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The writer, Henri Nouwen, tells about a circus trapeze group in Germany
called The Flying Rodleighs. He
admired them for the way in which they could swing through the air. It was a
breathtaking and beautiful thing to behold. The flyer risked his life taking
massive leaps at a tremendous height. Nouwen got to know them and he asked
them, "What is it like being a trapeze artist in the circus?"
The leader, the flyer, said, "I'll tell you the secret. I must have
complete trust in my catcher. The public might think I'm the star - but the
real star is my catcher." "How does that work?" Nouwen asked.
"The secret is that the flyer completely trusts the catcher. The worst
thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. The flyer must trust
with outstretched arms that the catcher will be there for him."
The Cross is the symbol of hope
Nouwen writes: "The words of Jesus flashed through my mind as he said
that. 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.' It is trusting the
catcher. Don't be afraid.
Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you
make the long jump. Don't try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch
out your arms and trust, trust, trust."
Easter is the gift of the Catcher
Easter is a reality for the
present and if we receive it, our lives can be invigorated and renewed.
Trust in God with outstretched arms.
Easter is a covenanted promise
for life beyond death. The arms of Jesus are outstretched for each one of
us.
Easter happens all around us
In so many unexpected gestures of caring, of love, of hope. Clear signs
that love is stronger than death.
Fathers Michael, Paul, Tim and John all join me in sending you love and
greetings this Eastertide.
Fr Stephen
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By the time you read this the church should have been handed back to us
and we are planning for the first service in the renewed church to be on
Maundy Thursday. At the time of writing the
central light fitting
has just been installed. All that remains are some minor jobs and laying of
the carpet, which should be completed by late March.
As we move back into the church the committee is taking the opportunity
to review the organisation and placement of the fixtures and fittings. At
first many of the familiar sights will be missing because it would be
inexcusable to drill holes in walls to fix things only to change their
positions later. During the early period of experimentation your views would
be welcome by the Worship Committee, in particular its chairman, John Moles,
or the wardens.
Some interesting statistics on the project:
It took 8 months, rather than the 4 anticipated. The final cost looks
like being a little short of £200,000, about half of which came from
donations and fund raising by the congregation, the rest from grants and our
reserves. Just £20,000 is outstanding as a loan from the diocese.
Through the project I have handled nearly 100 e-mails, written 30
letters, attended 7 site meetings together with regular informal discussions
with the builders on site and lost count of the number of the phone calls. I
have a bulging briefcase and a file of correspondence 6" thick.
Signing off as 'Client Co-ordinator', Geoff Shaw
E-mail is a wonderful thing. Such an easy, fast and reliable way of
sending items to the editor in good time for the parish magazine. But, very
occasionally, things go wrong, and last month the page outlining our plans
for Lent vanished into electronic limbo.
So I am very sorry that regular readers will have gained the impression
that nothing was to happen in the parish during Lent. You missed details of
Fr Paul's series of sermons at the Sunday Eucharist, of the ecumenical
housegroups at All Saints' and elsewhere in Cheltenham, and of our annual
bookstall. All of these crept up unannounced, and for some people the
opportunity slipped by.
An explanation is due too, to those who would have expected to join in a
house group in the parish. In recent years numbers have fallen very low,
both for evening and daytime groups, as fewer people can find the time to
commit to a five-week course. The same pressures make it hard to find group
leaders willing and able to make what is a considerable commitment of time
and effort. The excellent course at All Saints' should have been an
acceptable alternative for many, with the bonus of getting to know some of
our neighbours.
I can promise you that Lent has not dropped out of the agenda at meetings
of the Education & Nurture Committee. We haven't decided against house
groups for good - would you like one next year? Or we could run one outside
Lent, perhaps in late Spring or Summer. What do you think? If you could
offer your home as a meeting place, or if you might just like to come along,
let us know your views about date and time. Have a word with me, or with
Marion Beagley, Linda Biggs, Margaret Compton, Sue Read or Fr Michael.
Beryl Elliott
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Easter banners, dressing up clothes and hot cross buns - that's just part
of the exciting Palm Sunday worship planned in Prestbury this year. And if
you remember the success and impact of last year's Palm Sunday celebration,
you'll understand why we're doing it all over again!
Palm Sunday 2002
fired all our imaginations. Pupils from St Mary's Infant and Junior Schools
made glorious banners to lead the procession through the village, and many
parents and families joined us as we made our way to St Mary's.
This year, the Schools are once again taking part in a banner-making
workshop. In addition, those who know their way around the church hall loft
are looking for costumes that everyone, but especially the children, can try
on, and wear for the procession. If you have your own dressing-up clothes,
so much the better - please wear them, or bring them with you!
The procession will be a splendid spectacle: do try to join us for a
short service and distribution of palms at the Junior School Hall at 9.30am.
Then link up with the procession to the War Memorial, where we shall be
joined by the choirs and servers. The procession will then move on to St
Mary's for worship and reflection, as well as squash, coffee and hot cross
buns!
This is how Palm Sunday is shaping up in Prestbury right now: please feel
free to join us at any point in the procession:
| 0930 |
Assemble at the Junior School Hall. |
| 0945 |
Service begins: distribution of palms. Reading and song. |
| 1000 |
Leave School Hall.
Follow the route through Fawley Drive, Southview Way, Finchcroft Lane,
Noverton Lane, then the main road to War Memorial. |
| 1030 |
Reach War Memorial.The procession will be joined by the
robed choirs and servers for a further short service, and another
distribution of palms.
Then leave for St Mary's Church. |
| 1045 |
Arrive at St Mary's. Weather permitting, squash and
biscuits will be provided outside the church for those children who have
taken part. Inside, enjoy a specially adapted service, with coffee and
hot cross buns afterwards. |
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The congregation were met by a smile and handshake, no bits of paper
today. They entered St Nicolas' Hall to a mixture of chilled out lighting,
art work covered walls and the passionate honesty of Phatfish's songs being
played out on the CD.
The PowerPoint presentation kicked in. So it was going to be Lent, but
going deeper. There was pin dropping silence as we heard about the ultimate
new beginning in the story of the Lost Son. We were soon faced with the
temptation of waiting to eat the chocolates in our hands. There was a bigger
picture, peer pressure, media pressure, pressure all around to 'have it
now'. The worship group struck up - the reality of the good times and bad in
'Blessed be the name of the Lord' moving into that sense of together
connecting with God through the heartfelt 'Here I am to Worship'.
A change to humour as the 'doctor and the hammer' sketch started to take
a challenging look at free will and responsibility. It was all drawn
together: the temptations around us to forget about God with the reality
that God is the one who will be always there to begin again even when we've
chosen to leave him.
Prayers, music and images combined to throw down the challenge to live
fully for God - a life of worship, joy and forgiveness. Having had a picture
of such a great God - how better to finish than with the uplifting 'You
Shall Go Out With Joy'. There was still time to engage with God in the
candle lit quiet room or to spend time chatting with folks of all ages.
The congregation gone, time to clear it all away, the second youth
service over and this worshipping journey well underway! The next service
would be Sunday 6th July - as ever people of all ages would be welcome to
worship.
Andy Macauly
Youth Work Special Events
360° Monday 14 April -
Thursday 17 April
Working with a group of young people from Twilight Zone. Involving a
mixture of practical work to make the local area a better place to live and
activities to provide new experiences and learn new skills. Tiring but
massively rewarding!
Maundy Thursday Vigil Thursday 17 April
The challenge of staying up all night to pray in creative ways and be
together with God and each other through this special time. There will be
plenty of doughnuts and activities to keep mind and body awake!
For information on participating in or supporting any of these events
please contact Andy Macauly, youth prestbury.net
Your prayers are always valued!!
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Following in the footsteps of
last year's Good
Friday processional Act of Worship, our parish is once again taking the
story of Christ's passion onto the streets of Prestbury.
This powerful worship and outreach will be staged on Good Friday, 18
April. Prestbury already has a great reputation for dramatic portrayal of
the Passion, and we will be building on this tradition.
This year will follow a very similar pattern to 2002: the presentation
will be based on an abridged version of the Stations of the Cross, using
symbols and Gospel readings, as well as music and pictures to reflect on
current issues.
We will walk from Capel Court, along the Burgage, up Mill Street and into
St Mary's where everyone will be invited to share coffee and hot cross buns.
If you would like to be part of this great event, please contact Daphne
Philpot and join us for the following rehearsals:
Sunday 6 April at 3.30pm - the route
Wednesday 9 April at 8.15pm - at St Mary's
Sunday 13 April at 3.30pm - the route
Wednesday 16 April at 8.15pm - at St Mary's
* Good Friday at 11am at Capel Court *
We look forward to seeing you!
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Saturday 3rd May 2003
12:00 to 3:30pm
Come and view our newly
refurbished church
Raffle - Teas - Ploughmans
Bouncy Castle - Bric-a-Brac
Games - Books - Toys
Proceeds in aid of St Nicolas' Church Renewal Appeal
St Nicolas' Celebration Weekend 3rd - 5th May 2003
On Saturday 3 May the church will be open from 12 noon and will contain
displays of the history of St Nicolas' Church, the restoration work and
current activities associated with the Church and Hall. See box above for
details of the Fair.
At 4.00pm there will be a Thanksgiving Service which will be attended by
the Bishop of Gloucester, the Mayor of Cheltenham and representatives of
those who have been working on the building.
On Sunday 4 May there will be a Thanksgiving Eucharist at 9.30am and then
the church will be open for visitors. Cream teas will be served during the
afternoon and there will be musical entertainment. At 6.30pm both choirs
will sing Choral Evensong.
On Monday 5 May the Church will again be open during the afternoon. There
will be a barbecue at 5.00pm followed by a Talent Show organised by members
of the Parish Youth Groups.
As you can see, there will be lots happening, so make sure you have the
weekend booked in your diaries and let other people know all about it!
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We were sorry to hear on 24 February that Bertha Hardman had died
that afternoon. Bertha had always looked forward to being our 90-year-old
ringer. Sadly she died a month short of that milestone.
Bertha had rung at Prestbury since she moved here in the early 1980s. She
was a faithful member of the Sunday service band until ill health stopped
her coming to ring. She encouraged learners at practice, and enjoyed
listening to the bells, either in the tower or, if unable to attend, in her
garden when the wind was in the right direction.
In the days when Prestbury had few skilled ringers, one quarter-peal was
rung each year in March which was dedicated to Bertha's birthday. She
usually rang in these. Her favourite bell was the fourth, now known as
Bertha's bell.
Bertha last came into the tower on 3 June 2002 when three quarter-peals
were rung for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. She was able to chime a bell,
which made her very happy.
Before she died Bertha knew that a full peal (over 5000 changes), was to
be rung on 29 March to celebrate her 90th birthday. It is now proposed to
ring the peal in memory of Bertha and in thanksgiving for her life.
Various local ringers gathered for Bertha's funeral at St Mary's on 6
March. We rang before the funeral service and after it. As Bertha's coffin
was carried from Mill Street to the church I was honoured to toll the fourth
bell. For the ringing we were joined by Fenny Smith, a former Prestbury
ringer; Helen Taylor of Leckhampton; Mike Clifford and Bob Bennett of St
Mary's Parish Church, Cheltenham. We were delighted to welcome Robin Turner
who accompanied Clare Higby of Chilcompton, Somerset. Clare is the Hon
Secretary of the Ladies Guild, of which Bertha had been a member for many
years. Gill Robinson, Bertha's niece, sat in the tower with us.
We all have happy memories of Bertha. Everyone has their own story to
tell about her. Her ashes are buried within earshot of the bells as was her
wish.
We shall miss a dear lady.
May she rest in peace.
Jenni Scruton
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On March 8th Gill, Roger, Leslie and I were invited to a party at Salem
Baptist Church to celebrate £352,000 raised by Christian Aid in Cheltenham
in the last ten years, under the leadership of the Organiser, the Rev Hazel
Day, who is now retiring. Most of this money was raised in the
house-to-house collections which we all support, but the Christmas carol
singing at the supermarkets, sponsored walks and swims, flower shows, coffee
mornings and evenings and table-top sales have all contributed to this
excellent result.
It was a very enjoyable evening, with a bring-and-share supper. The Mayor
and Mayoress of Cheltenham were among the guests. Presentations were made to
Hazel by the Chairman of Churches Together in Cheltenham and by the
Christian Aid committee. The Area Organiser of Christian Aid, Nigel Quarrell,
read a letter from the Director, Dr Daleep Mukarji, thanking Hazel and the
people of Cheltenham for their work.
Supper was followed by a musical presentation 'Hunger for Justice' by
four young people who had been visiting Christian Aid's partners in Ghana.
They showed how unfair trading made life very hard for the Ghanaians, who
were helped by aid workers to make a living in co-operatives, weaving
baskets, smoking fish, making beauty products and learning how to get a
fairer price for their work. The 'Trade for Life' campaign and the need to
work for justice are Christian Aid's mission for this year. We hope that you
will all help us to support it as well as you have in the past.
Paddy Spurgeon, Gill Ashman
Christian Aid Week 2003 
IT'S COMING UP FAST!
The annual Christian Aid Week is only a matter of weeks away - so here's
a quick reminder to sign up and offer your help as soon as possible!
Collecting envelopes, collectors' badges and all the materials needed for
the door-to-door envelope drop in Prestbury are due to be delivered any day
now. Could you help Gill and Paddy with the sorting, and perhaps
co-ordinating the collectors?
Or could it be that you'd like to team up with someone else and share the
task of delivering and then collecting the envelopes? If so, your help would
be HUGELY appreciated!
Whatever help you can offer - even if it's just an hour one evening -
PLEASE come forward! You really will make all the difference.
Caroline Sexton, Mission & Outreach Committee
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Correction
Malcolm McKelvey did not found Musica Vera, as was stated in last month's
Parish Magazine. Below is an article from Musica Vera's current Chairman,
Jill Yates, about the choir and Malcolm's involvement with it.
Editor
Musica Vera was founded in 1964 by Graham Smallbone, at that time
Director of Music at Dean Close School. His intent was to form a small
chamber choir of some 24 voices, with the purpose of performing a varied
repertoire of music, particularly works which were less often performed.
That still holds today, and during the nearly 40 years of its existence
almost the only thing that has changed has been its series of conductors.
All have brought with them their own individual style and choice of music,
so that longer-standing members, like myself, have seen many changes in the
choir, but all within Graham Smallbone's original framework.
Malcom McKelvey was one of our most distinguished and experienced
Directors, and led the choir from early in 1992 until retiring from its
leadership after the Summer concert in 1995. Barely two months after Malcolm
had taken over as our conductor, the choir gave a performance of Bach's
St John Passion - one of the largest works we had ever undertaken - to a
packed Tewkesbury Abbey in March 1992.
Rehearsals under Malcolm were always fun, and, as one would expect, his
programmes carefully researched and planned. His seemingly endless fund of
musical anecdotes added to our enjoyment, and many of his past students, now
professional musicians themselves, were welcomed as our soloists.
One of our most memorable concerts was one given in January 1995, to
celebrate Henry Purcell's tercentenary - a recital of Purcell's music, in
the lovely setting of St Peter's College, Oxford - Malcolm's old college.
During Malcolm's time as our Director, the late Dr Bernard Rose, Malcolm's
tutor, and Organist and Master of the Choristers of Magdalen College,
Oxford, became our President.
Malcolm's influence over the choir during his years as our Director was
enormous. From Tudor anthems to Handel's Acis and Galatea, from
English folk songs to Carissimi's Jephte, we were introduced to and
led through some wonderful music, and Musica Vera has reason to be very
grateful, not only to Malcolm, but also to Christine, who often acted as our
accompanist.
Jill Yates
Thank you!
Malcolm and Christine McKelvey would like to say a huge 'thankyou' to the
Clergy, the PCC, the choirs, the performers, the cooks and to everyone who
came on 15 March and helped to make Malcolm's celebration such a success.
The generosity of the gifts was overwhelming - it was certainly an evening
to remember.
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We would like to establish a database of musical talent in Prestbury.
This might be for occasional instrumental groups or more regular playing. At
Christmas a group played at Capel Court and the Crib service, the Youth
group have provided their own players and of course we have the
Blue Diamonds! A musical
entertainment is planned for the Rededication of St Nicolas' in May. Please
contact David Lyle or Ian Higginson for more details.
Contents
As I stepped from the zodiac into my single kayak the reassuring sentence
kept passing through my brain 'Orcas have never yet attacked a kayaker.'
Orcas or killer whales were circling; the Minke whales and Adelie
penguins were under the kayak one minute and alongside the next, as I
paddled away towards mainland Antarctica. The sea was calm, I paddled gently
and rhythmically over the glassy sea braced for whatever was going to pop
out of the water to look at me.
Looming upwards were the cliffs of Antarctica, snow covered and serene.
The glaciers were an exquisite pale ice blue with crevices of a darker,
almost Bristol blue; I had not expected that. When the sun shone on the ice
the surface crystals glistened and sparkled silver white, which hurt the
eyes and hid the intense blueness underneath. The boom of a calving glacier
or an avalanche in the mountains, the plop of penguins or the blow of whales
as they surfaced were the only noises to be heard. The bergs and the
glaciers were awesome both in size and grandeur and sitting in my kayak,
realization dawned of my insignificance and my frailty.
Approaching land the brash ice thickened and I had to concentrate to
manoeuvre the kayak through the gaps or ride over the smaller pieces of ice.
The grating of ice on polypropylene and the thought that only a few
centimetres of this man-made material was between an extremely deep icy
ocean and me filtered through my brain.
Suddenly there was an ominous creak, the glacier calved and the resulting
surge wave sped towards me. I spun the kayak bow on to ride the wave. Bergs
pitched and danced as the wave reached them, one small berg rolled over,
larger ones rocked like pendulums and, fortunately for me, righted
themselves.
I paddled on, dodging the penguins and large pieces of brash ice, and
then I carefully judged the moment to drive up onto the sand and rock. I
stepped out, waded ashore, pulled the kayak up and yes, I'd made it, I'd
landed on the most inhospitable continent in the world. A moment of joy and
yet I felt like bursting into tears as I clambered over the rocks. Nimbly
jumping the penguin highways to the sea, I climbed the glacier to have a
view over the bay I had kayaked across and the distant speck of the 'Akademik
Ioffe', our Russian research ship, waiting out to sea.
The peace and tranquillity of this landscape is indescribable, there is
no noise pollution, the air is crystal clear for there is no air pollution,
there is no litter, it is a virgin landscape and for me to be kayaking
through it was a privilege that will remain with me forever.
Jackie Moles
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