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It’s never easy to work to a deadline, such as that imposed
by the publication of this magazine, but what makes it especially hard this
month is that I am writing this even before we have celebrated the great
festival of the Resurrection.
I find that my vision of the future is somewhat clouded by my needing to
focus all my energies and emotions on Holy Week and Easter. It is as if I
cannot see in to the distance with any clarity, as if there is no future
until Easter is past.
It is rather like the situation of the wedding couples who come and sit in
my study with no real concept of returning from their honeymoon and getting
on with their new life together as man and wife. Everything is concentrated
into that one great day.
How frustrating!
Yet, we are taking bookings now for weddings in 2001, our parish planning
extends well into the Autumn, and I am trying to arrange to meet a friend
for dinner one night, and we are looking at July.
It all seems very far removed from Jesus’ teaching about the future, telling
us in particular not to worry about tomorrow, a reading which we chose to
have at our own wedding as a guide for our life together (Matthew 6:25-34).
The superiority of Easter kicks other lesser celebrations off their day, or
even off the calendar altogether, like St. George, who will be celebrated
sometime in May this year, if at all, (depending on which lectionary you
consult) since not only Easter but every Sunday deserves as its primary
focus the memorial of the Resurrection.
Perhaps if we took more seriously our Sunday calling to remember the
Resurrection, we should not be too concerned about next week, and we might
put a little more enthusiasm into the concerns of today.
How can we possibly see beyond Sunday with any clarity? Ought we not to live
our lives much more in the now, and leave to God what might be?
In fact, now I’m quite glad I’m writing this in advance, it has given me a
much clearer perspective on the future.
How wonderful!
Fr. Paul
Contents
On Sunday 14th May, Andrew Carley-Macauly begins his
employment in Prestbury as a full-time Youth Worker. We will welcome Andy
during both the 9.30am service at St. Nicolas’ and the 11.00am service at
St. Mary’s. Andy will be using the Upper Room in St. Mary’s as his base in
the Parish.
Andy will obviously be spending some time getting to know us and also the
local area. He lives with his wife Sharon, near Witney and comes to us with
some impressive Youth Ministry qualifications as well as some excellent
experience of working with Young People. We look forward to Andy being able
to build on the good work which is already going on in our Parish. We must
of course remember that just because we now have a ‘full-timer’, that does
not mean that he will be doing all the work on his own! Our Youth Work is as
much a shared ministry as all the other kinds of ministry that happen in the
Parish and we thank God for all those who have worked with our children and
young people and will continue to do so in the future!
Our efforts to secure this full-time post have been supported by the prayers
of so many and we are very grateful for those. Many of you also offered to
underwrite any short-fall in funding. Thank you for your offers, but we have
been promised nearly £44,000 over 3 years from various charitable trusts, so
we should not have to call in any pledges at the moment! Thanks are
especially due to Tricia Wilson, who researched the availability of funding
and prepared at least 42 ‘begging’ letters along with supporting
documentation.
I am sure that you will make Andy feel welcome as he begins work with us.
Please pray for him as you continue to pray for all our efforts to nurture
our young people in their faith and to bring other youngsters to a real and
lasting relationship with God.
Fr. Michael
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Thank You!
Sincere thanks are expressed by Bob and Barbara Lyle
for all the support they have received over the last four months.
Prayers and good wishes were comforting during the frustrations of Barbara’s
delayed operation, the operation itself and during her convalescence.
Thankfully she is now almost 100%.
The love and appreciation that was expressed on 12th April for their Golden
Wedding Anniversary was overwhelming, they feel very blessed with family,
friends and colleagues.
Blessings to you all as well and a very sincere Thank You.
Confirmation
We are still collecting names of those interested in
preparing for Confirmation. We hope to run two Confirmation groups; one for
adults and one for young people (Year 8 and above). These will lead to
Confirmation in November 2000. Please speak to Fr. Michael if you are
interested.
Children and Communion
Any children in our congregations who are in Year 3 of the
Junior School (or above) are eligible to receive communion before
confirmation, after an appropriate course of preparation. Please speak to
Fr. Michael if your child would like to take part.
Forty-eight people attended the Annual Meeting and Vestry
Meeting on 9th April. Ken Bradbury and Bob Lyle were elected
as Churchwardens, Peter Attwood and Eileen Jones as Assistant
Wardens and Hazel Langley and Karen Whiten as representatives
to the PCC.
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On 11th June we will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost
and remembering Christ’s gift to us of the Holy Spirit. This year we plan to
literally “make a meal” of this. On 11th, 18th and 25th May our three clergy
will take it in turn to give a talk on different aspects of the Holy Spirit.
Each evening will begin at 6.45 pm with a hot meal so there will be plenty
of time for food and a good natter before the half hour talk begins at 7.45
pm. The talks, which we hope all will find both interesting and informative,
will be followed by the opportunity to discuss some of the ideas raised in
groups of probably 8 - 10 people. The evening will end at about 9 pm.
Do put the dates in your diary and get your tickets as soon as possible, if
you are only able to make one of the three Thursdays that’s fine and the
cost will be £3.50. If you can make two Thursdays the cost is £7. If you are
able to come to all three dates you can buy three tickets at the discount
rate of £10! Pete Brown has a supply at St Mary’s and Beryl Elliott at St
Nicolas’.
The venue is St Nicolas’ and we really do look forward to seeing you.
| WHAT: |
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FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP |
| WHERE: |
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St NICOLAS’ CHURCH |
| DATES: |
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11th MAY, 18th MAY, 25th MAY |
| TIME: |
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6.45pm MEAL, 7.45pm TALK, 8.15pm DISCUSSION, 9pm END |
The first talk will be about “The Holy Spirit within the
Trinity”. The second will consider “Getting to know the Holy Spirit”. The
last talk will unwrap “The Holy Spirit in action”. We trust that each and
every person who is able to come will go home with some fresh insights into
the person of the Holy Spirit in addition to having experienced an enjoyable
and relaxed evening.
Sue Read
Prayer Group
This month we’ll meet on Thursday 4th at 10am to pray for
our church and our world, do come if you are able, or note that the date for
June will be Tuesday 6th. Details from Beryl.
Contents
The summer term starts on Thursday 4th May. If there are any
pianists who would like to join the rota, please ring me.
Rockers began in June 1975. Here in the magazine last year I mentioned the
possibility of organising a Silver Jubilee Reunion this summer, and asked
people to contact me. There was some response but not a lot - a few local
ex-Rockers expressed an interest; two others wrote to me. I have therefore
decided not to try and organise a big event.
However, we shall celebrate our 25th birthday on the appropriate Thursday
afternoon in church, and we shall hold our annual Garden Party (weather
permitting) near the end of term. Former Rockers, both children and parents,
are very welcome to attend both these events, details of which will be
available nearer the time.
Frances Murton
Contents
This month’s musician is Alastair.
The Violin
The violin is a stringed instrument with 4 strings called G
D A and E. I have been playing the violin for one and a half years. I have
lessons once a week at school in a group with 3 others. I practise five
times a week and I play in the school orchestra. My favourite piece of music
is the theme tune for Match of the Day. E is my favourite note, which is
played by putting one finger on the D string. I am currently preparing for
my Grade I exam. I also play the recorder at school, which I enjoy just as
much as my violin.
Alastair Smith, aged 9
David Smith, one of the young choristers at St. Mary’s, has
achieved his ambition and gained the Bishop’s Award, one of the highest
awards of the Royal School of Church Music. David joined the choir at the
age of 7½ and over the past 5½ years has steadily worked his way up via the
light blue ribbon, dark blue ribbon and Dean’s Award.
The syllabus for the Bishop’s Award is very challenging for members of
village choirs, since the anthems and settings of the canticles listed are
more appropriate to churches with larger choirs. However, time spent with
headphones listening to recordings was well rewarded when he was examined by
David Briggs at Gloucester Cathedral. Aural tests, sight-reading and a
knowledge of church festivals, services and hymns were also part of the
examination.
Finally, thanks must go to Malcolm, whose help and encouragement have played
a vital part in David’s achievement.
Jill Smith
Congratulations to another of
our Parish Musicians …
Fr Paul has been brushing up on his Singing by having
lessons with Allan Gillespie and has now passed Grade 8. Well done!
Contents
On Palm Sunday we were greeted with some beautiful sunshine
after all the rain of the day before. Sadly this was not enough to encourage
people to join the Palm Sunday Walk from St. Nicolas’ to St. Mary’s. Does no
one walk in Prestbury any more? Are we so dependent on our cars that a 45
minute walk is something we can no longer cope with? Or do we actually feel
uncomfortable about taking part in such a public act of witness? Of course,
for some of our members such a walk is out of the question, but where were
those more ‘fit and able’ to walk on behalf of the others? How sad that such
a God-given opportunity to make a statement to our community should have
been left to just a few. The service in St. Mary’s at 11.00am was superb and
the church was packed; it was just a shame that more had not taken part in
the whole service, which actually began with the blessing of palms at
9.45am!
Fr. Michael
Cheltenham
Rainbows,
Brownies
and Guides
We need more adult helpers and leaders - come and share the
fun and the friendship; find great rewards in helping young people, whilst
enjoying opportunities to meet new people and experience new activities.
Christine Wray
Contents
We continue to have regular training meetings, though we
shall be having a break over Easter. We are now being guided in our training
by Peter Kevern who after each of our evening sessions has a long drive back
to Birmingham, perhaps you could support him in your prayers. We thank you
for your faithful and prayerful support of the team as we find our feet and
begin our work together.
On 13 May we will have a joint study day at Church House in
Gloucester with the teams from Coney Hill, Gloucester and Thornbury. We will
be looking at “Change” which, like it or loathe it, is a relevant topic in
so many aspects of our lives.
Margaret Compton
Handy Hint … in the garden:
To help save time cleaning your hands after gardening, rub
soap around and under your fingernails before you begin.
Book Review
As a child I was very impressed by Michel Quoist’s book
“Prayers of Life”. More recently I bought his “Pathways of Prayer”. I’ve not
yet completed it but thought that others might find it an easy, helpful and
enjoyable read. Hence this brief review
There are 36 sections each of which is a prayer or
meditation set in the context of some thoughts of Abbé Quoist at the
beginning and some short Bible passages at the end. He deals with issues
ranging from the arcane to the humdrum as represented by a couple of titles
drawn from the early part of the book, “My friend died last night, Lord” and
“The Monday wash”. I am reading my copy in an English translation, but
doubtless some of our congregation might be able to enjoy it in the original
French. I paid £4.50 for my paperback copy published by Gill and Macmillan.
The ISBN number is 0-7171-1716-2.
Sue Read
Contents
When I arrived towards the end of the afternoon to play the
piano, St. Mary’s church seemed full of children, about 28 in fact, and
quite a few adults too.
I asked the children what they had enjoyed doing; here are
some answers:
Madeleine Kish: decorating biscuits;
Luke Walter: decorating biscuits;
Hamish Scobie: eating decorated biscuits;
Kathryn Thomas: making surprise tombs.
Simon Langley explained that the surprise tombs were cut out
of card to make a tomb with a moving stone. But why ‘surprise’? I never did
find out.
Anna Cozens enjoyed collecting stones for the Easter Garden,
which the children had assembled under the high altar. They had also made
flowers from card, coloured tissue paper, paint and glue. Kathryn Porter, a
helper, explained that the flowers were going on the ‘Easter Christmas tree
cross’. Another helper, Kirsty Walter, had enjoyed cutting out the flowers
and looking after Luke (her brother) and Sam. I then watched as Kirsty and
Gill Ashman washed the tiled floor in the free area after the painting and
gluing!
Margaret Compton enjoyed helping to get the Easter message
across ‘with gluey fingers’. Helen Mann said ‘We’ve only done the making
side of things …’ and was impressed with the way Fr. Michael fitted all the
workshop activities into the Easter message in his service at the end of the
afternoon.
The service was short and appropriate. All children (and
adults) started off sitting in pews (where else?), but during the first hymn
processed Palm Sunday-fashion to the high altar where they then sat
scattered around on the floor of the sanctuary and chancel. Fr. Michael
talked them through the events of the first Maundy Thursday, involving a
large jug of water and a bowl, a loaf of bread and a chalice of blackcurrant
drink, and of course the Garden which the children had created under the
altar. After some prayers the fourth hymn saw them walking/running round the
aisles until, as if by magic, all children (and adults) were back in their
pews.
As Karen Whiten put it, the afternoon was ‘very enjoyable!’.
Frances Murton
The tradition of honouring Our Lady and invoking her mercy
during May extends back to the sixteenth century. (Something to do with the
Reformation?). If you are yet to be touched by this beautiful aspect of our
Faith, perhaps you might like to make this the month to find out more.
You could start by scanning the weekly news sheet for
details of the activities of the Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham, and, if you
are missing all that Lent reading, there are plenty of books about Mary to
help you prepare for the Great National Pilgrimage to Walsingham at the end
of the month on bank holiday Monday, May 29th, quite the most amazing
experience. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all travel together …
Fr. Paul
Contents
 ARCHES
AND DOORWAYS
COLUMNS
A column (or a pier) can support an arch which may be part
of a series of columns (colonnade) with attendant arches. The half pillar
attached to the wal to support the arch at the end of an arcade is known as
the respond. A column is the shaft and sits on a plinth (its base). On top
of the column is a capital, its crowning member (abacus) giving support to
arches (or vaulting ribs). The shape of the abacus, capital, shaft and
plinth changed over the years, and usually reflected the current style of
architecture, eg Norman or Gothic. From the 12th century they were carved
with rich and ornate designs, of foliated, human or animal forms. There are
fine Norman carvings on the capitals at Leonard Stanley. Of the twelve
pillars at Lydney eleven are circular and the other, known as the Judas
Pillar, is square.
SAXON ARCHES & DOORWAYS
Saxon arches were round and sprang from massive impost
blocks, the equivalent later of the abacus, as in the doorway at Somerford
Keynes. The capitals were sculptured, often with interlaced carving and the
shafts were round. Fine examples are at Bradford-on-Avon (Wiltshire) and at
Deerhurst in Gloucestershire. A notable chancel arch is at Wittering,
Northants. Saxon doorways were high and narrow, with a rounded arch. The
doorway at Somerford Keynes, shown here, demonstrated this. It shows both
the impost blocks, on which the arch rests, and the long and short stones
typical of Saxon work.
NORMAN ARCHES & DOORWAYS
The Norman arch was also round but often had several
recessed orders, that is a series ofarches which receded away from the
observer. They were carved with a variety of shapes, geometrical, animal,
bird and human heads (beakheads). Fine examples are at Kilpeck and Windrush.
The abacus was usually square but capitals were of three
types:
a) cushion: square above and round below;
b) scalloped: as above but cut with vertical flukes;
c) volute: late Norman with four leaves springing from the neck.
Shafts were massive and either cylindrical as at Gloucester
Cathedral and Tewkesbury, or sometimes square. Later ones were octagonal.
Bases were usually square, sometimes carved with leaf ornaments. Excellent
examples are at Kilpeck and Moccas, Herefordshire.
The South Door, St. Michael, Guiting Power
Drawn by Helen Mann
Edward Wyatt.
Contents |
SPG/CMS Evening
A Missionary Evening will be held in St.
Nicolas’ Church on Wednesday 10th May. At 7.30pm, Fr. Michael will preside
at a Eucharist according to the South African Rite. The Eucharist will be
followed by a talk, illustrated with slides, on mission work in South
Africa. The talk will be given by a USPG representative. We support USPG
with our missionary giving - come and find out what that money is used for!
Contents
Mothers’ Union -
Diocesan Members’ Day
Thursday May 11th 11.30am - 4pm, St George’s
Church Centre, Brockworth. Come and meet Reg Bailey (MU Chief Executive),
Diocesan Trustees & Fellow Diocesan Members. It is an opportunity to share
information, ideas, and concerns. Lunch is included. There is a map
available if required.
Doreen Morris
Contents
Coffee Evening for Christian Aid
There will be a coffee evening at 6.30pm on
Saturday 13 May, in the St. Nicolas’ Room. All are welcome.
Paddy Spurgeon
Contents |
