The Magazine, December/January 2007 (Section 1)
Magazine Production Team
Deadline for February magazine: 15th January
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Team News
Farewell to the Osborns
On 29th October we said farewell to David and Helen Osborn after nine
years as Team Rector for the Bracknell Team Ministry. A well attended Team
Service was held in Holy Trinity, followed by a reception in the Langley Hall.
Following a glass of wine or two the Team presented David and Helen with a
coffee table and a lamp table, together with a cheque for £310.
Worthy of note is the beautifully decorated cake, kindly provided by Debs
Dimmock.
Click here for the Photographs!
Remembrance
Service
The traditional Civic Remembrance Service was held on Sunday 12th
November. Revd Mark Ackford led the commemorations at the war memorial and then
led the service that followed in a very packed Holy Trinity. We had cubs sitting
on the carpet and cadets in the choir stalls!
Holy Trinity Tower
A contractor has now been appointed and work has finally started on
making the urgent repairs to secure the spire to the tower of Holy Trinity
Church. We are optimistic that the work will be completed by Christmas.
Thank you to those who have made donations towards this repair work.
David’s Licencing
David Osborn will be licensed in Llantilio Crossenny on Saturday
afternoon, 2nd December. Visitors are most welcome. We are planning to organise
a coach from Bracknell. If you are interested please contact the Parish Wardens.
New Team Rector
The Parish and District Wardens met with Bishop Stephen in
mid-November to discuss the appointment of a new Team Rector.
The Bishop re-confirmed that a replacement would be appointed for David and
based on the fact that the Team currently faces a number of important
challenges, it would be prudent to appoint as quickly as we can.
With the possibility of a review of the Bracknell Parishes, the appointed priest
would be styled ‘Priest-in-charge’ until the review is completed.
With Bishop Stephen’s help we are now identifying potential candidates for early
interview. A parish profile including a job description is being prepared and is
to be reviewed by the PCC at its meeting on 6th December. Input from the
congregations is welcomed. If you would like to contribute then please email or
write to the Parish Wardens.
Andrew and Andrew, Parish Wardens
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News from Holy Trinity
Remembrance Sunday
Thank you to all who helped at this year’s Remembrance Service.
Personally I have never seen the Church so full and the comments I have received
have all been positive, but for next year we will need to produce at least an
additional 200 orders of service. The collection this year raised over £450 for
the Poppy Fund.
Tower
Work on the tower should be started during November with the aim to
have it completed by mid December hopefully prior to the main run of Christmas
Services. The builders will also make good any damaged roof tiles on the main
church roof, so hopefully we will remain watertight. As in last months Parish
news if you wish to make a donation towards the cost of repairs (£55,000) please
contact the Wardens or the Church Treasurer
Organist’s
Light
An appeal from Geoffrey, the angle-poise light on the organ console
has reached the end of its life. Has anyone a similar light gathering dust under
the stairs or in their attic and would be willing to donate to the Church? If
the answer is yes, please let I or Geoffrey know.
Christmas Lunch
Rosemary Webb has kindly volunteered to run a Christmas Lunch on 17th
of December at 12.30 pm and the lunch will be open to anyone who might be on
their own over the Christmas period. Help will be needed with the following:
Preparing the meal, washing up, transport, socialising including anyone who may
be able to provide a little entertainment, carol singing etc.
Please contact Rosemary if you are able to help. More information will
be available at a later date.
Advent and Christmas Services
The choir at Holy Trinity will be celebrating Advent Sunday (3rd
December) with an additional carol service in the evening at 6.30pm that of a
service of ‘Darkness into Light’. So please join us at the start of the Advent
season as we prepare for Christ’s coming in this service of music and readings.
Team Christingle
This year we will be holding for the first time a Team Christingle
service on the 10th December at 4pm at St Andrew’s Church, this service is open
to all young and young at heart and I hope would be well supported by our
children from Holy Trinity.
Nine Lessons and Carols
There will be a service of Nine Lessons and Carols on the 17th
December at 4pm. There will be mince pies and mulled wine after the service. If
you are able to help with mince pie, or making the mulled wine then let myself
or the Church Wardens know.
The other Christmas services are as detailed in the
Parish Diary.
Mark
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News from St Andrew's
Traditions of Celtic Christianity
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Soul Friendship |
On Tuesday evenings from 28th November to 19th December, at St Andrew's Vicarage, Andrew will be introducing and exploring Celtic traditions of spirituality with us. This is one of Andrew's particular interests, and we look forward to taking part. A great deal of interest has grown in recent years in Celtic Christianity. The presentations will try to separate trendy spirituality from authentic and soulful ways of being Christian.
Sunday School
We wish to thank all who continue to lead and take part in our children's Sunday School, and for the contribution they make to our worship, in prayers and pictures.
Sunday School need not be thought of as being only for children, and this year we are holding some Sunday School sessions for adults at 9.15 am, before the morning service. These have already started and will be continuing during Advent. We are learning about people who have had a powerful impact on the Anglican tradition: Thomas Cranmer, Richard Hooker, Evelyn Underhill, C S Lewis and Bishop Desmond Tutu. By including Desmond Tutu we are reminding ourselves that the Anglican Communion is worldwide and is not limited to the Church of England.
Light
Recently, at least two members of St Andrew's congregation, Frank Hatley and the writer of these lines, have had operations to remove cataracts from their eyes. The joy of being able to see after such an operation is so wonderful that one can hardly find words to describe it. Colours are much brighter and everything appears luminous and sometimes glorious. Every day is a revelation. Nobody had ever told me that it was sometimes possible to see the moon on a clear day in broad daylight, but I looked up and there it was.
Genesis places the creation of light early on in the story. Also, St. John expresses Christ in terms of light, before explicitly describing Him as the Word made flesh. Light does what it does simply by being what it is. In some pictures of the Nativity, the infant Jesus is portrayed as radiating light rather than reflecting it; and such art therefore shows us that Christ is the source of all true enlightenment.
Lord, we thank you for the joy of experiencing the natural world through our eyes. Help us never to take its beauty for granted, but to treasure it and preserve it.
Simon Sellick
District Warden, St. Andrew's
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News from St Paul's
A busy season
St Paul’s are looking forward to a busy season. As you can see from
everything detailed below.
Prayer Morning
On Saturday 25th November there will have been a Prayer Morning at St
Paul's.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which Jesus has called you…’ Ephesians 1:18
Morning
of Prayer
Come and join us (for all or part of the morning) as we pray to seek
God’s future for the parish of Bracknell:
| 8.00am | breakfast |
| 8.30am | Seeking God |
| 9.00am | Pray for the future |
| 9.30am | Prayers for discipleship |
| 10.30am | Prayer for mission |
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future’’. Jeremiah 29:11
Future Prayer
And this will be the beginning of a pattern of prayer at St Paul's as
the DCC are discussing starting a monthly prayer group at St Paul's to pray for
us at this challenging time. This prayer group will start on the first Saturday
of the month at 8.00am and we will listen to God, pray for his guidance and for
our friends and neighbours.
Services
St Paul's has a busy service schedule as well. Back to Church Sunday
will be followed by:
| 10th December | 9.15am | Advent Carols |
| 17th December | 6.30pm | Carols by Candlelight |
| 24th December | 4.00pm | Crib Service |
| 11.15pm | Midnight Communion | |
| 25th December | 9.15am | Christmas Morning Communion Service |
| 10.30am | Christmas Celebration |
Peter and Judith Flint
Peter and Judith Flint, the URC minister and his wife who left St
Paul's in 2005 send their greetings to everyone. They are well settled into the
simply gorgeous town of Dorking in Surrey. Judith is continuing all her musical
work and Peter is relishing his challenge with his church. They are
contemplating a building project that would see some reordering to the church
interior plus a bigger building project for the outside of the building.
They are well settled into their new ministry and life at home has even changed
as two of their four children have flown the nest…at least for the moment…!
Wednesday Communion
Don’t forget our Wednesday Communion service. Come and join us for an
informal communion service followed by coffee and plenty of chat.
Catherine Blundell
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Parish Register
Please remember them all in your prayers
Baptisms
We welcome into the God's family
Holy Trinity
Amber Leigh Midgley
Henry Richard Wall
Funerals
We commit to God's care
Holy Trinity
Constance Rushton (Ivy)
Aged 102
Claude Rumble
Aged 95
Jennett Bennett
Aged 93
Louisa Crannage (Lou)
Aged 85
Florence Greave (Flo)
Aged 84
Joyce Brewer
Aged 84
Ian Davey
Aged 67
St Andrew's
Louisa Maryan
Aged 96
St Paul's
Kathleen Sandum (Kath)
Aged 70
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December/January Diary
This can be found in For your Diary...
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December/January Prayer Diary
This can be found in Prayer Diary
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Taizé Meditation
These meditations are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and prayer
in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a day, take a moment to read the Bible
Passage with this short commentary and reflect on the questions which follow.
Exodus 19: 1-8
After liberating them from slavery in Egypt, God leads the Israelites into the
wilderness. There is nothing to do there, nothing to see, nobody else. It is the
place where an encounter with God is possible. God calls the nation to bear
witness to himself, inviting it to recognize the divine presence and will in its
history.
Then God reveals to the Israelites his desire for an even deeper intimacy with
them, which he himself cannot decide or bring about but for which they have to
be responsible. God does not simply want to be called upon when he is needed, or
thanked because of his help in the past, but freely chosen. God is ready for a
privileged relationship with this people and is waiting for them to open their
hearts to him freely.
The covenant with God does not depend upon his partner doing something (acting
in a certain way, worship, mission…) but upon listening to God’s voice and thus
discerning what God wants. This process is begun by rejecting the other voices,
fears, dreams or calculations, in order to give priority to that.
God does not destine Israel to become a model of organization, of morality or of
culture but to be the living sign of his Covenant among the nations—to live
together to the point of wanting the same thing.
Without calculation or explanation, God undertakes the commitment to watch over,
care for, protect and bless Israel in a special way among all the nations. God
intends to make all the Israelites priests and saints: servants of communion
with others, completely open and dedicated to God, able to welcome him fully and
devote their entire existence to him.
Accepted by each person, this offer leads to an agreement and cements Israel’s
unity in the expectations and the designs of God. It makes this tiny nation the
visible sign of those designs at the heart of human history.
- How does Jesus live out God’s expectations, designs and covenant?
- In what way does God invite me to make a covenant with him?
- How can my Christian community fulfill its calling to be a people of priests,
a holy nation?
Take time at the end to pray, thanking God for his presence, asking for
what you need for yourself, and for those things close to your heart.
Further information on Taizé can be obtained from the Community's website.
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