This page shows first a chronology of
some notable events in the life of the church family in 2010.
Chronology
The [Leatherhead Hospital] Ward
Service - from the Dec 2010 magazine
Our church members have taken this service from
10.45-11.15am at Leatherhead Hospital on the first Sunday of the month
since the early 70s, possibly before that. It was organised at first by
Eric Kilner, then George Dench assisted by Stan Parkes. Originally we
did the first and third Sunday each month, but now other churches do the
three other Sundays.
As official Hospital Chaplain's Assistant, Celia Hamilton
was our leader until the car crash in which she was injured and had to
be in hospital.
When she was unable to continue, Sheila Reynolds was asked
to take over, but she has really not been well enough to do so.
Meanwhile, Christine Bryant has been organising the rota of who should
take each service. Epsom Hospital Chaplaincy no longer includes any
visits to Leatherhead Hospital.
The service takes place in the Day Room of Leach Ward with
usually about 6-12 patients. The service only takes about 20 minutes but
sometimes the patients are being given their coffee at 10.45 in which
case we start at about 10.55am. It consists of two hymns, prayers, a
short reading (normally by Ken Bryant) and a 3-5 minute "thought for the
day" prepared and read by whoever is taking the service. The person
taking it prepares everything and chooses the hymns from our list of
printed hymns, which Linda plays on the electric keyboard. Afterwards we
stay and talk to the patients for about 15 minutes, which we consider a
very important part of the visit.
Celia Hamilton or Christine Bryant or Linda Heath takes
the service with Ken and Christine Bryant, Celia Hamilton, Sheila Moss,
Joan Leach, and Linda Heath regularly taking part along with Mike Lewis
from time to time.
We need someone to be appointed to be in charge of the
group to arrange the rota of who takes the service each month and to be
an official "spokesman" either via parish magazine, PCC or whatever.
Without a leader, it is nobody's position to act as spokesman. We also
need more people to join us. A leader could appeal to people
individually for support or through the magazine. Mary Cruddas has
suggested that perhaps some of the house groups could help us with this.
Please think about it and let me know if you can help. Linda Heath
Community Engagement - from the
Dec 2010 magazine
Earlier this year our parish embarked on a process of
developing a Parish Vision, culminating in a meeting in May 2010 at
which "Engagement with the Community" was one of seven Key Areas of
Mission, which emerged. A working group consisting of Tim Hall, John
Swanson, Anne Thomson, Doug Waters, Steve Whiting and Graham Osborne,
was formed to develop a Mission Statement, Goals and Action Plan for
this area of church life. The Working Group has met twice and Jane
Smith, Uniting Churches Family and Children's Worker, has joined us.
We recognise that community engagement should be (and
increasingly often is) something that we undertake as Uniting Churches.
So we are in the process of widening the remit of the Group and ensuring
that its membership is representative of all three Churches.
This article reports on work so far and seeks church
members' views about areas on which we should focus. Initially, we have
focussed on mapping out the considerable extent to which the churches,
either corporately or through individual members, are already involved
in the community. The next steps will be to consider how what the
churches offer should best be publicised, to identify gaps and think
about how to fill them.
From our own knowledge, the Group compiled the following
list of community activities in which church members are involved. We
would be very grateful for any comments, particularly if you can see
any glaring errors or omissions. Please get in touch with a member of
the Working Group.
Pre-school age: Trinity Children's
Centre, Toddler Groups, Time for Tea, Messy Church
Primary School age: Leatherhead Trinity
School, Messy Church, Holiday Club, Triumph, Bugs Club,
Beavers/Cubs/Brownies
Secondary School age: Leatherhead Youth
Project, BFree, Total Football, MTB (mountain biking), Bliss (girls),
Blaze (boys), Triumph pm, Dance classes, Express Art, Music Workshops,
5-a-Day meals, Freestyle (weekends away), Scouts/Guides
Disabled people: Seeability (including
Talking Parish Magazine), Shopmobility, Queen Elizabeth's Foundation,
Headley Court, Combat Stress, Leatherhead Hospital Ward Service
Older People: Age UK/Age Concern,
Leatherhead & District Friends Group - at BFree, The Beeches
(monthly Communion service; musical entertainment), Second Sunday
Lunches,
Other groups: Pitstop, Night Hostel
(temporarily relocated), Clubhouse, Samaritans (are any church members
currently involved?), Leatherhead United Charities (Church nominated
trustees), Men's Breakfast, Mothers' Union, Leatherhead Community
Association, Liquid Connection and The Bridge (both have links with
LYP), Therfield (some connections), Young Carers, Light up
Leatherhead, Remembrance Sunday - Royal British Legion, Town Twinning
Association - Friends of Triel, Credit Union.
Congratulations to Jay
Bristow - from the Dec 2010 magazine
After three years of hard work and with the support of the
Leatherhead churches, Jay Bristow graduated on 13 October. He gained a
2:1 degree in Youth and Community studies with applied theology from the
Centre for Youth Ministry (CYM) affiliated with Oxford Brookes
University.
Messy Church Launch - from the Dec
2010 magazine
Leatherhead's first Messy Church took place on
Thursday 21 October at Leatherhead Methodist Church. Led by a team
representing all three Uniting Churches, our theme was Bible Mountains,
and we explored a pot-pourri of Bible stories, which take place on a
mountain. Think about it – there are lots!
The whole building was pressed into use – with crafts and
toys for the youngest children in the church (with the carpet safely
protected under the largest sheet of plastic known to man!), cookery in
the lower hall, and games and crafts suitable for older children
upstairs. It was great to
observe how everyone from toddlers to pre-teens was happily engaged in
the different activities.
Just before 5pm we brought it all together in a short act
of worship, after which we sat down to tea together – 32 children, 16
adult parents/carers and about 20 helpers. There was a wonderful buzz as
everyone chatted around the table and met some new friends. By the time
this article has appeared we will have held our second session and we
look forward to welcoming a few more families who couldn't make it the
first time. We are looking forward to taking Messy Church forward and
deepening our relationship with all the families over the coming months.
Jane Smith, Family and Children's Worker, Leatherhead Uniting
Churches
and ... Messy Church [planning] - from the July 2010
magazine
I mentioned in last month’s newsletter that I was very
interested in the idea of trying Messy Church. Plans are firming up now
to start a monthly Messy Church in the autumn, as a way of following up
our summer Holiday Club. So what is Messy Church all about?
Messy Church will be a monthly event, on a weekday
afternoon, after school. It will be for families with younger children -
from babies and toddlers up to the top end of Primary School. It will be
for children and adults to come to together.
At Messy Church, we will:
-
Chill - take time to unwind after school, grab a cup
of tea and settle in
-
Create - get stuck in to an exciting range of
activities, including crafts, messy stuff, games and more, all
linked to a Biblical theme
-
Celebrate - explore a Bible story, sing and pray,
just for a little while, adults and children together
-
Chomp - share a meal all together!
I hope to start Messy Church as soon as possible after the
summer holidays, but to do that, I will need a team! There will be many
jobs to do - some are very hands on, others are in the background. Some
require lots of time - others hardly any. We will need people that are
good with a hoover or a computer or a musical instrument or a pair of
scissors. And people that can cook, serve or clear away. We will also
need those that just love to chat and can make people feel welcome while
others hare around making sure it’s all going to plan!
This is a Uniting Churches project and I want to draw a
team from all three churches as an expression of our working together to
build relationships with families in the town. There will be more
information over the next few weeks, but if you like the sound of it,
please pick up the phone and let me know. Jane Smith (see magazine
for contact info)
Concerts in Church - from the Dec
2010 magazine
Some six years ago, at the request of David Eaton, the
Concerts in Church Committee was formed. Since then a small group have
put in a lot of time and effort in achieving the objectives set out by
David:
Sadly, it does now appear that we are losing, or have
lost, the support of the members of the congregation. Therefore
consideration is being given to winding up the Committee at the end of
2011, after meeting commitments for events planned for next year.
It is possible this may not happen if more support is
given. The first opportunity for you to do this would be at the very
Special Christmas Concert arranged for Saturday 11 December in the
Church Hall.
We are fortunate that an excellent group of singers,
"Serendipity", have agreed to return for this concert, despite their
giving a wonderful concert in the church earlier this year to a woefully
small audience.
The concert will include audience participation, including
the children and will end with mulled wine, soft drinks and mince pies.
Please see more details below. If you want us to continue please support
us. If you do not we shall receive and accept the message. Bernard
Salsbury
Outward Giving - from the Nov 2010
magazine
At the last PCC meeting it was agreed to change the way
money is distributed, so instead of giving a relatively small amount to
many projects the money would be sent to just two or three.
This year the Leatherhead Youth project will receive
£3000, and £2500 each is being be sent to the Lazarus Home for Girls in
Bethany and to The Pitstop in Leatherhead. There are leaflets explaining
the work of the Lazarus Home on the shelves by the North door. It is
hoped that the cheque for The Pitstop will be handed over with a
photographer present from the Leatherhead Advertiser.
It is not planned that the same projects will receive
money every year, and we are also looking into the possibility of
on-going support for a Mission abroad. We would welcome further ideas as
to where to send money.
We would also like to let you know that well over £600 was
raised at our Harvest Service for LIAT.
Thank you to everyone who contributed.
Frances Presley, Anne Warren, Alison Draper.
The Organfest - from the Nov
2010 magazine
On Saturday 2 October we held our second Organfest in
the church on the 18th century English organ, built by Thomas Parker.
Four organists – Anthony Cairns, Graham Thorp, Mark Laflin and Peter
Lutton came to demonstrate it with half an hour each from 2-4pm. The
idea was that people could come and go as they pleased, but there were
about 50-60 people there all afternoon and many of them stayed for the
full two hours.
All four organists chose their programmes very carefully,
both to demonstrate the music of the period and the scope of the
instrument. An organ of this period has no pedals and this one has only
half a swell manual or keyboard, so one might think its range would be
very limited, but not so.
The variety of tone they all produced was really amazing,
not to mention the variety of composers from the 14th century to the
21st! There were so many delightful pieces (all quite short) that it is
impossible to single any out, but they added up to an afternoon of
excellent music much appreciated by everyone there.
It was good that Dominic Gwynn was there too, as he was in
charge of the organ restoration and was able to answer questions from
quite a number of people who went up to have a look at the organ after
the music.
We would like to thank all four performers for giving up
their time to provide such an enjoyable occasion.
Linda Heath
Women Bishops - from the September
2009 magazine
In February 2009, Synod agreed that draft legislation to
allow women to be consecrated as bishops should be referred for revision
in committee. At the latest group of sessions, the Synod voted to ‘take
note’ of the Revision Committee’s report, before moving on to the
Revision Stage which involved clause-by-clause debate of the draft
legislation. The Synod left the draft legislation largely unamended,
reflecting its desire to continue to make provision for those who in
conscience cannot receive the ministry of women as bishops, by providing
for certain functions to be undertaken by a male bishop under a diocesan
scheme made in accordance with a national code of practice.
If a majority of Diocesan Synods approve the draft
legislation, it will return to the General Synod, probably in February
2012, for Final Drafting and consideration. The Final Approval stage, at
which two-thirds majorities are required in each House, could be reached
in 2012. If approved, the legislation would the go to Parliament for
consideration by the Ecclesiastical Committee and each House.
and ... Women Bishops - from the July 2010 magazine
The Church of England is going to vote this month on
whether or not it should proceed with the next step towards women
bishops. The Revision Committee has met on 16 occasions over the past 12
months and considered 114 submissions from members of the General Synod
and a further 183 submissions from others.
It is expected that much of the July group of sessions of
the General Synod in York will be devoted to debating the Revision
Committee's report and conducting the Revision Stage of the legislation.
This is the moment (equivalent to a parliamentary Report Stage) when all
470 members of the Synod have the opportunity to consider the draft
legislation clause by clause and to vote on proposed amendments.
Once the Revision Stage has been completed and provided
the Synod does not decide that further work is necessary in Revision
Committee, the draft legislation will have to be referred to diocesan
synods and cannot come back to the General Synod for final approval
unless a majority of diocesan synods approve it.
The earliest that the legislation could achieve final
approval in Synod is 2012, following which parliamentary approval and
the Royal Assent would be needed. 2014 remains the earliest realistic
date when the first women might be consecrated as bishops. Visit http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr4210.html
to read the relevant documents.
As previous debates have shown, a majority of the members
of the House strongly support the admission of women to the episcopate.
At the same time there remains a strong commitment on the part of the
House to preserve an honoured place within the Church of England for
those unable to receive this development. All in all, the July Synod has
the potential to be one of the most demanding meetings for many years.
The Book of Common Prayer now
on-line - from the September 2009 magazine
The Book of Common Prayer is now online. The Archbishops’
Council has added the full text of The Book of Common Prayer to the
worship pages of its site at http://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/book-of-common-prayer.aspx
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is a permanent feature of
the Church of England's worship and loved by many for the beauty of its
language. It is also the foundation of a tradition of common prayer and
a key source of the Church of England's doctrine. The first official
liturgical text in English appeared in 1544 and the first complete Book
of Common Prayer in 1549. The book went through several revisions until
1662, since when the wording of its services has remained largely
unchanged.
The Book of Common Prayer is one of the three 'historic
formularies' of the Church of England, in which its doctrine is to be
found. The other two, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the
Ordinal, are customarily published in the same volume. It cannot be
altered or abandoned without the approval of Parliament.
Share the Good News: CofE missionary
activity - from the August 2010 magazine
The Church of England's long history of witnessing to the
unique significance of Jesus Christ is a duty that continues in today's
multi-faith environment, says a new report. Following a debate, the
General Synod asked the House of Bishops to produce a report on "their
understanding of the uniqueness of Christ in Britain's multi-faith
society [and to include] examples and commendations of good practice in
sharing the gospel of salvation through Christ alone with people of
other faiths and of none".
A small group led by the Bishop of Willesden drafted the
document, which was subsequently commended by the House of Bishops. The
report affirms that missionary activity has always been a hallmark of
the English Church's life, whatever the country's social and political
context, and should continue to be so.
While acknowledging the "shadow side" of some historic
evangelistic endeavours, the report notes that: "...the fear of getting
it wrong should never obscure the Christian's commitment to the good of
all and to making Christ the centrepiece of that good. Too much
reticence is as untrue to our history and our vocation as too much
stridency."
The report urges caution about the language of 'market
choice' when used in the context of religious belief reminding us that
"it is not we who bring others to Christ but God working in them",
suggesting that "when our encounters with our neighbours, of other
faiths and none, are distinguished from exercises in salesmanship, we
can be confident that we are sharing God's love rather than marketing
another lifestyle choice." The report is available at: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/gensynod/agendas/july2010/gsmisc/gsmisc956.pdf
Reliability of the Bible - from
the August 2010 magazine
The Jesus Accounts – Fact or Fiction? is a new
documentary that will equip Christians to take on the sceptics over the
trustworthiness of the Bible.It is being released this summer. By
throwing light on scholarly, scientific and historical evidence that
supports the trustworthiness of the ancient manuscripts, eyewitness
accounts and more, the 30-minute documentary provides an invaluable tool
that shows how the four canonical gospels can be trusted.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester,
says: “We have an unprecedented number of manuscripts, whether papyrus
or parchment, available to us. This means we can be confident that the
text is in fact the text written down by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”
Mark Meynell, Senior Associate Minister of All Souls Church, Langham
Place, adds “It will prove a fantastic resource for serious enquirers
and scholars alike, because it carefully examines the historical
evidence and draws on the expertise on renowned scholars. I hope it will
be widely used.”
At a time when the reliability of scriptures is being
challenged, it is hoped that the documentary will serve as a powerful
tool to churches, scholars, ministers and lay-people reaching out to
their communities with the power of the gospel. To view the trailer of
the film and for more information, visit www.thejesusaccounts.tv
Concerts in Church: Hedley Kay
first at lunch time - from the August 2010 magazine
The first of our Concerts in Church lunch-time events took
place on Wednesday 23rd June in the form of a vocal and guitar recital
by Hedley Kay. He provided us with a delightfully varied programme, with
many old favourites, such as Spread a Little Happiness, Que
sera sera, Galway Bay, Loch Lomond, Waiting
at the Lamp Post, and many others. He invited requests from the
very responsive audience who were also happy to join in with choruses
where appropriate. It was a very friendly and informal atmosphere and
the programme was obviously much enjoyed by everyone.
The second concert was on Thursday 1st July by the Acstede
String Quartet, which consists of Claire Dillon, Anne Warren, Jane
Swanson and Clara Warren. We heard them at one of our concerts last year
and it was a great pleasure to hear them again. Their intonation and
ensemble playing are excellent and they make it all sound so easy that
one quite forgets that they are an amateur group.
Their programme was proof that string quartets need not
necessarily be classical or ‘highbrow’ - there was a wide variety of
pieces to suit every taste. It included short pieces by Dvorak,
Tchaikovsky and two of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, and also
items such as Leaning on a Lamp post, A Nightingale Sang
in Berkeley Square and as a finale, My old man said follow
the van! Something indeed for everyone.
The final concert on Friday 9th July was a piano recital
by Mike Stewart of music by Chopin to celebrate the bi-centenary of his
birth. It was a very well chosen programme, which included waltzes,
preludes and études; a nocturne and a polonaise; and the Fantasie-Impromptu
and first Ballade. As Mike explained to us, Chopin virtually
invented all these various forms as piano works. Although some of them
had been used before Chopin’s time, it was he who transformed them into
large-scale piano pieces.
The programme opened with two waltzes, followed by the
well-known E flat major Nocturne, and then the fiery C
sharp minor Polonaise. After this we had two very demanding
études, written as studies to improve technique, but they in fact demand
a pretty good technique to play them at all! Then three preludes, and to
finish with, two pieces both requiring great technical skill – the
superb Fantasie-Impromptu and G minor Ballade. It
was a lovely programme, topped off with the Minute Waltz as an
encore. Linda Heath
from the June 2010 magazine
2010 Annual Parochial Church Meeting - from the
June 2010 magazine
The APCM was held on Wednesday 21 April 2010. As always the meeting was
preceded by a Meeting of Parishioners held to elect the Churchwardens
for the coming year. As Peter Leith had decided not to seek re-election,
Navin Mehta and Linda Hauxwell were elected Churchwardens.
After approving the minutes, the meeting turned to the accounts for the
last year. Presenting these the Treasurer, Alan Fleming, pointed out
that, while the Parish was in a relatively privileged position
financially, expenditure in 2009 had exceeded income, with a drop in
receipts from planned giving. He had drawn up the draft budget for 2010
in expectation of a further deficit.
He was grateful to the Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church for their
generous support, and also to the Hall Committee, Parish Magazine sales,
Concerts in Church, and others for their contributions. It was pointed
out that income from rental of the two church houses would be reduced in
the event of one of these being required for a stipendiary curate, but
this was unlikely to happen before Petertide 2011. The adoption of the
accounts was approved.
Frank Haslam, the Electoral Roll Officer, reported that the number on
the Roll was currently 220. The Rector, Graham Osborne, while thanking
Frank for his work on the Roll, explained that in response to a request
from the Diocese, Frank had carried out an analysis of households on the
Roll by Council Tax banding for the purpose of calculating a Relative
Prosperity Factor for the parish. The information disclosed had been
purely statistical and did not include any names or addresses.
The meeting then received reports on the Fabric, Furnishings and
Ornaments of the Parish Church and All Saints Church, the proceedings of
Leatherhead Deanery Synod; the proceedings of the Parochial Church
Council.
Martin Cole, John Hampton and Sheila Sutherland were then elected as
Assistant Churchwardens. As six nominations had been received for four
vacancies on the PCC for three years, a ballot was necessary. After the
ballot papers had been counted, Jay Bristow, Jane Haslam, Frances
Presley and Donald Yeates were declared elected. The meeting then
approved the re-appointment of sidesmen.
After the formal meeting, the Rector gave a presentation in which he
referred back to the Statement of Needs drawn up before his appointment,
described how he had responded to them in his application, and how he
planned the ongoing Vision Process. This would be taken forward in a
Parish Meeting on 9 May when a small number of strands would be
identified to be taken forward by smaller groups. The over-all Vision
Statement would be "Leatherhead Parish - growing disciples of Jesus
Christ".
Anne Thomson, PCC Secretary
Awayday 2010 - from the June 2010 magazine
On 15 May nearly 40 of us from the three Uniting Churches assembled at
St Barnabas' Church in Epsom on the first really warm day of our late
Spring.
Canon Paul Jenkins, formerly Warden of St Columba's Retreat House and
now Priest in Charge of Dunsfold with Hascombe, led our Awayday
programme entitled "Our Space is Sacred Space". He began by referring to
the book "Repitching the Tent" which has provided the basis of
reordering churches for many congregations.
St Barnabas was a case in point. We were shown a picture of the
original interior, "rather cluttered" as Paul said, and then the result
of removing all the pews and creating a church in the round with a
circle of chairs, at the centre of which was the Holy Table. Paul asked
us to walk round the church (barefoot if possible), pray silently, and
experience the sacred space created there as well as the dramatic
painting below the East Window.
He then invited us to walk round the outside of the church to
experience the original structure of the building and the new glass
extension at the front, which was light, airy and welcoming. In showing
us how to use our church buildings more creatively to enhance worship
and draw people inside, Paul illustrated his talk with a series of
slides. Features included the use of good signage and design. A church
in the Diocese of Wakefield had on the notice board its name and the
words "Come and See...".
"Come and see what?" said Paul. That was an open invitation to
encourage people to go inside to satisfy their curiosity. Simple clear
and uncluttered notice boards were a further example of good practice in
welcoming outsiders.
Paul expressed his admiration of some public works in Hastings ("a
seaside town trying to reinvent itself"). An imaginatively designed
public lavatory there, which resembled a temple, was a stunning example
of what could be done for buildings if creativity was used to the full.
We were allocated into four groups, named after the Gospel writers, for
two sessions of discussion on ways of improving the use of our sacred
space, all three churches being represented in each group.
A lunch of hot spicy parsnip soup, bread and cheese was then served by
Linda Hauxwell and Mary Cruddas.
Our Awayday culminated in a Holy Communion in the round led by Mary as
celebrant and Ian Howarth as musical director, leading to some amazing
singing, before we closed our worship and our Uniting Churches event.
Our grateful thanks go to Ian and Mary for organising such an enjoyable
occasion, and to Paul Jenkins for leading it. Roger Lynch
Cat Kelly - from the June 2010 magazine
Many of you will remember "Time for God" volunteer, Cat Kelly, who was
a youth worker in our Parish during 2002/3 and went on to study Youth
Work at Plymouth University. Cat met Phil Griffin at university and they
were married on 8 May in Aston Parish Church, Birmingham. Ruth and I
were delighted to go to the joyful occasion and be able to pass on all
the good wishes of our church family.
We also met up with Claire Gannon, our previous Youth Worker, who
mentored Cat during her two years here. Ruth also worked as a "Time for
God" youth work volunteer with Claire, having been inspired by Cat – so
it was great to see the three youth workers re-united.
Linda Hauxwell
The Holy Land at first hand - from
the May 2010 magazine
I led a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land last year with a total
of 23 of us mainly parishioners from this Church. On Palm Sunday most of
us had risen very early and found our way to the church of the Holy
Sepulchre, the traditional site of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified,
and of the Tomb where Jesus was laid to rest. We observed the special
liturgies for that morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
including being sprinkled with Holy Water, before moving to St George's,
the Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem to share in their devotions.
We explored the Holy Land under the auspices of McCabe, a
family company, which has been organising similar pilgrimages for a
generation. We had the services of a Christian guide, Tony, a
Palestinian living in Jerusalem, thus operating under extreme
difficulties. However, being a Christian, Tony has to work under even
more difficulties being accepted by neither the Israeli Jews, nor the
Palestinian Muslims. It brought to life whatit must have been like to be
a Christian, in the first century AD.
My job as spiritual leader was to be responsible for the
pastoral, spiritual, theological, and liturgical aspects of the
pilgrimage. I offered a short service of morning prayer most days;
presided at Holy Communions usually held at historically-resonant sites,
I think most people appreciated the readings, prayers, hymns and short
meditations whenever we stopped at a historically or religiously
important site. We all found it so helpful to tie up the biblical
readings with the actual sites involved.
These sites included places particularly associated with
Holy Week: the Mount of Olives, and the Garden of Gethsemane; the
Wailing (or West) Wall of the Temple; the Pool of Bethesda; the site of
the Last Supper; the High Priest's House where Jesus was tortured and
interrogated; and the Antonia Fortress where Jesus stood before Pilate.
We observed and prayed the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa
early one morning to avoid tourists and souvenir salesmen, so providing
a reflective setting for Christ's journey to Golgotha. However, when
Jesus dragged his cross to "the place of the skull", the narrow streets
were full of market stalls and jeering, indifferent Jewish pilgrims-,
and finally the Church of the Holy Sepulchre covering both the
traditional site of Golgotha, and of the Tomb of Jesus.
We also visited other sites in the southern half of
Israel-Palestine including two Dead Sea sites: Qumran, where the Dead
Sea Scrolls were discovered, and Masada. This being a holiday as well as
a pilgrimage, we allowed ourselves a stop to experience floating in the
Dead Sea. It really was as remarkable as they say it is! Whilst in the
south of the country, we also visited Bethlehem, the traditional site of
Jesus' birthplace.
Going to Bethlehem gave us an insight into the current
political situation: the Israeli Authorities have erected a series of
massive security walls progressively "hedging in" those areas, such as
Bethlehem, which are supposed to have been handed over to the autonomous
Palestinian Authority. These areas, cut off from one another, are being
starved of resources such as power and water. Meanwhile, new, illegal
Jewish settlements continue to be built on Palestinian land in the
occupied territories.
The injustice of this is hard to bear; these Palestinian
enclaves bear a hideous resemblance to concentration camps, so the
subsequent trip to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum struck a
note of tragic irony.
McCabe is a Christian Charity and give much of their
profit to the McCabe Educational Trust. We visited a Palestinian boys'
school and also a home and school for Palestinian girls, most of whom
had been abused in some way. Half the Christmas collection in Church
last year was given to this Girls' Home.
Our hotel, to explore the southern part of the country,
was in the Arab quarter of Jerusalem, literally a stone's throw from the
Walls of the Temple Mount. We then travelled by coach to the northern
part, to Galilee, where Jesus grew up and where the greater part of his
teaching and healing ministry took place.
En route, we visited Jericho where Zaccheus was spotted up
a sycamore tree. We ascended the traditional site of the Mount of
Temptation, via cable car, afterwards travelling north along the River
Jordan until we reached the Sea of Galilee.
Galilee is very different from the South; it is "a green
and pleasant land" in contrast to the very much more arid South. The OT
references to the Promised Land as "a land flowing with milk and honey"
can easily be understood when you see it. Galilee has been part of the
state of Israel since 1948, and generally has a more "western" feel to
it. We stayed at a hotel in Tiberias, a modern Jewish town on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus never went there but it served as a useful
base for us, for it is very close to the sites on the shore of the Sea
of Galilee, which are mentioned in the New Testament. Chief of these is
of course Capernaum, which Jesus used as his "base" for his Galilean
ministry. At Capernaum there is a very well preserved Synagogue, the
foundations of which probably do go back to the 1st Century. It was
marvellous to stand in the synagogue and realise that you were standing
just where Jesus might have stood, as he preached and healed in
Capernaum. We also visited the traditional site of Peter's house there.
We went to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, as well as Mount
Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration where I celebrated a
lovely Eucharist in the Chapel dedicated to Moses; Tabgha, the site of
the feeding of the 5000 thousand; Mensa Christi where according to
John's Gospel, the Lord made a post-resurrection appearance to some of
the disciples and cooked fish on an open fire; and the Mount of the
Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount. For lunch we had St
Peter's fish, which I found pretty inedible! We sailed on the Sea of
Galilee in a "Jesus Boat" and sang songs to the accompaniment of Hedley
and his guitar rounding off the whole pilgrimage with a final and
peaceful Eucharist. I pray that justice and peace may come at last to
that troubled place.
The pilgrimage has certainly deepened my own faith and, I
believe, of our group. Many of us want to go back again and also to
spread our wings and consider a pilgrimage in the "footsteps of St
Paul".
Revd Mike Stewart
We are thinking of organising another pilgrimage in
April–June or September-October 2011 to either Turkey, visiting Istanbul
and the Seven Churches of Asia as mentioned in the book of Revelation,
to Greece in the footsteps of Paul or possibly back to Israel. If anyone
is interested in learning about such a pilgrimage, please contact the
Revd Mike Stewart or Martin Cole.
PCC Report - from the April 2010
magazine
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 21 April 2010
offers people on the Electoral Roll the opportunity to elect
Churchwardens, Assistant Churchwardens and four PCC Members. The
Magazine editors suggested that it might be useful to "lift the veil" on
what happens at PCC meetings.
Every meeting receives routine reports from the
Churchwardens on the fabric, fixtures and fittings of the two churches
and the two tenanted church houses, and a financial update from the
Treasurer. This last year we had been concerned about the activities of
a tenant (now moved out) at the Woodbridge Avenue house who had carried
out unauthorised work himself which had been botched and had caused
damage to fittings and decor. We have also been concerned about the
performance of the letting agent there. The PCC was concerned to learn
that income from planned giving had reduced significantly in the second
half of the year, and this will have to be addressed in the near future.
Some topics have generated quite heated discussion. Among
these was a proposal for refurbishment of the Reeves Room, which would
have involved masking the boards on which Sunday Club children's artwork
is displayed. Some members felt strongly that the children's work should
not be hidden. A representative of the Hall Committee was invited to a
subsequent meeting to explain the proposals and to report back to the
Committee the views of the PCC. It was felt that if the intention was to
provide somewhere for hirers to project presentations there were better
ways of doing it.
Another issue, which proved controversial, was the
proposal for the re-equipping of a child-friendly area in the Tower.
While generally sympathetic to the wish to make young families feel
welcome, there were some concerns about responsibility for clearing up
and tidying away after use and that toys purchased should be
non-bangable. After further details had been provided the PCC approved
the proposal. The Archdeacon of Dorking was consulted and was able to
give approval under his discretion to approve without faculty schemes
where total expenditure did not exceed £2500.
The PCC was delighted to welcome the Revd Graham Osborne
as Rector in November. Since his arrival, meetings have been calmer and
shorter – the first PCC meeting he chaired lasted 45 minutes!
Anne Thomson, PCC Secretary
Fairtrade Fortnight - from the
April 2010 magazine
Thank you to all who supported Fairtrade Fortnight (22
February to 7 March), and particularly those who came to our two coffee
and tea tastings on 28 February and 7 March. The theme this year was
"The Big Swap", encouraging customers to swap their usual stuff for
Fairtrade stuff, for example their usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas,
their usual cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, their usual cuppa
for a Fairtrade cuppa. This means that every time we go shopping, we can
use our purse to make a statement. We hope that some of our customers
during the fortnight will go on to buy Fairtrade produce, whether from
our stall, or from local stockists, such as the Co-op and Sainsbury.
Traidcraft, the largest retailer in this country of fairly
traded goods, has announced two recent developments.
Following dedicated campaigning by various Fairtrade
organisations over the last two years the Government has now agreed to
set up a watchdog to ensure supermarkets treat their suppliers more
fairly. This unprecedented move is a huge boost to the thousands of
people in developing countries who rely on selling products to UK
supermarkets. Also, following the success of their new range of
Fairtrade confectionery, they have developed a range specifically
designed for supermarkets. The raisin mix and nut mix are made with a
variety of Fairtrade ingredients including juicy flame raisins from
Chile and wild almonds from Pakistan. Morrisons is the first supermarket
to launch the range, which was available in time for Fairtrade
Fortnight. This is a really important breakthrough for the producers of
the flame raisins, and could translate into vital orders for the future.
M Jones
Clubs, Classes and Groups - from the
March 2010 magazine
If you run an activity in Leatherhead and would like it
featured here free in future issues please contact Malcolm Clark or
Margaret Jones. A sample of what we have in mind follows but it can be
arranged in any other way you might wish. There must be many more
activities that could be included let us know if you are one of them
wish to be added. Editor
| Day |
Time |
|
Venue |
Contact |
| Tuesday |
Evening |
Bell ringing |
Parish Church |
P Ford 373629 |
| Third Tuesday |
|
Prayer Group |
York Cottage, Church Rd |
M Canning 372796 |
| Wednesday |
10-noon |
Parent & Toddler Group |
Parish Church Hall |
J Burgess 278656 |
| First Wednesday |
2.30pm |
Mothers' Union |
Parish Church Hall |
S Sutherland 811769 |
| Friday |
10-noon |
Sewing Room (Haberdashery) |
Parish Church Hall |
J Stagg 374914 |
| First Saturday |
9-noon |
Churchyard Working Party |
Parish Churchyard |
F Haslam 379341 |
Murder in the Cathedral - from the
January 2010 magazine
No matter how many times you see T.S. Eliot's Murder
in the Cathedral it never fails to impress how pertinent it is to
whatever period in our history the director has chosen to set the play.
The recent production in the Parish Church by the Pilgrim Players of
Leatherhead and the Epsom Methodist Drama Group was no exception, we
could have been in the twelfth, sixteenth or twenty first century, to
mention a few.
This play has most impact when it is performed in a
Church, and Christine Watts' excellent production certainly managed to
convey all the implications in the drama to the audience. She had
costumed her production 'to indicate character and function rather than
historical period' with the 'bully boys' executing their gruesome
business in black leathers which was most effective.
The Women of Canterbury, in opening the play, started
rather tentatively, not helped by the difficulty of the acoustics in the
Church, but they grew in confidence and gave the play the links that
were needed. The two priests were unfortunately reduced from three, but
their roles in the drama came across well ably supported by the two
attendants. The excellent lighting effects helped to create just the
right atmosphere. Charlie Crowther-Smith was a very credible Thomas à
Becket, passionate and powerful, but also trying to reconcile his
earlier relationship with the King with what was probably going to
happen. His sermon for Christmas morning came through loud and clear,
and I did wonder if our Chairman of Mole Valley Council took heed of the
advice to 'curb the excesses of local government'.
The four Tempters/Knights hit just the right 'chord' in
their dual roles, plain spoken in Part I but brutish and uncompromising
in Part 2. Their whining justification for their deed was masterful and,
as suggested in the programme, not unlike today's spin.
It was a very good evening's entertainment, with much food
for thought. The really good news is that the £1,300, which was raised
over the three nights will be divided amongst Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy research, the Leatherhead Youth Project, and the new Youth
Hall for Epsom Methodist Church. Frances Presley
I should like to thank everyone who supported us by coming
to Murder in the Cathedral. With your support, we raised about
£1,500, of which half will go to Muscular Dystrophy research, and the
remaining half will go to Leatherhead Youth Project and a new Epsom
Methodist Church Youth Hall.
Linda Heath.
