Church News & Services

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St. Andrew’s, St. Benedict’s, St. Pega’s, St. Peter’s & St Stephen’s Update

At the time of writing this all our churches are closed for Sunday worship and at the end of February the Government is scheduled to outline a programme for the possible lifting of the lockdown restrictions. This may mean that Churches will re-open for worship sometime during March and April. Should this happen then details of all the church services will be given on your local church notice board. You may also contact your local church warden. (telephone numbers are given inside the rear cover of the Tribune). Details of all services and other activities in the Benefice are published on line and can be emailed to you as a Monthly Newsletter. To sign up to receive emails of the Newsletter and weekly updates of the upcoming services contact Jane Harris on 01733 574311 or email your request to 9bridgescommunications@gmail.com While the churches remain closed on Sundays generally there will be:

Holy Communion 10.30am

Rev Mark-Aaron leads a live-streamed service of Holy Communion on the Benefice Facebook page and afterwards uploaded to YouTube. (search Benefice rector and click on the Nine Bridges icon/logo à playlists à Eucharists).

Compline 9pm

Compline is also live-streamed on the Benefice Facebook page and will also be uploaded to YouTube. Details of these services and any additions will be on church notice boards and can be emailed to you as outlined above. Please bear with us as we continue to support the efforts to overcome COVID19 and hope and pray that we will return to normality in the not too distant future.

St. Benedict’s Church

Veronica Smith (Church Warden) We at St. Benedict’s Church are pleased to announce that the Church has at last received the faculty giving full approval for the installation of a wheelchair accessible toilet and a servery in the North West corner of the Church. This will obviously be of benefit to all who use the church, particularly visitors and mothers with young children. It will also enable us to hold more events in the church. Details of the changes will be exhibited in the church when it opens once more. Up until then if you require any information please contact me (Veronica Smith t: 01733 252019 or email veronica@ collingwoodsmith.co.uk) Unfortunately during the period of time taken to obtain the approval, the quoted cost has escalated. Also over the last year the church’s income has been drastically reduced due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. Therefore when things return to normal we will be asking for your support in fundraising to enable us to start the work. If you think you could help in any way please contact me as outlined above. St John the Baptist Church Main Street, Barnack PE9 3DN St Mary’s Church Church Lane, Bainton PE9 3AF St Botolph’s Church Church Street, Helpston PE6 7DT All Saints Church Church Road, Wittering PE8 6AF St Andrew’s Church Main Street, Ufford PE9 3BH St Stephen, Main Rd., Etton PE6 7DA St Peter Main St. Maxey PE6 9HF St Pega Chestnut Close, Peakirk PE6 7NH | Glinton St Benedict High St., Glinton PE6 7JN St Andrew Church St., Northborough PE6 9BN

ANGLICAN CHURCH DIRECTORY

Lay Pastoral Minister: Mary Gowers 01780 740097 Reader: Su Fletcher 01780 740034 Reader: Mike Mills 01780 740285 Bainton Churchwarden: John Wreford 01780 740362 Bainton Churchwarden: Michael Perkins 07587 240607 Barnack Churchwarden: David Laycock 01780 740267 Barnack Churchwarden: John Ward 01780 740016 Helpston Church Treasurer: Clive Pearce 01733 253494 Helpston Churchwardens: David Bearman 01780 757246 Gary Ward 01733 254197 Ufford Church Enquiries: Peter and Sally Hudson 01780 740475 Church Organist Barnack/Bainton: Elizabeth Snowball 07821 460505 Barnack Messy Church: Julie Stanton 01780 749123 Barnack Coffee Stop: Carol Pickering 01780 740438 Barnack Little Lambs Group: Julie Stanton 01780 749123 Barnack Men’s Breakfast: Mike Mills 01780 740285 / David Laycock 740267

God in a hard world

First of all, to say hello. Sharon and I are looking forward to our new life, as I serve the parishes of Barnack with Ufford, Bainton, Helpston and Wittering.

During this year in which we’ve had to engage every day, one way or another, with the pandemic, I’ve been taken back quite often to the research year of my chemistry degree. I was researching computer-aided drug design - the interest that took me, unexpectedly, into a career in retail computing, and lately to web site development. Specifically, I was looking at Influenza virus. Influenza, like the Covid-19 virus, has a “spike” on its surface, which it uses to attach to animal cell walls. And the idea was to develop the right-shaped drugs to fit into the active areas on that spike. In influenza, the spike is technically called haemagglutinin. And I was using a massive (as we then thought) computer screen to rotate the image of the spike to identify good targets for the drugs. So there I was looking at this spike, responsible for the biggest death toll of any single disease outbreak in history - the 1918-19 flu pandemic. And do you know what is odd? It’s actually rather beautiful. It’s not really coloured red, white, and blue like the picture I’ve included - that’s just so you can see that it’s made up of three intertwining proteins. And they’re each identical, and the spike has what we call 3rd order rotational symmetry - each pattern is replicated at an angle of 120°. I’d not been a Christian long. And I found this a remarkable lesson to learn. That God can work something beautiful, even in the middle of something terrible. So in these last 12 months, as we’ve mourned or been sheltered away or just had to avoid being in physical contact with our friends and relatives, we’ve seen the acts of bravery of our health services. People caring for neighbours - picking up shopping or a prescription, or just having a friendly word. In the middle of a terrible time, people have shown the best in human beings. The time of Lent is one when we consider the worst of human nature - our falling into temptation, our ability to let God and each other down. The way Jesus could be recognised as King - and then rejected as a criminal. Ultimately, the dark side of our human nature leads to that final rejection of Jesus, a cross and all hope in him gone. But in that human failure, God works a miracle for us. The grave is opened, Jesus walks free, and - by his death on the cross - our failures, weaknesses and fears are taken away, and we have a new life waiting in him. With my prayers for us all to see new life in the Spirit, this Easter and through this Spring. Reverend Gary Alderson

The Reverend Gary Alderson's induction will be on Sunday 7 March at 3.00pm on Zoom (yes, strange times!!)

The churches are of course not meeting in person at present, but if people want to follow services online they continue to be held each Sunday mornings at 10.00am and Wednesday evenings at 9.00pm - although they can be watched at any time thereafter. Gary will be involved in these after 7 March.

You can find these services, and other updates, on Facebook by searching in groups for "Barnack, Ufford, Bainton, Helpston and Wittering" (you will probably only need to type in the first bit before it will be offered.).