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PARISH NEWS JULY 2012 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Bradford on Avon
PARISH NEWSJULY 2012
HOLY TRINITY CHURCHBradford on Avon
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Priest in Charge The Revd Joanna Abecassis [email protected] Woolley Street, BoA, 864444
Churchwardens Trevor Ford 25 Downavon, BoA, 862240Judith Holland 23 Avonfield Avenue, BoA, 866215
Assistant Wardens David Emerson, David Milne, Val Payne, John Woods
Retired Clergy The Ven John Burgess, Canon David Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones,Canon Peter Hardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Right Revd Bill Ind, The Revd Angela Onions, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins, Canon Humphrey York.
Lay Ministers Graham Dove (licensed) 868654Dr Malcolm Walsh (retired)
Director of Music Position currently vacant
Times of Services (Check Bulletins and notices or Church web site)
Sundays 8am Eucharist (Traditional language)
9.30am Sung Eucharist (coffee afterwards)
6pm Evensong, Compline, etc
Weekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays
12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwards
Daily (apart from Sundays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm (please enter via the north door opposite the Saxon Church, and check Bulletin for any cancellations)
Opening times April to September: the church is usually open to visitors on weekdays from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
Times of MeetingsChoir Practice 6.30pm Church, Tuesdays
Team Trinity 9.30am Guide HQ (1�� and 2ⁿ� Sundays in the
(formerly Junior Church) month, September to July, except Easter)
Mothers’ Union 7.30pm 3�� Thursday, Cedar Court, Berryfield Road, BoA.
Saxon Club 2 – 4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church Hall
Bell Practice 7.30–9pm 2ⁿ� and 4�� Mondays
Holy Trinity Web-site www.brad-avon-ht.org.ukDiocese Web-site www.salisbury.anglican.org.uk
Weekly Bulletin Notices to Trevor Ford not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday.
Please let the Priest in Charge, LLM or Churchwardens know if someone needsvisiting at home or in hospital.
DIRECTORY
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DIARY FOR JULY
Parish News copy date for August is 15th July
1 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
9.30am Sung Eucharist celebrating the 10�� Anniversary of the Ordination of the Revd Angela Onions
6pm Compline Saxon Church
5 Thursday 9.15am 'Wriggle and Worship!'
8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory
7 Saturday 10am-4pm HOLY TRINITY STREET MARKET Westbury Gardens
7.30pm Caldicot Male Voice Choir Concert
8 SUNDAY THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
9.30am 'Sing Hosanna!'
6pm Evensong Christ Church
14 Saturday 11am Bath Greek Orthodox Pilgrimage Saxon Church
12 noon Marriage of John Aldrich and Margaret Elton
2pm Marriage of David Jones and Janine Clifford
15 SUNDAY THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
9.30am Sung Eucharist with the Ven Paul Taylor, Archdeacon of Sherborne, as preacher
6pm Compline Saxon Church
20 Friday 7pm Friends of Holy Trinity AGM
21 Saturday 3pm Marriage of David Thomas and Michelle Honey
22 SUNDAY MARY MAGDALENE
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Evensong Saxon Church
26 Thursday 11.40am Mothers' Union Wave of Prayer
28 Saturday 12.30pm Marriage of Peter Ross and Dianne Mason
29 SUNDAY THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Songs of Praise Saxon Church
WEEKLY GROUPS
Monday 7.30pm 'Faith Explored' for venue ring 868654
(fortnightly)
Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children
– school terms only)
Thursday 11am 'Faith Explored' Vicarage, 18A, Woolley Street
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Dear friends,
July is going to be a very busy time here in Bradford on Avon; the StreetMarket and all that entails is no doubt in the forefront of many people'sminds. I must admit that Holy Trinity, Bradford on Avon, has the mostimpressive parish fête I have ever seen. It is an event, which truly bringsthe community of this beautiful town together.
For my part, July will be the beginning of a new phase of my training andministry at Holy Trinity Church in Weymouth. Weymouth is a large seasidetown, which, much like Bradford on Avon, lies in a spectacular natural setting.The nature of the parish will be different in many ways and I look forward tojoining the people of Weymouth as we journey on together.
I do feel very blessed to have had the great privilege of sharing this pastyear with all of you. It has been an exciting time in the life of Holy Trinity,BoA; a time of gentle change and moving forward together. A time ofprayerfully endeavouring to discern God's will for this community. Change isan essential part of life yet it can, at times, be painful too. There are occasionsin times of change when difficult decisions need to be made. Leaving thepeople and town of Bradford is not an easy thing for me to do yet I move on inconfidence that new experiences and opportunities await me in Weymouth.
We, at Holy Trinity, Bradford on Avon, are truly blessed as a community.We have so many different people with many different gifts, which they freelyoffer to the life of this church. The great success of the Street Market and themany other events and activities which take place here testify to this. Eachperson doing his or her individual little bit towards achieving greater things.We have much for which to thank God indeed!
Before leaving on my pre-ordination retreat last October I was given a bookthat discussed some of St Benedict's best theology on life. I thoroughlyenjoyed reading the book but it was what the person wrote in the front coverof the book that made the greatest impact. The words were derived from thetext of the book. They read: “For all what has been, Thanks. For all that willbe, Yes! So may it be for you.”
As people with so much to be thankful for and as people who journeyforward with God, let these words be our words:
“For all that has been, Thanks. For all that will be, Yes.”
With my thanks and very best wishes to you all,Philip
For all that has been: Thanks! For all that will be: Yes!
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Our meeting in June was verywell attended with over 30members and friends.
Marlene led our opening prayersand then Canon Richard Truss gaveus a very interesting and amusingtalk under the title “God in thetheatre”. Richard had been achaplain to Thames Television andwhen this lost it's franchise he wasasked to become chaplain to theNational Theatre and, added to this,while Vicar of St John'sWaterloo, the Young Vicand Senior Chaplain tothe Actors’ Church Union.
Although notprofessing to be an actorhimself he had been fascinated withthe theatre since seeing his firstpantomime at the age of 4. With thehelp of a story of his days of dealingwith the residents of “cardboard city”,which was in his parish, he tried tohelp us see what drama really was andhow we related to it. Going to thetheatre is more than a ‘good nightout'. He quoted from the directorPeter Brook's book The Empty Space,that it is meant to shock, to wake youup, to bring about change. We maynot remember a whole play but if wecarry one thing on which we canreflect then an impact has been made.A good message to all preachers!
He reminded us that his duty as achaplain extended far beyond those
we see on the stage and that at theNational this might be in the region of800 people. He described his rôle as‘loitering with intent’ in common withmany chaplaincy rôles, but moreformally he had run prayer and bible-study groups and held Eucharists andcarol services. However his main rôlewas building relationships with themany people with whom he came intocontact so that he was known andcould meet needs as they arose.
Richard did finally havehis moment of fame onstage at the CostelloTheatre where a group ofactors improvised his life ashe told the story to one of
the troupe. He was surprised in twoways – firstly, that the audience cameback for the second half and secondly,how much he had enjoyed it. Perhapsa new career for him in retirement? Athoroughly enjoyable evening. Angelagave the vote of thanks and Joy,Evelyn and Dawn provided therefreshments.
We have a busy Summer aheadwith our Summer Lunch at the Mill atRode on 11�� July, the Wave of Prayeron July 26�� at 11.40am in church, anda service and cream tea on MarySumner Day, 9�� August at the homeof Marlene and Tony.
Sylvia & Ian Stanes
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Junior Church News
First, and on behalf of Junior Church, I shouldlike to thank Alison for all she has done. We aresorry that she is leaving us. This may be themoment to ask if anyone would like to becomepart of the Junior Church team, ie. Sue, Murieland myself. We meet in the Guide HQ on thefirst two Sundays in the month at 9.30am for about three quartersof an hour before joining the congregation in church for theblessing. In the past, Alison and I have shared the planning of eachmeeting. Sue organises our art/craft sessions and Muriel plays thepiano. If anyone is interested, perhaps they could ring me on863745, or come along to one of our Sunday sessions? On the first Sunday in June – Jubilee weekend – we had ninechildren join us and we talked about the celebrations. It was reallyamazing how much the children knew: I expect they had been doingJubilee projects at school. We also decorated cakes and madecrowns to take along to the Jubilee celebration in church. At oursecond meeting in June we made cards for 'Fathers' Day'. By the time this magazine is printed we shall be only days awayfrom the Street Market, 7th July, so please let us have any toys orchildren's books that you no longer need for our stall.
As announced by Joanna at the service on 17th
June, we have changed the name of Junior Church. In future weshall be ‘Team Trinity’ .
June Harrison,for the Junior Church team
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Thanks from Alison…I should like to say thank you for the flowers that were presented to me in churchon 10th June as a farewell gesture!!! I know I shall miss working with thechildren as Junior Church/Sunday School has been part of my life for the last15ish years (all good things come to an end), but I am sure June, Sue and Murielwill continue the good work and possibly during the 'new vision' some others willsoon take my place.
Best wishesAlison Cook
…and from KathleenKathleen Thompson would like to thank all those who have sent cards and letterswishing her well during her recent illness, and she has much appreciated thosethose who have been to visit her.
Muriel Freeborn
Baptisms
Freya Rose Martin 10th June
Rufus George Edwards 17th June
Samuel Josiah Brewer 24th June
Marriages
Steven Desmares & Kelley Jenkins 16th June
Steven Martin & Laura Sawyer 16th June
Funerals
Doris Phelps 21st June
David George Rogers 22nd June
FROM THE REGISTERS
ApologyJackie Easby has pointed out that we wrongly identified one of the photosaccompanying her article about the Street Market in the June issue of ParishNews as the Mothers' Union stall when it was in fact the stall of a rivalorganization. We apologize for the misinformation.
BH
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HOLY TRINITY CIVIC SERVICE ANDDIAMOND JUBILEE PARTY
On Trinity Sunday, 3�� June, Holy Trinity held a Civic Service to markthe Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, followed by what was intended to bea ‘Churchyard’ party but which,
thanks to the weather, was held in thechurch rather than outside.
The Eucharist service was attended by thenew Mayor, Councillor John Potter, and our MP,Duncan Hames, both of whom later stayed onfor the party. As a special reminder of the
importance of the occasion, thechalice used at the main altarwas the church’s rare Elizabeth Isilver chalice . The chalice,shown here, which is hallmarked1564 G (London), is now safelyback in the bank vault where itusually resides.
The party was open toanyone in the town, and a fine collection ofedibles was provided by members of thecongregation, these being consumed all overthe church and washed down with a variety ofwines, the specially brewed Gudgeon Ale, orjust tea and coffee, depending on taste.
We were sorry to discover that Trevor, our trusty churchwarden, had beenwhisked into hospital and even while we were enjoying the party he was
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unfortunately enjoying the ministrations of surgeonsat the RUH. Happily he was soon restored to hisfamily, and we pray for a rapid recovery. In hisabsence, it was left to one of the deputy wardens toclean up after everyone had left.
Our thanks go to everyone who contributed –either consumables or services – to make this such asuccessful community occasion.
Bryan HarrisPhotographs by David Milne.
The report for the June 18�� meeting of BACT will appear inthe August issue of Parish News.
Bradford Area Churches Together
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N orman was born inBradford on Avon on 9��February, 1920. He is now
in a nursing home near to us inLangley, but he had celebratedbeing 92 on his birthday with asmall lunch party at the Swan Hotel.Not, as we shall see,that he was always sowelcome at the Swan.Norman was brought upin Regent's Place by hisgrandparents. And morethan 80 years ago hewas a choirboy at HolyTrinity.
After attendingFitzmaurice GrammarSchool, he started workat County Hall,Trowbridge, where heremained until 1982 apartfrom the years of theSecond World War.Norman joined upimmediately in 1939 when the RoyalWilts Yeomanry was a cavalryregiment. They took their horsesthrough France (before it fell) and onto Palestine. The regiment fought theFrench – yes, the Vichy French whowere by then in control of the Frenchcolony of Syria – and it was vital forthe Allies' war effort to be in control of
the oil-pipeline from Iraq! This was avery nasty little battle, but Norman didalso have the opportunity, whilst inPalestine, to visit many of the well-known Holy Sites.
The regiment also went to Tehranwhere they had a common front with
the Russians. Next itwas North Africa andthe now tankregiment was in thefront line at ElAlamein. Before oneof the operationsinvolving the RoyalWilts Yeomanry,General Montgomerysaid that the task wasso important that heaccepted thepossibility of 100%casualties. Norman'stank was hit, likemost of the others,but fortunately he
and other crew members got out justbefore it caught fire. Many people,including Winston Churchill, thoughtEl Alamein was a key turning point inthe war, (and by coincidence animportant part had been played by thedeception forces master-minded, aslater was the invasion of France, by ColDavid Stangeways who subsequently
NORMAN HANNEYMost members of the church family realise that one of the longest-standingmembers of our community, Norman Hanney, left Bradford on Avon last monthto live in a nursing home near to his son Stephen. Steve has kindly sent us thefollowing notes about his father.
Norman, from a group photo ofchurchwardens past and present,
taken at the vicarage in 1994.
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became vicar of Holy Trinity whilstNorman was church treasurer.
After the war Norman returned toCounty Hall and married Joan Randallin 1949. They initially lived in Newtownbefore moving to Joan's home town ofTrowbridge where Steve and Alisonwere born. In 1954 they moved back toAvonfield Avenue in Bradford, whereNorman lived for the next 58 years. Hebecame increasingly involved again inHoly Trinity, being treasurer and laterchurch warden. Family history has itthat at some point, probably in the1970s, he and members of the choirused to go for a pint after choirpractice, and one night they were
asked to leave the Swan for makingtoo much noise.
Norman also helped run theAlmhouses for many years, and he andJoan enjoyed being members of theNorden Twinning Association. He keptactive by playing badminton and laterbowls. The final event Norman enjoyedin Bradford was the Olympic Torchrelay as it came down TrowbridgeRoad, which he and his mates hadtreated as a playground in the 1920s.
Stephen Hanney
If anyone would like to contactNorman, please get in touch with Steveon 01753 572705; 34, Langley Road,Slough SL3 7AD.
Postman's knockMrs Smith was busy in the kitchen,aware that her 8-year-old son Peter, onholiday from school, had disappearedinto his room. After a couple of hourshe reappeared in the kitchen and hismother asked him what he had beendoing.“I've been playing Postman Pat”, hesaid. “But how could you? You've noletters” said his mother.“Oh,” said Peter, “I went into the atticand found an old chest. There werepiles of old letters there, tied up withpink ribbon. So I took them round thestreet in my school satchel and put onein the letter box of every house.”
From Enid German
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HOLY TRINITY HAS A VISION:The Church Building
In the final report of the group, considered at the PCCAway Day, it was stated that the church building shouldbe “a clean, bright, shining, warm, welcoming and flexiblebuilding, user friendly and open to the community, and, asan outpost of God's Kingdom on earth, have a spiritualpresence that garners respect”.
The PCC have asked a small group to take this vision forward and consider asmany ideas as possible for the future development of the church building. Themore ideas we have the better the chance of finding the right ones to make thebest use of the space and resources available.
To that end we are distributing two questionnaires, one to all members ofthe church community and to those who use or potentially may use thebuilding, and another to visitors.
At this stage all suggestions will be considered and ultimately a strategicplan will be drawn up to meet the vision.
We are distributing the questionnaires at the end of June and we hope tohave many returns by the end of September.
We need your help, so please fill in a questionnaire when the opportunitypresents itself so that everyone plays a part in fulfilling the vision.
Thank you.Ian Stanes (Group Chairman)
Church and State…
Joanna with the new Mayor, theDeputy Mayor and the former Mayor
at the recent Olympic Torch junke�ngs.
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CHARITIES NEWS
The Children's SocietyWe were delighted with the results of ourrecent collection at Sainsbury’s – a total of£412. 75 was collected over the two days25th and 26th May. We have also received amost generous donation of £50.00. Thistogether with our Co-op and towncollections and other donations gives us a wonderful result of £693. 27.
We are so grateful to everyone who helped to achieve this. Anne Carter
The Treasurer has also just received a letter of thanks from The Children’sSociety for the donation of £367.95 from the Holy Trinity Christingle and CribService on Christmas Eve, 2011, reported in the March issue of Parish News.
BACT Christian Aid Service, Holy Trinity, May 13th at 6pmThe collection at the BACT Christian Aid Service was £257.35 plusapproximately £35 gift aid to be added.Full details of the Bradford on Avon Christian Aid week collection are given onpage 14.
Many, many thanks……to all who gave so generously to the Mothers'Union holiday fund which provides deprivedfamilies with a holiday.
£205 was collected, including a contributionfrom the PCC, and this will be passed on toWilma and Ian who are organizing the holiday.
Sylvia and Ian
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CHRISTIAN AID WEEK COLLECTION13th/19th MAY, 2012
Bradford on Avon and surrounding villagesTOWN Area Amount
Liz Forbes and collectors Christchurch areas £398.38
Mike & Jenny Fuller & collectors Southway Park area £799.89
Ann Middleton & collectors St. Thomas More areas £554.83
Wendy Walker & collectors Downs View/Winsley Road area £363.96
Harry Wishart & collectors United Church areas £544.90
Jonquil Burgess & collectors Holy Trinity areas £493.89
Celia Feane & collectors The Friends Meeting House area £322.90
TOTAL £3,403.97
VILLAGES
Eric Kirk & collectors Westwood £237.67
Alison Wells & collectors Winsley, Turleigh, Murhill £1768.72
Gwyneth Hutchins and collectors Holt £896.40
Georgina Parker and collectors South Wraxall £233.56
TOTAL £3,136.35
Total envelope collection (includes £60 CAF vouchers) £6,540.32
FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Christian Aid Coffee Morning organised by Eileen Edgar for Holt churches £306.34
Christian Aid Lunch organised by Joy Messer and Christchurch members £330.00
Collection at the Christian Aid service in Holy Trinity church £257.35
Collecting tin left in Holy Trinity Church plus donations
including one in memory of Howard Todd £270.03
TOTAL £795.88
TOTAL FROM ALL SOURCES £7,674.04
Thank you and many congratulations to everyone. This is the highestamount we have ever sent at the end of Christian Aid Week. With Gift Aidpromised, almost £700 should be added to the total.
Ann Middleton
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FAITH EXPLOREDWe started the idea of Faith Explored Groups at Holy Trinityback in January 2011, so it seemed that the time had cometo 'report back', as they have been exciting times. The two'groups' – every Thursday at 11am at The Vicarage, andalternate Mondays at 7.30pm in the members' homes – havedeveloped in their own very distinct ways.
The Thursday Faith Explored (for it's really not a group in any fixed sense) iswhat amounts to an 'open house' at The Vicarage to discuss and explorewhatever issues of faith are currently challenging and exercising us. So fromweek to week we never quite know who will be there and what we shall bediscussing! But the one 'rule' is that it is a place to be honest and admit bothour doubts and our ignorance – whilst also being open to encouraging oneanother through our personal faith journeys. So it is definitely the place tocome with all those questions that you've never dared to ask (but another vital'rule' is never to leave your sense of humour or balance behind)!
Joanna
Faith Explored groups sounded like a good idea to Chris and me since eachof us was searching for answers to some difficult questions. Our experiencewith our fortnightly Monday meeting has far exceeded any pre-conceivedideas we might have had.
We started as nine individuals interested in learning more about our faith.Now we are ten Fuzzy Faith Groupies (as Malcolm calls us) who often need areferee when we're all talking at once!
Our approach is simple. We each take a turn to host and spend about half anhour catching up and enjoying treats before we begin. We always pray togetheras we gather to discuss and as we conclude our time together. Our topics arechosen during the previous meeting, and preparation is up to the individual.The host from the previous meeting is the facilitator, which makes eachmeeting a little different from the others.
Our topics have been varied, including discussions of the Book of Obadiah,the Eucharist, faith and healing, ethical issues, and the rôle of the Holy Spirit inour lives. Through each discussion, we have learned from our variedapproaches and insights and are becoming good friends on our journeys tobuilding God's kingdom on earth.
Erin Shields-Pett
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I vividly remember Tuesday 6��February 1952 when I was in mysecond term at St Paul's
Cathedral Choir School. As I wentinto the classroom for my first lessonthat morning my teacher told methe sad news that King George VIwas dead. A special memorial servicewas hastily arranged at St Paul's andthe whole school was allowed to goto Westminster Hall for the King'slying in state. It was some time laterthat it dawned on us that we'd beactually singing at the Coronation inWestminsterAbbey whichhad beenarranged for 2ⁿ�June 1953.
The Abbeywas closed at thebeginning ofJanuary for theconsiderableamount of workneeding to be done to the building inpreparation for the Coronation. Thismeant that the annual Maundy Servicewas transferred to St Paul's and so anopportunity for us choristers to see thenew Queen. After the service we wereeach given a set of freshly mintedMaundy money. After Easter we had toget down to learning the music to besung at the Coronation, including quitea lot of music that had been speciallycomposed for the service. We wereexpected to be note perfect by the first
rehearsal on 12�� May, and we still hadto practice the music for the dailyCathedral services. Fortunately ourorganist, Dr John Dykes Bower, hadgot everything organised to make surewe were note perfect. He had alsobeen appointed one of the two sub-conductors for the service.
There were over 400 in theCoronation Choir which included thechoirs of St Paul's, Westminster Abbey,St George's Chapel, Windsor, and theChapel Royal, representatives from
choirs in Britain andsingers from theCommonwealth.The BBC SymphonyOrchestra also tookpart in the service.Rehearsals wereconcentrated intothe three weeksbefore theCoronation, witheight in St
Margaret's, Westminster, two in theAbbey and the final 'dress rehearsal' onthe Friday before the service. The Dukeof Norfolk, as hereditary Earl Marshall,was responsible for arranging theCoronation service and was very muchin evidence at the final rehearsal. Hiswife, the Duchess of Norfolk, 'stood in'for the Queen, and I do recall the Duketicking off the pages and telling themwhat a shambles they were and wouldhave to perform a great deal better onthe day!
SINGING AT THE CORONATION
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On Coronation Day itself all theroads round the Abbey had been closedearly that morning, so we had to set offabout 7am, complete with choir robesand special orders of servicewhich contained all the musicwe were going to sing. We alsohad our tickets to allow us toenter the Abbey andsandwiches, in case we gothungry. The sandwichesconsisted of peanut butter andmarmalade, apparently tominimise the risk of having togo to the loo, although therewere loos in the special robingarea for choir and orchestrajust in case. We sat in speciallydesigned rows of seatsoverlooking the Abbey choir stalls. Astage had been specially constructedover an arch connecting the nave andchancel, sufficiently large toaccommodate the whole of the BBCSymphony Orchestra. Among theorchestra players were some well-known musicians – Denis Brain, thehorn player, Sidonie Goossens, theharpist and James Blades on thepercussion. We had to be in our seatswell before the start of the service, andwhile we were waiting, Sir Adrian Boultconducted a number of popular pieceslike Handel's Fireworks Music, Elgar'sNimrod, Vaughan Williams's Fantasiaon Greensleeves, and also WilliamWalton's newly composed Orb andSceptre march which has been oftenplayed during the recent DiamondJubilee celebrations. At the same time
we watched distinguished guests andpeers making their way to theirreserved seats.
We grew more and more excitedwaiting for the service tobegin when Sir WilliamMcKie, Organist ofWestminster Abbey andprincipal conductor for theservice, would take over thebaton. We were ordered tostand and then heard a blastof trumpets heralding theQueen's arrival. This was thecue to get ready to singParry's wonderful anthem Iwas glad which had beenspecially commissioned forthe Coronation of Edward
VII. On this occasion the anthemincluded the shouts of 'Vivat ReginaElizabetha' greeting the Queen as theroyal procession made its way throughthe Abbey. The anthem alwaysproduces that 'tingle factor' for mewhenever I hear it sung.
I didn't really have a good view ofthe Queen where I was sitting, althoughif I craned my neck round a pillar it wasjust possible to see her. We weren'table to see very much of what wasgoing on and in any case we had toconcentrate hard on the music we weresinging. This perhaps made the actualservice seem to go more quickly eventhough it was about two and a halfhours long. Apart from I was glad therewas other wonderful music, likeHandel's Zadok the Priest, sung before
(Continued on page 18)
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the Queen's anointing, and thecommunion anthem O taste and seespecially composed by VaughanWilliams for the Coronation. Anothermarvellous piece of music, andactually quite a difficult piece to sing,was William Walton's Te Deum sung atthe conclusion of the service apartfrom the two verses of the NationalAnthem. They were sung as theprocession with the newly crownedQueen left the Abbey to greet thehuge crowd waiting outside.
It took us a while to leave theAbbey once the service was over andget back to the Choir School which wedid about mid-afternoon. Coronationchicken wasn't on the menu for ourevening supper, but I seem toremember having junket and fruitsalad, although I don't recall evereating junket again! To conclude whathad been such an amazing andmemorable day we were allowed togo right to the top of St Paul's towatch the special Coronationfireworks.
Much of the liturgy in the 1953Coronation went back to Dunstan (ca910-988) who, as Archbishop ofCanterbury ,crowned Edgar, the firstKing of the English, on the site of thepresent Bath Abbey in 973. The nextCoronation service will probably bevery different to reflect the enormouschanges that have taken place inBritain over the last 60 years since ourQueen ascended the throne. Theservice will certainly have to beecumenical, as the only concession
back in 1953, was the very small partthe Moderator of the (Presbyterian)Church of Scotland had in the service.After the Queen had taken theCoronation Oath she was given aBible, and the Moderator said thewords, “Here is Wisdom; This is theroyal Law; These are the lively Oraclesof God.” The major denominations willhave to have a part to play in anyfuture Coronation, as also will themain faith communities which havemade such an important contributionto the life of both Britain and theCommonwealth.
There has also been quite a lot ofdiscussion of whether the royal title,'Defender of the Faith' should bechanged to 'Defender of Faith; thetitle actually goes back to Henry VIII.Ironically, the title was conferred uponHenry by Pope Leo X in 1521 as theresult of a treatise the King wrotedefending Catholicism against MartinLuther. This occurred 12 years beforehis break with Rome in 1533. Themulti-faith dimension will naturallyneed to be expressed in the service –quite a challenge for any futureliturgical commission! But whatever isdecided, I am sure anyone attending afuture Coronation will have wonderfulmemories of the occasion just as I hadback in 1953.
David Driscoll
The photographs are of David’smedal, as awarded to all of thechoirboys, and his ticket ofadmission to the abbey. Eds
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'I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO TO ME'(Hebrews 13, v6)
It is almost a quarter of a century since Aung San Suu Kyi last set foot inEurope, during which time she was kept under house arrest for 15 years. Herhusband, the Tibet expert Dr Michael Aris, died of cancer in 1999 having beenrefused a visa to visit the wife he had been able to see only five times in theprevious ten years. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, but wasunable to attend the ceremony. 21 years later, on 16�� June, 2012, she was ableto make her acceptance speech in Oslo City Hall. Her perseverance andunswerving pursuit of justice for her people, despite incredible hardships forherself, are an inspiration for all people of faith.
The following is an abridged extract from her 1991essay 'Freedom from Fear':
It is not power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losingpower corrupts those who wield it. Fear of thescourge of power corrupts those who are subject toit. Fear stifles our sense of right and wrong. In anysociety where fear is rife corruption in all formsbecomes deeply entrenched. Where there is no rule of law, the burden ofupholding the principles of justice and commondecency falls on ordinary people. It is thecumulative effect of their effort and endurancewhich will change a nation where reason andconscience are warped by fear into one where legal rules exist to promoteman's desire for harmony and justice. Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free menare the oppressed who go on trying and in the process make themselves fitto bear the responsibilities and uphold the disciplines which will maintaina free society.
What a woman!
What we can do“One prisoner of conscience” Aung San Suu Kyi has said “is one too many.”Amnesty International's ‘Pocket Protest’ is inviting us to add our voices toask for the release of hundreds of men and women still locked up inBurma’s prisons and torture cells simply for speaking their minds.
Just text FREEDOM2 plus your FULL NAME to 85080.Margaret Harris
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On the south wall of thetower vestry is a largepainting of the Last Supper
which has attracted severalunfavourable comments. W Bailey'sWestern and Midland Directory of1793 commented that ...'In thechancel is a handsome altar-piececoarsley (sic) ornamented with apainting that was intended torepresent the Last Supper'. Kelly'sDirectory remarked that the paintingwas indifferently painted by a localartist and Canon Jones thought ittestified more to [the artist's]devotedness than his skill. Pigot &Co's London, Provincial NewCommercial Directory for 1822 - 3was kinder ...'in the chancel ... thereis a very good altar-piece,ornamented with a painting of theLast Supper done by a native of thistown.'
The picture originally hung over theeast window as a reredos, but it isdifficult to be precise about dates. In1735 the Churchwardens' accounts lista payment of 5/- (25p) for a draught(sic) of the picture, but there is nofurther entry on the subject. It musthave been removed by 1856 when thepresent stained glass in the eastwindow was installed.
The Georgian church was far morevigorous than we have been led tobelieve, with many more churchesbeing built in the 18�� century than inthe previous three hundred years. It
was very much a church of the BCPand preaching, but the altar wasimportant. Think of all those beautifulaltar recesses in the Georgianchurches of Bath and London. TerryFriedman in his wonderful book on the18�� century church points out thatThe Last Supper was a favouritesubject for a reredos and there, onpage 122, is Holy Trinity's reredos. Butit isn't!
The picture in Freidman's book is areproduction of an oil sketch by JamesThornhill RA of the reredos that hepainted for St Mary’s, Weymouth. SirJames, who was MP for Weymouth,was the original painter of the dome atSt Paul's and the Weymouth LastSupper was considered the finest of hisreligious endeavours after St Paul'sdome and Wimpole Hall chapel. Thereredos is still in the church, though nolonger over the altar.
How did the painting get toBradford? Thornhill, and his son-in-lawWilliam Hogarth, ran an Art School in
ANOTHER PICTURE
The Last Supper by Sir James Thornhill,St Mary's church, Weymouth
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London and it is conceivable thatsomeone from the Bradford area sawthe oil sketch there and copied it. HolyTrinity's copy has some additionsincluding the two small boys in theforeground on the right. AlthoughChrist's halo is still luminous, the
background is very grey compared tothe blue sky and clouds in the oilsketch. The copy is not in goodcondition and would benefit fromcleaning and repair which might evenreveal the name of the artist.
Anne Willis
THE STREET MARKET COMETH!
Does anyone remember thehistory of the Holy Trinity
Street Market, or have recollectionsof fairs gone by? Chris Hodge andPat Irving put their heads togetherand came up with the following‘Memories of the Market’:
“Pat's husband, Roger, ran it for awhile, then Mervyn Harris did it fortwelve years, after which there was abit of a succession and then I did it for a couple of years.During my time, I decided to sell cheese and ham. I used to cook three hams(specially bought in) which we carved on the day and which were much soughtafter. Willie Douglas used to go to Cheddar to get the cheese (again at a discount)which was also very popular. Unfortunately, one year he got caught up in theGlastonbury Festival crowd, which prolonged his journey greatly! At one time,the Guides used to cook hot dogs, always a great seller until Health and Safetyrestrictions came in; one year it was so wet we had to put the stove under thetable! Before the advent of charity shops, Eileen Page ran rails of second-handclothes which were very popular and, at one time, Churchwarden Joe Pike's son-in‐law, a local estate agent and an auctioneer, would hold an auction to finish upthe day. Wonderful stuff was given, and many of us had really good bargains aswell as raising lots of money.”
So now we are getting ready for this year's Street Market. On July 7��, manywilling hands will gather at the Masonic Hall (starting at 8am!) to empty it of allthe bounty we've delivered on the previous two evenings and load it onto thelorry for delivery to Westbury Gardens, to be lovingly laid out by the Church Stallteams. A special community day will have begun and happy memories are sure tofollow. Good luck to us all!
Jackie Easby
photo: David Milne
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About 30 years ago a fresh-faced young man was sent towork with me at Melbourne'sEssendon Airport where I was
air‐traffic control manager. MikeSimpson was an ex-RAF Controllerand it soon became clear that heknew his way around air traffic andwas one of those gifted officers whocould effortlessly 'expect theunexpected' and deal with a problembefore it even occurred. Needless tosay that his progress at EssendonAirport was quite meteoric.
Turn the clock forward to 1992 andat this point (although I didn't learnabout it until much later), Mike had leftAir Traffic and enrolled at RidleyCollege in Melbourne with a view tobecoming ordained in the AnglicanChurch. Mike studied at Ridley beforebeing ordained in 1993. He then servedfor 2 years as Assistant Curate. He wasat various locations in the Melbournearea for another 13 years beforebecoming Associate Priest at St Jamesthe Less in MtEliza in 2008, arôle that he reallyenjoys, and hisnormal mainareas ofresponsibility arePastoral care,ConnectionsMinistry and
running Alphacourses. Mike ismarried to Sallyand they havetwo grown-upchildren and twograndchildren.
Mt Eliza isone of Melbourne's very attractiveBayside areas, about 30 miles south ofthe city, and the historic and original StJames the Less Church, the 'little whitechurch on the highway', was built inOctober 1865. It is one of the oldestbuildings in Mt Eliza, and was until the1970s Mt Eliza's only church building.Unlike other Anglican churches of thesame age nearer to Melbourne, it wasnot robustly constructed. It had verylittle in the way of foundations,something which has been addressedseveral times since, most recently asthe major object of a National Trustrestoration appeal. The building is nowin pristine condition and its appearanceis much as it would have been in the1930s, when local artist Violet Teague
completed thedelightfulmurals whichadorn the wallsof itssanctuary. Aspart of theparish's 140��anniversary
ST JAMES THE LESS ANGLICAN CHURCHMount Eliza, Melbourne
Mike Simpson
‘The li�le church on the highway’
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celebrations in 2005, an 1873 Finchampipe organ was installed in this historicchurch, to the delight of all. Thehistoric St James the Less Church isused for the first service in the parisheach Sunday at 7.45am, for theWednesday 10.30am service, for thedaily office each weekday at 8.30am,and for some weddings and funerals.Its limitation is that it can only seat 75people, which is why the St James theLess main church was built.
The main church, completed in1987, is physically linked to, thougharchitecturally separate from, thehistoric building. It can seat up to 300people, and enjoys good natural light.Its internal shape predates thecruciform pattern of many olderchurches, meaning that there is a senseof space and closer proximity betweenthose leading the worship and thecongregation, but also that it enjoysexcellent acoustics for music. Thisbuilding lends itself to both traditionaland contemporary worship styles. Ithas both a pipe organ and a grandpiano. It is furnished in Victorian ash,and contains notable adornments,
including a large hanging created byThe Victorian Tapestry Workshop, anda very large great window – 'Triptych'by Leonard French. We don't oftencome across new church buildings inour part of England, but this verymodern building immediatelyimpresses as a beautiful and mostsuitable place of worship. If you shouldget the chance to see the photographof the great window in colour on ourchurch web site, please do as it is a verystriking piece of art.
The Parish has just two clergy, theVicar and Priest in Charge being theRevd Shane Hubner who has been atthe church since 2010. Together, heand the Revd Mike Simpson betweenthem preside at four services eachSunday morning. The first of these isheld in the historic church at 7.45amand two at the main church at 9.30amand 10.30am. A fourth service is held inthe grounds of the nearby PeninsulaSchool at 10am. Meeting in ThePeninsula School grounds in the Chapelof the (Continued on page 24)
The magical west window
The altar
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Resurrection, this congregation is ledby Shane and Mike alternately. Fromits inception in 1974 St James hassought to build connections withfamilies of The Peninsula School, andmany of the 40-60 people who worshipat the chapel each Sunday have long-standing connections with the schooland its chapel. As the demographic ofthe area gradually changed fromretirement towards young families,more and more children wereattending a standard morning servicewhich didn't meet their needs. It wasdecided to move the previous 10am to10.30am and introduce a more family-friendly service at 9am. This has gonethrough many changes and evolvedinto a contemporary service which nowmeets the needs of those who like lessformal modern music but still need aHoly Communion service. It actuallyattracts a cross section of ages and isnot specifically for the young. (Thereare some specifically focussed eveningservices too, but these will be thesubject of another article).
The contemporary 10am service hasgrown to be St James's largest service.It attracts between 50 and 80 people ofall ages. Families are drawn to thisservice on account of the specialprograms for children and youth whichrun during part of the service. It is aHoly Communion service, based on theSecond Order Holy Communion servicein A Prayer Book for Australia. Thisservice is well suited to young familiesand the understanding is that 'somenoise is OK' and its length is kept to
about an hour. During term time thereis a children's talk before the childrengo to an adjacent room for their specialprograms. The congregational music iscontemporary, with a sprinkling ofolder hymns included because of theirmusical and theological excellence.The song repertoire is managedcarefully to ensure that thecongregation has time to come to learnand love the songs that are used.During school holidays the sermon isgeared for all ages, and is often linkedwith dramatic or other creativecomponents in which children andothers play an enthusiastic rôle. Thereis also a space for children to sittogether and colour pictures, orcomplete word searches etc. in thechurch itself.
The two clergy are very pleasedwith the worship options which haveevolved, but are both very much intune with changing times and are readyto make adjustments at any time,should they be needed. So if you findyourself in this very pleasant part ofAustralia, please try and find the timeto visit St James the Less at Mt Eliza,and to enjoy the very beautifulimmediate Bayside area too. TheParish of St James the Less has, as itsmission ‘Knowing Christ and MakingChrist Known’. For further information,the parish web site iswww.mteliza.melbourneanglican.org.au
Text and pictures:David Rawstron and St James
Parish web site.
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The Rise of the Nones is one often trends changing Americanlife, according to Time
magazine's March 12�� cover story.That's because the 'nones' – thosewho mark 'none' on surveys that askthem to identify their religiousaffiliation – are the fastest‐growingreligious group in the United States.Not surprisingly, the increase in theunaffiliated comes at the expense ofmainstream religions, which meansthat Christianity is taking the biggesthit. Mainstream Protestant churcheshave lost more than a third of theirmembers since 1960. Evangelicalchurches are also feeling the pinch.Various surveys illuminate this trend:about 75% of Americans betweenthe ages of 18 and 29 now considerthemselves 'spiritual but notreligious.' Furthermore, all traditionalforms of Christian practice havesharply declined from previousdecades (including churchattendance, Bible study and prayer),and doubts are much sharperregarding traditional Christian beliefs.
Although pundits like to proclaimthat we'd all be better off with noreligion, I suspect that the majority ofus believe that religion, in spite of itsflaws, offers individuals the inspirationto be better people and to create abetter nation. Seminary and church
leaders, in particular, are highlymotivated to staunch the decline.Unfortunately, many of them believethat what's really needed is a return tothe 'faith of our fathers,' stricteradherence to creeds and (this isAmerica, after all) better marketingmethods.
I advocate a radically differentsolution: the Emerging Church. It's amovement based on understandingthe reasons for the dramatic decline ofmainstream religion: improvedscientific understanding, changingsocial norms, an increasingly pluralisticreligious culture and more freedom todoubt and question – a freedom thatuntil the last three centuries wasmostly absent or suppressed and thatis still resisted, sometimes violently, inmuch of the world today.
In my experience, the 'nones' arenot rejecting God. They are rejectingdoctrinal requirements that they nolonger find believable, along with therigid structures of many organizedreligions. For that reason, the rise ofthe nones may well be a new kind ofspiritual awakening, one in whichdoubters are welcome.
In the Christian tradition, forexample, the Emerging Church invitesparticipation from all who findthemselves
(Continued on page 26)
LETTING DOUBTERS IN THE DOORThose without religious affiliation arenʹt necessarily
rejecting God.
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attracted to the teachings, actionsand person of Jesus. It isn't crucial thatmembers call themselves Christians,or that they believe Bible storiesliterally (rather than metaphorically),or even that they are believers ratherthan agnostics and atheists. As long aspeople want sincerely to engage withthe teachings of Jesus and with thecommunities that seek to live by thosevalues – “Do unto others as you wouldhave them do unto you”, “Love yourneighbour”, “Blessed are thepeacemakers” – they are welcome.
Given that there are already almost10,000 religions in the world, Jewishauthor Eric Weiner writes that weneed to “invent not a new religion but,rather, a new way of being religious.”As the dean of a theology school, I seethe Emerging Church attracting anincredible diversity of people into newand experimental kinds of religiouscommunity. The lapsed faithful,exhausted refugees from mainlinefaiths, former evangelicals, frustratedCatholics and seekers with nobackground at all in organized religionare creating (in Weiner's beautifulphrase) “a religious space thatcelebrates doubt, encouragesexperimentation and allows one toutter the word God withoutembarrassment.”
The leaders of the movementshare a common fascination with theradical teachings of Jesus, but the
communities they form vary widely.Meeting sites range from homes topubs to parks to churches toconvention centres. These groupsaren't rigidly hierarchical either; theirleaders are more often hosts andconveners than preachers andteachers of doctrine. No matter whattheir size or structure, communitieslike these offer a vital connection tothe infinite grace and compassion ofthe ultimate reality that binds us all –however that reality is understood (ordoubted) by each of their members.
I see an immense yearning forthese kinds of communities inAmerica. If religious leaders can stopidolizing doctrinal purity and insteadcreate a place for people who doubtand question as well as those whobelieve, I believe faith in America willhave a vital future. And these newmodels for ‘church’ will be betterequipped to work collaboratively withall Americans, no matter what theirreligion.
Philip ClaytonDean of Claremont School of
Theology, Claremont, N Carolina.
This is an edited version of an article inthe Los Angeles Times, March 25th,2012, which was brought to ourattention by Ian Stanes. Do readersthink that there is a similar situation inthe UK?
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2013 marks the centenary of thebirth of Benjamin Britten, perhaps thegreatest British composer of thetwentieth century. Britten excelled inmany ways but his writing forchildren is unsurpassed. He was ableto compose music for children toperform at an attainable level, yetalso create something overwhelming.His Noye's Fludde (Noah's Flood) isjust such a raw and magnificentpiece. It tells the story of Noah and isa setting of a mediaeval miracle playthat integrates both congregation andchildren.
An adapted version called ‘Noah’sArk’ was performed at Holy Trinity inthe 1990s, and we plan to create a new,large-scale production for the TitheBarn in July 2013. The Barn is anupturned Ark if ever you saw one and itsinspirational atmosphere is perfect forthis wonderful work. It will be producedas a community effort, drawing oncollaboration, it is hoped, with manyBradford organisations, and so far,driven by a partnership between theWiltshire Music Centre, the schools andIford Arts. The young performers will bedrawn from St Laurence school and itsprimary school cluster and will includesolo singers, dancers, a very largechorus of animals and a smaller chorusof Mrs Noah's disreputable friends (inplaces this show is richly comic). Largenumbers of young instrumentalists onstrings, recorders, bugles, hand bellsand percussion will be supported by a
small orchestra of 10 professionalplayers and a congregational chorus.The total number of child performersinvolved over three plannedperformances is likely to exceed 400. Inaddition a new companion piece isbeing commissioned from HarveyBrough for an open-access adultcommunity choir (there are only threeadult roles in The Fludde).
The use of the Tithe Barn by thecommunity is growing after a 20-year
gap and we hope that this enterprisewill help both re-launch the TownFestival and provide a platform andadded resources to promote the wideruse of this wonderful asset to thecultural life of the town. To include thewhole community prices will necessarilybe low and we shall look to thegenerosity of those that can to supportthe project financially.
Judy EglingtonCreative Director designate
(Continued on page 28)
NOYES FLUDDE IN 2013
The Tithe Barn roof, inverted!
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Noye's Fludde (Noah's Flood) is an early 15th century mystery play from theChester Mystery Cycle. It was set to music by Benjamin Britten in 1957 based onan edition by AW Pollard. Britten's opera, opus 59, is written to be performed in achurch or a large hall – but not in a theatre (Britten's request) – by a cast primarilyof amateurs.
The orchestra calls for a small concertino ensemble of professionals consistingof string quintet, recorder, piano (four hands), organ, and timpani. The amateurripieno orchestra calls for strings, recorders, bugles, hand-bells, and percussion.The audience, which Britten refers to as the “congregation”, is invited to join in bysinging along in the three hymns inserted into the original text.
Extract from Wikipedia
Bird and snakeThere is a story told of a man who was out in the forests of South America,when he saw a bird chirping and fluttering in great distress. He soon sawwhy. Creeping along the branch of the tree towards her nest was a greatvenomous snake, intent on taking her fledglings which were still helpless inthe nest. Suddenly the bird flew away and the man thought she hadabandoned her chicks. But no, a few moments later she was back, with asmall twig covered in leaves in her mouth. The bird placed this twig overher babies in the nest and flew to a branch nearby to watch for the snake’sarrival.
Sure enough, the snake glided along the branch and paused in front of thenest. It reared its sleek head, eyes glittering, its tongue darting here and there,ready to strike. Suddenly its tongue came into contact with the twig that the birdhad laid across the nest. The result was dramatic. The snake veered back andaway, as if it had been stabbed by the little twig. It swayed for a minute and thenslid quickly off and down the tree, disappearing into the long grass.
The man was fascinated, and carefully lifted the twig off the nest, wrapped itin a bit of cloth and took it home with him. He showed the twig to a native friend,asking what it was. His native friend explained that the twig was from a bush thatwas poisonous for the snake, and which it was known never to touch. The littlehelpless bird had used the small twig as her strong defence from attack.
Satan in scripture is known as ‘that old serpent’: he is intent on thedestruction of people. But God has told us in his Word that there is a tree whichis poison to our enemy, and which offers protection for all of us, old and youngalike. It is the cross of Jesus Christ. On the cross Jesus died for our sins. We needno longer live under evil dominion.
Source: Parish Pump
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WILTSHIRE BUTTERFLIES, June 2012I imagine that very few of you have seen any butterflies recently. Theyhave been particularly scarce in gardens and with the first half of Juneturning out to be the gloomiest and wettest on record, the situation is notlikely to change for a while.
There were a few warm sunny daystowards the end of May whenbutterflies could actually be seen ingood numbers but it required visitingtheir specialized habitats to see them.One exception was a Marsh Fritillary,seen and photographed by GordonFinch settled on the stone porch of ValPayne's house in Frome Road on 4��June. This is a nationally rare and very
local species although Wiltshire stillhas some strong colonies. The originof this one is unclear since the nearestknown colonies are several kilometres
away near Box and on the edge of Salisbury Plain. However, some butterfliesthat are usually sedentary are known to wander from their colony base in hotweather and presumably this was the case in this instance.
A few Red Admirals and Painted Ladies have recently been reported –arrivals from the Continent, and numbers should build up as the summerprogresses. Large Skippers and Meadow Browns have also recently started toemerge and as we approach July, species and numbers should increasesignificantly provided we get some warm sunny, dry conditions.
©Mike FullerWiltshire Butterfly Recorder
Marsh Fri�llary – Bradford on Avonphoto: Gordon Finch
ObservationsBe great in little things. St Francis XavierThe search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. Eric Hoffer
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Term 6: Olympic Value –Excellence
The Head reminded us in CollectiveWorship that we have been on aspiritual journey during our schoolyear, looking at different OlympicValues and considering them in adeep way from all sorts of differentangles and viewpoints. They havebeen Inspiration, Friendship, Respect,Determination, Courage, and nowExcellence.
His consideration of excellence forus is going to be reflected in somepublic displays and performances inthe Wiltshire Music Centre on 10�� and11�� July at 7.30pm. The theme isGOING FOR GOLD and tutor groupsand Faculties will have put some ideastogether in a creative way. The twoevenings are open to the public and itwould be great to see members of theparish there to get to know our schooleven better. Tickets are available fromthe Wiltshire Music Centre.
The evenings will be overseen byour Community Arts Co-Ordinator andthis is one of the many ways that theschool wants to engage with thecommunity at large. For instance, thesummer term is always a good chancefor the school to be seen around andabout. The last week of June is the turnof Year Sevens on their Church Walkaround the town. Do say hello if you
see them. Theyalways enjoymeeting peoplein the churchesand finding outabout them.
We were also out in force as awhole school to see the torch relay onMay 22ⁿ�. Despite the heat, thestudents felt part of the community.They received much praise for theirbehaviour. Our Sports Councilorganised a Mini-Olympics which weresingled out for their exemplaryqualities by a member of the TownCouncil:
The preparation beforehand and thetime given during the weekend and forall the activities surrounding the TorchRelay were impressive.The Mini Olympics were superb andthe young people showed excellentleadership skills in a range of sportingactivities.The Paralympic events were brilliantespecially the Wheelchair Basketballwhich was really popular with all thepublic participants. Our MP DuncanHames could not praise the studentsenough for all their efforts and theoutstanding qualities they showed.We were delighted that so many ofyour outstanding sports students wereinvited to greet the Olympic Torch onthe Town Bridge on 22nd May and theywere a real credit to the School and theCommunity.
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Also on 29�� June is our wholeschool sponsored walk when 1300students and all staff will be walkingaround the countryside for a day. Weare hoping it will not be too wet! Themoney raised this year will go towardsa special computer-aided laser cutterfor the Design and Technologydepartment – state of the artequipment making the opportunitiesin our school even better.
Excellence is again the aim of ourYear 11s and Year 13s as they leave ourschool having completed all theirexaminations. We hope they achieveall they want to and have workedtowards in their time with us. This is acomment from one of the personalstatements written before they go:
I would like to finish this statement bysaying that St Laurence is anoutstanding school when it comes totheir organisation skills and the waythey have pushed me to my full
potential. I am very pleased with myeducation here and hope this iscontinued as I leave for elsewhere.
And looking further ahead, work hasnow started on our new Maths block –out of the mobiles and into a brandnew purpose-built facility. Thetermination date should be Decemberthis year.
Lorraine MarlowBe Spirited Co-Ordinator
The St Laurence School sports council
Be careful what you ask forAn atheist was walking through the woods when a huge grizzly bear chargedtowards him. He tried to run away, but he tripped and fell. Looking up, he saw thebear raising its paw to take a swipe at him and he cried out in desperation: “Oh myGod... !” Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. A bright light shonedown on the man and a voice came from the sky:“You deny My existence, teach others that I don't exist and even credit creation to acosmic accident. Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I tocount you as a believer?”
The atheist looked directly into the light: “It would be hypocritical of me to askyou to treat me as a Christian now, but... could you make the bear a Christian?”
“Very well,” said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the forestresumed. And then the bear lowered its paw, bowed its head and murmured, “Lord,bless this food which I am about to receive and for which I am truly thankful.”
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FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY
Another successful year is drawing to a close. OurAGM will be held on 20�� July and I hope that allmembers and those interested in what we do will
be able to attend. This year will be a bit different fromprevious AGMs. After the business has been dealt withwe shall don our berets, wave the tricolore and enjoy a French eveningwith wine and cheese, and then sit back to enjoy a light-hearted illustratedtalk on travels in Normandy.
2011/2012 has been a very successful and enjoyable year with an event ofone kind or another nearly every month. As well as having fun, we managed toraise a little over £3000, enabling us to be able to pay for the new lighting forthe choir stalls. For the rest of this year, the Committee plan a number of eventswhich I hope will enjoy your support:
22ⁿ� August Church Crawl
5�� September ‘Tour’ of the Church with Peter Wills
? October Skittles Evening (date to be confirmed)
17�� November Fish and Chip Supper & Quiz
4��- 9�� December Christmas Tree Festival
The Committee are working on a number of ideas for 2013. Do please let oneof us know if you have an idea for an event – it would be even better if we couldcount on your help to organise it
Lastly, I need to remind you that subscriptions (£10 individual, £15 family)are due in July – money to John Woods, in an envelope with your name on it,please.
John Cox
Enquiries to:John Cox 01225 864270 [email protected] & Jenny Fuller 01225 864122 [email protected]
Some basic laws of economicsSocialism: You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbour.Capitalism: You have 2 cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies,and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.Communism: You have 2 cows; the Government takes both and gives you somemilk.
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FOR PRAYER IN JULY
We pray for:� Our growing ministry with children and the new
‘Wriggle and Worship’ Service� The Street Market� The Servers� The PCC
Saxon Club Programme for JulyWe meet in the United Church Hall at 2 pm on Tuesdays.
You are very welcome to join us.3rd: Preparation for the Street Market10th: Flying Doctors – Helen Holden17th: All Women's Trek – Lindsay Driscoll24th: Anything Goes31st: End-of-Year Tea Party
Bradford on Avon District LinkGood Neighbour volunteers
available to help you.
If you have a problem getting to a hospital or doctor’sappointment, shopping, or just visiting a friend…
Phone LINK07957 367124
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Bishop of Ramsburyannounced
Her Majesty The Queen has approvedthe nomination of the Revd CanonEdward Francis Condry, BA, BLitt,DPhil, MBA, Canon Residentiary ofCanterbury Cathedral in the Dioceseof Canterbury and Treasurer andDirector of Education in CanterburyCathedral as the next Bishop ofRamsbury in the Diocese of Salisbury.He succeeds the Rt Revd StephenConway who became Bishop of Elylast year.
Canon Condry will support theBishop of Salisbury, the Right ReverendNicholas Holtam, as well as workingalongside the Bishop of Sherborne, TheRt Revd Dr Graham Kings, the othersuffragan bishop in the Diocese ofSalisbury.
Edward is married to Sarah whocurrently teaches at King's School,Canterbury. The couple have fourgrown up children – Hannah, Frances,Felix and Jerome. At CanterburyCathedral he has been responsible forteaching courses for Anglican bishopsand priests. He has welcomed over 200of the 800 or so Anglican bishops to theprogrammes, including 18 bishops fromThe Sudan, Salisbury's link diocese.
The Bishop-designate said today:“Sarah and I are really looking forwardto moving to the Salisbury Diocese, tomeeting as many people as possible,welcoming them to our home, andencouraging all the good church andcommunity efforts which are going on.”
Canon Condry, 59, studied first atthe University of East Anglia and thenat Exeter College, Oxford. He trainedfor the ordained ministry at LincolnTheological College. He also holds anMBA from the Open University. Heserved his first curacy at Weston Favellin Peterborough Diocese from 1982 to1985. From 1985 to 1993 he was a Vicarin Bloxham with Milcombe and SouthNewington in the Oxford Diocese. Hemoved to the Diocese of Coventry in1993 where he was Team Rector atRugby until 2002 when he becameDirector of Post Ordinand Training inCanterbury Cathedral.
Since 2002 he has been CanonResidentiary at Canterbury Cathedraland from 2006 he has been Treasurerand Director of Education in CanterburyCathedral.
The Bishop-designate has been andremains a keen sportsman. He alsoenjoys adventures! After years ofplaying rugby for local sides, runningmarathons (10 completed) and five‐a‐side football with friends he nowconcentrates on cycling, rowing andrunning. Edward competed in theBritish Indoor Rowing Championshipsand in 2006 was in Team GB in Boston,USA for the World Championships. Heis cycling the 1500 miles from Olympiato the Olympic Stadium during twoweeks in July with some friends (and histwo sons). They will cycle throughGreece, across to Italy over theGotthard Pass and up through easternFrance in aid of the local Air Ambulance.
Diocesan Information Office
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
THE STANDING COMMITTEE Chairman, Churchwardens, Assistant Curate, LLM and Treasurer
CHURCHWARDENS EMERITINorman Hanney, Jeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch.
THE FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Patron: Dr Alex Moulton Chairman: John CoxSecretaries: Mike and Jenny FullerTreasurer: John WoodsCommittee: Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Chris Hodge, Jeremy Lavis, Revd Angela Onions, Raymond WinrowEx officio: Judith Holland, Trevor Ford
PARISH NEWS
Editors: Ann Holland (862731) & Bryan Harris (863011)e-mail: [email protected]
Distribution: John and Beryl Cox (864270)Subscriptions Collector: Mary Ford (862240)Price: Annual subscription £5.00 in advance .
BRADFORD GROUP MINISTRYThis comprises the three benefices of Holy Trinity, North Bradford on Avon and Villages(Christ Church, Monkton Farleigh, South Wraxall and Winsley), Westwood and Wingfield.The benefice of North Bradford on Avon and Villages was formally created in May 2011although the parishes had been working together from May 2010.The clergy meetregularly for prayer and shared planning, and there is an informal Group Councilconsisting of the licensed clergy and churchwardens, with Licensed Lay Ministers.
Anne Carter June Harrison* David Rawstron
Graham Dove Chris Hodge (Secretary) Erin Shields-Pett (co-opted)
Mary Ford Ann Holland Malcolm Walsh*
Marlene Haffenden* Jeremy Lavis (Treasurer) Anne Willis*#
Pam Harman Brian Netley Peter Wills
Margaret Harris Sue Platt
*Deanery Synod representative #Diocesan Synod representative
Members
OfficersThe Revd Joanna Abecassis, ChairmanTrevor Ford (Churchwarden), Deputy ChairmanJudith Holland (Churchwarden)
The cover picture on the printed version of Parish News is from a drawing by Jonathan Pomroy.
Printed at the Parish Office, 18A Woolley Street, Bradford on Avon.
Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.brad-avon-ht.org.uk/. Previousissues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.
OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERSPCC Secretary Chris Hodge 284440
PCC Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Bellringers Phil Gaisford 863538 Bookstall Rev Angela Onions 309001 Brass Cleaning Chris Hodge 284440 Director of Music Position vacant Church Stewards David Milne 864341 Coffee on Sunday Elaine Giles 868654
Display Co-ordinator Revd Angela Onions 309001Electoral Roll Officer Alan Knight 860991Flowers Jonquil Burgess 868905Foodbank Margaret & Bryan Harris 863011Guides & Brownies Bryony Green 865820
email: [email protected] Team Trinity (Junior Church) June Harrison 863745 Mothers’ Union Ian & Sylvia Stanes 309036 MU Prayer Circle Chris Hodge 284440 Publicity Officer vacant Servers Mary Ford 862240
Saxon Club Revd Angela Onions 309001Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees: Chairman Anna Tanfield (all bookings) 863819 Secretary Diana Shaw Stewart 863253 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600
Sidesmen Rota Judith Holland 866215 Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman 866995 Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Church Stalls John Woods 863298 Communications Jackie Easby 863014
Parish Representatives on other organisations: Bradford Group Council: The Churchwardens Children’s Society: Anne Carter Christian Aid: Jonquil Burgess Deanery Synod: June Harrison, Marlene Haffenden, Malcolm Walsh; Anne Willis Diocesan Synod: Anne Willis BoA Churches Together: David Rawstron St Laurence School: The Revd Joanna Abecassis
and Heather Knight (Foundation Governors)
The Chapel of St Mary Tory Inset: East window by Mark Angus
The Saxon church of St Laurence
