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YOU MIGHT well say that we have been doubly blessed! At the end of June
we welcomed not one but two new deacons to serve in our Team Ministry. David
Gardiner and Andrew Hughes were both ordained by Bishop Michael in
Gloucester Cathedral on 29th June. Fr David is a stipendiary curate, which
means he is with us full-time. Fr Andrew is currently non-stipendiary, which
means that he will work on a Sunday and the equivalent of two other days and
will also be working part-time as a university lecturer in order to support
himself financially. Fr Andrew is only with us until December when he will
move to Lichfield Diocese to take up a full-time post in the parish of Friar
Park, Wednesbury in the West Midlands.
Clearly this is a very significant time for both of our new deacons as
they begin to work out in practice God’s calling to ordained ministry. They
have both completed courses of study as well as practical placements and now
their formation continues as they work amongst us in their new roles. All of
us have a significant part to play: we are all part of Fr Andrew’s and Fr
David’s formation as ordained ministers. Every service they take part in,
every pastoral encounter they have, literally everything they do will be
helping to form them for their particular ministry.
What is a deacon? Part of the answer to that question will be illustrated
in the role which they take in the Eucharist. Iquote from Bishop Michael,
who wrote the following for The New Handbook of Pastoral Liturgy: ‘the
deacon serves God in serving both the congregation and the president. The
members of the congregation are served by the way the deacon encourages them
and helps them through the service.’ You will see the deacons bringing in
the book of the Gospels and proclaiming the Gospel for us; they will invite
us to confess our sins, to share the peace and to go out ‘to love and serve
the Lord’. They will also assist whoever presides at the Eucharist by
preparing the altar at the offertory and by dealing with the ablutions –
‘the washing up’.
Bishop Michael goes on to say: ‘throughout the liturgy the deacon is
holding up to the priest and to the people a model of service that, though
it is the deacon’s particular ministry, is one shared by the whole Church
and by every member of it, priest, deacon or lay person, individually’.
Clearly our hope and prayer is that our new deacons will be richly
blessed by their experience of formation as they serve amongst us and as we
all take our part in that formation. But we also will be greatly blessed by
them. Especially we should be encouraged by their model of service to become
even more of a ‘serving community’: serving one another, those both inside
and outside the church, and serving God as we respond to His call to
ministry to each one of us.
 Fr Michael
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Celebrate! Picnic with Sheep
We had a lovely time. We could hear the music in the open as we got
nearer our school playing field. When we arrived there was even a bouncy
castle to use up our energy.
There was singing and music and we waved flags. The braver children went
to the front and did all the actions to the songs. Then suddenly there was a
puppet show with sheep and we laughed lots. Then we had a picnic with Mummy
and Daddy in the shade of a tree as it was very hot. We saw lots of friends
from church and they had a great time too.
Helena (aged 7) and Sophia (aged 4)
Celebrate! dates
The final Celebrate! service this term will be on Sunday 20th July. We
restart after the summer break on Sunday 31st August at 9.30am in St Mary’s
church. All are welcome!
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Initially I want to say a big thank you to everyone for making me feel so
welcome – especially to Father Michael, Father Daniel and Andy Macauly. It
is so interesting to see how a parish that is very different to my
experience operates and it is lovely to see how a sense of community is
being developed within the parish.
At the time of writing I have barely begun my placement with you so I
thought it might be best to jot down one or two of my hopes for the next
month. During my time with you, my desire is to encourage each of you in
your relationship with God and to continue to discover ways we can be a
blessing to those both inside and outside the church. My hope is also that
you will begin to understand the unique mission to which God has called you
in this parish. I pray for God’s wisdom and the Spirit’s leading as you move
forward into that mission both as individuals and corporately.
Bruce Goodwin
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Many thanks to everyone who helped achieve another excellent result for
Prestbury parish. In total we gave £5911.25 to this valued charity, made up
from the house-to-house collections of £1102.37 at St Nicolas’ and £4808.88
at St Mary’s. This included donations amounting to £242.45 plus St Mary’s
bakestall £27.00.
The volunteers who collected did a great job, but there were not quite
enough of us to cover all our roads, so we could do even better with a full
complement of collectors! Please put the date for next year’s Christian Aid
Week in you 2009 diary – 10th-16th May.
 Gill Ashman & Paddy Spurgeon
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Dear Parishioners
So much willing help, support and generosity is given each year in this
lovely parish to the cause of Christian Aid (and at other times!) that it is
with much regret that I am giving up as organiser of the annual
house-to-house collection.
The number of houses collected from, and the amount given, has increased
over the years to the point when the task really needs someone with more
energy, and maybe younger! Or, as I have noticed for a few years, a small
group or team to divide the area and work involved.
I have always found the task most satisfying and it is very enjoyable to
meet so many people. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has given me
that privilege.
Your prayers have always been of great help and have given guidance to
me, and to others, most of whom have unstintingly and very commendably given
their efforts and time throughout the seventeen years I have been actively
involved in Christian Aid. Prayer for the work to continue is needed
as much as ever.
In 1979 Christian Aid’s poster caption read ‘As you sow, so shall he
reap’ – I believe this applies very much today, in the turmoil of God’s
world in which we live.
Finally, I hope my successor(s) will ask me to help in the future – I
still have legs to walk on!
Gill Ashman
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One result of having a craftsman to repair parts of the church is that he
occasionally finds other problems! When Mark Hancock came down from the nave
roof one day he said ‘Did you know that the wire rope working the Sanctus
bell is down to its last two strands?’ Well we didn’t and I had visions of
Colin or Noel giving a gentle pull and receiving the rest of the rope on his
head!
I enquired of the Diocesan bells expert, Mary Bliss, as to who might help
us. Of the names she suggested we chose Mr Arthur Berry of Great Malvern,
who is a well known and respected bell hanger.
Mr Berry came down from the roof and said: ‘It’s not two strands left –
it’s only one!’ Also he told us that everything was rusty and that where the
rope passed through the roof the lead had simply been bent aside. No wonder
rainwater drips on the nave carpet!
Inside the nave the wire rope joins on to the hemp bell rope. This then
runs over two pulleys and comes down to the red ‘sally’ on the end which is
held to ring the bell. Mr Berry looked at the sally and laughed: ‘You could
use that sally on Big Ben!’. I measured it and it was seven feet long. It
was so heavy that he thought it might make the bell hang at an angle and be
hard to ring. The other problem was that the bell rope was in three pieces
knotted together. We agreed that the best thing would be to order a new rope
and sally.
Mr Berry returned and fitted the new rope. Where it passes through the
roof, it now goes through a neat copper tube fixed to the stonework with the
lead carefully dressed around it. On the wire rope there is a copper
‘Chinese hat’ which deflects the rainwater away. The mechanism is repainted
and the Sanctus bell now rings again over Prestbury!
 Ken Bradbury
Why is the Sanctus bell used?
The Sanctus Bell (also called a Sacring Bell) is a small bell, either
placed in the sanctuary or hung in a small gable over the chancel (like ours
at Prestbury) and rung at the Sanctus (‘Holy Holy Holy’) to give notice that
the canon or most solemn part of the service is about to commence. At
St Mary’s we tend to use the small hand bell for this purpose.
The Sanctus/Sacring Bell is also used to focus the people’s attention on
the elevation of the sacred elements immediately after their consecration,
and at St Mary’s we also ring the gable-hung bell for this purpose. This
enables parishioners who are prevented from attending the service,
traditionally the workers in the fields, to join in it in spirit, pausing
for prayer as they hear the bell.
We also use this bell whenever the Angelus is said or sung – the bell is
rung three times for each of the three Ave Marias and nine times for the
collect, giving a sequence 3-3-3-9. During Eastertide, when the Regina Coeli
is said or sung instead of the Angelus, the bell is rung in a sequence of
9-9. Gregory of Tours (c585) was the first person to mention the use of
bells in Christian worship.
 Colin Holman / Fr Michael
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Thanks and best wishes!
Sadly, at the end of July we will have to say ‘goodbye’ to Peter Greaves.
Peter has been organist and choirmaster at St Mary’s since May 2006 when he
arrived, literally turning up to offer his services!
Peter’s job has meant a move to Plymouth, which really is too far for him
to commute to play for us on a Sunday! We will greatly miss Peter’s
contribution to our worship. He is a very good organist, who has always
played with a deep awareness for the liturgy and the part which music has to
play in worship. He has also worked hard with the choir and encouraged them
with their own contribution to our services. All of this has been done with
good humour, sensitivity and commitment as well as ‘free of charge’ – Peter
has not taken a salary whilst he has been with us.
We shall miss him very much indeed but send him off with our love,
prayers and very best wishes for this new venture.
Fr Michael
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Congratulations
To Fr John Gann who celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to
the priesthood on Sunday 29th June. Fr John and his wife Hilary have retired
to Prestbury and worship mainly at St Nicolas’ where Fr John occasionally
presides and preaches at the 9.30am Sung Eucharist. We send him our
love and prayers!
Fr Michael
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The 2008 Prestbury and Pittville Youth AGM on 27th April was the best
attended meeting in the four years that PPY has been operating as an
independent charity.
Before the start of the meeting, a photographic presentation of the work
of Pittville Youth Action Group was shown whilst members enjoyed a glass of
wine. The Chairman presented the Annual Report, which included details of
the appointment of Sharon Macauly as Youth Inclusion Worker leading that
group. The work of the group and the benefits its young members and the
wider school community get from it were described by Andy Macauly.
Hon. Treasurer, Gill Wood, presented the Annual Accounts to 31st December
2007 saying that over £60,000 had been raised during the year and running
costs top £45,000 annually. She highlighted the Executive Committee’s
allocation of funds to specific reserves in an attempt to make the work of
the charity sustainable in the changing funding climate. After the
allocations, £16,000 remained in free reserves.
Andy Macauly introduced the charity’s new strapline ‘Involving –
Supporting – Challenging’ and explained its relevance. He also presented his
report on the year’s work with the help of photographs showing the young
people working on several projects including a summer healthy living week,
an alternative fashion show and the introduction to an all-group art, craft
and music project.
The Chairman expressed thanks to the members of the Executive Committee,
in particular to Daphne Philpot, who had decided to stand down. A
presentation was made to Daphne later at St Nicolas’ because she was not
able to be at the meeting.
All the places on the Executive Committee were filled. The Revd Michael
Cozens continues as the Chairman, Tricia Wilson as Hon. Secretary and Gill
Wood as Hon. Treasurer. Clare Wyatt was nominated by Prestbury PCC in place
of Daphne Philpot. Linda Biggs, Charlie Chan and Julia Hook were
re-appointed and Julie Lane and Liz Greenhow were re-elected.
 Tricia Wilson
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Youthwork dates
Youth groups finish on 13th July and restart next term from Thursday 4th
September.
360° Inspire Project / Soul Survivor (for young leaders): 11-15 August
360° Connect Holiday project (for year 6): 18-22 August
Summer Holiday Projects
This summer we are running two projects linked together – 360° Inspire
and 360° Connect. These build on many years of successful holiday projects.
360° Inspire is all about inspiring young leaders (and potential young
leaders) to support other young people and to make a difference in their
communities. Two highlights of the project are a stay at Soul Survivor
Christian Festival (11-15 August) and a visit to Motiva High Ropes Course.
So much of the good work of PPY is down to the contribution of young leaders
and it is great to be able to spend quality time developing their skills and
characters!
360° Connect is all about supporting young people as they move from
primary to secondary school. We are running a variety of activities in local
primary schools culminating in a week of activities (18-22 August) focused
on confidence building and team work; there are even two day trips to Viney
Hill Adventure Centre! Young leaders will play a key part as they talk
through any questions and concerns the participants have and model team work
and respect. We hope to follow up the project with some form of early
evening club for new year 7s (3-5pm) – if you feel you could assist in this
please contact Andy Macauly.
Please pray for the summer projects, that they would be fun, safe and
help to develop the character of all those involved. Special thanks to
Prestbury United Charities who have been very generous in their support for
these projects.
If you would like more information about these projects or any of the
youth work please contact
 Andy Macauly
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For those of you who read my article about Open the Book in the March
copy of the magazine, I would like to let you know how prayer has been
answered.
 We have been invited to take Open the Book into
Lynworth School with effect from the beginning of September. Initially we
will be visiting once a fortnight until Christmas, to see how it is
received, both by the teachers and also by the children. Unlike at St
Mary’s, where we only go into the Infant School, at Lynworth we will be
dealing with children from four to eleven years old. This is a huge
challenge and a wonderful way of bringing the bible to life with children
who may not already know the stories as we do.
Please continue to pray for this important work and if you feel you can
help, please contact
  Marion Beagley or Julie Jefferies.
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What a wonderful evening! Mr Derek Henman, a local artist, had generously
given his elegantly framed etchings and drawings of parts of our church
needing repair. He explained to us the various methods of creating etchings.
It sounded very complicated, but there was no doubt he had the talent to
produce beautiful pictures.
In the interval a very tasty supper was served and we had the opportunity
to view the pictures. Then came the auction – very professionally done
by Mr Marcus Steel. All the pictures were sold, raising the sum of
£695 towards the Church Repair Fund. Thank you, Derek!
Altogether a very interesting and exciting evening with thanks to all who
helped. Many people now have a delightful picture to treasure.
Margaret Stark & Dorreen Kreye
An enormous thank you to Derek Henman, John Mead and our excellent
auctioneer Marcus Steel for making this such an enjoyable evening. It was a
fascinating insight into the mysteries of etching and printing. Derek
is a man of great talent and matching generosity. The auction,
together with the proceeds from the supper, raised approximately £800 for
the repair fund.
 Lynda Hodges
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You might recall that a group of us have recently re-started a drama
group here in Prestbury. We are calling ourselves CHADS – CHurches Amateur
Dramatic Society –and our first official production will take place in time
for St Mary’s Patronal Festival in September. On Friday 5th September please
join us for a Cheese & Wine evening with entertainment at the Prestbury Hall
in Bouncers Lane at 7.30pm. Tickets will be £5 per head and all profits will
go to a charity which has yet to be decided upon.
All three of the current team churches have members appearing, in one
form or another, and we hope that we will both entertain and amuse a large
audience. Please support us and bring your friends and family for a fun
packed, light-hearted evening. If you have any secret longing to ‘tread the
boards’ you are more than welcome to join us in our efforts.
Marion Beagley
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AN EXCELLENT sermon given recently by Father Peter about Simon of Cyrene
brought back many memories. I served for four years in the Middle East in
the Royal Air Force, living for nearly two years in Cyrene in 1943 and 1944.
So I could appreciate the background of Simon’s life when Simon lived in a
colony of Greek Jews.
They occupied a lavish city built about 600BC. The site chosen was one of
the best in North Africa, two thousand feet up on the edge of an escarpment.
Below was a plain full of wadis (deep valleys) to the Mediterranean.
Extensive ruins still remain, including an amphitheatre (where our chaplain
produced a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream!).
Nearby, in the last century, Italians had built a hotel – where I and
fellow members of the RAF lived. One wing had been destroyed by the British,
but the rest was in good order. How lucky we were!
I imagine Simon was part of a group of Greeks who went by sea from the
nearby port of Appolonia through the ‘Med’ to a Palestinian port such as
Acre and then to Jerusalem. They went to celebrate Passover, but were caught
up in tremendous events.
Father Peter, in his address, spoke of Simon’s ‘reluctance’ to pick up
the cross at a soldier’s command. Did he have to carry it to the site of the
crucifixion? How long did he and his friends stay on in Jerusalem, I wonder.
Very likely they would hear about the resurrection, and have plenty to talk
about as they returned to Cyrene! Simon’s experiences would have an immense
effect on them all.
It so happens that the Cyrene ruins are becoming a tourist attraction,
and I have obtained a map. It is exciting to spot a drawing denoting the
site of a ‘Christian temple’ near the ruins! We know no more about Simon
except that Mark (15:21) describes him as the father of Alexander and Rufus,
implying they were figures known in the early Christian Church.
Leslie Bill
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Perhaps not the most appropriate phrase in the circumstances, but it
seemed apt for my graduation from complete novice with a couple of sessions
in a small dinghy on a gravel pit lake at South Cerney to crewing on a 40ft
boat in the annual Civil Service yacht racing championships in the Solent –
between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight – an annual week-long event held in
early June.
Monday was practice and boat/crew familiarisation day; then, after a long
and tiring day of four races on Tuesday, with seemingly non-stop work
turning winches and heaving ropes, came what we had all been looking forward
to – the ‘round-the-island’ race. In the two previous years it had been
cancelled – once for too little wind and once for too much wind! This year
it was on but there still remained the challenge of getting round the
Needles – sailing clockwise from Cowes – before the tide turned and stopped
us sailing back eastwards to the finish. We made it with time to spare but
had the somewhat scary experience of slaloming through the ‘overfall’ rapids
just off the Needles lighthouse, trying to avoid numerous other boats in the
process, before recovering into calmer waters again and on to the finish in
nine and a half hours – just fifteen minutes after the winning boat. After
another long race on Day 4 and the evening presentations dinner in the Royal
Corinthian Yacht Club, we allowed ourselves a lie in on Friday (7.15am
instead of the previous days’ 6.00am start) before the final race back to
Port Solent and boat clean-up/handover.
Looking back over the experience, it struck me how many parallels there
were with the Christian faith. We all pulled well together as a team, we had
absolute faith in our helmsman as we lurched through the Needles rapids, and
– reflecting the recent ‘Deliberately Different’ theme at the Celebrate!
service – we were strong enough to steer our own course to find the most
favourable wind and tide conditions while others were playing
follow-my-leader after the race favourite. Oh, and we beat our A Boat in the
process – but we won’t mention that!
Would I do it again? Absolutely!!
Stephen Murton
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23a
What a list! We live in a great fruit-growing area and now is the time
when many of us are visiting pick-your-own fruit farms for strawberries and
raspberries, gooseberries and redcurrants, or even harvesting them here in
Prestbury in our own gardens or allotments. Later will come pears and
apples, as well as the blackberries and elderberries growing wild in the
hedgerows around our parish.
These two verses are almost an aside in Paul’s long attack on the
Galatians for their corruption of the Christian message and their
willingness to listen to other sources and compromise the true message which
Paul had taught them. ‘I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the
one who called you by the grace of Christ… Evidently some people are
throwing you into confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.’
(1:6-7). ‘You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?’ (3:1).
The first Christians were Jews and probably assumed that they would
continue observing Jewish customs. As the gospel spread, many non-Jews,
Gentiles, also believed and became Christians. Did it matter that they were
not observing Jewish ceremonial practices in their new-found faith? It seems
that a group of so-called ‘Judaizers’ felt very strongly that one had to
convert to Judaism in order to be a ‘proper’ Christian and were zealously
teaching this to the Galatians. In particular they felt that circumcision
was necessary in order to become a true inheritor of God’s promise to
Abraham, fulfilled in Jesus.
Paul writes at length about the fact that grace has set us free from the
Law, ‘but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature’ or ‘flesh’
(5:13). It is at this point that he lists the qualities which will be
obvious if we are led by the Spirit and not by our own fleshly desires. Do
not confuse these fruits of the Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit detailed
in 1Corinthians. A gift comes from outside, something to accept or not, as
we choose, whereas fruit develops from inside. It is the natural result of
something within us.
And so back to the strawberries and apples I mentioned earlier. The type
of fruit depends on the type of plant: we can recognise fruit by its plant,
whether good to eat or poisonous, and we identify plants by their fruit. Is
it a pear tree or an apple tree? Maybe you can tell by the leaves or
flowers, but if you wait for the fruit it will be obvious.
The quality of fruit, however, depends on the nurturing. Good gardeners
know that left to themselves most plants will continue to bear fruit despite
everything, but that bigger, better fruit, even greater quantities of fruit
per plant, can be obtained by careful management: feeding the plant,
improving the soil round it, protecting it from excessive cold or heat,
drought or flood. Pruning is often necessary to enable the plant to produce
its best. But even the most mismanaged plant will bear fruit when the time
is right. It is a natural result of all the growing which has gone before.
And so it is with us. We cannot force joy, peace or gentleness to sprout
all over us; we can only let them ripen. ‘I must try to be more patient…’ we
say, but maybe it is wrong to try. Perhaps the answer is to spend more time
with God, listening, absorbing, allowing him to fill us, nurture us, feed
us, prune us, and then these fruits will ripen and mature and become obvious
to other people, even if not to ourselves.
 Frances Murton
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Bible Study
The Bible Study group continues to meet in All Saints’
church twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays. We are now looking
at the Old Testament book of Joel. Do join us at 7pm on 8th and 22nd
July. We shall meet on 12th and 26th August unless everybody decides to go
on holiday at the same time! Newcomers are always welcome.
 Jen Swinbank & Frances Murton
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Visiting Bishop
The Lambeth Conference of Bishops of the Anglican
Communion takes place in Canterbury from 16th July until 4th August. A
number of visiting Bishops will be staying in our Diocese for a few days
before the Conference and one of them, Bishop John Kato from Japan, will be
guest preacher in St Mary’s at 11am on Sunday 13th July. Please do keep all
the Bishops and the Lambeth Conference in your prayers.
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175 years of the Oxford Movement
This year, 2008, is the 175th anniversary of The Oxford
Movement, which revived the catholic tradition within the Church of England.
This revival played a significant part in the history of both of our
parishes of Prestbury and All Saints’. Various catholic societies in the
Church of England have called for an hour of silent prayer to be held on
Monday 14th July in thanksgiving for the 175th anniversary and in
re-commitment to Jesus.
We will be holding an hour of silent prayer in St Mary’s
from 12 noon until 1pm and in All Saints’ from 6.15pm until 7.15pm. Please
do come and join us – you do not need to stay for the whole hour! For
further information see
www.oxfordmovement.org.uk
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St Mary’s Bakestall
The next bakestall, provided by the G-M team falls on
Sunday 20th July. The proceeds will be sent to MAF (Mission Aviation
Fellowship).
In May we were able to add £27 to the Christian Aid
collection and in June we supported victims of torture with £30 to the
Medical Foundation.
As usual there will be NO bakestall in August. Thank you
all for your support, both baking and buying.
Linda Matthews & Margaret Waker
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Parish Lunch at The Royal Oak
Our next Parish lunch will lake place on Sunday 20th July
at 1.00pm at The Royal Oak. Please book your place with me as soon as
possible as it sells out fairly quickly. If you haven’t been before – try it
– we are a friendly, happy bunch of parishioners, from all three churches,
and it is a lovely opportunity to get to know each other better over a
splendid two course meal. This time the main course will be roast pork (or a
vegetarian option) and will be followed by a dessert. The cost will be
£11.50 per head. Ring me to find out more or to book your place.
Marion
Beagley
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All places are now taken for the trip to Hereford
Cathedral on 22nd July. You will all have received details of the
arrangements – please ring me if you have any queries. Any outstanding money
to me as soon as possible please (£8 per head). Many thanks.
There will not be a regular meeting in August, but on
Saturday 2nd August we are hosting the Deanery MU coffee morning in St
Nicolas’ Room from 10.30am to 12 noon. All are welcome.
On September 23rd at St Mary’s Caroline Sexton will talk
to us about the work of the Bible Society. We start at 7.30pm and are always
pleased to welcome new members.
Marion
Beagley
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St Mary’s Patronal Festival
This year the festivities start with a production by the
new drama group on Friday 5th September. On Saturday 6th there is the
opportunity to walk the parish boundary.
On Sunday 7th September you are all warmly invited to the
United Team Festival Sung Eucharist in St Mary’s church at 11am. There will
be a said Eucharist in all three churches at 8am, but no 9.30 service at St
Nicolas’ or 10.30 at All Saints’. If you need transport to St Mary’s please
speak to one of the churchwardens.
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On Saturday 6th September, as part of St Mary’s Patronal
Festival, we shall walk the boundary of Prestbury Parish. Planning is now
well underway for this; the route is mapped out and will be divided into
sections with, we hope, a ‘get you home’ service for those not wanting to
undertake the whole circuit. It will begin and end at the Prestbury Hall
where we hope to serve café style food at the end of the day to revive
walkers before they head for home. Non-walkers will naturally be welcome to
join us there to cheer the finishers in. Final details will be announced
nearer the time.
If, in addition, you would like to ask people to sponsor
you to raise funds for Prestbury and Pittville Youth, please do so, but this
is not essential.
Lynda Hodges
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Parish Fete –
Saturday September 13th
The Scout Field in The Burgage from 2.00pm until 5.00pm
Please keep this date free in your diaries as it will he
our grand fund-raising event of the year. It will be officially opened by Mr
and Mrs Tom Graveney, whom many of you will know, not only as former
landlords of The Royal Oak, but also for Tom’s cricketing career. I would
welcome as much help as possible to man the many stalls and side shows that
we have planned. Please sign up on the sheets on the church notice boards so
that I know that all areas are covered, and start saving anything that can
be sold on the day.
If you have any new ideas or suggestions, please let me
know so that they can be included. We will also have a Children’s Fancy
Dress Competition, which should draw in more people from the schools and the
surrounding area. Please tell your friends and families so that on the day
we have a really good attendance, thus raising lots of money for the
churches. Thank you in anticipation.
Marion
Beagley
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Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust – Sponsored Ride and Walk
ON SATURDAY 13th September the Gloucestershire Historic
Churches Trust will be having its Annual Sponsored Ride and Walk.
Every year the Trust makes awards to church communities to
maintain their buildings for worship and a significant amount of money
awarded is raised through this sponsored event. We are appealing to you to
help us give money back to communities which desperately need it in order to
keep their churches open.
You can do this by taking part in our Ride/Walk or by
sponsoring a participant.
Further information, together with sponsorship forms, is
available from your Local Organisers, details below. Participants can
nominate a church or chapel of their choice to receive half their money. The
other half goes to the GHCT. The cause is a good one, and, although good
weather cannot be guaranteed, those who have taken part have an excellent
day. Please consider how YOU can best support the event.
The Local Organiser for St Mary’s is Bob Lyle and for
St Nicolas’ is Nigel Woodcock.
[Bob points out that 13th September is also the day of the
Church Fete in the Burgage and suggests that if you cannot do the GHCT cycle
ride you could try the Slow Bicycle Race at the Fete, though this of course
would be for church funds not the GHCT.]
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Advance Dates for your Dairies …
Harvest Supper
On Saturday 4th October, as part of Harvest Weekend, the
25th Anniversary of St Nicolas’ Hall will be celebrated with a
Harvest Supper. More details of tickets, etc will follow in the September
magazine.
 Janet White, PEC
Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir
The choir will make a welcome return to Cheltenham on
Saturday 11th October. They will perform at All Saints’ Church, but the
proceeds will go to the St Mary’s Quinquennial Repair Fund. I have been
fortunate to obtain sponsorship for this concert, so that every ticket we
sell will be profit for the church. Please come and support this event and
bring all your friends and family for a really good evening’s entertainment.
Tickets will be on sale shortly.
Marion
Beagley
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