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Parish News Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity,

Westwood and Wingfield

February 2017

www.htboa.org

In this issue… Family: worshipping together & apart Ali continues her journey to small

pilgrim places And all the latest news from around the Benefice...

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DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY

Rector The Revd Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BoA BA15 1AF joanna.abecassis@cantab.net Tel: 864444 Associate Priest The Revd Dr Ali Green, 36 Budbury Close, BoA BA15 1QG alig9@btinternet.com Tel: 0785 547 0069 Churchwardens David Milne, 37 Palairet Close, BA15 1UT Tel: 864341

Judith Holland, 23 Avonfield Avenue, BA15 1JD Tel: 866215 Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton bradavonba@gmail.com Admin Assistant Aylene Clack beneficeoffice@htboa.org Assistant Wardens Brian Netley, Val Payne Retired Clergy The Ven John Burgess, Canon David Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon Peter Hardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins. Director of Music Vacant Times of Services Holy Trinity (Check Bulletins and notices or Church website) Sundays 9.30am Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 2nd Sundays 9.30am ‘In the Round’ (coffee afterwards) 6pm Evensong, Compline, etc Weekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwards Daily (not Sundays or Tuesdays) Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm Times of Meetings mainly music 10.30am, Tuesdays Choir Practice 6.30pm, Christ Church, Tuesdays Mothers’ Union 2.30pm, usually 3rd Thursday of every month Saxon Club 2–4pm Every Tuesday except August, United Church Hall Bell Practice 7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th Mondays Benefice website www.htboa.org Weekly Bulletin Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday.

Please see the bulletin or visit www.htboa.org for more details on service times and locations.

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WEEKLY GROUPS Monday 7.30pm (fortnightly) ‘Faith Explored’ (for venue ring Erin Shields-Pett on 684460) Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children school term only), Bradford on Avon Youth and Community Centre

HOLY TRINITY

DIARY FOR FEBRUARY 2017

Baptisms

Chloe Isabel Sheppard 22 January

FROM THE REGISTERS

Funerals

Eileen Sheppard 21 December

2 Thursday 8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory

5 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Compline

12 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am ‘In the Round’

6pm Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness

16 Thursday 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Mothers’ Union Meeting

19 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong Westwood

26 SUNDAY THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT

9.30am Sung Eucharist

6pm Evensong

Marriages

Clive Tomlinson & Stephanie Squire 31 December

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WESTWOOD & WINGFIELD

DIARY FOR FEBRUARY 2017

5 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am Morning Prayer Wingfield

11.15am Family Service Westwood

12 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield

11.15am Holy Communion Westwood

19 SUNDAY THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

9.30am Family Service Wingfield

11.15am Mattins (BCP) Westwood

6pm Evensong Westwood

22 Wednesday 7pm Wingfield PCC Church Farm

26 SUNDAY THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT

9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield

11.15am Holy Communion Westwood

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I was struck by this comment which I recently came across in a ‘Church

Times’ leader. It was referring to the visit of the magi at Epiphany, and

of course throughout that season and the one of Christmas before it, we find ourselves reflecting upon those stories of ‘transformed lives’. The

shepherds and the magi are nice examples - and then Paul is another,

whose dramatic ‘one encounter’ conversion we celebrated at the end of January. And it is a wonderfully positive statement, full of hope.

Somehow it encapsulates our vision for Holy Trinity – which has already exceeded all expectations - as the very building and the presence of God

within it is speaking to people in ways and at times which words never

could. And, with so many people wandering in day in and day out, how exciting for us to think of that very real possibility of lives being

‘transformed utterly’? God can do his work very happily without us, we

just need to prepare the ‘space’ and leave that door open… As I read in another profound remark (by Canon Alan Billings): ‘These are moments

when the timeless intersects with time, and God lies in wait’. So here are

some of the amazing comments we have received:

‘No photograph could express the real hands-on experience’.

‘We came to visit your beautiful church again last Saturday. The church

was packed and there was a choir singing. The Christmas Trees looked

wonderful and the choir sounded great. We were only there for a short time but it was quite a moving experience’.

‘Awesome and beautiful’. ‘A lovely serene and peaceful space’.

‘I came here to feel safe and to ask for help and guidance. Thank you for

the peace and safeness I have felt here. Thank you for having this beautiful place to help me.’

But then of course we have also enjoyed the exhilaration of the Christmas Tree Festival (complete with our new kitchen working overtime) and the

‘Even today, it need take only one encounter with

Christ to transform someone’s life utterly’.

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very happy Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving presided over by Bishop Nicholas when it was such a delight to welcome our many, many

guests to our first ‘real’ Service. And we were ready – though with just

hours to spare - and still frantically learning how everything worked! Then we were on a roll with large numbers again for Nine Lessons, some 450

for the Crib and Christingle as they just kept coming.. and then of course

Midnight Mass and Christmas Day itself. But hard on its heels was the biggest and most amazing wedding ever of Stephanie and Clive on New

Year’s Eve – see photos later in this issue!

So what stories our new building could tell already in its first two months

of life! And at the risk of boring you with yet another quote, this time from

the Archbishop of Canterbury’s New Year Message, here we have our agenda for the future perfectly mapped out: ‘If we’re welcoming to those

in need, if we’re generous in giving, if we take hold of our new future with

determina­tion and courage, then we will flourish. Living well together despite our differences, offering hospitality to the stranger and those in

exile, with unshakeable hope for the future — these are the gifts, the

com­mands, and the promises of Jesus Christ.’ We’ve made a fantastic start and already have lots of bookings for future events. But I think we

do need always to be aware of the importance of the balance between

these joyful community events and ‘weIcoming those in need’ and being ‘generous in giving’ – and I am really excited to be in conversation with the

Area Board, Alzheimer’s Support and the Health Centre about the setting

up of a Memory Café (or something similar) for dementia sufferers and their carers. And so, hey, WE WILL FLOURISH!

With my love and prayers and every blessing

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T his was the year that we broke

all previous records! There

were over 60 trees on display and a total of 4002 visitors came

through our doors, compared with

2300 last year and 700 in 2011 when the Festival started.

I have to thank our stalwart

team who helped set up and take down in record time, served

refreshments, entertained and

warmly welcomed visitors, wearing their fingers to the bone pushing

the clicker. It really was a special

event made all the more worth­

while by the cries of amazement

from those seeing what a transformation has been wrought

in Holy Trinity.

We raised over £6000, which the Friends will put towards items

which had to be deferred from the

original specification, or towards things which it becomes apparent

we really do need to make the

building “work” once we have settled back in.

John Cox

AROUND THE BENEFICE AT THE TURN OF THE YEAR

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL RECORD BREAKER

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BISHOP NICHOLAS’S VISIT

A congregation of 250 filled Holy Trinity on 18 December, when Bishop Nicholas presided.

Regulars were joined by members of Christ Church and visitors from

across town and further afield.

Left: Etched glass doors arrived at Holy Trinity just in time to receive a blessing by Bishop Nicholas, along with the new kitchen, the translocated font and the new nave altar Below: Bishop Nicholas with Holy Trinity’s ex Director of Music Tom Pelham and fiancée Sarah

Above: Churchwarden Judith Holland chats after the service with Jim Crouch of BuroHappold who managed the reordering project

Left: One of the celebration cakes gave a reminder of Holy Trinity before reordering

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FOLLOW THE STAR

A big Thank You for the wonderful response to our request for Nativity

set loans for the exhibition in St Mary’s church. We were able to show

79 sets and what an amazing variety there were. We had 25 sets from countries abroad - many

from Africa and South America. Several

families have sets and figures carved from olive wood from Bethlehem. There was a beautifully

elegant set from Rwanda, carved from dark hard­

wood, and a tiny African set meticulously made from grasses, leaves and rolled paper. Home

made sets included knitted sets and a large

tapestry hanging of a view onto the Nativity scene through an

attic window. The main altar piece was a

life-sized model of the Holy Family and looked quite stunning. Thank you again for all

the contributions and to all the people who

helped in so many ways to put on what was a very interesting show.

Paul Slade, Westwood

Left: Youngsters attending the Christmas Day family service at Westwood gather at the altar with Ali Green Above: Rose and Amelia Hatfield admire the Christmas tree before Wingfield Christmas Day family service

WINGFIELD & WESTWOOD CHRISTMAS SERVICES

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S tephanie Squire and Clive Tomlinson took Holy Trinity by storm on New Years’ Eve – filling the church for the first and last wedding of 2016.

And it was certainly a really happy and memorable occasion - with a full

choir of friends and plenty of amazing music - as we all escorted them on the Orient Express. We wish Mr & Mrs Tomlinson every blessing for their

new life ahead.

WEDDING OF THE YEAR

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FISH ‘N’ CHIP SUPPER QUIZ

C oinciding with the town’s Christmas lights switch on, 52 quiz-zers formed nine teams to compete in this stimulating evening

of searching questions. Nine categories of 10 questions each chal-

lenged the assembled teams. A welcome supper break with fish ‘n’ chips provided by Station Place gave Chris Hodge opportunity to draw the raffle

and thanks to her very persuasive manner, £89 was raised.

The winning team led by John Sealy, and curiously called ‘Marion is back’, won by 73 points out of a possible total of 90, just one point ahead

of Vic Holden’s team. Two teams tied for 3rd place – The Friends and ‘Fuzzy

Faith’ led by Alan Knight. Thanks to all who helped set up and clear away and to those who donated raffle prizes; to Station Place for providing the

supper; and of course to all those who came and supported the quiz. A

total profit for the evening was £319; which will be used by The Friends to help finance the re-ordering of Holy Trinity Church.

Mike Fuller

LENT LUNCHES

since. Today, they are a national charity that

runs local projects,

helping children and young people when

they are at their most vulnerable,

and have nowhere left to turn. They listen. And Bradford on Avon

has had a fundraising committee

for a very long time, with Liz Forbes who has come up with this

idea having served on it for over 30

years and now taking the chair! So do take this opportunity to come

and chat and eat in our wonderful

new church, and help us make change so that these desperately

struggling children of today might

have better lives. Thank you.

W e are teaming up this year to provide delicious Lent

Lunches of a bowl of soup and a roll,

to be followed by tea or coffee and fruit, every Thursday in Lent from 12

noon to 2pm, starting on 2 March.

The Children’s Society was founded some 140 years ago as a

result of the work of a Sunday

School teacher, Edward Rudolf , shocked to find some of his chil­

dren begging for food on the

streets, their father having died, leaving their mother struggling to

bring up seven children under 11

years old. The Church of England ‘Central Home for Waifs and

Strays’ was soon established – and

the work has mushroomed ever

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You can contact the editorial team on: ht.parishnews@gmail.com

March issue copy deadline Friday, 10 February 2017

W e were very pleased to welcome Revd Ali to Mainly

Music to tell the story of Christmas. This photo shows

some of the children and mums listening and Janet holding the star. Among our group we have Mary, Joseph and two babies

although on this occasion

we did not use a real baby. Also, we do have a

child who was born on

Christmas Day so when Ali asked, 'Who was born

on Christmas Day?', the

children answered 'Jesus' and Alfie said, 'And me'.

We sang Twinkle, Twin­

kle, Little Star, and Away in a Manger.

Marlene Haffenden

MU LOCAL MEETINGS

T he Mothers Union Holy Trinity

branch is meeting in church on February 6 between 9.30 and

10.30am as part of the Wave of

Prayer which carries on continually so each of our dioceses are prayed

for during the year.

Salisbury diocese will be praying with our linked dioceses of Botswa­

na, Marsabit in Kenya, Idah and

Jebba in Nigeria and the Andaman and Car Nicobar Islands off India.

Our meetings for 2017 are all

planned and will be taking place on the third Thursday of the

month at 2.30p.m. in Holy

Trinity Church. On February 16th Chris Hodge is

going to talk about 'My Treasures'.

We hope that the new time will be favoured by more members

and the new venue will be more

spacious and comfortable. Jill Wright

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ACROSS: 1, Wage. 3, Cleansed. 9, Plateau. 10, Ready. 11, Did so. 12, Hollow. 14, Unregenerated. 17, Offers. 19, Islam. 22, Is not. 23, Overran. 24, Barracks. 25, Legs. DOWN: 1, Wiped out. 2, Guard. 4, Laughing-stock. 5, April. 6, Seaport. 7, Days. 8, Belong. 13, Odd­ments. 15, Refiner. 16, Raided. 18, Extra. 20, Large. 21, Limb.

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HT - the Vision Unfolds

F or the past year, several working groups have been developing the overall vision for Holy Trinity. Here is a

round-up from two of the groups.

Arts and Community Events Group

One of the main aims of the reordering was to open our doors and make

Holy Trinity a focus for the community at large and the working group have been looking at the practicalities, such as a job description for the

caretaker, booking forms and charges for the hire of the church or the

Tower Room. We have also been looking at ways and means to improve visitor experience through new displays and the provision of information

about the church and those commemorated.

We are very mindful of the fact that we need to generate income to pay for the caretaker and the cost of heating and lighting our wonderful “new”

building and are doing what we can to advertise Holy Trinity as a venue.

John Cox

The Worship Group

We started with thinking about that first day after the handover, with the daily offices and the midday Eucharist. That idea developed into the first

whole week being called the ‘Mary Week’ with a regular pattern of wor­

ship. Suggested prayers were printed for key areas in the church, which was to be a place for quiet reflection and wonder. And so it turned out, as

the many written comments proved. The following weeks were taken up

with preparing for the service with Bishop Nicholas on 18 December. We thought too about the pattern of Sunday services, and proposed

that we have a non-Eucharistic service called ‘In the Round’ on the second

Sunday each month, making flexible use of the reordered space. This would explore various themes, music and readings, whilst centring on the

Gospel. On this day, as well as the 8.00am Eucharist, there is now also an

evening Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness of a kind which brings peace and which many parishes have found very helpful and inspiring.

We hope that these plans will develop as we find the best ways of using

our wonderful new Church – centred on worship and transformed so that we can be transformed.

Hugh Wright

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Farewell to Richard and Margaret

R ichard has been an Anglican

Minister for more than 50

years, serving in the leafy commuter belt of Surrey, Liverpool,

Salisbury and Bath Abbey – and,

further afield: Ethiopia and South Sudan. Margaret was always by

his side contributing hugely to his

work. She even helped produce 600 rather smart tracksuits for the

orphans in Ethiopia.

Richard left Bath Abbey in 2000 and became second in command

of the team in the

Deverill Valley for nine years. After

that, he called him­

self “a redundant vicar” and put him­

self and Margaret

out to pasture in Westwood, where

some of his family

were already living. But not for

them the life of tea

parties, leisurely walks and reading by the fire; on the contrary, they

both threw themselves enthusias­

tically into village life. At Bath Abbey, Richard had been known as

“Richard Ask You” as he was such a

successful fund-raiser; so he was asked to organise a huge fund-

raising for Westwood Church and

Parish Room. He raised a stagger­

ing £10,000 for the improvements

and alterations currently being un­

dertaken and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to him and Margaret

for their involvement in our village

life; and their hospitality to various groups who met in their home.

Richard’s sermons were always

fascinating and very often highly amusing! I remember one where

he was quoting from one of those

depressing tombstones which lie around the edge of Bath Abbey; in

part it read that the

late man, whose life had been exemplary,

was now looking

forward to a life of “immorality”!

Obviously, the stone­

mason had had a hard day and omitted a “t”.

I think the sermon was

“doing things careful­ly…”. And now they

are down-sizing from

Westwood to “monitored” housing in Bathampton. We’re so lucky to

have had them in our village for

nine years and they will be sorely missed. Maybe they will come to

Church occasionally and we could

be treated to another of Richard’s sermons. We wish them both good

health and happiness in the future.

Sue Snailum

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Pr

ayer

Pa

ths

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

T he greatest treasure we can ever have is one that we can’t

buy or manufacture or win. If we’re

spiritually aware, we’ll know that our deepest desire - to live in loving

union with God – is realized by

simple surrender. God’s grace is sheer gift, and

with that gift we live ever more

deeply in Christ and follow that path of poverty of spirit: simplicity,

humility, modera­

tion, compassion, self-control. This is

a paradox of faith:

when we let go of what our ego

craves – status,

possessions, pow­er, influence – then

we find untold

riches in our rela­tionship with our

Creator, with creation and with

other people. In surrendering to spiritual poverty, we find that the

deepest desires of our heart and

spirit can be fulfilled. It’s a process that takes time and discipline, and

a prayer path we journey for the

rest of our lives. Contemplative practice is an

effective prayer path for letting go

of those things the world tells us are important - our illusions and

addictions, temptations and anxie­

ties, fears and false assumptions -

in order to dwell in the reality of

our true inherent union with our Creator. Prayer in this sense is

quite simply a profound experience

of our core being - who we are, as Paul says, “hidden with Christ in

God” (Col 3:3). On our path of

prayer we learn to trust God enough to let go of all the “stuff”

of our small lives and enter into

our greater life in Christ (1 Cor 2:16)

where we are in

union with God and with one another

and with all of the

created universe (Eph 4:4-5). Pray­

ing for poverty of

spirit is unlikely to be a comfortable

ride. We may find

we’re being challenged to let go of something we’re really attached

to – whether it’s a well-worn habit,

a familiar old grudge or a closely-guarded fear. But if we’re serious

about prayer, we’ll know that it’s

just in those moments of challenge or crisis that we’re being invited to

grow and mature in our disciple­

ship. And it’s in this uncomfortable space that we may well recognize

the much larger kingdom of God.

Ali Green

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O ne of the great blessings of now having all three churches in our benefice open all day is that anyone can pop in, whenever they

want to enjoy the peace and stillness and, if they wish, to pray.

Joanna and others regularly meet together at Holy Trinity Church to say the office at 8.30am when the church opens, and 5.30pm before it closes, and

anyone is most welcome to come along at these times. However, there are

days when a clergy person is not available because of rest days, holidays or other commitments.

But now that the church is open every day, there is no reason why daily

morning and evening prayer can’t carry on each day of the week except for Sundays. In the chancel you’ll find the lectionary and prayer books used

for the offices; please do make use of these. If you prefer, there are also

leaflets with forms of shorter morning and evening prayer. And if your preference is silent meditation, then please feel free to pray in that way.

There are other prayer aids available as well – do take the opportunity to

discover them and try them out. The important thing is to be a praying community, so let’s make sure

that we uphold the daily rhythm of prayer in our wonderful, renewed

worship space. And if you happen to be popping into church, especially around these set-aside prayer times, please respect the silence so as not to

disturb those at prayer. Better still: come and join in. Whatever the task

you’ve come to carry out, do give yourself a moment’s pause to remember God’s presence, offer a prayer and come away with God’s blessing.

Ali Green

Left: The new nave altar, choir stalls and seating

Morning and Evening Prayer

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The Family: Worshipping Together and Apart

N o two families are the same and they all keep

changing. Yet we often

persist in thinking that there is such a thing as a normal family. It is usu-

ally rather like the ones we imag-

ined we knew forty years ago. We are all familiar with Christmas letter

accounts which report the successes

of all concerned in the past year. But that often means leaving some

things out! Here then is a brief ac-

count of our family, to kick off our new series this year on the broad

theme of families.

Growing Family

We were married in Bedford in

1962 and have three sons, all over forty and one over fifty – that

makes us feel old. Two are married

with two children, so four grand­children. Our eldest runs a preci­

sion engineering company in South Yorkshire, the other is a care home

nurse in South Wales. This is a re­

cent career change from property developing in the Emirates. Their

wives work full time; one is a uni­

versity lecturer, one is changing from running her own PR company

to executive coaching (she did the

sparkling wine tasting evening as a fund raiser for Holy Trinity recent­

ly). James is unable to work and is

in psychiatric care. He is on the Ho­ly Trinity prayer list.

All go to church regularly: one

family to their parish church; one has recently changed from their

parish church to the Methodists as

Above: The Chapel at Kingswood school, Bath Left: Hugh and Jill and their family

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it suits the whole family; the third

is taken regularly to both and stays in the Sunday services he goes to

as long as he can. This pattern of

church membership started when they were at Kingswood School,

Bath, a Methodist school founded

by John Wesley himself. When they were there, those wishing to join

the church were prepared as both

Anglicans and Methodists and were made members of both in the

same service by the then Bishop of

Bath and Wells, John Bickersteth, and Rupert Davies, President of

the Methodist Conference in 1970

who was also chairman of the school governors.

Affirming One Another The reason for this remarkable

piece of cooperation between the

two churches needs explanation. Since the war two official Conver­

sations between the two churches

have taken place in the UK, in the 1960s and the 1970s. Sadly, agree­

ment to unite has not been

reached. This is in strong contrast to the successful unity schemes

which have taken place elsewhere.

These are: Canada 1925, S India 1947, Zambia 1965, Pakistan 1970,

N India 1970, Australia 1977 and

seven European Methodist church­es joined with communities of

Protestant churches in 1996.

More hopefully, here in 2003 both churches signed a Covenant

to work together to overcome

their remaining differences. This is the wording of it: We affirm

one another’s churches as true

churches belonging to one Holy and Apostolic church of Jesus

Christ and as truly participating in

the apostolic mission of the whole people of God.

Bishop John Bickersteth and Dr

Rupert Davies both represented their churches in the failed conver­

sations which ended in 1980.

They decided that there was no reason why they should not use

at Kingswood the joint induction

service that had actually already been agreed as part of the Act of

Unity. All three of our sons took

part in this. What a good idea this was. It has born rich fruit in

all their lives.

These are just a few words of introduction to our family. We

are hoping James will have

joined a therapeutic community in Bristol by the time you read

this and we thank you for your

prayers. He is an example of faithfulness to us all and all

the family has united to help

him through. Hugh Wright

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T his is the last of a series in which I have been asking

whether a new reformation

is needed for the Church. This year marks the 500th anniversary of

Martin Luther’s 95 theses which

triggered a reformation triggering a lasting effect on Christendom – and

is perhaps still worth thinking about

with a new look Holy Trinity.

Questions Raised

I’ve raised questions about how we can attract people and give a warm

welcome, especially to younger

generations. And how can we cre­ate a sense of mystery, awe and

drama in our services, that gives us

a deep experience of earth meet­ing heaven? In our outreach, how

do we effectively engage the wider

community? One way is in address­ing long-term needs where a differ­

ence could be made, with partners

who share in our enterprise. We also need to identify situations

where there is injustice, and work

together to make things better. There are issues too around the

environment and climate change:

for example, how might local churches collaborate more closely

with Climate Friendly Bradford

on Avon? National discussions about

church reform include the report

commissioned by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, ‘Reform

and Renewal in the Church of Eng­

land’, which has had rather a mixed reception. Whatever is eventually

decided, lay people need a much

greater role in the life of the Church, with local initiatives rather

than too many top-down strate­

gies. The Church could well learn from secular bodies rather than

thinking we have all the answers.

We have allies in the other church­es, nationally and locally, and a lot

in common with other faith com­

munities. How might we work more closely with them? Reading

and studying the Bible helps us to

address these issues; it is the sourcebook of our faith and re­

mains relevant today.

We have uncertainty and division both at home and abroad. Sadly, in

recent months we’ve discovered

that Britain is more selfish, mean-spirited and intolerant than

perhaps we thought it was, and

also more divided! Would a refor­mation make any difference?

Might it lead to a renewal of the

Church to confront these issues?

Prayer

One last vital issue is Prayer. Churches pray about problems in

the world Sunday by Sunday, but is

A New Reformation: Praying the Kingdom

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it is doing any good? Is God listen­ing to our prayers, and if so what is

God going to do about it? I have

often puzzled over this, but I was greatly helped by a book, ‘Praying

the Kingdom’ (DLT 1985) by

Charles Elliott, an ordained priest, spiritual writer and university lec­

turer in global development. Elliott

shows that the Church is not an end in itself but a pointer to the

kingdom, for whose coming we

pray every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. He provides examples of

how prayer can come alive, espe­

cially through words of scripture, using the Ignatian method Ali

Green frequently talks about. We

are thus enabled to see how God is working in the world, and our part

and the part of the Church in God’s

work. We also receive encourage­ment not to lose heart, even in

situations that seem increasingly

hopeless - and this applies also to

the Church!

In prayer we are placing these problems into God’s presence. This

doesn’t mean that they are not al­

ready within the loving purposes of God, or that God will make things

better by some miraculous divine

intervention. God has given us free will, and as a result we all too

frequently get into a mess. Howev­

er, we can pray for the people who are closely involved in these situa­

tions, that with God’s grace, hearts

and minds might become attuned to the divine will. At the same time

we can pray to discover a deeper

awareness of the part we and our churches might play. We can’t get

involved in every situation, but

with God’s guidance we may be

‘Be transformed by the renewal of

your minds…’ Rom 12:2

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able to discern where and how we can work in a small way to make

a difference.

Prayer has to be at the heart of any reformation, or

‘transformation’. As Paul says

to the Christians in Rome, ‘Conform no longer to the pattern

of this present world, but be

transformed by the renewal of your minds…’ (Romans 12:2).

There is an ecumenical initiative

at a national level for 10 days of

prayer between Ascension Day

and Pentecost next year based on the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.

I’m rather pessimistic about

top-down initiatives, but I do hope and pray this will be successful.

If we, the Body of Christ, are fully

open to God, and if we carefully listen, who knows what might

be achieved!

David Driscoll

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Book Review: Dethroning Mammon Dethroning Mammon: Making Money Serve Grace

Archbishop Justin Welby

W hat is mammon?

Mammon rules the

secular world. It is the lust for money, for possessions and

for power over others. Some strive

for large bank accounts, some for possessions, others for successful

careers with promotion

and power over colleagues. Mammon

is characterised by

competition, efficiency and productivity.

But is this all there is to

life? Archbishop Welby does not deny the right­

ful role of mammon in

today’s society, if a na­tion is to operate at all in

a competitive world, but says in

effect “Stop a moment and think. Where is God in this picture?

What about the down-trodden,

the impoverished, those with an intellectual disability, do they not

have a role in this brave new

world?” He argues that each per­son is unique, gifted with qualities

that should be recognised. Often

those of lowest intellect have most to offer in terms of love, tender­

ness and kindness towards others.

In short, society has its priorities wrong and mammon should be

“dethroned” from its dominant

role and put in its place: we should all be more like Jesus, humble and

meek rather than ambitious and

thrusting. I am reminded of the child’s prayer “Gentle Jesus, meek

and mild, look upon a little child”.

“Dethroning Mammon” is Archbishop Welby’s first full length

book, a paperback of

169 pages with six short chapters. Published

recently, it is intended

for Lent reading and study. In the introduc­

tion he says that he was

motivated to write it by reflecting on the

extraordinary contrast

between mammon and Christ. Individual

chapters deal inter alia with

what we value in our lives, our powerful motivation to hold on

to our possessions and the

spiritual rewards that come from being charitable.

Welby’s commercial history in

economics and high finance make him well qualified to write on this

subject. This is a book whose time

has come to address some of the failings of today’s world.

Ron Dell

26

I t was the coldest day of the

winter so far when I set off walking southwards from

Crewkerne station. Travelling there

by train I’d passed fields and woods glistening white under a hard frost.

This was the fourth leg of my travels

around Small Pilgrim Places, and my destination was the Church of

St Mary, Netherbury.

It was be beginning of January, and I looked out (as usual on the

first walk of the year) for any

flowering plants. I had spotted very few around my neighbourhood, so

wasn’t hopeful of a high count. But

keeping an eye on sun-warmed hedgebanks and farm gateways,

over the round trip of 28km I

clocked up over a dozen species in flower, including the trusty gorse

with its bright yellow, coconut-

scented blooms appearing almost all year round.

I followed old tracks, footpaths

and holloways, some turned to shallow streams and thick mud

after winter rains. Where the

sun’s rays reached, the frost melted under a cloudless, bright

blue sky enhanced by a pale half-

moon. I passed no other walkers, but had the company of many

robins, and other small songbirds

making the most of the brief warmth, and also of a handsome

fox who trotted across my path.

Passing through Mosterton I popped into the church and found

a relatively modern stained glass

window depicting Christ above a working tractor, its engine parts

picked out in loving detail – a

fitting benediction for this farming community. I picked up

a sandwich from a local shop and

half an hour later ate a picnic on a high ridge where my footpath

crossed the Monarch’s Way trail

before descending the valley into Beaminster.

By the time I reached the folds

of the hills around Netherbury the sun was dipping below the

horizon and the air quickly cooled.

Shady tracks here had remained covered all day in ice-filled ruts

and puddles.

A Journey to Small Pilgrim Places—Netherbury

27

I found St Mary’s Church just in

time to explore its location and admire its fine stone exterior in the

lingering light. The churchyard is

evidently being managed carefully, and a sign explained that it is part

of the Dorset Wildlife Trust Living

Churchyard Project, aimed at preserving and enhancing the

nature conservation value

of such sites. Inside, I found some interesting

features, including an ancient font

and an elegant Elizabethan wood-panelled pulpit with a gleaming

brass stair-rail. An area is set aside

for quiet prayer, and here a variety of prayer aids are available, includ­

ing stones in a bowl of water, a

pathway of footprints leading to a prayer tree, a prie-dieu, candles

and a host of prayer requests hung

around an old tombstone. An arc of

chairs on a soft carpet invites

visitors to rest and reflect.

Leaving the churchyard some time later, I came across a trio of

handsome dogs and their owner,

who introduced herself as Jackie Bush, the hospitaller. How good

to make her acquaintance. She

directed me to a local farm, my night’s B&B. Later that evening,

eating a fireside supper of home-

reared lamb, I could hear the church bells up the valley as the

ringers practised.

Next morning I left soon after sunrise, keen to keep ahead of

threatening rainclouds. I took a

more easterly route, passing through South Perrott under

gathering clouds, but thankfully

reached Crewkerne station before the first raindrops fell.

Ali Green

Sunshine: St Mary’s church Netherbury

28

side to see the layout and occupan­

cy of the seating space. Relief! Having chosen my desired

“seat”, the next impression came

from how welcoming those around were. I always explained who I was

and why I had come and all around

were very welcoming, putting me at ease right away. Next impres­

sions came from how comfortable

the seating was and how warm and light were the surroundings. Then

there was the question of knee

room and space for kneeling. At the start of the service clarity

from the worship leader was im­

portant for me, either by direct hearing or through the sound

~system. Next came the clarity

of order of service: hymn number and how noisy would the music be?

Fortunately in many cases all

seemed comfortably familiar. I was interested in the preacher’s

theology and relevance of the ser­

mon/talk and how the leading min­ister engaged with the congrega­

tion. Were we brought into the

worshipping and thinking process or was it all as if we were pew fod­

der there to be talked-at and edu­

cated? Were we given a task at the end to think about during the com­

ing week? In cases of Holy Com­

munion, guidance and inclusivity were also important.

A Year in Exile

W hen Holy Trinity closed in

2016, it raised the ques-tion of where would we

worship. I decided to attend my

nearest church, the United Church, where I knew several members;

this would become my new

worshipping base. But I decided that I would make

a personal pilgrimage one Sunday

each month to all the other Brad­ford churches, to learn about their

ways of worship, get to know other

Bradford Christians, be buoyed up by their witness and hopefully

show that it was good to be in uni­

ty. This was an exciting challenge which I managed to accomplish on

18 December, and such a wonder­

ful experience that I would like to share some of it with you.

I approached each worshipping

community with some trepidation. Was I at the right place at the right

time? What would they be like?

Where to sit? Would I be able to follow their worship? In each place

I was rapidly put at ease and made

very welcome by the people at the door, sometimes even by name! I

found this initial entry always easi­

er if the local environment was beneficial: light, easy atmosphere,

handed books and notices for the

day between the outer and the in­ner doors, and able to glimpse in­

29

As to endings, were we invited to

socialise over refreshments and made welcome there, or would I be

invited back? Having now complet­

ed my pilgrimage I would like to say how welcoming everybody has

been. Well done! The whole experi­

ence was very encouraging: meet­ing new people and realising that

there are many more active wor­

shipping Christians in Bradford than one might think. In all the congre­

gations with their differing styles of worshipping, buildings, history,

theology and evangelical and pas­

toral activities, I found less than generosity of spirit in theology on

only one occasion, and none in

brotherly welcome. My hope is that we reflect this to newcomers

in our Holy Trinity congregation,

now that we have returned to our “home”.

Malcolm Walsh

Your Letters

POSTCARD UPDATE

A report from Len Whittaker, the volunteer

organiser for 30 years of postcards donated in the UK in aid of the Sudan Church Associa-

tion, states that the money raised in 2016 was £3,800.

18,000 cards from January -June,40,000 from July - December; surprisingly, far less than previous years.

Salisbury, the Church House collection point was the lowest ever

collected. My collection has been very poor this year; fashions change, and holidaymakers find other ways of recording where they are. I would

like to thank Chris Hodge and Beryl Cox who continue to send me post­

cards when they are away; these all end up in Salisbury earning money, however small the amount, for SCA. Mr Whittaker has raised £209,000 in

the years he has been organising the collection of postcards. He should be

applauded for this unsung effort. I would like to meet him! After many years collecting, this will be my final year. If anyone has

been meaning to sort out old postcards they do not want, now is the time.

The needs of the Sudan Church are almost beyond our imagining. I have reported the Postcard collection through Parish News over the years, so

please help to make this year a final big collection for me.

Muriel Freeborn

30

31

A late report was of an

estimated 700 Red Admirals

flying south along the Ridgeway near Swindon on 4

October. Usually only a few are

reported heading back towards the continent and to witness this huge

number is quite exceptional. The first

week of December was far too cold for butterfly activity but

the remainder of the

month was mild, calm and mainly dry .

During a walk around

Widbrook Plantation on 7th, a warm sunny day, I

expected and saw two

Red Admirals. However a Peacock was a great

surprise, tempted out

from hibernation by the warmth no doubt. On the 11th a

Small Tortoiseshell was fluttering

in Westwood church during the morning service, aroused by the

warm conditions.* The 14th was

another lovely day and a Comma was reported outside from

Stourhead and a Red Admiral from

Pertwood Organic Farm, south of Longbridge Deverell. Finally for

2016, on 18th during our church

re-dedication service a Small Tortoiseshell was flying low in the

chancel, aroused from hibernation

by the warmth and perhaps the

joyfulness of the occasion – a good omen for our future. Most unex­

pectedly, on 1 January 2017 a

Peacock butterfly was reported from the village of Farley near

Salisbury, perched on a gate post.

It was moved into a more sheltered situation where hopefully it would

have re-entered into hibernation.

This will be my last butterfly contribution

until the May 2017 is­

sue of Parish News. By then the over-

wintering hibernating

butterflies will have emerged from their

long sleep and be bus­

ily seeking out mates to continue their spe­

cies. Also, some spe­

cies that over-wintered in the chrysalis stage will be on the wing.

Another year of butterfly activity

to look forward to and hopefully better than the 2016 season.

Mike Fuller,

Wiltshire Butterfly Recorder 3 January 2017

* There was a butterfly flitting around Westwood church at the end

of the Christmas Day service – I

wonder if this was the same Small Tortoiseshell as seen on 11th.

Ali Green

Above: A small tortoise-shell butterfly

Wiltshire Butterflies - December 2016

32

Saint for the Season: Martyrs of Japan

F rancis Xavier (1506-1552), the ‘Apostle to the Indies’,

brought Christianity to Japan

in 1549 and it is said made 2000 converts. He also established

churches in Goa, Ceylon and Malaya.

The church continued to expand after he left Japan but some years

later the ruler, Hideyoshi began

to suspect the church’s growth heralded Ja­

pan being

made by the West in­

to a colony.

In 1587, Hi­deyoshi

ordered the

prohibition of Christian worship and the

expulsion of foreigners. The

church managed to keep going until, in 1596, he authorised an

outright persecution of Christians,

which was extremely severe over the first two years.

One significant incident was the

brutal martyrdom of twenty six Japanese Christians in 1597 near

Nagasaki. The church kept their

bloodied clothes as a sign of reverence for their martyrdom.

It took a further thirty five years

before the persecution finally died down. But relations between the

church and the Japanese govern­

ment remained far from easy. However, in 1859, a treaty was

signed between France and Japan,

opening up relations with the West and leading to the government

allowing the Japanese church

freedom of worship. New missions were established in Japan

although, to their surprise, they

found an indigenous church which had continued

to survive

despite having no clergy or

education

resources. An Anglican church

was established

in 1887 with the title, Nippon Sei Ko Kwai (Holy

Catholic Church of Japan). This was

a peaceful period for the Japanese churches, lasting until the rise of

militarism with renewed opposi­

tion to the churches during the 1930s and 1940s. Churches were

again allowed to worship freely

after the Second World War. Today Japan is a comparatively

secular country with only 40% of

the population professing a faith. Most are Buddhist with Christians

numbering 2.3% of the population.

The Martyrs of Japan are commemorated on 6 February.

David Driscoll

Above: Worshippers at an Anglican service

33

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westwood

Churchwardens: Jonathan Azis

jonathan@azis.co.uk

Paul Slade greenaleigh@talk21.com

PCC Secretary

Jill Ross jillbenedictross@gmail.com

The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield

Churchwarden:

David Robinson

david.robinson@paultonsstreet.com PCC Secretary

Vacant

For Prayer in February

World peace Our personal call to ministry New life at Holy Trinity Thanksgiving for all our blessings

34

Quick Crossword The Bible version is the NIV

Clues across 1 Salary (Isaiah 19:10) (4) 3 Question Jesus asked of those healed of leprosy, ‘Were not all ten — ?’ (Luke 17:17) (8) 9 Wide, elevated level area of land (Joshua 13:9) (7) 10 ‘So you also must be — , because the Son of Man will come... when you do not expect him’ (Matthew 24:44) (5) 11 ‘[He] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He — — , and his hand was completely restored’ (Luke 6:10) (3,2) 12 ‘Who has gathered up the wind in the — of his hand?’ (Proverbs 30:4) (6) 14 Not born again (13) 17 ‘Again and again he — the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins’ (Hebrews 10:11) (6) 19 Mails (anag.) (5) 22 ‘He — — here; he has risen’ (Matthew 28:6) (2,3) 23 Defeated (Judges 20:43) (7) 24 Soldiers’ quarters (Acts 21:34) (8) 25 ‘Pillars of marble’ were how the Beloved described those of her Lover (Song of Songs 5:15) (4)

Source: Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon

Solutions on page 15

Clues down 1 Totally destroyed (Genesis 7:23) (5,3) 2 What the Philippian jailer was told to do with his prisoners Paul and Silas (Acts 16:23) (5) 4 Object of ridicule (Job 12:4) (8-5) 5 In most years, the month in which Easter falls (5) 6 For example, Caesarea, Joppa, Tyre, Sidon (7) 7 ‘[Jesus] was in the desert for forty — , being tempted by Satan’ (Mark 1:13) (4) 8 ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power — to our God’ (Revelation 19:1) (6) 13 Mend dots (anag.) (8) 15 Purifier (Malachi 3:3) (7) 16 Attacked (1 Samuel 27:8) (6) 18 The good Samaritan to the innkeeper: ‘When I return, I will reimburse you for any — expense you may have’ (Luke 10:35) (5) 20 How Matthew described the crowds who followed Jesus (Matthew 4:25) (5) 21 For example, one of 25 Across (Judges 19:29) (4)

35

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Officers

The Revd Joanna Abecassis, Chair

The Rev Dr Ali Green (Associate Priest)

Judith Holland (Churchwarden), Vice Chair

David Milne (Churchwarden)

Members

Chris Hodge, PCC Secretary

* Deanery Synod representatives

The Standing Committee

Chair, Churchwardens, Associate Priest and Treasurer

Churchwardens Emeriti

Jeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch, Trevor Ford

The Pastoral Care Team

Joanna, Anne Carter, Alison Cook, Joan Finch, Marlene Haffenden, Tony Haffenden,

Chris Hodge, Evelyn Humphrey, Heather Knight, Sue Lavis, Val Payne, David Raw­

stron, Hazel Rawstron, Geneviève Roberts and Sylvia Stanes.

The Friends of Holy Trinity Church

Chairman: John Cox, Secretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller, Treasurer: Vacant

Committee: Michael Cottle, Chris Hodge

Ex officio: Revd Joanna Abecassis, Judith Holland and David Milne

Bradford Group Ministry

This is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North

Bradford on Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a

much closer bond and to this end joint meetings and services have recently been

held, and the Group clergy meet regularly.

Alison Cook

Joh Cox

Deirdre Garrett

Steve Fountain

Marlene Haffenden

Jeremy Lavis* (Treasurer)

Denise Pape

Anne Willis*

Jill Wright

36

OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS PCC Secretary Chris Hodge 869357 email: hodge_c1@sky.com PCC Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton bradavonba@gmail.com Benefice Admin Assistant Aylene Clack beneficeoffice@htboa.org Bellringers Sarah Quintin 869469 Bookstall Brass Cleaning Chris Hodge 869357 Coffee on Sunday Janet Brown and 862188 Malcolm Walsh 862702 Church Stewards David Milne 864341 Director of Music Electoral Roll Officer Alan Knight 860991 Flowers Jonquil Burgess 868905 Food Bank Heather and Alan Knight 860991 Guides & Brownies Sarah Bennett sarahsootyowl@gmail.com mainly music Marlene Haffenden 864412 marlene.haffenden@googlemail.com Mothers’ Union Jill Wright 287786 MU Prayer Circle Chris Hodge 869357 Re-ordering Fundraiser Steve Fountain voicefountain@gmail.com Servers Mary Ford 862240 Saxon Club David Driscoll 865314 Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees: Chairman Anna Tanfield (all bookings) 863819 Secretary Anne Carter 862146 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Sidespersons Judith Holland 866215 Stewardship Secretary Pam Harman harmanpam1@gmail.com Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Communications Church Stalls Mervyn Harris 863440 Team Trinity June Harrison 863745

Parish Representatives on other organisations: Bradford Group Council: The Churchwardens Children’s Society: Anne Carter Christian Aid: Judith Holland Deanery Synod: Jeremy Lavis and Anne Willis BoA Churches Together: c/o The Revd Joanna Abecassis St Laurence School: The Revd Joanna Abecassis and Lindsay Driscoll (Foundation Governors)

Printed at the Parish Office, 18A Woolley Street, Bradford on Avon. Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.htboa.org. Previous issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.