ASPM October 2024 by Parish-Magazine Editor

From the Rector

During the month of October we are going to be exploring as a church our iden ty, who we are, what we feel passionately about, what are our priori es. The vision for All Saints, printed in full on the next page, is a sentence about the kind of church we dream of being – ‘a church full of life, love and energy’ and within that we currently have ﬁve priori es, or areas of focus. These are:

 Spiritual welfare and growth

 Social and Environmental jus ce

 Inclusion

 Youth and children

 Community, Arts and Culture

You can ﬁnd out a bit more about these priori es on our website under ‘About’ but they are key in assessing where we invest our me and energy as we look to serve God in Wokingham and in our lives. An important ques on for us to explore this month is: are these the right priori es for All Saints and which of these should be our focus in the coming year. I am really keen for everyone to engage in this discussion as we reﬂect on our vision and priori es, and for everyone to take hold of this for themselves. The Church is the body of Christ, as we read in 1 Corinthians 12; the body is made up of many members; each member is a valuable and vital part of the body. It is really important to me therefore that everyone in the church can grasp our vision, believe in it, and help it to become a reality. So please join me this month as we ques on and ponder: what is our vision and what are our priori es, and let us pray that God will guide and steer us as we do.

We will explore these ideas in our services this month as well as in two vision sessions:

 Tuesday 22nd October 11am-1pm, with the op on to come to Holy Communion at 10am

 Sunday 27th October 3pm -5pm ﬁnishing with evening prayer.

Both sessions will be held in church and will cover the same material, all are welcome. Sign up sheets will be available nearer the me to indicate a9endance numbers.

The Revd Hannah Higginson

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

All SaintsParish Magazinehasbeen published sinceatleastMay1865,possibly makingittheoldestcon nually-published parish magazinein thecountry.

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 0776 533 4695

Produc+on: Jane Hodgson 0118 979 2797

Subs & Distribu+on: David Chapman 0777 199 4461

CopyDateDeadlineforNovemberIssue: 15October2024

Produc on: 22October2024

Publica on: 27October2024

Subscrip ons: www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk/all-saints-parish-magazine

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The Cornerstone Norreys Avenue Wokingham

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September’s PCC Meeting

We started in visionary mode. Hannah told us that she wanted the whole church to have a really good look at the vision, make any necessary changes – except that she hoped they would only be tweaks and to own it as theirs. She told us that she had been encouraged to apply for the role of Rector because of our exci!ng vision so it was not the case at all that she wanted radical change – but there might some small points that needed revision and it needed to be snappy enough that we could all remember it.

In its current form it says we want to be “a church full of love, life and energy” and it has ﬁve themes: Spiritual Welfare and Growth, Social and Environmental Jus!ce, Inclusion, Youth and Children and Community, Arts and Culture.

As part of the consulta!on a sermon series in October is being planned. The PCC discussed diﬀerent ways of collec!ng the congrega!on’s views and sugges!ons including a sugges!on box, social media consulta!on, and an away day or at least a morning on a Saturday in October. Ideas from the children’s and youth groups should be sought separately. Watch this space to make sure you can have your say.

We had started the mee!ng with a reading concerning the ins!tu!on of the Last Supper to remind us of the origins of our communion service. This was appropriate as we went on to discuss how we took communion – the use of the common cup or the alterna!ve of in!nc!on. The PCC were keen that we should remain inclusive but could see that there were diﬀerent ways one can demonstrate that inclusivity. We were told that the Bishops in our Diocese had asked us to review it. It looks like we may have some teaching on this to come as well. The Standing Commi5ee had done research among other churches and found a wide variety of prac!ces, and Hannah reported that even within our Deanery there are a lot of diﬀerent approaches.

Otherwise the mee!ng was pre5y much one of business –  a ﬁnance and giving report (summarised, on page ……), in which the Treasurer stressed the important of regular commitment to giving, ideally through the Direct Debit system operated by the Parish Giving Scheme,  a review of ideas for fund raising, and  progress on the appointment of a Community Engagement and Volunteer Support co-ordinator for spaceforall (thanks to a Diocesan grant) for which we hope to make an appointment in early October.

Anne King

As usual these are the personal reﬂec!ons of the author and not the mee!ng's oﬃcial record.

News of Wokingham Choral Society

Wokingham Choral Society has recently returned from a very successful tour to Norwich. The small chamber choir stopped oﬀ at the beau ful market town of Saﬀron Walden, Essex where they sang in the historic 12th Century church of St Mary. The choir gave a free concert to a packed church and performed much of their summer programme with works by Morley, Dyson and Elgar together with Sir John Ru*er’s Sprig of Thyme.

The following day they were in the centre of Norwich singing the same programme at the magniﬁcent 14th Century church of St Peter Mancro/ (pictured) where an even larger audience showed their apprecia on with a strong ova on.

The ﬁnal day of the tour led the choir to Wymondham Abbey where the choir had been invited to be the guest choir to sing for the tradi onal Eucharist Service. The choir have already begun to plan next year’s tour which provisionally is scheduled for next August to Bath and Wells in Somerset.

The choir returns for the start of the autumn term on 5th September at the usual rehearsal site which is Emmbrook Senior School. The programme next term includes St Nicholas Mass by Bri*en for which the choir will be joined by the excellent choir from St George’s School Windsor Castle and will also include works by Purcell. The concert will be held at All Saints Church, Wokingham at 7.30pm on Saturday 16th November.

We are holding an Open Rehearsal on Thursday 12th September when we extend a warm invita on to anyone who might like to sing with a large, friendly and enthusias c choir.

Chris Dunning

Poem by John Woodfield

John Woodﬁeld was by far the oldest member of our congrega on; he died in the past few weeks at the great age of very nearly 108. Many of us remember the joyous occasion when he and Anne-Marie were married, during a 9:30 Sunday service! Anyway, in years past, the tower of All Saints consisted of dark, friable "pudding stone" and John's poem, as below, records the work that went on to cover this pudding stone with the white render that one sees today.

All SaintsBellTower 2005

A crumbling pile of pudding stone, Stripped from base to the turret cone Of plaster that once had made it fair Stood naked now, dingy, bare.

The clock was worn, its ﬁgures dim, Its ﬁngers fumbled, rough its rim; Shards of stone fell from on high Threat’ning all who came thereby.

Restorers came, stretched plas c skin Over its shame and worked therein. It languished many a dreary day Beneath the cover, dirty grey,

Un l, like clouds that ﬂee the east, The plas c moved. The plasterers ceased: The scaﬀolds fell, the builders went, Taking their li7er and plas c tent.

There then it stood, all splendid, bright, Like Zion’s temple, shining white; The west doors reopened, bidding all To enter again at the bells’ glad call.

John Woodﬁeld

Printed by kind permission of Anne-Marie. John's funeral is to be in All Saints at 12:30 on Friday 4th October.

Update on Finance and Giving The Giving Team

THANK YOU to everyone who gives to the church, par cularly those who have changed to new ways and new amounts of giving this year.

The Giving team are providing updates on the posi on of the church ﬁnances every month. In September we celebrated and thanked all those who have made a commitment to give regularly to the church. There are now 100 people giving regularly by Direct Debit through the Parish Giving Scheme. The average gi, is £93 a month.

We are urging everyone who has not already done so to join the regular giving scheme. More details on our web site – under “Giving” or talk to one of the Giving Team (Ian Watson, the Revd Hannah Higginson, Pat Axford, Anne King or Beatrice Smiles) about joining the scheme or email giving@allsaintswokingham.org.uk

We are making this appeal because we have not yet reached our income target this year. And we want a reassured income stream for next year. Our expenditure is down but only by £6,000; however expected income is down £16,000.

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his ﬁeld; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Ma=hew ch 13 31-2

Please help All Saints grow like the mustard tree

Unfortunate Bulls

Magazine Extract Specially Selected by John Hook

Published in the Wokingham Parish Magazine for January 1916. Researched by the then Rector, Rev Bertram Long.

STAVERTON Charity.—For many years meat has been given away on S. Thomas’ Day, from the windows of the Rose Hotel, to some 400 persons of Wokingham. This year [1916] a change was made in the manner of the distribu0on, 0ckets, in the form of orders on the local butchers were given away at the Town Hall, together with 0ckets for bread, from the Wokingham General Chari0es. The men0on of the Staverton Charity recalls to the mind scenes, common to the history of Wokingham, happily no longer witnessed. By will, dated May 15th, 1661, George Staverton le5 property for the purchase of a bull, to be given to the poor of Wokingham town and parish, to be baited, the hide, etc. to be sold and bestowed upon the poor children in stockings and shoes. Later on two bulls were purchased. The following extracts from old newspapers show the a8tude of former genera0ons towards this ‘‘sport” :-

On one occasion when it was proposed by the Vicar that the £5 a-year should be laid out in buying meat the poor insisted on the customary purchase of a bull being con0nued, and the usage was accordingly kept up. The cruel prac0ce of bullbai0ng was kept up with much spirit on St. Thomas’s Day in the Market Place of the town of Wokingham as lately as the year 1821. In the year 1822, upon the passing of the Act for the preven0on of cruelty to animals, it was decided by the Corpora0on to abolish the custom.

The Alderman with his Officers went in procession and solemnly pulled up the bullring which from 0me immemorial had been fixed in the Market Place. The wrath of the populace at the loss, not of the beef - for the Corpora0on duly distributed the meatwas very great, and for several years occasional breaches of the peace took place. So long was this feeling kept up that thirteen years a5erwards, viz., in 1835, the mob broke into the place where one of the two animals to be divided was placed, and baited him in the Market Place, in defiance of all authority. The law, however, promptly took the maFer up, and the ringleaders in this disgraceful proceeding were sentenced to imprisonment in Reading Gaol.

In a descrip0on of one of these sports, given by a writer who lived in the reign of William III., we learn that a rope was 0ed to the root of the horns of the bull and fastened at the other end to an iron ring ﬁxed to a stake driven in the ground, so that the bull was conﬁned to a space of about 305. in diameter. Several butchers or other gentlemen that were desirous to exercise their dogs, stood round, each holding his own

by the ears: and to begin the sport, one of the dogs was loosed. The bull with its eyes fixed on the dog generally stood mo0onless for a 0me, but on the dog growing fierce and determined the bull put himself into an a8tude of defence, beat the ground with his feet, and endeavoured to toss the dog high in the air, while the dog made every effort to seize the infuriated animal by the nose: and if the dog was successful in retaining its hold, despite the bull’s endeavour to shake it off, the dog was declared the victor by the judges.

So favoured was this na0onal pas0me by the aristocra0c and royal, that in 1591 an order was issued from the Privy Council forbidding plays to be acted on Thursdays because bullbai0ng had been prac0sed on that day: and so much did its importance increase in public es0ma0on and in the fanciful ideas of certain statesmen that when, in 1802, a bill was brought into the House for the suppression of the prac0ce altogether, Mr. Windham opposed the measure as the ﬁrst result of a conspiracy of the Jacobins and Methodists to render the people grave and serious, maintaining that it was a preliminary step to the overthrow of the Government, and asser0ng that the Cons0tu0on the must stand or fall with the bear-garden. Strange to say this fallacious argument prevailed against the sarcasm of Courtenay, the earnestness of Wilberforce, and the eloquence of Sheridan, so that by a majority of 13 the bill was rejected. Happily however in 1835 the sport was altogether abolished by the legislature, a5er being a na0onal disgrace for at least seven centuries.

Puzzle Page

A code-word puzzle for you this month. Email the editor on editor@allsaintswokingham.org.uk when you crack it. No prizes but you will get a name-check. Note that the puzzle contains several religious references, where they could be squeezed in. This means that some answers are (capitalised) names.

Letter to the Editor

Faith Groups and Vo ng Behaviour 2024. It seems that contrary to what I had hoped, Anglicans remain core Conserva%ve supporters, with 40% of the Conserva%ve electoral support coming from this denomina%on. While Reform voters tend to be non-religious, they have some success with Anglicans too.

Perhaps this is partly explained by the average age of Anglican congrega%ons, but the ques%on remains as to how on earth the radical message of Jesus can be seen reﬂected in the manifesto of the Tory and Reform par%es? A perfect example of cogni%ve dissonance if ever there was one!

hAps://www.elec%onanalysis.uk/uk-elec%on-analysis-2024/sec%on-2-voters-polls-andresults/religion-and-vo%ng-behaviour-in-the-2024-general-elec%on/

Prayer & Healing Ministry Team

APrayer for Resilience

Father God

I know you hear me when I cry out to you

Comfort me when things feel hard

Give me strength when I can’t keep going

Breathe into me when I feel empty and alone

Help me to know I am loved and valued

So I can keep springing back

Again and again

Again and again. Amen.

Although life may be very diﬃcult at %mes, God promises he will give us strength to bounce back. Jesus said that “ a bruised reed he will not break”

Ma hew12:20

The next services for the Laying on of Hands ministry will be on Sunday 6th October and then Sunday 3rd November at the 9.30 service.

Members of the Prayer Ministry team are: Gill Allen, Jo Robinson, Jill Oliver and Rosemary Sturmer. Prayer Ministry is available every Sunday a6er the 9.30am service. Members of the Healing Prayer Group are: Gill Allen, Rosemary Sturmer, Maggie Davies, Joan Thomason and Jill Oliver. Conﬁden%ality is assured .

David Chapman

Leaning Gravestones

I’ve o6en no%ced the headstones of some graves lean over but thought nothing of it. Given how long they’ve been there it’s hardly surprising that a few of them aren’t quite upright. But recently I realised that most of the ones that lean are leaning the same way, towards the east. A few lean the other way, like the large slab on the right of the top picture, but not very many. That set me wondering why.

I think it reasonable to assume they were ver%cal when erected, or at least close enough not to no%ce, or someone would have complained at the %me. And some that are now leaning I know were ver%cal in 1910 because they appear in a picture taken the Rev F E Robinson’s funeral.

Let’s start by thinking what keeps a headstone standing up. If you look at one from the side it is tall and thin. And if you stood it on the ground it would almost certainly fall over. What holds it upright is that its base is buried ﬁrmly in the ground.

That works as long as the ground is compacted, stable and doesn’t move. But over %me the ground can move. It can subside if the earth below compacts, and it can heave if for example roots are growing under it.

In a large area like the churchyard it would not be surprising to ﬁnd movement somewhere a6er a century or more. And if there is movement in the earth suppor%ng a headstone then the headstone will also move.

That explains why some of the headstones are no longer upright, but why should nearly of those that are leaning be leaning to the east? I’m sure they don’t turn towards the rising sun like a sunﬂower. This is the best explana%on I have.

In a Chris%an graveyard bodies are normally buried facing east, i.e. with their feet to the east and head to the west. The headstone (the clue is in the name) stands behind their head. That means the headstone always stands on the western edge of the pit that was dug to take the coﬃn. No doubt the earth in the pit is allowed to seAle for a while a6er

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.

Are you ready for a salutary challenge? Many folk think of the bea%tudes (found in MaAhew's gospel) as a set of comfor%ng texts. But where their equivalent has been recorded by Luke, we ﬁnd Our Lord Jesus pronouncing a much harsher set of phrases. Ready? Really ready? This is from Luke Chapter 6.

Blessed are you who are in need; the kingdom of God is yours.

Blessed are you who now go hungry; you will be sa%sﬁed.

Blessed are you who weep now; you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracise you, when they insult you and slander your very name, because of the Son of Man. On that day exult and dance for joy, for you have a rich reward in heaven; that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

But alas for you who are rich; you have had your %me of happiness.

Alas for you who are well fed now; you will go hungry.

Alas for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep.

Alas for you when all speak well of you; that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Extract taken from The Revised English Bible

Leaning Gravestones

being ﬁlled in before the headstone is erected, but it won’t be quite as dense as the undisturbed ground alongside. So over %me the ground in front of the headstone may seAle a bit more than the ground behind. That could cause the stone to lean forwards slightly, i.e. to the east.

Why don’t all the stones lean over? There are several possible reasons. Time is one – I didn’t see any leaning in the new part of the graveyard. Shorter modern headstones are more stable and so less likely to heel over. Some headstones might have been set back from the edge of the pit.

What about the headstones that lean to the west? Some of them have %pped over quite a long way (like the one in the ﬁrst picture) far more than the slight lean of most. So maybe they just weren’t installed properly. One of them had been pushed back by the stump of a tree growing just in front of it.

If anyone has any alterna%ve ideas I would be interested to know.

John Harrison

Prayer Page Two Old

Hymns for Harvest Time

Oh sing to the Lord, whose boun ful hand Again doth accord his gi s to the land, His clouds have shed down their plenteousness here, His goodness shall crown the hopes of the year.

In cle s of the hills the founts he hath burst, And poureth their rills through valleys athirst, The river of God the pastures hath blest, The dry, withered sod in greenness is drest.

And every fold shall teem with its sheep, With harvests of gold the ﬁelds shall be deep; The vales shall rejoice with laughter and song, And men's grateful voice the music prolong.

So too may he pour, the Last and the First, His graces in store on spirits athirst, Till, when the great day of harvest hath come, He takes us away to garner at home.

The year is swi ly waning, The summer days are past; And life, brief life, is speeding; The end is nearing fast.

The ever-changing seasons In silence come and go; But thou, eternal Father, No me or change canst know.

Oh, pour thy grace upon us, That we may worthier be, Each year that passes o'er us, To dwell in heaven with thee.

Behold the bending orchards With bounteous fruit are crowned; Lord, in our hearts more richly Let heavenly fruits abound.

O, by each mercy sent us, And by each grief and pain, By blessings like the sunshine, And sorrows like the rain,

Our barren hearts make frui0ul With every goodly grace That we thy name may hallow, And see at last thy face.

Give thanks to our Lord for food on the table, supermarkets that are always stocked, water in the tap, taste buds that can appreciate ﬂavour, money in our purses to buy our provisions, food banks and social security for those who are strapped for money, happy memories of meals shared, safety and other codes to ensure our food is high quality, farmers and ﬁshers (at home and abroad) who work to provide what we need, our own gardens and the joy of growing our own, simple basic foods, complex fancy recipes, wines and beers and other fancy drinks. And most of all this food: "The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given/shed for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlas ng life. (1) Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in they heart by faith with thanksgiving. (2) Drink this in remembrance that Christ's Blood was shed for thee, and be thankful."

Diary for October

30yearsofFairtradein theUK

It’s 30 years since the first Fairtrade cer fied products hit supermarket shelves. Since then, Fairtrade has not only pioneered a unique, more equitable way of doing trade – and shown how it makes a tangible difference – it has become the world’s most recognised and trusted ethical label.

Behind that label, a global community of millions has been working towards more responsibly produced and fairly priced goods, as part of a fairer world for everyone. That includes more than two million farmers and workers in 58 countries, supply chain partners, some of our most loved brands of tea, coﬀee and chocolate, and towns, ci es, schools, places of worship and supermarkets.

Through the strength of Fairtrade’s community, millions of Fairtrade farmers have secured a fairer price for what they grow. Workers have been able to improve their living standards. Fairtrade sets oﬀ a ripple eﬀect that has seen children go to school and university, women take the lead and reforesta on projects supported.

Despite this success, our global food system s ll isn’t fair. Farmers are part of a chain in which power is unfairly distributed. They are frequently forced to sell their crops for less money than they cost to grow. The climate crisis is making condi ons more and more challenging for farmers like Jaime Alberto García Flórez, a coﬀee farmer from Colombia:

"We live from coffee. We fight for coffee so that we can have this tradi on in the future for our children… we are in danger because of climate change. It’s really here. The temperature is too high so we have had to replace coffee with cocoa and plant trees between our remaining coffee bushes to give them shade. We are the first genera on to feel the change and the last genera on to be able to change it. "

Global shocks such as the pandemic and conﬂict are exposing the fragility of our supply chains. All this threatens not just farmers’ livelihoods, but the long-term availability and aﬀordability of our food. We need urgent change.

Farmers tell us that a fair price for their produce is the most important factor in improving their lives. A be:er price enables farmers to build resilience, adapt to climate change and withstand shocks. Farmers also need to help set the terms of trade to rebalance power in supply chains. But they can’t do it alone.

2024 is a year for celebra on. We are proud of 30 years of standing with farmers for trade jus ce. But we all need to keep working together to build a fairer, more sustainable future for food produc on.

Reprinted from Fairtrade's website

Howisclimatechangeimpac ngtheworld’sfood systems?

Food systems are the ac vi es that take food from farms to mouths. That includes how we produce, process, transport, market and consume food. Our current food systems produce more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions – the main driver of climate change.

More than half of the food systems’ greenhouse gas emissions originate from the demand for meat and dairy among high consumers of these foods. It’s also a result of modern industrial agriculture, which is highly dependent on fossil fuels.

Greenhouse gases aﬀect plant and animal growth and cause rising sea levels, warmer oceans and extreme weather and climate events. In turn, climate change is impac ng our food systems and our health. How?

Climatechangeismakingitharder toproducefood

Rising land and sea temperatures, droughts, ﬂoods and unpredictable rainfall is harming livestock and crops.

For example, countries in southern Africa have been experiencing drought since late 2023, leading to a decline in maize produc on, a staple crop, and threatening food security. Meanwhile, ﬂoods in the UK following Storm Babet in 2023 submerged en re ﬁelds under water, ruining crops.

Globally, one in ﬁve deaths are a:ributable to poor diets caused by low consump on of healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Climate change will reduce the yields of these foods and put more people's health at risk.

Climate change is reducing the nutrients in

whatweeat

The sixth assessment report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted that rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere will reduce the nutri onal quality of our food. That includes proteins, iron, zinc, and some vitamins in grains, fruits and vegetables. Without these cri cal nutrients, more

Around Wokingham's Churches

A Look Around Their Websites

Ministers

St Paul's – vacant

Corpus Chris - Canon Simon Thomson

St Sebas an's - The Revd Rickey Simpson-Gray

Methodist Church – The Revd Catherine Bowstead

Bap st Church – The Revd Nick Hudson

Christ Church – The Revd Joel Knight

StPaul's

They recently held one of their "Walter Lectures" on the Climate for Electric Cars. Their guest Anthony Simpson, who has an MSc in Renewable Energy and Sustainability, has worked for a number of years in the ﬁelds of both solar energy and the grid integra on of electric vehicles. The aim of his lecture was to answer some of the key ques ons: Are electric vehicles really any greener? How close is the EV transi on? Can our electricity system cope? And does it ma:er what me of day we charge the vehicle? Finally, why embracing smart meters is important as we head towards net zero emissions.

This follows another Walter Lecture from Ruth Gibbs of Oxfam, posing the demand for Climate Jus ce – A Call to Ac on for a Fairer Future. Those who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are paying the highest price. What is the experience of people in the Global South? What mi ga on strategies are being implemented?

CorpusChris

The Corpus Chris Africa Fund (CCAF) has been in existence since just aMer the Tsunami in the Far East in 2004. At that me the Parish decided that, rather than wait for a disaster to occur, it would make more sense to plan to support a project which would provide support on an ongoing basis. AMer careful considera on it was decided to support two projects in East Africa – Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School (OLN) located

in the second largest slum area of Nairobi, Kenya and Suubi Childrens Home in Entebbe, Uganda.

The objec!ves set were to benefit as many as possible; to know that any money raised would be used as intended; to have personal knowledge and contact with each beneficiary and to ensure that each beneficiary would not become solely reliant on CCAF's assistance.

The church has been able to raise over £500,000 since CCAF was started. 2022 saw the end of their help for Suubi as the Ugandan Government changed the country’s laws on adop!on and the orphanage ceased to exist, but Corpus Chris! con!nues to support OLN in Nairobi.

StSebas an's

By the mid-1990s the popula!on was around 8500, with 80%+ living in the southern suburban area of the Parish. The majority of people in the southern part of the Parish, say that they live in “Crowthorne” (rather than “Wokingham Without”) as that is where the majority of local shops, schools etc. are located. That said, people arriving in the 1950s/60s are ﬁercely proud of the fact that they live in Wokingham Borough and not Bracknell Forest Borough.

To further complicate maAers, the TRL part of the Parish was transferred from St Michael’s Easthampstead (Bracknell) to St Sebas!an’s in 2012. In the last ﬁve years, the Parish has undergone a further step-wise expansion with major housing developments in the east of the Parish delivering c500 new house occupa!ons at Oakham Park (116) and the development of the old TRL site and track (350 currently occupied). Plans for the TRL site (“Buckler’s Park”) include a further 786 homes (1,100 homes total), a new primary school (to be associated with the Crowthorne Church of England school in their neighbouring Parish), a community hub, a new pub and a substan!al country park, Buckler’s Forest.

Bap stChurch

The Bap!st Church celebrated its 250th anniversary last month, choosing to do so with a Celebra!on Service and BBQ lunch. In conjunc!on with Wokingham Heritage Week, they threw open the church to demonstrate the history of the buildings, how the life of our community has changed over the centuries, and the part Bap!st Chris!ans have played in the life of Wokingham and beyond.

They recently ordained Savannah Bell as a Bap!st Minister. She will hold a new full !me role as Minister for Pioneering and Youth.

MethodistChurch

They report how their Mosaic Café regularly hosts all sorts of groups: LiAle Fishes, Parkinson Café, WI Mee!ngs, Link and Age UK. Barclays Bank are also using a room upstairs every day now since the closure of the branch in town; this is used by

people will be at risk of micronutrient deﬁciencies, leading to serious physical and mental health consequences.

A systema!c review of evidence found that reducing our vegetable intake could increase the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as coronary heart disease and stroke and diﬀerent types of cancers. Moreover, not ea!ng enough vegetables and legumes could also lead to nutrient deﬁciencies.

Climatechangeiscontribu ngto food shortagesand higher food prices

Inequi!es in the food system are inextricably linked to poor diet and health. Around 3.1 billion people could not aﬀord a healthy diet in 2021. And more than a quarter of the world's popula!on faced food insecurity in 2022.

Climate change will further exacerbate this issue. With food shortages, food prices will increase, puUng more people at risk of food and nutri!on insecurity, chronic hunger and loss of livelihoods. Diet-related condi!ons such as obesity, heart aAack, stroke and diabetes will also rise.

These are just a few of the exis!ng and future impacts.

Reprinted from The Wellcome Trust's website

many people and so is good for the community and café alike, as many come and have a coﬀee and cake; they have had a lot of comments on how lovely the café is and that people didn’t even know they were there. They also run an "Alzheimer’s Café" which is thriving. They have had a great number of newcomers and have enjoyed some fantas!c sessions. They enjoyed two trips to Alexandra Grange, one for chocolate making and another for a singing aNernoon. Alexandra Grange also supplied some of the food they enjoyed at their Christmas Party. Claire Knight (Church & Community Outreach Team Leader) aAends a quarterly breakfast mee!ng at Alexandra Grange to meet with other people from the community sector to support her work.

NorreysChurch and King'sChurch

Both these churches are homes of SHARE Wokingham which is a locally-founded food sharing charity with ﬁNeen sites in Wokingham and surrounding areas. Each week SHARE helps over 2000 people in our local community who need support foodwise by redistribu!ng an incredible 40 tonnes of food from local supermarkets and food suppliers that would otherwise go to waste. No referral is required and the food is free. The food sharing is for anyone who feels they could do with some help – even if just temporarily. Everyone is welcome. No ques!ons are asked. Visitors will just ﬁnd friendly faces and plenty of fresh produce. It all started as a small local ‘Grub Club’ in Norreys Church in Wokingham during Covid19 in 2020.

Wokingham's Churches

Nature Notes

Andrea Gilpin of the Caring for God's Acre Organisation

HedgehogHavens

Hedgehogs need our help. Their numbers have signiﬁcantly declined over the past few decades. By managing our gardens, churchyards, and parks thoughWully, we can create environments that support their nes!ng, feeding, and hiberna!on needs, giving these charming creatures a beAer chance to thrive.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures, travelling 1 to 2 miles each night within a home range of about 40 acres. They forage for food, seeking invertebrates like slugs, snails, worms, beetles, as well as carrion and fallen fruit. Hedgehogs breed from May to September, with liAers of 2 to 6 hoglets. The young remain in the nest for around four weeks before joining their mother on nighUme foraging trips. They soon become independent and are oNen seen alone in late summer and early autumn.

From late autumn, hedgehogs hibernate in nests made of old dry leaves, grass, and other vegeta!on. These nests can be found in places such as the base of hedges, in compost heaps, among tree roots, or under log piles.

We can all help hedgehogs:

 Facilitate their movement through your garden, park, or churchyard. Avoid conﬁning them, as barriers can cause them to expend unnecessary energy. Provide ramps out of drains or steep drops.

 Areas with long grass, dead wood, the bases of stone walls, compost heaps, and leaf liAer are oNen rich in invertebrates that hedgehogs feed on. Avoid being too !dy. Pile up deadwood in a shady spot.

 Be cau!ous of hiberna!ng hedgehogs that resemble leaf footballs! Use sharp tools carefully, especially brush cuAers, and avoid leaving bonﬁre piles overnight to prevent hedgehogs from crawling into them.

 Avoid using chemicals like slug pellets and wood preserva!ves unless they are known to be non-toxic to mammals.

Although hedgehogs are elusive and primarily ac!ve at night, you can s!ll spot signs of their presence. Look for their dis!nc!ve droppings, which are almost black and oNen contain shiny beetle parts. By crea!ng a hedgehog-friendly environment and being mindful of their needs, we can all help these charming nocturnal creatures.

www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk

Flower Guild

We have been struggling to keep flowers in Church during the summer and especially in the past two months, (1) due to the heat in the church and (2) members unavailable to arrange. So please accept our apologies if you find there are no flowers.

We hope you enjoy the flowers we do 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-toone guidance can be arranged and the main aim would be for you to develop your skills and enjoy it all. Contact Sue Hedley 07831 149832 or e-mail suehedley@jag.org.uk

Flower Guild Diary

Sun 06 October Flowers from Harvest to be checked and refreshed as required

Sun 13 October (Main) Pauline MacBrayne, (Porch) Sue H or Alison Jeﬀrey. Memorial: Gillian Leeson

Sun 20 October (Main) Lorna Atkins-Murphy, (Porch) Liz Goss. Memorial: Langown/ Haig

Sun 27 October (Main) Val Briault, (Porch) Pauline Smith. Memorial: Trevor Smith Arrangers some mes have to change at short no ce

Letter to the Editor

Great take-away from Dr Mike MoorcroN’s sermon about sustainability on 8th September: “I would rather be a small part of the solu!on than a small part of the problem”.

Anne King

50 Years Ago - 1974

The text below is an ar cle by the Revd Kenneth Mar n, the Rector. Apart from anything else, it shows the progression in church thinking from say 1874, when on Sunday Holy Communion was conﬁned to 8:00 and "Morning Prayer with Sermon" at 11:00 was the principal service — Editor

There is, of course, more in the Chris!an Religion than the Eucharist. However it is something which is meant to be central in the life of the Church. It is the most important public act of worship, and the only one which Our Lord has actually enjoined upon us.

People who assert: "I never go to Church but I'm as good a Chris!an as those who do" have completely missed the point that it is not given to us to choose which of our Lord's commands we obey and which we choose to ignore. I prefer to see the words 'Do this in remembrance of Me' as a request rather than a command as such. But however one tries to wriggle out of it the stark fact remains. Our Lord said it, and He expects us to obey.

That the Eucharist is the main act of worship is very apparent from the Book of Common Prayer. If you read it carefully you cannot help no!ng that it is the only normal act of worship at which a sermon is ordered to be preached, a collec!on taken, and a Blessing given. It is also linked with other occasional oﬃces in a very clear way. The rela!onship between bap!sm and conﬁrma!on to Holy Communion is obvious enough, but the rela!onship is not appreciated in other services. Take marriage, for example. The very last words of the Prayer Book service read: "It is convenient that the new–married person should receive the Holy Communion at the !me of their

marriage, or at the ﬁrst opportunity aNer their Marriage". Modern spirituality has oNen completely forgoAen this.

50 Years Ago

[Here Mr Mar!n reviews other less-frequently-conducted services]

If the Eucharist is to be central in peoples' lives then the Church must 'Do this' where people are, not just put on addi!onal services and wait for them to come. [Then Mr Mar!n talks about experimental loca!ons for communion]

And above all, of course — our Lord celebrated the ﬁrst Communion in the upper room of a house. And for centuries the Chris!ans met in each other's homes or in !mes of persecu!on had literally to go underground to the catacombs. I was at the big SPG rally in London when the late Bishop Wilson came home from Singapore, and it was a harrowing and emo!onal occasion as he related how he had celebrated the Chris!an Mysteries in a Japanese concentra!on camp under the most extreme condi!ons.

To-day condi!ons are extreme in another sense. Gone are the days when one adver!sed services, rang bells and waited. Now it is part of the mission of the Church to go to the people where the people are. The great issues to-day are not maAers of ceremonial and 'high' versus 'low' churches. Series II has helped to get rid of all that nonsense. The burning issue to-day is how to build up a worshipping Eucharis!c community within the Community at large, and how to make the worship of the Church ever more relevant to society and vice-versa.

Like every other parish, All Saints' has a very long way to go yet. Some!me soon we must get down to discussing together what we can do, under God, to make the Eucharist more and more the central ac!vity of the Body of Christ.

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.

Week6."Together"

To begin this ﬁnal session, we were asked to think of an occasion when we felt moved to speak up about an issue about which we felt strongly. What happened, how did we feel?

Our Scripture reading was Mark 4. 30-32.

Jesus said 'With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.'

What diﬀerence can we make by speaking up together about poverty? Poverty hurts. It hurts when the impact of poverty is felt unequally across the world.

Poverty is not inevitable. Choices that are made by those with power and choices that we make can force people into poverty. Our choices can change systems and structures that create poverty.

By the !me you read this ar!cle the General Elec!on will most probably have already taken place. But when vo!ng, hopefully, we will have been conscious that our votes and our voices can shape the agenda in our communi!es and country. Together we can make ac!ng on poverty a priority for those with poli!cal power, whatever their poli!cal persuasion.

In our church and community, we are encouraged to plant seeds of change that together we can nurture-seeds that will grow God's kingdom of jus!ce and love.

Let's remind ourselves of Bible passages referenced in these sessions:

 But let jus!ce roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-ﬂowing stream. (Amos 5.24)

 "Which of these three, do you think, was a Neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy". Jesus said to him,

 As previously men!oned, extensive use of the "Chris!an Aid- Act On Poverty" course notes have been used in the wri!ng of these ar!cles.

"Go

and do likewise" (Luke 10.36-37)

 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. (Luke 4.18 and Isaiah 61.1)

Jus!ce. Righteousness. Mercy. Good news. What would it look like if we shaped our response to poverty as a society around these principals?

Over the last few weeks, we have heard from people who are trying to respond according to these principles. Many spoke from personal experience of lived poverty. So, what is our response? What can we as a church and individuals do to make a diﬀerence, large or small, to alleviate poverty? How can we inﬂuence poli!cians and decision makers to make changes which will have a posi!ve impact on the lives of those trapped in situa!ons of poverty?

Those of us aAending this last session undertook a period of brainstorming, addressing the above ques!ons. We came up with some sugges!ons:

 As already discussed in previous weeks we should talk to our elected representa!ves at Westminster.

 Suppor!ng Chris!an Aid will be helping the poorest people in the world.

 We as a church would like to run a warm hub in the winter months. Whilst also con!nuing to support Grub Club and the food bank.

 Iden!fy areas in our local community where our support may be welcomed.

 Some of us helped distribute Chris!an Aid envelopes and undertook sponsored fundraising ac!vi!es.

The course material sums up as follows:

 To tackle poverty for good, we all need to help.

 We need to be talking to poli!cians.

 We need to talk with each other about ways of tackling poverty.

 We need to plant the seeds of change.

Closing Prayer.

Lord Jesus,

You promise us that from faith like a mustard seed your kingdom can grow.

You tell us that our hopes for change are enough, if together we nurture them.

You show us that our acts of love for our neighbour are part of the abundance of love that ﬂows from you, in the power of the Spirit, and blesses all of crea!on.

Lord Jesus, this day and every day make us planters, growers, waterers, who believe and trust in the coming of your kingdom. Amen

Piano Accompaniment at the Café

Enjoy a relaxing morning at our cafe with the accompaniment of the church's new addition - the beautiful Bechstein grand piano, played by local pianist Debra Wong.

All welcome - Cafe opens 10 am to 12 noon and music starts at 10:30 (for approx. 1 hour).

Dates: 11th October, 8th November & 13th December

The moAo of the Mothers’ Union is:

Ican do allthingsthrough him (Christ)who strengthensme(Phil.4:13)

Its aim and purpose is to be concerned with all that strengthens and preserves marriage and Chris!an family life.

Following on from our amazing Sounds of Music party in June, we did not rest in July!

Our visit to Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in July was awe-inspiring and we were full of admira!on for the staﬀ, the facili!es and the warmth that was generated to everyone that came into the building whether to visit or to stay for a while.

The RMH is a charity that our All Saints’ MU, and the rest of the Oxford Diocese, supports by providing toiletries for families who need to stay over so they can be near their poorly baby or child in the John Radcliﬀe (JR) hospital. It supports families who have children in the hospital next door. ONen families arrive in an emergency and don’t have !me to pack a bag, so they are extremely grateful for these toiletries. The toiletry bags consist of a toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, condi oner, shower gel, comb,soap, ssues,deodorantand razor andshavinggel for themen.

The building comprises three ﬂoors of family bedrooms, each ﬂoor having its own large, fully equipped kitchen, TV room and a laundry. Each family bathroom has toiletry bags for their use (supplied by the MU).

It does not end there – the entrance is a WOW factor – there will be a theme that will be changed every three months. It was dinosaurs when we visited! The staﬀ will do anything to make the families feel at ease and get away from the sterile white walls of the hospital. There is a lovely garden for families to sit in and children to play. Pupils from the local Headington School support the charity by tending to the gardens, exhibi!ng their artwork and even put on talent shows.

Some facts about the charity:

 The RMH charity is run on charity dona!ons – cash, sponsorship and dona!ons of toiletries etc

 This house costs around £675,000 to run each year.

 The biggest supporter is McDonald’s. Volunteers from this organisa!on come and help too on open days, including hos!ng a big breakfast, and feeding everyone in the house on Christmas Eve morning.

 There are 365 Ronald McDonald houses worldwide and there are 14 houses in the

UK, which are all aAached to specialist hospitals. Alder Hey is the biggest.

 2024 marks 50 years of the RM houses globally and 35 years in the UK. The UK and Italy have self-funded houses, as they are not governed by medical insurance.

 The Mothers’ Union Oxford has been suppor!ng for about 15 years.

 In 2023, whilst families had children in the JR hospital, Oxford RMH catered for 959 families; in 2024 it will be in the region of 1300 families!

 As of July 2024, when we visited, all 62 rooms were occupied and 9 on the wai!ng list. This is unprecedented especially as it is summer not winter. Lots of babies are being born early – as early as 23 weeks.

 Families come from all over the UK, Ireland and Malta and the families are extremely grateful for this facility and oNen keep in touch and even fundraise themselves for RMH.

We can all help this fabulous charity. In September and early October we will be collec!ng toiletries so that we can take them to the Diocesan AGM. Whilst we were visi!ng RMH, we asked if anything else was needed and, of course, there was! Cleaning products (including bin liners, bleach, kitchen cleaner etc), sanitary wear, washing up liquid, baby items (wet wipes, nappies and so on)

A message will be sent out, via the weekly leaﬂet, for dona!ons, if you feel you would like to give something towards this wonderful charity.

Later in July, Malcolm Phillips, our local vic!m support oﬃcer, came to give us a talk on the subject of SCAMS. He mainly focussed on phone and email/internet scams; gave us an insight on how the scammers operated and gave us !ps and informa!on on how to avoid geUng scammed. Unfortunately, this is something that aﬀects us all and the scammers are becoming more and more savvy about how they ‘trick’ us.

2nd October Gill and Pam will be running a short paren!ng course with Wednesday Mums, aNer their service on ‘Talking to Children’ followed by a bring and share brunch.

8th October Corporate communion at the 10am service

15th October The Diocesan Mothers’ Union Autumn Mee!ng and AGM

23rd October Talk by AGE UK (2pm in DeVitre Room)

9th November Organ Music Recital at 3pm in the Church. This is an event to raise money for the Organ Fund. More informa!on to follow about this event and how to purchase your !ckets. Everyone is welcome to our mee!ngs. If you are not a member, a dona!on of £3 is asked if you are visi!ng. For more informa!on on the All Saints’ MU, please contact our branch leader Sue at sue831@b!nternet.com or 07957 801394. Jo Robinson

Parish

Clergy and Officers

Clergy and Ministers

From The Parish Registers

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24 July Edna May Nicholls Aged 92

18 September Rose Jeane0e Papadopoulos Aged 90

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12 August Julie Denton Aged 57

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31 July Denese Gray Aged 86

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11 August Italia Esmae Rose Prady

Last Month's Puzzle

We had only three entries for last month's round-the-neighbours puzzle. Congratula@ons to Ann Crail, John Harrison and Robert Vacher. The answers were:

1. St Catherine Bearwood

2. St Joseph RC Bracknell

3. St. Nicholas Hurst

4. Bap@st church Crowthorne

5. St. Mark Binﬁeld

6. St. Michael and All Angels Sandhurst

7. Holy Trinity Bracknell

8. St. James Barkham

9. St. Mary Winnersh