2
Easter Joy? As I write the news is full of worrying stories. Deash seem to be doing their best to be as inhumane as possible and the consequences of this are to be seen all over Europe; millions of refugees and European nations arguing over who should look after them. We also have the spectre of another pandemic in the Zika virus. How do we respond to these events from a position of faith? Very often our first thought is something like this: “How could a loving God allow such suffering and misery?” How indeed? There are no easy answers here to sort this problem out, and explain all the suffering that we see on our TVs. Well there are easy ones - but they inevitably sound glib. Maybe it’s not an answer, but there is one way of looking at the problems we see all around us that does, at least, put it into context. We have just celebrated the great Christian feast of Easter and while we tend to concentrate on the joy of that Easter morning it is important to also remember the days before that, as Archdeacon Clive wrote in the last issue; especially the Friday before. “Good Friday” is not the most popular day to go to church. Often we would rather not think too deeply about the realities of that day when Jesus died a hideous death abandoned by all but a few of his friends. But in this day we do discover something profound. In being prepared to undergo this cross, God, in Jesus, was prepared to undergo the very worst that this world could throw at him. And he willingly underwent it. Good Friday gives us an insight right into the nature of the heart of God. He is not some remote being who doesn’t care – Good Friday shows us that God is in it with us. Whatever we are going through, he understands it from the inside, and identifies with us, having experienced that isolation and pain. Now this doesn’t take away our worry and pain but over the past two millennia countless people have found comfort in this thought – and of course in our Easter hope of Resurrection. With all best wishes for a joyful Eastertide. Fr Matthew Rural Dean The Newsletter for The Benefice of East Malling, Wateringbury & Teston April 2016 No 80 For Baptisms, Weddings and other arrangements please attend Parish Office at The Vicarage on Wednesdays 6.30pm-7.15pm Parish Office contact details: The Vicarage, 2 The Grange, East Malling, ME19 6AH Office tel: 01732 843282 Email: [email protected] Annual Parochial Church Meetings Around the Parishes Tuesday 5th April - St John the Baptist, Wateringbury Monday 25th April - St James the Great, East Malling Tuesday 26th April - St Peter & St Paul, Teston Meetings are at 8pm in your own church, except for the Teston meeting which starts at 7.30pm. The APCM reports will be available before the APCMs - please read them! You will be able to download the electronic version from the websites - Teston’s and East Malling’s APCM reports will be available on stjames.eastmalling.net and Wateringbury’s will be on www.wateringburychurch.org.uk. Printed copies will also be available for those who have requested them. Please read the reports before your APCM. WATCH Club Youth Group Parents and siblings were invited to the fundraising WATCH Club Youth Group “Sport Relief Cafe” at Wateringbury Village Hall on Sunday 13th March, where they were served tea and lots of cake. Everyone (especially the girls) enjoyed the Skip-a-Thon, and the boys were the DJs for the background music. Funds raised were split between WATCH Club and Sport Relief. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes, and helped out on the day. WATCH Club next meets on Sunday 10th April 5-7pm in Wateringbury Village Hall. “Simply Soup” Lunches in Lent People from around the Benefice made their way to Wateringbury church, during Lent, to enjoy homemade soups, bread, croutons and cakes, a cup of tea or coffee and a chat, while donating money to the following charities; Kenward Trust Cobtree Playschool for Special Children Send a Cow Christian Aid and Heart of Kent Hospice Thank you to everyone involved Who’s who in the Benefice? (Details of Wardens and Ministers for your quick reference) Hon Asst Priest Canon Derek Carpenter 01732 874420 Administrator Sandra Corby 01622 815218 East Malling Churchwarden David Chambers 01732 842582 Churchwarden Sue Payne 01732 841585 Reader Alan Bramley 01732 846800 Parish Children’s & Vulnerable Adults’ Rep. Michala Neaves 01732 321473 Teston Churchwarden Ros Hutchins 01622 297340 Churchwarden & Reader Dawn Page 01622 812691 Parish Children’s & Vulnerable Adults’ Rep. Hilary Fisher 01622 813768 Wateringbury Churchwarden Peter Bond 01622 814793 Reader Alastair Byron 01622 812023 Reader Barry Fisher 01622 813206 Pastoral Assistant Becky Bowie 01622 813396 Pastoral Assistant Edna Craig 01622 812922 Evangelist Pauline Welch 01622 814673 Parish Children’s & Vulnerable Adults’ Rep. Debbie Bond 01622 814793 Service of Healing Praise Tuesday 5th April 2016 8pm at St Peter & St Paul, Teston
