Bamford Chapel www.bamfordchapel.co.uk
May 2012
BAMFORD CHAPEL Mission/Vision Statement MISSION TO MAKE KNOWN THE GOOD NEWS OF THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST WORSHIP We believe as a congregation that our worship should be wholehearted and meaningful as we join together in praise and thanksgiving to God. In response to God’s love, we wish to express our joy, to open our hearts to God’s voice and to respond to His word. LEARNING Recognising our need to learn of God and from God, we seek to provide an environment within which learning and teaching can take place. We would want to enable each person to accept God into their life and to have the ability to discuss and share their faith with all. PASTORAL We are joined together in our faith by the Holy Spirit. As a loving fellowship we wish to deepen and extend our care for each other encouraging everyone to use their gifts, as they are enabled by God, to show tenderness and compassion in a spirit of humility. MISSION/SOCIETY We accept that we are called to make Christ known in our community at Bamford and in all other places. We would wish to influence others by example and comment, accepting that God will speak through us as we maintain a relationship with Him. We recognise the need for the Church to participate in all aspects of the life of the world, and proclaim God’s will, as it is revealed to us.
Further Details may be found at www.bamfordchapel.co.uk Thursday 3rd May
7.30 pm
Sunday 6th May
10.30 am
Sunday 6th May
6.00 pm
Sunday 13th May
10.30 am
Approx 12 noon
Elders Meeting Family Worship with Holy Communion led by Revd Richard Bradley Evening Worship led by Ken Greer Family Worship led by David Hardman Christian Aid Regional Co-ordinator Everybody Welcome Belonging to the Church Community
Sunday 13th May
6.00 pm
Evening Worship led by Revd Richard Bradley
Thursday 17th May
7.30 pm
Francis House Networking Evening All welcome
Sunday 20th May
10.30 am Approx 12 noon
Sunday 20th May
6.00 pm
Sunday 27th May
10.30 am At approx 11.15
Junior Church Anniversary Church Meeting Evening Worship with Holy Communion led by Revd Richard Bradley Family Worship led by Revd Richard Bradley Whitsuntide Walk of Witness led by Rochdale Borough Youth Band
Sunday 27th May
6.00 pm
Evening Worship led by Joan Warner
Wednesday 30th May
2.00 pm
Monthly mid-week service All welcome
Message from the manse We have just celebrated one of the most important times in the Christian Calendar. The time which you could argue is the most important: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There was much on offer over this Easter period: there were the Churches Together in North West Rochdale Lent Groups that were attended by people from the churches in the group. We had the church open in Holy Week for quiet reflection both in Church and also if you chose to follow the Labyrinth in the hall upstairs. On Maundy Thursday we remembered as we sat around tables the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples. Coming together on Good Friday to remember the death of Jesus and then we celebrated on Easter Sunday with a breakfast and also the Easter Sunday Communion Service. There are many people to thank for making Easter the special time it was. If I start to name people I am sure to miss some out. For those who helped either with setting up/organising these events a special thanks from me for doing so. Thanks also to those who worked in the background to make these events run smoothly – your help was greatly appreciated. As we are in the post-Easter period – we can and should still reflect on the sacrifice made by Christ on the cross of Calvary. The event which literally changed the world forever. The willingness of Christ to go through such agony was a stark reality of the amazing love he has for you and for me. The love which has to be infectious; infectious because we 2
need to spread the love of God through word and action. A colleague of mine in my previous pastorate used to use the phrase: “Gossiping the Gospel”. He was a somewhat straight talker and often challenged his congregation to gossip the Gospel. The phrase means that we need to be willing to share the good news of the Gospel with all. Sharing our faith can be so hard. A study carried out about ten years ago found that the mainstream churches score highly on social justice and pastoral care amongst other things – but what we are not as good at, or as confident about, is sharing our faith. Telling people about Jesus - It can be scary, it can cause embarrassment – but one things we can all be assured of is that it WILL change people’s lives. As we look back at Easter and remember all that Christ accomplished may we be driven to share the Good News so that other can also receive the blessings of heaven. Your Servant Richard
in
Christ,
Keep the faith but not from others 3
News of the family Concern continues to be expressed for Ray and Auriel Atkins, John and Helen Baillie, Winifred and Don Schofield, Jean and Eric Lumb, Bryan McLaughlin, Sacha and Jasmine, Laura and Megan Davies Lesley and Peter Sutton, Marjorie and Ken Farrington, Geoff Ogden, Gordon and Sheila James and Joyce and Derrick Yates. Kathleen Friend has broken her left arm in a fall recently. It has been good to see Margaret Frain back at church as her fracture is healing. One of our Alpha guests, Jane Butterworth died during Holy Week, following a long illness. Another guest, Bryan Scott is recovering at home after surgery. As members of our extended church family we pray for Jane’s family and for Bryan and Anne. Congratulations to Kate and Ken Bullock on the birth of their son, Peter Rowan, a grandson for Lesley and Peter Sutton.
People are often lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.
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A BIG THANK YOU! A big thank you to everyone who supported us all when Kate was taken to hospital prior to the safe arrival of Peter Rowan on Saturday 7th April. Lesley Sutton
SINCERE THANKS May I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks for all your concern expressed in the cards and phone calls received during my brief stay in Salford Royal for surgery on my spine. Margaret and I have again been overwhelmed by your love and have been sustained by your prayers. All I hope now is that the operation will enable me to walk with less discomfort but only time will tell. Geoff Ogden
THANK YOU! Many thanks to everyone for their care and concern following my recent knee operation. The cards, flowers, prayers and word of encouragement were greatly appreciated. Anne Fitton 5
Bamford Chapel Lunchtime Concerts 2011 - 2012 To quote the Rochdale Observer our popular series of lunchtime concerts ended “on a high note” in March, when Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, accompanied by Michael Davies, came from the RNCM to showcase their outstanding talents on cornet, trumpet, flugel horn and piano. Although they weren’t the artistes originally promised, we always appreciate the support we have received from the RNCM over the years as we know we can expect ‘quality’ students who are well set on their musical careers. Our 29th season began with the return of Angela Rowley, who sang a delightful mix of French, German and English 20th Century songs accompanied by James Pelham. We always look forward to a visit from Jonathan Ellis, who performed a technically demanding programme of piano solos on the Challen piano which had been kindly given to the chapel by Liz and Paul Hazlehurst. The instrument came through with flying colours and is a great asset to our concerts. December brought us a budding crop of young string players from Chetham’s School of Music aged 14 to 16. As usual we were thrilled by solos and chamber music played with such intensity and feeling by theses gifted teenagers. We were invited to join the school concerts, free of charge, which are given on Tuesday lunchtimes in Manchester Cathedral during term time. Have you seen Chet’s magnificent new building outside Victoria Station (cost £31 million)? In January, at very short notice, because of a cancellation by our advertised artistes, Kristine Healy and Maya Irgalina played a very attractive programme of music for flute and piano. Kristine from Queensland and 6
Maya from Belarus, via the RNCM, outstanding soloists with a big future, certainly enjoyed their visit to Bamford. As did Dan Whieldon and Gavin Barras - a jazz duo - whose uninhibited performance in February so delighted our audience that their CDs were quickly snapped up, especially by the jazz enthusiasts present. As in previous years these concerts were greatly enhanced by the delicious lunches prepared and served by two hard-working teams of ladies led by Margaret and Auriel. We owe them a huge thank you and have enabled our treasurer, Ray, to donate £1000 to the church on Gift Day. We are hoping to top this successful season with a concert on Saturday June 16th (NOT May 19th) given by Kathryn Rudge, a rising mezzo soprano with a glorious voice and a charming personality. Only two years out of RNCM she has already thrilled audiences at English National Opera, Opera North and will be the guest star of the new American tenor, Noah Stewart, on his tour this summer. We need to fill the chapel on this special occasion so please come and support. Tickets available (£6) from Walter, Margaret, Ray and myself. Then it’s on to our 30th season on October 9th! Mike Lucas
Angela and John Hall wish to thank friends at Bamford Chapel for the lovely cards and good wishes on the occasion of our Golden Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated a great day which was blessed with beautiful weather.
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Breakfast and Bowling at The Pavillion Elbut Lane Birtle on Saturday
19th May 10 am – 12 noon Includes Bacon sandwich and a Cake and coffee or tea and a game of bowls £10 All money raised will go towards the World Challenge Projects.
For more information contact Carol on 07547 662040
PLEASE NOTE The visit from the Mandarin speaking students has been postponed from 15th April. Look out for the new date. 8
HEYWOOD LOCAL COMMITTEE are holding a
DIAMOND JUBILEE BUFFET LUNCH at
Bamford Chapel United Reformed Church Norden Road ROCHDALE on
Thursday 7th June 2012 from 12.00 to 1.30pm Admission ÂŁ8.50 Raffle Invitation tickets available from 01706 631683 01706 638005 01706 364255
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Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 2012 Date
Borough
Venue
Time
29 April 13 May
Trafford Bury
St Matthew Stretford St Mary Virgin Bury
3.30pm 6.30pm
27 May
Rossendale
St Mary Rawtenstall
3.00pm
3 June
Manchester
St Ann Manchester
4.00pm
Bank Holiday/National Celebrations 10 June
Wigan
St Mary Leigh
5.00pm
17 June
Stockport
St Elisabeth Reddish
3.00pm
24 June
Oldham
St Mary & St Peter Oldham
3.00pm
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Do you remember the great time many of us had last year when we celebrated the Royal wedding with a street party on the Chapel field? Well we are holding another celebration on Tuesday 5 June which is the Bank Holiday for the Diamond Jubilee. The format will be very similar to last year and let’s hope that the weather will be equally good! If you weren’t there please ask someone who was how much fun we had and perhaps make an effort to come along this time! There will be games, quizzes, treasure hunts and face painting followed by a traditional street party tea. We would like people if possible to come dressed in “Royal” fancy dress or at least in red, white and blue. A list will be going up shortly so please sign up and come and join the fun! Thank You. Gillian James & Ruth Bradley. 10
RADICAL WELCOME The Radical Welcome/ZI initiative (zero-intolerance) in the URC is continuing and as we are aware churches are encouraged to work through material as part of the process of exploration. The final session takes place on Sunday 13th May after the service. Date 13th May
Time 12.00-1.00pm
Theme Belonging to the Church community
I will be leading/facilitating this meeting and I hope you will come along and we can share together in this important area of the Church’s life. God Bless, Richard The English language is the richest in the world for monosyllables. There are four words of one syllable each – words of salvation for the country and the whole world. They are Faith, Hope, Love and Work. Stanley Baldwin, House of Commons, 1923 If you wish to know God, you must know his Word. C H Spurgeon
-----STOP PRESS----Please watch out for an Olympic sports and bar-b-que event later in the summer. 11
Monday Homegroup The Monday night homegroup gives us the opportunity to discuss topics with reference to our faith. Some of the issues we have discussed include: the Sunday sermon, euthanasia, world conflict and forgiveness. Each week we discuss a new topic so that it is not essential to attend every session. The group meets at 8pm for coffee and sharing joys and concerns. At about 8.15pm we have a prayer followed by an introduction to the discussion and we close at 9.30pm. Some members remain for more informal chat. You are welcome to join us and see if this is for you or if you have a burning issue you want to discuss with fellow Christians. The discussions are led by various members of the group, but only those who are happy to do so.
The usual venue is Addie and Barbara Redmond’s, 13 Linnell Drive, Rochdale, OL11 5QP
For more details contact the hosts Addie and Barbara Redmond on 01706 345559 or 07983 714195.
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Homegroup Programme April – July 2012 Date
Topic
Leader Venue
21 May
ZI session 3 discussion (after 22.04.12) Bank holiday ZI session 4 discussion (after 13.05.12) Abortion
28 May
Genetic Engineering
4 June
Bank holiday
11 June
Life after death
Gillian
Anne & Ian’s
18 June
Decision making
Ian
Addie & Barbara’s
25 June
Animal testing
Allyson
Addie & Barbara’s
2 July
Informal discussion/BBQ
30 Apr 7 May 14 May
Laura
Brenda’s
Barbara
Addie & Barbara’s
Julie
Andy & Julie’s
Addie
Addie & Barbara’s
Addie & Barbara’s
Ladies Fellowship The Ladies Fellowship speaker for March was Mrs Betty Hayhurst who spoke to us about antiques. She brought a few collectable items with her; she told us about them. She did not have any, what we would call antiques but told us what was good value at the moment. One or two people brought items for Betty to value which she did. There were about 40 ladies present at the meeting. Margaret Entwistle 13
The final Bible Reading Plan: 29th April – 27th May 2012 This is the final listing of the daily Bible Reading Plan. I have had some feedback from people who have found it useful but for some hard going. It can be a difficult discipline to keep up for the whole year. Don’t be hard on yourself if you have not been able to complete the whole year. If you have done a shorter version or concentrated on some aspects of it then that is good. If you feel that there should be something of this nature in each of the magazines produced please let me know and we can arrange for this to be become a regular feature of the magazine. I hope this has started something in your own faith journey that will be continued on from here. If you need any advice on daily Bible reading material please speak to me and I will help in whatever ways I can. If you want to receive a full copy of this plan
Epistles
The Law
History
Week
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
48 (29th April)
1 John 1-3
Deut’nomy 20-22
Nehemiah 1-4
49 (6th May)
1 John 4-5
Deut’nomy 23-25
Nehemiah 5-9
50 (13th May)
2 John
Deut’nomy 26-28
Nehemiah 10-13
51 (20th May)
3 John
Deut’nomy 29-31
Esther 1-5
52 (27th May)
Jude
Deut’nomy 32-34
Esther 6-10
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for you to continue working through please let me know and I will provide one for you. You can look on the website below for the full plan if you want to look yourself.
God Bless, Richard. Bible reading plan taken from www.bible-reading.com Copyright 1995-2009 Michael Coley
Psalms
Poetry
Prophecy
Gospels*
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Psalms 137-139
Ecclesiastes 11-12
Malachi
Acts 19-20
Psalms 140-142
Song of Songs 1-2
Revelation 5-6
Acts 21-22
Psalms 143-145
Song of Songs 3-4
Revelation 7-11
Acts 23-24
Psalms 146-148
Song of Songs 5-6
Revelation 12-17
Acts 25-26
Psalms 149-150
Song of Songs 7-8
Revelation 18-22
Acts 27-28
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Belarus Coffee Day A very big thank you to all who supported the Coffee Day held at Trinity Methodist on the 28th March. A total of £1,049.34 was raised. All the money will be spent on the children and old people in Belarus, on my next visit at the end of April. Many thanks Love Carol
Cricket explained You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out. When they’re all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out, including not outs that’s the end of the game. There is an alternative. Two old men in white coats walk together to the middle of a large green field, each carrying three long sticks and two little ones. Each plants his sticks in the ground 22 yds apart and puts the little sticks on top. Then they turn round and look towards the 22 younger men at the end of the field - and it starts to rain. Got that??!! Many thanks to Celia for sharing this with us.
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Christian Aid During Lent, Christian Aid invited us to “Count our Blessings”. Each day we were prompted to think about the living conditions of people across the world and compare those with our own living standards. We were then encouraged to donate an amount of money as a thank offering. The eleven people who participated in the scheme raised the magnificent sum of £188.63, an indication of our need to count our blessings. Just think how much we could have raised if we had all taken part. Never mind, there will be another opportunity next year! (My apologies to anyone who sent their contribution directly to Christian Aid). In the meantime, Christian Aid Week looms and will take place 13-19th May. If you have assisted in the past with the House to House Collection, please confirm that you are willing to do so again. If you haven’t and feel that this is something you could do on behalf of the world’s poorest people, please see me so that I can add your name to the list and allocate a road in Bamford where you could distribute and collect envelopes. Thank you in anticipation Margaret Ogden 17
Kathryn Rudge concert Please do all you can to publicise the change of date for this event, which will now be on Saturday 16th June. Kathryn could so easily have said that her engagement by Decca to sing on a concert tour with Noah Stewart simply made it impossible to make her date with us. Instead, she has said that she wants to honour her promise to come to Bamford. Since I arranged last September for her to give a concert here, she has made huge progress in her career. She has had her own Wigmore Hall recital, most favourably reviewed in The Times, and of course her tour with Noah will bring her even further into public notice. Later in the summer, she will be touring with the Glyndebourne Opera Company. We would like to respond by providing a really big audience for this young artiste. We will gladly let you have tickets for sale if you can help by inviting friends to join us – Mike Lucas and I have a supply. The Midday Concerts Committee will be most grateful for your support. Walter Brisk
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Bamford Chapel are proud to present
Kathryn Rudge (mezzo soprano) and her accompanist
Daniel Browell in concert at
Bamford Chapel, Kathryn has been listed by national newspaper The Times as the new face in Classical Music to look out for in 2012 She made her professional opera debut with English National Opera at The London Coliseum in the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro' to critical acclaim.
Norden Road, Rochdale OL11 5PQ on
Saturday 16th June at 7.30 p.m.
Tickets £6.00 each Ring 01706 630924 or 01706 368733
She is making her Opera North debut in the role of Sesto in their production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare. 19
Quiet Days in Holy Week There were slides, music and Stations of the Cross in the Sanctuary. There was a meditation labyrinth in the Upper Hall. And there were refreshments, including hot cross buns, served from the kitchen All these activities helped us to pause, ponder and reflect on the solemn events of the last week of the earthly life of Jesus, culminating in the triumph of Easter day. Over the five days that the church was open, there were 70 visits (60 individuals) to the chapel. Some people came more than once, just because the experience was so valuable. Special thanks go to Gillian and Finlay Galloway who were the inspiration behind the labyrinth – they ordered it, set it up (5 hours’ work) and dismantled it (3 hours’ work). But the comments from all who made the journey round the 11 reflection stops show how moving people found it. Thanks also to Elizabeth Greer for the beautiful ‘Calvary’ flower display and to Wendy Dawson and Pat Gate for their services in the week. Check out the display in the corridor and watch out for the next opportunity to ‘take a moment of stillness’ in our busy lives. From the QD Team (Brenda Griffiths, Gill Galloway, Margaret Ogden, Angela Smith, Joan Warner, David & Margaret Watson) 20
The Labyrinth Experience. Many thanks to the team who were inspired to, and put in a lot of hard work to bring to fruition, the labyrinth which was experienced by many during holy week. For those who were not able to ‘do’ it .It involved walking ,or rather taking a journey, around the room ,along marked out pathways ( which had been painstakingly marked out on the floorby Gillian and Finlay) while listening to a CD ,and pausing for reflection/action at various stations along the way. The whole thing took around 30 minutes, and so was do-able in a busy day. It was refreshing to experience something different, and I definitely felt a lot less stressed at the end than when I had got there! What struck me especially from the way it was laid out was that the journey was towards God first and preparing to come into his presence and experience his love and healing for ourselves first, and then thinking about how we can impact the world for God, and help others. That may sound selfish, but unless we know God’s intimate love for ourselves then we have nothing to give others, and just end up doing it in our own strength, and getting worn out or disillusioned. So thanks to all, (Finlay worked so hard, he ended up changing his name to Fraser, was that so he couldn’t be asked to do it again?!! (Sorry Joan, couldn’t resist that one) Jane Baines 21
The Labyrinth When I heard about the labyrinth, I didn’t know what to expect. Many thoughts flooded my mind some good, some bad! Would it be a fun experience, or would I end up feeling bad? I couldn’t imagine how the upstairs room could be transformed into anything amazing… But as soon as I put on the headphones and entered the labyrinth, those thoughts rapidly vanished. It truly was an incredible experience! I felt really relaxed, calm and peaceful and close to God. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Letting Go’ activity, dropping the stone into the water, representing letting go of my worries, fortunately only little things like Sats, High School - but it felt great and best of all, they’ve gone now! I also enjoyed planting the seed because it made me think of how on the outside we might not always look much, but inside is an amazing flower waiting to bloom. I think that is kind of like God inside us. But my favourite part of the labyrinth was the ‘Outward Journey’ putting my feet in the sand, and knowing that I was at the beginning of an amazing journey through life with God. I’d never thought of it like that before. It’s sort of exciting to know you’re on a journey with God every day, with a chance to make a difference in the world! Overall, I really enjoyed my experience in the labyrinth and therefore visited twice! Thank you to everyone involved! Katy Grace Dunn 22
THE QUIET TIME Retired life can be quite hectic sometimes. Sandwiched between 2 days of scratching off wallpaper, power washing the drive, visiting Heywood Health Club, doing a weekly 7 mile hike, dashing over to my son’s caravan and helping with his car breakdown etc etc it required an effort to nip down to Bamford Chapel in Holy Week. The effort was well worth while just to sit with a few others, watching the presentation of the crucifixion story was a wonderfully soothing experience. This was such a great reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for the whole of humankind. I truly wish to publicly express my appreciation of the hard work of those, much busier than I, who created the labyrinth, the moving display, the stations of the cross, the screen presentation, refreshments and all that helped create the atmosphere of this most important Christian occasion. Malcolm Beaumont We would like to thank everyone who submits their experiences, events, prayers, poems, emails etc etc to the magazine so they can be shared with others in our church community. Could we also apologise if you have submitted an article and it does not immediately appear! We are sometimes blessed with so much information that it is not possible to include everything. Articles which are not urgent are stored for future use. Once again many thanks for your on-going support. Louise and Martyn 23
A world in crisis? Your church seeking direction? Is God is calling you? TLS offers an opportunity to: Examine your faith Enrich your discipleship Explore your calling To get going with God
Training for Learning and Serving has been around for over 25 years. Since 1995 it has provided the opportunity for more than 800 people in the United Reformed Church to learn and train to serve God more effectively. This is what some of those who have experienced TLS say:
‘TLS has helped me get a better understanding of God and myself’ ‘It gave me the confidence to open prayer to the community in an effective way.’ ‘The educational value of the course has been great to someone starting with only a small knowledge base.’ ‘I didn’t think I could do it but others did, and with support and encouragement and prayerful backing I now feel I am where God wants me to be.’ ‘My year on TLS has been a fascinating and wonderful journey.’
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WHAT IS TLS? It is A spiritual journey A variety of courses on subjects related to Christian life and discipleship A diverse learning experience with opportunities for Reflective and practical work Personal and group study Local and residential gatherings A fellowship of friendly people YOU CAN DO TLS Just out of personal interest, to help you be more understanding and effective in your Christian discipleship To explore opportunities to serve God in the future To help you acquire United Reformed Church Assembly Lay Preaching accreditation Because it doesn’t matter whether you have some academic experience or none. HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE? More details, including the current prospectus and application form, are to be found on the United Reformed Church Web-site at www.urc.org.uk Click the TLS icon on the front page or follow the route through ‘What we do’ OR Contact the TLS Administrator, Mrs Heather Skidmore, at 27 Yew Tree Road Elkesley, Retford Notts. DN22 8AY Tel: 01777 838634 E-mail: tlsskid@btinternet.com who will be happy to send to you the TLS Prospectus and Application Form
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Behind the Scenes with Food for Thought As soon as Christmas is over it is time to start preparing for Easter. For the last nearly 30 years, Food for Thought have presented a passion play or sketches on Good Friday evening. To find a suitable play we consult the librarian at RADIUS (the Religious Drama Society of Great Britain). The script is emailed to Addie, forwarded to a few of the more experienced members of FFT to review it and a few phone calls later and a decision is made to go ahead with it and who is to produce it – usually Addie Redmond or Joanne Shaw. This year the librarian recommended “Witness” by Nick Warburton. It is a play originally written for Radio 4 and involved the cast in narrating much of the events of that original Easter. As usual the casting of Easter plays gives problems, because they involve so many men. The usual plea for actors went out in church in January and we were able to cast the play as long as the disciples were all women! – and why not? It was good to have some new faces in the cast, too. We are always glad to welcome new members. It was particularly encouraging to field a cast ranging from teenagers to octogenarians. The performance licence was applied for, the scripts duplicated and distributed and the cast met for readthrough. Contact details and availability were provided to the producer who then prepared and distributed a rehearsal schedule. Suddenly the producer realised the pressures of an early Easter! Wednesday has always been Food for Thought rehearsal night. Rehearsals never go quite to plan and emergencies crop up which prevent attendance. For example, there were so many away at half term that the rehearsal had to be abandoned completely and then, Sarah, who was playing Peter, fell ill on Palm Sunday with a nasty stomach bug. She missed the technical rehearsal on Wednesday, but, still not 26
completely fit, she did manage to attend the dress rehearsal on Thursday. Phew! Next, we needed to recruit a team to organise lighting, props, sound effects and prompt. The sound effects for this play were particularly important as they, together with narration, created the scenes in the minds of the audience. Finally, a programme was prepared and arrangements for door stewards, retiring collection and refreshments were made. Good Friday itself is a very busy day with morning service followed by ramble and then the play. It is all worthwhile when the audience turn up, the performance has been dedicated to God in prayer, and concentration, nerves and energy are focussed. The play can now begin. When it is all over and the church has been returned to normal its back home for a relaxing after -play party. Presenting a play is very much a team effort and without the commitment and hard work of everyone it would not be possible.
If you would like the opportunity to wear a Food for Thought tee-shirt on- or back-stage, please talk to Addie, Joanne or any member you know about.
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BAMFORD CHAPEL MAGAZINE EDITORS:
Louise Aspinall 01706 719449 l.aspinall@yahoo.co.uk Martyn James 01706 868885 martyn-james1@sky.com
SECRETARY:
Joan Ashton 01706 360395 ray-joanashton@sky.com
DATES FOR THE NEXT MAGAZINE JUNE 2012 Articles to be handed in by:
Sunday 13th May 2012
Magazine to be completed by:
Thursday 24th May 2012
Magazine distributed:
Sunday 27th May 2012
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BAMFORD CHAPEL United Reformed Church Charity - Reg’d No 1128387
(FAIRTRADE CHURCH) Norden Road, ROCHDALE, Lancs. OL11 5PQ
The Manse, Norden Road, ROCHDALE, Lancs OL11 5PQ www.bamfordchapel.co.uk Telephone: Minister : Email:
01706 369622
Rev Richard Bradley richardbradley@cantab.net
Church Secretary: Telephone: Email:
Mr Ian Sturrock 01706 653109 i.sturrock@talktalk.net
Wedding Secretary: Telephone:
Mr John Lapworth 01706 632460
Lettings Manager: Linda Kerford Telephone: 01706 624256 Email: l.kerford@btinternet.com
Times of Services: Family Worship : 10.30 am : Holy Communion 1st Sunday in month Evening Worship : 6.00 pm : Holy Communion 3rd Sunday in month 30