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From the Vicarage
Dear Friends Warm greetings to you all as we continue to stay alert and do what we can to reduce the spread of Covid-19, thereby protecting ourselves and others. A big thank you to everyone for the part you are playing in ensuring that everyone continues to feel connected and cared for. A very special thanks to all those who continue to ensure that our online presence is vibrant and engaging and provides appropriate and uplifting spiritual content for our Christian journey of faith. We all know that these are not normal times but, thankfully, Almighty God is all-knowing and constantly caring. God may not do (or say) the things we expect but that doesn’t make God uncaring or mean that God is unloving. The new government mantra ‘stay alert…’ reminds me of Jesus’ admonition for us to stay
vigilant (Matthew 24:39-44) and St Paul’s encouragement for Disciples of Christ to exercise caution and wisdom in all their undertakings (Ephesians 5:16). We are currently experiencing a period of glorious sunshine and with it comes the temptation to throw caution to the wind in terms of how we ‘enjoy’ this glorious weather. We however have to ‘stay alert’ and be ‘vigilant’ – for our own benefit and for the benefit of others. When physically meeting up with a friend at a park or on the Common for the first time in months, it takes great resolve and self restraint on our part and theirs not to break the social distancing guidelines and give each other a hug. Sometimes, other people might just forget the ‘protocol’ but we have to ensure that we maintain ‘social distancing’. It is an ongoing challenge, I know but we have to keep at it. Many people have been reflecting on some of the ‘little things’ that we probably took for granted before the Covid-19 pandemic – and one of them is giving a friend a hug or an acquaintance a handshake – or, indeed, ‘some sort of human touch’. The pandemic has caused me to reassess various aspects of working as a priest and I realised that people do value home visits - and the opportunity it accords them to show hospitality,
which is an important Christian attribute. Of course, I cannot visit people at their homes under the current guidelines but I had to take something to a parishioner recently and I knocked on the door and stepped back. The person opened the door and instinctively said ‘come in’. I explained that I couldn’t go in but I spoke to the person for a while from a distance. While they accepted the reality, they were noticeably disappointed that I couldn’t enter their home and, perhaps, that they couldn’t show me hospitality. I suppose we have to be flexible and keep adjusting to what I call ‘the demands and expectations of the time’. I will keep using the ‘phone and endeavour to ‘speak slowly and clearly’. ‘Talking’ about speaking clearly, we don’t have a clear and definitive date of when we will be ‘allowed’ to have services in church, albeit in some restricted way, but the earliest it could be is the 5th of July (the Fourth Sunday after Trinity). While we await that return to our church buildings, we continue to worship God together through our online services and enjoy fellowship through other means, such as the Wednesday
virtual time of prayer and reflection with the Julian group. May the Almighty God who filled the first Disciples with the Holy Spirit and enabled others around them to hear, understand and acknowledge their declaration of God’s majestic acts and glory fill us also with the same Holy Spirit that we may effectively share God’s love and proclaim God’s fame, to his praise and glory. Amen.
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From the Editorial Team
After a ghastly wet and windy start to the year, the spring has been the warmest, sunniest on record - and
didn't we need it! At least we have had nice sunny walks to enjoy while we could do little else. And now we are in summer and the good weather seems likely to continue - though I would be grateful for a little bit of rain to water the garden, preferably during the night!
I'm afraid the magazine is rather thin this month. So much of what we usually include is information about future events and reports of past ones and that's all non-existent at the moment. Added to this, Billy Everett, who writes the Prayer Diary and finds numerous readings and humorous snippets for the magazine, is unwell and unable to contribute this month. We wish her a speedy recovery and thank Tim and Daphne for stepping into the breach.
So what's still going on in June? In my family it's all go. My niece and her family are moving from Paris to The Hague at the beginning of the month as her husband's job is relocating. Her sons will sadly not get the chance to say 'Goodbye' to their school friends in person as their school is still closed. I'm kicking myself as it means I didn’t take the opportunity of staying in Paris cheaply to watch the Tour de France ride round central
Paris. Still, there's always The Hague to look forward to once international travel returns. Then the following week my son is moving from one maisonette in Walthamstow to another, owned this time. His partner is pregnant and both of their jobs at museums are at risk, so fingers crossed that more certainty arrives in their lives soon. I'm just hoping that by the time my grandson arrives in mid-August I will be allowed to visit and hold him.
English Heritage is not going to permit any revellers at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice on Saturday 20th June this year, but will instead be streaming it online via their Facebook page or YouTube channel. This of course gives many more of us the chance to see the sunrise at the stones, which align with the position of the sun at the summer and winter solstices, but you will have to get up early as sunrise is at 4.43am. Alternatively wait for sunset, the point where the longest day ends and shortest night begins at 9.44pm. You can actually look at the sky above Stonehenge by visiting www.stonehengeskyscape.co.uk at any time, day or night. It you choose the Tour option labels will appear on the stones and, at night time,
stars.
Then there's Father's Day on Sunday 21st June of course, a time to recognise all those fathers who have been combining working from home with home schooling. It has been interesting to read that fathers have still been getting away with doing less childcare and housework even when everyone is at home. I know several lovely chaps who are very domesticated so perhaps this is becoming the norm at last. My friend is certainly
grateful for her domestic god - she fell over on her daily constitutional and broke both her wrists!
I hope you are still managing to find interesting things to keep you entertained in lockdown. I must admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed the last few days of May, having discovered the Hay Festival online. It has been a revelation! There have been so many wonderful talks to listen to. In one David Crystal, author and lecturer in linguistics, made the observation that the phrase 'Social Distancing' was a misnomer, because we were not being asked to distance ourselves from society - we can talk on the phone and have as many Zoom meetings as we like - but we needed to practise 'Physical Distancing' because it was being too close to other
people that was the risk. It has been odd to discover that my favoured pastime of choral singing seems to be one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in - and I thought it was so sedate!
The deadline for articles for the July/August edition of the magazine is Sunday 21st June.
Best wishes to you all. Stay safe and keep your spirits up!
Deborah Bruce, Sue Hare, Mione Palmer
From the Registers
At rest - the sympathy of the Parish is extended to the family and friends of
Sheila Wakeman
Eileen Gough
Daphne Varnum
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Churchwardens' Notes
May and Clive have nothing new to report, but
they hope you are all well and want to send everybody their good wishes. They are thinking of you and looking forward to the time when we can all be together again.
Love and peace
May and Clive
Why be a Christian?
Extracts from The Heart of Christianity by
Marcus Borg
with comments from Tony Rutherford
Firstly, because it is important for us to be a part of a religious community - like St Pauls Church here in Rusthall.
In a commmunity, we can practice our preferred ways of Christian service together - no one has the
whole burden on their own shoulders. It is possible to be a Christian on one's own, but it is better together - where the best of the past, and the
present community come together to make a difference.
But we do need a path in life. We need to know where to go. Our Christian community provides the answer, in the way we conduct our services and carry out our servant role in our lives. It's a path of not made of rules but of connecting with each other and helping each other on the road of transformation. Being a Christian makes a difference to our whole lives, the personal and the collective - the church and the community. Where we live, and or where we work or take our leisure
Being part of a church community, puts us in touch with both the past, with its wisdoms and its beauty and also provides us with a vehicle of hope for the future. The church prevents us from becoming self-centred and stuck in our unexamined ways of seeing life. For tradition is only good when it continues to do you good!
While we must be honest about the church's mistakes in the past, we can also see the church as a source of compassion, courage and joy for today and the future.
But we are not unique. There are other religious affiliations in our world. We are not better than any other group, just different When a Christian seeker asked the Dalai Lama whether she should become a Buddhist, he replied, " No, just become more deeply Christian".
Being a Christian is like being at home. Most of us have been born in a Christian environment. Its stories, language, music and ethos are familiar. But we are also human, we grow up, make up our own minds and our own ways in the world. And we continue to do that as we learn from each other. Including people like Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan and many others.
And so together, each of us is continuing to love and serve the Lord - Jesus.
For the sake of the whole of the created world.
For the Kingdom of God.
Prayer Diary
The Covid 19 crisis has of course alarmed us all. There is one prayer book which has seen it all before. The Book of Common Prayer has been around for the best part of 475 years, although we use the post reformation version of 1662. The prayers are headed ‘For Deliverance from the Plague,
or other common Sickness.’
‘O Lord God, who hast wounded us for our sins and consumed us for our transgressions, by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation; and now, in the midst of judgement remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death; We
offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen’.
Or this.
‘We humbly acknowledge before thee, O most merciful Father, that all the punishments which are threatened in thy law might justly have fallen upon us, by reason of our manifold transgressions
and hardness of heart: Yet seeing it hath pleased thee of thy tender mercy, upon our weak and unworthy humiliation, to assuage the contagious sickness wherewith we lately have been sore afflicted, and to restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings; We offer unto thy divine majesty the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, lauding and magnifying thy glorious Name for such thy preservation and providence over us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen’.
The language may seem strange and indeed the phraseology might be argued with in the 21st
Century but the sentiment is surely correct? On a more cheerful note by the time you read this it will be Pentecost or in old money Whit Sunday.
Whitsun is the name used in Britain and Ireland, and throughout the world among Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian festival of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples (Acts 2). Here is a passage from a sermon of Leo the Great which will help and focus our prayers.
“It was on this day of Pentecost that the trumpet of the Preaching of the Gospel sounded forth. It was on this day that showers of spiritual gifts fell from heaven, streams of blessings which watered every
desert place and all dry ground, for the ‘Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters’ in
order ‘to renew the face of the earth’”* We pray: Heavenly Father, by the power of your Holy Spirit set our hearts on fire with a new love for Christ that we may be alive to the opportunities presented to us in difficult times and bear our witness with energy and zeal. Save us from complacency and fear of new ways: inspire our minds with the vision of a world won for our Lord; and stir our wills to pray and work until your work is done. Amen.
A week later we have Trinity Sunday. Some have
difficulty in understanding the concept of the Trinity and perhaps part of a reading from a letter of Athanasius of Alexandria to Serapion might help our prayers. “We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…..the Father makes all things through the word and the Holy Spirit and in this way the Holy Trinity is preserved. Accordingly, through the Church one God is preached… for he is the principle and source; he through all things through the Holy word; and he is in all things in the Holy
Spirit.”* So we pray: To God the Father, Lord of all creation; to God the Son, Redeemer of the world; to God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the Church; to the one holy and undivided Trinity be all praise and glory through ages everlasting. Amen.
*Copyright Robert Atwell celebrating the Seasons - Daily Spiritual Readings for the Christian Year
Tim Cripps
Rusthall St Paul's
School Report
The news says that schools are to re-open on 1st June for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, but of course in fact the school has been open all the time. A few children, the children of key workers in the main, have been continuing to attend school each day and some of the staff have been there to
greet them. The rest of the staff are working from home or away from the children in school, to provide work for the children to do at home. As with the rest of society, teachers are quickly learning how much can be done with modern technology - even Governing Body meetings have taken place using Zoom - but ideally each child would have their own laptop and the family home would have an internet connection that enables all the family to be online at once. Unfortunately, of course, this is not always possible. Children are often competing with their siblings and their home-working parents to get their turn on the laptop or tablet. The teachers have therefore been supplying some families with good old-fashioned packs of work on paper. The children have, in the main, taken everything in their stride and have been sending wonderful pictures back to school to show what they have been doing, be it celebrating VE Day, painting rocks or putting rainbows or hearts in their windows. The school is, of course, providing extra support where families are finding it more difficult.
The next step is a phased return to school. Mrs Powell and her colleagues have been studying the advice issued by the Department of Education and our Local Authority and assessing the aspects of normal school life which will have to change to reduce risk from Covid 19. Fortunately the virus does not usually affect the children badly themselves, but it is important that the children do not pass the virus from one family to another while at school. There will be new arrangements to get used to, for example staggered arrival and pick-up times. Fewer children will allowed in the classroom so children will return only part time, and will be kept with the same small group of pupils so that one child does not have the opportunity to spread infection widely. The toys which cannot be cleaned easily will be put away
and trays of equipment for each child are being prepared so that they no longer share pencils and rulers, crayons or counters. Handwashing will be
something that the children will have to get used to doing often, and they will have to resist the temptation to hug the friends that they haven't seen for so many weeks. And of course the teachers will have to prepare lessons for the children in school and also the ones still at home. This is going to be a time when it is more important than ever for all members of the school community, children, staff and families, to act as one, taking care of each other by being on the lookout for anyone showing Covid19 symptoms,
reporting this to school immediately and staying at home. In this way we should make this easing of the lockdown as safe as possible and allow the numbers of Covid19 infections to continue to fall while the children return to the important matter of their education.
Deborah Bruce, Governor
A Musical Note
I am writing my article on Ascension Day and wishing that we were able to meet at church for the service this evening. Of course this year we cannot but thanks to the wonders of modern technology we can still enjoy an Ascension Day service from our homes. The Ascension has inspired many composers to write wonderful anthems. This evening, had we been at church, the choir would have sung ‘Coelos ascendit hodie’ by Stanford. This is a brilliant eight part anthem with an epic Amen which starts from a single unison note and then grows into an amazing eight part chord at its conclusion. The anthem is taken from Stanford’s Three motets, Op.38, for unaccompanied choir, the other two anthems being Justorum animae and Beati quorum via. They were published in 1905 but were most likely written in 1892 when Stanford resigned as organist of Trinity College, Cambridge. Stanford was a remarkable composer and teacher of composition and among his students were Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Holst and Howells. He was knighted in 1902 and his ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey next to those of Purcell. One of my favourite Ascension anthems is ‘Viri Galilaei’ by Patrick Gowers. This is a much lesser known composition written in 1988 and the tone is notably different to that of Coelos ascendit hodie. It is an incredibly dramatic and at times chaotic piece conveying a huge range of emotions and with frequent changes of time signature meaning it never feels truly settled. At the start the word ‘Alleluia’ is sung softly and repeatedly but without a clear direction. The biblical text of the ascension itself is then sung still softly and interspersed by off-beat alleluias. It feels unsettled and other worldly as though you are actually a part of the scene and not sure exactly what is happening. The mood changes abruptly with the words ‘so shall he come again’ with all eight parts and the organ now
for the first time aligning rhythmically and culminating in an immense chord marked fff. The
tone has now shifted to joyous and exhilarating with the words ‘God is gone up with a merry noise and the Lord with the sound of the trumpet’ and
the Alleluias which still intersperse the text are now all on the beat and high in all the voice parts creating a feeling of celebration rather than uncertainty. The music becomes increasingly rhythmic and jubilant with the words ‘God is gone up with a merry noise’. Having built to an epic crescendo there is a shift in tone and key to have the choir now in a more united sense singing rhythmically together the great words of Bishop Christopher Worsdworth ‘See the conqueror mounts in triumph’ and maintaining this fortissimo and sense of great excitement almost to the conclusion of the
piece. As we come to the end though the music returns to the soft Alleluias of the start and eventually the music simply fades away without any real conclusion. I have loved this piece for such a long time; it is incredibly complex but definitely worth a listen. Patrick Gowers was predominantly a film composer and that certainly is in evidence here with its comprehensive story telling. There are so many brilliant ascensiontide anthems so if you can have a listen to some of these I have listed below. It is a shame that the Ascensiontide season is so short when there are so many great anthems! God is gone up - Finzi https://youtu.be/yrs5XR9Pd7k O clap your hands - Gibbons https://youtu.be/pV9vKNVwsvk Viri Galilaei - Gowers https://youtu.be/aFjBzSKlWbA Ascendit Deus - Phillips https://youtu.be/LJMcC3jgiXc O clap your hands - Rutter https://youtu.be/UpuWBdU6pTY Coelos ascendit hodie - Stanford https://youtu.be/nCzIVjR-0X8 O clap your hands - Vaughan Williams https://youtu.be/d3Ibo3EuchU
Elderflower Cordial
While taking your daily walk, why not take a
plastic bag and try to find some Elderflowers to make cordial? This is the perfect time to spot the flower heads in hedgerows, a creamy white umbrella of flowers which smell heavenly. The low traffic volumes recently will make it easier to find flowers unaffected by pollution. You will need about 20 flower heads like this one.
The other ingredients you will need are:
2 kg granulated sugar
2 unwaxed lemons
1.5 litres water
If you want to give your cordial extra tang and make sure it keeps well you may also add EITHER 80 g citric acid OR 50g tartaric acid (available from a chemist in powder form).
You will need a large saucepan and also a large bowl or bucket.
Wash your hands!
Method:
1. Give the flower heads a good shake and inspect them carefully to make sure they are not
harbouring any bugs. You can give them a quick dunk in a bowl of water to be sure. It is not necessary to separate the flowers from the flower head.
2. Gently heat the water and sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil for a minute then take off the heat and allow to cool. Be very careful with this syrup if you are letting your children help you with this, as it will be very hot.
3. Slice the lemons - no need to be too precise as
they are only added for flavour.
4. If your saucepan is big enough (and you can do without it for cooking for 24 hours) you can simply add the lemons, acid if you are using it, and flower heads to the saucepan. Otherwise find a large, clean bowl or bucket - I usually find my largest
cake mixing bowl will just manage - and put the flowers and acid in it and, when it has cooled a bit, carefully pour on the syrup. Give it a stir, cover
with a clean tea towel and leave it to infuse for 24 hours. Give it a quick stir every time you pass. I usually try to bash the lemon slices a bit to release the juice and you need to push the flower heads down under the surface.
At the end of the 24 hours the cordial is ready to strain and then drink. This can be a messy process and spilt cordial is very sticky, so try to be tidy and wipe spills immediately. Someone to help hold the bottles can be very useful to make sure they don't
tip over. The cordial should be poured through a muslin bag if you have one, or if not through a filter made of kitchen roll or a clean tea towel in a colander. It should be stored in sterilised glass bottles if you want it to keep well.
To sterilise the bottles – preheat an oven at 180c/350f/Gas 4. Wash the bottles and stoppers really well and put on a baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before adding the cordial through a funnel. This cordial will last at least 6 weeks in the fridge.
If you didn't use acid, or if you just want the
cordial to last longer, it is best to freeze it in smaller plastic bottles (so that you don't have to get out all of the cordial at once), such as 500 ml water bottles, cleaned well first. Make sure you leave a good gap at the top of the bottle as the cordial will expand as it freezes. Alternatively you could freeze it in individual cubes so that you can just get out a cube when you need one.
It is quite strong, so you may find that you don't need to use quite as much cordial as you would with something like orange squash. Go gently until you find how you like it.
It is lovely topped up with sparkling water or lemonade. Grown-ups might try a dash with prosecco or added to a gin and tonic. It can also be drizzled over lemon cake or ice cream.
Enjoy! Deborah Bruce
Prayer Page
Father hear the prayer we offer! Not for ease that prayer shall be, But for strength that we may ever live our lives courageously.
It is good to remember and take heart that in this time of, at least partial, lockdown we are not locked out from God. Prayer is important at all times, but doubly so in this present crisis.
Lord, help me to pray, to desire to pray, to delight to pray. Make all my praying joyful with faith, joyful with hope, joyful with love, joyful
with Your own Spirit pleading with me, urgent with His yearning behind my inattention, wise with His wisdom behind my dim-sightedness, burning with His fire behind my lukewarmth. Joyful in the fellowship of the prayers of the saints and of your whole church, in heaven and on earth, through Him who makes intercession continually, Jesus Christ our Lord.
When Jesus was on earth people were continually turning to Him for help. What a help He must have been to Mary when Joseph died and she had all the children to bring up. Even when He was on the Cross He was planning how to help her. At a wedding feast those in charge accepted His help. A foreign woman whose daughter was ill begged for help. Lepers drew near. When His disciples thought they were going to be drowned they awakened Him.
At this time, perhaps more than ever, we all need in some way, big or little, to be helpful. When Jesus left this earth men and women turned to His disciples for help. Helping is not always easy. To help others is to be a fellow-worker with God Himself.
Christ has no hands, but our hands to do Hs work-today; Christ has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way; Christ has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died; Christ has no help but our help to bring them to His side.
It is easy enough to be pleasant when life goes by with a song, but the man who is worthwhile is the man who can smile when everything goes dead
wrong. In the Book 'The Pilgrim’s Progress', Christian comes one day to a most forbidding mountain – The Hill Difficulty. The pilgrim path led up the steep slope but Christian noticed that there was also a path to the right and one to the left. However he chose the steep path, though he had to – fall from running to going, and from going to clambering on his hands and knees.
Every single one of us face difficulties, but some people groan and sigh and grumble and are very sorry for themselves. Jesus told his disciples – Be of good cheer. Paul, writing from prison, said
Rejoice in the Lord alway.
O God our Father, we thank You that You have given us so many reasons for being glad even in these dark days – the beauty of the world in which we live, with all its colour and music, the love and comfort of our home and friends – even when not in close contact and the fact that there is still work we can do and that we have the strength to do it.
In your wisdom You have put us into a world which faces us with many difficulties. Sometimes we are ill and in pain. Sometimes our wishes and wants are not received. Sometimes our work seems pointless and we leave it undone.
Help us, we pray You, to smile rather than frown, to sing rather than sigh, to make music in our hearts. This we ask for the sake of Jesus who is our strength and song. Amen.
Daphne Pilcher
Poems for June
During the pandemic, our feelings may range quickly from anxiety, confusion, doubt, sorrow, empathy,
longing, and hope. And amid all these may come also moments of great love and joy. These poems hint at
the complexity and paradox of our experience. Susan Barber
A Brief for the Defence
Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants. Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women at the fountain are laughing together between
the suffering they have known and the awfulness in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody in the village is very sick. There is laughter every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta, and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay. If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction, we lessen the importance of their deprivation. We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down, we should give thanks that the end had magnitude. We must admit there will be music despite everything. We stand at the prow again of a small ship anchored late at night in the tiny port looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning. To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth all the years of sorrow that are to come.
(Jack Gilbert)
The Point
The days, the days they break to fade. What fills them I’ll forget. Every touch and smell and taste. This sun, about to set
can never last. It breaks my heart. Each joy feels like a threat:
Although there’s beauty everywhere, its shadow is regret.
Still, something in the coming dusk whispers not to fret. Don’t matter that we’ll lose today. It’s not tomorrow yet.
Kate Tempest
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter
All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
J.R.R.Tolkien
(from The Fellowship of the Ring, part 1 of The Lord of the Rings)
Behind the Scenes there were
Human Beings - Part 2
When Joshua led the children of Israel into the land of Canaan they were met with an organised country, divided into many states, each with a network of villages. Almost every feature of life in Canaan differed from the life the nomadic Israelites had known. The towns with their permanent dwellings, contrasted with the Israelites’ tents. The tribes of Israel were only united because they believed in the same God and for many years they fought for their land against
the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the Midianites, who were desert raiders on camels.
As the Israelites began to capture some of the towns they moved in and began to settle. Many of the poor inhabitants joined the Israelites, bringing with them their skills and trades. Few of the Israelites, if any, were old enough to remember their homes in Egypt, but in the captured towns of Canaan there were ideas and designs in plenty.
Outside each walled city was a network of supporting villages where the herdsmen and farmers would live. Their main task was to
supply the city with food. Town sites were small and cramped. Streets were narrow, only wide enough to allow two donkeys to pass each other. Some streets were paved, with a gully down the centre into which rubbish was thrown. Town planning as we know it did not exist in the days of the Israelites. All the inhabitants tried to build their houses within the city walls as close together as possible for safety and support.
When a house was to be built an area was first marked out and cleared of growing plants, trees and shrubs. Any debris lying around such as
rocks or sharp stones, was removed and then kept for the walls. If plenty of water was available this was poured on to the site to consolidate the earth. All was trodden well, beaten flat with the feet. Manual work indeed. Early on a carpenter would be needed to provide the door frames, window lintels and the wooden beams for the roof.
Once the site was ready work started on the walls, using any available stones, the largest being placed at the corners. Spaces were filled with sun-baked bricks of mud and smaller stones. The narrow door frame was placed in position, supported
temporarily by long beams, while the layers of bricks and stones were built up on each side. As the walls grew higher, time had to be allowed for the soft cay mud being used as mortar to dry out. Spaces were left for the windows, small box-like openings in the walls. These were kept small to
keep out the cold in winter and the heat in summer.
At roof height came the most difficult operation. Long roof beams were laid across, resting on the walls in order to take the weight of the flat roof. Across the spaces between the roof beams was laid a layer of brushwood, branches and twigs. On top of this came a layer of straw and finally a layer of wet clay. All of this was firmly rolled to make a strong, compact surface.
At the same time as the roof was being laid, the walls of the house were extended above roof level to form a low parapet. The house owner would
need to keep a roller to press down after the seasonal rains, when it would become soft and muddy. This parapet would contain drainage holes since the roof was used for various purposes – for drying corn, flax and fruit before storing for the winter, as a playground the children, a place for meals for the whole family and on hot nights a place to sleep out. An outside staircase was made from flat stones and securely bonded to the wall to provide access.
Behind the stories in the books of the Old Testament the children of Israel were continually adapting to different life styles. Life was both basic and hard. The tools which we take for granted did not exist. Possibly we tend to forget as we read those well known stories what life was like behind the scenes.
Daphne Pilcher
Short Story
Found on the Circle Line
It just sits there, on the seat opposite me. A single shoe, high-heeled, red suede, with a strap to go
around the ankle of the wearer. Except there is no wearer, or not one I can see.
I look up and down the Tube carriage at the feet of my fellow passengers. Dirty trainers, polished brogues, court shoes with the leather scraped off the heels. But no red ones. And the shoe opposite me sits there, like a crown on a cushion, quivering slightly with the movement of the train.
No-one else takes any notice. Well, this is London, I think, where even the most outlandish is normal, where we walk, unblinking, past blue hair and torn jeans. Past people shouting and people kissing. Past people eating and people sleeping.
No-one notices me. I look at my reflection in the black window above the shoe. My hair needs cutting, my clothes are unremarkable. ‘A vision in beige’ my brother once said in an uncharitable moment. I’ve lost my desire to try.
The lights reflect off raindrops on the shoulders of my. I’m surprised by the shape of my mouth. This is the first time I’ve seen it so turned down.
My mouth looks just like my mother’s.
I glance again at the other travellers. I can hear shush shush shush from the headphones of the guy sitting beside me. Eyes closed, head nodding, hand tapping on denim-covered thigh, he’s doing his best not to be on this train. In fact, when I look more carefully, there are lots of people with their eyes closed. And some whose gaze is as blank as the dark walls that rush past outside our noisy cocoon. Perhaps they really haven’t noticed the shoe, as they haven’t noticed me.
It’s still there. Not scuffed or marked, but I can see
a small rip on one heel. The suede is the colour of a ripe tomato. It must be quite new then, I think.
The train stops. People get off, no-one gets on. We’re on that eastern section of the Underground from Embankment to Kings Cross, deserted on a
January Saturday afternoon. No-one going to see St Paul’s or the jewels in the Tower, just a few shift workers on their way home to snooze in front of
the television, or to tackle that pile of ironing. Or even to get dressed up for an evening out somewhere noisy and rammed with bodies. And me. On my regular Saturday circumnavigation. And the shoe.
Eventually, by Farringdon, I’m the only one left. I’ve been watching the shoe, sort of expecting it to do something. But, of course, it doesn’t. It just sits there, moving gently to the train’s rhythm. This is the Circle Line, so it could go on sitting there all day and into the night. Cleaners would get on at some point, maybe at three or four o’clock in the
morning, when the ravers are staggering home or asleep on someone’s sofa. I think of those night workers, plodding through the carriages, dragging their plastic rubbish bags, collecting the flotsam and jetsam of a day’s journeys. Lost property by the sack full.
I check up and down the empty carriage. I’ve only got a few minutes before we get to Kings Cross, where there’s sure to be people getting on. I grab my bag and swing across to the other side. I can’t leave my shoe to be gathered up among the detritus. My shoe, what’s that about? Do I see myself as some sort of Cinderella? Anyway it’s decades since I wore high heels, and from here it looks much too small for me. In a single movement I scoop up the shoe and plunge it to the bottom of my bag. The train sighs to a halt and the doors open.
The next stop is Great Portland Street, where I get off. My flat’s about ten minutes’ walk east of the park. The streets get narrower and the sounds of the city diminish. There are trees, houses have gardens, people walk dogs in spite of the persistent
drizzle. My mother used to say that I acted as if money would burn a hole in my pocket. Now I feel as if the shoe’s burning a hole in my bag, shining out like a beacon. I feel guilty, but I haven’t stolen it, have I? I’ve rescued it.
I climb the stairs up to my flat, wincing as I put my key in the door. I’d love to have a housekeeping fairy to sort out my mess while I’m at work, but the housekeeping fairies are on higher rates than I can afford on my civil service pittance. I really will clear up this weekend, I promise myself.
I kick some scattered shoes under the bed, pull the rucked sheet and duvet straight and upend my bag. The red suede glows in the afternoon gloom. It’ll be dark soon. Even the soles are red, and you
know what that means. Louboutin, and over a grand a pair.
I sit there for a while in contemplation. Every shoe has a partner. And a wearer/owner. Size 37, or 4½, definitely no match for my size sixes. So, this woman has small feet. And expensive tastes. Did she buy the shoe? And isn’t she upset about losing it?
Did it drop out of her bag, making a bid for freedom and an escape from the other one? Or did she fall asleep and lose it as she scrambles for the door at her stop? Or the one after, having missed her station? And then what happened? I imagine someone reverently picking it up and placing it
carefully on the seat, like when you see jewellers filling their displays with stock as the working day starts.
When I wake up, my bedroom’s in darkness. Just the glow from the radio’s display, shining green. I must have caught hold of the shoe as I slept. The red radiates warmth against my pale arm. It’s as soft as velvet, carefully finished around the edges, with a tiny gold buckle on the ankle strap. We lie there, skin to skin, as I ponder my options. Then I get up and place it in the middle of the mantelpiece.
I’ve decided. I can’t keep such a thing of beauty from either the other shoe or its owner. I have to try to reunite them. I ring and place an ad in the Evening Standard for next week - it might be seen by someone working in town, someone who might be away for the weekend. It reads Found on the Circle Line on Saturday 13th January, one red
Christian Louboutin shoe, size 37, with ankle strap. Owner please call 07181 404 726 to claim.
I make sure my phone’s charged.
‘Something wrong?’ asks the girls in the office when they see me glancing at it repeatedly.
‘No, no,’ I answer, ‘just waiting for a call’. I catch sight of one girl nudging the other. They’re usually quite discreet; they didn’t ask what’d happened when I came in so often with red-rimmed eyes after Rob left, but one day there was a fresh box of tissues on my desk. The ones with balm in, so my nose must have been much the same colour as this
shoe. It was very kind of them; it made me feel as if someone cared after all.
So I’m collecting up my things before lunch on Friday, my usual hummus wrap from the deli on the corner, when the phone vibrates inside my bag. I don’t recognise the number.
‘Hello? Is this the person who put the ad in the Standard about the shoe?’ I stiffen.
‘Yes.’ I feel sadness that the beautiful object might be about to leave my life, and joy that it might be
reunited with its owner and partner.
‘I think I know who owns it.’ The voice is deep, not a young man but not old either. ‘My little sister, she was on her way home from a lunch and fell asleep on the Tube. Her friend woke her up as they got to their stop but her heel got caught as she stumbled down onto the platform. The staff can’t have seen what happened through the crowd, they let the train go while Lindy was still on her hands and knees. They promised to call ahead to the other stations and try to find her shoe, but probably didn’t. Anyway, she couldn’t hang around - she was turning pages for me at a concert
that evening out in Essex. I’m a pianist, you see.’
‘Oh,’ I respond, as all this information washes over me.
‘So, can we meet and I’ll collect the shoe from you? She’s gone back to Vienna where she’s studying, or I’d have sent her to meet you. After all, it’s no way to treat a special birthday present, is it? Are you in London?’ He must think me most odd, I’ve hardly said three words so far.
‘Yes, just east of Regent’s Park.’
‘That’s great. I live off Marylebone High Street. When can I collect it? We could meet in the Espresso Bar in the Park, and I could buy you a coffee to say thank you. How about tomorrow at 11.30?’
‘That would be fine,’ I confirm, even though that’s my Circle Line time, and with a ‘See you then, bye,’ he rings off.
The sun appears teasingly but gives no real warmth as I sit on a bench to eat my lunch. Well, I’ve achieved what I set out to do, just as efficiently as I always do. At least, I suspect that’s what my colleagues would say. I’m going to lose the shoe, lose the light and warmth it has bestowed on my dark flat just for a few short days, but I will have the satisfaction of knowing it’s where it should be, returned to its partner, won’t I? It’s only a shoe, after all.
It’s raining again in the morning. I wrap the shoe in a carrier bag and set off with my head down and a sense of determination. I’m going to do this thing. As I enter the Park, I realise that I don’t have a name or description for the man I’m going to meet. Only a voice.
The café’s less than half full, echoing to the sound of children expending energy that should really be used up outside. Dads with their offspring, a couple of mums with little babies in those pushchair things that become car seats. No-one sitting on their own. I find a seat where I can
watch the door and order a skinny latte, then unwrap the shoe and set it on the table for the avoidance of doubt. As the waiter brings my drink he blocks my view, and so it’s the voice that I recognise, before I see him.
‘It must be you. Look!’ A man stands in front of me, my shoe’s twin dangling from a slim, long-fingered hand. ‘But you’ve got a coffee already, and I said I’d buy you one.’ I look up and see, above the red suede, a dark face, with a beard and hair that was once deepest black but is now shot with silver. Square, dark-framed glasses and dark brown eyes. Brilliant white teeth showing against tanned skin. I assure him that he can still pay for my latte, but he insists on buying another. Then, he says, he can truly be said to bought it as he promised. Then he suggests lunch, after which we go for a walk around the Inner Circle of the Park. Twice around, as we talk and laugh and grimace. The sun comes out and colour returns to the world. His sister, Lindy, will wear the red shoes to the wedding, even though they are now less than pristine. She promised she would. And I will have
a pair of my very own.
Joanna Mace
Rusthall Community Cinema
Closed since the lockdown, the Community Cinema has remained busy behind the scenes. They have revamped their website, which can be found at https://www.rusthallcinema.club/ and this currently gives details of how to sign up for their newsletters and provides details of film focussed events available online, such as a Friday night film quiz at 20.30 pm which can be joined via YouTube at
https://club.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=72089be9a3aff671d9c
ab9e16&id=73e9344e50&e=0694e7cda1
They have also got a Facebook page and WhatsApp group.
They have been working on s set of protocols to put in place to enable safety for their customers, staff and volunteers for when they are allowed to resume film showings, which they hope might be in July.
Oh Dear! How embarrassing!
Activity Pages
Find out a little more about the stories and people in the book of Genesis. Where a chapter reference has
been given the Good News Version of the Bible has been used.
1. Ch 19 She looked back and suffered for it, fatally ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
2. Ch 25 He bought his bother’s birth right ___ ___ ___ ____ ___
3. Ch 37 Pharoah’s captain of the guard who put Joseph in prison ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
4. Ch 4 He went away from the presence of the Lord and lived in a land east of Eden ___ ___ ___ ___
5. Ch 11 He was the brother of Abram and the father of Lot ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
6. Ch 37 The age of Joseph when we first hear about him ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
7. Ch 6 The number of human beings who went into the ark – you may have to do a little calculating
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
8. The sign God put in the sky as a promise to Noah that there would never be another worldwide flood
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
9. Ch 24 Whom did Isaac marry ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
10. Ch 8 Range of mountains on which the ark came to rest ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
11. Second son of Adam and Eve ___ ___ ___ ___
12. Ch 45 Region in which Joseph settled his family ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
13. Ch 35 Rachel died in giving birth to this son ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
14. Ch 2 When Joseph had a dream of a staircase reaching up to heaven he was at a place called Luz,
but he renamed it ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
15. In the ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ when God created the universe
16. Ch 4 After Cain killed his brother Abel Adam and Eve had another son ___ ___ ___ ___
17. Ch 6 Noah’s eldest son ___ ___ ___ ___
18. Ch 13 Wicked city where Lot chose to live ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
19. Ch 12 Known as the Father of the Nation of Israel ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
20. She was the mother of Isaac ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
21. Ch 11 Site of a great tower ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
22. Where God planted a garden ___ ___ ___ ___
23. Ch 10 Son of Shem ___ ___ ___
24. Ch 32 God gave Jacob a second name ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
25. Ch 37 The name given to the traders who rescued Joseph from the pit
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
26. Ch 5 He was such a very old man hence the saying - as old as
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
27. Ch 14 He was the King and Priest of Salem and he blessed Abraham
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
28. He built an ark ___ ___ ___ ___
29. Ch37 Which brother tried to save Joseph when the rest through him into a pit
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
30. She was Jacob’s wife and mother of Joseph ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
31. Ch 2 God took it from the first man to make the first women ___ ___ ___
32. Ch 5 He walked with God and went to God without dying ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
33. Ch 2 The fourth great river of Mesopotamia ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
34. A son of Noah’s whose name might remind you of breakfast ___ ___ ___
35. Ch 28 On what did Jacob see angels going up and down ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
36. Ch 35 Daughter of Laban who became Jacob’s wife and the mother of six of his sons
___ ___ ___ ___
Now you have found all the answers look for them in this word search. They are written vertically,
horizontally, forward and backward. At the end you will be left with twelve unused letters and these will
make up one of the very important beliefs of The Creed.
J R B E G I N N I N G A B E L
A E S U L N E E T N E V E S
C S U P E D E N R E B E C C A
O A R H A R E B E T H E L N H
B R P R R N E L S C R U E E A
E A O A S T O T O A D I H B L
N H T T I G A L I T R O C U E
J C I E O I S N Y N S A A E S
A O P S R E B H A B A W R R U
M N H W T O N N E R A I I A H
I E A H W S O D O M A B D F T
N Y R H A M A R B A T H G I E
C A I N K E D E Z I H C L E M
The answers to all the following questions, with perhaps a little bit of thought, will give you a part of the
body. Here is an example A Slice of Meat - Tongue
1. They can be either chocolate or fish 2. A large box
3. Two trees 4. Part of a river
5. Guns and Rifles 6. Found in marble
7. Shell fish 8. Twelve inches
9. Fruits of a flower 10. Part of a tree
11. A Deer 12. A joiner uses them
13. A flower 14. Zips have them
15. Stock of corn 16. Place of worship
17. Young animals 18. Top of the hill
19. Goes with onions 20. Short, fat and hairy
Unscramble the Clue
1. 7 W of the W 2. 10 G B H on a W
3. 23 of A is S G D 4. 26 L in the A
5. 28 D in F 6. L B at 40
7. 101 D 8. A the W in 80 D
9. 366 D in a L Y 10. R 999 for E S
11. 1815 B of W` 12. 2 4 6 8 W D W A
13. 6 B in an O at C 14. 9 L of a C
15. 52 W in a Y 16. 13 in a B D
17. 18 H on a G C 18. 57 H V
19. 39 S by J B 20. 76 T in the B P
21. 1066 B of H 22. 1666 G F of L
23. 1215 M C was S 24. 1001 A N
Finally try your hand at these Riddle-me-Rees. The first four are all Mini Beasts and the second four are
all Farmyard Friends
1. My first is in both ink and pen 2. My first is in we but not in me
My second is in both turkey and hen My second is in both water and sea
My third is in both arrow and bow My third is in she but not in her
My last’s not in le, but it is in toe My last is in both puss and purr
3. My first is in both sat and sit 4. My first is in both much and more
My second is in both light and lit My second is in both house and door
My third is in dug but not in dig My third is in both stop and start
My last is in both dog and pig My last is in both head and heart
1. My first is in cake but not in bake 2. My first is in both little and large
My second is in both sea and lake My second is in both boat and barge
My third’s not in high but it is in low My third is in mat but not in rug
My last is in foot but not in toe My last is in both beetle and bug
3. My first is in both fish and fowl 4. My first is in both me and my
My second is in both robin and owl My second’s in oats but not in rye
My third is in each and also in all My third is in both near and far
My last is in both castle and hall My last is in tare but not in tar
His Mark - Your Mark
Have you ever heard the expression – he’s made his mark. It means that someone has done something for
which he will be remembered. On 5th July 1800 Peter Abbott made his mark. He was a member of
Westminster School. This school was and is very near to Westminster Abbey. Peter and his friends liked
wandering round the abbey. Out of all the things that there were to see the thing that fascinated Peter the
most was the Coronation Chair.
The more Peter saw the chair the more he had a longing to sit in it. He wanted to imagine what it must be
like to be a king or queen at their coronation. But the Abbey was always full of people and there were
attendants wandering about and Peter never got the chance. Then one day he had a grand idea. He popped
into the Abbey after school and wandered around till closing time. He had a good time dodging around and
keeping out of view till at last the Abbey was quiet.
Now at last he could go and sit in the Chair. For a few minutes the sensation was great and then it died.
Peter got up and made for a door but it was locked. He tried them all but the result was the same. He was
doomed to spend the night in the abbey. He returned to the Coronation Chair but it wasn’t the most
comfortable of beds – in fact it was very uncomfortable – and as soon as dawn broke he woke up.
Unfortunately he still had a long time to go before the doors of the Abbey would be opened.
Peter was by now very hungry and totally fed up. He felt in his pocket for something to do and he found his
penknife. This gave him an idea. He turned round and started to care on the Coronation Chair. What he
carved remains to this day – Peter Abbott slept in this chair, July 5th 1800. Peter had made his mark for all
the world to see. I’ve seen it. His mark spoiled something which was valuable and not his to spoil.
We will all leave our mark in this world – some great – some small – but the mark will be there. It is up to us
as to whether the mark will be for good or for evil – of some worth – or like Peter – because he did something
rather stupid and silly. At this very difficult time every single one of us has the chance to do something good,
but equally we are allowed the choice to do something stupid. It is up to us as to whether we help to contain
coronavirus or whether we are responsible for helping it to spread.
ANSWERS
Stories and People in Genesis
1. Lot’s Wife 2. Jacob 3. Potiphar 4. Cain 5. Haran 6. Seventeen
7. Eight 8. Rainbow 9. Rebecca 10. Ararat 11. Abel 12. Goshen
13. Benjamin 14. Bethel 15. Beginning 16. Seth 17. Shem 18. Sodom
19. Abram 20. Sarah 21. Babylon 22. Eden 23. Lud 24. Israel
25. Midianite 26. Methuselah 27. Melchizedek 28. Noah 29. Reuben 30. Rachel
31. Rib 32. Enoch 33. Euphrates 34. Ham 35. Stairway 36. Leah
The twelve remaining letters in the Wordsearch spell out Resurrection
Parts of the Body Quiz
1. Fingers 2. Chest 3. Palms 4. Mouth 5. Arms 6. Veins 7. Muscles
8. Foot 9. Hips 10. Trunk 11. Heart 12. Nails 13. Iris 14. Teeth
15. Ear 16. Temple 17. Calves 18. Brow 19. Liver 20. Legs
Unscramble the Clues
1. 7 Wonders of the World 2. 10 Green Bottles Hanging on a Wall
3. 23 of April is St. George’s Day 4. 26 Letters in the Alphabet
5. 28 Days in February 6. Life Begins at 40
7. 101 Dalmatians 8. Around the World in 80 Days
9. 366 Days in a Leap Year 10. Ring 999 for Emergency Services
11. 1815 Battle of Waterloo 12. 2 4 6 8 Whom Do We Appreciate
13. 6 Balls in an Over in Cricket 14. 9 Lives of a Cat
15. 52 Weeks in a Year 16. 13 in a Baker’s Dozen
17. 18 Holes on a Golf Course 18. 57 Heinz Varieties
19. 39 Steps by John Buchan 20. 76 Trombones in the Big Parade
21. 1066 Battle of Hastings 22. 1666 Great Fire of London
23. 1215 Magna Carta was Signed 24. 1001 Arabian Nights
Riddle-me-Rees
Mini Beasts 1. Newt 2. Wasp 3. Slug 4. Moth
Farmyard Friends 1. Calf 2. Lamb 3. Foal 4. Mare
Two Romany Legends
Romany is their own name for the people whom are sometimes referred to as Gipsies. They are a strange
wandering people who can be found in most parts of the world. The reason for this wandering on the part of
the Romany folk is said to have come about as a punishment because one of their race once denied rest and
shelter to our Lord when He was on earth.
They are tawny-skinned and black haired. It is thought that they probably originated in India because the
Romany language is very similar to Hindi, although when they first reached Britain in the sixteenth century it
was thought that they came from Egypt. The Romany language is practically the same the whole world over
and a Romany from Hungary would be able to communicate with a Romany from the New Forest and each
would be able to understand the other.
A true Romany can never be happy within four walls and it is misery for them to be imprisoned in any way.
They are a very revengeful people and it is said that they never forget a wrong. On the other hand they are
supposed never to forget a kindness. They are also known for their thieving, but legend has it that their
thieving is not counted by God as a sin. When Christ was on the cross, so the story goes, one of the Romany
folk attempted to steal the nails which pierced Christ’s hands. This was partly because the Romany wanted
the iron, but it was also done partly out of pity. It is because of this pity that they say God does not reckon
their thieving as sin.
General Information
Vicar Rev Ronnie Williams, 521357
The Vicarage, Bretland Road, Rusthall
Readers
Mr Tim Cripps, 10 Muskerry Court 543355
Miss Daphne Pilcher, 37 Stephens Road 521691
Churchwardens
Mr Clive McAllister, 7 Rustwick 532817
Miss May Graves, 21 Hill View Road 680274
Deputy Churchwardens
Mr Graeme Anderson, 51 Westwood Road 532922 Mrs Mione Palmer 667951
Mrs Susan Powley 545067
Mrs Margaret Brown 680455
Parochial Church Council Secretary Mrs Pat Churchill, 4 Rusthall Road 531541
Treasurer and Planned Giving Mrs Pat Cripps
c/o Parish Office 521447
Child Protection Officer c/o May Graves 680274
DBS Officer Clive Brown c/o the Parish Office 521447
Bible Reading Fellowship Secretary Vivienne Sharp 543263
Choir Leader Miss Fiona Johnson 07540273302
Magazine Editors Deborah Bruce, Sue Hare and Mione Palmer
c/o the Parish Office
email – [email protected]
Flower Arrangers Mrs Daphne Hodges 533492
Parish Hall Bookings Enquiries to Parish Office 521447
Rusthall St Paul’s Primary School Headteacher - Miss Caroline Powell 520582
Churchyards Enquiries to the Parish Office
CHURCH ELECTORAL ROLL
All worshippers who are baptised members of the Church of England,
and aged over 16, should have their names entered on the Electoral Roll.
This entitles them to attend and vote at the Annual Parochial Meeting.
Forms for enrolment will be found in the Parish Church or the Parish
Office and should be sent to the Vicar.
Organisations
Julian Group
Mrs Pat Stevens 529187
St Paul’s Parish Fellowship
Mrs Zillah Witt (Chair) 523028
Mrs Muriel Reeves (Secretary) 520468
Group Scout Secretary
Mr K Powley 545067
Scout Membership Secretary
Merissa Patrick
Email – [email protected]
Beavers: [email protected]
Cubs: [email protected]
Scouts: [email protected]
Guide Senior Section
Helen Deller 07720 252481
Guide Guiders
Ms Tina Francis 545877
Brownie Guiders
Mrs Wendy Anderson (Thurs) 532922
Ms Tina Francis (Mon) 545877
Rainbows
Mrs Mary Saunders 543572
Email – [email protected]
Mothers and Toddlers
Mrs Annie Softley, 21 Woodside Road 548366
Rusthall Local History Group
Dennis Penfold, 18 Meadow Road 537939
Rusthall Lunch Club
Mrs Ros Rodwell 862652
Rusthall Community & Youth Project
Barry Edwards 680296
Rusthall Village Association
Alex Britcher 07967 011467
Rusthall Parish Council
Council Clerk 07805 475397
Rusthall Bonfire and Fete Committee
Annie Sofley 548366
Friends of TW and Rusthall Common
Clive Evans 534040
The Parish Office
Parish Administrator - Mrs Ginette di Palma
St Paul's Parish Office, Church Centre, Rusthall Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8RE
Telephone (01892) 521447
Office email: [email protected]
Magazine email: [email protected]
Website: www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk
The Office is currently closed to visitors.
However, it is attended each weekday morning except Tuesday between 10am and 1pm
and telephone messages left are being screened regularly.