The Sodbury Vale Benefice Chipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury, Horton & Little Sodbury
O U T LO O K
magazine
www.svbcofe.org.uk
February 2016
1 Jane is enrolled as a Companion of the Society of St Francis by Brother Damian. See 1
Nominated Person:
Contacts
Mrs Hilary Holder 01454 327118 This is the person to contact if you wish to express concern about suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult
Rector
VACANT
Churchwardens
Associate Priest The Revd. Yvonne Brae, 01454 850682, Mob. 07908 513098 [Day
Chipping Sodbury
off Monday]
Joy Gibson 01454 319288 Jane Jones-Williams 01454 324970
email yvonne@svbcofe.org.uk
Reader (Licensed Lay Minister) Mr Ian Yemm 07514 139825; 01454 318608 [Day off Saturday] email ian@svbcofe.org.uk
Old Sodbury Karen Hunter 01454 319903
If you would like to know more about the Christian faith or are thinking about baptism or confirmation please speak with one of the the ministerial team
Little Sodbury Brenda Cordy 01454 316447
Director of Music VACANT
Horton
Church Office
Tina Hildick-Smith 01454 320380 Richard Needs 01454 329890
Open during school term time Mon - Tue - Thu mornings 9.00 - 12.00 Administrators: 01454 325160 Michelle Jenkins Trish Gailey
This magazine is brought to you Free by the four churches of the Sodbury Vale Benefice. If you would like to make a small donation towards production costs that would be most welcome. Thank you.
email: office@svbcofe.org.uk Web Site: www.svbcofe.org.uk
Mar Deadline Can you have all copy to Michelle in the Church Office by Feb 17th at the latest please.
Advertising: Sylvia Franklin 07788 111726
Editor: Michael Stephenson 01454 314094 email outlook@svbcofe.org.uk
Front Cover- Help!! Photo by Linda Hurst
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sound too much like a business approach it maybe worth considering... · We want to be the best we can be. We could add to that by thinking in terms of what (or who) God made us to be. A higher aim... Our churches provide us with communities in which we can practise many of these things and grow in our personal and spiritual lives, too. It may involve reaching out to others, taking risks, focusing less on ourselves and more on the needs of others. It might involve greater devotion to prayer and studying our Bibles. it's never too late to get started - so we should not feel we have missed the boat! P.S. If you want to improve your computer skills why not come to our next Computer Clinic on Thursday February 11th at 11:00am in the Church Centre? Frank Gray
Baptisms: We welcomed into the Church: Freddie George Capel on10 January 2016 at St John’s Old Sodbury
Marriages: We send our congratulations to: Richard Hildick-Smith and Stef Cartwright, on 5 December at St James’ Horton Funerals:We extend our sympathy to the families and friends of:
John Porter St John’s Chipping Sodbury
Looking Ahead One month into 2016 already so how are the resolutions going? Or perhaps, if you are like me, you don't bother about them any more, settling for a renewed resolve to make adjustments to priorities, behaviour or interests... At New Year there was an interesting discussion on BBC's Radio 4 Sunday programme, which you may also have heard. Out of it came some good points that I jotted down... See what you think… · The resolutions we make reflect the God (or perhaps 'god') we believe in. Perhaps not something we have considered but there is possibly a lot of truth in it. · Most of our resolutions are framed in terms of what we give up. We would do better to make positive resolves. Look on the bright side in terms of doing better at... · Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time based) goals is likely to be much more productive. While this may
News Snippets Do you have any snippets of news you would like to share with the Benefice, just a line or two is all it needs. Send them to Michelle in the Church Office and we can start a Snippets corner in the magazine.
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Happy New Year!!!!! How was your Christmas and New Year? Church was good in so many ways. The crib festival was again a huge winner with nearly 5,000 people enjoying the sights and the activities (plus the food!) Lovely to see the wonder on the faces of children; great to see the smiles on adult faces as they reminisced and also played their part in services; a tiring time for many but rewarding and great that so many people joined us. So much to rejoice in. I’ve just read a quote from Benjamin Franklin that says ‘Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.’ Indeed one of the most frequently quoted stories of the Bible is the one where Jesus turns water into wine – his first miracle. This happened of course at a wedding in Cana in Jesus’ time, mind they were very different events from the weddings we have today. They were were week-long festivals with banquets with many distinguished guests and prominent teachers attending, indeed the whole town would attend weddings as was considered an insult to refuse an invitation. It’s strange though that the thing society quotes as being a sign of God’s love refers to a time when Jesus said his miracles would begin when he started his journey to the cross. But there’s also been a huge roll-over of money in the National Lottery too hasn’t there. Same for America, in fact it’s been reported that people were queuing for hours to buy a ticket ‘lottery fever’ they’re calling it. I suppose there are many who dream of being released from debt, who dream of happiness found in new houses, holidays and many other windfalls. Release from debt is understandable but the Bible has a lot to say about treasure. The greatest treasure is not our houses, our jewellery nor our bank balance. All the evidence suggests a big payout won’t make much of a difference. One study found that having loads of spare cash doesn’t make you very much happier than having very little in fact having money can distract us from what we really enjoy. So what can bring us happiness? You’d expect me to say God wouldn’t you? Tell you what, God turns our lives upside down sometimes and it feels anything other than comfortable to follow Him. Here’s some popular ideas of how to be happy: Build relationships: Studies show that close relationships are especially important, suggesting we should make time for those closest to us—people in whom we can confide and who’ll support us when we’re down. Give thanks: Research has revealed the power of simply counting our blessings on a regular basis. If we have gratitude diaries then we’ll have greater satisfaction with our lives. Oh and by the by research shows writing a thank you letter to someone brings a major boost of happiness. Practice kindness: Apparently greater happiness is found when we spend money on others. Neuroscience shows that when we do nice things for others our brains light up in areas associated with pleasure and reward. Give up grudges: Wipe the slate clean, it takes up too much energy anyway and makes you and your life smaller. Oh maybe that is what following God means anyway…….. 4
Yvonne
early 16th century but taken from Wolsey by the King and rebuilt. The Genesis Foundation and the Choral Foundation are working together to make The first Roman Catholic service for more the service possible, as the first Latin Rite than 450 years is to be celebrated in the of the Catholic Church to be celebrated Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. since the 1550s at the Chapel Royal. A spokesman described it as "an unprecedented coming together of the Catholic and Anglican churches on such an historically important site".
First Catholic service in chapel of King Henry VIII for centuries
Lent Lunch at Old Sodbury Church The members of St. John's, Old Sodbury will be holding a Lent Lunch of soup and cake on 14th February at 12.15pm. There will be no charge but there will be a plate for donations for the Syrian refugees.
Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Nichols, will celebrate Vespers and the Bishop of London, Dean of the Chapel Royal, will preach in Henry VIII's chapel, built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the
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The Fellowship of Meditation BBC Radio Bristol visits St Adeline’s Little Sodbury Way back on Sunday 22 November St Adeline’s was one of the destinations in BBC Radio Bristol’s “Clueless” program. Two teams of presenters, one in North Somerset and they other in South Gloucestershire, are given clues and, with the help of the listeners, have to work out which four locations they are to travel to. Each aims to decipher the clues and get to the locations and interview people they meet there. They attempt to cover all four locations faster than the other team. St Adeline’s was the last of the four locations for that Sunday for the team of Sasha and Martin covering South Gloucestershire and they arrived with us at the church in the last few minutes of the programme. I was able to say a few words about the church and its history before the programme went off air. Unfortunately Martin and Sasha were the losers on this occasion as the other team reached their final destination a few seconds earlier. Martin and Sasha came into the church and had some coffee and took a few pictures for the BBC archive when the programme went off air.
Many of you may have seen on the Sunday Pew Sheets in Church dates of Meditation Group meetings and perhaps have wondered what we do - well, we meditate on God’s word, for thirty to forty minutes a fortnight. We belong to the Fellowship of Meditation whose residential centre is in Dorchester, Dorset. It is an ecumenical organisation that welcomes anyone who wishes to deepen their commitment to God in their prayer life. We receive helpful teaching notes each month with sentences we can use weekly in our own homes and two-weekly in our small group. These sentences hold a key word of life that stands for an aspect of God’s nature, e.g. ‘My peace I give unto you’. ‘I am the Light of the World’. ‘In your presence is fullness of joy’. In addition, we meet with other groups in retreats and on quiet days. There are groups of the Fellowship all over the British Isles, in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, so we know we are not meditating alone. Should you like to know more please contact Mrs Hilary Holder on 01454 327118. Joyce Cains would like to say thank you for all the good wishes she received for her 90th Birthday. 6
Since 2013 the situation for Christians has worsened in 15 of the 19 core countries under review, it said. In 10 countries - more than half - the persecution is ranked "extreme" - up four from the last edition of Persecuted and Forgotten report which covered 2011-13. The greatest threat to Christianity was claimed to be Islamism but growing problems caused by other extremist religious groups - militant forms of Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism - are also highlighted. Persecuted and Forgotten editor John Pontifex said the report was a "shocking read for shocking times". He added: "A cultural genocide of Christians is erasing the presence of faithful from large swathes of the Middle East, the very heartland of the Church. "Far from laying the entire blame for persecution against Christians at the door of extremist Islam, Persecuted and Forgotten demonstrates that many of the problems stem from non-Muslim extremist - nationalist - faith groups and historically communist totalitarian regimes."
Christianity "on course to disappear" from parts of the Middle East Christianity could completely disappear from parts of the Middle East within five years, a new report has claimed. The Aid to the Church in Need document says if the exodus of faithful from Iraq continues at existing levels the religion will be wiped out in the country by 2020. Christians in Syria number as few as 500,000 today compared to 1.25 million in 2011, the report says. Prime Minister David Cameron has given his backing to the report, which is called “Persecuted and Forgotten�. David Cameron said: "Every day in countries across the world, Christians are systematically discriminated against, exploited and even driven from their homes because of their faith. "This [Persecuted and Forgotten] report serves as a voice for the voiceless, from their prison cells, and the places far from home where they have sought refuge." The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, also sent a message of support for the charity's report. She said: "Only by publishing reports such as this and identifying the extent and scale of the problem can we hope to take steps to address the persecution of minorities that sadly still exists across the world." Elsewhere the Pope said the report was "deeply appreciated" and showed the "plight and suffering of Christians persecuted for their faith". The report outlines the "religiously motivated ethnic cleansing" of Christians by Islamist terror groups especially in Iraq and Syria but also in parts of Africa.
2016 Lent Course Come and join us Starting Wednesday 17th Feb at 7.30pm Or Thursday 18th Feb at 11.00am For this six week course Same material on Wednesday and Thursday choose the time that suits you best.
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Farewell message from the Share your view with Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt General Synod Reps The national ‘Parliament’ of the Church of Revd Martyn Snow England will be meeting on Monday 15 to Wednesday 17 February. Topics for discussion include a questions and answers session on ‘Shared Conversations’ which centres around human sexuality and faith. If you would like to share your views on any of the items on the agenda with your local representative, you can contact one of the following people: Corinne Aldis, William Belcher, Martin Kingston, Margaret Sheather, the Revd Canon Dr Tudor Griffiths, the Revd Canon Richard Mitchell or the Ven Jackie Searle. Additional information, including the agenda, can be found on the Church of England’s website, www.churchofengland.org
“This is my last time writing for the Messenger. In March my family and I will be packing boxes and setting off for Leicester where I will be welcomed as their bishop after Easter. “So this is a p e r f e c t opportunity to say a heart-felt thank you to you all for showing me such kindness and generosity during my all-too-brief stay in Gloucestershire. “I truly give thanks to God for bringing me to this Diocese. I have learnt so much during my time here. In particular, I have seen clearly that when Christians show genuine love for one another and for their neighbours, and when the gospel of Jesus Christ is faithfully preached, people of all backgrounds will respond. The transforming power of this good news is not just for the wealthy or the poor, not just for people in urban areas or rural areas, but for all people. “So please go on faithfully serving in this way and know that I will go on praying for you. It would be lovely to see many of you at my farewell service which will be at Gloucester Cathedral on Saturday 12 March at 4.30pm. May God richly bless you.”
From “The Messenger” www.gloucester.anglican.org
Save the date: BBC Antiques Roadshow to visit Tewkesbury Abbey BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow has announced that it will be filming at Tewkesbury Abbey on Thursday 12 May. Everyone is welcome to bring their treasures to an Antiques Roadshow filming day. It is a great, free day out and no pre-registration, tickets or appointments are required.
From “The Messenger” www.gloucester.anglican.org
From “The Messenger” www.gloucester.anglican.org
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Living the Dream
The Media’s view of Religion
“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may be actually falling into place” Quote When he first set foot in Turning Point, Tyson had no idea what was happening around him. He was young and the realities of being orphaned at a tender age had not dawned on this energetic boy. Tyson is the last born child in his family. After the death of his parents, his siblings became his guardians. Life was tough as his siblings had no permanent employment or source of income. Their survival depended on the little they managed to earn from doing menial jobs. 13 years down the line and Tyson is ready to sit his final Kenya Certificate of Primary school exams. His journey was made possible by Turning Point who have supported him through Primary School. At Turning Point, Tyson has made a new family and is able to get education and daily meals to help him in his day to day activities. Also a talented football player, Tyson enjoys the annual camps organised by Turning Point as they give him a chance to make new friends, make merry, display his exceptional soccer skills and share his story with other like him. In the future, Tyson hopes to provide a good lifestyle for his siblings who gave him a chance to be educated when they themselves could not be.
The BBC broadcaster and practising Roman Catholic, Adrian Chiles, has complained that the media has come to see religion only in terms of fanaticism and turned its back on millions of ordinary worshippers of all faiths. “Jesus said, ‘The meek will inherit the earth.’ Well, they might do but they get no press along the way at all, they’re completely forgotten,” said Chiles. “And I’m not just talking about Christians, I’m talking about all religions.” The football presenter hosts a new religious series on BBC2, for which the working title, Holy Med, has been replaced by the less religious-sounding My Mediterranean with Adrian Chiles. The series opens with him saying “I believe in God”, and in which he spends time with Christians, Muslims and Jews. “Why would anyone want to watch me doing a travelogue around the Med?” At the start of the films, Chiles states: “On my journey around the Mediterranean I want to show that religion actually does more good than harm. I won’t be seeking out the religious zealots – they get quite enough airtime if you ask me. I just want to find the majority; the nice, normal, gentle people who happen to be religious.” The film is a new direction for Chiles.
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Protect yourself on line Easy passwords are making us vulnerable to fraud Experts are warning that we aren't doing enough to protect ourselves from online identity theft
Most of us have forgotten a password or a pin at a highly inconvenient moment, usually when there's a queue of people waiting at the ATM, and remembering a number of different codes and which account they give access to can be tricky. But research shows that using the same password for multiple websites is resulting in greater vulnerability to fraud. Conducted by SplashData, the research reveals that many of us are choosing to use simple combinations – which means easy for us, but also easy for fraudsters wanting to hack our accounts. '123456' was named as the most hacked password of 2013, beating 2012's “password� which has now been relegated to second place. Other oft used passwords included 'iloveyou', 'abc123', '111111' and '000000'. Hardly difficult for a criminal to guess. ID fraud and credit information expert Equifax is therefore urging consumers to use a range of different passwords in order to protect their identity. "Whilst it's understandable that consumers find it difficult to remember a multitude of passwords, it's absolutely crucial that they don't revert to just one for all the services they access on the web," explains Neil Munroe, External Affairs Director. "Despite a growing number of websites now enforcing stronger password policies, we are still seeing so many people fall victim to ID fraud with easily cracked,
numerical passwords, or basic things such as birthdays and mother's maiden names." With an increase of personal information shared through pages on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, and often unprotected and visible to the general public, it is getting easier for hackers to find out key details which could allow them to guess passwords and access private accounts. "Fraudsters may only need as little as three items of personal information to be able to steal an individual's identity. It wouldn't take much for a fraudster to work out a birthday or family name that could be the key to a treasure trove of information," says Munroe. "We believe vigilance has to be the priority for today's consumers as personal information becomes the currency of the internet," he concludes.
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Principal Service readings February
HOLIDAY HOME
February 7th (Sunday before Lent) Exodus 34: 29 - end 2 Corinthians 3: 12 - 4: 2 Luke 9: 28 - 36 Psalm 99: February 10th (Ash Wednesday) Joel 2: 1 - 2, 12 - 17 2 Corinthians 5: 20b - 6: 10 Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 21 Psalm 51: 1 - 18
Thurlestone, South Devon Mannings,The Drive, Downs Road Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
February 14th (The First Sunday before Lent) Deuteronomy 26: 1 - 11 Romans 10: 8b - 13 Luke 4: 1 - 13 Psalm 91: 1 - 2, 9 - end
Self Catering Pet Friendly Open All Year Wonderful Sea Views Parking for 2 cars Sleeps 6-10 people 3 Bedrooms, 2 Futons
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01454 313880
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February 21st (Second Sunday of Lent) Genesis 15: 1 - 12, 17 - 18 Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1 Luke 13: 31 - end Psalm 27 February 28th (Third Sunday of Lent) Isaiah 55: 1 - 9 1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13 Luke 13: 1 - 9 Psalm 63: 1 - 9
Benefice Holy Communion Thursday Mornings 10:00 am St John’s, Chipping Sodbury Join us for an hour each Thursday morning for a friendly service, for the whole benefice, followed by tea/coffee, biscuits and a chat in the Church Centre. 11
Translating the Bible into English Are you interested in how the Bible got translated into English and the man who did that translation? Did you know of his association with Little Sodbury and St Adeline’s church. Did you know the impact this man had on the bibles we read t o d a y and the words and phrases that we use in our everyday language? If you didn’t know these things and are interested to find out more, or if you did
know and want to learn more of the events surrounding the bible translation, then you might like to purchase a copy of “St Adeline’s Church, Little Sodbury and the Life of William Tyndale” , shown in the picture opposite, which will tell you about all these things and more. You can purchase a copy at the price of £3.00 from any of the churches in the benefice. Profits from the sale of the book go to support St Adeline’s church, and each church selling the booklet will also benefit from a percentage of the sale price.
Bellringer’s Lunch - Horton This lunch will be held at 1.00pm on Sunday 13 March. For details of venue and to book a place contact Tina Hildick-Smith or Richard Needs. Contact details on page 2.
DO YOU NEED FULL TIME CARE FOR AN ELDERLY RELATIVE ? If so we may be able to help. We are full-time LIVE-IN Carers, who stay with a vulnerable person all the time (including overnight). We do all personal care if needed, cooking, shopping, hoisting, incontinence-care, oversight if someone is prone to falls, laundry, help the person get out to appointments, friends, shopping etc. We are very experienced (many years), especially with people who have Dementia, and have Enhanced CRB certificates, excellent references. Charges are between £70 - £85 per day according to complexity of work.
Sometimes the council will pay some or all of this. This gives family complete security knowing that someone they can trust is present all the time. We are happy to give any information you may wish, or can tell you who else you may need to consult. Feel free to ring on 07501 610562 or Email uphellyaa1@fireflyuk.net 12
The Invisible Mum
a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Christmas, 'My Mum gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade cakes, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
To all the beautiful Mums out there this explains it all ! It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The Invisible Mum. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated from university - but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!? One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from a trip, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you Great Job, MUM! are building when no one sees.' The Will of God will never take you A story in the book told of a rich man who where the Grace of God will not came to visit the cathedral while it was protect you. being built, and he saw a workman carving 13
Sodbury Vale Benefice Regular Weekly Events Monday
8.45am
Morning Prayer
St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
7.30pm
Bell Ringers’ Practice CS
Church Tower, Chipping Sodbury
Tuesday
8.45am
Morning Prayer
Church Centre, Upper Room,Chipping Sodbury
Tuesday
9.15pm
Stor'k'ies
St John's Church, Chipping Sodbury
Wednesday
8.30am
Morning Prayer
St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
730pm
Bell Ringer’s Practice Horton
St James’, Horton
8.45am
Morning Prayer
St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
10.00am
Holy Communion
St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
7.00pm
Benefice Choir Practice
St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
7.00pm
Youth Club (age 11-18)
Baptist Church Centre
Thursday
Friday
Note: No Morning Prayers on Bank Holidays
Sodbury Vale Benefice Forthcoming Events Wed
10th
Feb
7.30pm
Holy Communion for Ash Wednesday St John’s OS
Thu
11th
Feb
11.00am Computer Clinic
Thurs
24th
Mar
7.30pm
Maundy Thursday Holy Communion St James’, Horton
Fri
25th
Mar
2.00pm
Good Friday Reflection
St John’s, CS
Sat
26th
Mar
8.00pm
Easter Vigil
St Adeline’s, LS
Church Centre
If you don’t see your event in the list above please let me know, once it is on this calendar other people can put it on theirs! All times are subject to change look out for further details closer to the date. Michelle 01454 325160 office@svbcofe.org.uk Do you sometimes think, why has that been arranged for then, we’ve got… In the benefice lots of things happen, but sometimes not everyone knows about them! This is where the Forthcoming Events Calendar can be really useful, if you tell us in the office when you are planning an event – even if the date at that stage is vague we can tell everyone by publishing it here in Outlook (forthcoming events could be as much as a year or even more in advance) and in the online benefice calendar. So if you’re planning an event let us know even if the date isn’t quite fixed we can publish with vague dates like “early Feb tbc” or “week of the 8 March tbc” just so the idea is out in the community and firm up the details closer to the event. We look forward to hearing from you. Michelle and Trish
Sodbury Vale Benefice Calendar February 2016 Tue
2nd
Sun 7th Sunday before Lent
9.15am
Storkies
St John’s, C/S
3.00pm
Meditation Meeting
Ring 327118 for venue
8.00am
Holy Communion
St John’s C/S
9.30am
St John’s Praise
St John’s, C/S
11.15am
Mattins
St James’, Horton
11.15am
Family Communion
St John’s O/S
6.00pm
Evensong
St Adeline’s L/S
Mon
8th
2.00pm
Mothers’ Union AGM
Church Centre, C/S
Tue
9th
9.15am
Storkies
St John’s, C/S
Wed
10th
7.30pm
Ash Wednesday Service
St John’s, OS
Thurs
11th
10.00am
Holy Communion
St John’s C/S
Sun 14th First Sunday of Lent
Tue
16th
10.45am
Coffee Shop
Church Centre C/S
9.30am
Parish Communion
St John’s C/S
11.15am
Holy Communion {BCP}
St James’, Horton
11.15am
Family Service
St John’s O/S
6.00pm
Evensong {BCP}
St Adeline’s L/S
9.15am
Storkies
St John’s, C/S
3.00pm
Meditation Meeting
Ring 327118 for venue
Wed
17th
7.30pm
Lent Course
Church Centre, C/S
Thurs
18th
10.00am
Holy Communion
St John’s C/S
10.45am
Coffee Shop
Church Centre C/S
11.00am
Lent Course
Church Centre C/S
10.00am
Coffee Morning in aid of Mothers’ Union
Church Centre C/S
9.30am
Family Communion
St John’s C/S
11.15am
Morning Prayer
St James’, Horton
11.15am
Holy Communion
St John’s O/S
6.00pm
Evensong {BCP}
St Adeline’s L/S
9.15am
Storkies
St John’s, C/S
2.00pm
Tea and Chat
Church Centre C/S
Sat Sun 21st Second Sunday of Lent Tue
23rd
Wed
24th
7.30pm
Lent Course
Church Centre, C/S
Thurs
25th
10.00am
Holy Communion
St John’s C/S
10.45am
Coffee Shop
Church Centre C/S
11.00am
Lent Course
Church Centre C/S
9.30am
Parish Communion
St John’s C/S
11.15am
Holy Communion {CW}
St James’ Horton
11.15am
Morning Praise {CW}
St John’s O/S
6.00pm
Holy Communion {BCP}
St Adeline’s L/S
Sun 28th Third Sunday of Lent
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In June 2015 Jon Parsons handed over the role of CEO of Turning Point to Judy Akoth, now it’s time we got to know her a little better. Judy, where did you grow up? I grew up in a town called Eldoret, about 380kms from Nairobi. I grew up in a family of five, three brothers and my mum. Its fun and challenging at the same time to have so many brothers, you have to learn to fight! They are very protective which is annoying at times but I love it too. How did you come to work for Turning Point? When I finished studying sociology at university I came to Nairobi as an intern for a civil society organisation doing advocacy work but I didn’t feel I belonged there. A friend told me about Turning Point so I applied for the job of office administrator. Tell us more about your journey from office administrator to CEO? My role as office administrator mostly involved accounting and office-based work but I remember Jon used to insist that I spend time in Kibera to get to know more about the people we work with. At first it was a bit hard because I thought it had nothing to do with me but slowly I started loving Kibera, especially the people. They have this genuine sense about them, when they smile it’s a genuine smile. The children, when you walk down the streets and they say hello with a smile, it’s from deep down. Also seeing people going through negative things, like hungry children not in school, that really touched me. Jon saw a lot of potential in me, long before I could see it. I was comfortable being office administrator but Jon encouraged me to go back to school and study some project management and that really made me want to grow more. Of course with growth comes more responsibilities and that’s how I became Finance Manager. Then when Jon and Jo said they were thinking of moving back to the UK I was thinking, what is going to happen to us? What will happen to Turning Point? But something in me told me, you’ve been here for five years and you know how things work from accounting to our programmes so why not try to apply for the CEO role? Jon also encouraged me to apply, so I did and I got the job! 16