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1

Last month I shared the main points of the first part of my annual report as Rector to the Annual Meeting. That first section was about what kind of church we are being; how far we are being shaped by Jesus and shaped to be like Jesus. In this second part of my report I looked at how well we are doing. This comes under the general heading of mission. It means what we are sent to do. Jesus said “As the Father sent me, so I send you”. To be Jesus-shaped is also to be mission-shaped. The mission is God's and we are called to join in and play our part in bringing God's kingdom on earth as in heaven. In our newly-adopted parish strategic goals we commit ourselves to help others meet Jesus. How well have we been doing this in the last year and what can we do to improve? Caroline our Associate Priest has recently attended the Leading Your Church into Growth programme and will be sharing the insights from that with the leadership of the church. A first action in response is to invite us all to join a mission prayer network if we are prepared to pray every day wherever we are for the mission of our parish , for our work as a church joining in God's mission in this community and the world. What then are the challenges and how can we improve as a church in making disciples? The main challenge is the challenge of growth. Even if we seek to grow often we secretly we want to stay the same. We cannot grow without changing. This is why some of you may not want us to grow in numbers. Of course growing in numbers as a church is merely empire-building if we are not being truly a Jesus-shaped church. Making disciples does not necessarily result in actual growth in numbers as others move or pass away; but it will still result in change. Actually All Saints needs to grow. A bigger community will mean we can more readily cope with the mission we are called to in this parish. The challenge we face is to put in

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place the resources needed to help more people find their journey into deeper faith. More small groups will be needed and more nurture courses. A renewed organisation of pastoral care will help us to keep contact with people and offer support especially in times of need. We need more resources to sustain and develop the mission to children and youth in the parish. Can we now find the resources to employ a fully-qualified experienced and full-time youth worker or youth minister who will take the mission to teenagers in this parish, both those with whom we have existing contacts through church membership and those who have no church contact, to a completely new level? Finally how well have we been doing as a church in bringing God's kingdom of justice, peace and wholeness closer on earth as in heaven? Our values state we are here for our community and we stand for justice throughout the world. Our new goals commit us to be more committed to mission in the world. Some of us have been involved with the Norreys Neighbourhood Project and with activities in the Eustace Community Flat. The links with All Saints Primary School and other schools are important too. Our support for Little Steps is part of our commitment to parents in the community who are raising children. The Friday Drop-in involves being there unconditionally for young teenagers,providing a space they need to be outside home or school which is not on the street. Some of these activities take place in The Cornerstone. This is our single biggest material asset for our part in God's mission to bring wholeness to our local community. I salute on your behalf the Cornerstone management committee members now led by Robert Newman who provide for this aspect of our mission in the parish. Can we do more to support them? Another major contribution to God's mission in the world we make is our commitment to environmental sustainability. We are working to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings and to save energy costs too. Joining in God's mission to bring wholeness and justice involves supporting the church worldwide. We continue to give10% of our net

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Please leave items for publication in the Magazine tray in the Parish Office or email directly to the editor on or before the Copy Date please.

All Saints PCC Wokingham, is a

Registered Charity, Nbr. 1127585

Editor: Andrew McKenna (977 3812) Email: editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk

Distribution: Sheila Longley (978 4193)

Advertisements: Andrew McKenna (977 3812)

Collation: Sheila Longley (978 4193)

income to world or other external mission work. As we pray for and partner with Christians in other parts of the world especially where there is struggle for justice, we get a bigger picture of God’s mission which we are involved with in our local community. How well are we being and doing as a church? Are we Jesus-shaped and mission-shaped? I rejoice that God is working in this parish. There is a lot to thank God for and to say – yes – we are responding to God's call to us as a church community. And of course there is more to do with God's help.

David Hodgson

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Parish Clergy Rector The Revd. Canon David Hodgson 979 2999 Associate Priest The Revd. Caroline Kramer 979 9956 Honorary Asst. Curate The Revd. Colin James 978 1515 Honorary Asst. Curate The Revd. Helen Charlton 978 9153

Attached Clergy Deanery of Sonning “Fresh Expressions” Mission Priest The Revd Michael Johnson 979 0098 Church Wardens Jo Robinson 978 9730 John Smith 979 0948 Vacancy — Parish Administrator Jo Asplin 979 2797

Children and Youth Safeguarding Co-ordinator and Children’s Advocate Margaret Raggett 962 9378 Crêche Leader Rachel Garlish 978 2602 Junior Church Co-ordinator Harriet Swinyard 962 9313 Youth Church Co-ordinator (Acting) Revd Michael Johnson 979 0098 Friday Night Youth Drop-In (FDI) Co-ordinator Lorraine Hodgson 979 2999

Worship and Music Director of Music (inc. Choir) David Rance 947 6734 Music Group Leader Gail Houghton 979 2797 Head Server Chris Gilham 978 3948 Deputy Head Server Ruth Smith 978 7065 Bible Readers’ rota Joyce Baldry 978 8506 Tower Foreman John Harrison 978 5520 Flower Guild Chairman Pam Gilbey 978 5694 Worship Rota and Prayer Lists Co-ordinator Revd Colin James 978 1515 Lay Co-Chair of Worship & Music Development Liz Rippon 979 2797

Parochial Church Council PCC Secretary David Atkinson 954 0466 Deputy PCC Secretary John Smith 979 0948 PCC Treasurer Stephen Smith 979 4407 Deputy PCC Treasurer John Alp 979 2797

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The Parish Office (0118 979 2797), in the Cornerstone, can be contacted about church related issues (Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals). It is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.15 am to 1.00 pm and for urgent matters or by telephone on Monday and Thursday from 10.00 am to 12.00 noon. e-mail: parishoffice@allsaintswokingham.org.uk Postal address: The Parish Office, Norreys Avenue, Wokingham RG40 1UE All Saints website: www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk The Cornerstone : For room bookings and general enquiries please phone 0118 979 7778. Administrator Monica Martin is in the office: Monday 2-5pm, Tuesday 12.15-4.30pm, Wednesday 2-5.30pm, Thursday 1.45 - 6.00pm. e-mail: info@thecornerstonewokingham.org.uk

PCC Treasurer’s Team Margaret Hawkins 962 9792 Dickon Snell 978 1044

Stewardship Co-ordinator Jo Robinson 978 9730 Gift Aid Co-ordinator Peter Whittaker 978 6225 Stewardship Recorder Jim Creech 377 4194 Electoral Roll Officer Joyce Baldry 978 8506 Leadership Forum Convenor Barbara Smith 979 4407 Asst. Stewardship Recorder Chris Westgate 977 1041 Asst. Gift Aid Coordinator Chris Westgate 977 1041

Pastoral Care contacts Home Communion Barbara Smith 979 4407 Healing Prayer Group Jack Hayley 978 3939 Pastoral Care contact Jo Robinson 978 9730 Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals Parish Office 979 2797 Churchyard Steward John Smith 979 0948 Transportation Volunteers needed to assist other parishioners. Please help. Clergy days off: David Thursday Caroline Friday Colin Thurs/Friday Michael Saturday

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Services at All Saints' Church embrace a wide range of formats. An outline is given below but for details and information about occasional services, see the weekly leaflet.

Sunday Services

8.00 a.m. Holy Communion. A said service with a brief address using the traditional language version of the Common Worship Order One Eucharist

9.30 a.m. Parish Communion. The service is sung, with hymns, and fol-lows Common Worship Order One Eucharist. Children are ca-tered for in the Crèche and Junior Church. The last

Sunday in the month is Parish Communion for the Whole Church and often includes Parade, children are present throughout, and contribute to the worship.

Prayer for Healing with Laying on of Hands is offered regularly at certain Parish Communion services (see diary). Coffee is served after the service and this is the weekly 'social

gathering' of the Congregation. Please come and meet us there if you are a visitor to the church or would like to get to know us better.

11.00 am. (1st Sunday) Family Service Informal Family Service lasting about 30minutes which is suitable for families with young children 11.15am (2nd Sunday)

Holy Communion. A said service using the Book of Common Prayer.

11.00am (3rd Sunday) Family Service 11.15am (Some 4th Sundays)

Matins using the Book of Common Prayer, usually sung and including a sermon.

6.30 pm. (1st - 3rd Sundays) Evensong using the Book of Common Prayer with sermon.

Choral Evensong is sung usually on the first Sunday of each month

(An alternative form of worship on 4th & 5th Sundays ; and Ser-vices of Healing)

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Weekday Services

Morning and Evening Prayer are said, using Common Worship Daily Prayer, at 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. each day from Monday to Saturday. All may, and are encouraged, to attend. These services may be led by a Priest or members of the Laity.

Holy Communion is celebrated as follows:

Monday 9.30 am. (Common Worship Order One) Tuesday 9.30 am. (Common Worship Order One with short address, followed by coffee) Wednesday 10.00 am. (Simple form of Common Worship Order One and short address (particularly for parents and child minders of babies and pre-school children)

Friday in various Residential Homes

Major festivals are also marked by additional celebrations of Holy Communion. Please see the Parish Diary elsewhere in the magazine, or for whole year’s dates, see leaflet “Days to Remember at All Saints”.

Home Communion: If anyone knows of a housebound parishioner, either temporarily or long term, who would like to receive Holy Communion, please contact the Parish Office (979 2797).

Confirmation, Welcome or Growth Groups: Anyone interested in confirmation, a refresher course, or learning about the Christian faith is invited to join one of the Eureka! groups or a confirmation course - contact Barbara Smith on 979 4407.

Baptisms: are usually conducted at a special afternoon service on the last Sunday of each month; or occasionally in Sunday morning services if requested. Baptisms can be booked via the Parish Office (979 2797).

Wedding Bookings: Clergy are available in the Cornerstone on Monday from 6.30 pm - 7.30 pm and on Saturday from 10.30 am - 11.30 am on an appointment basis. Please book via the Parish Office on 979 2797

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Flower Guild

Everyone is welcome to come to our Guild meetings; you do not need to be a member. The next meeting will be in the Cornerstone on Thursday June 16th, arrive in time for an 8pm start. We will be making a raised all round arrangement on the theme of ‘Flowers from the garden’. If possible bring a pedestal dish such as a cake stand or otherwise a shallow round container. The flowers will be arranged in oasis which will be secured with plastic ‘frogs’ – Kate will have these available for you. You will need a selection of mixed garden style flowers, small leaved foliage and if possible small hosta leaves. If you are lucky enough to have flowers available in your garden, try to pick them in early morning or the evening, when it tends to be cooler. Condition them as you would foliage, making sure that they have a good few hours in water, this makes them much easier to arrange and ensures they will last longer. Graham King will be giving a demonstration entitled ‘Films and Flowers’ at Wokingham Flower Club on Wednesday June 8th. The demonstration starts at 7.45pm at the Methodist Hall, Rose Street. Visitors are always welcome, just pay on the door. Flowers in church during June Ascension Mrs M Whitaker Mrs V Briault MW/VB Mrs M Hughes Pentecost Mrs K Thomas Mrs P Gilbey KT Mrs L Taylor June 19th Mrs S Newman Mrs J Mitchell LT June 26th Mrs L Barrell Mrs T Freeston LB Mrs L Draper

Please contact us if you would like to make pew ends, we need help on Thursday June 23rd and Thursday July 14th, start at 7.30pm

For Information contact: Pam Gilbey (978 5694) Hazel Matthews (978 6700) or Lucille Taylor (978 6847)

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The Mothers’ Union is often consulted on national issues and when possible, opinion is sought from the membership. Our April branch meeting was unexpectedly taken over by one such discussion: the Mothers’ Union is providing a response to the UK Government’s consultation on the registration of civil partnerships on religious premises. The discussion proved very interesting and raised as many questions as answers. Although we had members with views at both ends of the spectrum (this is the Church of England!), we have forwarded a response that reflects this for inclusion in the national response. This year our Wave of Prayer slot is on Wednesday 15th June, from 5.30 to 6.10pm. We have booked the Lady Chapel and will follow on from Evening Prayer. Please do join us in praying for the MU in our linked dioceses in Nigeria and The Democratic Republic of Congo and our own diocese. If unable to attend, members are asked to try to set aside a time when they can pray for these dioceses using the material in the latest edition of Focus. We are committed to the Ministry of Welcome at Christ Church, Oxford on 23rd June. We need preferably 4 people to go to Oxford on that day to greet visitors. This ministry is open to any parishioner. More information on The Mothers Union’s work worldwide can be found on the website www.themothersunion.org. For branch information or a lift to meetings, please call Valerie (978 7363) or Mary (978 2678).

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Upcoming Dates Sun 12th June Refreshments after the 9.30 service Tues 14th June 9.30am Corporate Communion. Wed 15TH June 5.30- Wave of Prayer – Lady Chapel

6.10 pm Wed 22nd June 7.45 for Branch Meeting

8pm Thurs 23rd June Ministry of Welcome Mon 11th July 2.30- Area Summer Meeting -

4.30pm Finchampstead

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Notes from the May PCC Meeting This was our first PCC since the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, and so we had the pleasure of welcoming two newly elected members, Tamzin Evershed and Harriet Swinyard. Both are already active in as-pects of church life and will surely contribute greatly to our work. We then moved to the election of various people to a number of roles and offices. Stability was the name of the game, but we took note of the fact that some of those appointed will want to step down in a year’s time. Shall we have the foresight to start looking now for suitable successors? This was a meeting mostly for updates and first looks at a number of is-sues rather than decisions. However, we agreed that the charity to be supported by the Junior Church this summer should be The Dingley Fam-ily and Specialist Early Years Centre at Wokingham Hospital. This pro-vides therapeutic play for very young children with special needs to help them develop their skills. We then had to decide how best to apply a sum of money unallocated from the mission and social justice budget. After a good debate of the options we agreed, with one abstention, that we should buy a projector to replace the one we have been borrowing from the Deanery and which is no longer working. By the time this appears a Pastoral Care Forum will have taken place to examine our pastoral care and look for ways of making it better coordi-nated and responsive to needs we are not at present meeting. Members of the PCC shared their initial thoughts on this and will return to the topic after the Forum when firm ideas will have started to emerge. We also received a report on the effects of the recent stewardship cam-paign. This had certainly increased our giving, and for this we are very grateful. However, we are still not raising enough money to sustain all the work we believe God is calling us to do here, so we shall have to con-tinue to seek ways to improve our response. We are living in difficult times, and the PCC needs the prayerful support of us all, if it is to lead us in playing our part in bringing God’s kingdom to Wokingham. Colin James

This article is a personal account and not the official record of the meet-ing which will be found in the minutes.

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14

The Cornerstone Management Team

Group of the month for June

At home someone has to put the dustbins out every week, pay the bills, fix the

dripping tap, and change the failed light bulb, as well as clean the house. The

same is true for The Cornerstone, except we do not have to clean the bath!

The Cornerstone Management Team members give their time and talents to

ensure the building functions smoothly, making sure the little things that can go

wrong in any building are fixed, as well as undertake much more substantial

tasks, like the annual spring clean. Whilst the day to day bookings are managed

by Monica, issues crop up fairly regularly which require consideration. As well

as meeting approximately monthly to review performance and resolve issue,

members also open and lock the building as well as show prospective clients

round and greet new clients giving health & safety briefings etc. All of which

takes time.

One of the hardest tasks is trying to strike the right balance between the need to

raise funds to pay the bills and set monies aside for the inevitable refurbishments

that will need to be undertaken in the future, and ensuring the building is

affordable and available, to the many charitable and church activities that require

a venue.

Thank you for thinking of us in your prayers this month.

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Do you need an NHS Dentist?

All patients are welcome at our surgery: 56 Easthampstead Road

Wokingham Telephone: 979 1551

Flowers For All Occasions FULLER’S 6 Denmark Street, Wokingham 978 7183

THE CHIMNEY SWEEP - EXPERIENCED AND CLEAN

Contact Mr. M. Blair 0118 934 2799 Member of the National Association of Chimney Sweeps

“Total Quality Nursing Care”

West Oak Care Home Murray Road, Wokingham

Tel: 0118 979 5100

Sara Gallagher - Home Manager Web: www.barchester.com

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New Life

We live in anxious and cynical times. It is easy to get depressed about so much of our local, national and world news. However, new life is not only possible, but available to us all. This spring, a season of new life, Clive and I have become new grandpar-ents – there is new life in our family. This has set me thinking about how important it is to look for the signs of new life, and to work actively to-wards it. Of course the Spirit of God blows where she wills, and we can-not limit or control it…. But we can prepare the way, and we can recog-nise the signs, and we can nurture. Just as our son and daughter in law are learning about sleep deprivation, they are also discovering the joys of sitting and gazing at the new-born baby. There are moments of pure love and pleasure, tears of emotion. Just as the birth of a baby follows a period of gestation, so growth is often preceded by difficult times, Richard Rohr, American Franciscan priest talks about the need to enter the belly of the whale before being spat out to begin new life. I am aware that, many people at this time are facing difficult or harrowing experiences (as we all do at some point) and it is too simplistic to say that these lead directly to growth and new life. But there are things we can learn as we follow Jesus and the challenges of life. It can be hard work and there are often tears along the way. It’s not easy to make sense of our broken lives or of Jesus’ challenges. It has been my great pleasure and privilege to accompany the members of the 2 most recent Exploring Christianity groups. These groups form part of the learning and growing towards the Confirmation service but are also open to other people who maybe want a refresher or who are ques-tioning some aspects of their faith. The groups have been blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit shown in the openness, the sharing, the laughter and the tears. Along with looking at the basics of our faith we consider how to interpret the story of Christ in our cynical post-modern world and how to make sense of the strange things we do in church. I would encourage everyone to think about how we are keeping hope alive, looking out for God’s handiwork and signs of new life. How are we all learning and growing, how are we letting God refresh us? Think about

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joining an existing housegroup (or Eureka group as they are sometimes called). If you are new to church or want to know more about the Chris-tian faith, look at an Exploring group, or refresher course. There is possibility of new life, new excitement for all of us, no matter how jaded we may feel. This is just as important for the experienced people within the church who contribute a lot. We all need feeding and nurturing and given opportunities for growth. How would this be organised to suit the needs of those who are already involved in leadership roles in the church? How can the clergy team support you? A church like ours, grap-pling with finding models of pastoral care and growth in numbers, needs to develop ways of looking after everyone. God is ready to meet us all in new encounters, God is the source of new

life through the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Helen Charlton

JUST 120 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME

Wokingham Volunteer Centre operates a low cost transport scheme to enable those who cannot use public transport get to their hospital/doctor appointments

Due to the increase in demand for our help we have recently had to let some of our clients down. We desperately need more drivers (we naturally pay for your petrol).

We would love to be able to expand the driving scheme to enable us to take people shopping or for a short outing to say a garden centre. However, to operate this service we do need the help of more drivers.

If you can spare just a couple of hours a week to help with this scheme, or with

any other opportunities available throughout the district we would like to hear from you.

For more information please contact us on 0118 977 0749

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Important Dates!

On SUNDAY 12th JUNE the Children’s Activity table

will be in the Cornerstone following the 9.30am service. On SUNDAY 24th JULY. CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST with a strawberry flare (hoping there is still some left after such an early start this year). Fruit, cereal, croissants etc. Choice of plain or green tea. Cafetiere or decaffeinated coffee. No need to book just come to the Cornerstone fol-lowing the 8.00am service or you might like to come before 9.30am. Any dietary requirements please contact Diana 979 2614.

All White?

Pentecost 12 June this year) was previously called Whitsun (short for ‘White Sunday’) as this was the time when many people wore white to be baptised. Can you answer the following questions and answers including the word ‘white’. Secular questions are odd numbers, Bible-based ones are even numbers. (answers on pg. 26 ) 1. Which football club’s home ground is White Hart Lane? 2. On which occasion did Jesus have a shining face and dazzling

white clothing? 3. Where does the President of the USA live? 4. Which term did Jesus use for the Pharisees who appeared good

on the outside but were full of bad things inside? 5. What is the best-selling single record ever? 6. Four horsemen on different coloured horses, the first being white,

appear in which Bible book? 7. Which book by Wilkie Collins is considered the first detective

novel? 8. Can you complete the quotation from Psalm 51? “Wash me …” 9. Who was the first person to appear on Channel 4 and hosted

“Countdown?” 10. John’s gospel records, “two angels dressed in white” sitting

where?

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Thursday Ascension - 2nd June Org

Service Eucharist: Archer - St Mark's Setting DAR

Hymns 191, 175, 46, 81 HON

Music God is gone up - Arthur Hutchings

If ye love me - Tallis

Final Voluntary Carillon (24 Pièces en style libre) - Vierne

Sunday Easter 7 - Environment Sunday - 5th June

Service Eucharist: Archer - St. Mark's Setting DAR

Hymns 309, 520, 220, (380), 480 HON

Music O Lord, the maker of all things - William Mundy

Final Voluntary Cortège - Vierne/Duruflé

Service Choral Evensong DAR

Introit View me, Lord (vv1 & 4) - Richard Lloyd

Responses Walsh

Psalm 47

Canticles Sumsion in G

Hymns 142(omit *), 244, 143 AMNS

Music Love's endeavour, love's expense - Barry Rose

Final Voluntary Praise, my soul, the Lord of glory - Karg-Elert

Sunday Pentecost - 12th June

Service Eucharist: Archer - St. Mark's Setting DAR

Hymns 122, 53, 184, (91), 227 HON

Music Listen, sweet dove - Grayston Ives

Final Voluntary A Trumpet Air - John Reading

Service Civic Service 15.00 DAR

Hymns

Music Let Thy hand be strengthened - John Blow

Final Voluntary March: Crown Imperial - William Walton

Service Sung Evensong: Ferial Responses (McKie Amen) DAR

Psalms 67 & 133

Hymns 92, 157, 180 AMNS

Music Let Thy hand be strengthened - John Blow

Final Voluntary Short Prelude & Fugue in A minor (BWV 559) - J S Bach

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Sunday Trinity - 19th June Org

Service Eucharist (Healing): Archer - St. Mark's Setting DAR

Psalm 8

Hymns 212, 214, 225, (544), 235 HON

Music Holy, holy, holy - R L Pearsall

Final Voluntary Scherzo in G minor - Enrico Bossi

Service Said Evensong with Piano ---

Sunday Trinity 1 - 26th June

Service Whole Church Communion DAR

Hymns HON

Music Come, my way, my truth, my life - Malcolm Archer

Final Voluntary Sortie in E flat - Lefébure-Wély

Service Evening Prayer ---

Sunday Trinity 2 - 3rd July

Service Eucharist: Archer - St. Mark's Setting DAR

Hymns HON

Music O for a closer walk with God - Grayston Ives

Final Voluntary Prelude in G minor - Gabriel Pierné

Service Choral Evensong DAR

Introit I rejoiced when I heard them say - Geoffrey Holroyde

Responses Walsh

Psalms 56 & 57

Canticles Short Service "in Gamut" - Hilton

Hymns AMNS

Music In pace - William Blitheman

Final Voluntary Prelude in G major (BWV 568) - J S Bach

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Sunday Sunday after Ascension Monday to Saturday page

5 Environment Sunday 6 Mo

08.00am Holy Communion 7 Tu

09.30am Parish Communion 8 We

11.00am Family Service 9 Th Julian Group

03.00pm **No Service 10 Fr

06:30pm Choral Evensong 11 Sa

12 Pentecost 13 Mo

08.00am Holy Communion 14 Tu

09.30am Parish Communion 15 We

11.15am BCP Eucharist 16 Th Flower Guild 8

03.00pm Civic Service 17 Fr

06.30pm Sung Evensong 18 Sa

19 Trinity 20 Mo

08.00am Holy Communion 21 Tu

09.30am Parish Communion (w Laying of Hands) 22 We Mother's Union 10

11.00am Family Service 23 Th Healing Prayer Group 23

06.30pm Said Evensong 24 Fr

25 Sa

26 Trinity 1 Pr 8 28 Mo

08.00am Holy Communion 29 Tue

09.30am Youth Thanks Whole Church 30 We

11.15am Sunday Plus 1 Th July

3/4.30pm Holy Baptisms 2 Fr

06.30pm Evening Prayer 3 Sa

Forthcoming Events

2nd June Ascension Day, 7:45pm Sung Eucharist

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THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

As we approach the season of Pentecost, we spend time meditating on what we understand by the Holy Spirit and its significance in our life and worship as Christians and the important part it takes in the Church’s heal-ing ministry.

The concept of the Holy Spirit is one that many people, Christians in-cluded, find it difficult to understand and accept. I find a useful analogy to explain its operation is that of radio waves. They, like the Holy Spirit, can-not be seen, but have, since their discovery, revolutionised scientific ac-tivity in their use in communications, in the world of entertainment, in medicine, in the control of aircraft and space craft and many other appli-cations.

The generation of radio waves requires the power of electricity. Likewise, the power of the Holy Spirit was imparted to Jesus’ disciples on the first Day of Pentecost, as he had promised several times during his ministry, in the spectacular events which took place in Jerusalem, as recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Such was this power that it transformed the disciples from a bunch of lost, disillusioned men following, what appeared to them, the loss of all hope of the coming of the Kingdom in the death of Jesus, into a group of inspired evangelists who started the spread of the gospel of Jesus and founded the Church of Christ which has survived the twenty centuries to today.

The first evidence of this transformation was seen immediately after the events of the first Day of Pentecost, when Peter stood up and disabused the crowds of the suggestion of drunkenness among the disciples and gave them a long address as recorded in Acts 2; 14-40. He quoted at length from the prophet Joel who had foretold these events, and spoke of his and the disciples’ witness to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection and his conviction that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. He ended his

24

address by exhorting them saying, “Repent, and be baptised everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him”. It is recorded that, “…that day about three thousand persons were added to their number. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”.

It is perhaps surprising that the celebration of these momentous events is not given greater significance in our calendar of worship. The season of Pentecost used to be known as Whitsuntide because of the practice in the early Western Church of baptising on the Day of Pentecost, when white clothing was worn for the ceremonies. Now, however, in the United Kingdom, we no longer have a bank holiday on Whit Monday, but instead a secular May Day holiday on the first Monday in May. Many European countries still retain the bank holiday on Whit Monday.

Reverting to the analogy of radio waves, radio waves have to be tuned in to the particular frequency in use. In a similar way, we have to tune in to the presence of the Holy Spirit by means of regular prayer activity, medi-tation and study of the scriptures, so that we may hear and understand what, by the Holy Spirit, we are being inspired to do for the will of God.

When we pray, we do so in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, which we celebrate the Sunday after Pentecost, and it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that God the Father and God the Son work to respond to our supplications for healing in a loving and sympa-thetic way.

We wish you all peace and happiness at this time of Pentecost and the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

Jack Hayley Members of the Group are Gill Allen, Maggie Bateman, Jack Hayley, Mary Hughes, Anne Penn, Joan Thomason, Joan Watts and Karen Wellman. Please let us know of any need for healing prayer support. Confidentiality is assured.

The Laying on of Hands will be made available at the Parish Communion on Sunday 19th June. The next Healing Service will be held on Sun-day31st July at 6.30 pm.

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Report on the 7th Leadership Forum on 2nd April 2011 in the Cornerstone

Two main items were under discussion at this Forum. Firstly we looked for some actions towards achieving our new goals and secondly we thought about the need for better communication between our pastoral care groups. Dealing with our goals, David Atkinson showed us the responses pro-vided by church members during January and February this year. Overall 44% strongly agreed with the goals and another 45% agreed with them. 2.5 % disagreed with them. 97% were in agreement with the headline goal of Growing in Faith and helping others to meet Jesus and 97 % again with Embodying God’s Love for everyone and supporting people at key points in their lives. The PCC has now adopted the new goals. These can be found on the church website or on a paper at the back of church. In fours, each person focussing on a particular group which they belong to, we thought of things we were already doing that fit in with the new goals and of things that didn’t fit in which maybe we should stop doing. After a coffee break we went back to our fours and tried to think of one action our group could do to start working on one of the goals. The ac-tions were written on cards to take back to our groups, with the hope that some will have been taken or at least started on by our next meeting. At the beginning of our meeting we thought about pastoral care and in particular about times in our lives when we had received very good pas-toral care either outside of church or within our church. Later Caroline talked about the effect that size has on pastoral care, showing how differ-ent sizes of church need different models of leadership to support them. If we are to grow in size as a church we need to make a conscientious de-cision to grow. As churches grow it becomes impossible for the clergy to know everyone and to do all the visiting. We also need to plan carefully for growth as this can feel very uncomfortable in transition. The Rector then spoke to us about his plans for a Pastoral Care Team. This will be a broad group of clergy and lay people including members of the following groups: baptism care, bereavement care, healing team, home communion team, marriage preparation and welcome team. Lead-

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ers of house groups, nurture groups, the Mothers Union group and All Saints fellowship are invited to join as well as leaders of children’s and youth groups. The clergy, churchwardens and interested PCC members will also be members All these people are already involved in pastoral care. At a meeting planned for Saturday, 14th May from 9:30 to 12 noon in the Cornerstone it is hoped that we will find ways of strengthening our pastoral care as a church. At present some people miss out on care partly because they fall in the gaps between what is already provided. Our next meeting will be on the 8th October at All Saints School from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The focus of the meeting will be on strengthening our commitment to our school. We will learn about specific needs of the school and about how we can help to meet those needs. So, finally, we hope that all church members will want to work towards achieving our goals in some large or small way, and that we will extend the ways in which we care for each other within the church and in our community in order that no-one is left out.

Barbara Smith

All White Quiz Answers (from pg. 16)

1. Spurs (Tottenham Hotspur) 2. Transfiguration (Matthew 17,2) 3. White House 4. “Whited sepulchres” (AV, Matthew 23,27) 5. “White Christmas” 6. Revelation 7. “The Woman in White” 8. “… and I will be whiter than snow” (verse 7) 9. Richard Whiteley 10. In the empty tomb (John 20,12)

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Evensong

Having given an invitation to you in the last edition of the magazine to come and hear the choir sing Evensong at Chichester Cathedral in the first week of August, there may be some who would like to know a little more about what Evensong is and where it comes from. Matins and Evensong (morning and evening prayer respectively) were what Archbishop Thomas Cranmer created from the offices, or ser-vices, that were observed in monasteries. There were seven monastic offices during the day. Cranmer simplified these into just one morning and one evening service for the benefit of ordinary people. He realised that they would not be able to come to worship as often as the monks, so he took the best from the monastic offices which had been in existence since the early days of Christianity. The Apostles had services consisting of psalms, Scripture readings and prayers, which is what they were ac-customed to in synagogue worship when Jesus was with them. Of course, Jesus gave Christians another form of worship, the Eucharist, and this has become the principal service in the Anglican Church, as is the Mass for the Roman Catholics, but we should still reverence the form of worship that Jesus and his disciples knew, not least because of the sense of calm and meditation that it engenders. This is the basic order of service for Evensong, most of which is taken from Scripture: Introduction (Exhortation, general confession and absolution, and the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6, vv. 9 – 13) Versicles and responses (a call to worship) One or more Psalms First Scripture reading (usually Old Testament) Magnificat (the Song of Mary, Luke 1, vv. 46 – 55) Second Scripture reading (usually New Testament) Nunc Dimittis (the Song of Simeon, Matthew 2, vv. 29 – 32) Creed (what the Christian believes about God) Versicles and responses (including the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6, vv. 9 – 13) Collects (prayers, some very ancient) Anthem (if there is a choir, usually based on Scripture)

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Other prayers and the Blessing If there is no music at all at Evensong it is a “Said Service”. If the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, like the psalms, are sung to Anglican chant then it is a “Sung Evensong”. If the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are sung by the choir to elaborate musical settings it is a “Choral Evensong”. When All Saints’ Choir sings at cathedrals it is always a Choral Evensong and generally follows the order of service just given, but omitting the Introduc-tion.

Some people wonder why certain parts of the service, such as the versicles and responses, the Lord’s Prayer and the collects, are chanted (sung mainly to one note) rather than spoken. Historically these services would have often taken place in a large building with a considerable echo. Modern sound systems didn’t exist in those days and if much of the service were spoken then the echo would have made the spoken word unintelligible. If just one note is used it is much easier to understand. This order of service (omitting the Introduction) is what one nor-mally hears in a cathedral on most days and lasts not much more than half an hour. However on Sundays other things are usually included such as the Introduction and hymns.

David Rance

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Come along to the Cornerstone De Vitre Room on the 3rd Wednesday each month for Fellowship, speakers etc. We arrive at 7.45pm ready to start at 7.55pm – at 9.45pm we pack up and go home! Any questions please to Fellowship Leader Diana Clifford 9792614. On Wednesday 15th June we have a real treat when Mrs. Ann Armstrong will be telling us about her time in The Land Army. This will be an inter-esting and fun evening for all. Oops – forgot to say that the charge to visitors is £1.50 which includes coffee.

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Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals Rabbit Farms

There have been puppy farms, mainly in Wales, for some years, but the latest example of unnecessary cruelty to animals is the cruel practice of rabbit farms. The rabbits are classed as ‘pet’ rabbits, but they will never go to a loving home because their fate is to be farmed for their meat. They are bred in appalling conditions to fatten them up and sold to slaughter houses to end up on a restaurant menu. It is not a staple food seen in UK super-markets although Waitrose stocks it and offers free recipe leaflets en-dorsed by celebrity cooks such as Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater. The rabbits are crammed into small wire cages in windowless sheds with no opportunity to run or jump or behave naturally. Selective breeding for in-creased growth rate has led to a great incidence of lameness. The animal charity Four Paws has revealed the hidden truth behind rabbit farming. It is not realised that much of the rabbit meat sold in the UK

comes from farmed rabbits and not from rabbits caught in the wild. Battery cages for hens will be illegal from 2012, but there are no plans to end their use for rabbits. Hundreds of thousands of farmed rabbits are housed in rows of tiny wire cages with nothing to chew or gnaw on ex-cept the bars of the cage. The re-sulting boredom and stress leads to the development of abnormal repeti-tive behaviour. The Four Paws web-site is www.fourpaws.org.uk.

Marcelle Williams

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A Night at the Opera

Why not come and enjoy a Night at the Opera on Saturday 18th June at All Saints’ church in Wokingham? You can expect to be entertained by a rich and varied programme of famous arias and choruses from operas by Verdi, Bizet and many other well-known composers, includ-ing the rousing March of the Toreadors from Carmen and the Trium-phal Scene from Aida. The choir, conducted by its enthusiastic Musical Director, Alexander Chaplin, will be joined by young soloists from the Royal Academy of Music This is a great opportunity to hear these stars of tomorrow right here in Wokingham. Adding a lighter touch, members of the newly formed Wokingham Choral Academy will be performing some songs from the shows, and as a grand finale, members of the Choral Society and the Academy will join together in a magnificent rendering of Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco. The members of the Academy have only been singing together since last September and this is their first public appearance. The Academy was set up by the Choral Society in response to the huge demand for a training choir which was generated by the Learn to Sing courses which it ran last year. The Academy has more than 90 members and is growing from strength to strength. Tickets are available from Bookends, Wokingham, Wokingham Infor-mation Centre, Sue Bryant 0118 934 0283 and any member of the Society or the Academy, priced at £13. Discounted tickets are avail-able for those under 18 years or in fulltime education at £8 Please visit www.wokingham-choral-society.org.uk for more informa-tion.

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Sonning Deanery Ringing Contest

Last month I wrote about the first ever youth ringing contest, in London. This month it is about one more down to earth, and much closer to home. Every year, Sonning Deanery Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild (which actually covers Bracknell Deanery as well as Sonning) holds two ringing contests, one on 6 bells and one on 8. The Branch has 17 towers with bells, but not all have strong enough bands to enter the competitions. This year the 6-bell contest was held at Waltham St Lawrence on a lovely sunny afternoon in April, and six teams entered, which was a slight upturn on recent years. The teams represented five towers, with All Saints entering two teams, something that we haven’t been able to do for many years. Our teams were placed second and fourth. The latter, led by Mhairi Miller, included our newest and youngest ringers, Jack Stanford and Oli James, who had both rung outside All Saints for the first time only a couple of weeks before the event, so out congratulations to them for taking part.

John Harrison

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Notes from the April PCC Meeting Normally we do not hold a PCC meeting in April, as we hold the APCM instead. This year it was decided that we would hold an additional April meeting with one agenda item - Replacement of the Nave Roof and the Energy Conservation Proposals for the Church. Several members of the congregation took up the Rector’s offer to attend and hear about the find-ings and proposals at first hand.

Following a proposal put last year to the PCC by Tamzin Evershed from

the Eco-congregation group, a small team has been looking into how we

could significantly reduce our Carbon Footprint, which for the Church &

The Cornerstone, together, is calculated to be 67 tonnes of C02 a year.

The group took the opportunity of this meeting to report back to the PCC

on progress.

The south facing side of the Nave roof would make an idea platform to

mount Solar panels on, but as a Grade 2* listed building we will only get

permission if the panels cannot be seen from the ground. It is believed

that an area of solar panels can be fitted to the roof which will meet this

“invisibility” requirement. As the panels have an expected life of 30 years

plus, and we have been told in our last two Quinquennial inspections that

the Nave roof covering of lead has come to the end of its 150 year life (it

was installed in 1862), it is clear that prior to any solar panels being in-

stalled we would have to undertake high-level works on the church. John

Smith took the PCC through a detailed list of works which would make

economic sense to undertake as a single project, whilst the lead roof was

being replaced, by maximising the use of the scaffolding which would be

required to undertake the roof work. The PCC supported John’s propos-

als and allocated a budget of up to £7,500 so he could carry out all the

necessary preliminary work. John also explained how he envisaged this

work being funded, but until he had completed his detailed preliminary

work the actual costs was not known.

Victor Forsyth outlined to the PCC the investigations he had undertaken

into looking at alternative ways of heating the church, using the old hot

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water heating system lying in the four east-west trenches in the church.

His ideas would require the removal of the old decommissioned gas boil-

ers housed in the old boiler room located under the choir vestry, such that

the pipe work can be inspected and tested. Heating could be then pro-

vided by either a wood chip burning stove(s) or from ground source heat

pumps extracting heat from the natural aquifer which is believed to be

under the church. This work is on-going. The removal of the old gas boil-

ers would be funded through the maintenance budget.

The Cornerstone had not been seen as a suitable venue for solar panels

as the roof is oriented east – west. During the course of the work under-

taken by the group it became clear that this alongside several other be-

liefs was not true. The large west facing roof may well be suitable for a

very large array of solar panels, subject to roof strength, and planning

permission. The PCC approved the proposal by Robert Newman to go for

planning permission to erect as many solar panels as possible on the

west roof of The Cornerstone.

In addition, it was noted that funding for carbon neutral methods of en-ergy production is complex and changing. Solar energy funding, in the form of payments for every kWh produced, for the proposals for the Church and The Cornerstone are anticipated to fall on the 1st April 2012, so we do face a window of opportunity in order to maximise the benefits.

Robert Newman PCC Member

This article is the opinion of the writer and not an official record of the

meeting which can be found in the published minutes.

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Baptisms 24 April Lewis Robert Jones 1 May Samuel Robert Forman 8 May Annabel Zara Hotten Marriages 16 April Kevin Wilkinson with Maxine Mallinson Funeral in Church followed by Committal at Reading Crematorium 16 May Hilda Humphreys Age 91 Burial of Ashes 6 May Harry George John Evans Age 86 At Easthampstead Park Crematorium 6 May David Akerman Age 55

Number of Sundays 4 Sundays 840 (inc. 316 on Easter Day Week days 187

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