Free of charge Parish news from Petersfield to the Isle of Wight JULY/AUGUST 2006 ISSUE 50 Archbishop helps us to consider big question: IT will be a chance to discuss how we create communities with the Church of England’s spiritual leader. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Rowan Williams, will visit our diocese in November for a day-long confer- ence on ‘Seeking the Soul of Community’. The day was originally designed to be for clergy, but Bishop Kenneth has invited them to bring community leaders from their own parishes to hear what the archbishop has to say, ask questions and make their own contributions. Around 400 people will be invited overall. Representatives from other denominations, other faiths, the police, legal system, education, health service, politics, business, the military, the media and the voluntary sector from across our diocese will also be invited, as well as the headteachers of all our diocese’s 49 church schools. It will be the archbishop’s first formal visit to our diocese since he was enthroned in 2003. His predecessor, Lord Carey, made a three-day visit to our dio- cese during its 75th anniversary year in 2002. The day of reflection is on November 17 and takes place at our cathedral between 9.45am and 4.15pm. The archbishop will give two keynote addresses, receive feedback and answer questions. There will also be time for community leaders to talk in groups, and a final panel discus- sion that will feature the arch- bishop alongside local communi- ty leaders. It is hoped that the group dis- cussion and the reflections of the specially-invited panel will result in practical steps that can be taken to create or encourage more effective community living in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The day echoes the thinking behind the bishop’s Kairos initia- tive, which aimed to help us re- think the Church’s mission and ministry - with meeting the phys- ical, social and spiritual needs of our local communities the top priority. Bishop Kenneth said: “The event will appeal to all who are concerned about the wellbeing of our local society. “I believe the archbishop’s visit provides us with an excel- lent and much-needed opportuni- ty to reflect on the life of our local community.” The day is free, though partic- ipants are encouraged to bring their own packed lunches. Clergy and their guests are invited to contact Alex Hughes at Bishopsgrove on 01329-280247 or [email protected]n.org to confirm their attendance. Quick! Hide behind the sofa as Dr Who materialises in Biblical times Holiday clubs around the diocese: pages 8-9 HOW CAN WE MAKE PEOPLE’S LIVES BETTER? The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Rowan Williams, who will join us on November 17 OUR diocese’s links with our Roman Catholic counterparts have been strengthened by pro- posals to link two Isle of Wight schools. Plans have been drawn up for Pat Goodhead, headteacher at Trinity C of E Middle School in Newport, to also become acting head at the neighbouring Archbishop King RC Middle School from September. The proposal was made to solve the problem of the vacant post of headteacher at the RC school after the death of the former head, Alan Johns, last year. Parents at both schools are now being asked for their views. If this goes ahead, it will be the first time that our diocese and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth have worked together in this way. The governors of both schools, both dioceses and the Isle of Wight Council are all con- vinced it could work. Canon David Isaac, our diocesan director of education, said: “Our Board of Education is committed to collaboration between Roman Catholics and Anglicans, and the schools’ proposal was a welcome mani- festation of several years’ working with Roman Catholic colleagues. “They are both strong schools, and having two schools working together, sharing resources, expertise and the vision of the staff has to be good because it enhances the resources available to pupils.” The proposal is for the arrangement to last for one or two years initially. School link strengthens ties with Catholics
Transcript
Free of charge
Parish news from Petersfield to the Isle of Wight JULY/AUGUST 2006ISSUE 50
Archbishop helps us to consider big question:
IT will be a chance todiscuss how we createcommunities with theChurch of England’sspiritual leader.
The Archbishop ofCanterbury, the Most Rev RowanWilliams, will visit our diocese inNovember for a day-long confer-ence on ‘Seeking the Soul ofCommunity’.
The day was originallydesigned to be for clergy, butBishop Kenneth has invited themto bring community leaders fromtheir own parishes to hear whatthe archbishop has to say, askquestions and make their owncontributions. Around 400 people
will be invited overall.Representatives from other
denominations, other faiths, thepolice, legal system, education,health service, politics, business,the military, the media and thevoluntary sector from across ourdiocese will also be invited, aswell as the headteachers of all ourdiocese’s 49 church schools.
It will be the archbishop’sfirst formal visit to our diocesesince he was enthroned in 2003.His predecessor, Lord Carey,made a three-day visit to our dio-cese during its 75th anniversaryyear in 2002.
The day of reflection is onNovember 17 and takes place atour cathedral between 9.45amand 4.15pm. The archbishop will
give two keynote addresses,receive feedback and answerquestions.
There will also be time forcommunity leaders to talk ingroups, and a final panel discus-sion that will feature the arch-bishop alongside local communi-ty leaders.
It is hoped that the group dis-cussion and the reflections of thespecially-invited panel will resultin practical steps that can betaken to create or encourage moreeffective community living insouth-east Hampshire and the Isleof Wight.
The day echoes the thinkingbehind the bishop’s Kairos initia-tive, which aimed to help us re-think the Church’s mission and
ministry - with meeting the phys-ical, social and spiritual needs ofour local communities the toppriority.
Bishop Kenneth said: “Theevent will appeal to all who areconcerned about the wellbeing ofour local society.
“I believe the archbishop’svisit provides us with an excel-lent and much-needed opportuni-ty to reflect on the life of ourlocal community.”
The day is free, though partic-ipants are encouraged to bringtheir own packed lunches. Clergyand their guests are invited tocontact Alex Hughes atBishopsgrove on 01329-280247or [email protected] to confirm their attendance.
Quick! Hide behind the sofa as DrWho materialises in Biblical times
Holiday clubs around the diocese: pages 8-9
HOW CANWE MAKEPEOPLE’S
LIVESBETTER?The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Rowan
Williams, who will join us on November 17
OUR diocese’s links with our
Roman Catholic counterparts
have been strengthened by pro-
posals to link two Isle of Wight
schools.
Plans have been drawn up
for Pat Goodhead, headteacher
at Trinity C of E Middle
School in Newport, to also
become acting head at the
neighbouring Archbishop King
RC Middle School from
September.
The proposal was made to
solve the problem of the vacant
post of headteacher at the RC
school after the death of the
former head, Alan Johns, last
year. Parents at both schools
are now being asked for their
views.
If this goes ahead, it will be
the first time that our diocese
and the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Portsmouth have
worked together in this way.
The governors of both schools,
both dioceses and the Isle of
Wight Council are all con-
vinced it could work.
Canon David Isaac, our
diocesan director of education,
said: “Our Board of Education
is committed to collaboration
between Roman Catholics and
Anglicans, and the schools’
proposal was a welcome mani-
festation of several years’
working with Roman Catholic
colleagues.
“They are both strong
schools, and having two schools
working together, sharing
resources, expertise and the
vision of the staff has to be
good because it enhances the
resources available to pupils.”
The proposal is for the
arrangement to last for one or
two years initially.
School linkstrengthens
ties withCatholics
OUR diocesan officeswill be closed for twoweeks this summer asstaff move to a newlocation.
Central diocesan staff willmove to their new home atPeninsular House, off the M275,between July 24 and August 4.During that time, our archdeaconswill be fielding enquiries fromparishes.
Our diocese bought the five-storey former P&O headquartersin partnership with PortsmouthHousing Association. Our dioceseowns two of the floors, one ofwhich will be rented out to helppay for the maintenance of thebuilding.
It means all our diocesan staffwill be together in the same build-ing for the first time, which willimprove co-ordination. Until now,board of finance and board of edu-
cation staff have been at CathedralHouse and board of mission staffat All Saints’ Church. The newoffices will also provide a moremodern, open-plan environmentfor staff and visitors.
The new address for the dioce-san offices from July 31 will be:First Floor, Peninsular House,Wharf Road, Portsmouth, PO28TA. The current phone number023-9282 5731 will not work afterJuly 24.
Individual staff will havedirect-dial phone numbers andvoice mail for the first time –though the exact numbers have notyet been allocated by BT. A direc-tory listing those numbers will becirculated to parishes and pub-lished in the Pompey Chimeswhen they are known. E-mailaddresses will also change tomake it easier to contact the rightperson but the existing addresseswill also continue to work.
While the offices are closed,parishes in Gosport, Fareham,Bishop’s Waltham and Petersfieldshould contact the Archdeacon ofthe Meon, the Ven Peter Hancock,on 01329-280101. Parishes inHavant and Portsmouth should
contact the Archdeacon ofPortsdown, the Ven TrevorReader, on 023-9243 2693. AndIsle of Wight parishes should con-tact the Archdeacon of the Isle ofWight’s office on 01983-884432.
Deputy diocesan secretaryAndrew Robinson, who is over-seeing the move, said: “We obvi-ously want to keep disruption to aminimum during our move, but itwill take us a fortnight to pack,move and unpack. I hope parisheswill bear with us during the move.Normal service will be resumedon August 7.
“I hope we can also hold aseries of open days some time inSeptember so clergy and parish-ioners can see for themselves howmuch better our new offices are.
“Ultimately, we believe thathaving all staff in one open plan,modern office will make it easierfor us to offer advice, support andservice to parishes, and improvehow we work together as a centralstaff team.”
news2
DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER EDITION: Monday 7 August
AVAILABLE FOR PARISHES TOCOLLECT FROM DEANERY DEPOTS:Thursday 24 August
The Pompey Chimes is the official newspaper of the Anglican Diocese ofPortsmouth, which covers 142 parishes in south-east Hampshire and theIsle of Wight. Its total circulation is 9,000, and it is produced monthlyexcept for January and August. Each of our parishes pays 15p for eachcopy, which allows our readers to pick it up for free on the final Sunday ofeach month. Adverts are dealt with by our publishers, Cornerstone Vision.
Jean Maslin
Goodbye after 15 years working for bishopsTHE bishop has appointed a
new secretary to replace Jean
Maslin, who has retired after
15 years in the job. Judy
Couzens started work at
Bishopsgrove last month.
Jean retired after serving
two separate Bishops of
Portsmouth and four bishop’s
chaplains in two different loca-
tions. She started working
part-time for Bishop Timothy
Bavin in Bishopswood, the 10-
bedroomed thatched home off
The Avenue in Fareham that
also doubled as his office.
“I’d worked as a secretary
before having children, but
working for the Church was
completely different,” she said.
“People have a totally different
attitude, which isn’t so busi-
ness-like, but more caring. I
remember thinking I wanted to
help make the bishop’s office as
approachable as I could.”
Bishop Kenneth took over
in 1995, and a re-jigging of his
staff meant Jean could work
full-time, and Kenneth also
recruited Julie Anderson as a
second secretary. Kenneth, his
family and his staff all moved
to the smaller Bishopsgrove, in
Osborn Road, in 1996.
“Both Timothy and
Kenneth have been a delight to
work for,” said Jean. “The
interesting thing about the job
is that every day is different –
you don’t know what’s going to
happen day-by-day. But it’s
been a joy to have felt like a
small cog in a big organisation
like the Church. There’s been
lots of highlights and some sad-
nesses, such as the bishop’s
recent illness.
“I’ll miss the bishop, his
family and colleagues, although
I’ll still see them. But I’ll be
able to spend more time with
my grandchildren and in my
garden in my retirement, and
catch up on things I haven’t
been able to do previously.”
M275
TwyfordAvenue
StamshawRoad
Kingston Crescent
Wharf Road
Visitorparkingspaces
CROSS CHANNELFERRY PORT
First FloorPeninsular House,Wharf Road,Portsmouth, PO2 8TA
HOW TO FIND OUR NEW OFFICES
Port Solent
Central Portsmouth
WHALEISLAND
NORTH END
London Road
Cellists play on the roofTHREE cellists will play on
the roof of our cathedral dur-
ing July as part of a fund-rais-
ing stunt for charity.
The Sheffield musicians -
Jeremy Dawson, James Rees
and Clare Wallace - are trying
to visit 42 cathedrals in
England in the space of 12
days this summer to raise
£5,000 for the charities Shelter
and Aspire.
The Extreme Cello Trio
tour will come to Portsmouth
on July 26, when the musi-
cians will scale the roof over
the south ambulatory. As our
cathedral should be the third
of four visited that day, it’s
difficult to be precise about
the exact timing of the visit.
The trio invented ‘extreme
cello playing’ after playing in
several extreme locations in
the Peak District.
The performance will only
last a few minutes, but audi-
ence members are welcome to
listen from the ground. More
on www.extreme-cello.com.
Deacons andpriests to beordained atcathedral
EIGHT people will be ordainedas deacons and seven as priestsat our cathedral this month.
Bishop Kenneth will ordainPhilip Amey to serve as curate atthe Church of the Holy Spirit,Southsea, at 6pm on July 1,along with Thelma Barber (StJohn’s, Purbrook), Judith Bee(Hambledon), Joanna Farrell(Froxfield), Vivienne Heenan(Whitwell and Niton), Ian Hill(St John’s, Fareham) Meg Kirby(St Cuthbert’s, Copnor) andSimon Lewis (Ventnor andBonchurch).
The following morning at10.30pm, he will ordain the RevMargaret Hay as a priest to serveat St Thomas’s, Elson, as well asthe Rev Valerie Howes (Drox-ford, Meonstoke, Corhamptonand Exton), the Rev Tom Kennar(Warblington with Emsworth),the Rev Mark Rodel (St Jude’s,Southsea), the Rev Gary Snape(Holy Trinity with St Columba,Fareham), the Rev SusanWhitelock (St Mary’s, Fratton)and the Rev Ronnie Williams (StWilfrid’s, Cowplain).
THE next Archdeaconof the Isle of Wight willbe one of the firstwomen ordained as apriest.
Canon Caroline Baston, whois currently a rector in Winchesterand the diocesan director of ordi-nands, will take up her new posi-tion at the start of September.
She takes over from the VenTrevor Reader, who becameArchdeacon of Portsdown on themainland in February.
Caroline will be installed inPortsmouth Cathedral at 6pm onSeptember 10 and welcomed tothe island at St Thomas’s Church
in Newport later that week afterstarting work at the beginning ofthe month.
The 49-year-old used to workas a teacher in a Birminghaminner-city comprehensive beforetraining to become a priest. Sheinitially worked as a curate inSouthampton and was among thefirst tranche of women to beordained to the priesthood in1994.
She was appointed rector ofAll Saints Church, Winchester,with St Andrew’s Church,Chilcomb, and St Peter’s Church,Chesil, in 1995.
For the past 11 years, she hascombined the post with a dioce-
san job. She worked first asdiocesan communications officer,with responsibilities that includedmedia liaison, and since 1999 asdiocesan director of ordinands,which involved helping thoseinterested in becoming clergythemselves.
She said: “I am delighted toaccept Bishop Kenneth’s invita-tion to become the nextArchdeacon of the Isle of Wight.It is an exciting and challengingpost with both island and dioce-san responsibilities.
“I very much look forward tomoving to the Isle of Wight, get-ting to know the clergy and peo-ple of the parishes and working
with all sections of the islandcommunity.”
Bishop Kenneth said: “I’mdelighted to be able to appointsomeone with Caroline’s experi-ence and skills to this job. I’msure she will bring a lot to the Isleof Wight community, and to thePortsmouth diocese as a whole.”
She enjoys both playing andwatching sport, and is interestedin spirituality, including how touse traditional insights and wis-dom in a contemporary culture.
She is also a school governorof her local primary school, and amember of both AmnestyInternational and Medicin SansFrontiers.
Pioneer isnew top
cleric onthe island
3news
Canon Caroline Baston
REPAIRS to the listed churchesin Petersfield deanery will costalmost £900,000 over the nextfive years, a survey has shown.
English Heritage surveyedall 17 listed Anglican churchesin the deanery as part of their‘Inspired’ campaign, which aimsto persuade the government tocontribute more to the mainte-nance of church buildings.
It was one of five sampleareas across the country theylooked at in order to calculatethe current repair bill forchurches across the country.
The survey involved lookingat quinquennial inspectionreports, a questionnaire sent tochurchwardens and a visit by aconsultant architect. He calcu-lated the repair bill for thePetersfield deanery at £860,000from now until 2011.
The national repair bill wasestimated as £925m over thenext five years, or £185m eachyear. Although churchgoers arevaliantly raising around £67m ayear, that still leaves a £118mannual shortfall.
The five-point plan to tacklethe problem outlined in the‘Inspire’ campaign includes areform of heritage protectionlegislation, new support officersto advise congregations how tolook after their buildings moreeffectively, and new mainte-nance grants schemes.
Rural dean the Rev SimonWeeden said: “It’s difficult toknow whether that’s a fair figureor not, but it does identify thatour historic buildings are a greatexpense, whether you are asmall rural community or alarge urban church. We’d cer-tainly support any campaign toencourage the government tohelp with the funding of churchrepairs.”
The Church of England isresponsible for 80 per cent of alllisted places of worship inEngland. Of the £101m it spenton repairs in 2004, around £40mcame from grants and £60mfrom worshippers.
With other denominations,that means England’s congrega-tions are heroically raising£67m, or 60 per cent of the totalspent on repairs to listed church-es. But many essential repairsare being overlooked becausenot enough help is coming fromthe government and the widercommunity.
Bill forchurchrepairs
unveiled
Ex-teacher helps teenagers examine faith“It gives me a wider understanding ofthe interfaith groups within the city. Italso helps me understand my placewithin the culture of the city.” Sarah Jamieson, 18, from St Mary’sChurch, Fratton (Church of England)
“We need to learn how to appreciatethe cultures and people who are allaround us.” Shirin Hosseini-Sech, 15 (the Bahaifaith)
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news4
HOOK-with-
WARSASH: Childrenfrom Hook-with-Warsash C of E PrimarySchool had a hands-onopportunity to createsome new animal homesfor their school’s envi-ronmental area.
Outdoor artistGanesh Bruce helpedthem to make bird feed-ers, hedgehog homes,bird homes and batboxes.
The children meas-ured wood, cut pieces tothe correct length andjoined them together.For many, it was theirfirst chance to use drillsand hammers.
Some pupils evenhad the chance to use aspecial wood-burningpen to create their owndesigns on a totem pole
to be placed in thewoodland section of theenvironmental area.
The school paid for
Mr Bruce to visit due toa grant from the Awardsfor All LotteryFoundation.
BRIGHSTONE:Brighstone C of EPrimary School is devel-oping a school travelplan, which aims toreduce car use on theschool run.
The idea is to pro-mote walking, cyclingand the use of publicand shared transport - asthe school run accountsfor 10 per cent of trafficat peak time. It’s a gov-ernment initiative toimprove safety and chil-dren’s health.
Pupils from its eco-schools’ council, parentsand governors have hada significant input intothe plan. A high percent-age of youngsters tookpart in Cycle to SchoolWeek and more peopleare walking with theirchildren to school.
VENTNOR: Christiansof all denominationsjoined forces in Ventnorto celebrate Pentecost inglorious sunshine.
Around 200 wor-shippers from the SouthWight area came togeth-er at Ventnor MiddleSchool for their secondannual service and cele-bratory party.
They enjoyed a fal-conry display, puppets,clowning, a dog displayand a time of praise andworship, letting off bal-loons carrying messagesto Jesus. The day hadbegun with a processionaround Ventnor, led bythe Wight DiamondMarching Band.
Isle of WightCollege students hadalso made a 10-stonecake which was sharedon the day to mark thefact that Pentecost is thebirthday of the Church.
SWANMORE: Holyclown Roly Bain willjoin Swanmore villagersfor the day on July 2.
The ordained minis-ter and award-winningclown will perform inthe community churchservice in the villagehall at 10.30am, thenjoin in a picnic lunch.
He will also give acircus clown perform-ance and run a work-shop in circus skills. Theevent has been organ-ised by St Barnabas
Church, Swanmore, andSwanmore MethodistChurch. It’s all free ofcharge.
Roly Bain wasordained in 1978 andhas clowned all over theUK and abroad, winningawards from ClownsInternational.
HART PLAIN:Worshippers from HartPlain Church and othernearby churches steppedout for Christian Aid -raising more than £550
in the process.Sixty or so congre-
gation members joinedthe Friday evening LineDancing Club, which isled by Sue Smith, one ofthe church members.
After some simpleline dances, they allenjoyed sausage andmash and Americancookies. RobinDrummond fromChristian Aid thentalked about his recenttrip to Sierra Leone tosee the work of two of
the charity’s missionpartners.
The next Sundaythere was a specialmorning service, whichused Christian Aid mate-rial about Ethiopia.Children made collect-ing boxes to help raisemoney, and congrega-tion members raisedfunds with an austeritylunch.
GOSPORT: Jazz leg-end Eddie Harvey willplay a concert - at thechurch where he firstlearnt about music.
The jazz pianist willreturn to St Mary’sChurch in Alverstoke forthe first time since 1939.He sang in the church’schoir and was taught toplay the piano by thethen organist.
He will performfrom 7.30pm on July 22as part of a quintet thatalso includes two tenorsaxophones, drums andbass.
Eddie Harvey waspart of the ground-breaking JohnnyDankworth Seven in the1950s, and has alsotoured with HumphreyLyttleton and KennyBaker. He now teachesin London.
Tickets for the con-cert, priced at £6, areavailable from PaulPilott on 023-9252 6255.The proceeds go musicat St Mary’s Church.
the schoolreport
news fromthe pews
Pupils from Hook-with-Warsash Primaryuse the wood-burning pen
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news 5
POMPEY star AndyGriffin had never seenanything like it.
The Premiership footballerjoined worshippers to help streetchildren in Mexico City – and sawfor himself the abject poverty thatthousands of them face.
He was one of 10 people fromthe Portsmouth charity Faith andFootball who linked up with theUS-based mission organisationOMS International there for aweek. They took £3,000 raised bylocal churchgoers to give away, aswell as dozens of Pompey shirts.
The trip was also due toinvolve Pompey players LinvoyPrimus and Lomana Lua Lua, butneither could make it in the end.But the link to the project came viasomeone from Linvoy Primus’schurch. Gary Chapman, from theChurch of the Good Shepherd,Crookhorn, was one of the team,which organised football tourna-ments for street children andhelped launch an Alpha course for90 people in Mexico City.
“It was incredibly emotionalmeeting some of these street kids,”said Gary. “They were all high onsolvents and would be trying toplay football with tissues in theirhands, sniffing as they played.They were aged 12 and upwardsand had been to the OMS drop-incentre before.
“One of them arrived with acan of pipe cleaner, dipped tissuesin it, and then handed them to hismates. We also went to visit wheresome of them lived - a couple ofthem actually lived down the sew-ers where they showed me around‘their home’. I was told street kidsare also shot at indiscriminately bythe police.
“But the Holy Spirit workedamazingly, and these childrenseemed touched that someone wasbothered enough to talk and playfootball with them. One of theteams won a trophy. By the endof the day many of us and the kidswere crying.
“We also visited a more dan-gerous area that is ruled by twodrugs gangs and where kidnappingis common. The police don’t gothere at night and we had to beaccompanied during the day. Weset up a football tournament therewith some very hard-nosed kids,but we had to leave early because
we received reports a gang hadheard about us and were on theirway over with weapons.
“I think Andy Griffin found itquite hard, seeing so much pover-ty all around him. It’s not a situa-tion he would normally find him-self in. But his wife had really
encouraged him to come. Thesetrips keep opening my eyes to theextent of poverty in the world, andI’m sure they opened his.”
Gary’s next trip with Faith andFootball will be a return trip to anorphanage in Goa in India inNovember. He will travel there
with the winners of a competitionto improve pupils’ business skills– a team from the City ofPortsmouth Girls’ School. Thecontest was organised by theSouth-East Hampshire EducationBusiness Partnership and involved60 school teams from the area.
Anyone who would like tohelp Faith and Football’s work, ordonate to the work in Mexico Cityor in Goa can contact Gary on01243-774747 or [email protected]
Pompey star sawabject poverty A FORMER Reader from our
diocese is presenting a spiritualslot on Portsmouth’s newestradio station.
Jane Robinson, who was aReader at St Cuthbert’s Church,Copnor, presents news andviews about religion and ethicson Express FM, a new commu-nity station.
It was launched in Marchand is on air 24 hours a day,seven days a week on 93.7FM.Jane’s show - Spirit Level - isbroadcast at 7pm each Monday.She has already interviewedcathedral clergy and others fromthe diocese.
The non-profit making sta-tion has been set up with thehelp of the University ofPortsmouth, Highbury Collegeand Portsmouth College. Its stu-dios are based in the WiltshireBuildings, part of the university.
Station director ChrisCarnegy said: “There’s a lotgoing on in this vibrant city andwe will provide every opportu-nity for Portsmouth people toexpress themselves.”
For more details, see:www.expressfm.com
Spiritualslot on
new radiostation
Left: Andy Griffin with streetchildren; above: Gary
Chapman in Mexico City
IT’S a church that has been
redesigned to remind worship-
pers about their local commu-
nity.
St Faith’s Church in
Portsmouth has been re-devel-
oped to include a new
entrance, a new meeting room
– and a new coloured glass
window that looks out on the
Landport community. It’s a
visual reminder of the congre-
gation’s priorities.
More than 200 people,
including the Lord Mayor, for-
mer parish clergy and commu-
nity representatives, joined
Bishop Kenneth to celebrate
the re-ordering of the
Crasswell Street church –
almost 49 years to the day
since it was originally dedicat-
ed.
The site has been re-devel-
oped in partnership with the
newly-formed Landport
Community Association and
Portsmouth Housing
Association. The former com-
munity centre next to the
church will be re-developed
and flats created above it.
The church itself was re-
designed by Chichester archi-
tects CMA and includes a new
meeting room – the Barnabas
Room, named after one of the
parish’s former mission
churches – a new church
office, a quiet ‘prayer area’, a
restored pipe organ and a new
entrance that attracts people
directly in from Crasswell
Street.
One of the most stunning
aspects of the new design is a
coloured glass window that
separates the church from the
Barnabas room. It also enables
those in church to see through
the room to the window over-
looking Crasswell Street – a
reminder to the congregation
of their calling to be part of
the local community.
The service itself had a
great atmosphere of celebra-
tion, colour and life, and ended
with the welcome of those who
hope to be confirmed in
November.
Parish priest the Rev
Charlotte Hetherington, who is
responsible for St Faith’s, said:
“The whole development is an
exciting project to be part of.
It was wonderful to welcome
so many people to the service
to celebrate what has been
achieved.
“The new entrance places
us very much ‘on the street’
and reflects our desire to be an
active part of the Landport
community seeking to serve
God and his world.”
And Canon Bob White,
who is vicar of the parish of St
Mary’s, Fratton, which St
Faith’s is part of, said: “St
Faith’s has been an inspiration
to the rest of the parish in how
they have creatively looked at
their building and developed it
in a way that equips them for
the next 50 years.”
Church re-design reflects its priorities
Bishop Kenneth and Canon Bob White at the new font in there-designed St Faith’s Church,with confirmation candidates
Each of the seven volumes in this series includes the histori-cal setting and background to the hymns, the tunes, the
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A Good Read for the SummerAdvertising Feature
Summertime provides awonderful opportunity forcatching up with reading.If you are going away thetravelling time by rail orplane offers plenty of timeto sit back and relax with abook. If you are staying athome, time in the gardencan be well spent reading,writes Roy Perring. Manypeople like to get hookedon a thriller or romanticnovel but have youthought of using the timewisely with a Christianbook?
There are books for allages from novels to studybooks. I remember read-ing a book on the hymn,Amazing Grace. It man-aged to be both inspira-tional, historical plus a bitof a travelogue all at thesame time. A new series ofbooks featuring hymnsby favourite composersshould hopefully offer asimilar sort of experience,the complimentary CDoffering a chance to
hear performances ofthe works themselves.Respected Anglican theRev David Shepherd hascollected a series of hissermons to provide whathe describes as a liberalapproach to Anglicanproblems in Cordon BleuChristianity. For thosewho enjoy a novel in thesummertime, Paul Kercalhas a new one out, DrSylver and the Repositoryof the Past. It’s Paul’s sec-ond book in the DrSylvester series andpromises gripping excite-ment. To coincide withthe current footballmania, there is a re-release of the story ofDavid Jeal, Heart of aHooligan. Here we lookat what happens when agroup of British footballfans pick on a loneSwedish supporter. Thereis an encounter with aSalvation Army officerand a new life in Christ. Areality book for those
who find much of whatpasses as reality TV to berather trite and want toget their teeth into some-thing more substantial.Author, Terry Atkinson,takes a look at the maturePeter as revealed in theActs of the Apostles.Terry believes that Peterhas received ‘bad press’and sets out to help thereader understand himbetter, in Peter the MatureMan, and in so doing finda maturity on their ownChristian life. For thosewho like to listen towords rather than musicwhilst driving, the Pathsof Righteousness looks atPsalm 23 over 4 CD’s,offering as it goes, aninspiring journey throughgreen pastures and gentleflowing streams.
Elsewhere there is amonthly Bible basedcomic for children thatshould keep them enter-tained on the journey.
There is a tremendousselection available fromyour local Christianbookshop or direct bymail by phone or website.
If you are on holidaywhilst reading this, thendo look into one of thelocal Christian bookshopsto find a different kind ofgift to take home thisyear.Spend the summer onthat story
Some readers may alsobe interested in spendingthe summertime, puttingtheir own thoughts ormemories to paper andstart on creating a work of
their own. It is often saidthat we all have a bookwithin us yet very few ofus search it out. Somepeople have the mosttremendous life stories,which could be an inspi-ration to others if theypublished it. You caneither type it up yourselfor use a local print / copyshop to prepare just a fewcopies or even look at theexpert advice offered byself publishing organisa-tions. Always check care-fully on any costs inadvance and bear in mindthat not all publishedbooks make a profit oreven cover their costs.
7
Figures revealno extra burden
OUR parishes are pay-ing the same percent-age of their incomeinto the central pot asthey did in 1998.
Figures show that theamount requested in parishshare remained virtually con-stant over six years, as a propor-tion of total parish income. Itbelies the popular view thatparish share is becoming anincreasing burden on all ourcongregations.
The fact that the figure hasincreased by only 0.1 percent-age points is remarkable giventhat the grant to our diocesefrom the national ChurchCommissioners was reduced tozero, and our diocese’s contri-butions towards the Church ofEngland’s pensions fund dra-matically increased in those sixyears.
And from 1995 to 2005,clergy stipends – which iswhere most of the diocesanbudget is spent – increased bymore than 50 per cent. This is,of course, way above the levelof inflation, which increased byonly 28 per cent in those years.
Parish resources adviserGordon Uphill, who calculatedthe figures, said: “Given every-
thing that has happened to affectour budgets since 1998, I wouldhave expected the proportion ofparish income spent in parishshare to have increased substan-tially. I was astounded that itwas virtually the same.
“Despite increases in ourparish share, it remains one ofthe lowest in the 43 dioceses inEngland, as measured perchurch member. But what’spleasing to note is that parishincome has also increased.
“Of course, there are varia-tions between parishes, butoverall, this represents aremarkable effort by parishes togenerate more income, forwhich we should be thankful.”
Total unrestricted parishincome in 2004 – the last yearfor which full figures are avail-able – was £6.92m. In that year,the total parish share collectedwas £3.13m, or 45.3 per cent ofparish income. In 1998, totalunrestricted parish income was
£5.04m and parish share was£2.28m, making the equivalentfigure 45.2 per cent.
The news comes as our dio-cese prepares to contribute moreto the national Church ofEngland’s pensions fund – anincrease of £100,000 is expect-ed in the 2007 budget. Evenmore could be asked for in2008.
Parishes across our diocesewill be asked during the next sixmonths for their views on thelatest shortfalls in the Church’snational pensions fund.
New government regula-tions, reduced investmentreturns, and increasing lifeexpectancy of clergy mean thatcontributions from dioceses willprobably have to increase againfrom April 2008.
Diocesan secretary MichaelJordan said: “The Church ofEngland is not alone in havingproblems with pension funds.And this isn’t the first time that
dioceses have had to add extramoney to the fund to meet apotential shortfall.
“But the consultation thatwill happen in the second halfof 2006 will allow parishes tosay what they think about someimportant questions: should webe prepared to find additionalcontributions to fund clergypensions, or is there a levelbeyond which we aren’t pre-pared to go?
“If so, do we change theentitlement of clergy to pen-sions in future? Should the cur-rent scheme be closed to newentrants? Should we link post-retirement pensions increases toinflation rather than stipends?”
Parishes will be able tomake their views known via aconsultation form that will besent out as soon as it is receivedfrom the national Church.
Once parishes and diocesanbodies have made their viewsknown, the issue is likely tocome to the Church’s generalsynod next February, with afinal decision needing to betaken by July 2007.
Our Bishop’s Council hasalready decided to close ourdiocesan lay staff’s final salarypensions scheme to newentrants.
IS PARISH SHARE A GREATER BURDEN?
YearTotal
unrestrictedparish income
Total parishshare
collected
Parish share as percentage of parish
income
1998 £5.04m £2.28m 45.2 per cent
2004 £6.92m £3.13m 45.3 per cent
Navy helps with first stage of projectOFFICERS and ratings from the Royal
Navy helped worshippers at the
Church of the Ascension in North End
move four sheds and demolish a fifth -
the first stage in a project to transform
the church.
The sheds house equipment used by
community groups that meet in the
church. But they had to be moved from
part of the site that will be sold to
Portsmouth Housing Association to
build new flats. The cash from the sale
will help to pay for new community
facilities inside the church.
Commander Geoff Bewley, from
HMS King Alfred on Whale Island,
said: “This was a community activity
we were happy to help with.
“It’s also a training exercise, help-
ing develop leadership and team skills
that the part-timers will use when they
are serving alongside their full-time
colleagues in the Royal Navy.”Officers and ratings from the Royal Navy move one of the sheds
at the Church of the Ascension in North End
We welcome visitors to experience the benefit of meditation in a group. The Centre has many books relating to
contemplative meditation.Marian Dunlop House is the home of the Fellowship where
we hold small gatherings and meetings.
We practise and teach contemplative meditation in
the Christian tradition at residential and day courses
in Dorchester and elsewhere.
We welcome people and groups to stay in our quiet,comfortable and friendly house.
Please contact:Marian Dunlop House, 8 Prince of Wales Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1PWTel: (01305) 251396
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10
A place to study in Salisbury Cathedral Close
Sarum College – an ecumenical Christian centre – offers an excitingand growing range of courses, including:
� MA in Christian Spirituality (part-time)
� Theology Quest and Questions
� Short courses in theology, spirituality, arts and heritage
Housed in fine 17th and 19th century buildings in the beautiful andtranquil Cathedral Close, we can offer residential accommodation,refectory, meeting rooms, chapel, bookshop, common room & specialist theological library - and a very warm welcome.
BENEDICTINE STUDY AND ARTS CENTREInstitute of Theology and Religious Studies
74 Castlebar Road, London W5 2DD, UK
Advertising Feature
Education at all levelsChoosing aschool
Whilst moststudents willhave alreadydecided on aUniversity orCollege to attendfrom the autumnsemester, somewill still be look-
ing for a courseand others willstart planning fornext year.
A lot of prayerand advice willbe undertaken indeciding whatpath to follow,even when inher-ent talents seem
Fun learning &Activity Holidays for
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St Alban’s School is a single form entry Primary School with220 children on roll aged between 4 and 11 which enjoysexcellent links with many local churches.We offer a caring Christian tradition. Our curriculumprovides good support for those children with specialeducational needs and for the more able child. St Alban’s has a strong tradition of excellence in music.Lessons are offered in brass, woodwind, piano, violin andrecorder. The school also has two bands and a large choir. Inaddition, other extra-curricular activities include sports, art,computer and homework club for our Year 6 pupils. Beforeand afterschool child care are available on the premises.Applications for a place in our Reception class can be madefrom the Autumn prior to your child’s 4th birthday andoccasionally we have vacancies for other year groups.Admission is open to any child with a church reference.
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St Alban’s Churchof England (Aided)Primary School
Headteacher: Mrs Alice WoodSt Alban’s Road, West Leigh, Havant, Hants PO9 2JX
to make thechoice a littlemore obvious.For youngerChristians thepath may havealready been dis-cussed whenchoosing sub-jects for A levelsbut for many
older Christiansstarting a coursecould well be apart of a changein life’s direc-tion.
There’s alsothe choice of col-lege. For manysome time awayfrom home atUniversity canbe a time of self-discovery andg r o w i n g ,although othersmay well prefersomewhere clos-er to home. Thiscan be due to thec o m m i t m e n t ssuch as familyresponsibilitiesor commitmentsto the localchurch or otherorganisa t ions .Travelling timesare also quicker aboon for moststudents.
For all thechallenge of fulltime studyshould prove tobe rewarding andfulfilling.
Other ways oflearning
The way inwhich we vieweducation has
changed consid-erably over theyears with ani n c r e a s i n gemphasis beingplaced on‘ L i f e l o n gLearning’ forpeople of all agesand abilities.
Christians cantake part in thisprocess throughcourses at uni-versities and col-leges or throughone of theincreasing num-ber of distancelearning courses,which can bestudied for athome as well aspart-time andshort breakcourses.
There are manycolleges, whichoffer the subjectof Theologythrough distancelearning, and isideal for studentswith commit-ments, whichstop them, beinginvolved in fulltime education.For some,D i s t a n c eLearning offersthe opportunityto take a special-
ist subject to anew level.
Of course, it isnot justTheology thatwill be of interestto Christians.There are manyother subjectsand skills thatcan enable themto become moree f f i c i e n t l yinvolved in thework of theChurch or withinsociety at large.These caninvolve anythingfrom secretarialskills to coun-s e l l i n g .D e v e l o p i n gartistic abilitiescan also be put togood use in theservice of God.
The real mes-sage of LifelongLearning is thatit is never toolate to learn anew skill, orstudy a new sub-ject or to re-investigate theopportunity tostudy a subjectthat for somereason or anotherhad to bedropped in thepast.
11
Flowersor Futures?
To find out more please call
The Children’s Society on 0845 300 1128 quotingreference, Pompey Chimes, or go to
www.childrenssociety.org.uk/flowersorfutures
where you can order materials and/or set up a fund.
Charity Registration No. 221124
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The Children’s Society has recently produced a
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supporting website called ‘Flowers or Futures’.
The pack contains lots of useful materials for
what is always a very difficult time for family and
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leaflets about our work.
The website allows supporters to remember
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The Children’s Society provides hope, love and
understanding to 50,000 vulnerable children
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Planning for the FutureAdvertising Feature
In many ways we allleave a legacy behind uswhen we die. It is theresult of the lives we haveled and the people wehave touched on our jour-ney through life. In somecases there will be verytangible legacies such as aministry, which is remem-bered, it could be works ofart or writing. In somecases we will have had theopportunity to work on aproject such as a churchextension or communityproject that has reallymade a difference.
There are other sorts oflegacies, living legacies ifyou like, which enable awork or project to contin-ue after we are gone.Those with families willusually leave a will mak-ing sure that it is clear whois to inherit certain thingsto avoid any confusionafter they have died, butthere is also the opportuni-ty to leave money to vari-ous charities or the churchitself in order that theirministry gets the vitalfunds that are needed tocontinue it’s work. Inmany ways funds we leavein this manner reflect a lotabout what our beliefs are.
The necessity for a willis even more important forthose without a direct heirin order that their wishesare considered in respect
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BEING part of the Isleof Wight Steam Railwayis a bit like being partof a church congrega-tion for John Hibberd.
Both involve a group of dedi-cated people taking care to pre-serve a historic institution andoffering to serve members of thewider community – and there’s alot of job satisfaction involvedtoo.
The retired priest, who wor-ships at the Church of the GoodShepherd, Lake, will spend muchof the summer at one of theisland’s premier tourist attractions.
He works voluntarily as assis-tant finance manager for two daysa week, and as a train conductorand in the booking office on otherdays of the week. In June therewere only six days when he wasn’tthere.
And the frequent journeys upand down the five miles of trackbetween Wootton and Smallbrookalso give him time to reflect on thebeauty of God’s creation he cansee from the beautifully-restoredcarriages.
“If you want to praise God forhis creation, there’s no better placeto do it than sitting in a carriage orthe guard’s van looking at thescenery!” he said. “Sitting in a his-toric railway carriage that’s beenloved and cared for by so manypeople also restores your faith inhumanity.
“There’s not an official chap-lain to the railway, and I don’twear my dog collar here, but peo-ple know who I am and there is aministry.
“I can provide a listening ear,and people do come to me because
they know I’m a clergyman. Theyalso stand in for me when I go andtake funerals or other services.
“In many ways, the steam rail-way community is like a church.The volunteers are helping to pre-serve part of English heritage, justas a congregation looks after achurch building.
“There is also a mixture of reg-ulars who are often here, and visi-tors who may only come once ortwice a year, just like at church.You want them all to feel wel-come, and there is a satisfactionwhen people say how muchthey’ve enjoyed themselves.”
The 68-year-old worked as ashipping clerk in London and alsodid national service before train-ing for the priesthood.
He worked as a priest inChiswick before joining the staffof the Diocese of London asfinance secretary. He was there for12 years before retiring to theisland.
He had been interested intrains since he was 10, when hewould watch the Royal Scot thun-der past, near his house inWembley every Saturday morn-ing. In 1959, he brought a scoutgroup to the Isle of Wight and sawits steam trains in regular service.
He then started coming to theisland for holidays and weekendsto help out with the restored steamrailway from 1993.
The amount of time he spenton the island gradually increaseduntil he bought a bungalow in
Lake in 1996.“The steam railway can only
really survive on voluntary
labour,” he said. “There are about12 people who are paid – whichincreases to 18 in the high season– but there are around 150 volun-teers.
“Some are retired, like me,some are enthusiasts, some areschoolboys on work experience or
on holidays. But there are a core of20-30 of us who are here much ofthe time.
“It can be quite a complicatedjob. Selling tickets, for instance,involves knowing how much firstand third class, adult and childtickets are, as well as the specialoffers involving travelling on theferries, the hovercraft or BritishRail.
“You have to be good at men-tal arithmetic as there are no cal-culators! There is training for allthose involved in many aspects ofthe railway – and the training todrive or fire an engine, forinstance, takes a long time.
“Being here is part of my lifeof prayer. Every time I come here,I pray that I’ll be kept safe, andthat others will too. And I enjoyhelping to run the railway andbeing part of it. Even when it’s wetand you’re getting a good soaking,it’s wonderful!”
John has also been PCC treas-urer in his parish since 2000, andis involved with a variety of otherorganisations, including the
British Legion and the Isle ofWight Musical CompetitionFestival Committee.
“Once people know that youhave a head for figures, you canend up with lots of offers,” hesaid. “I don’t like to say no, and itall keeps me out of mischief!”
12 features
Steam railway is atiny slice of heaven
The Rev John Hibberd divides his time between the church andthe Isle of Wight Steam Railway. But he claims there are more similarities between the two than you might think
my faithThe Rev John Hibberd at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
THE Isle of Wight once boast-
ed 55 miles of Victorian rail-
way track, with services run by
eight separate companies.
Most of it closed between
1952 and 1966, and the Ryde
to Shanklin line that operates
today only survived thanks to a
public outcry.
It was in 1971 that a group
of schoolboys and their fami-
lies decided to try to restore
the steam railway between
Wootton and Havenstreet,
where a mile and a half of
track still existed.
By 1991, the line between
Havenstreet and Smallbrook
had been added, but only after
volunteers helped to re-lay
track that had been removed.
It’s now possible to transfer
from steam train to the island
line and vice versa at
Smallbrook Junction.
The steam railway now
boasts seven engines and three
diesels, all of which have been
painstakingly restored to pris-
tine condition. The oldest loco-
motive was built in 1876.
The carriages have also
been lovingly restored, using
the original wood and uphol-
stery where possible. All the
carriages were used on the
island’s original steam trains,
and many contain original
period photos and details.
The steam railway attracts
around 60,000 visitors a year
and runs trains every day in
the summer and less frequently
in winter.
It puts on a series of special
events that attract thousands
of visitors – from fish and chip
evenings to ghost walks.
Many families see Thomas
the Tank Engine and his
friends when they visit, and
thousands flock to the annual
island steam show over the
August Bank Holiday week-
end.
The railway’s Havenstreet
station already featured a
restored ticket office, museum,
shop and café, but a recent
extension – the Calbourne
room – means it can now host
wedding receptions and confer-
ences. School parties are also
catered for in a modern class-
room.
John said: “You can spend
a whole day here without any
problem. The whole place is a
living, breathing museum and
it gives you a real buzz to see
how authentic everything is.”
For more information
about the Isle of Wight steam
railway, see: www.iwsteamrail
way.co.uk
Island’s top attraction was lovingly restored
SO what do you thinkmakes a city a ‘good’city?
That’s one of the questionsposed by Faithful Cities, thereport just published jointly bythe Church of England andMethodist Church in celebrationof the seminal Faith in the Cityreport 21 years ago.
Although set up by theChurch of England, the group thatwrote this new report, theCommission on Urban Life andFaith, was diverse, includingeight Anglicans (including theArchbishop of York), two RomanCatholics, one URC, a Muslim,and a Methodist chair in BaronessRichardson.
The style of the report (pic-tured right) is rather different tothat of 21 years ago, with lots ofcolour, both in pictures, textboxes, and case examples.
It is in many ways an easierread than the earlier report, notleast by being shorter, but it hasalso to grapple with much greatercomplexity. It does not duck this,
but most of its conclusions arenecessarily less focussed thanthose of the original report. In the11 recommendations, it talksabout the importance of theChurch maintaining “a planned,continued and substantial pres-ence across our urban areas”.
It talks about the importanceof social cohesion, calling for thegap between those living inpoverty and the very wealthy tobe reduced.
Another unusually focussedrecommendation concerns asy-lum policy. Like those responsi-ble for the earlier report, theauthors of this one do not shyaway from criticism of the gov-
ernment, saying that it shouldlead rather than follow publicopinion on this issue, and that,“asylum seekers should beallowed to sustain themselves,and contribute to society throughpaid work. It is unacceptable touse destitution as a tool of coer-cion when dealing with ‘refused’asylum seekers.”
The report talks about theneed for clarity over partnershipsbetween faith communities andpublic authorities. This is reallyabout the delivery of regenerationprojects and services by faithgroups.
There is a major agendabehind this which, as a Church,
we will need towrestle with fur-ther. It also saysthat the Church ofEngland shouldcontinue to supportthe Church UrbanFund as a “vitalresource”.
On young peo-ple and education, itcalls for a re-focussing “awayfrom the more per-formance driven models to thedevelopment of informal andholistic educational approacheswhich incorporate mind, bodyand emotions.”
One recommendation is for areview of the impact of faithschools on community cohesionin urban settings. This recognisesthe misgivings of some that faithschools might foster division.
In fact, the report argues that,properly constituted, the oppositeshould be true, as faith schoolsshould be understood as having a“foundation in faith” and not as
“schools for the faith-ful”. It asserts that “theability to celebrate andlive with ‘difference’as a source of humanenrichment is a keyurban challenge.”
The report setsout to stimulate dis-cussion and actionnot just by those liv-ing in an urban set-ting but also bythose responsible
for formulating policies thataffect those in an urban setting.
In a diocese like this onewhich has urban, suburban andrural parts to it, that involvesmore of us than just those livingin city centres, and we plan torespond to that call for discussionin some way in the second half ofthe year. � Faithful Cities (£9.99) waspublished in May by ChurchHouse Publishing and MethodistPublishing House. Availablefrom all good bookshops. ISBN 1-85852-315-X
features 13
the big issue
A new national report asks us to consider what makes a good city - and how the Church can help. Our social
responsibility adviser the Rev Nick Ralph sifts through it
Church has key role in urban life
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14
Don’t miss the summer season ofsteam trains to the Devon seaside
things continue therewill be lots of goodweather ahead!Residents and visi-tors to the region willfind it a wonderfulopportunity to getout and about visit-ing the many attrac-tions in the regionand a little further afield, writes RoyPerring.
When the weatheris good it is alwaysa more attractiveprospect to visit themany outdoorattractions such aszoos and animalsanctuaries, andeven the journeybecomes more of anevent in itself.Churches, cathe-drals and otherorganisations willbe organisingflower shows,which will appeal togardeners and non-gardeners alike.
Nostalgia isalways a big attrac-tion whether it is avisit to a favourite
cathedral or abbey,or travelling back intime on a vintagetrain or coach ride.
There really is somuch to do the timeshould simply flyby, and when theevening arrivesthere is always theopportunity to relaxat the cinema or the-atre.
Hampshire Pageant of Motoring
Broadlands Romsey Hants
Bank Holiday Sunday 27th &Mon 28th August 2006
OPEN 10AM - 5PM ADMISSION ADULTS £8CONCESSIONS £6 CHILDREN £1
The Largest Motoring Event in the South Coast
• Incorporating a British Heritage auction of classic and historic cars• Thousands of Classic Cars • American Cars• Car Clubs• Military Vehicles• Commercial Classics and Buses• Custom Cars, Sport Cars
and much more...1st class arena attractionsthroughout the day• Air Displays• Fun Fair• Children’s Rides• Huge Craft Marquees• Trade Marquees• Massive Auto Jumble• 100’s of Trade Stands• Licenced Bar & Catering• Free Car ParkingAll performances subject to license
CONTACT Tel: 01245 344813 Fax: 01245 281240
Supporting
Local Charities
www.hpom.co.uk
Cathedrals andmany otherChristian organisa-tions run cafés andrestaurants offer-ing a respite fromthe activities of theday as well as amuch-needed sup-plement to theincome of thechurch.
15what’s on listingsFriday 30 June - Sunday 2 JulyBINSTEAD, Church of the Holy Cross,
Church Lane (Friday: 6pm-8pm;
Saturday: 10am-4.30pm; Sunday 1pm-
4.30pm): Flower festival. Theme: Womenof the Bible. Includes stalls, refreshments,competitions and children’s dancingdisplay; (Saturday: 7.30pm): Concert bythe Tritone Singers; (Sunday: 4.30pm):
Songs of Praise service.
Saturday 1 JulyPURBROOK, Purbrook Park School,
Park Avenue (1pm-4pm): Christ ChurchPortsdown summer fete. Stalls, arena dis-plays, including marching band anddancers and barbecue. Opened by MarkStorey, chief football writer, The News.Admission: 50p, children: free.BEDHAMPTON, Bidbury Mead (2pm):
Bedhampton summer show. Opened by theMayor of Havant.PORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (6pm):
Ordination of deacons. See page 2 fordetails.WHIPPINGHAM, St Mildred’s Church
(7pm): Unity Stompers. Have a picnic inthe church orchard and listen to theisland’s premier traditional jazz combo.Tickets: £5 (under-12s: free).
Sunday 2 JulyPORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (10.30am):
Ordination of priests. See page 2 fordetails.SWANMORE, Village Hall (10.30am):
Community church service with RolyBain. See page 4 for details.SOUTH HARTING, St Mary and St
Gabriel Church (2pm): Summer teas.Visit the village on Sundays throughoutJuly and August for a homemade creamtea. Also on July 9, 16, 23 & 30 andAugust 6, 13, 20 & 27.
CALBOURNE, throughout the village
(11am-5pm): Open gardens.Refreshments available in recreation cen-tre. Admission by programme: £2.50. Freeparking on sports field.
Wednesday 5 JulyPORTSMOUTH, St Mary’s Church,
Fratton Road, Fratton (12noon):
Charity lunch.GOSPORT, St Mary’s Church, Rowner
Lane, Rowner (7.30pm): Mass followedby ecumenical Julian meeting. Half anhour of silent prayer. Details: the RevJohn Draper (023-9258 1834).
Friday 7 July - Monday 10 JulySANDOWN, St John the Evangelist,
Carter Street (10.30am-4pm, except
Sunday: 2pm-4pm): Flower festival tocelebrate church’s 125th anniversary.
Saturday 8 JulyGOSPORT, St Thomas’s Church, Elson
(10am-4pm): Summer fayre. Beer tents,bouncy castles and fun on theme ofNoah’s Ark. Also features the launch ofElson’s parish history book, written bylocal historians Mike and Mary Talbot.PORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (7pm): SalvationArmy concert.VENTNOR, Holy Trinity Church,
Trinity Road, (7pm): A MusicalPotpourri. An evening with the GodshillSingers. With supporting solo performanc-es. Retiring collection.HAVANT, St Faith’s Church, West
Street (7.30pm): Wyndcliffe Voices.Tickets: £6 (children: £3), including wineand nibbles.
Tuesday 11 JulyPORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (11am):
Mothers’ Union diocesan festival service.Address given by Trish Heywood, world-wide president of Mothers’ Union.
Followed by lunch and chance to meether. Contact: Jo Findlay (023-9287 3277).PORTSMOUTH, Cosham Baptist
Church, Havant Road (12noon-2pm):
Rebuilding Broken Lives. A Tearfundworkshop for church leaders. Hear real-life stories, explore the Bible’s agenda forserving the poor and get practical ideas.Contact: [email protected] orring 01730-269291 to book a place.
Thursday 13 JulyPORTSMOUTH, St Wilfrid’s Church,
George Street, Fratton (12noon):
Charity lunch.SOUTHSEA, Church of the Holy
Spirit, Fawcett Road (7.45pm): Concert.Wyndcliffe Voices, the Lazy LaneMynstrells (crumhorns, recorders, hurdy-gurdy) and Oaklands School RecorderEnsemble. Followed by refreshments.Retiring collection to centennial appeal.
Friday 14 July -Sunday 16 JulySOUTHWICK, St James’ Church
(Friday & Saturday: 10am-6pm;
Sunday: 12noon-6pm): Flower festival.To celebrate the 10th anniversary of TheRowans Hospice Travel. Theme: journeys.Donations to The Rowans Hospice.ARRETON, St George’s Church
(Friday & Saturday: 10am-4pm;
Sunday: 12.30pm-4pm): Display ofantique christening robes. Includes dis-plays of flowers, organ music, demonstra-tions of lace making and embroidery, andrefreshments. Special church service onJuly 16 at 11.15am.
Saturday 15 JulyDENMEAD, All Saints Church,
Hambledon Road (10am-12noon):
Focus on Ghana. Coffee morning, withphotos and videos on display and jew-ellery for sale.SOUTHSEA, House of Bethany, 7
Nelson Road (10am-4pm): Quiet day.Conductor: Canon Richard Eckersley.Please bring a packed lunch, drinks andtea provided. Cost: £5. Let the Sistersknow on 023-9283 3498 or [email protected] if you want to attend.GOSPORT, Trinity Green (12noon-
4pm): Holy Trinity summer fair. Includeshandicrafts, refreshments, cream teas, raf-fle and stalls.SOMERS TOWN, St Peter’s Church,
Somers Road (1.30pm): Summer fair.Admission: 20p.STUBBINGTON, Holy Rood Church
(1.30pm): Stubbington parish fete. Craftstalls, face-painting, children’s fancydress, country garden flower arrangingand cream teas. Contact: Tina Sanford(01329-661549 or [email protected])
Sunday 16 JulyPETERSFIELD, Churchers College
(10am-4pm): Thank God for Monday!Petersfield deanery day. See panel above.PORTSMOUTH, St Mary’s Church,
Fratton Road, Fratton (3.30pm): ChoralEvensong by the full choir of St Mary’s;(4.15pm): Organ recital. Given by 12-year-old Ryan Drucker, Oundle OrganFestival winner 2005. Admission free,with retiring collection for St Mary’sMusic Foundation.
Saturday 22 JulyPORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (7.30pm): Songsof Celebration. Renaissance Choir presentan evening of choral favourites to cele-brate the choir’s 30th birthday. Tickets(£10/£8/£2) on 023-9278 9546.GOSPORT, St Mary’s Church,
Alverstoke (7.30pm): Concert by jazzlegend Eddie Harvey. See page 4 fordetails.DENMEAD, All Saints Church,
Hambledon Road (7.30pm): Saxophoneand piano concert. Given by Ammonn Al-Mahrouq and Chris Scobie. Tickets: £7,available on 023-9224 1161 or 023-92266159.
Sunday 23 JulyEAST COWES, St James Church,
Church Path (9.30am): Patronal festivalfamily Communion.
Monday 24 JulyTITCHFIELD, Chapter rooms, St
Peter’s Church (10am-4.30pm): Annualsummer show. Craft, demonstrations, localhistory and books, cards and local producefor sale. Continues daily, except Sundaysuntil September 2.
Tuesday 25 JulyFAREHAM, Holy Trinity Church,
West Street (7.30pm): Concert. HolyTrinity church choir and friends.Admission free, with retiring collection.
Tuesday 25 July -Friday 28 JulyLIPHOOK, Liphook Church Centre,
Portsmouth Road (10am-12noon):
Liphook Lightshow. Holiday club withfun, Bible teaching, activities, craft andgames. See pages 8-9 for details.EMSWORTH, St James’s Primary
School, Bellevue Lane (10am-12.30pm):
God’s Heroes. Doctor Who-themed holi-day club, with drama, craft, music andgames. See pages 8-9 for details.
Saturday 29 JulyWATERLOOVILLE, Hart Plain
Church, Hart Plain Avenue (12noon-
3pm): July fayre. Many stalls, plusrefreshments and bouncy castle.
Monday 31 July -Friday 4 AugustVENTNOR, the beach (10.30am-
12.15pm): Ventnor beach party.Ecumenical holiday club with games,music, gospel message and tug of war.See pages 8-9 for details. Preceded bydedication service at Holy Trinity, Ventnor
(or on the beach) at 6.30pm on July 30.
Tuesday 1 August -Friday 4 AugustHAMBLEDON, Village hall (10am):
Holiday club. Stories, music, craft andgames on the Landlubbers theme.Concludes with presentation service in StPeter & St Paul Church at 1pm on August
4. See pages 8-9 for details.
Friday 4 AugustGOSPORT, St Mary’s Church,
Alverstoke (12.30pm-1.15pm): Organrecital. David Davies, from GuildfordCathedral. Tickets: £3.50.
Saturday 5 AugustHAVANT, St Faith’s Church, West
Street (10am-12noon): Coffee morning.
Monday 7 August -Saturday 12 AugustEAST COWES, St James Church,
Church Path (10am-4pm daily; also
6.30pm-8.30pm on Wednesday &
Thursday): Jigsaw puzzle festival.Hundreds of jigsaw made up, on displayand for sale. Refreshments and bookstall.Admission: £1 (adults), 50p (children).Contact: 01983-294075.
Tuesday 8 AugustTOTLAND BAY, Christ Church, Alum
Bay New Road (7.30pm): Organ recital.By Paul Hale, Southwell Minster.
Tuesday 8 August -Friday 11 AugustDENMEAD, Denmead Community
Centre (9.15am–3.30pm): DenmeadActivities and Bible School (DABS).Ecumenical holiday club with games, musicand activities. See pages 8-9 for details.
Friday 11 AugustGOSPORT, St Mary’s Church,
Alverstoke (12.30pm-1.15pm): Organ
recital. Marcus Wibberley, fromPortsmouth Cathedral. Tickets: £3.50.
Monday 14 August -Friday 18 AugustNITON, St John’s Church, Church Street
(9.30am–12noon): Children’s musicalactivity week. See pages 8-9 for details.
Friday 18 AugustGOSPORT, St Mary’s Church,
Alverstoke (12.30pm-1.15pm): Organrecital. David Sanger from Cumbria.Tickets: £3.50.PORTSMOUTH, Portsmouth
Cathedral, High Street (7.30pm): Clergyin concert. The Dean of Hereford (piano)and Canon Michael Tristram (bass-bari-tone). Tickets: £12 in advance only(includes fork supper) on 023-9273 1282.
Friday 25 AugustGOSPORT, St Mary’s Church,
Alverstoke (12.30pm-1.15pm): Organrecital. Daniel Cook, from SalisburyCathedral. Tickets: £3.50.
Saturday 26 AugustHAVANT, St Faith’s Church, West
Street (10am-3.30pm): Town fair.
Sunday 27 AugustRYDE, HMS Royal George Memorial
Garden, the Esplanade (3pm): Open-airservice. RNA chaplain the Rev NickWallace and Ryde Sea Cadet chaplain, theRev Jonathan Redvers Harris, lead wor-ship to dedicate commemoration plaqueoriginally laid by Earl Mountbatten.
� Would you like your church’s events forSeptember listed here and on our web-site? Send details to: Pompey Chimes,First Floor, Diocese of Portsmouth,Peninsular House, Wharf Road,Portsmouth, PO2 8TA (new address from
July 31), or to [email protected] by August 7. NB:There is no separate August edition.
situations vacantBISHOP’S WALTHAM: A pianist isrequired to accompany a 35-strong choir.Rehearsals are held on Mondayevenings, 7.30pm-9.30pm in theMethodist Church, Basingwell Street,Bishop’s Waltham.
For details, contact Eunice Matthews(01329-511513 or [email protected]).
COPNOR: St Cuthbert’s Church is look-ing for a new organist. The church ishalfway through a £3.5m re-develop-ment, and worship currently takes placein a local school, accompanied by apiano and a small music group.
Worship will revert to the re-devel-oped church in 2008, and the new organ-
ist will be closely involved with deci-sion-making about the organ, which iscurrently in storage, and about all aspectsof music in the future.
This is a great opportunity to beinnvotive and develop new musicalaccompaniment for worship. Contact theRev David Power on 023-9282 7071 [email protected] before theend of July.
DENMEAD: All Saints Church is look-ing for a new organist from the end ofJuly. It would involve playing forSunday services and one choir practice aweek. RSCM affliated. Please contact thevicar on 023-9225 5490 or by letter withthe names of two referees.
WORSHIPPERS from the
Petersfield deanery will join forces
to focus on how to be a Christian
at work.
‘Thank God for Monday!’ is
the title of their deanery day on
July 16, which will be held at
Churchers’ College, Petersfield.
Bishop Kenneth and the
Archdeacon of the Meon, the Ven
Peter Hancock, will be there.
The executive director of the
London Institute for
Contemporary Christianity, Mark
Greene, will be the key speaker. He
previously worked in advertising
and wrote a book about faith at
work entitled Thank God It’sMonday.
The day will also include work-
shops on the theme of work, as well
as those on Celtic prayer, clown-
ing, labyrinths, the environment,
The Da Vinci Code, storytelling and
computer projection in worship.
The day will also feature wor-
ship and a special programme of
activities for children and young
people. It happens between 10am
and 4pm.
Deanery day to focus on faith in workplace
Children watch puppets at a previous deanery day
back page focus16
Teens chilland chat at
Friday’s club
I WAS going to tell you all
about the joys of being a grand-
mother but the expectant baby
does not know about my dead-
line to write The Last Word!
Our son has prepared a text
message to let us know when
they are on the way to the hos-
pital but still, the baby does not
take the hint. So I will tell you
how much I love texting
instead!
Of all the modern forms of
communication it is the one I
love the best. Nothing beats the
spoken word, of course, but as a
vehicle for a spontaneous
thought or a practical arrange-
ment, it is brilliant.
At the age of nine I went to
boarding school and until the
half-term break the only way I
could communicate with my
parents was by writing a letter
twice a week - and even then
they were read by the head-
mistress before posting.
Such ‘stiff upper lip’ atti-
tudes have fortunately now
gone and we are surrounded by
means of communication not
dreamt of in my youth or even
until the last few years.
With texting I can drop my-
self, without intruding, into my
children’s minds and they will
reply when it suits them; I can
find out how my friends are; I
can track travellers and fetch
them from the station at the
right time. Endless possibilities.
The answerphone is not such
a success. The first time I
encountered one, way back in
the 1980s, I had to replace the
receiver because I was laughing
so much. These days it makes
me want to cry more than
laugh. What is it about an
answerphone which turns the
most intelligent coherent people
into stumbling, rambling, bor-
ing, witterers?
I hope that the Almighty
does not feel the same way
about some of our long interces-
sions, but I pray He will tell
baby Stevenson to get a move
on.
the lastwordby Sarah Stevensonthe bishop’s wife
Y i luv 2 snd txt msgs
Emma Rundell plays table football at ‘Friday’s’ - the youthgroup that meets in the church hall at St Thomas’s, Elson
IT’S a chance fordozens of teenagersto relax and be them-
selves.Nearly 50 young people mill
around the church hall of St Thomasthe Apostle in Gosport, flittingbetween the playstations and thetable football, chatting to theirfriends as they lounge around onsofas or competing ferociouslyaround the table tennis table.
This is ‘Friday’s’, a youth groupthat aims to build relationships withyoungsters from the Elson area byopening the church’s doors for twohours every Friday night. Internetaccess, playstations, table footballand table tennis tables are provided- plus the chance to meet friends andvolunteer Christian leaders.
It’s an initiative created by thelocal parish in an area where there islittle else provided for this agegroup. It’s also part of the Gosportdeanery Kairos plan. The idea is to
provide somewhere safe for localteenagers to meet so they don’t haveto hang around the streets, to offerthem advice and support and todevelop their spiritual awareness.
The project began as an act offaith and commitment to the localcommunity, and has since forgedlinks with other youth work servic-es, including Hampshire YouthService and Connexions.
The priest-in-charge, the RevSimon Rundell, said: “Much of thetime at the club appears chaotic andunstructured, with young peopleflitting from activity to activity,consuming huge amounts of tuck, orsimply sitting on the sofas chattingwith their friends, or interactingwith leaders who are taking anactive Christian interest in them.
“After a week of structure andorder in school it’s useful for them
to have a place to relax, be them-selves and ultimately grow intobeing themselves in the presence ofGod. It is less unstructured thanmight be imagined at first.
“Each week we close the sessionwith some group time - a chance tofocus on the week past, on God, andon our response to Him. This isgrowing into a key part of the club -developing a sense of the sacred anda growth in the spiritual.
“Kairos gave us the vision totake an initiative in this much-need-ed area, and the commitment of theparish to young people has been thedriving force behind it all.”
The group, which was launchedin February, has already been askedby one headteacher to work withcertain vulnerable teenagers.
The response to the initiativewithin the community has also beenoutstanding, so the project has nowbeen given £1,000 from the Kairospump-priming fund to help extendits outreach and facilities.
