mpany with guests of honour at our Royal Town Gala
The magazine of Holy Trinity Parish Church Sutton Coldfield
Recent pictures
Š Kylie Martin 2014 It is lovely to have access to these professional photographs. Above is the Vesey aisle looking towards the chapel. Left is the nave taken from the altar looking to the East end.
(see articles about the re-ordering programme on pages 16-18) Page
From the Editors ...
...to Trinity Our front cover records a deligh ul Gala concert which launched our second season of concerts organised by the Friends of Holy Trinity. If you haven’t yet caught up with all the great work the Friends are doing, please check us out on the web site or contact the Trinity Centre for more informa#on. We print tributes to two much-loved members of our congrega#on, and this issue focuses (at last!) on the exci#ng project to re-order and refurbish the inside of our church. Mike Somers, our churchwarden and Campaign Manager, has overseen a series of informa#ve ar#cles to help readers grasp the extent of this vision for our building, but most importantly for our community of worshippers and residents. Please read it all carefully and prayerfully and, again look at the 3D walkthrough on the website for a feel of how it will be in the future. Do send in your comments and ques#ons - we want to ensure there is ample opportunity for dialogue about the process. Every blessing to all our readers for 2015
Contents: John Routh writes
2 Through a glass darkly 3 Toby Norris —a tribute 4 Youth Matters 7 Parish profile re-visited 8 From the archives 9 Book corner 9 Dogs in the fog 15 Re-ordering—the vision 16 Re-ordering—ten questions 17 Re-ordering—a family view 18 David Browning—a tribute 20 From the registers 22 David Browning-tribute (contd) 23 An important message 23 Trinity arrangements 24 Bible verse 24 Editors: Stella 329 2101 s_thebridge@yahoo.com Louise 240 6366 louisejharden@hotmail.com
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John Routh writes … .
An Epiphany for us all Once the labour of birth is over, and the parents have caught up on a little sleep, the visitors come. Everyone wants to see the new-born child, the happy parents. I’ve been there myself. But the story goes that at this birth the visitors were different. Not simply family, friends, neighbours ... but wise men, travellers from a far off who had come to see with their own eyes. What was Matthew trying to tell us? Maybe that life’s quest for truth would have us follow a long road until we reach journey’s end ... for these men had travelled great distances in search of him. Maybe that there will be false dawns on our way to greet the sun ... for isn’t that what the stop-off in Jerusalem was all about? Maybe that our arduous journey, with all its twists and turns and dead ends, will end in fulfilment ... for they did find him after all. Epiphany ... a moment of realisation, revelation. On that first Epiphany that is what the wise men found. They saw the fulfilment of their travel and searching. They saw truth in God’s presence resting over a place of simple humility. They saw truth in a vulnerable newborn, opening his eyes on an uncompromising world.
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Our world is not so very different from that of the wise men. Just as they once did, we seek wisdom, truth. And we find it in the most unlikely of places. We Page find it not necessarily in places of power, of force, of achievement, of wealth ... but in places
of vulnerability, of gentleness, of humility, of generosity. We have visited the birth-place and celebrated the arrival in our world of Jesus. Now we draw back to look in growing realisation as we recognise in him truth, Wisdom, God’s presence amongst us. And we resolve to take that epiphany forward as our journey continues to unfold.
John
Through a Glass Darkly— .Signs and portents I am wri#ng this at the very end of November and there are many signs around us of what is to come – Christmas. Not, sadly, in most cases, a celebra#on of the birth of Christ but a celebra#on of conspicuous consump#on and increased profit margins. By the #me you read this, however, the signs around us should be those of approaching Spring : leaves and blooms of snowdrops and crocuses, longer days, shorter nights and so on. Last week at the 5.30 service Phil Morton gave a most interes#ng sermon on the deeper meaning of the different parts of the Liturgical Year. When you read this we shall be in the first period of Ordinary Time. Phil explained that this represents the ministry of Jesus on earth and the readings that we have during January and February make this very clear. Jesus’ ministry, par#cularly at the beginning, was full of signs and portents demonstra#ng to us who he really was and what he had come to do. He himself pointed out these signs and exhorted his disciples and hearers to take no#ce of them and understand their importance. He also spoke of the sign of the fig-tree beginning to put out leaves announcing that summer is not so far away, just as there were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God. In earlier #mes people took the appearance of comets, shoo#ng stars and the conjunc#on of planets as signs of happenings to take place on earth. We do not think this way today but similar signs can s#ll free our imagina#ons and set us thinking. Some signs are very obvious, like the forsythia coming into bloom – others are much subtler. The important thing about them is to take no#ce and to react appropriately. Jean Schneider
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Toby Norris (1937-2014) - a tribute William Tobias Norris was a man of many parts; Electrical Engineer, Lecturer and Professor; Husband, father and grandfather; Friend, Sportsman and Colleague. A modest man, he had many fields of interest and expertise and a great enthusiasm for life and its opportunities. He enjoyed helping, encouraging and, of course, teaching others (whether you wanted it or not!) and drawing from his large store of knowledge. He was widely read, had an incredible head for facts and figures and took pleasure in trying to make the world a better and more beautiful place. He was born in Manchester on the 18th April 1937 in Moss Side in Manchester, to Eric and Calah Norris, the youngest brother to John and Tom. He attended Sale High School for boys and Manchester Grammar School. At the ripe old age of 17 he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating in Mechanical Sciences in 1957. After two years working in industry, Toby boarded the Queen Mary and set sail for Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Toby was always very proud of the fact that he had his hair cut while on this voyage across The Atlantic. As a Doctor of Science, he returned to England with his Thesis ‘Thermionic Emission from a Single Crystal of Tantalum Exposed to Cesium Vapor’ tucked under one arm and a freshly purchased water colour painting under the other. He began working for the Central Electricity Generating Board, rising to be Head of Electrical Engineering at the their Research Labs in Leatherhead, Surrey- while still in his 30s. Around this time Toby discovered Orienteering. He was already a keen cross country runner, having been introduced to the sport by his father, through the Cheshire Tally-Ho Hare and Hounds Club. Then this new sport came to England in the 60’s. He was excited by its combination of running, and of maps and mountains. He said that he did very well in those early days as he could read maps better than those who ran well, and ran better than those who read maps well. He soon became active in organizing and developing the sport and encouraging others take it up. And his family were no exception. Battling the brambles early every Sunday morning with varying degrees of enthusiasm certainly gave his children the love of the British countryside that he had. He also competed in mountain marathons, covering considerable distances over Lake District fells and Scottish mountains. He remained a dedicated orienteer to the end, when he and Joan participated in the Swiss ‘O’ week in Zermatt this summer, barely three months ago. Page
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While he would never have referred to himself as a ‘polymath’ (that was for others to say!) he always prided himself on his wide knowledge and interest in so many areas, including the Arts. He was both a collector and painter of watercolours and loved sending people his hand painted postcards almost as much as people loved receiving them. It may also interest people to know that he liked books! A frequenter of secondhand bookshops and a patron of Hay-on-Wye, he gradually filled his home with books on all subjects. His 5000 books fell a little short of the 10,000 needed for ‘A Proper Library’, but he was satisfied! He also had a love of music and choral singing and it was through this that he finally met a woman who was smart, beautiful - and patient enough to marry him. He met Joan through the music and choral community in Dorking, and in the mid 70’s they started going out, although Joan was unsure about this to begin with, having been assured of his status as a confirmed bachelor! They grew closer through their shared enjoyment and knowledge of classical music and the countryside. After first being sure she had the makings of an orienteer, the two were married in the summer of 1978 and had three lovely children, Calah, Robert and Emily, all of whom inherited their parents’ interest in the outdoors and the arts, often in typical Toby fashion; varied and slightly unconventional. In 1987, Toby went from amateur lecturer (he did so love to pontificate) to professional lecturer when he was asked to become the CEGB’s visiting professor of Power Engineering at Aston University in Birmingham, and so the family moved to Sutton Coldfield. Avoiding actually retiring, he stayed on at Aston University right up until his death. Educating others was an important and valued part of his life, and over the last decade he worked on the Board of Governors for the King Edward schools in Birmingham, and then as chairman of Governors at Aston Boys Grammar School. His own lifelong education is illustrated by his Masters in Economics, which he obtained in his late 60’s. As in all facets of his life he continued right up to the end, barely slowing down. He was a committed Christian and valued member of the church who enjoyed instigating early morning theological discussions, and delivering lesson readings in services. Consistently a devout man, he displayed love and charity to all those he met, but was humble enough to listen to and accept the views of others, if he had been adequately convinced! Toby, a remarkable man, will be missed: As a loving and caring husband and father; an academic; a tall figure in a cycle helmet on his Brompton Bike, or running in sunlit forests. Robert Norris
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Youth Ma ers At the #me of wri#ng we have just held our 7th Advent Day! 7!!! I cannot believe I have been here long enough for there to have been 7. This annual ac#vity day for children is run by all 3 churches of our Group and is a fun day for younger children exploring the real meaning of Christmas. This year it was called King In The Stable and was aBended on the day by between 60 and 70 children. We lost a few due to illness and also our lovely MC, which was of significance for the lowly youth worker who had a few too many hats to wear than was comfortable, but the Lord undertook and all was well. This #me we thought about all the journeys the different people made to the stable. We sang riotously to the tunes of Jingle Bells, Frere Jacques, One Finger One Thumb; all with Christmassy words and then learnt Heaven Invites You To A Party which is very fast but fun. In between we made clocks (to count down to Christmas), stars (to follow to Jesus); chariots out of wooden coBon wheels (to travel to Christmas); bauble people (because WE are travelling to Christmas) edible Advent wreaths and did some fantas#c bell ringing. We each thanked God for something special and each remembered somebody who needed God’s help by hanging a CD bauble on a Christmas Tree. We ate, drank and were merry; not because tomorrow we die but because we have so much to look forward to with Jesus being born at Christmas. When the parents rejoined us we sang all we had learnt and made them join in and talked about our day before a blessing was said over us and we all went to eat cake: lots of really yummy cake. It takes a lot of people to run our day and I am so grateful for everyone who does anything to help. We pray that lots of seeds have been planted and will one day bear fruit.
Susie Walker PS. Next year the Advent Day is on Sat 28th November!!!! [A huge thank you to Susie for all the work she puts in every year to create such a s mula ng and fun day for these young people. Also to the helpers and cake bakers. If you weren’t there this year please keep next year’s date free! Ed.]
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Parish profile re-visited We noted in the last magazine the passing of Margaret Gardner. On 14th November her ashes and those of her daughter Janet (who died in September 2013) were interred with those of Margaret’s husband Clive. The Parish profile column which ran for many years in the magazine appears to have started in 1985 with the two churchwardens of the time—Clive Gardner and Brian Dixon. Here is the profile of Clive and family. Brian’s may follow in a future issue!
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From the archives…
30 years ago (plus another 140!)
It was a woman It was a woman who watched over her little brother when he was hidden in the bulrushes. It was a woman who urged her father to perform his vow, although her own life might be the sacrifice. It was a woman who so beautifully said: “all was well” when she came to implore the prophet to restore her dead and only son. It was a woman who followed her mother-in-law in all her distress and poverty. It was a woman who offered her last mite in charity. It was a woman who washed our blessed Saviour’s feet with her tears, and afterwards wiped them with the hair of her head. It was a woman who said “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.” It was a woman who stood at the foot of the cross. It was a woman who went first to the sepulchre. It was to a woman that our Lord first made Himself known after His resurrection. It was not a woman who betrayed our Lord and Master. [This was an anonymous note, says Faith Davis of St. Peter’s Roydon, sent to her great-grandfather following a sermon he gave to “The Female Club” at Holbrooke, Derbyshire in 1848 on the duty of wives to obey their husbands.]
Book Corner
In praise of Elif Shafak If you have not yet come across the wri#ng of this author, I urge you to do so. Elif Shafak is an award-winning novelist, born in Strasbourg in 1971. She is the most widely read woman writer in Turkey. Cri#cs have named her as “one of the most dis#nc#ve voices in contemporary Turkish and world literature”. Her books have been published in more than 40 countries and she was awarded the honorary dis#nc#on of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and LeBers. Shafak has published thirteen books, nine of which are novels. She writes fic#on in both Turkish and English. Shafak blends Western and Eastern tradi#ons of storytelling, bringing out the myriad stories of women, minori#es, immigrants, subcultures, youth and global souls.
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Her work draws on diverse cultures and literary tradi#ons, as well as deep interest in history, philosophy, Sufism, oral culture, and cultural poli#cs. Shafak’s wri#ng breaks down categories, clichés, and cultural gheBoes. She also has a keen eye for black humour. Shafak's first novel, Pinhan (The Mys#c) was awarded the "Rumi Prize" in 1998, which is given to the best work in mys#cal literature in Turkey. Her second novel, Şehrin Aynaları (Mirrors of the City), brings together Jewish and Islamic mys#cism against a historical seOng in the 17th century Mediterranean. Shafak greatly increased her readership with her novel Mahrem (The Gaze), which earned her the "Best Novel-Turkish Writers' Union Prize" in 2000. Her next novel, Bit Palas (The Flea Palace), has been a bestseller in Turkey and was shortlisted for the Independent Best Fic#on Award. Her novels in English include The Forty Rules of Love and Honour. She writes in both English and Turkish, and divides her #me between London and Istanbul. Her latest book, The architect’s appren ce, looks at the life of Turkey’s long-lived, prolific and amazing architect of sixteenth century Istanbul—Sinan, through the eyes of an appren#ce who travels from India. Her website is elifshafak.comand she tweets at@ElifShafak About The architect’s appren ce: “There were six of us: the master, the appren#ces and the white elephant. We built everything together. Mosques, bridges, madrasas, ravanserais, alms houses, aqueducts... Beneath one stone, I buried a secret. Much #me has gone by, but it must s#ll be there, wai#ng to be discovered. I wonder if anyone will ever find it. If they do, will they understand?” Informa#on taken from: hBp://www.elifshafak.com/ Elif is a fearless commentator on the politics of Turkey, its history and wider questions of patriarchy and East / West relations. Her celebrated talk entitled “The politics of fiction” can be found on YouTube. She is a respectful speaker and has a generous and sincere personality, but she does not shrink from questioning injustices at all levels of society. ST
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The following was in a magazine of 1989. It describes an unexpected Christmas Day. I hope nothing like this happened to any of our readers in 2014, but at least we do now have the help of mobile phones. It is by Daphne Moseley, a much-loved member of our congregation at the time.
Dogs in the fog Early on Christmas afternoon, all was bright, warm and festive in the house. The turkey was sizzling merrily in the oven and I had just added the potatoes and parsnips to start roasting, when my son John said, “We had better take those two dogs for a run in the park, before the weather gets any colder and more gloomy. Come on Kate -I’ll get the leads for Josh and Harvey!” With much bouncing and joy the party set out in John’s car for a smart walk around Blackroot Pool. Time passed. I got out the joint, parsnips and roast potatoes and made the gravy. “They have gone for a long walk!” I mused. “Shall I put on the sprouts and cauliflower? They must surely be back any minute now.” Just then, the phone rang. The operator asked if I would take a reverse charges call. It was from John. An agitated voice said, “Mum, it’s me, can you come and pick us up? We’re in Streetly village.” The freezing fog in the park had been so thick, and dark had so quickly descended that they had lost their way and ended up at Streetly Gate. Even Josh and Harvey, with their strong homing instinct had been baffled by the cloudy obscurity. It was quite dark by the time I reached those four tired, shivering, damp creatures, by the telephone box in Streetly. Even then we could not go straight home as we had to pick up John’s car from beside Blackroot Pool. It was just after 5pm so we prayed that Four Oaks Gate would not be locked on time. Our prayer was answered, and we reached warmth and shelter and our meal at last. Never was Christmas dinner eaten with more zest or appreciation. I’m very glad I did not put on the sprouts and cauliflower before I received John’s call! Overheard at the Christmas Tree Festival… A young child was undertaking the treasure hunt round church. In response to a question by our Saxon font—”What is a font used for?” the reply came back, “for typing on the computer”.
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Holy Trinity Re-ordering - what is it? “Making a holy and welcoming space for tomorrow� Improving Access Increasing Flexibility Protecting and Promoting Heritage Better Light & visibility Improving facilities Renewal of Organ & music Opportunities for Worship & mission Welcoming & serving the community Preserving the building for the future Holy Trinity Re-ordering Project Sutton Coldfield We have a Display board in church and also a 10 minute walkthrough which shows the effects of these improvements. Further details on our website: www.htsc.org.uk Please help us and join the Fund-raising Campaign. Contact our Campaign office on 0121 355 3697 or e-mail: campaign@htsc.org.uk
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Reordering – the 10 key ques#ons What is this all about? Another important phase in the evolu#on of Holy Trinity church to beBer meet the needs of our congrega#on and the wider community, this #me for the 21st Century and beyond, whilst con#nuing to protect its important and valuable heritage.
Who is this for? Not just the church and our congrega#on but the whole community – people of all ages- of Royal SuBon Coldfield. How will it look? Take a look at the Re-ordering sec#on of our website (www.htsc.org.uk) and also the 10 minute walk through simula#on of the plans. See our new Display boards in church and banner in the Trinity Centre. Read our monthly congrega#on newsleBers and our Re-ordering bookmark. Find out more!
What has been done so far? We have detailed and costed plans which have been subject to extensive consulta#ons with our regular congrega#on and have been approved by the PCC, Diocese and Planning Authori#es. We have begun our Fundraising Campaign.
How are we doing? Good news! So far we are over half way to the total required of £1.6m. Thanks to the generosity of our congrega#on and previous bequests and legacies together with a major grant award from SuBon Coldfield Charitable Trust we have over £800k already!
What do we s#ll need? Further dona#ons and grants. Another £750k to finish the fundraising. More support please!
How can you help? Support the Campaign. Ask about opportuni#es to give a giV either as a one-off or, say, monthly over 3 years. And take advantage of the giV aid benefits which mean that the church gets extra from the government and you may save too. Spread the word!
When will this happen? The physical work in the church is intended to commence early in 2016. Soon!
What will be success? When we can celebrate our vision for Holy Trinity Parish Church as a holy and welcoming space for tomorrow.
Will you help us achieve this? Please help us to ensure the church con#nues at the heart of the community now and in the future.
Mike Somers, Churchwarden and Campaign Co-ordinator
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One family’s view of the re-ordering project… The Holy Trinity Church reordering project aims to provide a holy and welcoming space for tomorrow. Having been married at Holy Trinity Church in 2011, and with a daughter being bap#sed there two years later, it is natural that we would want to give our support to the modernising of a building which has played a very important part in our lives. Whilst maintaining many of the historical features of the church as it currently stands, we feel the reordering project has the poten#al to transform the ways in which the church building is used and the posi#on of the church in the community of SuBon Coldfield. The new entrance will improve access not only for people with mobility problems but also for families with prams and pushchairs. A new interior design with fewer steps means that the same groups of people have easy access to more of the church building. Plus the flexible sea#ng will make it easier to create space for prams and pushchairs. Also, the church space can be used for a range of different ac#vi#es during the week. There is a plan for three new rooms with movable glass par##ons under the North Gallery. These flexible use rooms can be used for children's and young peoples groups whilst s#ll being in sight of the main service. One of the rooms will be a dedicated crèche providing a safe and comfortable space for young children and their families. The toilet facili#es will be modernised, and the new changing facili#es will allow dads and mums to share nappy du#es. We imagine everyone will benefit from a warmer, brighter church with improved visibility of the altar and bap#sm font. A recep#on area and servery for basic refreshments means fellowship can easily be extended beyond the regular services, and further expands the op#ons for using the church space in different ways during the week. Holy Trinity Church is the place where our daughter will grow in her Chris#an life. For us the reordering project will make the building of Holy Trinity Church a warm and welcoming space which reflects the warmth of welcome we received from the congrega#on when we first aBended five years ago. Marette & Simon Ambler Page
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David Browning 1933—2014 David was born on 6th December 1933 in Birmingham, and was brought up in Bearwood, along with an older brother, John, and a younger sister, Diane. He was still very young when war broke out, but I understand that despite the bombing raids he found the whole thing quite exciting. When he left school, David went briefly to work in a law firm, but soon found employment with Birmingham City Council, in the Parks Department, and this led him into his long career looking after cemeteries and crematoria. But though work was always very important to him, it wasn’t the only thing in David’s life. In his teens, David attended the youth club at St Mary’s Church, Bearwood, and it was there that he met a pretty young girl called Barbara. They became good friends, and one story from that time, is of a trip they made, taking boys from a Barnardos home on the canals. To their horror, one boy fell in the water, but David always had trouble trying to swim, so it was Barbara who had to jump in and rescue the lad. However, despite this, over the years their friendship developed and deepened, and on 28th August 1959 they were married in St Mary’s Church, settling down to a long and happy life together, which lasted for more than 55 years. They lived briefly with Barbara’s mother, but then David was appointed in charge of Uplands Cemetery in Smethwick, and that became their first marital home together. It was a very happy home, for David found great satisfaction in his work, while Barbara was able to learn to drive in the grounds there, but most importantly, their two much loved daughters, Michelle and Jo, were born there. However, contented as the family was, plans were already being made for a Crematorium here in Sutton, - the biggest at the time in Europe - and David was soon involved in the planning. When it opened in 1964, he became its first Superintendent, and the family moved here. They all loved it here, for the landscaped grounds provided a perfect place for the girls to play, chasing around with their dog, Bobby, in summer and tobogganing in winter. David worked very hard and had enormous energy. He took his duties here very seriously, carrying them out meticulously with compassion and respect, but he also taught evening classes in short-hand and typing at Tamworth College of Further Education, and during the ‘60s and ‘70s worked in Hospital Radio at the Good Hope. Even in his spare time, he was always busy, so he and Barbara took up Latin-American ballroom dancing, going to classes and even entering competitions where they won medals. (‘Strictly Come Dancing’ eat your heart out) David also liked playing tennis, though I gather Barbara wasn’t so keen on this. Page
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And underlying everything David did was his strong Christian faith. He was licensed as a Lay Reader when still in his 20s and served in a number of churches with dedication and commitment. After the move to Sutton he and Barbara attended Emmanuel Church in Wylde Green, for David appreciated the High Church form of worship there, and he and Barbara became active members of the congregation. David also went once a month to Canwell Church, to preach there, and daughter Jo used to go with him, along with two young friends. With David’s support the girls set up a Gospel singing group, and I’m sure were much appreciated. David and Barbara also began a prayer group which was a source of much comfort and inspiration to others, both Catholic as well as Anglican, and continued for over 20 years. When they moved to Holy Trinity Parish Church, David became an important part of the ministerial team there and continued his loving service as a Reader until his health finally caused him to retire. David’s faith informed everything he did, including his work at the crematorium, and it seems his experience gave him extra ingenuity to face problems in the job. He and Jo both learnt to play the organ, though each of them only managed to learn one, rather frivolous tune. When called on to fill the gap when an organist had failed to turn up he reassured Jo that: ‘It doesn’t matter what you play, just play it very slowly’. David always had a great sense of humour, but also a sense of adventure. On one memorable holiday he took the family pony-trekking, even taking riding lessons before they went. More seriously, in the early 1970s he was offered a job in Durban in South Africa, and seriously considered moving the family out there, before finally turning the offer down because of the growing unrest there. After ten happy years as Superintendent here, in 1974 David was asked to take on a new position and to be in charge of all the cemeteries and crematoria in Birmingham. It was an important promotion, and he was very proud of his new role which involved speaking at conferences as well as significant administrative responsibilities. With customary commitment and expertise, he continued to work meticulously until his retirement in 1993. Well retirement sounds like an easy life, but that wasn’t David’s way. As well as actively continuing as a Reader, David began to teach English to Chinese students at Aston University, something which gave him a new and absorbing interest. He thoroughly enjoyed being with his students, and even went to China to gather more first-hand experience of their lives. It was something he was always willing to talk about, and I was very impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm. ...Continued on page 23
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FROM THE REGISTERS ... Baptisms 19th Oct
Oscar Henry Dudley Sumner Henry Anthony Graham
16th Nov
Amelia Mary Suter Blake Harrison Beckett Kennedy Heath Beckett Cole Hudson Beckett Bree Holden Beckett
We welcome these children into new life with God, as part of our church family
Marriages 18th Oct 1st Nov 6th Dec
Andrew Lawson & Nicola Gillett Adame Thomas & Emma Nicholas Jak Ryan & Geri Roberts
We wish these couples every blessing in their future together.
Funerals 17th Oct 28th Oct 31st Oct 21st Nov 26th Nov 28th Nov 9th Dec
Jeffrey Francis Trevelyan Worrall Kenneth White William Tobias Norris David Browning Thelma Nina Atkinson John David Wheelwright Doris Veraca
We remember all who have died and ask for God’s comfort to sustain all who are bereaved. Page
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...Con#nued from page 21 When David and Barbara moved to New Oscott Village, David found new interests, especially the Poetry Group. He was very fond of poetry, and enjoyed talking about it. I gather he particularly liked ‘Hiawatha’, perhaps because it gave a glimpse into a new and exciting world, and Gray’s ‘Elegy in a Country Churchyard’ was another favourite. It was particularly hard for him when his health began to fail, and he could no longer live an active life, but he faced his physical weakness with characteristic courage, and even when he went into the Hafod Retirement Home, he remained brave and dignified. David was an amazing person: he had so many interests, took on so many responsibilities. But above all, he loved his family. His marriage to Barbara lasted for 55 years and the companionship they shared enabled them to reach out to others around them. Michelle and Jo were his pride and joy, and when they in turn married he welcomed his two sons-in-law, Dave and John as a significant part of his family. The arrival of granddaughters: Natalie, Amy, Alice and Ruby, completed his life: he loved to see them, had a real interest in their progress and education, and always wanted to hear about what they were doing, So now we remember David’s kindness, his dedication, his interest in the world around him; his sense of humour and his innate dignity. We remember the courage with which he faced the difficulties of his last years. We give thanks for his life, and for all the good things which have passed from him into the lives of others. And we rejoice that steadfast always in faith, he now rests in everlasting peace and joy. Carol Hoare An Important Message from Church Fellowship Our group was set up about 30 years ago by the late Margaret Glover. We are affiliated to the na#onal Church Fellowship groups and meet monthly for a talk by a speaker followed by a chat over refreshments. In the past we have also run coach trips in the summer and some church-based ac#vi#es like Lent talks from the clergy. We are now at the stage of deciding whether we con#nue mee#ng with only about six members or close the Group. Despite adver#sing we have not recruited new members lately. We would like to know what readers think. Would you like to join a weekday group of this kind? What would encourage you to come along? All thoughts please to Chris#ne Das, Chair of the Church Fellowship Group, via the Trinity Centre. Many thanks
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Trinity Arrangements for 2014 The cost per issue is 60p, and an annual subscrip#on ÂŁ3-50. If you are a casual reader who would like to subscribe regularly or adver#se, or if you have any other queries rela#ng to the magazine, please contact the Trinity Centre in the ďŹ rst instance on 321 1144 or admin@htsc.org.uk
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4th October
18th October
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29th November
13th December
Please submit material for the next issue by the deadline above to : Stella Thebridge 329 2101 s_thebridge@yahoo.com
Bible verse See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43: 19 (New Interna onal Version) 24
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Above— the ‘Christingle tree’ with prayers added at the service on 7th December. This ended our 3-day Christmas Tree Festival, a lovely celebration of our building with imaginatively decorated trees produced by a range of organisations in our community. Below left—a tree celebrating the Royal Town.
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Performers Di Xiao, Enigma String Quartet and BMOS Musical Theatre Com