people than you
think go to a church at least once a year, but
that’s another article). It interests me greatly
that even though most people aren’t regular
worshippers, Lent still makes sense to them.
Ash Wednesday has gained greater profile, and
not simply because of ‘Pancake Tuesday’.
The idea of being disciplined, giving something
up and doing something positive has gained
greater currency, from people growing
moustaches in ‘Movember’ through to an
alcohol free January. There is something in us
which sees the value in a disciplined life, and
a life lived in service of others. It’s something
which Christians don’t have a monopoly of, but
to which we can give much greater meaning.
The spiritual Lent is about creating habits
which will deepen our walk with God, patterns
of life whose discipline will make us disciples.
That will mean giving up the bad stuff, and even
giving up things we enjoy, so we can remind
ourselves that we depend only on God. And as
well as ‘giving up’ it will mean ‘taking up’: doing
something positive, for ourselves and especially
for others.
The ‘Challenge for Lent’ this year is based on a
In the centre “Mary at the Tomb” (left) to be
found in window 56 in the north aisle.
So, once again, stained glass from a cathedral
has provided inspiration.
At the lowest part of the embroidery is
Margaret Grimshaw
window 7 “John of Beverley, Bishop of Hexham
FLOODLIGHTING THE MINSTER - SPONSORS IN MARCH (taken from the Minster website)
L Jones
R Grange
Mrs S Foley
Mrs J Hickling
N MacLachlan
Mark Wardropper
S & H Mcloughlin
Anonymous
Mrs J M Harris
Mr P J Atkinson
11th Mrs M D Crooks
12th R & B Wilson
13th Mrs P Barrell
14th D Neave
15th J & A Branton
16th Mrs L Smith
17th Mrs P B Crawforth
18th E Dunning
19th J Smith
20th FREE
Beverley Minster Magazine/2
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
31st
number of ‘calls’, or encouragements. A call to
renew our vision, and remind ourselves of our
aims as a church (to grow in Christlikeness,
Commitment, Influence, Partnership, Mission).
A call to pray, together and on our own. A
call to invitation and mission, preparing for
the festival of Life in June. A call to read the
Scriptures, particularly focussing on the Gospel
readings for each Sunday of Lent.
There will be other calls you will want to
follow: things you know you wish to give up or
take up. But I’d particularly like to call you to
prayer, as the foundation of all we do. And then,
just as spring plants put down their roots as
the days lengthen, so we will be deeper rooted
in God, and bear fruit for God’s glory.
Jeremy
My pictures this month are of the Minster getting ready
for its new chairs;Youth Café; the Christingle service on
February 1; and the James Graves Education awards
who was born there in 1636.
1st
2nd
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PAGE
J M Evans
M & T Witty
FREE NIGHT
Mrs S J Hill
Mrs S Price
Mrs C Fancey
Mrs B D Warnsby
E A Hemingway
Dr M Imrie
B Jackson
S English
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which were given out in the same service.
W H AT ’ S A F O U N D AT I O N G O V E R N O R ?
The Governing Body of Beverley Minster
Church of England Primary School has four
Foundation Governors in its makeup and I
am its most recent raw recruit. Foundation
Governors are nominated by the Minster
PCC, to provide a mutually beneficial link
between Church and School as well as meeting
more formal requirements of the School’s
governance. It has been a privilege for me to
see at first hand how the School functions with
its enthusiastic and energetic Headteacher
Brian Stillings and dedicated staff, all committed
to making the School a rich learning
environment with happy engaged pupils. He
is a great believer in collaborative leadership
and good communication between school and
parents has a high priority. Consultation on all
levels is a key part of the school’s strategy and
the Foundation Governors have been meeting
in the past months along with advice from the
Diocesan Education Team, to review the Vision
and Values of the School. In this exercise, I
have found it heartening to see some of the
children’s comments on the difference it means
to them to belong to a school with a Christian
ethos. These discussions have also led to a
revision and refreshing of the School Prayer
to include the Christian values of creativity,
respect, perseverance, curiosity, community
and honesty. The new School Prayer is as
follows:
Loving God, we thank you for our School.
Bless everyone who helps us to learn and grow in
this place.
Help us to ask questions and find answers,
To respect everyone, to do what is right
And to develop each other’s gifts and talents.
By your Spirit strengthen us to persevere when
times are tough.
Help us Father to live in your light,
To share in your life and friendship,
And to work together to serve our community and
our world.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
received from the Minster at the school’s
special services at Easter and Christmas and
Harvest time; the end of year service for
school leavers, REaction days - usually led by
the Minster’s own youth ministry team - and
most recently a new venture for Easter 2014
and Advent 2014 when the whole School (in
manageable portions!) has enjoyed interactive
workshops for the teaching/learning of the
Christian faith in our wonderful building.
Such visits will strengthen the Church/School
link and build relationships that we hope will
encourage the outreach of events like Messy
Church (held on weekdays after school) and
the family and young people’s events at the
weekends.
The purpose of a Foundation Governor is to
be a “critical friend” so in addition to regular
formal meetings and trying to get to know the
staff, I regularly listen to young readers in class
and enjoy the chance to witness the chalkface
at a safe distance!
The School appreciates the warm welcome
Gill James
UPDATE FROM CHRIST
ON THE ROAD
“It is good to be out on the road
And going one knows not where”
Many of you will recognise these opening lines from John
Masefield’s poem - ‘The Tewkesbury Road’. The poet depicts a
typical English country road in Summertime. Masefield’s road led
‘somewhere’ and, after his idyll, he could return home to write the
poem. But what if the road leads nowhere? In fact what if it isn’t a
road at all, but a dirty, cold, downtown street where ‘home’ is only
a shop doorway, a cardboard box or an old duvet.
I first became aware of ‘homelessness’ when I was working in
Liverpool in the sixties. It was a volatile time to be in that city! I
could walk down Penny Lane, go to The Cavern to see the Beatles
‘live’ and listen to the LIverpool poets. I remember a homeless
man who always stood on the pier and shouted “sandwiches” in a
raucous voice, holding out his hands to passers-by. About that time,
the Beatles recorded ‘All the lonely people’ and, for the first time,
the plight of the destitute hit the charts.
There were many Eleanor Rigbys in the shadows and I met some
of the saddest, most desperate people when I was involved with
the charity ‘Shelter’ in the city. I thought the ‘brave new world’ of
the sixties would eradicate all such suffering. How wrong I was.
Forty years on and back in Beverley, I walk into town most days
with my dog. Walking means I can see and speak to anyone who
may be a rough sleeper. I am only too aware that there are those
who will ‘try it on’ and play the system. But that’s life and out of
twenty apparently ‘homeless people’, there may be two or three
who are in genuine need.
FOR ALL
Khammam Andhra Pradesh
renovations and modifications are being
attended to in the churches in the villages
of Gollapudi, Rebbavaram, Kondakudima and
Homelessness takes the ‘human’ out of ‘human being’. The person
just exists on a day to day basis. Their main aim is to survive on
the street. They have no real ID and are not allowed the luxury of
‘feelings’. There is a certain ‘camaraderie’ between them and some
do ‘look out’ for each other. The law of the street takes over and it
is a hard cruel one.
well educated, and tidily dressed with a great sense of humour.
Having a laugh with them is so special and something which
every ‘human being’ needs. Sometimes I just say “Are you OK?”,
or “How are you?”,or “Hi”.
I have been heartened to see many Beverley people providing
hot drinks, food and warm clothing. As far as I am aware,
although provision is made at a drop-in centre and one church
during the day, nothing is available at night. How many of us
would want to sit in Toll Gavel or Well Lane in the sort of winter
weather we have recently experienced? I think there is a real
need for hot drinks, sandwiches and blankets to be available at
night somewhere in the town, perhaps once a week. Though
disabled, I would be happy to work with any ‘volunteers’ (that
word again) to implement this.
In conclusion, someone I know very well indeed found herself
sleeping rough on the streets of a ‘North West market town’ in
the winter. She was cold, wet, and, after being attacked had fallen
down a flight of steps. Fortunately, she was found by the police
who provided food and hot tea at the nearest station. She was
then transferred to hospital. Later, two church workers took her
into their home where she was cared for, loved and given the
support to begin a normal life again. That someone was me.
I think it was Ralph McTell who, in his song ‘The Streets of
London’ wrote:“Have you seen the old man
In the closed-down market
Kicking up the paper,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
Hand held loosely at his side
Yesterday’s paper telling yesterday’s news
Pandurangapuram.
The CFA team continues helping people to
earn a living. Recently they gave a sewing
The Christ For All (CFA) team is still very busy
the visit the children entertained the residents
machine to a lady with two children so they
preaching and living the gospel in and around
of the home singing songs.
are able to be independent by generating
Out of respect for those I have met in Beverley, I do not want
to divulge what they have told me in confidence. Suffice it
to say that I have found them to be articulate,
enough income to live off.
Khammam in Andhra Pradesh in South India.
Following the devastating cyclone on the coast
The Angel House is a newly built hostel for
of Andhra Pradesh, Frankin, the deputy leader
This summary has included some of the recent
boys in Gollapudi. The 100 boys currently at
of the CFA visited the cyclone affected areas
or current activities being carried out by the
the hostel were very excited when new beds,
and distributed hygiene kits to 125 people.
CFA . This year the CFA AGM will take place
at Christ Church, Purley on Saturday 13 June
mattresses, school bags and stationery arrived.
New Church buildings have been built in two
2015 and anyone interested to learn more is
25 students from Shanthi High School in
villages called Badava and Yetur. Also a “prayer
very welcome.
Khammam visited the Faith Home for the Aged
shed” is built in a village called Laxmipuram.
and gave the residents gifts of fruit. Also during
They will be dedicated later this year. Repairs,
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Dawn Pollard
Beverley Minster Magazine/5
So how can you tell me you’re lonely,
Say for you the sun don’t shine?
Let me take you by the hand
And lead you through
the streets of London I’ll show you something
to make youchange
your mind.”
Jeannie McMillan
IN THE BEGINNING
John 1:1 -5
I enjoy the traditional Carol service of Nine
Lessons and Carols. The beginning of John’s
Gospel is always there, as a sort of bridge
between the Old and the New Testaments.
It’s a beautiful and poetic reading, the sort
of thing Sir John Gielgud could read and
make you tremble with the drama and the
power of the words. But as I read part of it
to my grandson yesterday all he heard was
gobbledegook. To him it was completely
unintelligible - “What on earth is that all about
Grandma, I didn’t understand a word of it.”
He didn’t know that the ‘word’ referred to
here is Jesus Christ. The Greek word is Logos.
It seems a strange title for Jesus and if we are
to understand anything of what John meant
when he called Jesus ‘the word’ we have to try
to understand who he was talking to.
The earliest Christian Church had been made
up of Jews, who had a background of Old
Testament Scripture. They understood about
the expected Messiah, and had no problem
seeing Jesus as the fulfilment of the promise of
God to send a Saviour to the world.
But by the time John was writing at the turn
of the first Century AD, the church was mainly
Greek. Their religious background was very
different from that of the Jews; they did not
know the Hebrew Scriptures, so the Apostle
John was seeking to find a way to explain to
them just who Jesus was.
Here was the perfect solution, both cultures
were familiar with the concept of the word of
God. It crossed over the cultural divide.
To the Jews a word was a very important and
powerful thing. Jews were very careful about
words. In fact the old Hebrew language had
only about 10,000 words in its vocabulary,
compared to about 200,000 in the Greek.
They had a concept of words having a power
of their own, so should be used sparingly.
Once a word is spoken it could not be
recalled. With the power of his word God
created the world and all that is, he spoke
and the world came into being, words had a
spiritual power that made things happen and
when God spoke whole worlds sprang into life.
“The Word of God” was also used commonly
as God’s name because like Voldamort in the
Harry Potter books God was known as “He
who should not be named.” So when John
used ‘word’ for Jesus, they knew exactly what
was meant.
The Greeks also had the word of God in
their religious and philosophical writings.
Five centuries before Jesus, a philosopher
called Heraclitus had held that the world
was ordered by the word of God. He had
observed that the world was not haphazard
in any way; it had been created and it ran in a
controlled and systematic way, so this must be
the activity of the word of God.
So what John did in these opening lines of his
Gospel was to agree with both cultures, and
say to both Jewish and Greek Christians that
Jesus himself was the word of God, it was
a concept that they both understood very
clearly.
As a church have we something to learn from
John? How does the world around us relate
to the Biblical pictures of Jesus? What does
your next door neighbour’s children or your
grandchildren think of the Jesus as the word
of God? Would it mean anything to them at
all. In this world of Twitter and sound bites
should we be looking for ways of expressing
who Jesus is to a culture that has not got the
Christian background that many of us grew up
in.
I applaud groups of Christians and individuals
who are seeking to interpret the Gospel into
our modern culture. I know that we may not
like it, but the world is as it is, and it is vitally
important that they hear about Jesus in a way
that they can understand and relate to, as
the Greeks and Jews who made up the early
church could relate to Jesus as the ‘word’, the
‘logos’.
The truths about Jesus are the same, and
people need to know the truth. And here in
the first few verses of John’s gospel are some
of the truths about Jesus that we still need to
communicate.
Firstly
‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was
with God, and the word was God.’
John is here telling us about the pre-existence
of Jesus. He was there before the world was
made, he was with God, and he was God. His
nature, everything about him was the same as
God’s. This means of course that everything
about God is and always was the same as Jesus.
If we read the Old Testament we might be
excused for thinking that the God it appears to
be revealing sometimes is a long way from the
nature of Jesus. There are stories that make
God seem like a tyrant, seeking the deaths of
Beverley Minster Magazine/6
scores of innocent people. This week there
has been controversy as Steven Fry, who is
an atheist has denounced the God he doesn’t
believe in as a monster; and in some places
in the Old Testament, we can see God is
depicted like that. Unfortunately, what Steven
Fry failed to see was that God as revealed by
Jesus is the exact opposite of this. Was this a
different God; has he changed? John’s Gospel
says no! God has always been the same; he
has always been Christ-like, longing to forgive
and heal and help. It is man’s understanding of
him that was warped. This is why Jesus came,
to reveal to the world just what God is really
like.
When Jesus came the misunderstandings
ended, there is no doubt now about the nature
of God. John states it boldly: God is love.
We know because of Jesus, the word of God.
Secondly
‘He was in the beginning with God, all things were
made through him, and without him was not
anything made that was made.’
Whatever you believe about the practicalities
of creation, the big bang theory or primaeval
soup, it cannot negate the truth of the facts as
John expresses them.
This is spiritual truth, it doesn’t seek to explain
how the world came into being but something
of the goodness that was behind it.
At the time that this gospel was written there
was a popular heresy in the church called
Gnosticism. By a complicated set of reasoning
the Gnostics had come to the conclusion
that the earth was created by an evil god,
something like Steven Fry’s monster. Not by
the God and Father of Jesus Christ, the God
of Love. Hence sin had come into the world
not by man’s doing, but by the inherent evil at
work in the world. Therefore there was no
redemption in this world; the object was to get
out of it by means of special knowledge, which
was a secret that had to be discovered.
John is here deliberately stating the opposite
point of view to refute these people. Jesus
was there in the beginning; he it was who
made the world, nothing was made without
him, so it follows that creation is good and full
of the love of God.
This is still fact; yes the world has a lot of
evil in it, but evil is brought about by the sin
of humanity. But the way God wants us to
tackle this is not to withdraw from it and try
to escape, but to get in there, taking the love
of God with us. Jesus came, preaching to
prostitutes and sinners, but it was the good
religious people in their holy huddles who
killed him. Christians believe that there is
redemption; there is forgiveness; because God
who made the world, lived and died to bring
the love and forgiveness of God, not to a
chosen few, but to anyone who will listen.
Thirdly
‘In him was life and that life was the light of men,
the light shines in the darkness and the darkness
has not overcome it.’ Or in some translations,
‘understood it’.
God who made the world is the life and the
light; he is all that human beings need to live
in this world. He didn’t abandon the world
he created, he didn’t just wind it up, set it in
motion and retreat to live happily ever after in
heaven. No, he is intimately involved with his
creation. And he provides all we need to live
in the world he made. He gives us his light.
There is no doubt that the world is a dark
place. There is a lot of evil about. Sometimes
it seems that evil is about to conquer and
there is no hope; but Jesus always brings
light. I remember talking a few years ago
to friends in Northern Ireland. They are in
Christian ministry, working to bring peace
and reconciliation into what we now call the
Troubles, and they could see no hope at all.
But now there is hope there; more than a little
light; we have seen years of relative peace.
We can easily despair of a solution to the evil
and violence in our world but we must keep
on praying and trusting God to bring his life
and light there into the darkness that often
seems so triumphant.
This is the third wonderful truth about Jesus
that John proclaims at the beginning of his
gospel. Jesus came to bring the light of God
into the world and nothing can ever change
that. And where Christians are, there is the
light of God. So it follows that wherever you
and I go, there is Jesus and we take his light
with us. Think about what that means for you.
So three things about Jesus at the beginning of
John’s gospel.
1. God is unchanging; he is love and Jesus is
the image of himself, sent to reveal him to the
world.
2. He made the world and he made it good
even if it has been spoiled by sin.
3. And he is the light of the world. Where
there is his life, there is light, and the darkness
that is in the world can never overcome the
light of Christ.
It is a message of hope; a message of peace; a
message that is now ours to communicate to a
new generation.
From a sermon given in the morning service on 8
February 2015 by Revd Val Clarke in the Minster.
Hi everyone, here’s what Emily and I have been
up to in February! There is a major theme
linking the events I’ll talk about, so as I like
silly games, I’ll give a chocolate bar to the first
person who comes up to me in the Minster
with the correct answer!
Cre:8 is being run once a month now, so
we can have more impact with an event in
the Minster. As this last one was just before
Valentine’s Day, we chatted about loving our
neighbour, and came up with different ways to
do that, both to those we find it easy to love,
and those we find it less easy with. We had a
great group of kids from Emmaus rocking up,
and some good chats ensued…
There were 25 of us in the Parish Hall bright
and early on Valentine’s Day morning for
Me & My Dad. We’re building some great
relationships with these guys and their little
ones; it really is a blessing for us. As well as the
games and breakfast, we had some Valentine’s
crafts so that the children had something else
to give to their mums and grandmas.
We started off with the Minster’s first-for-awhile Christingle Service, with Christingles
kindly prepared by the Guides at their Friday
night meeting (thanks girls!). It was amazing
seeing them all lit up in the Minster: see the
picture below.
For Lent our Damascus group is following the
40acts course, challenging each and every one
of us to do 40 acts of generosity this Lent.
It will be really worthwhile, and as we are
doing it as a group, we can hold each other
accountable and support each other as we set
our challenge. Have a look at 40acts.org.uk for
more information.
The partnership with the Community Church
continued with Blend running again, this time
talking about luuuurrrvee. Em was preaching
again, and it was great having a band of young
people playing, with our very own Ed stepping
in to play too, without practice or music, just
jamming away: he’s ridiculously talented! Our
prayer response was to tie lengths of wool
between nails outlining a heart to represent
all the relationships in our lives, which we
have in St Katherine’s Chapel so that those
relationships will be continued to be prayed
over.
As we continue to grow links with the schools
in Beverley, Emily was invited to the Grammar
School to help the Librarian with her plans for
World Book Day. I tagged along too, which was
a mistake as I discovered I am nowhere near as
much of a Harry Potter geek as they are! We
will be sharing some of our resources from
our Harry Potter themed Youth Café with the
school, and will tag along for the actual event
as well.
To round off the mystery theme, on the 25th
March we will have another Family Day in
the Minster, this time based upon the Julia
Donaldson book, The Smartest Giant in Town.
Please tell everyone you know about this
event, and come along yourselves to support
it, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun and learn lots
too!
Excitingly in the last few hours Em has been
approached by an ITV Calendar reporter
who’s keen to use her and the work we do
with children and families as a case study
report, so watch this space!
Thank you again for all your support, through
prayer, your time, and financially. I know it’s a
cliché, but the work really couldn’t happen in
the way it does without that support. Please
stop me or Emily in the Minster to ask about
all the other things we do that I can’t fit in
here, I REALLY like talking about it, just ask
Sarah…
Ben Merrell
Beverley Minster Magazine/7
This is based on a paper prepared
by Revd Becky Lumley on behalf of
Churches Together in Beverley
CHURCHES
TOGETHER IN
BEVERLEY
FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
JUNE 2015
All of the Churches Together
in Beverley are committed to
the good news of Jesus Christ.
All seek to grow in faith and
share the message of God’s
love in word and action. In
recognition of this Churches
Together in Beverley (including
the surrounding villages) has
committed to work together
to facilitate our churches in
mission. Revd Gareth Atha
is our representative on the
steering committee.
something to eat, and when I was
thirsty, you gave me something to
drink ……Whenever you did it
for any of my people, no matter
how unimportant they seemed,
you did it for me.”
(Matthew 25)
Both are good and important
aspects of mission and we
want the Festival to reflect
the different nuances of
understanding of mission
found in the churches.
More importantly we
understand that for the
Festival to be a success,
the best thing we can do is
encourage and facilitate the
churches to use the skills and
regular session. Perhaps a meal
out where someone shares
their story, perhaps a new
event, perhaps…...
in your prayer groups / prayer
chains / intercessions etc.
Please use the following prayer
as a focus if you find it helpful.
The team from Churches
Together can help with
advertising, help with training
and by giving the tools and
encouragement for outreach
and prayer. A team to work
with young people is being
coordinated by Ali Crompton.
We aim to celebrate what
God is doing in our churches
and to let the world see.
It is important that the
Minster and the churches
in Molescroft, Tickton and
Woodmansey decide for
themselves how they might
Lord of Love, we ask you
to help us proclaim your
Good News,
To be firm in faith,
strong in conviction, and
confident in you.
Help us to share our love
for you with others
To witness to your
compassion and great
mercy
And to show all who
search for you the path to
your Kingdom.
A joint prayer meeting
was held at Toll Gavel
on 25 February. Two
more will be held: at the
Minster on 11 March and
at Kings Church on 25
March.
The focus of this mission will
be the ‘Festival of Life’. This
will open with a service at the
Minster on Tuesday 16 June
2015 and close with a service
in Saturday Market on Sunday
21 June. All the churches agree
in the importance of sharing
faith but the ways in which
faith is shared is different.
Some will focus upon
proclamation drawing on the
example of Jesus sending his
disciples out:
‘the Messiah is to suffer and
to rise from the dead on the
third day, and repentance
and forgiveness of sins is to
be proclaimed in his name
to all nations, beginning from
Jerusalem.You are witnesses of
these things.’
(Luke 24)
Others may focus upon
mission as loving service:
‘When I was hungry, you gave me
Amen
u Please think about how you
might support the Festival.
u Discuss it within any church
groups to which you belong.
u Remember, it is not
necessarily about doing
something new – but might
be” turning up the gas” on
things you do already.
gifts they already have. So we
are NOT launching in with a
Billy Graham type figure and
expecting everyone to come
to one large meeting.
Instead we are asking
Churches to consider
what they might like to do
during the Festival. Perhaps
congregations already have
associated groups (children’s
groups/adult groups) and they
would like to give a particular
focus to sharing the good
news in a new way during a
take advantage of the
Festival, in the light of their
understanding of mission.
Each church will have to think
about their own events and
how they might resource and
finance them. The main cost
to be met centrally (through
donations to Churches
Together) will be that of
advertising and the final
celebration.
Prayer is essential. Please add
the Festival as a prayer topic
u It might mean inviting
someone new to join in your
group or activity
u Invite them even if your
meeting or event is outside
the dates 16 -21 June
Tell Gareth Atha about your
meeting or event so that it can
be included in the programme.
But, remember, the inviting is
up to you and me!
Tony Kelham
VOICE OVER
Xander Dickenson, Head
Chorister of Beverley Minster
Choir, has had to accept that
his job has come to an end and
he must retire – all because of
advancing age. At 14, his voice has
broken and is no longer an angelic
treble but has developed into a
beautiful bass. It is more than 7
years since the following prayer
was prayed over him, in 2008, as
he was admitted as chorister and
received his first surplice:Bless, O Lord, us thy servants,
who minister in thy temple.
Grant that what we sing with our lips
we may believe in our hearts,
and what we believe in our hearts
we may show forth in our lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen
This prayer is one which Xander
took very much to heart. He
felt even then a clear sense of
responsibility, which has stayed
with him throughout. He made
the promise and has kept it: it
helps him to think about life
more deeply, aware of his place
in the world and of being part
of something much bigger, giving
him a historical as well as spiritual
perspective. Being in church has
always given him a comfortable
feeling, as though he belongs.
Aged just 7, Xander followed
his elder brother Felix into the
choir. With his mother as chief
taxi driver, he had become well
acquainted with all the services
of worship and those for special
occasions with which Felix was
involved, plus attending and
waiting through innumerable
practices. He thought it all looked
rather fun and he loved the music.
He was also awed and inspired
by the grandeur and scale of the
Minster building. He was very
happy when he was old enough to
join. He liked the other boys, and
particularly the dressing up. There
is performer’s blood in Xander:
drama, singing, playing the piano
are what he likes most, as well
as drawing and painting. Choir
quickly became like a community
to him: enabling him to make
close friends, enjoy all the trips,
outings and tours, recording the
CDs, taking part in Songs of Praise
while simultaneously - under the
skilful direction of Masters of the
Choristers Alan Spedding and
then Robert Poyser - giving him a
wonderful solid musical education
and teaching useful concentration
skills.
Xander grew up singing tunefully.
He comes from a musical and
artistic family, who support him
wholeheartedly and readily make
all the journeys from North
Ferriby. He attends Hymers
College, where he has several likeminded friends, and if he is teased
at all about wearing dresses
every Sunday, he gives back as
good as he gets. His classmates
are on the whole respectful and
anyway, Xander is into sport,
especially tennis, hockey and
rugby. He has a very busy life in
fact, working hard at school and
taking lessons in singing (now
at grade 4) and in piano (also
grade 4), as well as meeting all
the choir commitments. He was
appointed Head Chorister in
2012 and eagerly took on the
extra responsibility of helping the
younger,newer members of the
choir. In the same year, together
with 8 other choristers, he won
the Dean’s Choristers’ Medal, a
prestigious award for excellent
singing and musicality. It was
presented at an unforgettable
ceremony at Ampleforth Abbey.
From his beginning as a very small
boy (some in the congregation
actually called him a ‘cherub’ – not
at all out of place in the Minster,
where many cherubic figures can
be found, albeit carved in stone
or wood - ) and singing his first
solo ‘Once in Royal David’s City’,
Xander has grown into a tall,
slender, handsome young man.
Fortunately - and thanks to the
meticulous care Robert Poyser
takes of his choristers’ voices,
Xander has been able to sing in
his new register straightaway and
is now a songman. He’s enjoying
reading a new line on the same
song sheets and learning the
different harmonies. Thinking
ahead, he is not sure what his
career will be, but would love it to
be based around music. He knows
that he will always return to
Beverley Minster from wherever
he is: for Xander, the Minster is and forever will be - a significant
musical and spiritual home.
MN
TO M A K E YO U T H I N K
T H E S AC R A M E N TA L M I N I S T RY O F WO M E N
One Sunday earlier this year our weekly notice sheet carried an
advance announcement to the effect that the following Sunday
morning’s preacher would be “… a suffragan bishop … working
with parishes who choose not to accept the sacramental
ministry of women.” This announcement intrigued me, since it
could serve both as a rallying call to those who wish that our
parish was one of them, and as a discreet alert to those who
might prefer not to attend the service. Personally, if it were at
all practicable I would choose not to accept the sacramental
ministry of men, finding the sacrament far more meaningful
and uplifting when I receive it from a woman. But personal
preferences either way beg the question as to whether special
measures should be in place to service any minority group which
refuses to accept the collective decision of the Church. When
women were first ordained priests a number of people both
lay and clergy left the Church. While I considered their thinking
wrong, I could respect their decision. At least they had the
courage of their convictions. Possibly more will be lost following
the consecration of the first female bishop. Though disagreeing, I
can respect them too. My problem is with those who appear to
want the best of both worlds – to have their consciences salved
without the need for any personal sacrifice. Conscientious
objection has always entailed personal sacrifice – sometimes to
the death. Why should this particular group of conscientious
objectors expect to escape the consequences of their beliefs and
be indulged by “special measures”? To use a well-worn metaphor,
if they can’t stand the heat, why should they not simply leave the
kitchen?
Barbara Gilman
Beverley Minster Magazine/8
Beverley Minster Magazine/9
F RO M T H E A R C H I V E S
Society), C.P.A., (Church Pastoral Aid Society)
or the Archbishop’s Appeal; Minster Prayer
Circle giving specific areas and people to pray
for; Palestine in Hull - an opportunity to
learn about the Holy Land at an Exhibition held
in the Beverley Road Baths; York Diocesan
Appeal stressing the importance of meeting
targets; Collections - sick and poor, church
expenses and Diocesan Fund; Registers Baptisms, Marriages and Burials; and details
of Services at Tickton, Molescroft and
Woodmansey. On the back page there is
a short letter from the Woodmansey Curate
in charge, Reverend F. G. Hansford. He says
that there will be some special preachers on
Sunday evenings and he is hoping to speak at
the Wednesday night Services on ‘the Cross
in human experience’. He suggested that the
Wednesday Evening Services become family
services each week and the collection being
devoted to the Archbishop’s Appeal Fund ‘and
you know we have to raise £75’.
I have recently read a book called ‘The Great
Indoors’ explaining the history of how we use
our houses and how it was calculated that
the 1984 home had about the same installed
horsepower as a turn of the (previous)
century textile mill. Our homes are full of
electrical appliances which we take for granted.
I thought about this when looking through the
‘Beverley Minster Messenger’ parish magazines
for the 1940s where each month under
‘acknowledgements and thanks’, the Electric
Light Fund was mentioned and I realised that
the Minster was not then lit by electric light. In
March 1946 the total donations had reached
£534 2s. 9d. I have yet to find out when electric
lighting was first installed in Beverley Minster,
but I believe it was the late 1940s.
The rest of the magazine for March 1946
seemed to lack anything that would ‘lift the
spirits’. It was of course after the War when
everything was in short supply and in the
church calendar the season of Lent was
approaching.The Reverend Dick in his letter explains that it is the season
of self-examination, self-discipline and self-sacrifice. He appeals to young
people to do their share of work and worship in the church especially as
they are beset by questions their fathers never thought of and suggested
they read the story of Gideon - Judges 6. He goes on to say that in
this season of reflection and renewal it may well be a time for a special
endeavour to attend church services more regularly. ‘Lack of temperature
in the Minster is no longer a valid reason for absence. The trouble is lack of
enthusiasm!’
Comparing the magazine with the March 2014 edition it is very similar
but with probably more detailed articles whereas the ‘Minster Messenger’
is similar to the brief notes we use in our weekly notice sheet with the
exception of the Vicar’s Letter.The magazine 1946 ‘Minster Messenger’ has
various headings such as:- Calendar for March detailing the services
for the month; Sunday School Prizes; Confirmation; Lent and
the collection of self-denial boxes, for giving, to C.M.S (Church Mission
In the March 1947 magazine Reverend Dick adds a P.S. to ‘The Vicar’s
Letter’:It is with mixed feelings that I announce our impending departure from
Beverley. We shall be very sorry to leave our beautiful Minster and
the friends and loyal workers who have inspired and co-operated with
us in ‘The Work’. But since protracted ill health has impaired energy
and efficiency, we are convinced that we have done the right thing in
accepting the opportunity to move to the healthy and bracing seaside
parish of Cromer. It is an important focal point of Evangelical witness
and we ask for your prayers as well as your good wishes.
Reverend Dick had been the vicar for 5 years.
(Illustration - no date, reproduced here with permission from East Riding Archives and
Local Studies Service at the Treasure House)
Sally George
Our Magazine cover last month featured a photograph of Steve Rial taken by Paul Hawkins. Together they are
our maintenance team and in the course of their work have opportunities to see the Minster from all angles.
The photograph was submitted by Paul in the ‘Capturing the East Riding’ photographic competition. 440 entries
were submitted and can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/east-riding/sets/72157645461456101/
CONGRATULATIONS to Paul. His photo of Steve was selected as one of the best in the competition.
An exhibition will be presented at Beverley Art, Goole Museum, Pocklington Arts Centre and The Spa Gallery,
Bridlington. Additional tour venues may be added in 2016.
A J O U R N E Y I N P R AY E R
In February’s Magazine the Vicar wrote about
his determination to focus on prayer in
the coming months, and this brought a few
thoughts to my mind. As Christians, it is to
be hoped we all pray to a greater or lesser
degree, but how or what we pray can differ
widely. Perhaps we just repeat the Lord’s
Prayer each day and make that suffice, although
we should be careful what we are asking for
even there. (Try changing the pronoun in
the middle section to the first person, then
consider the words: “Forgive me my trespasses
as I forgive those who trespass against me.”)
But a much repeated, even gabbled, prayer
is better than no prayer at all. I once heard
David Adam preach on this subject, and he
maintained that the act of making time and
space to pray was what really mattered, as
God our Father knows our greatest needs
before we ask Him.
Our prayer life develops according to our
circumstances and the major events that shape
our lives. Mine has altered greatly, from the
formal prayers of my youth, often with my
mind wandering on many other subjects, to
my prayer style of today, which is more of a
personal conversation with my Lord. This is
how that has happened.
Many years ago, I lived in East Hull and taught
in a school on Bricknell Avenue in West Hull,
about four miles away ‘as the crow flies’, but
needing a two-bus journey of about an hour
and a half, providing it was not high tide when
North Bridge would be closed, which would
make everything much later and I would miss
the connecting service from the bus station to
West Hull. This made the daily journey to work
quite stressful, but everything became much
worse when new estates were built on the
eastern edge of Hull, resulting in all the buses
being full before they reached Holderness
Road. Until then, I had been sure I could cope
with the situation, but when all the transport
drivers went on strike, I realised things were
getting beyond my control. Something had to
be done. I started taking driving lessons.
This was an act of desperation. I had no access
to a car beyond that of the driving school
where I took lessons every evening, nowhere
to keep a car at home, even if I’d had one, and
little money to afford one, but I was beyond
solving the transport problem unaided. After
four months of lessons throughout the worst
of the winter weather of 1967, I took my
driving test on 5 January 1968 – and passed
first time. This brought another problem - a
car. The driving school found me a ten year old
A40 which I bought with my total life savings of
£150, and I joined the motoring fraternity.
If you have read this far, you will be wondering
what this has to do with Prayer? Actually,
everything.
I had found myself in a difficult situation which
was growing worse by the day, but which I
was sure I could cope with on my own. When
I reached the point of realising that this was
not so, I had to accept help from an outside
and hitherto untried source to find a way out
of the difficulty. The help I needed was costly,
requiring all my savings and calling for a change
in life style; but having accepted all this, I found
that not only were my present problems
sorted, but my life took on a new richness with
opportunities I had never considered before.
For example, not needing to be tied to a Hull
bus route meant that, eventually, I could look
farther afield for a house. (In those distant
days, house prices and rates in Holderness
were very much lower than in Hull.) I had
discovered a freedom and ability that changed
everything.
For me, prayer has been a similar experience.
God, in His wisdom, made us all differently,
so we all turn to him in different ways. I was
brought up in a Christian background, being
taught to ‘say my prayers’ as a child, but prayer
for me now is much more of the Emmaus
Road experience. I ‘talk’ to the Friend who is
constantly with me, even when I’m too busy to
be fully aware of Him.
One of my first acts each morning, before
anything else, is to kneel and thank God for
the gift of life for another new day, and for the
ability to rise and begin the day independently
Information about the annual competition is available here:
www2.eastriding.gov.uk/leisure/events/capturing-the-east-riding/
Beverley Minster Magazine/10
Beverley Minster Magazine/11
in my own home. I ask Him to be with me
in every part of the day, to guide all my
decisions, to give me strength and courage for
the day’s needs, and to be present in all my
contacts with others, howsoever made and for
whatever purpose. At this point, I pray also for
friends and for anyone I know to be in special
need at this time, and for others who have
asked for my prayers.
Throughout the day I pray many other prayers
for things that arise spontaneously – for the
flowers in my garden, for beautiful music, for
laughter and friendship, for whoever is in need
when I hear an ambulance dashing past, for
things I may hear on the T.V. or radio, for a
glorious sunset.
Finally, when I’ve completed all the night
routine, my final act is to kneel again by my
bed and review the day with the Lord; to
ask his forgiveness for those things needing
forgiveness (especially ‘sins of omission’), to
commend to His blessing all whose lives have
touched mine during the day, and to thank Him
for all my own countless blessings.
One final thought. For me, prayer is rather like
a telephone call; it’s a two way communication.
I can tell my Lord all my thoughts and ideas,
but I have learnt to listen for His responses
and His guidance in what to do and how to do
it. Although I may feel totally inadequate, I’ve
also learnt that He will give me the strength
and grace to do whatever He wants me to do.
There have been several times in my life when
I have felt completely helpless and have not
known which way to turn. At those times I
have passed everything into His hands and
He has opened the path before me in ways
that have been marvellous, and has guided
me on the next stage of the journey. When
friends have known of my need and have
been praying for me, the experience has been
most wonderful. Truly, to feel and experience
the power of prayer is life changing. Try it for
yourself.
Dorothy B. Hailstone
THE REGISTERS OF BEVERLEY MINSTER
Published MARCH 2015
Baptisms
At St Paul's Tickton
08 February 2015
FLAG POLE
Ewan Samuel Pottage
Funerals
23 January 2015
30 January 2015
02 February 2015
02 February 2015
12 February 2015
MINSTER
MAINTENANCE
Norma Smith (90)
Doreen Smith (90)
Dora Gouldwell (96)
Glays Anne Hindmarsh (90)
Ann McLaughlin (75)
From February 2015 the information published in The Registers has been
available on our website (in the Resources menu) and those who receive
the free eNewsletter are provided with a direct link to this information.
Recently the flag pole rope had jammed and needed to be
replaced. Upon our inspection we noticed that the finial was not
in situ on top of the pole.
We lowered the pole, removed the damaged holder and
replaced the pole in the upright position. We went to see John
Dell, the head Virger, and asked if he could order a new rope and
finial.
The parts arrived and we replaced the rope and finial as you
can see from the pictures. The pole is attached to a bracket with
three bolts and hinged so that it can be lowered with great care
in between the pinnacles on the tower.
The pole is not heavy thankfully so it is just a case of guiding it
to its resting place and sliding it along so the top is accessible to
replace or repair as required. The tube is hollow for the rope to
run through. The flag is attached to this rope, and hoisted aloft.
Steve Rial, Paul Hawkins,
Beverley Minster Parish Centre, 38 Highgate, Beverley, HU17 0DN Telephone: 01482 868540
Email: [email protected] Website: www.beverleyminster.org.uk
Beverley Minster Parish Magazine is published by Beverley Minster Parochial Church Council. Views expressed by contributors
do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial team or the publishers.
Copy date for the APRIL edition: Friday 20 March
Editorial Team: Content: Marjorie and Julian Neaum ([email protected]) design: Mervyn King
(e: [email protected]), distribution: John Grimshaw (t: 01482 871370), proof-reading: June Stephenson.
Beverley Minster Magazine/12