Church News

Melbourn United Reformed Church News

The Big Christmas Card

Many thanks to all who used the Big Christmas card to send greetings to friends. This year the proceeds of £86 were sent to the Mercy Ships Charity. This charity provides free surgery and medical care as well as training and advice to local community partners in many developing countries around the world. See www.mercyships.org.uk for more information.

Organist Opportunity

Our long standing organist Derrick Thurley is looking to hand over duties playing the organ at our regular Sunday morning services (11 am). This might be an opportunity for an up and coming organist as Derrick would be happy to mentor someone or share duties initially. We would be equally pleased to hear from an experienced organist.

The organ has 2 manuals, 15 stops with a straight concave pedal board (see NPOR for details). We have a small choir and a typical congregation of 25-35 who like to sing! We also have a parlour grand piano which we use occasionally. Some remuneration possible. For further information please contact Eirwen or Peter Karner Tel: 01763 262346

Fairtrade Fortnight 27th February – 11th March

During these two weeks we will be joining with thousands of others up and down the U.K. in trying to raise awareness of Fairtrade and invite everyone to join in making small steps of change in buying Fairtrade goods, and in doing so make a big difference to the lives of farmers and workers around the world. See www.fairtrade.org/steps for more details.

We support Fairtrade on a regular basis, by serving fairly traded tea and coffee after our Sunday Services and at our weekly ‘Friday Coffee’, which runs from 10.30 each Friday morning. On our Fairtrade stall we have a wide variety of goods which includes cereals, dried fruits, biscuits and chocolates and seasonal items e.g. Fairtrade Easter Eggs and cards. Please do come and join us either at services or for coffee and a chat and take the opportunity to support Fairtrade at the same time. News of any special events during Fairtrade Fortnight will be posted on our church noticeboard nearer the time.

All Saints Community Hall

The bookings for the New Year are very encouraging and it is good to see that several clubs and organisations have been making regular bookings every week, which fill up our schedules and sometimes we have had to disappoint some enquirers. This is not an easy thing to do so if you are planning an event in the future it is better to ask as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Our Coffee Stop every Saturday morning draws in a good crowd of people and on days when local organisations use its facilities for fund raising it is sometimes hard to find a seat! Please consider using the Hall if your local club is looking to raise funds.

We are constantly looking at improving our facilities and have recently improved the kitchen and now we are looking at the acoustics. Colin Limming, Bookings Secretary. 01763 260072 hallbookings@live.co.uk

Supporters of All Saints (SOAS)

Our financial year ended on a healthy note with a good bank balance, which is available for any work needing to be done on the Parish Church fabric. This is due very much to our members’ prompt payment of their subscriptions as well as successful fund raising events. A regular income from Christmas cards, the ‘100 Club’ and the proceeds of ‘The Bookshelf’ held monthly at Coffee Stop on Saturdays in All Saints Community Hall, have helped greatly to increase our funds.

Several members have given us ideas for the 2012 programme and these were considered at our January Committee meeting. Full details will be sent out to members as definite dates are arranged but there is one certainty and that is our ‘Open Gardens Day’ on Sunday 16th September when local residents will be opening their gardens to visitors.

Membership of SOAS is open to all whether members of

the congregation or not, and is available at the modest price of £3.00 for individuals or £5.00 for a household. Colin Limming, Membership & Publicity Secretary. 01763 260072 colin.limming@btinternet.com

Christmas at All Saints

Our Christmas festivities began this year with the Bazaar at All Saints’ Church and All Saints’ Community Hall on 19th November which raised £3,000 for the Fabric Fund, which supports the upkeep of our medieval building. I am very grateful to local businesses who donated raffle prizes for the Grand Draw.

We continued with the Christingle Service on 4th December with the usual excitement of lighted candles, oranges and children! As usual, the proceeds from this service were donated to The Children’s Society. Carol singing took place at The British Queen, Meldreth and, for the first time, at The Dolphin in Melbourn. Those who had gone out for a quiet drink at their local were in for a shock! Both pubs were very busy and we were lucky enough to raise over £700 for Help For Heroes.

The Crib Service has become very much a village event and it seemed like the whole village had decided to come to it this year! The church was full to overflowing and it is difficult to see how we can fit anymore people in. Noah was in attendance, but did leave the sidespeople a small present to clear up afterwards and did not seem keen to enter the stable with Mary and Joseph! We all have our off days! £500 was raised at this service for the East Anglian Children’s Hospice.

Easter at All Saints

On Sunday 18th March at 11.00 a.m. there will be a Family Service for Mothering Sunday and on 1st April Noah will make his first appearance of the year at Meldreth for Palm Sunday. We will be walking from Meldreth Village Hall to Holy Trinity church at 9.30 a.m. All welcome.

For the diary Maundy Thursday, 5th April: 8.00 p.m. Holy Communion and washing of feet at All Saints’, Melbourn On Good Friday, 6th April, there will be a short service at 10.00 a.m. at Meldreth church followed by children’s activities and from 1.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. there is a led devotion to dip in and out of at All Saints. Saturday 7th April: 8.00 p.m. Service of Light at All Saints Easter Day: 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion at Holy Trinity, Meldreth 9.45 a.m. Family Communion at All Saints’, Melbourn 9.45 a.m. Family Communion at Holy Trinity, Meldreth

100 Club SOAS

The November draw was made by Rev Andrew O’Brien on 30th November. There were 76 members. The first prize of £25.40 goes to Brenda Standing (39) at 24 Station Road and the second of £12.70 to Ann & David Lambert (77) at 7 The Lawns. The December draw was made by Mr Mike Rawlings. There were 76 members.

The first prize of £25.40 goes to Mrs Mary Purdy (74) at 4 Chapel Lane and the second of £12.70 to Mr Luff (45) at 13 Orchard Gate.

The January draw was made by Mr Mike Rawlings on Saturday 4th Feb. There were 77 members. The first prize of £25.68 goes to Mrs P Mitchell (25) at 3 Meadow Way and the second to Mrs AD Harrison (51) at 12 Greenbanks.

The Word of God from David Burbridge

Why do the heathens rage, and the rulers take control against The Lord,and against His Anointed? Be wise, be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. from Psalm 2 verses 1 & 2 & 10–12

Where I Have & Have Not Been

I have been in many places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can’t go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I’ve also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity anymore. I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I’ve been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm. Sometimes I’m in Capable, and I go there more often as I’m getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

My Dad was cleaning out my grandmother’s house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Lemonade bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to ‘sprinkle’ clothes with because we didn’t have steam irons. Man, I am old.

How many do you remember?

Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car. Ignition switches on the dashboard. Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards. Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner. Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators.

Older Than Dirt Quiz:

Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.

Ratings at the bottom. 1 Sweet cigarettes 2 Coffee shops with juke boxes 3 Home milk delivery in glass bottles 4 Party lines on the telephone 5 Newsreels before the movie 6 TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning.. (There were only 2 channels – if you were fortunate) 7 Peashooters 8 33 rpm records 9 45 RPM records 9a 78 RPM records and wind-up gramaphones 10 Hi-fi’s 11 Metal ice trays with levers 12 Blue flashbulb 13 Cork popguns 14 Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-3 = You’re still young If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older If you remembered 7-10 = Don’t tell your age If you remembered 11-14 = You’re positively ancient!

I must be ‘positively ancient’ but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.

Chris Thomas

Cambridge Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Carpet and upholstery cleaner based in Cambridge. Working in and around Cambridge, Royston, Saffron Walden, Newmarket and Huntingdon.

•Carpet cleaning using Dry Fusion™ system • Hot water extraction cleaning • Host® Dry Cleaning for natural floor coverings • Stain treatment • Upholstery cleaning using Crystal Fusion™ • Curtains cleaned in situ • • Infestation treatment Odour neutralisation using ozone generator

Competitively priced Fully insured with public and product liability Environmentally-friendly products used

Mobile: 07830 227138 Landline: 01223 836002

www.carpetcleaningcambridgeuk.com