st.andrew [s hurh, osom e · 2020-04-23 · st.andrew [s hurh, osom e may 2020 acts of the apostles...
TRANSCRIPT
ST.ANDREW’S CHURCH, BOSCOMBE
MAY 2020
Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in
one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent
wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where
they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of
fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of
them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH MAGAZINE
WELCOME
TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU
As part of the community of
St. Andrew’s Church in Boscombe may
you know peace and blessing in your hearts
and homes
in your spirit and in your walk
with Jesus Christ.
WHO’S WHO AT ST. ANDREW’S
www.standrewschurchboscombe.com
01202 304858
Priest-in-Charge:
Revd. Neil Houlton / 01202 462476 /
(Day off usually Saturday)
Churchwardens:
David Sale / 07973 449958/ [email protected]
Janice Rowley / 07807 532031 / [email protected]
Hon. Treasurer: TomMonfries/
Children’s Ministry: Janice Grey and Louise Houlton
Safeguarding Officer: Julie Lane
Hon. Secretary: Lynda Dickinson
Director of Music: Susan Dyke/01202 422403
Magazine Editor: Brian Grey [email protected]
Gift Aid/FWO: David Sale
Flower Arranging: Dot Osborn / 01202 395145
Head Server: Helen Sale / 01202 421609
The Crafty Stitchers: Ann Broom / 01202 395971
Social Secretary: Lynda Dickinson / 01202 462048
Gentle Keep Fit: Ralph Grant / 01202 772073
THE VICAR WRITES…
Neil Houlton
My greeting to everyone in the family of St. Andrew's Church, Parish
and beyond, I pray that you are all keeping safe and well in these
difficult times.
Firstly I would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who has
kept the family of St. Andrew's thriving and growing, whether you are
doing that by watching our online services or being active in the
church grounds like Ron and Lynda or anywhere in between. We have
as Priest, Wardens, Officers and PCC members of the church begun to
meet reguarly using Facebook and Zoom; this allows us to keep
updated on our finances, the safety and security of our buildings and
our present and future plans.
When Isaiah wrote about the people of Israel returning home from
exile, he included this lovely verse in chapter 49, verse 13, “ Sing for
joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into
singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have
compassion on his suffering ones.” The Israelites didn't always
believe it at the time but God proved his words and Jerusalem was
rebuilt and a new temple was raised up for the praise of the Lord. We
can take comfort in the knowledge in that God never goes back on
his promises and reveals wonderful things to those who are steadfast
in times of trouble as well as when all seems to be going well.
Therefore, this month I ask you to join with me in seeking the future
for our church, asking the Lord what he is doing in order to prepare
us for our return and then how, together with God, we move
forward.
I am sure that one way we are being prepared is by increasing acts of
service to one another, becoming the servant of those around us just
as Jesus did on Maundy Thursday when he washed the feet of his
disciples. If he was prepared to do that we should be prepared to
follow in his footsteps.
Jesus encouraged his disciples and us in Luke’s gospel, “Be dressed
for action and have your lamps lit, be like those who are waiting for
their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may
open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks” (Luke
12:35,36)
The greater our prayer, Bible study and service during these trying
time the greater will be the Lord's input into the future of St.
Andrew's Church.
The blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you
all.
Neil.
A Message from the Churcwardens to the St.Andrew’s
family
As Churchwardens at this different and unusual time, we are doing
what we can to keep everyone connected with a few alternative
techniques using trial and error. Not only have we done so for the
local community, but we are also reaching out far and wide to the
world, USA, Brazil and across the UK, to London and Southampton
just to name a few places.
It shows that the Spirit and Love of St. Andrews is far reaching and
much is owed to you, our parishioners, for supporting us in this
unprecedented age. It is a hard time for all of us but we will get
through this together and when the doors finally open and the bells
are ringing once more, it will be a glorious celebration. We would like
to thank Rev. Neil for all his marvellous work, as it inspires all of us to
hold onto our faith and prayers and to everyone who is working hard
to keep our Church functional. Thank you to everyone, we cannot do
this alone and as Churchwardens we are so thankful and appreciative
of the support and advice that you provide. Please stay safe, keep
well and hope to see you in the near future. Our prayers and
thoughts are with you all. Thank you, God Bless!
Your Churchwardens
Dave Sale and Janice Rowley
AROUND THE PARISH
Welcome to the May magazine, which most parishioners will receive
by email, but I will print a few at home and post them.
Some of us have now been in lockdown for five weeks and this
coincides with some of the best Spring weather we have had for years.
Bournemouth should be busy with visitors, but alas, the town is empty
and no one knows when we will be released from our incarceration.
However, we must try to remain as cheerful as possible and heed the
Government’s warning slogan, ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save
lives’.
We have been fortunate that, through the medium of modern
technology, Rev.Neil has been able to broadcast services, which have
been watched not only by our parishioners, but also other viewers and
this has been a most encouraging aspect of our worship. Obviously,
there is not the same feeling of fellowship and togetherness, but this
enforced lockdown should give us a greater appreciation of each other
and the value of face-to-face contact.
We are grateful to the churchwardens for assisting with the
broadcasting technology and to Tom Monfries and Sue Dyke, who have
agreed to record organ accompaniment for the hymns; this is a great
improvement on the other recorded music which we have used.
Our little King Charles Cavalier spaniel, Ellie, is so used to her regular
visits to church that she sits patiently in the hall waiting for me to get
the car out; she is certainly confused as to why she is not meeting her
friends at church.
With sincere Christian blessings.
Brian
SERVICES, PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDY AT
ST. ANDREW’S – in May 2020
Weekly Services
SUNDAYS:
FAMILY EUCHARIST (Sung) – 10.00 a.m. every Sunday and
Includes Children’s Ministry
A SERVICE OF PRAYER, HEALING, AND PROCLAMATION –
Cancelled until further notice
EVENING SERVICE – No evening services
WEEKDAYS:
MONDAYS – 10.00 a.m. – 10.45 a.m. BIBLE STUDY in the
Lower Meeting Room.
TUESDAYS – 11 am PRAYER & SHARE GROUP meets for
fellowship and support.
THURSDAYS – 10.00 a.m. HOLY COMMUNION BCP (Said) in
the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
Due to the current coronavirus crisis, we have been advised
to close the church and there will be no services until
further notice. Please look at St.Andrew’s Church,
Boscombe Facebook page or website for further
information. Rev.Neil is broadcasting live on the Facebook
page at 10 am on Thursdays and Sundays.
‘All sorts and conditions of men’ by Geoffrey Lowson
Recently, we had a mini break in the small coastal town of
Kirkcudbright in south west Scotland. The weather was a bit grim –
do you remember Storm Dennis – but it was nonetheless very
enjoyable and the town has much to commend it. It is often referred
to as the Artists’ Town; it still attracts artists but one name from the
past was Charles Oppenheimer (1875–1961) who produced many of
those wonderful British Railways posters of yesteryear.
But it was a couple of excursions to neighbouring towns that
prompted this reflection on the fact that human beings can be so
very different – as the Book of Common Prayer puts it “O God, the
Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all
sorts and conditions of men … “. Two stories, with the negative one
first.
Wigtown, to the west is Kirkcudbright, is designated as Scotland’s
official book town; it is famous for its second-hand book shops, has
an annual book festival and is the sort of Hay-on-Wye of Scotland.
However, it is a dark bit of the town’s history that I want to focus
upon here – the story of The Wigtown Martyrs. The late 1600s were
troubled times in Scotland; the restoration to the throne of Charles II
in 1660 was followed by an upsurge in protest in Scotland by
Covenanters, staunch Presbyterians who opposed what they saw as
the King’s moves to bring back Catholicism to Scotland by the
imposition of rule by bishops. Tragically some of the Covenanters
were hunted down by government forces and if they refused to deny
their faith, they were executed; there were 11 such executions in
Wigtown. On May 11 1685, two women, Margaret McLachlan and
teenager Margaret Wilson, were tied to a stake about 50 yards out
on the mud flats of the River Cree estuary and left to drown in the
incoming tide. It was assumed that the young girl would give in and
swear loyalty to the King; by so doing, others would do the same. But
she did not recant.
The second story is a love story – albeit with a slightly macabre twist!
To the east of Kirkcudbright there is a ruin with the unusual name of
Sweetheart Abbey. I confess to never having heard of it before. Why
the unusual name? In 1223, Dervorguilla, the daughter of the Lord of
Galloway, married Sir John Balliol of Barnard Castle and their love
was so strong that after his death in 1268, she had his heart
embalmed and placed in a casket of ivory and silver, which stayed
with her for the rest of her life. In 1273 she started the building of an
abbey in memory of her husband and they were buried there side by
side.
Two stories highlighting different aspects of human nature; the
heartfelt love of Dervorguilla for her husband; Margaret’s (and the
others’) love of her Church and God and then, by contrast, the
unbelievable inhumanity of those who martyred her.
The same sort of stories continue to be acted out today. There are
still ‘All sorts and conditions of men’.
Prayer
Life-giving rays I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, his might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard. Amen
St Patrick’s Breastplate (ascribed to St Patrick, 372–466, translated
by Mrs C. F. Alexander
Mrs.Eliot by Ronald Blythe
To Little Gidding, the three of us.
You would find the hedges White again, in May, with voluptuary
sweetness.
And, of course, we did.
Long ago, I attended T. S. Eliot’s memorial service in Westminster
Abbey, and heard Sir Alec Guinness read this third Quartet from the
pulpit. It was written during the Blitz, and that fiery turmoil could not
have been further away than pensive Huntingdonshire. My aunt
Daisy Upjohn lived there. So did red kites.
It remains a county of non-emphatic things, such as the unlisted
flower that my botanist friend, Stephen Garrett, found in a dried-up
pond. It was a long drive by track and motorway. And there was the
dull façade, which I have never found dull at all, and the bumpy
evidence of human presence in the grass, and of God’s presence
everywhere. You can see for miles.
The hospitality of plainness is what is offered – is what the little king
was offered. And how strange for him to be in Cromwell-land! Where
the entire book of Psalms was recited daily. Now and then, I have sat
in the chapel and thought I could still hear the holy drone.
The east window once contained a rarely depicted Joseph of
Arimathaea, but now it frames greening trees, which wave against
the glass. The seating is collegiate, the east end, font, and
commandments are enduring brass. Outside, John Ferrar’s tomb tilts.
I want to stay for hours, but our hired car must be returned by six,
and so we join the workers on their way home, we and the red kites.
Pilgrimages are like this. An effort, a prayer, a conclusion.
Back home, the white cat sits where we left her, on the disintegrating
brick wall. Ivies and moss hold it together. She always waits until the
sun warms it up. She meets us with restrained joy and a lively
appetite; a holy animal. Adrian comes to cut the grass.
I remember having dinner in London with Valerie, Eliot’s widow. It
has been pouring with rain, and when she takes her coat off she is
covered with – sapphires.
‘Mrs Eliot!’ I say. ‘Cats, dear,’ she explains. A homely Yorkshire
woman. In ‘A Dedication to my Wife’, Eliot wrote: ‘To whom I owe the
leaping delight That quickens my senses in our waking time’.
There are photos of them, not young, not old, smiling into the
camera. I never asked if she had been to Little Gidding. I said I knew
Yorkshire, a little. An American publisher and his wife were giving us
dinner at the Dorchester. It was all so unlikely, yet happening. Like life
itself.
I watched the last train to Suffolk make its drenched way. The night
was light. Rainwater streamed down the carriage window.
Footballers got out here and there. I felt wide awake, too. And now,
all these years later, I can’t remember what we said or what we ate.
Just damp clothes and sapphires in a London hotel, and a generous
American publisher helping us on with our coats. ‘It was before your
time,’ I tell the white cat. Although she is no spring chicken. How
beautiful she is, how perfect.
In my T. S. Eliot poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats is
sandwiched between Four Quartets and Murder in the Cathedral. I
expect he decreed this. The wills of poets are adamant – famously,
where Valerie was concerned. Solicitors, too, follow instructions. But
writers tend to lose the way, going off at a tangent, chasing hares.
Dreaming. Trying to think of what somebody said 40 years ago, and
not of sapphires in the rain. This is an edited extract from
Borderlands by Ronald Blythe (Canterbury Press).
The Enkindled Spring by D.H.Lawrence (1885-1930
This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.
I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.
And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.
BRAX WRITES ABOUT 'LOCKDOWN'
(with a little help from Geraldine Elliot-Smith)
Hello everyone! This is Brax writing from Ringwood...
Some strange things have been going on in my den recently. First of all,
both Kate and Ben stopped going out hunting. That meant I wasn't left
home alone any more, which was wonderful at first but then other things
started happening too. Kate used to leave our den early in the morning, and
often didn't come back until after dark. She used to catch so much food she
had to bury it somewhere and then get a man from another den to dig it up
and bring it home for her. Every so often he would arrive in a big van and
carry all the food into the den in bags, but now he's stopped coming. I've
begun to wonder if his van is broken...
Instead of going out, Kate spends most days upstairs looking at a thin
square box with a shiny front that she keeps on a desk in the tiny den she
calls her 'study'. This box is a bit like the one in the sitting room which
Ben stares at for hours on end but it's much smaller, so perhaps it's not
fully grown yet. Both the boxes can talk but although they sound like
humans they don't smell of human, which puzzles me a lot. There are
several different voices in each box, so perhaps a group of mini-humans
live inside them. Kate talks back to hers whereas Ben never tries to speak
to his, so I think the little people inside his box must be deaf. I overheard
Kate telling Ben she has something in hers called 'Zoom', so I suppose
that's a new breed of super-advanced mini-human.
Another odd thing is that neither Kate's nor Ben's car seems to work any
more. They just laze around on the driveway kicking their tyres. Kate does
persuade hers to go for a short run every now and then, and while she's out
she takes the opportunity of doing some hunting. She's always been a good
hunter, and even in a short time she still manages to catch enough food for
herself, Ben, the three cats and me, so even in these strange times we don't
go hungry.
Grannie and Uncle Giles used to come and collect me in their car called
'Braxie's Taxi', but even that car doesn't work any more. They still take me
for walks, but they don't come into our house. Kate puts my harness on
before she goes up to her den, and she hangs my lead up in the lobby
between our two front doors. Grannie opens the outside door, calls me and
I run to her to have my lead put on so we can go for a walk either to the
park or to Moors Valley.
Sometimes Ellie and Josh come to take me for a walk too but they also
arrive on foot, so Josh's car can't be working any more either. In fact, I've
noticed there are very few cars around and the roads in Ringwood are
almost empty.
It's all very odd and I've been trying to figure out what has gone wrong.
I've decided something bad must be happening to the cars. The ones sitting
quietly on their owners' driveways seem to be fine, so maybe they only get
broken if they're herded together in car parks. That would explain why
they're scared to leave home nowadays, and their humans must worry that
whatever is putting their cars out of action might do the same to them as
well so they don't let anyone come into their houses any more.
I hope they'll soon find out what's causing all this trouble because I want
Ellie and Josh, Uncle Giles and Grannie to come into our den so I can give
them a cuddle, and I'd like to go for a ride in Braxie's taxi as soon as it's
working again.
When it's finally up and running, I'll ask them to bring me down to
see you all at St Andrew's Church. I do
love you all and I'd like to visit you at
coffee time especially if you happen to have some of those
scrumptious biscuits to spare…
READINGS FOR MAY 2020
Sunday 3rd May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Second Reading: 1 Peter 19–25
Gospel: St John 10. 1-10
Sunday 10th May – The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2. 2–10
Gospel: St John 14. 1–14
Sunday 17th May – The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3.13–22
Gospel: St John 14. 15–21
Sunday 24th May – The Seventh Sunday of Easter
Second Reading: 1 Peter 4. 12–14, 5. 6–11
Gospel: St John 17. 1–11
Sunday 31st May – Pentecost
Second Reading: Acts 2. 1–21
Gospel: St John 20. 19-23
IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR
Joseph Estridge -29 May
Happy birthday to you,
To Jesus be true,
May God’s richest blessings,
Pour down on you.
We hope you enjoy your special day
Forthcoming
Events
None planned during the present crisis
WHAT’S ON AT ST. ANDREW’S and CHURCH
AND CHAT
Gentle Keep Fit for the over 50s
Takes place at 10.15 a.m. every Wednesday, and is held in the Upper Meeting Room. Light hearted atmosphere in an aerobics focused class.
Followed by refreshments and chatter.
Choir practice & news
Held in the Choir Vestry at 7.00 pm every Friday. If you think
you may be interested in joining the choir, please contact Sue
Dyke for more details.
The Crafty Stitchers Group -Ann Broom
JULY 20th subject to change
AUGUST No club
SEPTEMBER 21st
OCTOBER 20th
NOVEMBER 17th
DECEMBER No club
We commence at 7.15pm and end approx 9pm, cost of £2 includes tea, coffee and biscuits.
Don't Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit---
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.
Author Unknown
The Children’s Ministry May
Our Easter eggs were delivered to the Sunday School children on
Easter Day by Anne Sale and it was a lovely surprise for them. Thank
you to those who contributed eggs for us to distribute.
We are looking at ways we can keep in touch with the children and
providing some Christian content to their learning on Sundays. David
Sale is trying to set up some form of on- line stories and activities for
the children, which can be accessed by parents and which the
children could do, after the on- line service.
Of course it does depend on parents and children becoming engaged
with it and so we shall see how it develops.
I know that parents are struggling with home working and home
schooling and may not want to take on more.
Please remember our children and families in your prayers in these
difficult times as they are the future of our church.
Louise and Janice.
Jane Kelly writes………..
I can hardly believe that, one month on, we are still in the grip of this
dreadful pandemic, but I think that there is a tiny chink of light at the
end of the tunnel and we are beating it very gradually. Thankfully in
Dorset there are far fewer cases of the Virus than in other areas, but
for anyone who has so tragically lost a loved one, it must be
absolutely terrible and if anyone in that situation is reading this,
please accept my heartfelt sympathy and regret for your loss.
As a Council we keep on trying to ensure that anyone who needs help
locally, can either access what they need or someone delivers it – this
could be food or medical supplies or just a friendly phone call weekly
or more often.
I know that many of you will have received a postcard from BCP
Council recently and there are some posters up around in Boscombe,
but in case anyone has not seen these, the phone number to ring to
access support of any kind is 0300 123052. For all other Council
services, the number is as usual, 01202 451451 in Bournemouth.
The website is bcpcouncil.gov.uk/TogetherWeCan
Please try to keep positive, at least the sun is out and we have much
to be thankful for, the amazing people who keep on working in the
hospitals, surgeries and care homes, those who care for people in
their own homes, those who deliver food, post, purchases to keep us
busy, police and fire officers and many more – we could not keep
going without those people and we all thank them all of the time, not
just on Thursday evenings. I didn’t mention Church Leaders in my
list, you at St Andrews have very dedicated people leading you as do
many other Churches across the country and I am sure that you are
grateful for the virtual services that you are able to hold at this time –
thank you to them as well.
Stay safe and well and look after yourselves
THE PARISH
CHURCH OF
ST.ANDREW,
FLORENCE ROAD, BOSCOMBE BH5 1HJ
MAY 2020
THE PARISH MAGAZINE
Disclaimers:
Any opinions or views expressed in this publication,
unless specifically stated otherwise, are those of the
writer.
Advertisements: The PCC takes no responsibility for
checking the credentials of those advertising in this
magazine. References should always be requested prior to
employment.
The editor retains the right to edit or shorten any articles
received.
The Parochial Church Council, St.Andrew’s Church,
Boscombe