January 2020January 2020January 2020January 2020

Volume 56 No 653 Volume 56 No 653 Volume 56 No 653 Volume 56 No 653

The Parish Magazine of St Mary SandbachThe Parish Magazine of St Mary SandbachThe Parish Magazine of St Mary SandbachThe Parish Magazine of St Mary Sandbach

CHALLENGE

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January 2020

Sunday 5th JanuarySunday 5th JanuarySunday 5th JanuarySunday 5th January 8.00 am Holy Communion

The EpiphanyThe EpiphanyThe EpiphanyThe Epiphany 10.30 am Joint Service at Wesley

Avenue

Sunday 12th JanuarySunday 12th JanuarySunday 12th JanuarySunday 12th January 8.00 am Holy Communion

Baptism of ChristBaptism of ChristBaptism of ChristBaptism of Christ 10.00 am Parish Eucharist

Sunday 19th JanuarySunday 19th JanuarySunday 19th JanuarySunday 19th January 8.00 am Holy Communion

2 Epiphany2 Epiphany2 Epiphany2 Epiphany 10.00 am Parish Eucharist

Sunday 26th JanuarySunday 26th JanuarySunday 26th JanuarySunday 26th January 8.00 am Holy Communion

3 Epiphany3 Epiphany3 Epiphany3 Epiphany 10.00 am Parish Eucharist

Sunday 2nd FebruarySunday 2nd FebruarySunday 2nd FebruarySunday 2nd February 8.00 am Holy Communion

Presentation of Christ in the Presentation of Christ in the Presentation of Christ in the Presentation of Christ in the

TempleTempleTempleTemple

10.00 am Morning Worship

3.30 pm Choral Evensong

Every WednesdayEvery WednesdayEvery WednesdayEvery Wednesday 11.00 am Holy Communion

Holy Eucharist, Parish Eucharist = Order 1 Common Worship

Holy Communion = Order 2 Book of Common Prayer

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Waiting for a new Vicar

A few years ago Sheenagh

and I were invited by old

friends to join them at a

performance in Birmingham of

Haydn’s great oratorio ‘the

Creation.’ How brilliantly the

opening murmuring orchestral

strings capture the mysterious

beginning of the Bible; the

opening music is disturbing, it

seems as though it cannot settle

either into one key or any sort of

recognizable tune. The book of

Genesis chapter 1 verse says

“The earth was without form and

void, and a vast darkness

covered the deep.” It goes on:

Then God said, “let there be

light, and there was light” so

Haydn portrays these words in a

huge orchestral explosion of

harmonious sound filling the

concert hall to give expression to

the awesome concept of the

beginning of a universe of

heavens and earth.

Later, after a drive home amidst

the trucks of the M6 and a good

sleep, and with time to think I

am struck by how Haydn’s joyful

explosion of sound resonates

with our modern scientific

explanation of the moment of

creation as a Big Bang.

From the moment of that Big

Bang life has been in a continual

process of growth and the

development of ever richer forms

of life. We know things about

the world and the universe which

would astound our grandparents.

Year by year researchers make

advances in understanding how

our brains work. Our children

and grandchildren will benefit in

ways we cannot imagine from

these new discoveries.

I believe we should welcome

and rejoice in all these advances.

The Bible begins with an

explosion of creativity and it

ends with a picture of the City of

God (in the mysterious book at

the end of your Bible called

Revelation) in which all God’s

creative activity is brought to

fulfilment.

Week by week in our worship

we seek to express our hope and

trust that God is still at work in

his world, helping to move it and

ourselves one step nearer its final

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The OrganThe OrganThe OrganThe Organ

Choral EvensongChoral EvensongChoral EvensongChoral Evensong

Deep BreathingDeep BreathingDeep BreathingDeep Breathing

School MemoriesSchool MemoriesSchool MemoriesSchool Memories

Tree RecyclingTree RecyclingTree RecyclingTree Recycling

Chilren's SocietyChilren's SocietyChilren's SocietyChilren's Society

Millenium BugMillenium BugMillenium BugMillenium Bug TeaTeaTeaTea

fulfilment. This is why it is

important that our worship is as

carefully prepared and as

carefully conducted and offered

as we can possibly make it. In

worship we express our

understanding that we are

working hand in hand with God

towards the final achievement of

his creative activity.

So during the interregnum

remember with gratitude in your

prayers, Joan our Reader, Kevin

and the choir, the

Churchwardens, the Church

Council members, visiting

Clergy and Readers and all who

play a part in sustaining St.

Mary’s in preparation for the

arrival of a new Vicar. Whether

the appointment will be soon or

still some way off let us all pray

that God will continue to bless

us as we continue to serve him

faithfully in our church and

among the people of Sandbach

parish.

David Ashworth

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From the Registers

Funerals

December

2nd Vance Forester (55)

10th Rosalind Cooke (72)

Coffee Rota

January 5th Kathleen Davies and Kathleen Beech

12th Stella Craven and Christine Hirst

19th Margaret Parry and Ghania

26th Jim Thompson and Rosemary Wilkinson

February 2nd Jean Richardson and Iris Kenilworth

Church Flowers

January

5th Joyce Griffiths

12th Linda Bourne

19th Lynn Winfield

If anyone would like to give flowers on any Sunday please

speak to Sheenagh on 01270 529187.

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Seen in a North Yorkshire church

Welcome to Bewerley Grange Chapel

We welcome you if you got lost in traffic and wound up here by

mistake

We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters and bleeding hearts.

We welcome anyone needing a bit of peace and quiet and

we offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right

now.

Organ Fund

I t was twelve months ago when the Organ

Smartie Fund was launched. So far the filled

tubes have raised £448£448£448£448. Together with other

donations the fund stands at £5500.£5500.£5500.£5500.

Please keep eating those smarties, and re-filling

the tubes with 20 pence pieces!

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Music

A t the morning service on Advent Sunday, the church had an

Carol Service. The service was collated by David Ashworth

and Kevin Birch and led by David Ottley.

The service was very similar to the Nine Lessons and Carols

service, later in December, but with appropriate Advent readings

and music. The Choir were extremely pleased to welcome some

additional singers for both carol services. The picture below was

taken at the Advent Service.

Looking forward to this year, the choir have arranged to sing

Choral evensong on Sunday 26th January at 3.30 pm. The next

dates for the Choral Evensongs are Sunday 16th February and

Sunday 22nd March - please come and join us.

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The Dragonfly (This reading was included in the Thanksgiving Service for Jacquie Rickards, who died recently, and was the wife of Alan, the Association for Church Editors (ACE) Treasurer and Membership Officer.)

Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water underneath the lily pads,

there lived a little water nymph in a community of water nymphs.

They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond, with few

disturbances and interruptions.

Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of

their fellow nymphs would climb the stem of the lily pad and would

never be seen again.

They knew when this happened their friend was gone for ever.

Then one day, one little water nymph felt an irresistible urge

to climb up that stem.

However, he was determined that he would not leave for ever; he

would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top.

When he reached the top and climbed out of the water on to the top of

the lily pad, he was so tired and the sun felt so warm that he decided

he must take a nap.

As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up he had turned

into a beautiful, blue-tailed dragonfly, with broad wings and a slender

body designed for flying.

As he soared, he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far

superior way of life which he had never known existed.

Then he remembered his nymph friends and how they’d be thinking

that by now he was dead.

He wanted to go back and tell them he was more alive than he had

ever been. His life had been fulfilled, rather than ended.

But his new body would not go down into the water, so he could not

tell his friends the good news.

Then he understood that their time would come when they too would

know what he now knew.

So he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life.

(Author unknown)

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Breathing the Bible

W e are not supposed to just read the Bible. We’re

supposed to inhale it. We’re supposed to take it deep

down into our lungs, breathe in the atmosphere, suck in great

gulps of the life-giving breath of God. When it feels like we are

drowning, the Bible fills our lungs with the saving breath of God.

When we are panicking and scared, the Bible calms us with the

deep breaths of the presence of God. When all the breath has

been knocked out of us by the events or our lives; when our tears

and sobs mean that we cannot catch our breath, the Bible brings

us the oxygen of hope and

comfort.

When we are becalmed, the

Bible blows wind into our sails

to get us going. And when we

are light-headed and dizzy,

when it feels as though we are

scaling new heights, the Bible

re-supplies us with oxygen so

that we can climb even further.

We can argue all we like

about the process of how books came together (and we will). We

can argue about meanings and theologies and interpretations

until, appropriately, we are blue in the face, but all that is missing

the point of the Bible. The point is to let the Bible breathe God’s

life into us.

Nick Page

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Heritage Update

Sandbach History SocietySandbach History SocietySandbach History SocietySandbach History Society

In early December, Richard Vickery, a member of the Sandbach

History Society, gave a fascinating talk on “George Latham and the

Bradwall Reformatory School”. The room was packed with plenty

of members of our congregation also in attendance.

George Latham was the benefactor of the Bradwall Estate at the

age of 27 and in 1955 he supplied the land for the school and was

the manager there for 30 years. The boys walked from the

Reformatory School, on Walnut Tree Lane, to St Mary's Church

(2.2 miles) twice every Sunday! It is thought that the boys entered

the Bradwall Chapel, behind the organ console, using the door in

the chapel where they sat for the services.

Why not see how many memorials and windows you can find in

the church dedicated to one of the Latham family.

Opening of the ChurchOpening of the ChurchOpening of the ChurchOpening of the Church

We are pleased to report that more visitors have entered the

church since the new opening hours began. It's really encouraging

that visitors want to see the historic building and its heritage.

The National School (now the Church Hall)The National School (now the Church Hall)The National School (now the Church Hall)The National School (now the Church Hall)

We have received a few memories from pupils' time at the

National School and here are some from David Bourne:

"I attended the church school in the 1950’s and left in 1956.

My first memory is of Miss Darlington’s class. She made us

recite our times tables each morning and walked around the

class with her ruler listening and if anyone made a mistake she

would strike the back of your hand with the ruler - perish the

thought if this happened nowadays!

In Mrs Sparrow’s class we had a page of sums to do each

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Charity Christmas Tree Recycling in Sandbach

W ill you be wondering what to do

with your Christmas tree once the

festivities are over and the needles have

started to fall? Well local Rotarians could

provide the answer, and all for good local

causes too!

Rotary Club of Sandbach Crosses is again joining forces with

charitable organisation Just Helping and St Luke's Hospice to

organise collections of Christmas trees in the Sandbach area and

take them to a local recycling centre for shredding.

All you have to do is to register your Christmas tree for collection

at:

www.charityxmastreecollection.com www.charityxmastreecollection.com www.charityxmastreecollection.com www.charityxmastreecollection.com

and the Rotarians will do the rest, collecting the tree 9th to the 12th

January. Registration involves committing a donation for the

service, 80% of which goes to St Luke's Hospice, and the remainder

to other local charities.

morning, it was a race, and when you had finished you had to

stand on your seat!

Mr Edwards used to have a punishment session where he

administered the ‘slipper’ ie a plimsoll to the rear end. One

reason for punishment was having dirty shoes!!"

We'd love to hear from more of you.

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Holocaust Memorial Day

H olocaust Memorial Day on

27th January marks the

75th anniversary of the liberation

of the Auschwitz-Birkenau

Concentration Camp. One of

the disturbing questions that

arises from the horrors of the

Holocaust is ‘where was God

when the six million died?’

In his moving memoir, ‘Night,’

Eli Wiesel tells the story of an

execution that the prisoners were

forced to witness. Two men and

a boy were made to stand on

chairs with nooses around their

necks. At the guards’ signal, the

chairs were kicked from beneath

their feet. The men died

instantly as the fall broke their

necks, but the boy, flailed about,

gasping for breath. Wiesel heard

someone cry out, ‘For God’s

sake, where is God?’ In that

moment, he heard a voice inside:

‘Where is He? This is where:

hanging here from this gallows’.

As we think of this boy dying

on the gallows, we are reminded

of another Jew, who suffered and

died on a cross. As the crowd

gathered around the cross, it was

Jesus who posed the same

question: ‘My God, my God,

why have you forsaken

me?’ (Matt 27:46).

Jesus became a human being,

because God wanted to identify

with His lost and suffering world.

He willingly took upon Himself

God’s judgment for the sin of the

world, as God turned away from

the Son he loved: ‘God made

Him who had no sin to be sin for

us, so that in Him we might

become the righteousness of

God’ (2 Cor. 5:21).

So where was God when the

six million died? The truth is

that God is present in our

suffering, to identify and suffer

with us and to provide help,

hope and meaning to those who

suffer. Whatever we go through

this New Year, let’s not forget

this truth!

Rev Paul Hardingham on the problem of evil.

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A Slimmer’s Psalm

Strict is my diet, I must not want.

It maketh me to lie down at night, hungry,

It leadeth me to pass the refrigerator,

It tireth my will power,

It leadeth me in the paths of starvation for my figure’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the aisles of pastas,

I will buy no chocolate eclairs,

for they are fattening.

The cakes and pies they tempt me.

Before me is a table set with green beans and lettuce,

It filled my stomach with liquids;

my day’s quota runneth over.

Surely, my calories and weight charts will follow me

all the days of my life,

And I dwell in the fear of the scales forever.

Candles and Boxes

p lease bring your Christingle Candles and Children's Society

boxes, that you have been filling with change over the last

year, to church or ring Stella Craven to arrange for collection.

Anyone who would like a box for

the coming year should also contact

Stella 763801.763801.763801.763801.

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Individual IT Tuition

Is there something that you would like to

learn how to do or don’t know where to

start? Here is your chance to get to grips

with the many features of using a

computer, tablet or phone.

Internet Internet Internet Internet - how to get on the internet, shop, catch up on

programs you have missed on the TV, find directions to

places, find puzzles to complete on-line.

EmailEmailEmailEmail - how to create, edit and send emails.

FacebookFacebookFacebookFacebook - how to keep up with your friends or

family on Facebook.

Tablets / Phone Tablets / Phone Tablets / Phone Tablets / Phone ---- are you struggling with

your iPad Android tablet or phone?

Documents Documents Documents Documents - how to make the most of Microsoft Office.

Learn how to organise your electronic documents.

Web design Web design Web design Web design - I can create a website for you whether it be for a

company or a hobby.

PhotographsPhotographsPhotographsPhotographs - how to store and edit your photographs,

crop photographs to make a better picture, change the

file size for sending as an email.

You can have a lesson, in your own home, either as a

one off or a series of lessons. Lessons tailored to your particular

needs.

Give me a ring to arrange a lesson.

Heather Bottomley 01270 768744

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Mandatory LGBT in curriculum

A group of Christians has taken a stand against the mandatory

LGBT- inclusive curriculum that will be rolled out to students

next year. OCOFOR, which stands for’ Our Children Our Faith

Our Rights’ held a demonstration at Parliament Square recently to

demand that the government allow parents to opt out their children

from the LGBT portion of relationships education. Following the

passing of the Children and Social Work Act (2017), as of

September 2020, all secondary schools in England will be required

to teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and primary

schools to teach relationships education.

One of the leaders of the protest said, “A large chunk of what is

included goes against our Christian faith. It's normalising LGBTQ

relationships and it's being enforced on faith groups." He said he

was encouraged by other faith groups who have been speaking out

against the curriculum and urged Christians to take an active

approach to the issue. He said, “We see Muslims coming out, we

see Jewish communities coming out, but as Christians we would

rather just sit in the armchair, sign a petition off, and pray in our

closet, and hope that will do the job. But we're increasingly seeing

petitions don't do anything.” he said. Many people feel the

Christian faith is being persecuted in this country. The feel that this

is increasing, largely because Christians don't take a strong enough

stand. Keeping silent is often seen as agreement with what is

happening.

The Department for Education has advised that the lessons are

age appropriate and take into account

the religious backgrounds of pupils. It

also insists that the lessons ‘don't

promote’ LGBT relationships; rather,

they educate.

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Bob Wharne - Times columnist!

H ere is a letter Bob sent to the Times on 29th November.

"Dear sirs, when asked what I would like for my 90th

birthday which I celebrated this week I replied nothing because I

have all I need.

I was therefore overwhelmed and humbled

when my brother in law and his wife produced

a party bag containing a £1 coin for each year

of my life with instructions for me to donate

them to whatever good causes I chose."

I think this is a brilliant idea which could be

widely adopted.

Yours sincerely Bob Wharne

Epiphany

O n 6th January we celebrate Epiphany – the visit of the Wise

Men to the baby Jesus. But who were these Wise Men? No

one knows for sure. Matthew calls them ‘Magi’, and that was the

name of an ancient caste of a priestly kind from Persia. It wasn’t

until the third century that they were called kings – by a church

father, Tertullian.

Another church father, Origin, assumed there were three – to

correspond with the gifts given. Later Christian interpretation

came to understand gold as a symbol of wisdom and wealth,

incense as a symbol of worship and sacrifice, and myrrh as a

symbol of healing – and even embalming. Certainly Jesus

challenged and set aright the way in which the world handled all

three of these things. Since the 8th century, the Magi have had the

names Balthasar, Gaspar and Melchior.

16

Friendship happens when people know a lot about Friendship happens when people know a lot about Friendship happens when people know a lot about Friendship happens when people know a lot about

you and like you anywayyou and like you anywayyou and like you anywayyou and like you anyway

Christmas Lunch

A nother fantastic Church Christmas meal was enjoyed by a

large number of people in early December. There's no

doubt that Davenports', the catering company, produced top

quality perfectly cooked food. The meal was fantastic. Their staff

were extremely helpful and professional.

Thanks goes to the team from church who organised the event,

without their support events like this would not happen. Thanks

also to church members who donated prizes to the wonderful

Raffle

The amount raised was £460£460£460£460.

We will soon be organising more social functions for next year.

Cup of tea? Which one?

T raditional tea drinkers are becoming something of a

dying breed, as ‘generation Z’

is opting more for herbal

equivalents and coffee.

In the year to May 2019, Britons

drank 330 million fewer cups of

black tea than they drank in 2018.

So says a study by Unilever, which

owns PG Tips. PG Tips recently

lost its position as Britain’s best-selling tea brand to Twinings,

which has a range of herbal teas as well as traditional ones.

17

The hill in the road ahead of you never seems as steep The hill in the road ahead of you never seems as steep The hill in the road ahead of you never seems as steep The hill in the road ahead of you never seems as steep

when you reach itwhen you reach itwhen you reach itwhen you reach it

Remember the Millennium Bug?

J ust over 20 years ago, there was widespread panic – or at least

deep concern – over what might happen when the calendar

switched over to the year 2000 on 1st January, and the effect on

computers of the so-called Y2K ‘Millennium Bug’.

The problem was that computers so long ago were laughably

short of memory, and to save space, years in dates had all been

recklessly programmed with two figures – for example 80, instead

of the full 1980. So, when they reached 2000, no-one knew what

would happen. Would the computers think they were back at 00,

the beginning of time, or in some other dimension where time had

no meaning?

Possible consequences

ranged from the Second

Coming to explosions in

nuclear plants and aircraft

falling out of the sky. Many

experts predicted disaster of

one kind or another.

Churches were not immune.

But in the end more or less

nothing happened. Some

put this down to the

preventative work done by computer technicians – at a price –

while others thought it was never going to happen anyway.

The cost of countering the Y2K Bug threat cost Britain nearly

£400 million. There were problems, but nothing huge – except the

sigh of relief.

18

Tuneful Places

Coe Fen - usually sung to: How shall I sing that majesty

which angels do admire?

Let dust in dust and silence lie;

sing, sing, ye heavenly choir.

Thousands of thousands stand around

thy throne, O God most high;

ten thousand times ten thousand sound

thy praise; but who am I?

Composed by Ken Naylor (b. Sunderland, County Durham, April

1931; d. June 1991). He was educated at Kingswood School, Bath,

and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read music. He was

Director of Music at The Leys School, Cambridge (1953-80) and a

much loved Housemaster, and later Christ’s Hospital (1980-86). He

composed a wide variety of music: carols to pantomimes; hymn

tunes; arrangements with brass and organ; anthems; spirituals; and

close harmony show songs.

The Chapel at Leys School.

Coe Fen is the

name of the

small fen on

the outskirts of

Cambridge,

and is

probably where he got inspiration for the hymn tune, and is crossed

by The Fen Causeway, one of the major routes into the city.

Fronting onto The Fen Causeway and almost adjacent to Coe Fen is

The Leys School.

19

How wrong you can be! On the way to

nursery school, a doctor had left her

stethoscope on the rear seat of the car and

her little girl picked it up and began playing

with it. “That’s OK”, thought the doctor,

“this may be a sign that my daughter will

want to follow in my footsteps and be a doctor one day.” Then the

child held the end piece to her mouth and said, “Welcome to

McDonald's, may I take your order please?"

"Today," said the college professor, "I will be lecturing about the

kidneys, intestines, pancreas, and the liver." One student leaned

toward his friend sitting next to him, "Great, we have to sit through

another organ recital."

If you are preparing to take off for foreign climes, do keep an eye

out for signs that have English words… but perhaps not an English

meaning! In hotels and train stations and airports all over the world

there are polite little signs that will bring a smile to the lips of even

the most exhausted traveller. For instance, how about these:

SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland: We have nice bath and are very good in bed.

RomaniaRomaniaRomaniaRomania: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time,

we regret you will be unbearable.

Russia:Russia:Russia:Russia: If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it.

Spain:Spain:Spain:Spain: Our wine list leaves you with nothing to hope for.

Denmark:Denmark:Denmark:Denmark: In the event of fire, open a window and announce your

presence in a seemly manner.

Canary Islands:Canary Islands:Canary Islands:Canary Islands: If you telephone for room service you will get the

answer you deserve.

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CHURCH OFFICIALS

Vicar Please contact the Churchwardens 760778

Reader Joan Plowman 768079

Churchwardens Anne Birch 760778

Sacristan Andrew Wood

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (PCC) OFFICERS

PCC Secretary Aileen Higgs 760149

pccsecretary@sandbachchurch.co.uk

Treasurer Roger Cooke 762118

Covenants Aileen Higgs 760149

and Gift Aid giftaid@sandbachchurch.co.uk

OTHER CONTACTS Organist and Kevin Birch 760778

Choir Master organist@sandbachchurch.co.uk

Music Group Heather Bottomley 768744

and Web Editor musicgroup@sandbachchurch.co.uk

Bells Steven Stoker 07456

bells@sandbachchurch.co.uk 418888

Church Flowers Sheenagh Ashworth 529187

Church Hall Sylvia Watkins 767386

hall@sandbachchurch.co.uk

Baptisms and Weddings

Please Contact the Churchwardens.

ChallengeChallengeChallengeChallenge is edited by John Bottomley. If you or your organisation

has any events or information that needs publicising, please

telephone 01270 768744 or e-mail: magazine@sandbachchurch.co.uk

Articles must be received by Sunday 19th January

More information is also available on the web-site: www.sandbachchurch.co.uk

Sheenagh Ashworth 529187