The Green Spire

The Parish Magazine ofSt Andrew, Orford with Longford

December 2015The Archbishop’s Opening Address to General Synod 2From the Vicar – if we listen closely... 3What’s on in December 5 Who’s On in December 7The Collect for Advent 8From our Junior Correspondents (School News) 9Alternative gifts 10To tweet or not to tweet 12Musings at Christmas time 13Snippets from the Church Times 14What the PCC decided 15Christmas Fair results 16Notice Board 17Our Annual Charitable Giving 19Scouts out and about 21As I see it – by Churchmouse (and Millicent) 22Praying for the world-wide Church 24From the Registers 27Prayer Intentions for December 29

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The opening address to General Synod The Archbishop delivered his presidential address to the 10th General Synod. He began by speaking about a discovery made whilst renovators were working at the Great Hall at Lambeth Palace, “A few months ago those renovating the Great Hall, part of the library at Lambeth Palace, found this – it’s a plumb line. It’s beautifully shaped and goodness knows how old. It was found behind a wall, it could for all we know be several hundred years old and it’s unbelievably heavy. “But a plumb line’s chief purpose isn’t to draw attention to what it says about itself, but what it enables. A plumb line is used to test verticality and depth. “It is, of course, the prophet Amos who has the vision of the Lord holding a plumb line against the people of God. And as we start this Synod, I offer this image of a plumb line being held against what we have and what we will build, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves.“Amos uses it to warn the people that God is serious about both justice and judgement. “With the formal Inauguration of Synod, we now stand at the brink of another five year period of the work that the General Synod carries out.” The Archbishop went on to thank all those involved for serving the Church at Synod and praising their commitment and sacrifice of time. He went on to say,” If you’re anything like me you come to this experience of a new Synod – whether you yourself are new or returning – with a certain amount of apprehension. How do we best take responsibility for the household of God which is the Church of England? “For me this is the first time that I have seen a new Synod, but I know that Synod has some tried and tested ways of building.“Having learned to like some of the ways of the old Synod, I feel like those in my parish church did when we suggested getting rid of the pews and putting in chairs. The pews may have been beautiful or ugly, comfortable or uncomfortable, there was even a suspicion – which I have to say I may have helped create – that they had been designed by an osteopath who was short of business. But whatever one’s opinion, they were the pews we knew.” “In five years’ time we can look at ourselves as people who have built together, who have listened and heard and although not agreed, have done our best to be faithful to Jesus Christ. “Human beings, being sinners, will never be tidy in the way they disagree, or in the nature of their relation-ships. We will be an untidy Synod because we are a human Synod. “Untidiness in relationships is normal, not fearful: it expresses the richness of who we are. “The last Synod changed its way of working and achieved much.“If we are consumed with desire for each other’s flourishing. If we can celebrate rather than resent the work of the Spirit in each other’s lives, which expresses not so much who we are but above all whose we are; if we are willing to discover new ways of listening and loving; then this next Quinquennium, meeting at its beginning in the shadow of Paris, will achieve even more. Amen.

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From the Vicar:The choir (and friends) have been working hard since early October to rehearse for the Carol Service on 20th

December. As in previous years, some of the carols are new ones and some are traditional favourites.

One of the new carols is called A Christmas Gloria and it is one of those tunes that once it’s in your head, you find yourself constantly singing it! I woke the other morning with the words “and if we listen closely, we may hear the angels sing”. It got me thinking – not so much about Christmas, but Advent.

Advent – the weeks immediately before Christmas – starts this year on 30th November and runs right through to Christmas Eve. Advent is a wonderful season but has been overshadowed by the preparations for the 25th!

I don’t think I’m alone, either, in thinking this. Some years ago, Delia Smith (celebrity chef, director of Norwich Football Club and devout Roman Catholic) wrote a short book with the title A Feast for Advent. In the preface, she described how she got to Christmas Eve exhausted and realised that Advent had completely passed her by. What’s more, she said she felt in ‘no fit state to celebrate

anything’. I think most of us know the feeling only too well. We are bombarded from all sides not to forget a single Brussels sprout!

When the Christmas Gloria was written, I suspect the author was conveying a sense of peace on Christmas Eve when the angels brought the message of the birth of the Christ-child and the hope that we, too, might join the shepherds in listening for the good news the angel brought. But why wait until Christmas Eve when the Church has given us a whole month to prepare spiritually for one of the greatest feasts in the Christian calendar?

I don’t think I’m alone in having encouraged members of St Andrew’s to do something special during Advent in previous years. If we looked back at the magazines written by my predecessors, I’m sure we’d find similar suggestions.

There is a sense in which I’m suggesting we do the exact opposite! I’m suggesting that we stop what we are doing for a few minutes each day and, as the carol puts it, “listen closely that we may hear the angels sing”. What could be simpler? What could be more rewarding?

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Of course, it was the angels who were responsible for announcing the birth of Jesus in the first place. Gabriel visited Mary and told her that God had chosen her specially to carry his Son. When Jesus was born, it was a whole squadron of angels that announced his birth to the shepherds.

The sad thing is that the majority of people in this country are failing to make the link between the birth of Jesus and Christmas.

According to recent research undertaken and found on the website of Premier Radio, only twelve per cent of adults know the nativity story and more than one third of children don’t know whose birthday it is on December 25th. These figures are quite shocking. What’s more, fifty-one percent of adults now say that the birth of Jesus is irrelevant to their Christmas. If true, those figures are staggering.

Christmas starts with Christ is a campaign which attempts to address some of these issues. It acts as a timely reminder among the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparation that Jesus is at the heart of the celebration. It doesn’t say that our celebrations are wrong; simply that we should remember the core reason for the celebrations.

It is a campaign backed by the Diocese of Liverpool, and others. We’ve taken part before by displaying posters in the window at the front of church.

This year, we have posters to take home and display to remind passers-by what Christmas is all about. There are also some parcel labels with the motif “Christmas begins with Christ”. I hope you will feel able to take a poster home to display.

In the United States, angels are part of the national psyche. It is a trend which is growing in the UK too. I suspect that angels are seen as guardians that keep us safe, but the original Greek word for angels literally means ‘messenger’. So Gabriel brought the message from God about her being Jesus’ mother and the angels told the shepherds about Jesus’ birth.

We too are angels if we pass on the message of God’s love for his creation. Christmas is the perfect time as people are probably more receptive to the message now than any other time of the year. With our help, we can make sure that Christmas really does begin with Christ.

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Michael RaynorWhat’s on in December...

Sunday 29th St Andrew’s Day – Patronal FestivalNovember 10.00am Sung Eucharist: Church and School together

Monday 30th St Andrew’s Day 9.15am School celebration service – all welcome

Thursday 3rd 10.30am Eucharist with Year 5 in churchDecember 6.00pm Christingle Service in church

8.00pm Thursday Ladies' Club meet at the vicarage

Sunday 6th The Second Sunday of Advent 10.00am Sung Eucharist 12 noon Holy Baptism

Thursday 10th 10.30am Eucharist with Year 4 in church

Sunday 13th The Third Sunday of Advent 10.00am Sung Eucharist

Tuesday 15th 9.30am Infant nativity in school (time to be confirmed)

Wednesday 16th Our Charity Shop opens for the final time before Christmas 1.30pm Infant nativity in school (time to be confirmed)

Thursday 17th 4.00pm Curriculum and Data Meeting in school

Sunday 20th The Fourth Sunday of Advent 10.00am Sung Eucharist 2.00pm Decorate church for Christmas 6.00pm Carol Service

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Tuesday 22nd 9.15am School Carol Service in church 1.30pm School closes for Christmas

holiday

Thursday 24th CHRISTMAS EVE 6.00pm Crib Service in Church11.30pm Midnight Mass of the Nativity

Friday 25th CHRISTMAS DAY10.00am Family Communion

service with carols

Saturday 26th Feast of St Stephen10.30am Eucharist

Sunday 27th St John the Evangelist10.00am Sung Eucharist

Monday 28th Holy Innocents10.30am Eucharist

Thursday 31st 10.30am Eucharist

Friday 1st The Naming of JesusJanuary 2016 10.30am Eucharist

Sunday 3rd The Feast of the Epiphany10.00am Sung Eucharist

with Procession of Wise Men to the stable

There are regular weekly celebrations of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) on Wednesday evening at 7.00pm and Thursday morning at 10.30am.

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Celebrations on Saint’s Days are published on the Sunday sheet. All are welcome.

Who’s on in December…

2015 SIDES-PEOPLE READER INTERCESSOR OFFERTORY

6 Dec B. BoscoeB. Glover F. Greatorex M. Greatorex

H. Smythe

13 Dec M. GreatorexH. Smythe O. Vowles D. Kirk M. Ellison

Z. Zahorcova

20 Dec I. AppletonM. Harrington M. Harrington D. Yeamans J. Brookman

C. MuirXmas

MidnightVolunteers please M. Brown M. Harrington Volunteers please

Xmas10am Volunteers please Don Miller Volunteer please Volunteers please

27 Dec J. DevereuxM. Ellison L. Manfredi K. Rowan A. Yeamans

D. Yeamans

3 Jan 16Epiphany

F. GreatorexO. Vowles A. Gorman M. Brown B. Boscoe

B. Glover

2015 SUNDAY SCHOOL COUNTING COLLECTIONS

6 Dec J. Raynor V. Carter / J. Raynor13 Dec J. Raynor B. Boscoe / B. Glover20 Dec J. Raynor27 Dec J. Raynor I. Appleton / M. Ellison

3 Jan 16 J. Raynor V. Carter / J. Raynor

2015 TEA ROTA READ ON WEDS EVE HALL CLEANING

6 Dec F. Greatorex / M Harrington D. Kirk (9 Dec) J. Devereux13 Dec B. Boscoe / B. Glover Fr Michael (16 Dec) C. Worrall20 Dec Volunteers please N. Lee (23 Dec) Fr Michael27 Dec M. Ellison / M. Harrington D. Kirk (30 Dec) J. Devereux

3 Jan 16 F. Greatorex / L. Giblin Fr Michael (6 Jan) C. Worrall

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If you change your turn on the rota, please remember to mark the rota on the notice board. Thank you

The Collect for Advent

I became an active member of the Church at a very exciting time. The 1928 Prayer Book was widely used and there was talk of ‘liturgical reform’! I remember the introduction of Series One, the first real text in modern English, and discussions around its successor Series 2. In time, they led to the introduction of the Alternative Service Book in 1980 and Common Worship which appeared at the turn of the century. While disconcerting to some, I found each stage innovative and liberating, and Common Worship gives us the freedom to tailor our worship to the Times and Seasons we celebrate.

Thinking back, there are just one or two things that I miss from the Prayer Book, and one of them is the tradition to use the Advent collect right through the season of Advent, usually with a second collect for the day. The Advent collect set the tone for the weeks leading up to Christmas and the sense of hope and expectation that comes with it.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darknessand to put on the armour of light,now in the time of this mortal life,in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;that on the last day,when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead,we may rise to the life immortal. Amen

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From our Junior Correspondents

As members of the Ethos group, we have had a very busy month. An artist, Mrs Lifford came into school, to do some art work with us. We were thinking about the Christian Values that we focus on during the school year. Mrs McKinnon also asked us to think about some British values. Over three weeks Mrs Lifford helped us to produce some canvases to illustrate these values, using a variety of techniques, to create a variety of effects. It was great fun, trying out the different techniques, especially when we sprayed the canvases with oil based paints. All of our work is now on display in the corridor, near Mrs McKinnon’s room. It is lovely to hear all the positive comments from pupils and adults and it certainly makes us proud knowing that everyone appreciates the hard work that we put into the display.

Grace, Tanatswa and Keira in Year 4 and 5

This half term, we have enjoyed working with Mrs Lifford, as part of our topic work on the eventful maiden voyage of The Titanic. Everyone in our class has really enjoyed learning about this ship and how it hit an iceberg, which made it sink. One afternoon, Mrs Lifford brought in an old suitcase and when she opened it we were all amazed to see some artefacts, which may have come from the boat. There was some jewellery, a pocket watch, some wooden boxes, which had been damaged by the sea water. There were also some glass bottles, a captain’s hat and a violin. We then tried very hard to do some observational drawings. It was quite tricky, because we had to look very carefully at the shapes of the objects, but it was great fun. Mrs Lifford also brought in a dress and pinafore, which a child might have worn in the days of The Titanic and she let some of the girls wear the dress for the afternoon, as we did our work. It was great!

Katie, Lucus and Olivia in Year 2

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Every Friday morning, we have a great time reading to a dog. Yes, a dog! The dog’s name is Rosie and she belongs to Mrs Antell, one of our teachers. Rosie is so calm and she loves to be stroked. We get to choose a book to read to her, Rosie is kept on her lead and there are always two adults there as well. I really like reading to Rosie and look forward to Friday mornings, when she comes into school.

Aimee, Kyle, Keira and Daniel Year 3 and Year 4

On Monday the 23rd November, the Ethos group went on a little trip, to visit a church in Warrington. Mrs McKinnon and Mrs Hatton took us to a Methodist Church in Penketh in Warrington. The church is a new church, which is also in a community centre called The Olive Tree Community Centre. When we got there we met Mrs Stephenson, who showed us around the rooms which are used for worship. She also told us about some of the other groups that use the building, like a little school, which teaches young children how to speak foreign languages. There was also a cafe, and the very kind ladies there made us some toast and a drink. We met and man called Barry, who told us about how it took a long time to raise enough money to build the church. He was very proud of the new church and pointed out to us the foundation stone of the original church, which had the date 1818 on it. That stone is in the garden, next to the entrance of the community centre. We chatted to Mrs Stephenson and Barry, comparing their church to St. Andrew’s Church. While we were there we did some drawings. It was a great, interesting morning.

Mia and Bradley year 4

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞There are lots of Christmas activities taking place in school in the run-up to Christmas. In particular, there are the Nativity Plays which are listed in What’s On on page 5.

You are most welcome to come along and will, I’m sure, be made most welcome. If you’d like to come to one of the performances, please have a word with Fr Michael who will be happy to arrange a ticket. The carol service on the last day is, of course, open to everyone and the children would love to see lots of people from church attending it.

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Alternative Gifts What do you get if you cross a sturdy cockerel with a hen that can stand the heat of the tropics? You get a tough, climate resistant chick that can grow big and strong and bring joy to a hard=pressed family by producing eggs. They can either eat or sell at the market. For £20, you get 10 chicks – good value anywhere but even more so in many parts of our world where the difference it makes is almost immeasurable. The charity Actionaid is offering this gift as one of its many alternative Christmas gifts.

The market for alternative gifts has grown over the last decade or so. The idea is simple. You chose and pay for a gift from your favourite charity’s catalogue and the gift is sent to a part of the world where it is most needed. The person you’ve “bought” the gift for receives a card telling them what was bought in their name and how it will help.

How much you have to spend isn’t really a problem. From Send-a-Cow you can send a £9 lollipop which contains essential minerals and vitamins to keep a calf well to a £3,000 motorbike to carry its field staff to remote areas where they can help and support families caring for one of their animals.

If the idea of a gift that you can give appeals, how about a ‘wax moon light’ from Traidcraft? It is a faux candle with an LED light powered by a battery that lasts and lasts. It s made by one of Traidcraft’s partners, Swazi Candles, which employs over two hundred people.

Professional Floristry for All Occasions

Soft Toys, BalloonsPlants and Cards

Deliveries

Amanda Morrison

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MISS DAISY’S

Station Road, Great Sankey Tel/Fax: 01925 728973

To tweet or not to tweet...In our brave new electronic age, few things are still held sacred. The use of scial media is still increasing, but a recent survy suggested that most people (77% of the population, to be precise) still prefer a hand-written card overother, newer froms of communication at Christmas. Ony 3% of those interviewed said they would prefer a social media message rather than a more traditional greeting!

There are some people who use email and Facebook and Twitter as a means of raising funds for particular charities. Theysend their electronic greetings out at no cost and then work out how much they would have paid for more conventional means and donate that amount to charity.

Charity cards are only a small part of the overall market but they are estimated to raise around £50 million each year.The benefits are widely shared. Traidcraft last year gave half a million pounds to SCIAF, Cafod and Christian Aid.

“It is the personal touch that most people value,” said Larry Busah, director of marketing for Traidcraft.

The Archbishop of Your, Dr John Sentamu, said, “I love using social media, but I think something has been lost in our increasing reliance on it to connect with other people. A ‘loke’ on Facebook, or a retweet, will never satiate the most basic of human needs: to feel connected, loved, and belonging to a tangible community. Making the effort and showing someone you’ve taken the time to think of them is priceless, and will really show them that you care.”

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Musings...

There is a very fine line between Christmas hymns and Christmas carols.

Hymns tend to be religious and mostly sung in church but carols were, and are, originally ring dances and were often used to tell stories. Some are dramatic, some are gentle. Some just tell parts of the Christmas story, some are quite funny. The main thing is that they are for sharing, for nostalgia and for fun.

Of course, we will sing the good old favourites, beginning at the Crib Service on Christmas Eve when the children will gather round the crib to sing Away in a manger. The carol service will start with Once in Royal David’s city and continue to tell the story, in music, throughout this glorious season.

But what of the ‘non-church’ carols. Many were sung from door to door by “the waits”, an old name for groups of singers. These often embodied traditions that are now only kept in country areas. One such carol is Here we come a wassailing.

The ‘wassail’ was a bowl of cider of similar with roast apples floating in it. In places like Devon, the tradition is to go into the orchards and ‘wassail’ (serenade and bless) the apple trees.

The Boar’s Head Carol was sung at a feast on Christmas Day at which the main part of the feast was a roasted boar’s head, but they did not forget what it was all about and sang the carol as a sort of ‘grace’ before they ate. One of the verses begins:

“Our stewards have provided thisIn honour of the King of Blisswho this day to be served is.”

Everyone has their favourite carol but new ones continue to be written all the time. Listen out this Christmas for carols on the radio (Classic-fm, 101.1, regularly broadcasts carols throughout the day right through December and has a top thirty on Christmas morning) and television. You may be surprised at the variety and richness that they bring to the celebration of the birth of the Christ-child.

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Snippets from the Church Times

The tenth General Synod (each Synod lasts for five years and meets twice a year) met in November and was addressed by the Queen when it opened in Westminster. At the service which marked the opening, the preacher, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa (Preacher to the Papal Household) encouraged synod to be ‘united and outward-looking’. His plea for unity extended beyond the Anglican Church and he noted that his invitation was a sign that this was already happening.

The Archbishop of York is starting a six-month pilgrimage to his diocese. He will be walking a sizeable distance each day ‘from the coast, over moor and dale, through both rural and urban communities, and across an area that spans the Humber to the Tees, and the A1 to the coast.’ He will visit every deanery, taking a day’s rest each week at home. He hopes other people will walk with him and that there will be plenty of time for ‘spontaneous response to God’.

The BCC announced its Christmas schedule at the end of November. There are plenty of firm favourites – Midnight Mass and services for Christmas morning from Bath Abbey and Ripon Cathedral, The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s and Songs of Praise from the Albert Hall where they will host the Christmas Big Sing.

A sixteenth century chalice which had been deposited with a branch of Lloyds Bank and subsequently ‘mislaid’ has finally be found and returned to the parish of St Veep’s in Cornwall and a nine-month long search. The church, not surprisingly, was delighted with its return, and the compensatory donation made by the bank at the same time.

Ecclesiastical Insurance invited parishes to send in novel ideas for fund-raising over the summer. The results have just been announced, and the winner of the £10,000 prize goes to the Church of St Elizabeth of Hungary at Aspull near Wigan for organising a worm-charming contest! It is hoped that this and other ideas will be available shortly on EIG’s website.

Attempts to ban an advert by the Church of England to be shown before the new Star Wars have been undermined, in part at least, by over 500,000 views online!

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What the PCC decided...

The meeting began with a brief review of progress on the Church School Partnership. Afternoon tea for Reception parents and children went well, as did Messy Church on a Hallowe’en / Light theme. Church and School supported Lawrence’s Roundabout Pump Appeal at Harvest time and support from parents and children at the Harvest Festival was good and welcome. Members were again invited to attend worship sessions in school on Monday and Tuesday mornings and Friday afternoon.

Fourteen people from St Andrew’s attended WAC attack at the cathedral and said farewell to Peter and Pat Bradley, the retiring Archdeacon and his wife. Everyone had a good day.

Mrs Wendy McKinnon was appointed Child Protection Co-ordinator and Mrs Marylin Harringto as Vulnerable Adult Co-ordinator. Both will act as DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) verifiers.

Fr Michael distributed copies of the Growth Planning Framework 3 and briefly described the format, which reviews past objectives and helps the PCC set new ones to encourage growth. Responsibility for each action is assigned to individual members. It was agreed that members take the booklets away and start completing them for discussion at the next meeting.

The Treasurer gave a financial update. The area of greatest concern is the faling income from Planned Giving which has dropped dramatically over the past twelve months. This will be addressed by the Giving steering group when they meet shortly. Fees for 2016 will be set shortly. The usual notification has not been received and the Church of England website suggests that fees for 2016 will be similar to this year. Supporting other charities was discussed and the outcome can be found later in this magazine.

The PCC agreed to ask the Bishop’s approval for Mrs Wendy McKinnon and Miss Norma Lee to administer the chalice. It was approved unanimously and we await his reply.

Sarah, Amy and Kimberley will be admitted to communion on St Andrew’s Day. Confirmation in 2016 will be shared with St Margaret’s on a date to be offered by the bishop. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 19th January.

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Christmas Fair results

We would like to thank everyone who supporter the Christmas Fair this year. The total raised to date (money sometimes comes in for a week or two after the fair) stands at £1,117.31. This is the best result for several years, despite a very wet afternoon.

Thanks to the 33rd Scout Group for their support before the fair and for setting up the Winter Wonderland children’s activity centre. Thanks too to staff, children and families in school for their support and to friends who came along to help us out. Without them all, we would have struggled.

The results of the Grand Christmas Draw are as follows:

1 £50 cash 2618 Ryan Antrobus2 Christmas Hamper 0363 Susan Baird3 Bottle of Whisky 1209 Joyce Crozier4 Carvery at the Village Hotel 0694 Sarah Cooper5 Bottle of Baileys 3036 Julie Sheen6 £10 Post Office voucher 0190 Paul (Walker’s)7 Bath and Body Collection 0007 Baird8 Luxury Afternoon Tea tray 3841 RM9 14 piece table set 0248 M Arnold10 Towel Set 0434 M Harrington11 Jewellery Set 0102 C Muir12 Bottle of Prosecco 1301 J Crozier13 Tin of Biscuits 2751 Emma Burton14 Toiletries Gift Set 1477 Debbie Mullen15 Luxury Pamper Box 0338 G Boscoe16 Vase and Bath Set 0043 Baird

Thank you to everyone who contribute prizes for the Draw. For the first time in a while, we had more prizes than we needed for this occasion and have kept some to be used next time.

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Fridge and Freezers Washing Machines

Dishwashers Cookers etc

The Christingle Service This year’s Christingle went extremely well thanks to the efforts of Mrs Hatton and the Ethos Group in school. It was well attended, including a big contingent from the 33rd. The collection candles have just been counted and raised £179.56 which will be forwarded to the Children’s Society.

Poppy AppealThanks to Albert Yeamans for organising a tray of poppies and collecting box. The total raised in church was £33.84 and a further £9 that came in after the box had been counted was added to the collection taken in school – a further £248.79

Andrew MercerDomestic Appliance Repairs

01925 42384007723 967564

andymercer22@hotmail.com

Church libraryThanks to some additional dontaions, we are building up a good and varied collection of books in church. Do have a look at the books on the table and see if one catches your eye! There’s plenty to choose from. Just bring it back when you’ve finished with it. Thank you.

Carol ServicePlease make a note of December 20th at 6pm. You might like to invite a member of the fmaily or a friend to join you. It’s always a lovely service.

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Christmas flowersDonations towards the flowers in church for Christmas will be gratefull received. Christmas is such an important occasion and we like to splash-out to reflect the special nature of the season.

Parish Christmas cardWould you like to send a Christmas card to everyone who attends St Andrew’s Church? Well now you can. Each year, we run a parish card that contains greetings from everyone who would like to participate and then we distribute them to the whole congregation and thse who receive the magazine. There are usually spares for those you feel might like a card, too. Please write down your short message and hand tit to Fr Michael no later than Wednesday 186th

December. It will be available of Sunday 20 th. Contirubtions towards the cost will be accepted though the main purpose is to allow everyone to greet one another.

Accent concertOur thanks to the Warrington and Halton Music Service Hub for the splendid concert held in church last month. There were novices and near-professionals taking part, all of school or college age, in a warm friendly atmosphere. There is some real talent in Warrington.

Giving EnvelopesThe current set of envelopes run out at the end of December and Lynne Giblin is preparing new sets for everyone who is part of the scheme. There may be members of St Andrew’s who are not currently part of the scheme and would like a set of envelopes for 2016. If you would like to join the scheme, please have a word with Lynne or Fr Michael.

Anyone wishing to transfer their giving to standing order paid directly from the bank, again please speak to Lynne or Fr Michael who will give you the details you need.

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Annual Charitable GivingMany charities and groups raise funding from the Lottery and trust funds. However, there are some that don’t qualify, most notably because they promote religion. This makes it particularly difficult for charities such as United Society to further their missionary work at home and overseas.

Fifteen years ago, the PCC set itself the challenge of supporting bodies such as Us. The PCC felt that if the Biblical norm is 10% (or tithe – you can read about it in Deuteronomy), then we should aim for a similar level. Based on Planned Giving, fees and collections, the PCC has fulfilled its commitment each year. At the recent meeting of the Council, the following donations were agreed:

United Society (formerly United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) is a Church based missionary society working in over eighty countries including the UK. They run schools, hospitals and theological colleges, mostly in parts of central Africa. They are totally dependent on churches like our own for financial support and we agreed to send £600 this year. Additionally, we raised funds through the Lent boxes.

Church Urban Fund (CUF) was originally set up as one of the recommendations from the Inner City Commission’s enquiry chaired by David Sheppard twenty five years ago. It supports projects that improve life in the most deprived inner city areas of England. Most, though not all, are church based and church led. About five years ago, Bishop James asked parishes to support CUF to the tune of 10% of their giving. The PCC agreed £200

Angel Tree Trust is a national charity with a local base at Risley Prison. It helps prisoners provide a small gift for their children who suffer through no fault of their own. It is administered by the chaplaincy staff at the prison who carefully vet all requests. They were awarded £100

YMCA Warrington Readers may have seen the articles in the Warrington Guardian. The Y celebrated 160 years of being in Warrington, working initially with young men though its scope has widened since. They work with homeless people and have established a number of different initiatives to provide emergency shelter and help back into accommodation. They support the lonely,

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especially at Christmas and are open as a drop-in five days a week. When people have turned up at the vicarage, we have been able to put them in touch with the Y who know how best to help them. We are sending £160

Guild of Church Braillists is a very small north-west organisation that translates religious books into Braille. Our original contact was through Canon Leslie Foster who benefitted from their services and acted as an ambassador for the charity. Leslie served at Hollinfare, Holy Trinity and Great Budworth and some local people still remember him. Much parish-based support comes from this area where Leslie ministered. We agreed to send £100

Train-a-Priest Fund is run by the Church Times to support ordinands and their families through training. Often the financial support they receive is limited by what dioceses can afford and the TAP Fund helps supplement that income. In the past, we have supported individuals in training but patterns of training have changed, moving away from residential placements. As a result, we have found it difficult to identify worthy folk so have used the Church Times for the past couple of years. They received £100 which we know will be appreciated.

The Children’s Society is one of the more well-known charities and was formerly known as the Church of England Children’s Society. Most of its support comes from the C of E though the name change was intended, in part, to widen the giving base. Lynne Giblin is our representative and counts and returns money raised from boxes which people keep at home. The Society works up and down the country and had a base in Orford for a time. They are now working in Longford from Densham Avenue. We agreed to send £100

The Royal Nation Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen provides chaplaincy and social support in fishing communities. Fishing is a dangerous occupation and there are fatalities every year. The Fishermen’s Mission (the more accessible name for RNMDSF) supports the families of those who have lost someone as well as caring for the whole fishing community. They have individual ‘superintendents’ either at the main fishing ports or men and women who look after more than one location. We agreed to send £100 to them.

From time to time, we carry articles in The Green Spire which give a flavour for their work and keep us up to date with their priorities. Thank you for helping us support these worthwhile causes.

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Scouts out and aboutIn November, our Scout Group went to Linnet Clough near Marple for their annual Winter Camp weekend. Happily, winter camp is spent indoors (though there was a Group there sleeping out under canvas and it was bitterly cold). So cold, in fact, that when we went to visit on the Saturday, we drove many miles looking at the hills covered in snow. The toilet facilities are in a separate building to the main accommodation and when we arrived, Aaron told us of nipping out overnight and coming back looking like a snowman!

There is always a theme for these weekends and this one went under the grand title of ‘Indiana Jones and the Lost Scout’ The young people took part in a series of challenges that involved team work, including bridge building, shooting and a very messy ‘find the object in flour, water or pasta using only your mouth’! When we arrived, it looked as though everyone was very pale. There was another activity which included beating a watermelon with a stick but we never found out exactly what that involved.

Just down the road from Linnet Clough, there is a major archaeological dig taking place to unearth one of the largest water powered cotton spinning mills in the country. The Scouts learned about the mill which was a major local employer. They were also given the chance to go down into the site and help search for artefacts. David and his friend found a hefty piece of metal that looked like a wedge which had been used to hold machinery in place. It was taken away to be cleaned, identified and catalogued. There were other finds too, along with items that had been found earlier and were on display. There were several lemonade bottles with marbles inside to make the seal.

At the end of a very cold and rewarding afternoon, it was lovely to get back to the warmth of the camp buildings. (They are well heated as long as everyone remembers to close the doors). There was a hot meal followed by some different kinds of eating challenges. Have you ever tried sprouts dipped in chocolate? If not, you’ve never lived!

On Sunday morning, everyone took part in an orienteering exercise using maps and compass to find their way from symbols to symbol secreted about the camp site. After lunch, it was time to clear up and pack before heading home and a warm welcome from parents, trying not to be overcome by the bags of wet, muddy clothes and very tired young people.

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As I see it …“They also serve who only stand and wait”

“Don’t talk to me about standing,” said my wife Millicent. “That Christmas Fair...”

I only went along to help – Margaret had said we could scamper round and find the gifts on her display on the Tombola. That was fine until them young Scout mice came to help, and naturally they were a lot quicker on their paws than us ‘oldies’ so I went to offer my help to the cake stall.

The problem on the cake stall was that some people seemed put off by seeing me; in fact, one or two of them screamed out loud (and I mean LOUD).

I tried the toy stall next, but a small child tried to buy me and wanted to squeeze me to see if I squeaked.

There’s no way I was going to be squeezed like a tube of toothpaste so I quickly fled and went out to the Winter Wonderland tent. This was more my style. There were lots of things to make including Yule logs with prickly holly and imitation snow. They looked really good when they were finished. But even with all the heaters, it was a bit chilly and wet out there, and I decided to risk going back inside.

I next nipped into the kitchen, being careful that no one spotted me. I found a piece of crust broken off one of the cheese and onion pies (cheese, as you probably know, is a firm favourite with us mice and church mouse would simply have to put up with the smell of onion on my breath. After a cup of chocolate (well, it was more like a thimble as we mice can’t drink too much at once) with a marshmallow on top, I decided to quit while the going was good.

In the end, I went and sat quietly with Father Christmas, and it was so peaceful snuggled up in the sleeve of his coat that I fell asleep and didn’t wake up till they called the raffle.

“Never mind,” I said to her, “it’s not long before we move into church for Christmas” and, of course, we went over to church for the Christingle on Thursday. I’ve never seen the church so full. It really was brilliant. All our children took part, some with the scout mice, and some with St Andrew’s Rodent Primary.

Did you notice the Yule logs in church at the Christingle? They were made by Rob Haines, one of the scout leaders and these were the

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real McCoy! They’re a couple of feet long and have several tea lights in each one of them. We’ll be using them over Christmas, too, which will make it look cosy and festive. Thanks, Rob.

Now we are all trying to calm down as we wait through Advent, getting ready for all the fun of Christmas. We have moved into church for the whole season (because, believe it or

not, it’s warmer, especially when we can bed down in the hay of the stable) and will take part in all the festivities. If you come to the Crib Service, do make a point of coming to the front to look for us Just look where the hay is thickest – unless you have mince pies!

Churchmouse and Millicent

St Andrew’s Charity Shop

every Wednesdayfrom 10am to 3.30pm in the Hall

We will close at 3pm on Wednesday 16th and re-open on Wednesday 13th January

Mince pies on 16th DecemberCome in and see us before Christmas!

A husband was becoming increasingly concerned that his wife might have a hearing problem. As they relaxed watching TV in their favourite armchairs one evening, he called across to her, “Can you hear me, Ethel?” There was no response. A few seconds later he asked again, this time a little louder. Still there was no response. So he tried for a third time, “Can you hear me, Ethel?” She answered impatiently, “For the third time, yes.”

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Courtesy of Tidings, the magazine of Workingmen’s Mission

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Praying for the world-wide Church

Recently, we started a series on the Anglican Communion. Each day over a two-year cycle, everyone (eighty million members) around the world focuses their prayer on one diocese or province. In our worship in church, we join with other Anglicans in praying for the people of those dioceses. Here are the dioceses that come up on the Sundays in December:

Sunday 6th December: Diocese of Western Louisiana (Province VIII)

This diocese is divided into five convocations (similar to our deaneries, possibly?) There are 34 parishes, 10 missions and four chapels. Bishop Jake Owensby, the diocesan bishop, was consecrated in July 2012. His wife, Joy, is the Missioner for Christian Formation in the diocese. Some of the more

interesting appointments on the staff are the Canon for Congregational Vitality, Canon for Disaster relief and Canon for Generosity and Hospitality.

The Congregational Vitality Institute was set up to equip lay leaders to serve their congregations in mutual ministry with their ordained clergy. The aim is to make each congregation stronger and healthier, more visible in their community, more deeply rooted in the Anglican tradition and fully responsive to God as missional churches.

Sunday 13th December: Diocese of Windward Islands

Windward Islands is one of eight dioceses that make up the Province of the West Indies. There are fifty-four congregations meeting regularly across the diocese. From other web sites, it appears that their interests and concerns are no different to those that many churches now experience, including our own Church of England. Writing in advance of a Synod, at which all the parishes are represented, the bishop said, “there is a large number of persons who view the Christian Church and religion as something that is positive when it comes to community work and assistance to the poor. Though there is an increasing number of persons who no longer attend church, there remains a significant number who are interested in spirituality and engaged with the idea of seeking of seeking a relationship with God in some form... The question is how do we

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communicate the good news of God’s love for all creation and invite people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ ...?”

Sunday 20th December: Diocese of Yewa (form. Egbado) - (Lagos, Nigeria)

The rebirth of Christianity began with the arrival of Christian freed slaves in Nigeria in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Church Missionary Society established an evangelistic ministry, particularly in the south. The division of the Province of West Africa in 1979 formed the Province of Nigeria and the Province of West Africa. During the 1990s, nine missionary Bishops consecrated themselves to evangelism in northern Nigeria. Nigeria, ‘the giant of Africa’, is the most populous in Africa and the seventh largest population in the world. The population is relatively young.

The diocese of Yewa was formerly known as the Diocese of Egdabo until relatively recently. It lies in the Province of Lagos. . The Anglican Church in Nigeria is strong and is divided into no less than fourteen provinces. The Province of Lagos includes the port of Lagos and is the coastal part of Nigeria

Yewa is another diocese without its own website. Trawling the internet, there is a story in Vanguard, dated 23rd November, (Vanguard is a national daily newspaper ‘published for the community’), which tells of troubles surrounding the Prayer City and a decree by the diocesan bishop that no priest should take his people there to use for prayer meetings as they should all be held in recognised church buildings. The bishop, Rt. Revd Michael Adebayo Oluwarohunbi, has only recently been collated and our prayers on 20 th

December should be that peace and understanding will flourish in that troubled diocese.

Sunday 27th December: Diocese of Zaki-Biam

The Diocese of Zaki-Biam lies in the Province of Abuja, another Province in Nigeria. Focused on the capital city, it covers the inland part of Nigeria. Interestingly, the National Church of Nigeria can befound in Abuja. Completed in 2005, if it an interdenominational church built in a rather fine neo-gothic style. The exterior is modern and the interior has a traditional, if airy, feel to it. The altar is at the centre of the building and rotates once every ten minutes!

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Sunday 29th November: Diocese of West Malaysia

This again is a fairly new diocese, resulting from a reorganisation of the diocese of Singapore and Malaya in 1970. The Diocese of West Malaysia covers the entire West Malaysia.

As a diocese, they are very proud of their Anglican roots and everyone already in ministry or contemplating it is required to take part in a course which teaches what makes being Anglican so special.

The diocese is split into six archdeaconries (and we are just expanding from two to four in Liverpool Diocese). The centre of operations is Kuala Lumpur.

Being in the southern hemisphere, it is now summer and time for yet another Diocesan Youth Camp. 2015 will be the sixty-third annual camp for young people!

The theme for 2015's Youth Camp is "Embark, Your Adventure Awaits". Drawing from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, they will be addressing key themes of discipleship, worship in church, marriage and relationships, and evangelism, and learn what it is to be "co-workers in God's service."

Footnote: Looking at the different websites of the dioceses that make up the Anglican Communion and covered so far in this series, a picture emerges of individual Churches with many similarities. On the one hand, that’s not surprising – we wouldn’t be a ‘communion’ if we didn’t share many things in common. On the other hand, the Church serves the community in which it finds itself and the cultures and ethos of those communities vary enormously. In parts of the world, the Church is in the minority. In some places, it co-exists alongside other world faiths, and in some countries (notably Korea included last month) it is devotion and commitment to the leader of the nation.

Among the different Churches, there is a desire to serve God and the people. William Temple, one-time Archbishop of Canterbury is reported to have said, “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” There is also an interest in what it is to be Anglican and several dioceses viewed to date offer courses in ‘Being an Anglican’. I wonder if we would know what it is that makes us distinctive as Anglicans!

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Holy Baptism:

1st November: Andrew Steven DanielsOliver James DanielsBradley Kyle DunneJayden-Lee DunneKylan-Zaine Michael Dunne-CorayFinlay James O’Toole

Communicants and Collections: 2015 Sunday

CommunicantsMidweek

CommunicantsLoose

Collections £PlannedGiving £

1st Nov 39 9 203.67 295.83 8th Nov 27 50 22.99 153.00

15th Nov 26 10 11.00 98.55 22nd Nov 32 13 22.60 194.60 29th Nov 42 10 43.14 138.50

Donations

We would like to thank everyone who has made a gift or donation to our various funds recently. Our special thanks go to:

General Fund Loving Birthday memories of my dear Mum, Nellie Shaw, (21st November)

from Susan and Robert Remembering our parents, Nellie and Bill Shaw, and Elsie and Robert Baird,

with love at Christmas and always from Susan and Robert Birthday memories of a dear Aunt and Uncle. Harold and Marie Baker, from

Susan and Robert Baird With thanks for the prayers for Jacqueline Willington from Mum, Barbara

Boscoe

From the Registers

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A donation for all those who prayed for my brother and his wife. They are at rest, and hopefully at peace. Marjorie Loughead

In memory of all my loved ones from Beryl Glover In loving memory of Ken Glover from Beryl (Glover) With loving memories of birthdays of my dear son Neil (23rd November) and

my dear Dad, Fred Cade (30th November) from Barbara Boscoe In loving memory of my mother, Doris Lee, from Norma Coppers from Doris Jepson A donation to church to say thank you from Mr and Mrs Johnson Donations to Christmas Fair

Flower Fund There were no donations to the flower fund this month

Winners of the Phoenix Club Draw Sunday 29th November

First prize: 120Second prize: 131Third prize: 119

Elle and EsseHair and Beauty Lodge

Unisex Hair Salon

LYNETTE and SUE

Lodge Lane, BewseyWarrington

Tel: 01925 232282

A newspaper reporter was interviewing a 104-year-old woman.“What’s the best thing about being 104?” he asked her.“No peer pressure,” she replied!

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Prayer Intentions for December

Tue 1st Marron Avenue All who live with AIDSWed 2nd Dean Crescent Our School – its staff and pupilsThu 3rd Cleveland Road Chile Fri 4th Kentmere Place St James, WestbrookSat 5th Poole Avenue Social workers

Sun 6th THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENTMon 7th Seaford Place Mersey Mission to SeafarersTue 8th Armour Avenue Archbishop JustinWed 9th Cartmel Avenue Our serversThu 10th Densham Avenue HaitiFri 11th Newton Road St Philip, WestbrookSat 12th Ulverston Avenue Local residents’ groups

Sun 13th THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENTMon 14th St Stephen's Avenue Church Urban Fund projectsTue 15th Hunter Avenue Syria and IraqWed 16th Thirlmere Avenue Our CathedralThu 17th Chiltern Place Those training for ministryFri 18th Crowe Avenue St Mary, Great SankeySat 19th Hastings Avenue Shop staff

Sun 20th THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENTMon 21st Toll Bar Place Guild of Church BraillistsTue 22nd Grisedale Avenue Postal workersWed 23rd Cotswold Place Our Area Dean, StephenThu 24th Howson Road Room at the Inn homeless projectFri 25th CHRISTMAS DAY Peace and justice in our worldSat 26th Clough Avenue Those who suffer for their faith

Sun 27th SAINT JOHN, EVANGELIST AND APOSTLEMon 28th Chiltern Crescent Samaritans and ChildLineTue 29th Patterdale Avenue Hollins Park HospitalWed 30th Newhaven Road The emergency servicesThu 31st Cotswold Road This worshipping congregation

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