Opening Message : From Becky
The one certain thing in life is change! Last week I was leading workshops for Year 6 pupils at our local primary schools, helping to prepare them for a big change in their life as they move from Primary to Secondary school. My husband Andy is about to go through a big change as he is ordained as deacon and will be star$ng his curacy – he is full of ques$ons and musings about how things will work and how he will feel. I am processing change as I begin to think about leaving All Saints a'er three years and move to be Chaplain at Shiplake College and I am full of ques$ons and nervous expecta$on.
I have observed so many changes at All Saints in the short $me that I have been here. I arrived when we were s$ll wearing face masks and not singing in church. One of the first things I did was reins$tute coffee a'er services so that we could rebuild our community. Then, just as things were returning to a post-Covid normality, we moved out of the church for the start of the work on spaceforall. We worshipped in the Cornerstone for just over a year, bringing a different element to our worship and our fellowship. Finally, the building work was complete and we were back in the church – but it is a new space, and we now worship in a different way and can use the building in different ways as we develop our ministry to the community further. There has been the change in the clergy team with David re$ring, Hannah soon to be appointed the new rector and myself leaving. These changes of course are mirrored in the congrega$on as we see new people joining, people returning a'er $me away and others leaving us for one reason or another.
All change – whether a change we have chosen or one that is foist upon us – involves a level of anxiety and hopefully also a level of expecta$on. Change is what keeps us moving on our journey and stops us stagna$ng; no one likes a stagnant pond – it is dirty and smelly and if le' things begin to rot in it. Change is what keeps fresh ideas and experiences coming into our lives and helps us to develop our thinking and our journeying through life. I have learnt a great deal through my $me here at All Saints, most of it was stuff that I had not imagined I would learn at the start of my $me here. My journey through All Saints has moulded my theology, developed my leadership and challenged some of my insecuri$es. Most of all though it is the people that I have enjoyed – it has been so wonderful to become embedded in a welcoming community of diverse people. I will con$nue to cherish you all as you send me out from All Saints to
Our Revised Vision
All Saints will be a church full of life, love and energy, accessible to all, ac ve in the heart of the community and where all can explore and grow their gi,s and faith in Jesus.
ALL SAINTS PARISH MAGAZINE
AllSaintsParishMagazinehasbeenpublishedsinceatleastMay1865,possibly makingittheoldestcon nually-publishedparishmagazineinthecountry.
This magazine is published by the Rector and PCC of All Saints Parish Wokingham. Opinions expressed by individual contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers.
Email:editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk
All Saints PCC Wokingham is a Registered Charity, No. 1127585
Editor: Steve Smith 0118 979 4407
Associate Editor: Harriet Swinyard 0118 962 9313
Produc+on: Jane Hodgson 0118 979 2797
Subs & Distribu+on: David Chapman 0777 199 4461
CopyDateDeadlineforAugust-SeptemberIssue: 16July2024
Produc on: 23July2024
Publica on: 28July2024
Subscrip ons: www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk/all-saints-parish-magazine
Parish Office
Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
RG40 1UE
parishoffice@allsaintswokingham.org.uk
0118 979 2797
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The Cornerstone Norreys Avenue
Wokingham
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the next pasture of my ministry where I know I will be challenged and inspired and will be moulded further.
In all this moulding and journeying it is about learning to flourish where we are planted and to grow in our rela onship with God and with the community that is put around us whoever they may be. God is our solid constant, he is the founda on beneath our feet that means that while everything around us may change, we have certainty that God is s ll the same, that his love never changes, that he is always trustworthy. God is the sure founda on of All Saints Church and will con nue to be so. He will con nue to lead and guide this church and every person here through more changes that will mould and shape this place as you con nue to reach out to the community of Wokingham.
I look forward to hearing about the ways in which All Saints will change and the changed lives that will result because of it.
The Revd Becky Medlicott Associate Priest
Prayer & Healing Ministry Team
FAITH
The raging storms that come and go
Across our daily path
Are but life's storms of grief and woe
Spilling their both wrath
And all the while
Their shrewd beguile Is tes ng our faith.
Accreditedto: TessaSweezyWebb
May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the peace of His Holy Spirit.
Romans15v13
The Laying on of Hands is available on the first Sunday of every month during the 9.30am service. The next occasion is Sunday 7th July.
Members of the Prayer Ministry team are: Gill Allen, Jo Robinson, Jill Oliver and Rosemary Sturmer. Prayer Ministry is available every Sunday a4er the 9.30am service. Members of the Healing Prayer Group are: Gill Allen, Rosemary Sturmer, Joan Thomason and Jill Oliver. Confiden ality is assured .
June’s PCC Meeting
The PCC met in June while Hannah was having her mini sabba cal. We hoped that her house move was not proving too stressful. We rearranged our July mee ng – to 23rd July when she will be our Rector.
We had a brief discussion about staffing and par cularly the employment of an associate priest but knew that no decisions could be taken immediately. At our previous mee ng, Hannah had tabled an introductory paper on this asking us to consider over the next few months:
What do we need, ideally (skills, passions, resources)?
How does this fit in with what clergy and staff we currently have, including the adver sed post for a Community Development worker?
What do the PCC feel are the priori es – for this we might consider, if we had to step back on some things, as we might need to for several months, which things would we be willing to drop and which things do we want to focus on?
At this mee ng we turned instead to other ma0ers. We agreed we need a policy about what groups should be allowed to hire The Cornerstone. Should it just be restricted to keeping within the legal requirements of discrimina on or should it be different from that?
We welcomed two new members to the PCC – Roshney Jeyakumar and Claire Jones. Both are already known to many readers – Roshney through her work with Junior Church and Claire from leading the bereavement team and co-ordina ng pastoral care. We went round the table explaining what we all did in different teams, commi0ees and groups in the church and then officially reappointed people for the next year. We also reappointed the sidespeople and put out a plea for more help in this very simple friendly task!
The last item for the mee ng was to agree (very enthusias cally) to Becky’s request that we should be a Voter Registra on Champion for the elec on. This is being promoted by Ci zens UK and involves our encouraging people to vote, including by offering li<s and by ensuring people have the necessary ID.
Anne King
As usual these are the personal reflec ons of the author and not the mee ng's official record.
Our New Piano
The PCC is delighted to have been offered a gi# of a Bechstein Boudoir B grand piano. The gi# is from Jane Mellor and her siblings, Richard and Fiona. The piano belonged to their father Dr. Ian Thompson who died in March 2023. He developed a strong faith and a passion for music at St Mary’s Handsworth Birmingham, serving as a choir boy under the baton of his father Harold, the Organist and Choir master so they felt it fi2ng that this piano would move to be played in a church. His love was playing J.S.Bach Inven ons on this piano.
The very first use of the piano in its new loca on was by Debra Wong. Turn to page 11 to read a review of the recital. Debra will be coming to the café at 10.30 on Friday (28th June and 12th July) and then once a month in September so we can enjoy more lovely music.
The piano has also been in use already at other concerts. George de Voil, Musical Director of Wokingham Choral Society says “What a lovely instrument! All Saints (and WCS) are very fortunate to be able to benefit from it: it has a beau ful tone, especially in the upper register, always the dis nguishing feature of a good piano. Thanks to the Thompson family and all involved, and we are looking forward to hearing it played at many concerts.”
Anne King
ADVERTISE WITH US. There’s half a page available on the inside front page, the best loca on in this magazine. Contact editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk to take up this prominent opportunity.
A Hundred Not Out
No this isn’t about cricket, it is about peals, and peals don’t last as long as a cricket matches – a few hours rather than a few days.
The peal is the ‘gold standard’ ringing performance – over 5000 changes with no repe""ons. On our bells (the heaviest of which weighs ¾ton) it takes around 3 hours but on heavier bells it can take 4½ hours.
The first peals were rung over 300 years ago and since then over 360,000 have been rung. The fact that they were recorded is a measure of the status peals have in the ringing community. Since 1880 they have been published in specialist ringing publica"ons but before that they appeared in local newspapers. In recent years (apart from Covid) between 3,000 and 4,000 peals a year have been rung worldwide, most of them in England.
The first peal rung in Wokingham was at St Paul’s in 1864, the year the church was dedicated. All Saints is a much older church but the first peal here wasn’t un"l May 1903, a couple of months a6er the bells had been augmented from six to eight. That peal was rung by a band from Oxford led by the Revd F E Robinson, who was the first person to ring 1000 peals, and is buried in our churchyard. The first peals by a local band were in 1907.
Peals require the stamina to ring for three hours, and the concentra"on to do so without mistakes – there is no ‘music’ so everything is from memory. The record of peals rung thus reflects the strength of the band.
The Edwardians were ac"ve, with 19 peals here before the First World War. There were far fewer a6er the war, and those in the mid 1930s were s"mulated by Gilbert Thurlow, the curate who was an eminent ringer. Far more peals were rung a6er 1980 when the band was revitalised with an influx of experienced ringers as well as training local recruits.
Saturday1stJunewasalandmarkatAllSaints,withthe100thpealinthetower.
John Harrison
Review : Piano Recital by Debra Wong
Concert hosted by Hong Kong Reading Singers CIC
Debra is a fellow compatriot from Hong Kong who earned her Master’s degree in piano performance from the Royal Academy of Music. I was however as eager to hear the piano as the pianist - the concert marks the debut of the beau"ful Bechstein grand piano recently donated to the church, which had only arrived a few weeks earlier.
The programme was Bach’s second English Suite, Beethoven’s famous Moonlight Sonata, and Liszt’s Liebestraum (Dream of Love) No. 3 - all well-known pinnacles of piano repertoire, with Piazzolla’s Cafe 1930 played on solo piano as an encore.
The classic look of the piano blends very well with the church’s deco, and with the piano in centre stage, the church is instantly transformed into a concert hall.
As the performance began, it was soon obvious that the reverb was a liEle too much for the faster pieces but was just right for the slower movements. The sweet, rich and sonorous Bechstein tone was most obvious in the Liszt. Some of the explosiveness of the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata was lost in the reverbera"ve surroundings, but overall that was s"ll an electrifying performance characterised by much grace and elegance and beau"ful sound.
The concert was followed by a workshop and masterclass in which Debra explained the principles of piano technique and demonstrated teaching these to young children in a way that would be easy for them to apply. It was fascina"ng to see and hear the difference between the “before” and the “a6er” (which, as the pianist remarked, is only possible on a good instrument). Seethephotoonpage31.
This was the first piano recital I have aEended in All Saints Church and this has proven to be a very posi"ve experience. Hope there will be many more such occasions in the future! Mei Chun Chan
A Song For Summer : Review
THE Summer Concert of Wokingham Choral Society was performed in All Saints Church, Wokingham on Saturday 15th June. Contras"ng with the unseasonal weather the programme en"tled A Song For Summer was mainly devoted to Bri"sh madrigals and folk songs which the choir sang throughout with obvious relish and confidence.
The first half began with Summer is icumen in and Now is the Month of Maying, but also included Elgar’s beau"ful violin solos Chanson de Ma(n and Chanson de Nuit and two part songs exquisitely played by the violinists Henry Chandler and Daniel Stroud. The society’s conductor George de Voil and its accompanist Ben Giddens also performed Percy Grainger’s piano duet Country Gardens with great elan.
The second half was devoted to The Sprig of Thyme, a suite of folk song seOngs by John RuEer, happily coinciding with his knighthood in the King’s birthday honours list. The work, scored for choir and piano, included such favourites as Down by the Sally Gardens and A+on Water.
Special men"on should also be made of the elegant and informa"ve programme notes accompanying the concert.
The autumn concert, in collabora"on with the chamber choir of St George’s School, Windsor Castle, with music by BriEen and Purcell, will take place again in All Saints Church on Saturday 16th November.
Robin Eaglans
Brilliant Bible Bits
In the course of our perusals of the Bible, many of us surely come across passages that stand out. So let's share them. We invite anyone and everyone to contribute.
St Paul's LeEer to the Ephesians instructs its readers to get on with one another as one of its themes and, as another, to keep Christ's body (that is, the Church) pure and holy. But then it goes on to give prac"cal advice on how to live a holy, pure, and Christinspired lifestyle . This wonderful nugget is from Ephesians Chapter 5.
In a word, as God's dear children, you must be like him. Live in love as Christ loved you and gave himself up on your behalf, an offering and sacrifice whose fragrance is pleasing to God.
Extract taken from The Revised English Bible
The General Election
Reprinted from The Diocesan Website
PrayyourPart
Pray Your Part is an invita"on from the bishops of the Church of England to encourage prayer and par"cipa"on in the life of our na"on and communi"es, both as voters and as ci"zens.
This 21-day journey of prayer and reflec"on (un"l Elec"on Day on 4 July) is designed for use in the run-up to the UK General Elec"on. Each day explores a different theme, with a short Bible reading, reflec"on and prayer for a different aspect of our common life. To find out more and sign up: hEps://www.churchofengland.org/about/topics/prayyour-part-general-elec"on-2024.
WhyshouldIgetinvolved?
As churches we care about what goes on in our villages, towns, and ci"es, and how governance affects the people in our parishes. We are privileged to live in a country with a democra"c system of governance. In order for democracy to func"on well, it requires ci"zens to exercise their power and voice, rather than assuming those in elected posi"ons (our MPs) will manage everything. Whilst important, there's more to democra"c engagement than just vo"ng.
As Chris"ans we have a unique view of the world, and believe in a God who longs for humanity to flourish. Consider the Lord's Prayer: how do we usher in ‘God’s kingdom’ on ‘earth as in heaven’? One way is by seeking to engage with the poli"cal system, asking for decisions and laws to reflect heavenly aspira"ons on issues of poverty and inequality. When Chris"ans engage with democra"c systems and poli"cs, they're part of conversa"ons and decisionmaking which help mould the direc"on of our country’s poli"cs.
Ischurchpoli cal?
Some people believe that the very presence of the church is poli"cal - by living for God and mee"ng together, we are making a statement about what we value and how we want society to look. This is why in some countries across
the world, where poli cal leaders see the church as a threat to their power and rule, it is prohibited to be a Chris an or gather as church.
In England, the Church of England is the state (or ‘established’) church, which means we are to some degree entwined with our state, with the monarch (our head of state), and to our state government. Some bishops, including Bishop Steven, are part of the House of Lords. They scru nise legisla on, hold the government to account, and consider public policy.
Much of the liturgy of the Church of England could be called poli cal, not least the Magnificat which quotes Mary’s prayer and proclaims the nature of God as one who: “…has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has li/ed up the lowly... has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”
Desmond Tutu is cited as saying: ‘When people tell me that the Bible has nothing to do with poli cs, I ask them “Which Bible are you talking about?”’
Asanindividual
Unlike churches, parishioners are able to support a specific poli cal party and to engage in any range of poli cal ac vity or campaigning, assuming it is within the boundaries of the law. Here are four things you could do this elec on season:
Sign up for free daily reflec ons ahead of the elec on to join in prayer for our na on and play your part as a ci zen and voter.
Vote - register to vote, check what photo ID you need to take to the polling sta on, and find out who you can vote for.
A<end a hus ngs - a public mee ng where elec on candidates speak to poten al voters, allowing you to hear directly from them and ask ques ons. Find out where your local hus ngs is and go along. It might even be at your church!
Read Ci zens UK’s General Elec on Manifesto seAng out eight key issues they are asking the next UK Government to address.
Prayer Page
Pray when the morn is breaking, Pray when the noon is bright, Pray with the eve's declining,
Pray in the hush of night:
With mind made pure of passion, All meaner thoughts away,
Low in thy chamber kneeling
Do thou in secret pray.
Remember all who love thee,
All whom are loved by thee, And next for those that hate thee
Pray thou, if such there be:
Last for thyself in meekness
A blessing humbly claim, And link with each pe%%on
Thy great Redeemer's name.
But if '%s e'er denied thee
In solitude to pray, Should holy thoughts come o'er thee
Upon life's crowded way, E'en then the silent breathing
That li,s thy soul above Shall reach the thronèd Presence Of Mercy, Truth and Love.
J.C.Simpson(d.1886).
Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, U0ered or unexpressed;
The mo%on of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.
Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach The Majesty on high.
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice, Returning from his ways, While Angels in their songs rejoice, And cry, 'Behold, he prays!'
Prayer is the Chris%an's vital breath, The Chris%an's na%ve air, His watchword at the gates of death: He enters heaven with prayer.
The saints in prayer appear as one In word, and deed, and mind, While with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.
Oh thou by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer thyself hast trod: Lord, teach us how to pray.
J.Montgomery(d.1854)
Diary for July
Plas c
Have you got 90 seconds to spare to think a li le about the environment? Then follow this YouTube link, you won't be disappointed: h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_gzSDySh5s.
I bet that when you put a plas-c item in a bin to be "recycled" you imagine that it will be, well, recycled. Not at all necessarily true. Apparently 17% is recycled, 11% goes into landfill, 14% is exported (to where?!?!) and, wait for it, 58% is incinerated. The 58% is an awful number, especially when you think that incinera-on, however well controlled, inevitably emits carcinogens and other toxins into the atmosphere.
A personal aspect: my wife and I collect the so9 plas-c that comes our way and we du-fully take it to Tesco to be 'recycled'. It is absolutely astonishing how quicky it accumulates. We don't go out of our way to buy stuff surrounded by plas-c but it just appears, as if by magic. An awful lot of it is sourced from supermarkets. These stores might claim that they are environmentally conscious but in prac-ce it is they who insist on their suppliers wrapping food in the stuff. Why (just for instance) is it necessary to wrap broccoli or cucumber in plas-c?
And then one should ask what do those supermarkets do with the plas-c they generate? Tesco does at least collect it and (in some way) deal with it. The All Saints eco-group has wri en to another town centre supermarket urging it to revamp its pathe-c plas-c-recycling offering but received only silence.
Changing tack slightly, do you ever buy bo led water? The UK public gets through an astonishing number of plas-c bo les. Here are some facts courtesy of Wikipedia: The most common packaging material for single-serve, non-carbonated bo led water in the United States and Europe is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plas-c. Marked in many countries with resin iden-fica-on code number "1", PET is 100% recyclable, though recycling rates vary by region. In the United States in 2014, the recycling rate for PET packaging was only 32% (out of 2.5m tonnes); in the European Union, the recycling rate for PET packaging for the same period was only 52% (out of 3.3m tonnes). Please please refrain from buying bo led water; fill up from the tap instead.
But the main overriding point about plas-c is this: avoid it if you possibly can. Steve Smith
Evolution
The monochrome photograph shown here was taken at the me of King Edward VII's corona on in 1902, and shows the ringers who had just rung the bells to celebrate.
The 2024 bellringers decided that we ought to have an up-to-date photograph of the band (the last was 25 years ago) and the result is shown here in colour.
The first photo is restricted to the eight ringers who were the enrolled 'stated ringers' at the me whereas for the second we assembled as many members as we could. Even so there are three modern-day member ringers missing, and, because we very o,en welcome lots of friends of the band, they could also have been included (but for this photo we elected to show only members.).
You'll also no ce the colour of the stonework surrounding the church's west door—the friable pudding stone has now been covered in white-ish render.
More no ceable is the gender of the ringers. The first woman to join All Saints' band did so only in 1918 and she was a rarity.
But it's the clothing that strikes one the most. Ringing can be hard work (depending on which bell is rung) and doing so on what was in 1902 an excep onally hot summer's day in waistcoat and e is something no sensible member would do nowadays—maybe they discarded them for the ringing and donned them again for the photo. Wearing bright and colourful clothing was simply not on. And then there is the evolu on in footwear ......!
Note the Alberts (the watch chains) they are all wearing compared with wrist watches on the modern day folk; I wonder how soon even those will become obsolete in favour of mobile phones. Steve Smith
Thanks to Sue James for the photo (the recent one!)
150 Years Ago - 1874 - Part 1
The snippet below was part of the parish magazine in July 1874. But does anyone know what it is all about? It's a puzzle. Editor.
Farewell to Richard Lamey
Father Richard Lamey, Rector of St Paul's parish, is moving to pastures new.
His last service is the 9:30 Mass on Sunday 14th July and then there will be two events in the a,ernoon — games and picnics and relaxa on on St Paul’s Junior School Field from 2.30 to 4.00, then coffee and cake in the Parish Rooms from 4.00 to 5.00.
He is to become Director of Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Norwich and will be licenced into his new role at Norwich Cathedral, on Sunday, 15th September at 3.30pm. His new role will be all about encouraging discipleship and voca ons and new ways of connec ng people with Church through chaplaincies and new congrega ons. It is all about suppor ng parishes and clergy and lay leaders in the local church. It is a brand new job for the Diocese which makes it doubly exci ng.
We wish all success to Richard in this new job, and hope and pray that he and his wife Becca will be truly happy in Norfolk. Thanks for being a super friend to All Saints and for being such an inspiring Area Dean.
150 Years Ago - 1874 - Part 2
It’s Not What’s Said, It’s Knowing Where To Look
John Boylan
A colleague once told me that a Rabbi, with whom he was friends, o,en told him that he pi ed us poor Chris ans because we missed all the good bits and humour in the scriptures. He was hin ng at the literal way in which our transla ons have interpreted the Hebrew and Greek wriIen word. I also believe he was alluding not to what was said in the original scripture, but to what was not said!
There is a long-established rabbinic technique well known to Jews throughout the centuries but less to non-Jews. To increase the impact of a statement, Rabbis would quote part of scripture and then stop, leKng their audience fill in the rest. It was common prac ce to fill their teachings with brief quota ons and dis nc ve phrases from Scripture.
It was not that they were showing off but simply communica ng within the framework of scripture that they and their audience knew so well. That immediately puts many of us at a disadvantage, and without direc on we inevitably miss out.
For example, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1948, the manuscripts were inaccessible to all but a few senior researchers, A young graduate named Marty Abegg had been introduced to the documents by his professor Emmanuel Tov. In the course of his research Abegg, in 1991, published a sec on for the world to see. This exposure caused a huge demand for more and soon the rest of the scrolls were forthcoming. Tov’s hand had been forced by Abegg, against his wishes. Many years later when the two met at a conven on the atmosphere was tense. The ageing Tov paused and uIered just three words to his former student:
‘Banim gidal( veromum(’ meaning ‘I have reared children and brought them up’.
What did he mean? Abegg vaguely recognised the phrase, but it wasn’t un l later when he was able to look at his bible and find the passage at Isaiah 1.2. It was then that he felt the full force of Tov's disdain:
‘I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me!’
The rabbinic technique was powerful and subtle. Tov had been humiliated in front of his peers.
Jesus also used this technique and maybe this is why we some mes fall short on understanding some of the meaning or impact behind his words. Look at
It's Not What's Said...
MaIhew 21.16 when Jesus having entered Jerusalem to shouts of ‘Hosanna’, was confronted by indignant priests and teachers. Jesus’ reply to their cri cism was:
‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’.
This is a direct reference to Psalm 8.2 which says:
‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger’.
The psalmist is saying that God’s glory is so great that even children ins nc vely worship him to the shame of those who hate him. The cri cisers were admonished.
Some mes Jesus’ references were obvious, but some mes more subtle, maybe only a word or two. If we miss the reference, we may miss the point.
So for your homework, I’ll leave you with MaIhew 5.3-12. You will all know it well. It is
‘The Bea tudes’. We’ve studied these at All Saints and even run a study course on them a couple of years ago. What we maybe didn’t discuss was that the passages are thick with references to Isaiah and the Psalms. Each of the passages would have resonated with the listeners and Jesus was pulling these scriptures together to make a major point. God is faithful. He cares for us and will bless us if we seek him even when life is painful.
I’ll make it easier by giving you the references to get you going:
Blessed are the poor in spirit (Isaiah 57.15)
Blessed are those who mourn (Isaiah 61.1-2)
Blessed are the meek (Psalm 37.11)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Isaiah 25.6, 55.1-1)
Blessed are the pure in heart (Psalm 24.4)
Blessed are you when people insult you (Isaiah 51.7-8. 66.5)
Read the passages and then think about the surrounding context. I hope that the words we all know well will become even more meaningful for you.
So for those who like a challenge, the next step is to find other passages that reference the Old Testament. I will give you one to get you going: MaIhew 22.37-39. Try looking in Deuteronomy 6 and Levi cus 19. I won’t give you the exact reference, that’s for you to find. Happy hun ng.
John Boylan
Flower Guild
This month we are sad to report that one of the Guild’s members, Lois Barrell, has passed away.
Lois was involved with the Guild from early days and loved flowers and her garden. In recent years she has not been an ac ve member of the Guild due to her health but always took an interest and was able to aIend our Flower Fes val last October which she enjoyed.
The funeral took place on Wednesday 19th June at All Saints with flowers in her favourite colours. Lois will be sadly missed by her friends in the Flower Guild.
We hope you enjoy the flowers we arrange in Church. We are always looking for new members to enjoy arranging flowers so if you share our passion for flowers why not have a go at arranging, you would be very welcome. One-to-one guidance can be arranged and the main aim would be for you to develop your skills and enjoy. Contact Sue Hedley 07831 149832 or e-mail suehedley@jag.org.uk.
Flower Guild Diary
Sun 07 July
Ladies of the Guild to include Hannah’s Installa on Evening on 10th
Sun 14 July Flowers to be checked and refreshed as necessary
Sun 21 July Jane Mellor (Main) Lucille Taylor (Porch, Memorial Robert Taylor)
Sun 28 July Flowers to be checked and refreshed as necessary
Arrangers some mes have to change at short no ce
Nature Notes
Andrea Gilpin of the Caring for God's Acre Organisation
TheIntriguingRook
Rooks, o,en seen perched in groups atop large trees or gliding gracefully over open fields, are among the most iconic and intriguing avian species found in the countryside. With their sleek black plumage, dis nc ve calls, and intricate social behaviours, these intelligent corvids have long cap vated the imagina on of bird enthusiasts and casual observers alike.
Belonging to the crow family, rooks (Corvus frugilegus) are commonly found in rural landscapes, farmlands and wooded areas where they seek out a variety of roots, seeds and soil invertebrates. They are highly sociable birds, forming large colonies known as rookeries. Rookeries can contain hundreds of nests clustered together within a metre or two of each other. There is a surge of ac vity during the breeding season. These nests, constructed from s cks and twigs, are o,en reused and added to year a,er year. Once established, these rookeries can be long-las ng, with some known to have been used at the same loca on for over a century.
Although it is thought that rooks have an average lifespan of 6 years, the Bri sh Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has found instances of them living to over 22 years. They are renowned for their intelligence and problem-solving abili es and have been observed using tools to extract food, such as probing s cks into crevices to access hidden insects or dropping nuts onto hard surfaces to crack them open. (Rooks not the BTO ). Their intelligence is further shown through complex social interac ons within their colonies, where they have clear hierarchical structures and coopera ve behaviours. The constant communica on is some mes called a ‘cacophony’ and having just moved house to be just a stone’s throw from a large rookery, I can vouch that this term is par cularly accurate at the beginning of spring!
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk
Lent Reflections
This year’s Lent Course was constructed by Chris an Aid and it focussed biblically on poverty in both Britain and around the world. Peter Mason con nues his summary of each of the six sessions.
Week4."Located"
We began by thinking about places of par cular importance to us. Either in the past or now. Some of us recalled happy holiday trips while others remembered the loca on of significant family events.
In this session we considered where Jesus chose to locate himself. Have you ever no ced how many mes in the gospels Jesus is not where he is "supposed" to be? Jesus's birth in a stable confounds the wise men. They expected what they believed to be the arrival of a royal newborn to take place in a palace. Then the baby Jesus and his parents become refugees, fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod's violence.
Some years later Jesus goes missing during a journey home a2er visi ng Jerusalem for Passover. A2er retracing their steps his parents eventually discover him in the temple discussing the scriptures with the preachers and teachers. Another example is Jesus enjoying the hospitality of Zacchaeus. "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner" complained the high and mighty of the day.
We then read Mark 2. vv13-17. This is the account of the day Jesus meets Levi (later known as Ma9hew) and asks him to "Follow Me". That evening Jesus and the disciples were sharing a meal at Levi's home. Upon seeing this gathering at the house of Levi the tax collector religious leaders bi9erly cri cised Jesus for his choice of dinner companions. "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" they asked some of the disciples. Jesus heard their comment and replied "Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners."
Where did Jesus place himself? There is a sense in these stories that Jesus is someone who doesn't "know his place". Of course Jesus doesn't just turn up in places that are considered unsuitable for a religious leader — he seeks them out.
"Jesus ea ng with tax collectors and sinners is not an accident, rather it is an expression of the very being of God." That is a quote by James H Cone, from A Black Theology of Libera on, 1970.
James H Cone is a pioneer in connec ng Chris an thinking with the lived experience of black communi es. He underlines the fact that Jesus chose to associate with the oppressed and rejected sec ons of society. Jesus enters into their experience, ea ng, living and suffering with them the same unjust systems. Even to the point of being condemned to death. Jesus being in places he isn't "supposed" to be shows us that this
is where the Kingdom of God can be found. In these places the love light and libera on of God's work has the power to break down oppression, overturn hierarchies and heal divisions.
We were asked to reflect upon where we are called to be.
According to The UN High Commissioner for refugees 110 million people in the world today have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
The group then revisited the ques on of where we ourselves are located today. What freedoms do we have to choose where we place ourselves? Where do we think Jesus would place himself in our community?
We then listened to Zanele Makombe. Listen at h9ps://soundcloud.com/actonpoverty. Zanele is the programme advisor for gender and reproduc ve health and rights in Act Ubumbano, a network of faith-based organisa ons working for social jus ce across a number of African countries. She speaks about the power that communi es have to act for local change and about how we're called to serve one another and to challenge exclusion and division.
Zanele men ons the occurrence of 'God moments' when being of service to others. Do we experience 'God moments'? Where do we go when we are trying to listen to God? Are there places in our community that can help us do that?
We then watched a short film. watch at this URL address: h9ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=655U5mG3DHM. The film introduced us to Winnie and Peter Baffoe of the South London Mission. They explained about the 'three R's', Respite, Regenera on and Revolu on, which they use to develop las ng change in their community. South London Mission is a Methodist community organisa on established n 1889. It is addressing income inequality in the local area.
At the close of the session we were challenged to consider our own and our church's response to poverty. What message can we share that we need to act on poverty now?
We ended with prayer:
Jesus, help us to hear your call to discipleship. Like Levi, may we follow where you lead. Show us, Lord, where we should place ourselves in service of you And of our neighbours.
We thank you, Jesus, for the places that are special to us. Thank you for the places where we hear your voice, in s llness and through the voices of others.
Be with us, Lord, as we seek a deeper connec on with our communi es. Help us bring about your kingdom, here and now. Amen.
Puzzle Page
A simple non-cryp c crossword this month. If you can solve it (and it'snotdifficult) email the editor on editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk. No prizes but you will get a name-check.
ACROSS
1 Formal entry to Christ's family (7)
5,26 Apostles' recruitment catch-phrase (7,2,3)
9 Two numbers compared (5)
10 One 'half' (an unequal half!) of the bible (9)
11 Occupa on of the three wise men (10)
12 Harrow rival (4)
14 Pullers of trains (11)
18 Church member through residency (11)
21 St.Luke's con nua on (4)
22 Found on the Trent and Mersey (10)
25 Loca on of countless wildebeests, zebras and antelopes (9)
26 See 5
27 David, then Solomon, then Rehoboam, then Abijah, then... (7)
28 Remove a lid (7)
DOWN
1 How some funerals end (6)
2
Raw material for chips (6)
3 Strong opponent of generally accepted beliefs or tradi ons (10)
4 Found underneath Paris (5)
5 Descrip ve of Zebedee, James and John (9)
6 Wise men's guide (4)
7 A non-mandatory course of study (8)
8 Devil worship (8)
13
Descrip ve of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Samuels, Kings, the gospels, etc (5,5)
15 What Herod got up to in the Christmas story (9)
16 Loca on of arms during emo onal worship songs (8)
17
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my _____, ye have done it unto me" (8)
19 Thanked at Harvest fes val (6)
20 "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white __ ____" (2,4)
23 Final (religious) good-bye (5)
24 Burden (4)
Special Note From The Editor
If you are going on holiday this summer, take your camera and keep an eye out for churches. We'd like to publish pictures of especially beau ful or stunning churches that our congrega on have visited. Please send your photographs to me at editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk. Sadly we cannot guarantee publica on because it all depends on magazine space, but let's see what possibili es emerge. Photos should be in landscape mode for preference, but portrait is also okay.
Page Frame
This Summer of Hope, we have a fantas c opportunity to build on years of wonderful work that’s transforming the lives of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Literacy and numeracy are vital life skills for all of us.
The cycle of poverty, crushing women’s and girls’ chances of a be9er life, has been exacerbated by decades of conflict between communi es and non-state armed groups.
Conflicts deepen significant gender gaps in literacy, with 66.5% of women in these African countries being literate compared to 88.5% of men. Not being able to read and write means women are prevented from par cipa ng economically and socially. It severely limits their understanding of their rights and health issues.
The Literacy Circles enable women to learn life-changing literacy, as well as numeracy, agriculture and business skills. Helping women learn these vital life skills helps them support their families and gain status in their communi es.
Grace describes what this change has meant for her and how she feels much more empowered: “I didn’t know how to count. So if I went to market, they would steal my money because I couldn’t count and know the weights,” she says. “I joined the programme. Now I can spend my money wisely because of what we have learned.”
Today Mothers’ Union Literacy Circles are already making a difference in four dioceses in the Democra c Republic of Congo. But now we need to expand to four more dioceses wherewomenaremostinneedofsupport.
Thissummerletuscometogethertogivethegi ofhopeforabrighterfuture.
Since our last ar cle in the June Magazine, we have had our annual meal at the Oakingham Belle. There were 25 of us at the lunch me meal and we all had a delicious meal, and a good me was had by all - we even had a surprise visit from David Hodgson, who was passing by!
Five branch members were able to a9end the Diocesan Spring mee ng at the end of May which was held at St Nicolas Church Earley. The theme for the a2ernoon was “Safeguarding” but, in this case, the emphasis was on our needing to be vigilant, par cularly with regard to the number of damaging scams, both financial and psychological, which are being perpetrated by criminals nowadays. It was a lively but
sobering and instruc ve session. Following on from this, we have arranged an extra event on the 24th July at 2pm, that will be held in the De Vitre room, where we will have a talk on SCAMS by our local Fraud Vic m officer.
If you would like to join us, all are welcome, please can you email Sue Howard to reserve your place. We ask non-members to pay £3 visitor’s fee.
By the me this magazine goes to print we will have held our main fundraising event of the year, our SoundsofMusic summer party! We will put a full update on its success in the July magazine. We will be spli0ng the proceeds between our All Saints Organ and Music fund and the SummerofHope Literacy Programme.
Mothers’ Union events in July:
17th July Visit to Ronald McDonald House in Oxford. 24th July SCAMS talk by Malcom Phillips – a Fraud Vic m Support Officer
Once again, many thanks for all the support you give to the All Saints Mothers’ Union. If you would like to know more about our All Saints’ Mothers’ Union, please do contact our branch leader Sue at sue831@b nternet.com or 07957 801394 to find out more.
Sue Howard
Debra Wong Conducting Her Masterclass
Clergy and Officers
Parish Clergy and Ministers
PastoralCareTeamMembers
Claire Jones, Jo Robinson, Margaret RaggeD, Clive Charlton, Sue Howard, Pam Gilbey, John Burbury and Barbara Smith
From The Parish Registers
19 June Lois Anne Barrell Age 89
Bap sms
26 May Charles Joseph Clark
26 May Ruby Jane Court
Last Month's Puzzle
These comments accrued from correspondents' answers this month:
I surveyed the puzzle page with apprecia*on of the skills of the mathema*cal mind, but thoroughly enjoyed a stab at it and was helped by Monsieur Roget.
I struggled with #3, or this would have been quicker.
Enjoyed the Dingbats.
I think the June magazine Puzzle Page was one of the most challenging yet!! However, I’ve given it a try.
The answers:
1 - Good Friday
2 - Organ Music
3 - Christmas Eve
4 - Offertory
5 - Lent
6 - Holy Week
7 - I Believe in God
8 - High Altar
9 - The First Noel
10 - Flower Guild
Congratula*ons to Ann Crail, Su McArthur, Jim Creech and John Harrison for their answers.
Make sure you try this month's simple crossword on page 28.
