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Totnes & Bridgetown Parish Magazine, March 2018
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The Parish Yellow Pages scheme This voluntary scheme should make it easier for parishioners to keep in touch with other. It has proved very successful in other parishes around the country. You can get a form from a Church officer
if necessary.
Copies of the Yellow Pag-es will only be issued to those whose names ap-pear in it.
If you have not already enrolled, you may still just have time to do so.
Queries to Julian Hall, Tel 01803 867537
●●● IN A PARIS HOTEL ELEVATOR: Please leave your values at the front desk ●●●
COVER PHOTO: The river Dart seen from the Dartington Hall drive on 24 February, when
Spring seemed just around the corner. Then the really cold weather kicked in.
BELOW: The St John’s Community Café during Bishop Robert’s visit on St Valentine’s Day.
The Bishop commended St John’s on the success of this venture and emphasised its role in
combatting loneliness and fostering companionship. See the official video of his visit at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GU1gIU95s
By the way, Parish Yellow Pages schemes (see above) have proved to be another useful tool
in keeping people in touch with each other. JH
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SUNDAY SERVICES
May be subject to change: check the weekly bulletins or website for updates.
4 MAR
Lent 3
11 MAR
Lent 4
Mothering
Sunday
18 MAR
Passion Sunday
25 MAR
Palm
Sunday
1 April
Easter Day
JO SJ JO/SJ JO/SJ JO TOTNES 8.00
JL
SJ
SJ JL JL+ TG
Iona
JL BRIDGE-
TOWN
9.30 /11.15
JO/SJ JO JO/SJ JO/SJ JO TOTNES
11.15
Compline
JO
Evensong
SJ
Evensong
JO
TOTNES
6.30
Sacred Space
DPet.al.
BRIDGE-
TOWN 6.30
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It’s been quite
a watery Winter
hasn’t it? Living
in Week, with a
dog to walk,
the reality of
rain is very no-
ticeable. You
may know this
is a treasure of
a hamlet - a place of trees and water.
Of late, the brooks have been excel-
ling themselves and the end of our
lane has been flood-
ed at least 3 times.
We have even had
an unexpected inter-
nal water invasion,
traced back to the hot
water cylinder spring-
ing a leak!
A delightful spate of
Baptisms requests
across the Team has caused me to
reflect further on water as a meta-
phor. I wasn’t unduly taken aback
then when part of a talk at a recent
Bishop’s Lent Quiet Day for clergy
reminded me of another significant
and special place of water which I
visited on the Curates’ pilgrimage to
Holy Land in 2016.
‘Mensa Christi’ on the shore of Lake
Galilee is a site visited by many pil-
grims each year. Most guide books
would tell us there is a small Francis-
can chapel built over a rocky area
near the water’s edge to mark the
place where Jesus appeared to his
disciples, on one particular occasion,
after the resurrection. In their turn,
you may remember, they had been
out fishing, understandably returning
to the solace and comfort of familiar
occupation, but caught nothing. A
stranger advised them to cast their
nets on the other side of the boat and
an abundance of fish filled them. The
stranger is recognised as Jesus and
a fishy breakfast ensues. Thereafter,
Peter is powerfully re
-commissioned by
Jesus with the
words, ‘Feed my
sheep’. You can read
a fuller account in
John’s gospel - chap-
ter 21.
Those momentous
events of long ago
do not conjure up the current tranquil-
lity and deep peace of the shoreline.
Back in the winter of 2016, we were
given some time to ourselves to just
be on that shore line: a liminal place
of sand…water…reeds…bird song…
basalt rock. It was and remains, I ex-
pect, a place of timeless encounter.
When Jesus has questioned Peter 3
times and then commissioned him,
the episode has not fully run its
course, according to John. Jesus’ last
recorded words here to Peter are
‘Follow me’. For those of us who
Postcard from Week
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stood and sat on the beach that day,
the same words seem to emanate
from the very fabric of that place. In
this Lenten season, it’s a fruitful Bible
passage to re-read; a significant
place in which to dwell in the mind’s
eye.
That passage among others and
those words, ‘Follow me’ will be the
focus of a Lenten Quiet Day which
my Reader husband, Richard and I
are offering to the Team on Saturday
March 10th 10am – 4pm in Dartington
Church Hall [opposite St Mary’s,
Dartington]. There will be plenty of
silence; 3 short talks and optional
Holy Communion. Bring your own
lunch but refreshments will be provid-
ed. There is no charge for the day
but donations are welcome to cover
costs. Please contact Richard to book
a place: 01803 865196 richard-
Blessings on your Lenten journey,
Rev Jane Frost
It’s just a thought by Revd Cliff Berdinner
‘Is there anybody there’, or are we all alone in the vastness of space? The idea that there may be other forms of life besides us is the ques-tion that has haunted mankind down the years.
It is a question that we may ask with some trepidation as we have no idea of what other life forms or creatures there may be.
In ancient times people believed that the world was full of demons and evil spirits and gods which had to be paci-fied and pleased lest they became angry and messed life up.
The Old Testament moves us on to the idea of a God who was in fact feared as much as he was loved.
It is out of this question - ’Is anybody there’ - that world cultures have shaped their religions and beliefs that there is indeed somebody there.
For the Christian believer, God is love and we can come to know God through the person of Jesus.
Whilst the Jews wanted to confine God to their Temple, Jesus taught that God is to be found within our own heart. And it is through faith that we can experience the Divine pres-ence as a living reality.
BAKLAVA AND THE
RADIAL BAND
are giving a concert at
7.30 p.m. Friday March 2nd
Tickets £8 on the door
In aid of St John's Church
windows
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Today the Christian church is being challenged, but belief continues, and there will always be those whose be-lief is wonderfully certain.
Certainty is strangely attractive. In my youth I had a friend who was always saying, ‘But I know, I just know’. And I used to follow him everywhere be-cause religious certainty is infectious – you can catch it!
But sometimes we have another ques-tion, not, ‘Is anybody there’, but, ‘Is any-body listening’?
I remember, how as a boy, my mother used to say, ’Clifford, you are not listening to me’ – and she was right. Even as adults, we only hear half of what is said to us - and that is with our hearing aids in!
But does God, by any name, listen to what is going on in the world? Does God hear the cries of the world’s pain and suffering?
When we listen to someone we usu-ally give them a yes or a no, to let them know we are listening, but God is silent.
Someone once asked a Jew what it was like praying to God in Jerusalem to which he replied, ’Well its like talk-ing to the wall’!
But yes, there will be many who will
say from their own experience that God does listen and move in a mys-terious way his wonders to perform.
Now most of us, at some time in our life, will find ourselves facing pain and suffering. Dark clouds gather and we begin to ask another question, ‘Does
anybody care’?
This is perhaps the most searching question of all – why does the God of perfect love allow suffering?
How could God watch his Son, Je-sus, die in agony on a cross?
Many answers have been offered but I am not sure that there is any real answer to why God allows suffering.
I only know that when we, or others, suffer it does not mean there is no God. It’s maybe that we just do not know God’s mind.
Some have found comfort in the be-lief that as God suffered with Jesus, so he suffers with us too. Or that God is with us always and supports us even if we cannot feel his presence. And down the years many have looked forward in confidence with the words of Julian of Norwich, ‘And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.’
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John Wellingham is giving a talk and recital at St John's Church, Bridgetown, on Wednesday March 14th at 7 p.m.
He is going to talk about three Totnes organs; the Father Willis organ at St Mary's Church, Totnes, the organ that was lost in the fire at St John's and the present organ, built by William Drake, which he will play. John has been a major influence on British organ students. He is now in his eighties, and still active as an in-spirational organ teacher at Oxford and Cambridge universities. He stud-ied at Dartington College when Imo-gen Holst, and later John Clements, ran the music department. He taught piano, organ and recorder at Eton and was a counter-tenor lay clerk in the Chapel Choir before leav-ing to study organ, harpsichord viola da gamba, Gregorian chant and Lu-theran chorales at the Schola Canto-rum Basiliensis in Switzerland. In 1974 He founded the Loosemore Centre for Organ and Early Music in Buckfastleigh, the first early music centre in Great Britain. It closed in the early 1990s, but the organ building workshop remains open. There will be a small charge for the talk, which is one of a series of talks the church have arranged to promote the history and heritage of St John's, in aid of the St John's Church Win-dows fund. Enquiries to Carolyn Stilwell, Tel 01803 863030
PART-TIME DAY CARE HOST VACANCY
The Filo Project specialises in small-group day care for older people experi-encing memory issues and/or isolation and we are currently looking for intelli-gent, versatile, empathetic hosts in, or close to, Totnes. You will be required, in your own homes, to meaningfully occupy and engage with a maximum of 4 older people who may be socially isolated and experiencing symptoms associated with moderate dementia, including memory loss. The Filo service operates between the core hours of 9 a.m. and 5p.m and dur-ing the day you will be required to cook a lunch. It is essential that you have a full driving license, access to a 5 door car and a ground floor WC. Please see www.thefiloproject.co.uk for further details, or call us on 0333 939 8225 or email [email protected]
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Taking the Plunge - the Waters of Baptism “Repent ye and be baptised to receive
the gifts of the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:38
With Eastertide nearly upon us, the
’Paschal mystery’ of Christ’s Crucifixion
and Rising again, we look forward six
weeks ahead to Pentecost. The disciples
were gathered with others from many
nations in the Upper room and the Holy
Spirit came upon them and thousands
were soon baptised in the River Jordan
and other places.
What is Baptism? - History
Baptism submersion is a Sacrament of
the Church, an outward sign of inward
grace, cleansing by water of our past
wrongs and proclaiming our belief in
Jesus. In Noah’s story the Old Testament
we find Creation being given a new
chance with the saving of the species to
start a New Life with the rainbow as a
message of God and the Dove flies with
her olive branch of peace.
Later, in Exodus, the Jews escaped slav-
ery by a near death experience through
the waters of the Red Sea to make a
New Start in the Promised Land and later
received a Covenant from God (Ten
Commandments).
As Jesus entered the River Jordan in
humility for John the Baptist to Baptise
Him, again the Dove swoops down giving
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Blessings of the Holy Spirit.
Who can be Baptised?
The Rite of Baptism is for anyone of any
age who comes to Jesus Christ in repent-
ance of sins, declares faith in God and
puts aside past wrong doings willing to
make a new start. In early days whole
households were brought to a font so
the practice of Infant Baptism, Christen-
ing and naming became popular in Cath-
olic and Anglican churches. If they are
too young to speak for themselves then
Parents and Godparents make the state-
ments of faith for them and promise to
bring them up in Christian ways. This is
not just an excuse for a party and dress-
ing up, moreover it is a serious lifetime
commitment.
What happens in Baptism?
The priest should visit the family or the
candidate, and prepare them for Bap-
tism explaining the nature of our Chris-
tian faith.
With all family and friends assembled,
preferably at the usual public Worship
service of the Host Church, we say the
Creed together declaring our faith in God
the Priest will ask them or the candi-
date:“Do you Believe in God the Father
Son and Holy Spirit and reject Evil? and
come to Christ the Way the Truth and
the Life?“
He signs them with the Sign of the Cross
as affirmation.
They make the promises. Then the priest
pours Holy water over the child’s head is
washing three times for the Trinity and
Baptises or Christens them with their
chosen names.
We all welcome the child or adult into
the Church, not only our local Church
like St John’s, but into the whole world-
wide Church of All traditions, Christ’s
Body on Earth. The small Baptism candle
given to the candidate is lit from the
Pascal Candle, signifying the Divine Light
of Christ.
‘We are all One with Christ: One Faith,
One Lord, One Baptism’
Baptism is for all of us Christians regard-
less of age.
Many like myself choose to take the
Plunge, into a Baptismal pool or the river
and with submersion, we die like Christ
in the tomb and trust Him, as the priest
to help us rise again. Adults can also be
baptised from the font.
We are graced with the gifts of the Holy
Spirit: peace, love, joy, hope and more,
given the promise of the joy of Salvation
and eternal life.
The journey of faith is only just begin-
ning!
Joy Hanson
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Instead of worrying, pray
‘Don’t worry about anything, but
pray about everything.’ - Philippi-
ans 4:6 CEV
One Bible teacher writes: ‘The
pressures of our times have many
of us caught in a web of the most
acceptable, yet energy-draining
sin in the Christian family: worry.
Chances are good you woke up
this morning, stepped out of bed,
and before doing anything,
strapped on your well-worn back-
pack of anxiety. You started the
day not with a prayer on your
mind, but loaded down by worry.
What a dreadful habit! Jesus chal-
lenged His followers with the
question, “Who of you by being
worried can add a single hour to
his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NASB).
Worry solves nothing. It creates
unrest and uneasiness, and if left
unchecked it can churn our waves
of anxiety into a perfect storm of
emotions. Add a little imagination
and creativity, and our worst fears
come to life in Technicolor bril-
liance. The stress from worry
drains our energy and preoccu-
pies our minds, stripping us of our
peace…We fret over big things
and little things. Some of us have
a laundry list of concerns that
feed our addiction to worry. It’s a
very unattractive addiction, yet we
somehow manage to make a joke
out of it. I’ve heard people say
with a smile, “If I don’t have some-
thing to worry about, I get worried
about not having something to
worry about.” Anxiety has become
a favourite pastime we love to
hate. And worse, we’re passing it
on to our children. As they see the
worry on our faces and hear it
from our lips, we’re mentoring
them in the art of anxiety.’ So,
what’s the answer? ‘Don’t worry
about anything, but pray about
everything.’
From UCB's Word for Today, a free
publication available in both our
churches and throughout the UK.
Web www.ucb.co.uk
ANTHONY STILWELL RESTORATIONS
Antique and modern furniture restored and repaired
French polishing undertaken
Tel : 01803 863030
15
Learn Spanish with a very unique native
speaker who has developed
her very own methods to
facilitate language tuition to
every single individual (15
years experience) in the com-
fort of your own home or
come out !
Interested ?
Call on 01803 862912
Advertising charges
Totnes & Bridgetown Parish Magazine
Based on A5 pages, 12 monthly insertions
Circulation: 100 printed copies + approx. 200 sent via email.
Contact Mr Julian Hall, t: 01803 867537, e: [email protected]
Full page Half page Third of
page
Quarter
page
Sixth of
page
Black & white/
greyscale (inner
pages)
99.00 49.00 33.00 25.00 18.00
Colour
(Back page only)
240.00 120.00 80.00 60.00 40.00
IN A BELGRADE HOTEL ELEVATOR:
To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more
persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going
alphabetically by national order.
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Team Rector, The Reverend Prebendary Julian C OuId 01803 865615, The Revd. Deborah Parsons, Team Vicar 01803 840113
Licensed Reader/Safeguarding Officer Liz Waterson 01803 849345, (Childline 0800 1111) The Reverend John Luscombe 01803 864514, [email protected]
Licensed Reader, Tony Gregg 01803 813885,
Support Group: This group is open to anyone who is suffering from bereavement or any other kind of loss. For full details contact
Rev'd Deborah Parsons on 01803 840113.
TIMES OF SUNDAY SERVICES
St Mary's Totnes
8.00 am ..
11.15 am ..
6.30 pm Alternate 1st Sunday
6.30 pm 3rd Sunday
St John's, Bridgetown 9.30 am ..
Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
Compline
Sung Evensong
Family Communion
TIMES OF WEEKDAY SERVICES—St Mary's, Totnes
7.45 am Tues, Thurs Early morning prayers 8.30 am Fri, Sat .. Morning Prayer 10.30 am 2nd & 4th Wed .. Eucharist
Major Saints' Days
9.00 am at St Mary's Eucharist
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Submissions for the next Newsletter by 20th of the previous month please.
Churchwardens
Martin Harvey
01803
868336
Julian Hall 01803
867537
Deputy Churchwarden
Vacant
St Mary's Totnes
Verger
Vacant
Jan Dietz, Director of Music 01803
77051
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Jane Mountford, St Mary's bookings 01803
862499
Jenny Griffin, Church Hall bookings 01803
865685
St John's, Bridgetown
The Reverend John Luscombe
Contact details on previous page
Liz Chandler, Director of Music 01803
669199
St John’s bookings
K Courtice, Team Administrator
01803
865615
Misc.
Julian Hall Weekly envelope
and Gift Aid recorder
01803
867537 [email protected]
Rev’d Cliff Berdinner (Retired) 01803
840730
Jane Mountford, weekly newsletter 01803
862499 [email protected]
Julian Hall, monthly magazine 01803
867537 [email protected]
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