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All over the world human beings are expressing their hope for what Jesus
described as ‘the Kingdom of God’1. In May this year, over eight
thousand young people converged on Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania,
for a meeting organised by the Taizé Community2. This was
probably the first time that significant numbers of young people could come
together from the former Soviet states in one of their own capitals. These
thousands of individuals seeking reconciliation and building together the
communion of the Church are a sign of hope, a sign that a future of peace
is possible.
Peace, or ‘shalom’, as any Hebrew scholar will tell you, is far more
profound than the absence of war. It is a vision of a world in harmony with
itself: nations reconciled to one another after generations of alienation;
individuals in right relationship with each other; a sense of self-worth
and fulfilment for every human being; the celebration (not just acceptance)
of differences; an equal sharing, and responsible stewardship, of the
resources of the earth. It is this great dream that the Church seeks to
embody, no matter how often we stumble in our journey towards it.
One of the great tragedies of humanity is that we grow apart from one
another, and allow differences to obscure the reality of our connectedness.
In the eighteenth century it was the emergence of science that became the
focus for division. Christians in influential positions did not all respond
in the same way. Some embraced the new ideas uncritically, while others
condemned them because of a perceived (but not real) threat to the life of
faith. Even today there are many who believe that science and faith are
opposed and irreconcilable. But no one thing or idea is in itself the cause
of division in the human family. We have to take responsibility for how we
respond, and if faith is to be real it must undergo a testing, perhaps many3.
Cheltenham has just played host to the annual Science Festival, a
celebration of the incredible things that have been discovered through
scientific enquiry. This year has also seen a recollection of the life and
work of Charles Darwin, a man whose own faith was challenged, first by his
theory and then by the tragic loss of his daughter aged ten. When faced
with human suffering, or with any kind of challenge, it is common to want
to retreat into our certainties. When we do this, whether we realise it or
not, we are forgetting that a future of peace is possible, that the mystery
of tragedy and of loss is a part of the greater picture of life and hope.
So the Church must learn constantly to become a place where we are not
afraid to doubt, to live with questions and uncertainty, and to listen with
patience and attentiveness to everyone, even if their ideas seem to
threaten our very way of life. Within the heart of every human being there
is a longing for peace. Will we be among those whose trust not only allows
us to see the future that is coming, but also to hasten its arrival?
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1 See for example Mark’s Gospel, chapter 4, from verse 29.
2 Source: http://www.taize.fr/
3 The novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote: ‘My faith has
been refined in the crucible of doubt’.
 Fr Daniel
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 On Sunday 28th June at 10.15am in Gloucester Cathedral, Jennifer
Swinbank is amongst those being ordained to the diaconate. Deacon Jennifer,
as she will be known, will be licensed to serve in our North Cheltenham
Team Ministry. Although she hopes to be able to work across the whole Team,
much of her ministry will be based at All Saints’.
Please join us to officially welcome Jennifer into her new role on
Sunday 12th July from 12.30pm in All Saints’. This will be a ‘bring and
share’ lunch, so please bring a small plate of something savoury or sweet
to share. We hope that people from across the Team Ministry will come to
the lunch after their own morning services, though you are very welcome to
come to the Mass at All Saints’ at 10.30am if you wish.
Fr Michael
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Congratulations!
It was good to welcome back Fr Stephen Gregory to the Eucharist at St
Mary’s on Monday 1st June, the fortieth anniversary of his ordination to
the priesthood.
Fr Stephen was Vicar of Prestbury from 1995, also Priest-in-Charge of
All Saints’ from 1999 and finally Rector of the Prestbury & All Saints’
Team Ministry from 2003 until his retirement in 2006.
Editor
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Members of Celebrate! agreed some time ago to sponsor a child through
World Vision. We recently received a letter and card from World
Vision: ‘We really appreciate the support you have given to Ousmane this
year. Your sponsorship means that Ousmane and the community he lives
in get access to life’s essentials such as food, clean water, education and
healthcare.’ Thank you to all who help us support Ousmane in this
way.
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Our main aim at the all-nighter was to raise as much money as possible
for the Water Aid charity. This involved there being two people on exercise
bikes all night in rotation; this was a huge success thanks to everyone who
took the challenge and got involved, which was good to see. After watching
the Water Aid video it made me realise how important it was to raise the
money that night. As well as this there were other activities such as
sport, cinema, kitchen and lounge area. It was really good to see everyone
take part, be good sports in the evening and to meet new people. Also it
was good to see not many people fall asleep!
Also, a big good luck to Stephen Murton, who is taking the challenge to
bike ride to Lands End from John O’Groats. This inspired us to run the
exercise bikes over the night.
Matt Bestwick
 
Cycling for PPY
and Water Aid
JOGLE
As you may have seen in the weekly notice sheet, I am planning to cycle
from John O’Groats to Lands End in September this year to celebrate (!) my
retirement. I intend doing this as a sponsored event to support
the work of Andy and Sharon Macauly for Prestbury and Pittville Youth.
I shall be hovering with sponsorship forms at the end of various
services between now and September, and hope that you will be willing to
support me in this escapade, taking advantage of Gift Aid tax benefits if
possible.
Thank you in anticipation.
 Stephen Murton
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Following a period of consultation the PCC considered the responses
which had been received and then agreed to ask the Archdeacon of Cheltenham
for permission to establish a welcome area by the font for an experimental
period of fifteen months.
The Archdeacon visited St Mary’s in June to look at the proposed area.
He indicated that he would be willing to grant the permission but would
need to be satisfied that, because this is an experiment, the pews that are
removed can be stored and replaced if necessary. We are currently making
arrangements for storage and also investigating floor covering, which will
also need be removable. When we are in a position to go ahead then we will
formally ask the Archdeacon to give his permission for the fifteen-month
experimental period to begin. We will let you know when that happens.
Thank you to all those who responded to the consultation. We will also
be asking for opinions once the welcome area has been established.
 Fr Michael
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On April 18th a group of eight volunteer ringers arrived at the tower to
ring for the wedding of Fr Daniel and Sarah. The bride’s parents, who are
also ringers and whom we had met on several occasions, found time to join
us briefly in ringing on what was a very happy day.
We were pleased to welcome to the tower on a recent Sunday evening eight
members of the Elevate group of Prestbury and Pittville Youth accompanied
by three helpers. After a short talk about the history of the bells and a
chance to chime one each to get an idea of the feel and weight of a bell,
the group ascended to the bell chamber where they were treated to the sight
and sound of the bells at close range (ear plugs were provided!). They then
watched a demonstration of six of the bells being rung in rounds. Everyone
felt that it had been an interesting experience.
We are into the wedding season again, with several couples requesting
bells for their big day.
We look forward to welcoming any visitors to the area who are ringers
and who may wish to join us for Tuesday evening practices (7.30 to 9.00pm)
and/or Sunday service ringing at 10.15 for 11.00am.
 Jenni Scruton
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From Thursday 10th September to Sunday 13th September St Mary’s church
will be open for National Heritage Open Days from 2pm to 5pm.
Our theme this year is The ways we travelled and we will be
investigating all kinds of maps, roads, footpaths in and around Prestbury
and of course the means by which we travelled along them.
The tower will be opened by our team of ringers each afternoon, and
refreshments will be served in the church. The Friends of St Mary’s
will also be launched this weekend (see article below).
 Lynda Hodges
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A number of churches in our area and throughout the country have set up
‘Friends’ schemes to help with the maintenance and repair of their
churches. At St Mary’s we have had a planning group who have been working
towards starting a ‘Friends of St Mary’s, Prestbury’ and this will be
launched in September.
Membership of the Friends will be made up mainly of local residents who
have affection for St Mary’s church, but who may not necessarily be
involved in the religious life of the church, or people living outside the
area with local connections.
The Friends will contribute to the maintenance and improvement of St
Mary’s church and churchyard, both by donating and raising money and by
enlisting the time, enthusiasm and resources of people who can give them.
All money raised will only be spent on projects approved by the PCC.
If you would like more information about ‘The Friends of St Mary’s,
Prestbury’ then please talk to Jim Mackie.
 Phil Dodd
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AS I have previously explained, in spite of its pompous title, the House
of Laity Meeting is the exclusive ‘talking shop’ of us lay members of the
Diocesan Synod, and is very useful.
On 4th June we had a lengthy and very lively discussion on the
appointment of Parish representatives on the Deanery Synods and since some
aspects of this have caused concern we are raising the matter at the
forthcoming Diocesan Synod.
This led on to a discussion which roused us all to a state of great
verbal animation. You might be surprised to hear that, but it was a matter
very close to our hearts: communication between church members.
The definition of ‘a church’ is a building for worship. The definition
of ‘the Church’ is the people involved in the worship, in our case the
Church of England.
The Church of England is governed by the General Synod, which consists
of members of the Diocesan Synods, which in turn consist of members of the
Deanery Synods. Deanery Synods are made up of representatives from the
parishes, in other words YOU and ME.
We are all ‘The Church’ and we all have feelings and views about our
spiritual life. If we have concerns we must talk to the clergy and the PCC
and our Synod representatives. They are friends and acquaintances, not
strangers. They, in turn, should discuss our concerns at Deanery level, and
so on up the chain. If we are not prepared to be involved at individual and
parish level, then I am afraid that we cannot complain when ‘The Church of
England’ displeases us.
The next stage in our discussion was the machinery of the various
synods. We all felt that it took some time before the workings became clear
to us. A member from the Stroud area suggested a set of ‘Ladybird Book’
type of instruction booklets, one for each level: PCC, Deanery and Diocesan
Synod. Then new members would have an accurate pocket book to help at the
beginning instead of sitting at a loss and unable to take a proper part in
proceedings. We all voted for this to begin in the new session.
Bishop Michael is quite determined that we local churches, both
buildings and people, move on to become an integral part of our local
communities once more. At the Diocesan Synod he is proposing the following
motion:
‘That Synod welcomes “Building the Future” as an important statement
and resource on the role of church buildings in the mission of the diocese,
and formally adopts the policy that, as far as possible there should be a
church building in every community
- Enjoying the support of the community
- Open during the day
- With signage that explains the Christian faith and the Church’s
use
- A place where people pray, both in shared worship and on their own
- Ordered for good and lively worship
- In wide use by the community
- A place of welcome, dialogue and of healing
- Recognised as a sign of God’s presence in the community that
gathers there.’
That is a very resounding cry for action, you must agree. Now is our
opportunity to get up and do something positive. Please don’t let it slip
away. As a parish we are on the move.
Lynda Hodges, Diocesan Synod Representative
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It was a gloriously hot afternoon and we ate ice creams as we walked. We
viewed Holman Hunt’s Light of the World in Keble chapel, listening
to snippets of Mozart being rehearsed, admired the brickwork and huge
mosaic murals. We ambled through Christchurch Meadow and sat awhile by the
river watching punts and canoes, ducks and swans, and my visit ended with
Evensong in the coolness of Magdalen chapel.
I had arrived at St Stephen’s House theological college at ten in the
morning, was immediately co-opted into the small choir to sight-read, in
Latin, the alto part of a Gabrieli motet. Keeps the brain active! The
service was as I remember it when I first came to St Mary’s – all responses
and most of the Eucharistic prayer sung. Very nostalgic! The college and
its church are tucked away almost out of sight, with a great sense of peace
in the cloisters.
It was interesting to meet tomorrow’s curates, about to leave college
and go out to their parishes. It made me think about how we as parishioners
welcome our deacons and priests. We know how we like things done in our
churches, but are we perhaps sometimes too quick to try and squeeze the
newcomer into our mould, rather than waiting to see what he or she brings
to us? A year ago David came to us as deacon, now priest. Earlier that year
Daniel joined us as team vicar, and now we have Jennifer. Each has much to
offer, and not necessarily what we are expecting!
 Frances Murton
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ON SATURDAY 6th June I drove to Gloucester with two others to attend the
Ordination to the Priesthood of seventeen deacons at the Cathedral, amongst
whom was our own Father David Gardiner, tenth on the list, this order being
kept throughout the service. We arrived three quarters of an hour early,
yet the Cathedral was more than half full, and was completely packed, with
some people sitting in the choir stalls, by 4.30 when the service began. We
had good positions from which to watch and take part, and the order of
service was very clearly explained in our booklets. The Gloucester
Cathedral Youth Choir sang all the settings and motets, and no fewer than
five of our North Cheltenham Team Ministers were present, along with many
other priests, and the Bishop of Tewkesbury, assisting Bishop Michael, who
conducted the whole service.
After an introduction each ordinand was presented by his or her sponsor
to the Bishop, who then asked the Director of Ordinands to confirm that
they had taken the necessary oaths and make the Declaration of Assent.
The ordinands were then called to make their declarations of pastoral
duties and care, and, this done, the congregation were asked to pray for
and support them. After intercessions came the ordination prayer, and the
laying on of hands by Bishop Michael and all the priests who were present.
Then each ordinand’s hands were anointed.
I found myself to be uplifted and very excited by this most moving
ceremony, that we could all witness such a devotion and faith exchanged
between God and his priests.
The congregation welcomed the newly ordained priests, then the liturgy
of the Eucharist followed, with Holy Communion distributed from several
points.
Bibles were presented to each new priest before the Blessing, then they
were led by the Bishop through the Cathedral to the applause of the
congregation. A Joyful Day indeed!
 Gill Ashman
Fr David with Bishop
Michael outside the Cathedral
Photograph by Colin Holman
‘Called to be servants and shepherds among the people’
WITH THE above words Bishop Michael introduced the Liturgy of Ordination
at Gloucester Cathedral on June 6th when seventeen priests to serve in the
Diocese of Gloucester were ordained, including Fr David Gardiner from our
Team. The Bishop continued by saying that they were to be messengers,
watchmen and stewards of the Lord; they were to declare in Christ’s name
the absolution and forgiveness of people’s sins; they were to preside at
the Lord’s table and they were to bless the people in God’s name. However,
as Bishop Bill Ind (former Bishop of Truro and of ‘Island Parish’ fame)
pointed out in his sermon, priests are nevertheless human and are fallible
like the rest of us. Despite that, as Bishop Bill has mentioned before, we
should expect them to be honest with themselves and with others about their
failings – and it is a great comfort that God only calls wonky people.
Before the Laying on of Hands the Gloucester Cathedral Youth Choir and
the congregation sang the Litany, which in my view made a very solemn and
very suitable contribution to an impressive choral service. The Laying on
of Hands was conducted with due dignity and was followed by the Eucharist,
with the Bishop presiding and the newly ordained priests assisting in the
administration of Holy Communion.
It was a truly uplifting occasion – and when at the end the Bishop led
the newly ordained priests along the nave to the applause of the vast
congregation, including many supporters from the North Cheltenham Team,
there on the Bishop’s immediate right was Fr David, beaming. A memorable
sight!
 Colin Holman
Fr David’s First Mass
ON TRINITY SUNDAY, 7th June, I was privileged to attend a very special
service at St Nicolas’ church, Prestbury.
Our curate, David Gardiner, had been ordained Priest at Gloucester
Cathedral the day before, and he was to preside, for the first time, at the
Eucharist.
As it was a benefice service, members of all five churches attended,
about two hundred, I believe. It was a most uplifting service, with a great
sense of ‘family’. Not only was David supported by the large congregation,
but also by members of his own family. Indeed his mother, Fiona, who is a
Reader in the Diocese, preached a not only spiritual, but, dare I say,
entertaining sermon.
I think we are very fortunate to have the Revd David Gardiner as one of
the team of clergy. To complete the happy occasion a delicious lunch was
served.
Hilary Halsey, churchwarden,
St Mary Magdalene,
Elmstone Hardwicke with Uckington
Fr Tom Clammer, Fiona Gardiner, Fr
David, Fr Michael
Photograph by Stephen Murton
Fr David’s Second Mass
What a wonderful service at St Nicolas’ for Fr David’s first celebration
of the Eucharist! That is written about elsewhere.
The following morning, in the quiet of St Mary’s, David was completely
alone at the altar, no deacons (or rectors serving as sub-deacons), no one
to point to the right place on the page. Yet he didn’t falter. In a
congregation of just four, I found it every bit as moving as Sunday’s
service.
Frances Murton
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CONGRATULATIONS on the award for the parish magazine; the location of
the presentation brought back a very happy memory
In June 1944 I was in the RAF and stationed in the flats next to the
Royal Albert Hall. We were given tickets for a concert, which was in aid of
the Merchant Navy, at the Central Hall. Doris Hare had a BBC radio
programme called Shipmates Ashore and this was the stage version.
Luckily for me, it included so many of my favourites: with singer Anne
Shelton, Tommy Handley and the cast of the ITMA radio show, Eric Portman,
one of our best film actors, and just about everyone else who was not
working in the West End that night.
We even had Wing Commander John Wooldridge, the Mosquito pilot, who had
just crossed the Atlantic in under six hours! A wonderful night!
A further show biz event at the Hall was more recent. The first
performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, in its
twenty-minute version, was performed at a London school. It was decided to
give it one public performance at the Central Hall and, as they say, the
rest is history.
A great place.
Tudor William
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It shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour
out my spirit on all flesh: your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Joel 2:28 (RSV)
Joel’s prophecy is quoted with passion by Peter when he addresses the
men of Judea on the day the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Act 2:17). While we should continue to meditate on the gift of the Holy
Spirit during the rather featureless weeks of the Trinity season, this is
not my intention in this reflection. Perhaps because I shall be eighty when
this is published, I observed the way the prophet differentiates between
the old and the young. ‘The young will see visions and the old will
dream dreams.’ One seems to me to be active and the other passive.
Visions are of the future, of the potential for activity, while dreaming is
associated with advancing years, sitting by the fireside thinking back over
the past and what might have been. There must be more to one’s final years.
There is.
So as it was the BBC Poetry Season I turned to Yeats:
Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying
days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I
may wither into the truth, …
or
An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick,
unless
Soul claps its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every
tatter in its mortal dress.
Striking and illuminating with the poet’s gift for the memorable phrase,
but when mortality and incapacity loom, ultimately insufficient. As someone
who has always considered himself a Christian, albeit one who has periods
of spiritual barrenness, I need reassurance. Can I be confident that I can
trust God to be with me when faced with inevitable decline? I turn to the
Bible. It provides many examples of the honour in which the old were held
and valued for their wisdom but it also recognises the less attractive
aspects, when the old are rejected and fact that old age does not always
come with responsible behaviour (read Paul’s letter to Titus 2:1 3). While
it is reassuring to read in Psalm 90:10 of a possible future of three score
years and ten, we know there is more to old age than that. We have all
witnessed distressing evidence of decline in our friends and families –
lack of mobility, hearing or sight, chronic illness, apathy, dementia and
the loss of personality. But whatever our circumstances, the reading of our
Lord’s encouraging words should lead us to become more aware, not less, of
the value of growth in the Christian life. ‘Lo, I am with you always, to
the close of the age.’ (Matthew 28:20)
There are also God-given compensations, opportunities for service even
if bedridden, time to pray for those we love, time to consider how far God
has been with us as we travel. Every day, every experience, is still
important in what it can offer. ‘Let us remember that the last years of
our life are worth living. Even when our journey leads us into the desert,
when through weakness or infirmity we can contribute little to our fellows
or even care for ourselves, we are always in God’s love and love remains
our last gift to God and to others.’ (Dr Tom Rudd ‘Growing Old with
God’.)
 John Elliott
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Bible Study Groups
There are two bible study groups, both meeting on
Tuesdays: in St Mary’s church at 10am most weeks and in All Saints’ church
at 7pm roughly every other week. Please see the weekly notice sheets for
exact details of dates during the summer months.
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Prestbury & Pittville Youth dates
Our final youth sessions are on Sunday 12th July. Youth
work restarts next term from Sunday 6th September. Many thanks to all who
have contributed to a great year!
Please pray for:
* 24-29 July: staying at Soul Survivor Festival
* 24-28 August: 360° Connect Holiday Project (for those
moving up to secondary school)
For more info:
 Andy
Macauly
07855878832
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Sunday Club and Celebrate! dates
Celebrate! (St Mary’s 9.30am) and the Sunday Clubs
(St Nicolas’ 9.30am and St Mary’s 11am) meet for the last time before the
summer holiday on Sunday 12th July. They all restart on Sunday 6th
September. For more information about the Sunday Clubs please contact
.
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Sea Sunday
Sunday 12th July has been designated as ‘Sea Sunday’,
when we are asked to pray for all seafarers around the world and also for
the work of The Mission to Seafarers. For more information about this,
visit
www.missiontoseafarers.org
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St Mary’s Bakestall
Sunday 19th July is the date for the next bakestall,
provided by the G-M team. The money raised will be sent to Every Child,
who are urgently appealing for donations to help children in Ethiopia.
Their letter is on our notice board for you to read.
Relax in August: NO bakestall in the holiday month!
Margaret Waker & Linda Matthews
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Prestbury Mothers’ Union
Our July meeting will be our summer outing to Winchester
on Tuesday 28th July. All outstanding monies due to Marion by Sunday 26th
at the latest, please.
There will be no meeting in August.
Our September meeting will be on Tuesday 22nd September
at St Mary’s at 7.30pm. Our speaker will talk about Energy Efficiency,
which should be of interest to us all in these days of both economic
downturn and global warming. Please join us even if you are not a member.
 Marion
Beagley
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Soul Café
With the reopening of the URC chapel, Soul Café returns
on the fourth Sunday of each month. On 26th July the theme is Respect &
Dignity and on 23rd August Festival & Celebration. Do join us at
6pm for these short informal sessions, refreshments included.
Fr Daniel & Maz Allen
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St
Mary’s Patronal Festival
CHADS
presents
Two Cheese & Wine
Evenings
with Entertainment
at Prestbury Hall
on Friday 4th &
Saturday 5th September
Each
will be an evening of comic entertainment similar to last year to raise
funds for
Let the Children Live!
Tickets
£5
Both performances to
start at 7.00pm
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Sidmouth 2009
We currently have 106 people booked to join us at our
Sidmouth weekend in September. There are a few rooms vacant if you would
like to make a late booking. For further details contact me.
Marion
Beagley
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GHCT Sponsored
Ride and Stride
On Saturday 12th September, the Gloucestershire Historic
Churches Trust (Reg. Charity No. 1120266) will be holding its annual sponsored Ride and Stride.
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 and Stride or
by sponsoring a participant. This year, for the first time, you can also
choose to be sponsored to spend the day carrying out tasks in your own
church or chapel.
Further information, together with sponsorship forms, is
available from your Local Organiser, details below. Each participant can
nominate a church/chapel of their choice to receive half of their money.
The cause is a good one and, although good weather cannot
be guaranteed, those who take part have an excellent day. Please consider
how you can best support the event.
For information about the Trust’s work and how to support
it please look at the new website
www.ghct.org.uk
The Local Organiser for Prestbury is  Nigel
Woodcock
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