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Contact Details for Rushen Parish

Vicar:

Rev’d Joe Heaton (rev.joeheaton@gmail.com) 832275

Rushen Vicarage, Barracks Road, Port St Mary

Readers:

Mrs Margaret Galloway, Cumbrae, Athol Park, Port Erin

Mrs June Harper, The Barns, Strawberry Fields, Colby 834466

Mr Richard Clague, 4 Eagle Mews, Port Erin 834606

Mr Harry Dawson, Thalloo Reagh, Cregneash 478050/835770

Mr Adam Kelly, Berwyn, Beach Rd, Port St Mary 833850

Active Clergy

Rev Roger Harper, The Barns, Strawberry Fields, Colby 834466

Rev John Gulland, 3 Snaefell House, Port Erin 834548

Rev Brian Shephard, Keayn Ard, Queens Rd, Pt. St Mary 833315

Retired Clergy:

Canon John Sheen, Kentraugh Mill, Colby

Church Wardens:

Mr Gerry Callister, 60 Ballamaddrell, Port Erin 474924/834627

Mr Arthur Cregeen, 23 Close Famman, Port Erin 832488

Mr Harry Dawson, Thalloo Reagh, Cregneash 478050/835770

Mr Peter Hayhurst, Fois Fraon, Fistard 832974

PCC Secretary:

Mr David Bowman, The Old Bakery, Qualtroughs Lane, 837117/260539

Port Erin

PCC Treasurer:

Mr Alan Kershaw, Ballakilley Barn, Church Road, 838117

Port St Mary

Parish Administrator and Safeguarding Officer for Children and Vulnerable People:

Mrs Claire Jennings, admin@rushenparish.org.uk 830850

More contact details on the inside of the back cover

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From the Vicar:

I’ve decided to go on a journey….

As soon as January comes for many Christmas is over. Many can't wait to take the tree and decorations down and get the house back to normal. The Church, however, celebrates the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany right through to Candlemas on the 2

nd February.

The Epiphany season is seen as in some sense a continuation of the Christmas season, and together they last forty days. One of the events in Jesus’ life that we celebrate during Epiphany is the visit of the Magi or wise men to the infant Jesus. It's Matthew’s gospel that tells us this story and how wise men from the East had travelled afar to find Jesus and bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I often wonder what kinds of conversations they might have had with their families before they set off. Perhaps it was something like this:

Wise man: I’ve decided to go on a journey

Wife: Where are you going?

Wise man: I don't know, but we’re going to see a child who has been called King of the Jews.

Wife: What do you mean you don't know where you’re going and how do you know about this King?

Wise man: Well, we’re going to follow a star. It is from the stars that we know he has been born and it will lead us to him.

Wife: Where is he?

Wise man: Like I said I don't know. We’ll just follow the star.

Wife: How long are you going to be?

Wise man: Well that depends how far it is I suppose

….a very understanding wife indeed! All joking aside, the Christmas story is full of so many examples of faith. The faith of Mary who responds, “Let it be with me according to your word,” the faith of Joseph who did as the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, even though she was pregnant, the faith of the shepherds to leave their flocks and go to Bethlehem to seek the Messiah, and now the Magi.

Continued on Page 4

Dear Friends

Happy New Year to you all!

Continuing on the theme of providing opportunities for our two Priests in training, this month’s “Vicar’s letter” has been written by Mark Payne.

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We seem to live increasingly in a world that finds it hard to be faithful and to put our trust in anything - A world that gets so easily lost on the journey. For many, Christmas is different, where we perhaps have a little more faith in our neighbour, where people want to give of themselves a little bit more, where we are a little more ready to go the extra mile for people in need. Something of God’s love seems to shine as a star in what is often a dark world and many seem more ready to follow it, even if only for a little while. So as we settle into our homes without the tree and decorations, as a reminder let us recall the journey of the Magi to find the Christ-child, and set out ourselves on an inner journey to do the same, to find Christ anew each day within our own lives and the lives of those around us. In the words of the famous carol:

O Star of wonder, star of night! Star with royal beauty bright? Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light.”

Mark Payne

Answers to the Christmas Quiz

1. God with us – Matt 1:23 2. Her child is in Christ’s lineage – Matt 1:5 3. ‘Be afraid/fear’ Matt 1:20 4. Mary’s greeting/ the Holy Spirit 5. Gabriel – Luke 1:26 6. The House of Bread. It was the city of David – Luke 2:4 7. To be registered in a Roman census Luke 2:1-5 8. ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy….’ Luke 2:10 9. ‘But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judea… out of you will come a ruler who

will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ Matt 2:6 10. Massacre of the Innocents by Herod – Matt 2:18

Up and down

A psychiatrist was training some young clergy who were interested in doing counselling. Deciding to test them, she asked: “How would you diagnose someone who visits your church, walks back and forth, screaming at the top of his lungs one minute, and then collapsing in a pew to weep uncontrollably the next?” A young man at the back of the room raised his hand and ventured: “a football coach?”

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which are always full of laughter and enjoyment, an ideal tonic for anyone who lives alone. We also do quite a lot of work as well as a great deal of talking!

In November we always hold our ‘Christmas Tree and Sale of Work’ and the money we raise is then used to maintain the hall. As you know we raised £1,300 this year and one of the items we will purchase is to renew the matting in the front porch, something that we can now easily afford! There are various other items that we need to address and these are the things we discuss at our weekly meetings. We always ensure that there is agreement before spending any of our hard earned funds. We recently looked at the floor and decided it needed some attention. Previously we have done it ourselves but we are all a lot older and can afford to have it done by someone else. The hall also needs to be tidied and a lot of the things that we have accrued need to be recycled. The brownies, guides and rainbows use the hall every week as does the church youth group, so it is an important meeting place and well used. In fact the best thing we ever did was build it!

On the second Tuesday in December the ladies from the Ladies Working Party treat themselves to a lovely Christmas Dinner at the Cherry Orchard. It was such a happy group this year. There were twenty of us so we filled two tables of ten of us on each. As a group the ladies deserve treats like this especially with the work they do through the year which includes visiting people who live alone to enjoy a biscuit and a cup of tea as well as a host of other tasks which go on unseen. They are all proud of the work they do and are to be commended.

Once again I would like to make a plea to one of our ladies, or to someone else who would like to lead this wonderful group of ladies. I have made this before but to no avail. As a group we do need fresh ideas from someone with more energy than I. Do please think and pray over this.

A Very Happy New Year With Love

Brenda

Ladies Working Party – St Mary’s

The Ladies Working Party has now finished its Tuesday afternoon meetings for 2015. The next meeting will be held in the New Year on Tuesday 12

th January. We have had an

exceptionally busy time of late and as a consequence I do wonder if the ladies want to meet every Tuesday, but when I ask them they always say that they do. Perhaps much of this is due to the fellowship derived from our meetings

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Psalms Quiz (Part 3)

Here is the final part of the quiz. This time the answers will be found between psalms 82 and 150.

25. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favour and honour. No good thing does the lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

26. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

27. The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved.

28. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

29. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

30. They forgot God, their Saviour, who had done great things in Egypt.

31. Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters.

32. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

33. They have mouths but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

34. Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

35. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, not his pleasure in the speed of a runner.

36. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.

Answers to Part 2 13. [Ps 39: v 7] 19. [Ps 65: v 7] 14. [Ps 45: v 10] 20. [Ps 68: v 25] 15. [Ps 47: v 5] 21. [Ps 71: v 6] 16. [Ps 59: v 6] 22. [Ps 72: v 10] 17. [Ps 60: v 8] 23. [Ps 78: v 67] 18. [Ps 63: v 2] 24. [Ps 81: v 3]

Softly

A churchwarden went to the Police Station wishing to see the burglar who had slipped in and out of the church during evensong. "You'll get your chance in court," said the Desk Sergeant.

"I don’t want revenge," said the man. "I want to know how he got out of the service early without the vicar noticing. I've been trying to do that for years!"

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News from St Mary’s Sunday School and Junior Church

The month of December began with the Parish Christingle service on the 6

th. The previous day an expert group

gathered to assemble the Christingles. 100 were made in less than an hour! Thanks to all who helped on the morning and also to anyone who provided sweets, raisins etc.

The Sunday turned out to be a good day weather wise and by 4pm St. Catherine's Church had “filled up” nicely. As always, it was a lovely service, one which reminds us to think of the vulnerable young people who are helped by The Children's Society. The moment when the Christingles were lit and the lights went out was magical, and we sang the lovely “Hope of Heaven” led by the solo voices of Annabel, Hannah, Beth and Lillie-Mae. There are still a few collecting candles outstanding but it is hoped that around £200 will be raised. On the 13

th December we had our All-Age service led by Rev. John Gulland. The theme of

the service was based on Luke 3, the message of John the Baptist. The children dramatised the reading with William playing the role of John very convincingly. We then sang “Prepare the way of the Lord” and “My God is so big”. In the Learning Together section Rev. Gulland asked us all some searching questions and told us that John's message was still relevant to us today. We should all think of ways that we can make changes for the better and that we should always think of others less fortunate, especially at this time of year. For the prayer activity the congregation wrote prayers on apple shapes which were then hung on the tree at the front. After the service we joined together in the hall for refreshments. On the 20

th December we had a fun morning which included Margaret's excellent pass

the parcel, and Sam's games, followed by refreshments. We then broke up until 10th

January 2016, and reminded everyone that we hoped to see them at the Crib Service at St Mary’s Church on Christmas Eve at 4pm We hope that everyone had a happy and blessed Christmas and would like to send everyone our best wishes for a happy and healthy year in 2016.

With love from St. Mary's Sunday School and Junior Church

Light A fellow nurse at my hospital received a call from an anxious woman. "I'm diabetic and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today," she said. "Are you light-headed?" my colleague asked. "No," the caller answered, "I'm a brunette."

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successful Cameo Christmas Tea in St Catherine’s Church Hall and I would like to thank Shelia Preston, Sue Ali and the Cameo ladies for organising this event. Thanks too to the Vintage Tea Ladies and Gentlemen who waited on every one so well. Food was in abundance and a total of £700.00 was raised for PCC funds. On the following evening there was an Advent meal in St Catherine’s Church Hall. Twenty eight people braved the storms and enjoyed an evening of prayer, music and food together. On Sunday 6

th December the annual Christingle Service was held in the church at 4pm. As

usual there was a good attendance of children and adults. The atmosphere was tremendous when the candles were lit and the lights switched off and the Christingle Song was sung. Refreshments were enjoyed after the service. It was unfortunate that the Traders’ Event had to be cancelled due to weather conditions on Saturday 5

th December. Chris Walker and his team had put in a big effort to decorate the

hall and had almost completed the job when the news came through that it would have to be cancelled. I would like to thank Chris and his team for all the preparations they had made during the weeks prior to the event. May I wish everyone a joyous and happy New Year with our Lord's Blessing's.

Gerry Callister

News from St Catherine’s

It has been very windy around St Catherine's this last month but the congregations have been very good considering this. On Saturday 28

thNovember there was a very

Cold ministry

Two missionaries were comparing notes about their work in the artic settlements of Siberia. “It was so cold where we were,” boasted one, “that the candle froze during our church service and we couldn’t blow it out.”

“That’s nothing,” said the other. “Where we were it was so cold that my sermons came out in chunks of ice and the congregation had to thaw them to see what I was talking about.”

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January Crossword

Down

2 Smell (John 11:39) (5)

3 Lion’s home (Jeremiah 25:38) (4)

4 ‘Jesus Christ is the — yesterday and today and for ever’ (Hebrews 13:8) (4)

5 Tidy (4)

6 Made their home (Genesis 47:27) (7)

7 Their task was to carry the curtains of

the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25–26) (11)

8 Timothy’s was called Lois

(2 Timothy 1:5) (11)

12 The Lover likened the fragrance of the

Beloved’s breath to these (Song of Songs 7:8) (6)

14 Times Educational Supplement (1,1,1)

15 Eight-tentacled sea creatures (6)

19 ‘And lead us not into temptation, but —

us from the evil one’(Matthew 6:13) (7)

20 D.L. Moody’s legendary song leader, —

D. Sankey (3)

24 Rarely used musical note (5)

25 ‘Your will be done on earth — it — in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10) (2,2)

26 & 27 ‘The Lord Almighty will — them with a

— , as when he struck down Midian at

the rock of Oreb’

(Isaiah 10:26) (4,4)

27 See 26 Down

Across

1 Paul said the wrath of God ‘is being

revealed from heaven’ against this

(Romans 1:18) (11) 9 Go smite (anag.) (7)

10 ‘But — I have risen, I will go ahead of you

into Galilee’(Matthew 26:32) (5)

11 ‘Take and —; this is my body’

(Matthew 26:26) (3)

13 Type (2 Thessalonians 2:10) (4)

16 ‘Woe to those who — iniquity’

(Micah 2:1) (4)

17 ‘How shall we — if we ignore such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3) (6)

18 Opposite of evens (4)

20 Previously cited (Latin) (4)

21 ‘There is surely — — of God in this place,

and they will kill me because of my wife’

(Genesis 20:11) (2,4)

22 The Thessalonians were warned to keep

away from every brother who was this (2

Thessalonians 3:6) (4) 23 Beat (anag.) (4)

25 To trouble or afflict (Job 16:3) (3)

28 Part of a roof (1 Kings 7:9) (5)

29 Attain (Job 5:12) (7)

30 Insect noted for its gymnastic ability (Psalm

78:46) (11)

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December Sudoku Solution

December Crossword Solution

The winner of the November Sudoku competition was Jean Taylor. Well done Jean! The draw took place at Kirk Christ just prior to the joint service at 11am on 29th November. Gerry Callister drew her entry from the 3 which were presented to me. Jean was sent her £5 prize money through the post.

Keith Hartley

Maureen would like to say a big thank you to the members of our church family for their prayers, cards and support, at this sad time during Keith’s illness, and adds that it’s very comforting to know that people care. She also submitted this Christmas prayer for us to read and to ponder: Dearest Father: Though we look forward with joyous anticipation to the birth of Your Son – we are also aware that for some people the joy is tinged with sadness. Therefore we ask You to hold them tight in Your love and assure them, as you do us, that all will be well. We pray for all the people on our prayer list in Church and for those who place their names there. We give thanks for all Your blessings bestowed upon us especially Your Son Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen

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and stick with the old times! Whatever the reason there is less competition for time in January, it is a real celebration of Christmas, and a last chance to hear the Christmas story and sing Christmas Carols before we put the music away for another year.

The service is organised by Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh (The Manx Language Society) and has been running since the days when Manx was regularly used in the more remote churches over 100 years ago. Up till about 11 years ago there were four services a year at different churches throughout the Island. However since there were no longer any priests, readers, ministers or lay preachers, authorised to lead a normal service and with enough Manx at them to prepare a sermon, the services might have come to an end.

The custom had always been for the Christmas service to take the form of the traditional nine lessons and carols (which has lots of music and requires no sermon). This had always been the most popular of the services and was too good a tradition to allow to die. So since 2007 Julie Matthews and myself from the society have continued to organise the Christmas service, taking it around the Island on a South / West / North / East rotation in friendly churches of any denomination with about the about the right seating capacity (there is usually about 100 in the congregation). Last year St Olave’s Church in Ramsey made us very welcome, so this year is the South’s turn.

The service is almost entirely held in the Manx language, but that doesn’t mean English speakers are not welcome. Whilst the Carol words are in Manx, the tunes will mostly be well known to everybody. Several of the carols are performed by choirs such as Caarjyn Cooidjagh, Cliogeree Twoaie and the Bun Scoill. The lessons tell the Christmas story from Genesis to the gospels and will be read by Manx speakers from all over the South of the Island (and hopefully several familiar faces from our own parish).

After the service we meet together for refreshments, cake and the chance to meet old friends, catch up on the news of the year and celebrate our Manx heritage. After all, for many of us, the next time we see each other again will be Tynwald day – (which due to that same Manx fondness for tradition, is mid-summer without the 11 days taken away!).

Peter Hayhurst

(Unfortunately I was unable to publish this article in last month’s magazine. Hopefully you will read this and be inspired to attend the service at 3pm on 3

rd January – Editor)

At 3pm on Sunday the 3

rd January there will be a special Manx

Christmas service held at St Mary’s Church. This service is held every year on the Sunday nearest 11 days after the modern Christmas. The Manx service for some reason never adapted to the 11 days being taken out of the calendar back in 1752

A Manx Christmas at St Mary’s

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Seasonal Affective Disorder Spring is arriving sooner – The global experts write; Replacing winter’s darkness With longer hours of light. To those S.A.D. folks who suffer, What wonderful respite.

Because when autumn withers, Depression is their plight; Stifled in an atmosphere Of cold and dreary night. Through this time of misery These victims have to fight.

Motivation drops to nil; Mood swings are at a height. How to solve this malady? Through joyful spring’s delight! Banish dull introspection; Renew the inner sight.

Hawthorn’s white arrival. Defies black winter’s bite; Daffodils burst on the scene Of all things clear and bright! ‘Tis time to laugh, dance and be No longer all uptight.

Life is freed from disorder; Thoughts soar in upward flight, And in perspective vision, Talents proclaim their right; Transformed by season’s measure – With longer hours of light!

Margaret Couper

Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi had originally been a religious caste among the Persians. Their devotion to astrology, divination and the interpretation of dreams led to an extension in the meaning of the word, and by the first century the Magi in Matthew’s gospel could have been astrologers from outside of Persia. Some scholars believe they might have come from what was then Arabia Felix, or as we would say today, southern Arabia.

Certainly in the first century astrology was practised there, and it was the region where the Queen of Sheba had lived. She of course had visited Solomon and would have heard the prophecies about how one day a Messiah would be born to the Israelites and become their king.

Matthew’s gospel (chapter 2) is clear that the Magi asked Herod: ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ So it is possible that in southern Arabia the Queen of Sheba’s story of how a Messiah would one day be sent to the Israelites had survived. Certainly there are a number of other early legends that connect southern Arabia with Solomon’s Israel.

To many people this makes sense: that the ancient stories of a Messiah, linked to later astrological study, prompted these alert and god-fearing men to the realisation that something very stupendous was happening in Israel. They realised that after all these centuries, the King of the Jews, the Messiah, was about to be born.

One more interesting thing that gives weight to the theory that the magi came from southern Arabia is this: if you study any map of Palestine as it was during biblical times, you will find that the old Arabian caravan routes all entered Palestine ‘from the East’.

Parish Pump

Where did the Wise Men come from?

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What about the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?

The story of the coming of the Magi grew in the telling. By the 6

th century they had acquired names: Gaspar, Melchior,

and Balthasar. By medieval times they were considered to be kings. Whoever they were, we do know from Matthew that they brought three gifts to Jesus.

What about their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? While we cannot know for sure what was in the minds of first century Magi, one Victorian scholar has offered a possible explanation as to the significance of their gifts. He was the Rev John Henry Hopkins, an American Episcopalian minister, who in 1857 wrote his much-loved Christmas carol: ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’. Gold, said John Henry Hopkins, was a gift that would have been given to a king. Frankincense had traditionally been brought by priests as their worshipped God in the Temple. Myrrh was a spice that the ancients used in preparing bodies for burial. If that is true, then you could say that the Wise Men, in choosing their gifts for this infant, honoured Jesus with gold because he was King of the Jews, with frankincense because he was to be worshipped as divine; and with myrrh, because he would also become a sacrifice and die for his people. The Wise Men were the very first gentiles ever to worship Jesus. What faith they had! They travelled for months over difficult terrain; they never saw any evidence of Jesus’ kingship, his divinity or his sacrificial death. They worshipped him through faith in God’s promises about him. Isaiah foresaw this response to Jesus: ‘Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.’ The Magi’s eyes of faith saw clearly and far into the future. Compare that with the High Priest and religious leaders whom the Wise Men saw in Jerusalem when they first arrived. These head priests knew all about the prophecies of their own coming Messiah, but NOT ONE Jewish religious leader travelled to look for him in Bethlehem. And it is only six miles down the road!

Parish Pump

The bump A man who had just undergone a very complicated operation kept complaining about a bump on his head and a terrible headache. Since his operation had been an intestinal one, the nurse was concerned. Finally she spoke to the doctor about it. The doctor assured her, "Don't worry; he really does have a bump on his head. About halfway through the operation, we ran out of anesthetic."

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‘He gave us eyes to see them’ - The Church Door: St John’s Adel

(Have you ever thought how an actual church building might provide a series of visual aids to spiritual meditation? For his 2016 series on God in the Arts, the Rev Michael Burgess begins our procession through the Church, starting at the Church Door – Editor) George Herbert is a much-loved Anglican poet, who died just 40 years old in 1633. His volume of poems ‘The Temple’ was published later that year. In it the poet leads the reader through the church door into the building to meditate on all that is seen inside. That procession through the church is the theme of our monthly articles this year. We shall visit a variety of English churches as we make our way from the font to the altar. We begin this month outside the glorious Norman building of St John’s Church, Adel, near Leeds in West Yorkshire.

The church has a very fine south doorway with ornate carving. The oak door is a Victorian copy of the original door; the Sanctuary Ring is a replica of the Norman ring/knocker. It shows a monster about to swallow a man, but open the door and there is safety and protection away from the harms of the world. It is the theme in St John’s Gospel of Jesus as the door to the sheepfold. Enter through Jesus, we are told, to find the safety of the flock, and also to find nourishment and renewal. We can stand at the door of this beautiful church or at the door of our own churches. It opens and welcomes us to enjoy the friendship and refreshment within. The door could stay closed, protecting us from the storms of life without that threaten us like the dark creature in the Norman sanctuary ring of Adel church. But we know that in the church building we have no abiding city. Our worship ends and the door will open once again to lead us out into that world. Within we have found nourishment in the sacrament of the altar, in the word of scripture, and in the fellowship of the flock. We go out to share those gifts with the world that others may come to know Jesus as the door that leads to life eternal.

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All in the month of January

250 years ago on 1st Jan 1766 the Prince of Wales, James Francis Edward Stuart, died. Nicknamed the ‘Old Pretender’, he had laid claim to both the English and Scottish thrones.

175 years ago on 28th Jan 1841 Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-born journalist and explorer of central Africa, was born. He was best known for his successful search for the missionary and explorer Dr David Livingstone, and for his discoveries and subsequent development in the Congo region.

125 years ago on 6th Jan 1891 the world’s first penalty kick was taken by Airdrieonians FC in Scotland. Also in Sept 1891 the first penalty kick in the English football league was taken by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

100 years ago on 9th Jan 1916 the WWI Gallipoli Campaign ended, with an Ottoman victory.

80 years ago on 20th Jan 1936 King George V of the UK died. He was succeeded by Edward VIII.

75 years ago on 5th Jan 1941 Amy Johnson, pioneering British aviator, drowned in the Thames Estuary near London after bailing out of her plane, which had run out of fuel and crashed in adverse weather. Also on 8th Jan 1941 Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, British army officer, died. He was founder of the Scouts and Guides movements.

70 years ago on 10th Jan 1946 the United Nations General Assembly convened for the first time, in Westminster Central Hall, London.

65 years ago on 9th Jan 1951 the United Nations headquarters in New York was officially opened.

60 years ago on 10th Jan 1956 Elvis Presley recorded the song Heartbreak Hotel. It was his first single for RCA and topped the Billboard charts for seven weeks, selling more than one million copies.

50 years ago on 17th Jan 1966 the album Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel was released.

40 years ago on 12th Jan 1976 Dame Agatha Christie, crime novelist, short story writer and playwright, died. She was best known for creating Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and for the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap. Also on 21st Jan 1976 the supersonic airliner Concorde went into commercial service in Britain and France.

30 years ago on 24th Jan 1986 the Wapping Dispute began. 6000 newspaper workers in London began a year-long strike against News International. The strike failed, ending restrictive trade union practices in the British newspaper publishing industry. Also on 28th Jan 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place. The Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral, killing all 7 astronauts.

25 years ago on 17th Jan 1991 as part of the Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm got underway when US-led coalition forces bombed Iraq and forced it to withdraw its forces from Kuwait.

Cont…

20 years ago on 20th

Jan 1996 the first Palestinian general election took place. Yasser Arafat was elected President of the Palestinian National Council in a landslide victory.

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20 years ago on 20th Jan 1996 the first Palestinian general election took place. Yasser Arafat was elected President of the Palestinian National Council in a landslide victory.

15 years ago on 15th Jan 2001 Wikipedia, the online collaborative encyclopaedia, was officially launched. Also on 31st Jan 2001 a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi from Libya of carrying out the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

10 years ago on 12th Jan 2006 at least 346 people were killed in a stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

From the Registers

Funerals (November 2015):

Thursday 12th

November 2015 William Kenneth Orry St Catherine’s Church @ 11.00am

Thursday 12th

November 2015 John Bruce Cowley Kirk Christ @ 12 noon

Thursday 19

th November 2015 Collette Barbara Appleyard

Kirk Christ @ 1.00pm Elaine and John Hawkins would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during John’s illness, and are very happy to report that he is in remission and doing very well.

God Bless You Love

Elaine & John

The puppy A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, surrounding a small puppy. Concerned lest the boys were hurting it, he went to investigate. One boy explained, "We just found this puppy, and we all want him. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to take him home."

The minister was taken aback. "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie? Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie.” There was dead silence for a moment. The minister thought he had got through to them.

Then the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

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Rushen Mothers’ Union

It only seems a few days ago since I wrote for the December magazine and now its time to prepare a few words for the January edition. As I write this there will be one week to go before Christmas Day and we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think a lot of people including myself are still writing their cards and still have lots of presents to be bought. How I wish I could be organised!

Our branch of Mothers' Union had its last meeting of the year on Monday 14th

December. We were so lucky to have one of the really fine days of weather this month. It was the afternoon that we invite ladies from the various churches and chapels in our parish to join us. We ask each of their members to bring a Christmas reading with them. The choice of readings and poems are all different and when put on paper with carols sung in between it truly becomes a celebration for Christmas. ‘Celebration’ is what we called it. Everyone did their best to make it the wonderful afternoon it was. Mrs Vaughan played the piano for the singing, and I must give my thanks to her for all the help she gave me with compiling the programme and giving me a copy from which I could make copies. We then served a buffet tea which was sufficient for the feeding of the five thousand! This was provided by our members. Everybody enjoyed it and hoped the celebration would be repeated next December. At the end one of our visitors was seen passing a basket around for a collection and when it was counted it amounted to over £30. This is being sent to ‘Woman’s Aid’ on the Island via Thelma Lomax. Our next meeting will be held on the second Monday of January 2016 at 2pm when the speaker will be Mr Norman Rivers who will be giving us the latest news on his charity ‘The children of Chernobyl’ these are the children who come to the island every August. By the time you read this Christmas will be over and the New Year either here or approaching fast. I do hope that for all it will be a healthy and good one. Let’s also hope and pray that the weather won’t be too severe for us all.

With My Love to You all Brenda Watterson

Branch Leader

If you would like to submit an article either as a one off, or on a regular basis, or if you have any ideas about ways in which the magazine could be improved, or suggestions about the types of articles you would like to see included, please contact the editor. Details of his address and telephone number can be found in the magazine.

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more time with your family, start one change this month, another in February, and start the third in March.

Be specific. For example, don’t tell yourself: Lose weight. Decide exactly how much you want to lose. When do you want to lose it by? How will you do it? If you want more time with your family, how and when will you do that? The more exact you can be, the more likely you are to succeed.

Write it down. There’s something about committing thoughts to paper that helps to cement your resolve. Why not start some sort of journal this year, to track your thoughts, your hopes, your goals – and your successes!

Tell other people. If you intend to do something, tell someone, and therefore you will feel more obliged to get going with it… your pride may keep you going when all else fails!

Focus on GAIN, not loss. Ever notice how many resolutions are about giving something up? Why not put it the other way round - instead of saying you will eat less, tell yourself you are headed for those skinny jeans….

Give yourself rewards. If you are quitting smoking or sweets, for example, put the money you would have spent in a jam jar, and treat yourself to something nice (and healthy) with it.

Break your resolution into steps. Some goals will take months to achieve. So – break each one down into tiny steps, and simply head for each step. Build in some time frames, to prevent you procrastinating.

Finally, don’t let failure defeat you. You will make mistakes. But the secret is to simply get up again, and keep going. Only if you stop are you really defeated. None of us are perfect, and the Bible encourages us to always start again.

Parish Pump

How to keep those New Year Resolutions

We are full of good intentions at the start of each year. How come we fizzle out by February? Here are some tips to keep you going…

Be realistic. If you have a number of goals, do NOT attempt them all at once. Research has found that if you stagger your goals, you will have more success. So for example, if this year you want to spend less money, do more exercise and spend

Epiphany Prayer Father of all: Thank you for the revelation you gave to those travellers from the East so long ago. Thank you that everyone who truly searches for you will find you, in Jesus. Show us your Son afresh, we pray, so that, at the start of this New Year, we can go forward hand in hand with him, into whatever the new Year might hold for us, knowing the security which only he can give. Give us confidence and peace and strength to live each day with that assurance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Children’s Page

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Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity. Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side, Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified. No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright. Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave, And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save. His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die. Crown Him the Lord of heaven: One with the Father known, One with the Spirit Through Him given From yonder glorious throne. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me; Thy praise and glory shall not fail Throughout eternity. Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign, Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain, Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him

With Many

Crowns

In the 1800s there was great tension between the Catholic and Anglican churches (see: History of Hymns). Crown Him with Many Crowns is a wonderful example of how God takes the troubles of man and turns them around for good (Romans 8:28). The song was originally penned in 1851 by Matthew Bridges (1800-1894), who once wrote a book condemning Roman Catholic theology, and then later converted to Catholicism. Bridges wrote six stanzas, based upon Revelations 19:12, “...and on His head were many crowns.” Godfrey Thring (1823-1903) was a devout Anglican clergyman who was concerned that this popular hymn was allowing Catholic theology to be sung by protestant congregations. And so he wrote six new verses. The 12 stanzas have been mixed and matched down through the years. Interestingly, of the following six verses most commonly appearing in hymnals today, three were written by Bridges (vs 1,2,and 4) and three by Thring (vs 3,5 and 6).

The Story Behind the Hymn

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January 2016 This is your invitation to pray day by day for:

1st

A happy and peaceful year ahead 2

nd Preparations being made for the return to work and school

3rd

The Manx Language Society’s Christmas Service taking place at 3pm at St Mary’s 4

th New mothers and fathers looking after their children

5th

People awaiting treatment in our hospital 6

th Play and Praise which takes place today in St Mary’s Church at 2pm

7th

Those who enjoy watching and/or partaking in sporting activities 8

th The Coffee Break taking place in St Catherine’s Church Hall today

9th

The work of the Royal Lifeboat Institution 10

th People who live in isolation with little contact with the outside world

11th

The Mothers’ Union Meeting being held at St Catherine’s Church Hall at 2pm today 12

th All people who have to work outside in adverse weather conditions

13th

Those who entertain whether on the stage or on television 14

th People who are suffering financial hardship after the Christmas season

15th

Everyone who has a birthday this month 16

th The Headteacher and staff of Rushen Primary School

17th

Travellers having to drive on sometime treacherous roads during the wintertime 18

th The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which commences today

19th

Music and the part it plays in everyone’s life whether it is modern or classical 20

th People mourning the loss of loved ones

21st

The beauty of this wonderful island on which we live 22

nd People in residential care homes across the island

23rd

All of the Home Groups which meet each week throughout the parish 24

th The Diocese of Sodor and Man and the work undertaken by all employees

25th

RUSH and the children and adults who attend each week 26

th The PCC meeting taking place at 7.45pm in St Catherine’s Church Hall this evening

27th

‘The Future’ and the children and adults who attend each week 28

th The Headteacher and staff of Scoill-Phurt-le-Moirrey

29th

The work of aid organisations at home and overseas 30

th The weekly prayer group which meet on Fridays throughout the year

31st

Ourselves and our quest to serve God in as many ways possible

Rushen Parish Prayer Diary

Dear Father, as we stand together on the threshold of a new year, we ask that you will watch over us in the year ahead; guide us when we falter; and re-direct us when we lose our way. But above all, pour down on the whole world Your Love and Peace, so that all may know that you are our Father, and Lord of all. Amen

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3rd January 8am St Catherine’s Holy Communion (BCP) (Epiphany) 9.30am Kirk Christ Morning Prayer (CW)

11am St Mary’s Holy Communion (CW) 11am St Catherine’s Morning Prayer (CW) 3.15pm St Peter’s Evening Prayer (BCP)

6th January 11.45am Southlands Holy Communion (CW) 2pm St Mary’s Play & Praise

10th January 9.30am Kirk Christ Holy Communion (CW) (Baptism of 11am St Mary’s All-Age Service (CW) Christ) 11am St Catherine’s Holy Communion (CW) 3.15pm St Peter’s Evening Prayer (BCP) 6.30pm St Mary’s Alternative Worship

17th January 8am St Catherine’s Holy Communion (BCP) (Epiphany 2) 9.30am Kirk Christ Morning Prayer (CW) 11am St Mary’s Holy Communion (CW) 11am St Catherine’s All-Age Service (CW) 3.15pm St Peter’s Holy Communion (BCP)

24th January 9.30am Kirk Christ Holy Communion (CW) (Epiphany 3) 11am St Mary’s Morning Prayer (CW) 11am St Catherine’s Holy Communion (CW) 3.15pm St Peter’s Evening Prayer (BCP) 31st January 11am St Catherine’s All-Age Joint Service (Epiphany 4)

(CW) Common Worship (BCP) Book of Common Prayer

Services January 2016

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Contact Details for Rushen Parish

St Mary’s Sunday School Leader:

Carole Coole, Cronk-NyGreiney, Fisher’s Hill, Arbory 827545

St Mary’s Ladies Working Party & St Mary’s Friendly Lunches

Mrs Brenda Watterson, Cair Vie, Linden Ave. Port St Mary 833618

St Mary’s Hall Bookings:

Mrs Brenda Watterson, Cair Vie, Linden Ave. Port St Mary 833618

St Catherine’s CAMEO & Morning Coffee

Mrs Suzanne Ali, 25 Sunnydale Avenue, Port Erin 834456

St Catherine’s Hall Bookings:

Mr & Mrs G Callister, 60 Ballamaddrell, Port Erin 474924/834627

Web Site/E-mail:

www.rushenparish.org.uk admin@rushenparish.org.uk

Magazine Editor

Mr David Bowman, The Old Bakery, Qualtroughs Lane, 837117/260539

Ballafesson, Port Erin

e-mail: dbow43@manx.net or dbow43@live.co.uk

Articles for the magazine should be submitted to the editor no later

than 20th of each month. This arrangement is subject to change.

Parish Director of Music:

Mr M D Porter, 10 Fairway Drive, Rowany, Port Erin 832143

Churchyard Enquiries:

Please contact Mr Harry Dawson: 478050/835770

or Mr G Callister: 474924/834627

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January Sudoku Competition

Here is this month’s Sudoko competition. If you would like me to send you a copy I will do so with pleasure. When completed, you can submit your entry to me at my address which can be found in the magazine, or give it to one of the wardens, or telephone me so that I can collect it from you. You must ensure that your name and address is printed somewhere on your entry. There is a prize of £5 for the winner. The solution will be printed in the February edition of the magazine. If possible the draw will be made at the joint service at St Catherine’s Church on 31st January 2016. The closing date is Friday 29th January 2016. The very best of luck!

David Bowman (Editor)