All Saints Marlow

The Bridge

The Choir Visit to Budapest

Advent 2015 - Free Copy

Look all around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” John

4.35“Therefore ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” Luke 9.37

In these words, Jesus was telling his disciples that - spiritually speaking - they were standing in the middle of a harvest field. Two thousand years on, I believe the same is true of us today. If we believed some of the things that are written about the church, we would think we are standing in a wasteland! But the opposite is true. There is more potential for a spiritual harvest in the UK today than there has been for at least a generation. As we follow Jesus in our daily lives, he helps us to see this harvest all around us. He leads us by his Spirit into the harvest fields that we encounter every day on our ‘frontline’ - the place where our faith touches our daily routines.

Jesus then told his disciples how to respond to the harvest; by praying for workers to be sent into the harvest fields. The meaning of this verse, as I understand it, is that in response to our prayers God sends each of us, every day, to the place he has assigned for us to work for him.

From time to time he also sends new workers to help in the harvest - moving them from one field to another. Perhaps you are reading this because God has sent you here to All Saints to help in the harvest here.

As a boy I lived in a farming village in Worcestershire and vividly remember how much hard work was involved at harvest time and how many people were involved. As we bring in the harvest here in Marlow, God is sending more and more people. Over the last couple of months, this has been particularly true - I sometimes wonder whether all of you have been praying this prayer a lot. God is certainly doing lots of sending!

As well as the many newcomers who have joined our church this year, I can use this article in The Bridge to announce in particular some leaders who are being ‘sent’.

Wendy Bull - our curate - will be moving to a new harvest field in the spring of 2016. As many of you will already have heard, she has been chosen as the new parish priest of St Anne and St Peter Wycombe Marsh, a parish near Loudwater in High Wycombe. This is great news for Wendy (and Wycombe Marsh!), but sad for us because, after three very happy years with her, we will be saying farewell and sending her off with our blessing.

John Smith - I am delighted to tell you that from the beginning of December we will be joined by an additional member of our ministry team. Rev’d John Smith is a self-supporting minister who describes himself as “a deacon looking for a home!” John commenced his curacy a few years ago

The Lord of the Harvest - Dave Bull

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but due to personal circumstances he was unable to complete it and has since been living in France. He is now resuming his ministry and, with Bishop Alan’s support, we are able to welcome him to Marlow. John will be working with Sarah Fitzgerald and, geographically speaking, will have a focus on Bisham and Little Marlow. However, he also has a particular interest in care for the elderly and end of life ministry which he will bring to the whole parish. I am full of anticipation at the contribution John will make to our team. Please join me in welcoming him to the team.

Worship and Creative Prayer Leader - this position has been made possible by a very generous gift given for the express purpose of funding a new staff post in its entirety. The Church Council decided to create this role in order to:

- resource the music and musicians at the 1059 service. Until now this vital and overstretched team has been resourced entirely by volunteers.

- take a lead in co-ordinating and leading prayer across all our congregations and traditions. This will mean co-ordinating the opportunities to pray that already exist, and also helping us explore new ways of praying. Examples include; helping the housebound to pray, leading us in 24/7 prayer and making greater use of the creative arts.

Some outstanding candidates applied for this role and after interviews on November 11th we have appointed Gill Taylor to fill this role. Gill (seen here with her husband Paul), will be moving from Rugby to Marlow in the New Year with their sons Joel (10) and Nathan (8). Gill used to work as a midwife but now leads the worship band of over 40 musicians in their

current church. She writes, “My passion is to help people meet with God and know how much he loves them; I am convinced that the local church is the hope of the world. Through worship and prayer, we encounter God and grow our relationship with Him.” Gill loves drinking tea, catching up with friends, cooking, song writing, dancing with her kids, orienteering and doing jigsaws. Please pray for the Taylor family in the coming weeks as they move to join us.

One final piece of news is that I have been appointed as Area Dean of the Wycombe Deanery, in addition to my role as your Team Rector. The Wycombe Deanery is a group of 35 churches in and around High Wycombe. Its boundaries stretch from Stokenchurch to Hazlemere, to Wooburn Green and to Hambleden. The main responsibilities of the Area Dean are to help the churches work together in mission, to ensure best deployment of clergy and to oversee the financial contribution that the Deanery makes to the Oxford Diocese. The Deanery already has a great team in place, whom I will be joining, and I would very much value your prayers as I take up this role from 1st January 2016.

Look all around you; the fields are ripe for the harvest! As you read this, my prayer for you is that the Lord will send you out into the harvest field and that - seeing your daily life through God’s eyes - you may be led by the Spirit into the fulfilling and fruitful work of seeing a harvest in your own life.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to

share with Thee the silence of eternity interpreted by love”. (Hymn text: John Whittier)

It was not until I was at the airport that I really believed that the planned retreat in the Holy Land might actually happen. To begin a sabbatical on the shores of the Sea of Galilee was more than I could ever have hoped for.

Although it is over two thousand years since Jesus walked those hills and by the water’s edge, the physical features of the landscape remain much as they would have been in those early days.

The retreat was led by the retired Bishop of Oxford, The Right Reverend John Pritchard. He was the ideal person. Reflective and approachable, he had been to Israel many times before, and had led several pilgrimages. He was ably assisted in the general organisation by the Diocesan Director of Communications, Sarah Meyrich.

The group was made up almost wholly of priests, many from the Oxford Diocese. Each day was framed by worship together – in the morning, late afternoon, and late evening, and, sometimes, at the end of the morning. Bishop John led the worship and gave addresses which prepared us for the place we were planning to visit, or which helped us to reflect upon what we had experienced. His addresses enabled us to go more deeply into the significance of that place for Jesus’ disciples then – and for us, as disciples, now. In each address, Bishop John left us with searching questions.

A short morning visit to a place of Jesus’ ministry would lead to an afternoon of prayer and reflection, journaling, possibly walking and reading - and, for some, a quick swim!

The times of worship were one of the many joys of the retreat - especially when we were privileged to share in the Eucharist by the Lake-side at Dalmanutha, with the tranquil water and the hills in the background, and on another occasion, in a Church in Nazareth. The service there was in Arabic and English, and the same Gospel reading was used as would have been heard and preached about in churches all over the Anglican Communion.

Special, too, was the pre-dawn clamber onto the rocks, to see the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee. And a highlight was, of course, being in a boat on the Sea. Once out on the water, the boatman switched off the engine and we had a time of total stillness.

Within a fairly short distance of the retreat centre, we were able to visit Capernaum. I was struck by the smallness of the houses, apparent from the basalt ruins and by the remains of the comparatively large lime-stone synagogue, which is understood to be on the site of the synagogue where Jesus attended worship and preached. It was extraordinary to stand within the synagogue ruins and think of that. We also spent some time on the beach where it is believed the post-Resurrection breakfast took place, and saw the Church of the Loaves and Fishes – with its beautiful floor mosaics. Despite the crowds, there were spaces on the Mount of the Beatitudes for us to have some individual quiet time,

Retreat by the Sea of Galilee - Gabrielle Smith

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reading, and reflecting, on the Sermon on the Mount. Whether or not some of these sites can be fully proved didn’t matter, for Jesus would surely have been around those areas and known them well. And walking along a rough path, going down the hill from the Church of the Beatitudes, with the hills, plantations, mountains and the Sea of Galilee before us, was particularly moving.

Our journey into the foothills of Mount Hermon, to the area of Caesarea Philippi, gave much food for thought. We visited one of the sources of the River Jordan at Banias – the river associated, of course, with John the Baptist and with Jesus’ baptism. Yet, the area was also the site of enormous pagan temples to Pan, Zeus and The Three Dancing Goats! We then had lunch in a Druze village, before returning through the Golan Heights – through an area that, before 1967, was part of Syria. On that journey, we saw ruined villages, and UN and Israeli tanks, alongside luscious plantations of bananas, vineyards and olive groves. Golan Heights wine is very good! We were greeted with a glass when we first arrived.

The panoramic view from the top of Mount Tabor held fascinating echoes of Old Testament times, as we looked out over the huge Valley of Jezreel and the distant mountain of Givat HaMoreh. We were also able to see the village of Nain, with its

association with the Gospel miracle.

Sheep were sighted only once. For the most part, we saw small numbers of cows - and on one occasion, a couple of rather thin camels - grazing among the rocks on the hillsides, in much the same way as one would expect sheep to do. Our more usual companions, locally, were some hyraxes – rock rabbits, shy but inquisitive – who peeped at us as they sat on the rocks by the lake side.

Memories abound. So much to remember with pleasure, so much to ponder, so much that was moving and precious, new friends made. A unique few days of refreshment and renewal, during which we could experience more fully the ‘unforced rhythms of grace’. (Matt. 11: 29 The Message Bible) We formed an e-mail group and are keeping in touch, which is lovely – and I know that many of us hope, some day, to go again.

My heartfelt thanks - to Dave, for making it all happen (and for an early morning lift), and to you all for the prayers and generous support of parish members. Without your loving support, the retreat would not have been possible.

“In simple trust, like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian Sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow Thee”.

The success of such an undertaking is all in the preparation and so, nearly

eighteen months ago I took the first steps in organising our second foreign tour, the first being to Paris in 2013.

Then finally it was the morning of Friday 23rd October and fifty eight people arrived at All Saints to travel to the airport with their suitcases, smiles and anticipation. The journey to Heathrow was uneventful with the choristers linked up in their groups of four, each with a dedicated adult group leader. Check in, security and packed lunches were easily dealt with. A bonus on our BA flight (both ways) was that Oliver Johnson’s dad, Simon, was flying the plane and a special mention was made of our trip over the loudspeaker.

After much seat swapping we took off for the 2hr 20min flight landing an hour ahead of GMT to be welcomed by Tamas and a couple of his students who linked us up with our coach company. Tamas is

Choir Visit to Budapest - Martin Seymour

a music teacher at the Szilágyi Erzsébet Gimnázium, a secondary school in the Castle district with which we are twinned. (I had met Tamas over dinner when he was in Marlow last autumn as part of a twinning visit.)

Our accommodation was only about twenty kilometres north of the city in Leányfalu, a small town on the river Danube, and was an educational/retreat centre owned by the local Catholic Church. We were made very welcome during our stay and it was fortunate that the pastor there, Johannes, spoke German so Tobias did a fair amount of translation for us.

Saturday morning dawned nice and sunny as was most of the weather whilst we were over there. Fortunately the constant rain that had pelted the area for the previous two weeks had disappeared. We walked the short distance to the Protestant church where we would be singing the concert the following afternoon (to a packed house).

with Tom way up in the clouds somewhere at the back of the church, on an unfamiliar organ and little practice time, there were some interesting communication challenges!

Our beds were certainly welcome that night especially as it was an early start the next morning in the fog and mist to go and sing high mass at the Matthias Church. The vista that had enthralled us with the view of the city lights the night before was now completely shrouded. As it was a festival Sunday for the church it was even more important that we sang at our best. Located in the gallery high at the back of the church our sound wafted over into the full house. It was quite a different acoustic to the one we are used to and was quite generous, with the echo making our singing even more effective. The resident organist was very happy with how things went and gave us some presents afterwards. Before the next mass started we also had a very good guide take us round the church for twenty minutes telling us all about the history of the building and the area from the Mongol invasions to the present day.

It had only been built fifteen years earlier in Swedish style architecture. The church was quite small which necessitated some of the singing being done from up in the gallery by the girls choir so the audience were treated to ‘surround sound’ for the Haydn Organ Mass and the Hallelujah Chorus.

Saturday was a busy day as we took our coach into central Budapest to eat a hot lunch at Tamas’ school, followed by learning a Hungarian folk song and then taking a twenty minute walk (mainly uphill!) to the famous Matthias church where we would be singing high mass the following morning. Students studying English at the school gave us some history about the area as we travelled. Tom, our organist, and another three of our party had already arrived at the highly decorated church, having flown out that morning. The church had undergone extensive restoration and the beautiful coloured tiled roof looked resplendent in the sunshine. It has been used for several coronations.

After rehearsing for an hour we walked the short distance to the town council offices to be met by the deputy mayor for a reception and some entertainment which ranged from a very acrobatic display of folk dancing, to a female soloist and improvising jazz musicians. Unfortunately, we couldn’t linger too long enjoying nibbles as we had to be off to the Lutheran church a couple of minutes down the road to do the final musical engagement of the day. This was a charity concert in aid of their twinned town in Romania, which is quite poor. There was a very good audience and the choir sang really well; having to sing part of the Hallelujah Chorus again as an encore. Tamas’ choir also sang several items although they were a little depleted with numbers as it was their half term too and various families were away. However,

After lunch it was back to the hostel to rest for an hour before doing the second of our three concerts, this time in the local church. The audience clapped vigorously, and in time, constantly wanting more. It was described as a ‘lifetime event’ for the village. Akos, (Tim Dexter’s colleague) who also helped to make many arrangements for our stay, lives a short distance from the church and hostel and following the concert has had many phone calls from the locals thanking him and us for the event. The sumptuous range of cakes at the reception afterwards had to be resisted but taken with us as our main meal was waiting back at the hostel. Having eaten, the tennis table room was then discovered and a championship started. We could relax a little now as the following day was our rest day.

Monday dawned with good weather. This was fortunate as the junior and senior girls, along with the boys and support staff, were off to the zoo! This was one of the places Sarah and I visited on our reconnaissance trip at the end of the Easter holidays. The zoo was preceded by a stop at the apartments of the famous composer, Liszt, which is now a museum and concert hall. The youngsters could put their hand against a cast of Liszt’s to compare! Interestingly, Liszt never charged for tutoring the prodigies of the Music Academy as he had received free education as a youngster because his family couldn’t afford it. He vowed that if he ever became famous he would do the same.

We had split the large group into two and whilst one visited the museum the other took part in a folk dancing workshop, adults too! This was great fun and led by a very energetic teacher; you can see one of the videos of this on the choir’s Facebook page – do take a look. Some

of Tamas’ students and staff joined us at the zoo and came around with us enjoying the extensive grounds and well laid out territories and animals.

Whilst all this was going on the young gentlemen of the choir, along with Graham, Jeremy and Tom were out sightseeing the city on Segways! If you haven’t come across these before they are two wheeled scooters with parallel wheels and electrical wizardry inside to keep you upright. They visited our twinned bridge, which we saw from the coach many times but couldn’t cross due to weight restrictions and our large coach! I think they all enjoyed this new-found method of transport and came back unscathed. They also visited the opera house later in the day with its fabulous interior of red and gold. The other gentlemen were off on a cruise around the bay by boat before exploring the city on foot. We all met up later in the day at Tamas’ school where football, netball, dodge ball and other games were taking place.

We had decided to eat out that evening and the Trefu Grill really came up trumps with a wide range of eat-as-much-as-you-like options. The setting was great, being close to the river which dissects the city, originally Buda and Pest. It gave a chance for most of the adults to relax although Anna the medic was required to attend when one of the boys rubbed chilli in his eye!

It was at the restaurant that Harry Scurlcok had a very unexpected and rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung to him and a large cake arrived which Arthur then took charge of cutting up into 64 pieces! We did try and get Harry to blow out the firework of a candle that adorned the centre of the cake but he decided to let it take its course. Our trip back to the

the school, we were now thinking about coming home. However before we left we sang another loud Happy Birthday this time to our deputy head girl, Hannah Peperrell who was celebrating her 16th

birthday! Certainly a birthday to remember in more ways than one.

With a couple of hours to spare before checking in at the airport, I had organised a short trip for everyone around the new Liszt Music Academy, Hungary’s version of the Royal College or Royal Academy of Music. Although the tours are aimed at adults the guide did a fantastic job of capturing the choristers’ imagination and they were listening well. I think it made even more of an impression on the choristers as we had already visited Liszt’s apartments which had been left virtually untouched since he had been living there in the mid nineteenth century. The guide also invited us to sing (Bruckner’s Locus iste) in the main concert hall. Fortunately I was carrying a tuning fork in my back pocket.

hostel was delayed a little bit by Hettie our youngest chorister (8) who was having one of her seven nose bleeds of the tour.

Suitcases packed and a very warm thank you given to Johannes and his staff (which was returned) we then departed on our coach from Leányfalu for the last time. Our next destination was the church next to Tamas’ school. It was one of the most resonant churches we had sung in being spacious and again highly decorated. Tom had another test on his hands being far away in the distance up in the clouds at the organ. Although everyone was now feeling quite tired they nevertheless did a good job and the counter tenor duets between Jeremy and Jake (a counter tenor from Norwich Cathedral) came over well as did the Benedictus from the Haydn organ mass sung for a second time by Sammy, Freddie, James and Daniel from up in the gallery.

Following a heartfelt thank you over lunch from Tamas and the headmistress at

myself already. I think most singers would offer singing mass at the Matthias church as one of the main highlights of the trip. There is still a buzz about the trip and within the groups.

We have made some true friends and Tamas and around twenty five of his students hope to come back over here to Marlow at the end of June next year. We will be looking to house them with families during their stay, as finding accommodation for them all in one place is beyond their means.

There are many people to thank behind the scenes, especially Ildiko Wardle one of the girl’s choir parents who did a lot of talking to the hostel in her native Hungarian and to Sue Dexter as well. To all of the chaperones and support staff who also paid for their places on the tour and to the people who helped fund the choristers either through individual sponsorship or coming to the fundraising concerts that we held. There will have been video presentations at the services by the time you read this but do take a look at the choir’s Facebook page to see more photos!

Thank you all. There were moments on the tour when the choristers were singing with such commitment and passion for what they were doing that it made all the months of hard work leading up to our departure really feel worthwhile.

Having said a fond farewell to Tamas and then to Joseph our coach driver at the airport it was check in, security, packed tea and onto the aeroplane for more seat swapping and our chauffeur of a pilot again. Motts coaches picked us up at the other end and carried us quickly back to Marlow by around 9.40pm where parents were eagerly waiting to see their offspring, having been kept up to date on events via our Facebook page. It was great that quite a few parents travelled out independently to support the choristers and hear them sing, thank you to them.

So what is the legacy of this mammoth undertaking? We all felt that we had come close together as a group, shared in high quality music making and we were very warmly received by audiences and congregations alike. We made a real impact on them and the worship through the international language of music. The choristers have grown in character, in undertaking care and responsibility for each other and have been part of something truly special. It has been inspiring to hear what impressions it has left on them. An example of this is one of the fifteen year olds who spoke to his parents at great length enthusing not only about his experiences but also of the architecture of the building and churches etc. Abbie has also done an impromptu visit to Marlow FM to talk on air about the trip and the Holy Trinity choristers have done an assembly along with Anna and

An ‘Evening with Henry Olonga’ took place at Sir William Borlases’s School Hall on Thursday 26th November. Henry was an international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is a charismatic speaker with a magnificent tenor voice, who interspersed his talk with a range of Christian songs and hymns.

The next Men’s Breakfast meeting will be held at Harleyford Golf Club on Saturday 5th December at 8.30 am, when the speaker will be William Wade (Army Scripture Reader). Admission is by ticket at £5 including a bacon sandwich and coffee.

The theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2016 is ‘Salt of the Earth’. The Unity Supper will be on Tuesday 19th January at St Peter’s School and a United Service will be held on Sunday 24th

January.

Plans for the annual Pancake Day celebration at Marlow Methodist Church Hall, and Lent Study Groups, will be available at the Unity Supper. The York Course for Lent is The Psalms – prayers for today’s church written by Bishop Stephen Cottrell.

The Harvest Supper held at All Saints Church Hall on Friday 30th October

was enjoyed by a gathering of over 80 people. Brains were tested, songs were sung and a good time was had by one and all. St Peter’s Church has offered to host next year’s event on 14th October 2016.

The annual Celebration including the AGM took place in All Saints Church on Tuesday 10th November. Officers appointed for the coming year were Peter Hopkinson (River Church) as chairman, Tom Craig (Christ Church) as treasurer and Tony Threlfall as secretary. Tributes were paid to two members of Marlow Bottom Methodist Church, who have retired after many years of service to CTM.

Mike Gilbert was on the committee for nearly 40 years, including two 4-year periods as chairman. He was also instrumental in setting up regular meetings of the church leaders for fellowship, prayer and joint action. Dawn Walker was instrumental in setting up the Prayer Links Group after the Mission to Marlow in 1995, and has arranged the monthly prayer meetings that have continued for the last twenty years.

Churches Together in Marlow - Tony Threlfall

THE BRIDGE

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this time with the children, enabling us to offer a space for the children to process ideas, voice questions and explore answers. Work with the schools will remain one of my main focuses as I have a strong sense of God wanting me to work with the children there. I have dreams of what could be achieved and am praying that God would provide the right people to bring these ideas to fruition. If you would be interested in getting involved in children’s ministry in any way then please do get in touch with me (anna.clarke@4u-team.org) I would LOVE to hear from you!

This month I also had the amazing opportunity to accompany 36 youngsters to Budapest on their choir tour! I have to admit, having navigated numerous European airports reasonably frequently over the past couple of years, nothing could have quite prepared me for the experience of doing so with 36 children in tow! Nevertheless, we all made it safely and had a very memorable and enjoyable, albeit tiring, time whilst we were there. Although I returned feeling like I could add ‘crash course in parenting’ to my CV, I am so incredibly grateful for the time I was able to spend getting to know the children in the choir and allowing them to get to know me too!

I hope that gives you a little insight into a couple of the things I’ve been up to over the past month as well as a few areas in which you can prayerfully support the children’s ministry. As always, a big THANK YOU to the volunteers who make running various groups possible. Let’s continue praying for the children in Marlow and pray that we would be ready and willing to be used by God to help bring about the season of the grape!

The season of the apple has gone, the season of the banana is here, the

season of grapes is still to come.”

I was away at a conference recently and one of the leaders spoke these words. Before we all reached the conclusion that he may very well have lost the plot he began to explain what he meant. “There was a time when sowing God’s word was like harvesting apples,” he began, “and people would come to know God one by one. Now we’ve reached a stage where sowing God’s seed is more like harvesting bananas – people come in bunches.” Can you imagine reaching the season of the grape? When God’s harvest comes in entire clusters? I am convinced that this revival, this ‘season of the grape’, can come about in today’s young generation and so I am left asking the question; where do we begin? What have I been doing, you might ask, to allow God to cultivate this harvest of grapes here in Marlow.

Well, in between various training courses, conferences and networking days I have been spending time getting to know children at both Sandygate and Holy Trinity schools. Since the beginning of the academic year I have been taking weekly assemblies at Sandygate and leading on a rota basis at Holy Trinity. Sandygate Stars - a lunchtime Bible club for year 1s and year 2s has also been running successfully since September thanks to the efforts of a committed team of volunteers. The genuine curiosity and honesty of the little ones never ceases to amaze me. A year 2 girl turned to me this week and asked with complete sincerity, “Anna, will Jesus really hear my question if I ask him?” Moments like this just make me so thankful that the schools allow us

The Season of Grapes ..... Anna Clarke

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It’s All About Encouragement? - Richard Powell

In Thessalonians Paul wrote – “encourage one another and build one another up,

just as you are doing.” Whilst I know the theory I am constantly challenged by such verses as I find it so much easier to be critical and pull down rather than encourage and build people up!

It would be lovely to think that in the church we might be different but so often the feedback received is negative rather than positive! So let’s challenge ourselves to encourage each other so that when we go out to our ‘frontlines’ on a daily basis, we can go being confident in what we believe, buoyed up by the knowledge of God’s love and the presence of his Spirit with us.

A few weeks ago wardens from across the archdeaconry came together for a morning designed to offer encouragement and support. It is also a great opportunity for anyone interested in the role to come along and find out a little more of what the task entails! We were introduced to the Rev’d Valerie Plumb the new Area Dean for rural mission and development. She shared some stories of situations she has experienced and how important it is to see what the community needs and to offer something appropriate rather than the church deciding what is required and ‘giving’ it to the community. In summary the challenge was to be flexible, listening disciples responding to the situations that God has lain across our paths.

There were then two sets of workshop covering topics from ‘shaping confident, collaborative leadership’, ‘working with volunteers’ to ‘building skills - an introduction to the DAC and faculty process’.

There was opportunity over refreshments to network with others and to share and encourage one another. Very few concerns are either unique or have never happened before and there is so much we can learn from one another. The morning ended with a time of worship focussing on our God of encouragement who is there to support and encourage us through all the changing scenes of our lives both individually and in the life of our churches.

Next May I shall be standing down from my role as Church Warden. I will however be continuing my roles with the maintenance team and project work. We are looking for two new wardens, one to take over my post and the other to fill the current vacancy. It would be a real encouragement to find people to take up these roles.

So let’s encourage one another by offering our gifts and skills to build one another up and to make us vibrant followers of Jesus as we meet together (gathered church) and go about our daily lives (dispersed church).

If you want to know about the role and work of a church warden do speak with Dave, myself or any of the past wardens.Having written this article I have been very aware of how many times the word encouragement has been used in sermons during our look at front line discipleship!

From Harvest to Discipleship - Linda Scott

Art & Spirituality recently produced two installations that were based on the

teaching series for Autumn with its focus on discipleship and also on the harvest, not only the harvest of food, but also of gifts and talents inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In our everyday lives we can each act as a disciple by demonstrating, in our words and actions, the Christ-like qualities that enable our individual gifts to benefit others, by giving our time, effort and talents wherever we are during the week. The display emphasized the point that each person’s mission is to serve others and this was illustrated by examples of teachers who educate our children and prepare them for citizenship in a changing world and by examples of doctors and nurses here and abroad who dedicate themselves to others in challenging circumstances.

It was emphasised that the harvest occurs throughout the year - from January to December somewhere something is being harvested. We need to appreciate the effort made to provide our food and be thankful, but at the same time answer the challenging question “What do people give thanks for about us?” Another kind of harvest is that of the Spirit and the fruits of the spirit are included in the verse below that was part of the display.

Love for more than self and familyJoy in knowing God is in your life

Peace stilling your heart and changing the way you live

Patience instead of impatienceKindness instead of unkindness

Faithfulness instead of unfaithfulnessGentleness instead of cruelty

And self-control instead of self-centredness

In response to reading the verse above, the challenge was to answer the following question: ‘Which of these ‘fruits’ are you growing and which are you not?’

In order to use our gifts for the benefit of others, the installations encouraged people to reflect on the needs of others both at home and abroad - one of the displays graphically depicted the current migrant crisis and posed the question “Who is my brother?” The image of a candle surrounded by barbed wire symbolized the migrants’ plight and the light of hope.

As we go about our daily lives and encounter situations in the news, at work, at home, at school and in our community, there is a constant challenge as to what we can do as individuals or collectively to reach out to others, as disciples, and to meet their needs wherever they may be. Many prayers were featured in the displays to aid contemplation on the themes of discipleship and the gifts we can offer. People were invited to write their own prayers in response to the images and texts they had seen and to what they may have recently experienced in their everyday lives.

Another installation is planned for Advent.

Sarah has been our choir assistant for the last eighteen months and comes

on Mondays and Thursdays to work on a one to one basis with the choristers on their Voice for Life books. She is also the organist and choir trainer at Harpsden Church near Henley. Sarah recently passed her Grade 8 organ and is now studying for her Cert RCO from the Royal College of Organists.

She started off her working life teaching secondary English but has migrated towards more artistic pursuits and now teaches piano, singing and theory mainly from home in Caversham. These skills come in very useful when working with the choristers. Sarah loves to work with the singers and she came on the tour to Budapest being one of the members of staff who knew almost all of them.

Sarah is also an accomplished artist

Profile of Sarah Seymour

having studied this earlier in her life. She says “When not making music I work as an artist and take on commissions for people on a wide range of subjects as well as selling my paintings and cards at exhibitions and craft fairs.

I recently went on a painting trip to Stockholm and I am planning to do a ‘Fifty Faces’ art project next year to mark my fiftieth birthday! I will be on the look out for a variety of willing faces to do portraits of - young, old, male, female, the more different they are the better for my rogue-ish gallery. Please let me know if you would like to take part in this!”

Sarah has also produced some fun quality Christmas cards which have proved very popular with titles such as ‘Hark the herald angles sing’. See if you can work out what it might consist of! You can contact Sarah on 0118 4982725.

Community News from Marlow’s Church of England Schools

Sandygate - Holy Trinity - Little Marlow Autumn Term 2015

Italy and the Romans

In Year 2 we have been studying ‘Italy and the Romans’. We have looked at

famous Italian landmarks, Italian music and dancing and we even investigated the best material for a Roman road.

As part of our research into Italian food, we took a trip down to Pizza Express in Marlow town centre. The lovely team there took us through the process of making a Margherita pizza. The children rolled out the dough, spooned on yummy tomato sauce and sprinkled their pizzas with mozzarella cheese. After that we were lucky enough to be allowed to take them back to school to eat them. They were absolutely delicious!

Circus Fun

November saw the start to the Circus Fun topic for the Year 1 children

at Sandygate. They were treated to a session working with SPLATS, where they learnt to perform some circus skills.

Children were taught to juggle, spin plates and balance feathers on their chin. A lot of fun was had by all (teachers included) and some valuable lessons were learnt.

The most important lesson learnt was that of perseverance - a clown was not built in a day! We were very proud that the children were able to keep going and keep practising, with many mastering some tricky skills by the end of the session. We look forward to practising our skills throughout the term, and bringing out our inner clown!

New Classrooms at Little Marlow

This September a wonderful sight greeted the parents and children of

Little Marlow School as we unveiled our fabulous new Key Stage One Block.

Our two new rooms have been purpose built for the Infant age and are packed full of exciting features including state of the art projector screens and air conditioning; the teachers are particularly pleased with their walk in cupboards with automatic lights!

The new building has also given us a canopied outdoor learning zone where

the children can practice their key skills in the fresh air – even when the British weather is against us. The language and cooperative skills which they can now develop are fantastic and the children also like the fact that their playground has increased giving them lots of space to burn off their energy!

If you haven’t seen the school recently, do come along and have a look! The project was part funded by the Oxford Diocese and shows the Church’s real commitment to improving the educational outcomes for the children in Marlow.

Holy Trinity School Council Sponsor Sairam

Following an assembly by Dave Bull in the summer on his trip to India, the

School Council at Holy Trinity decided that they would like to sponsor a child in India that was organised by the charity ‘Compassion.’

Dave attended one of the School Council meetings in June to explain the process and the School Councillors chose a boy called Sairam. Immediately they wrote a letter to Compassion stating their interest and then wrote to Sairam directly about themselves and what life was like for them in Marlow.

The School Council then went about thinking of ways that they could continue to raise money to sponsor Sairam and decided that the half-termly Hot Chocolate

morning was an excellent opportunity to do this – it then enables all children to contribute to this worthwhile venture.

Since the children have returned in September, the School Council have upped the profile of Sairam, by informing the other children in the school of how they can write to him – it is his birthday soon, so hopefully he will get a lot of birthday wishes. We also have a Sairam notice board in the school, so that children can keep updated on what is happening in Sairam’s life.

It is the School Council’s key objective this year to really establish a close relationship with Sairam by regularly writing to him and reminding the rest of the School of the importance of our sponsorship.

World War Two History Topic

In the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday, the children in Year 6 came to

school dressed up to take part in a World War Two Day. The top picture on the right illustrates one of the fashions of the era.

The purpose of the day was to support the work they are doing this term on this historical event.

It involved activities such as experiencing an air raid shelter with a real air raid siren, making identity cards, listening to World War Two music, building periscopes and playing World War Two games.

The children had a wonderful time, and this type of enrichment day really allowed the children to immerse themselves in this topic.

Choir visit to Budapest - The Photo Album