The Parish Magazine

for the church of

St. Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe

 July/ August, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOT THE VICAR’S LETTER

 

It falls to me to write the final contribution under this heading, before welcoming Andy Froud.  Perhaps it should be renamed ‘Almost the Vicar’s Letter’.

 

I have been turning over in my mind for some time what I would say.  A little while ago three words came into my mind each beginning with the letter ‘c’.  Change, Challenge, Commitment (the order doesn’t matter).

 

Some of you will know that in February I made the trip of a lifetime – a cruise to the Antarctic.  It is something I have always wanted to do, not especially to see the wildlife, but because I’ve always been a fan of the great explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.  I return time and again, to his book ‘South’ which is his own account of the doomed voyage of his ship The Endurance.  To quote the blurb on the back of the book:

 

In a breathtaking, seemingly endless struggle against the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a brutal quest for survival in the most unforgiving environment imaginable.  Freezing, treacherous seas of gargantuan waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, relentless cold and ever-looming starvation all conspire against the team staying alive.

 

And yet in these appalling conditions, Shackleton displayed supreme skills of leadership.  He inspired loyalty in his men, and showed himself well equal to the task of preserving their sanity.  The goal of the expedition was to cross the continent of Antarctica via. the South Pole.  When the Endurance got stuck in the ice in the Weddell Sea, this changed completely to that of bringing his men back home alive.  The whole story is shot through with the three ‘c’s’.  Commitment to each other, every day facing the challenges of the unknown, and this involved constantly making changes.

 

The period of interregnum has coincided with a difficult time both socially and economic.  Familiar certainties are no longer there, and never will be in the same way.  Change is an ever present constant, whether we like it or not, and it will be so as the future unfolds.

 

I remember someone once made the comment to me that two things can happen in a parish in an interregnum.  Either things tend to slow down and grind to a halt, pending the arrival of the new incumbent.  Or the period gives the laity the stimulus to do different things and develop.  I like to think that we at St Mary’s have been doing the latter.  People have been taking on new responsibilities, coming up with different ideas, and importantly, working together as a team to keep the parish moving forward.  This is not comfortable at times, but as the saying goes – there’s no gain without some pain.  And being Christians we are not left alone.  To quote Shackleton again:

 

When I look back at those days I have no doubt that Providence guided us, not only across those snow fields, but across the storm-white sea that separated Elephant Island from our landing place on South Georgia.  I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three.  I said nothing to my companions on the point, but afterwards Worsley said to me, “Boss, I had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us.”

 

So, as we reflect on the year that has passed since Philip retired, and anticipate Andy’s licensing on 6 August, I think we can compliment ourselves on a job well done.  We can look forward  to working with him to meeting the changes and challenges ahead with confidence that we are not left alone without the strength and endurance to meet them.

                                                                   Alison Hoyle

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Diary – July 2009

 

1st

Henry, John and Henry Venn, 1797, 1813, 1873. For all ministers of Word and Sacrament.

2nd

For peace.

3rd

Thomas the Apostle. For those who find it hard to believe.

4th

For those awaiting operations.

5th

Trinity 4. For all who live on Parson Lane.

6th

Thomas More and John Fisher. Martyrs. 1535. For those who stand up for their faith against political pressure.

7th

For our troops at war.

8th

For integrity in politics.

9th

For our church schools.

10th

For an end to poverty of spirit.

11th

Benedict. Abbot. c. 550. For the communities of Benedict.

12th

Trinity 5. For all who live on Moor Lane.

13th

For all families linked to our church community.

14th

John Keble. Priest and Poet. 1866. For those who bring richness into our worship.

15th

Swithun. Bishop. 862. For all our Bishops.

16th

Osmund. Bishop of Salisbury. 1099. For our cathedrals and their staff.

17th

For those who are lonely, anxious or depressed.

18th

Elizabeth Ferard. Deaconess. 1883. For all deacons and deaconesses.

19th

Trinity 6. For all who live on Salthill Rd

20th

For those who cannot have a holiday.

21st

For the dying.

22nd

Mary Magdalene. For our parish and all others named for Mary.

23rd

Bridget. Abbess. 1373. For the ministry of women.

24th

For those with the responsibility for government.

25th

James the Apostle. For humility.

26th

Trinity 10. For all who live on Moorland Rd

27th

For those who are oppressed by tyrannical governments.

28th

For all Sunday School teachers.

29th

Mary, Martha and Lazarus. For all friends of Jesus.

30th

William Wilberforce. 1833. For those who fight injustice.

31st

Ignatius of Loyola. 1556. For our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY MAGDALENE

St Mary’s Church Office                                       

Church Street                                                              

Clitheroe                                                                       

Lancs                                                                            

BB7 2DG                                                                                      

 

Tel. 01200 422828                                                                     

May 2009

Dear                                                                                                                                          

 

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

Thank you for all your help this year. In St Mary’s patch of the town (which is a part of our own parish) we collected and counted £1289.58. Gift Aid will be reclaimed on almost half of this giving a total of £1453.77. Last year’s total was over £1899 plus Gift Aid, but the recession hits our recipients hard too.

 

The Coffee Morning at the Town Hall raised £352.16 and the final total for our ecumenical Ribble Valley group of 16 churches will be announced in the local paper.

 

It isn’t just the money that’s important but that so many Christian people in the country have taken a smile and a pleasant word to so many houses even if it’s not always as welcomed as you would hope.

 

The most encouraging sign this year was that 22 people came to help count the money and it took little more than 

half an hour. Our previous record was 90 minutes.

 

We hope you will be willing to help again next year 9-15th May 2010.                                                                                                                              

 

Thanks,

                                                            Sue Shepherd and Sandra Sowerbutts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Builder of the Sunday School

 

“In Memoriam the Revd Edward Hughes Thomas M.A. born May 27th 1845, fell asleep Nov 13th 1891. …Erected by the teachers and scholars of the Sunday School as a token of love and esteem.

The Revd. Edward Hughes Thomas and family came to Clitheroe in 1878. The Patron of the living, John Anderton, was the son of the former Vicar and continued to live in what had been the Vicarage – and is the Vicarage today. The Thomases moved into the house next door, number 15 and continued to live there even after John Anderton died. The Thomas family grew to six children between 1881 and 1887, but one, Marjorie, died in infancy and is remembered on her father’s gravestone.

Probably the most notable event of Edward Thomas’s incumbency was the building of the New Schools, today known as St. Mary’s Centre. This was not achieved without controversy. The Easter Vestry meeting of 1881 seems to have been a lively affair when a number of people hostile to the church attended and prevented the introduction of some interesting and important matters. These appear to have related to the proposed building, and in March 1882 a Petition against the New Schools was printed in the Preston papers. There was a rumour circulating that the intention was to move the National School from Moor Lane to Church Street – no doubt fuelled by the fact that the Moor Lane School was full to capacity.

Nevertheless, a successful week-long Bazaar was held in the Public Hall (now The Grand) raising over £1,500. Mrs. Thomas was a stall holder and enlisted the services of several ladies including her own and her husband’s sisters. It seems the Vicar had a sense of humour but was perhaps lacking in tact. The town’s Liberal MP, Richard Fort, should have opened the Bazaar but he telegraphed his apologies at the last minute and R.J.Aspinall Esq. from Standen Hall took his place. The Vicar commented and reported in the Parish Magazine, “Why shouldn’t it be taken again at the next Election?” This brought letters of protest in a local newspaper and a greatly increased demand for the Parish Magazine. In the next issue an unrepentant Vicar wrote, “But an Editor, though of a humble Parish Magazine, and even though he be a clergyman, may surely be allowed to have an opinion and to express a wish of his own. In this case, the opinion is that our present Member is full of geniality and kindness, and the wish is that he may continue our Member until a Conservative take his place.”! (Which did not happen; the next MP was also a Liberal.)

The foundation stone of the New Schools was laid on February 24th, 1883. The Vicar made special reference to the fact that the building of the New Schools on this particular site was an earnest wish of his predecessor, the Rev. J.H. Anderton.

More fireworks exploded at the Easter Vestry on March 22nd. At least 144 people attended, many of whom were “Romanists”. The People’s Warden did not present the accounts; the Vicar’s Warden resigned and there was a contest for the People’s Warden at which Mr. Dewhurst was re-elected “by a great majority of Romanist voters”. All this was recorded in the Parish Magazine, and the Vicar expressed the hope that “the Wardens and Sidesmen will now work harmoniously for the good of the Church which they represent”.

From 1888 onwards Edward Thomas seems to have become ill. His signature is absent from the Baptism Register Between April 1888 and August 1890 and again after February 1891. At the 1891 census on April 5th he was living with his parents, now retired, in Southport. His wife Camilla and all the children were established in Wandsworth with two German lady lodgers – presumably to help pay the rent – and George Patterson aged 56, Curate-in-Charge, was resident in the Vicarage. Camilla Thomas had two brothers who lived in Wandsworth which perhaps explains why she was living there.

The Reverend Edward Hughes Thomas died on November 13th 1891. Clitheroe Library has a photograph of his funeral cortege making its way along Railway View Road. The service was conducted by SW Coleman, Vicar of Great Marsden near Nelson – who also dealt with a backlog of baptisms on the same day.

Being Vicar of St. Mary’s after Joseph Heywood Anderton who had ministered in Clitheroe for nearly fifty years cannot have been easy for Edward Thomas but the tribute on his tombstone from the Sunday School shows that his work at St. Mary’s was appreciated. A brass plate in the chancel records the undying regard of his parents.

Patricia Duxbury

 

ST. MARY MAGDALENE LADIES GROUP.

 

At the time of writing, we are about to enjoy our Summer Lunch at the Calves Head, Worston – and members are looking forward to what is always a most enjoyable occasion.

 

Following this – in July – we are invited to tea with Erica Pollit on Tuesday 21st and with Kathleen Carlton on Tuesday August 18th – both from 2.15pm onwards.    There will be a  bring and buy stall at each event with proceeds going towards the Group funds, and we thank both Erica and Kathleen in anticipation for their hospitality.

 

The Autumn/Winter meetings commence on September 8th with a talk by a representative of The Bhodi Tree – Health & Healing, and then on the 22nd of that month our old friend Peter Watson will be with us to talk about Folk Medicine and to tell us what he promises are “all true remedies” – we will wait and see!  Whatever, Peter always provides us with an amusing afternoon of entertainment, and we look forward to his visit.

 

As ever, the Ladies Group welcome visitors and new members to their tea parties and to their meetings, which are held on alternate Tuesdays in the Mutual Room of St. Mary’s Centre commencing at 2.15pm.  If you are wondering what to do with those winter afternoons – make up your mind to come along to see what we are all about.

 

                                                                                                Jean Duck, Chairman.

 

Thank you!

 

A big thank you to all the people who took the time to fill in the ‘Time & Talents’ sheets. Names have been put on lists, new lists made out and names given to the appropriate organisers.

 

Thank you again. Your help is much appreciated.                                                                                                                                   Pat Gorrill Church Warden

 

From Bach to Twentieth Century Baroque

David Houlder’s Organ Concert

 

Saturday morning music lovers at the June “Music at St. Mary’s” concert were treated to a recital which was much more cheerful than the weather. David Houlder from Leeds Parish Church has the interesting accomplishment of having played every cathedral organ in England, and on June 6th he presented a varied and very accessible programme on St. Mary’s recently restored instrument.

Reginald Porter-Brown’s happy “Tuba Tune” set the mood, followed by William Harris’s light and delicate “A Fancy” and Percy Whitlock’s immediately recognisable “Folk Tune”.

 The principal work on the programme was the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor (BVW 582) by Johann Sebastian Bach. David told the audience before he performed it that the piece is a short theme with twenty variations (and very varied they are too!) followed by a fugue on the same theme. His clear explanation added greatly to the enjoyment of listening to the music.  

 In contrast, but not unconnected, was the next item, the Baroque Suite by J. H. Reginald Dixon. This was not the organist from Blackpool Tower, but the former organist of Lancaster Roman Catholic Cathedral who sounds to have been quite a character. Composing three centuries after Bach, he has interpreted the style of seventeenth century music in a composition for a twentieth century instrument.

 Two more compositions from the twentieth century rounded off the recital: Pierre Cochereau’s “Berceuse à  la mémoire de Louis Vierne” and three related pieces by Nicholas Choveaux.  “Berceuse à  la mémoire de Louis Vierne” was an improvisation on Vierne’s very well known lullaby, and was played in May 1973 in Notre Dame, Paris. It was found to have been tape recorded and has been transcribed and published. David Houlder’s performance enabled his listeners to marvel at the improvisational skills of Pierre Cochereau.

Nicholas Choveaux was an organist and schoolmaster in Surrey. His March set the audience’s feet tapping, and was followed by the short, contrasting Meditation. The whole concert came to a triumphant conclusion with the Toccata, a fabulous climax of sound built upon the Easter hymn tune “Lasst uns Erfreuen” – All Creatures of our God and King. The audience responded warmly to what had been a most enjoyable concert. Don’t miss the next one with Graham Barber on July 4th!

Patricia Duxbury

 

 

The Feast of the Transfiguration

 

August 6th, as well as being the occasion of Andrew's licensing in the evening, is also the Feast of the Transfiguration. We shall therefore be having an additional celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 10.30am, not simply to keep the Feast, but also to provide ourselves with a specific opportunity to pray for Andrew, his family, and his future ministry among us. I do hope that many parishioners will want to attend to enfold Andrew in prayer on this doubly important day.

 

 

 

 

  

                           BETTER  TIMES  IN  INDIA.

 

         It is sad that in some societies there is a gap between what the law sets out and what actually happens in real life. 

        One such country is India, with its elaborate caste system which has been fixed and immovable for hundreds of years. Even today many women are unaware of the rights they have under the present laws.

         I have been reading the story of Kantwa, a woman from a poor family struggling to survive, whose parents were persuaded by the local priest to dedicate her at the age of 15 to the temple, in the hope of greater  prosperity for the family .in 1982 this was made illegal so it still goes on secretary

 

 Kantwa became a  "devadasi", a temple servant and prostitute. She could never marry and when she grew older she was dependent on her brother  

for support.

      Worse still, two years ago she developed a sore on her foot, which those around her at once diagnosed as leprosy. People were afraid and tried to avoid all contact with her . Even at the government hospital she was given no help until a new doctor came who told her to go to the Leprosy Mission Hospital. When she reached it, she tells how she was afraid to go in, remembering how she had been rebuffed at the other hospital, but she did at last do so, and was met with kindness and concern. She says:"I was treated with respect. They tested me and told me that I had leprosy. They treated me and showed me how to dress my wounds. They took away my fear. I have never known such concern."

     Kantwa was given modern medicine and was cured, though she still has no feeling in the injured foot. She was helped to obtain the tiny pension which the state gives to retired devadasi, and she now belongs to a "self-help group" who are working together to setup small income-generating projects.

      There are many such groups in India and in Africa. For most of them the main, longterm aim is that the children  shall have access to education which they see as the way to a better life.

                                                Kate Wallwork

 

 

 

           

 

 

 


PATRONAL FESTIVAL

                                              

Sunday 19th July 2009

 

We thank God for St Mary Magdalene

and pray for our own fellowship and mission

 

8.00am        Holy Communion

 

9.45am        Festal Eucharist           

Preacher: Rev Canon David Bruno (USPG) including the Commissioning of Daniella, Laura, and Rebecca, about to join the Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage to the Free State

 

6.30pm        Our Top Ten Hymns

(in which we sing the most favourite hymns chosen by our congregations - voting slips are available at the back of church along with a box to put them in.)

 

followed by a   Cheese and Wine Evening

(Tickets £3; in aid of Music @ St Mary’s, available in Church and from the Parish Office)

 

Come and join our celebrations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

           Volunteers needed for a Working Party on Friday 10th July

to do odd jobs and give the church a good clean before the Licensing service for Rev Andrew Froud.

 

If you can help in any way, please come along to church from 8.30am. We’ll take a break for the Holy Communion Service and coffee at 10.30am. If you can spare some time to do some cleaning and dusting (please bring your own duster) you will be very welcome.

 

The Building Committee

    

 

The Chester Grace

 

 

Since early May John and I have been enjoying the company of Doug and Joan Peterson who have been touring England on their bicycles, and no doubt you will have seen them swelling the numbers of the choir for the last few weeks. We have explored the countryside around the Ribble Valley and dined together on several occasions with much merriment, entertaining each other with silly songs and ditties. On the more serious side they have introduced us to “The Chester Grace” Doug and Joan wish to thank all those who have made their stay in the Clitheroe area so memorable and would like to share this grace with everyone.

 

The Chester Grace

Give me a good digestion, Lord

And also something to digest;

Give me a healthy body, Lord

And the sense to keep it at its best.

Give me a healthy mind, Lord

Which keeps the good and pure in sight

Which, seeing sin is not appalled

But finds a way to put it right.

Give me a mind that is not bound,

Does not whimper, whine or sigh;

Help me not to worry overmuch

About a selfish thing called I

Give me a sense of humour, Lord

The grace to see a joke

To get some happiness from life

 And pass it on to other folk

 

                                         An old English prayer – Courtesy of Joan & Doug Peterson U.S.A.

                                                                                      

                                                                              Sally Goodman

 

 

 

Spiritual Exercises

 

If you are expecting something about Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises; sorry but check the library. It’s just that I believe that we have to exercise our spiritual as much as our physical selves.

 

Now when it comes to physical exercise some of us take on too much and then stop completely: we should apply the same principles to spiritual exercise. Gently does it.

 

We need to discipline ourselves to pray frequently, and that should mean at least daily. I frequently meet people who never or rarely attend church but who tell me that either they or their spouse pray daily. I have sometimes wondered if a higher proportion of non-churchgoers pray daily than regular worshippers at church. Have many of us have come to the conclusion for one reason or another that once a week is quite enough to be bothering the Almighty?

Praying daily is not just for the Vicar because being a Christian is something that 24/7 and not just for Sunday. Since the earliest days of the church daily prayer has been part of the life of the whole church. However, for many centuries it became the preserve of the clergy and monastic orders.

 

What you can do:

·        Start (or restart) small – don’t set yourself unrealistic targets.

 

·        It is possible to pray while doing other things but don’t kid yourself that this is a replacement for spending time in real worship: your own special time with God.

 

·        Find or make a quiet place: some people find lighting a candle or having some music on helps them to concentrate.

 

·        Try just saying the Lord’s Prayer slowly: take time to think about what each phrase means. It’s also good to read the Bible and Patricia Duxbury can get you a copy of Bible Reading Fellowship notes.

 

·        Make some time daily to pray at home: it may be that you can just stop for a moment at 9.30 am wherever you are to pray with everyone else.

 

·        Join us in church during the week at 9.30 am: you don’t have to come every day, but use one or two days as a kind of anchor to the rest of your weekly pattern of worship.

 

What you can expect:

·        Praying doesn’t make you a better person:  but it will change your life for the better.

Revd Andy Froud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Favourite Hymn

“Eternal Father, strong to save” chosen by Tom Wallwork

In 1939 Tom was working as a temporary lab assistant at the Grammar School while waiting to be old enough to join the Metropolitan Police. On the outbreak of war he took himself off to Preston to volunteer for the Navy, only to be told that his was a reserved occupation. A few months later he tried again, saw the same Marine with a waxed moustache, gave his occupation as “handyman”, and as such joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He still has the papers to prove it!

He spent six years in the navy, advancing from Ordinary Seaman to Lieutenant and voyaging from the Arctic to Capetown, with the Mediterranean and the Red Sea in between. For his initial training Tom was on “Land Ship” – a naval training establishment on shore, at HMS Ganges, Ipswich and remembers “Sunday Divisions” – inspection followed by a church service at which “Eternal Father, strong to save” was always sung. He remembers a few other things too, such as having to climb the rigging to the crow’s nest every morning before breakfast, and carving his name on the button at the very top of the mast.

“Eternal Father” was written in 1860 by William Whiting of Winchester as a poem for a student of his who was about to sail to America. It’s become a favourite for sailors because of the lines “O hear us when we cry to thee, for those in peril on the sea”. Recalling the rough seas tearing the life floats off the sides of the ship on a voyage from Scapa Flow to Glasgow, and the 50 foot waves when Ark Royal was flying aircraft to sink the Bismarck, Tom said that sailors are always grateful for prayer. The first verse of the hymn reminds us that God is ultimately in control – his arm has “bound the restless wave”, and the second verse speaks of Christ’s stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee, bringing about calm conditions which all seamen appreciate.

Tom’s seagoing experiences included shaking hands with General Montgomery in the Bitter Lakes when Montgomery came to watch a training exercise, and having his ship nearly blown out of the water by a delayed action bomb in Tobruk harbour – after his superiors had told him it wasn’t a bomb but a chunk of masonry. The ship was a 150 foot long tank landing craft, LC T112. It hadn’t a name, but could carry up to five Sherman tanks and Tom and his crew sailed it all along the coast of North Africa. But the story which struck me most happened in the north Atlantic in about 1942. Tom had not seen his father, who was in the Merchant Navy, since the beginning of the war. On lookout on the cruiser HMS Edinburgh, he spotted a Cunard ship and asked which it was. On being told, he remarked, “My father’s on that. I hope he’s going home”. Some days later, HMS Edinburgh put into Hafnarfjordur in Iceland only to find that the Cunarder was anchored there too, and for four days Tom was allowed to meet his father each afternoon. 

Tom’s navy days came to an end when he was demobbed in 1946, but some of the memories are as fresh as ever, and “Eternal Father, strong to save” is among them.

Patricia Duxbury

 

MUSIC AT ST MARY’S

 

 

Organ concerts during the summer at St Mary Magdalene’s Church

 

 

Saturday 4th July

Graham Barber

(St Bartholomew’s Church, Armley, Leeds)

 

Saturday 29th August

Bob Marsh

(Skipton Parish Church)

 

Saturday 5 September

Stephen Carleston

(Bolton Parish Church)

 

For all concerts coffee is served at 11.00am.  Concerts start at 11.30 and last for one hour.  Admission is £5.  Accompanied children are admitted free as are students, on production of a valid student card.

 

Please come along and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A NEWCOMER IN THE MARKET

 

Aficionados of Clitheroe market on a Tuesday will have noticed a new stall there lately. It offers for sale an eye catching display of bags, purses, scarves, small boxes and other trinkets. The broad shouldered stall holder has the unmistakable appearance of the ex-Army man; he is keen to chat and explain the reason for and the meaning behind his merchandise, for he is selling on behalf of the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Images of Nepal.

The plight of the Gurkha  soldiers hit the headlines recently when Joanna Lumley pleaded eloquently for their right to settle in Britain if they had served long enough in the British Army and her victory met with great approval.

However, not all Gurkhas are eligible and some are disabled and elderly. Nepal is a beautiful but impoverished country with no state welfare system. The Gurkha Welfare Trust provides basic pensions and medical care for over ten and a half thousand Gurkha veterans and their widows.

The British Army is recruiting fewer Gurkha men now and as a result there is less income returning to some of the villages; children are missing out on education and most households have to fetch water from a communal tap.

‘Images of Nepal’ is a charity providing sponsorship of education and training for needy children and leaflets explaining about this scheme are available on the market. The items for sale have all been made either by the sponsored young people or by the disabled but all are of a high quality of workmanship.

If you are interested in knowing more, spend a few moments talking to the man in charge – he will tell you he married a Nepalese lady and recently returned to Nepal where his daughter had a joint Buddhist-Hindu wedding involving the whole village. He will explain the symbolism of some of the designs and proudly point out the colours of the 2nd Battalion Gurkha Regiment. Even if you do not buy anything he will be pleased in your interest for he says that the people of Clitheroe are exceptionally kind, welcoming and generous for which he is most grateful.

                                                                             Ann Goodbody

Introducing  USPG  and  myself:

 

I am delighted to be coming to St Mary Magdalene’s on the important occasion of your

 

Patronal Festival.   You have much to celebrate on that day and it will be a privilege for me to be taking part.   I come representing one of the oldest missionary societies in the Anglican Communion – founded over 300 years ago, as SPG.  Its incorporation, many years later in 1965, with the Universities Mission to Central Africa, inspired by the travels and work of

David Livingstone, caused the slight name change by which, today, it is known as the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.   Its work reaches out across large areas of today’s world, helping, encouraging and supporting the Church in those parts.

Your own connection with the Diocese of Bloemfontein, is but one area that USPG has been associated with for many years. Interest in that part of the world developed when a British settlement in the Cape began in 1820 and soon new dioceses were being established to provide focus for the growing Church of which, Bloemfontein (in 1863) was one.

 

My own links with Southern Africa began in the next-door diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in 1964, when as a newly commissioned ‘missionary’, I sailed out to Cape Town and took the long train ride up through the Karoo – with its wide open, dry countryside to begin work in a very different, varied but vibrant Church.   I might, initially have disliked the atmosphere of apartheid, but I have never lost my love of the country, of its people and its Church and I rejoice that you as a parish will be focussing your own interest there and learning something of its life and of what it can offer you and those who are fortunate to be going on this pilgrimage there.

 

 

David Bruno

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music at St. Mary’s forthcoming concerts

 

Saturday 4 July 2009 Graham Barber (organist at St. Bartholomew’s, Armley, Leeds)

Since his début in London at the Royal Festival Hall in 1979, Graham Barber has been recognised as one of the world’s leading concert organists. He has given concerts in major venues in Britain, Europe, the Far East, the States and Australia, and has been widely broadcast. Recent concerts have been in Prague, Leipzig, Braga, Lisbon, Coimbra and Adelaide. Reviewing his first recording in 1975, the Sunday Times described him as a ‘technically brilliant, musically mature organist.’ He has made CDs on many English, German and Dutch organs and has been described in Gramophone magazine as ‘one of the organ world's finest recording artists.’

Professor of Performance Studies at the University of Leeds, Graham Barber is also Visiting Tutor in Organ Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and Organist at St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley. He has given masterclasses at conservatories in Weimar, Enschede, Braga, Lisbon and Cologne. In October 2004 he was Distinguished Academic Visitor at the University of Adelaide. In 2006 he was the recipient of a prestigious NESTA Fellowship from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.

Graham Barber has performed in concert with many of the world's leading conductors including Sir Edward Downes, Sir Charles Groves, Richard Hickox, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Georg Solti, Jan Pascal Tortelier and Sir David Willcocks.                                                                            (from www.grahambarber.org.uk)

Saturday 29 August 2009 Bob Marsh (organist at Skipton Parish Church)

Bob studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, The Royal College of Music, Keble College, Oxford, where he was Organ Scholar, and Jesus College, Cambridge.  He gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists at the age of twenty.

For many years he was Assistant Organist of Ripon Cathedral.  He was Organist and conductor to both the Northern Cathedrals Festival and the Yorkshire Three Choirs Festival.  He has played the organ live on BBC Radio Three on several occasions and appeared in a number of television programmes such as Songs of Praise, Emmerdale and London’s Burning.  He became Musical Director of Cantores Olicanae a 50-strong mixed voice chamber choir based in Ilkley, in September 2003.

He has also been organist and musical director for the Daily Service on BBC Radio Four.  He has a number of recordings to his credit.  As a solo organist he has appeared in many venues, including in this country, Westminster Abbey, York Minster and Eton College Chapel and abroad, Canada, the USA, France, Luxemburg, Germany and the Czech and Slovak Republics.        (from www.cantores.ilkley.org)

 

Saturday 5 September 2009 Stephen Carleston (organist at Bolton Parish Church)

Stephen Carleston began his musical life as a boy chorister at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Educated at the College Choir School, he won a music scholarship to Clifton College in Bristol, where he studied piano with David Pettit and organ with Gwilym Isaac. Then, after a year as an articled pupil and Acting Assistant Organist to Dr. Arthur Wills at Ely Cathedral, he read music at Oxford University, where he was Organ Scholar of St. Edmund Hall.

Having held church music and teaching appointments in Bedford, Frome and Wolverhampton, Stephen was for several years Organist & Master of the Choristers at St. Peter’s Church, Bournemouth, and Director of Music at Bournemouth School. He then moved to the North of England in 1994 as Director of Music at Rossall School in Fleetwood. He left Rossall in August 2000, and now pursues a busy freelance career.

He directs the music at Bolton Parish Church, conducts two choral societies, is composition tutor at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, and teaches singing at a local school. Stephen works for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, examining grade syllabuses (including jazz) and diplomas throughout the UK and abroad, and is also a consultant to the Royal School of Church Music. He is principal conductor of “Laudate”, a choir that exists largely to provide music in major Cathedrals when the resident choir is on holiday. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and also holds the RCO’s Choir Training Diploma.

Stephen undertakes many occasional engagements as conductor (both choral and orchestral), organist, harpsichordist, piano accompanist and adjudicator. He has an especial interest in improvisation, on both the organ (mainly in the French style) and the piano (mostly jazz), and includes an “improvisation on a submitted theme” in each of his organ recital programmes.      (from www.northernvoices.co.uk)                                                                                                                              Catherine Carr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pilgrims to the Diocese of the Free State

 

Meet Daniella, Laura and Rebecca who will travel with the Diocesan Youth Pilgrimage to our link Diocese of the Free State later this month.

Daniella Pires is 16, and attends Ribblesdale School in Clitheroe where she has just taken her GCSE examinations. She is a member of St. Mary’s Church Choir.

Laura Dixon is also 16 and goes to Hollins Technology College in Accrington. She too has just taken GCSE exams.

Rebecca Dixon is Laura’s sister aged 15. She is in Year 10 at Hollins Technology College and will take exams next year. Both Laura and Rebecca help with the younger children in Sunday School.  You may remember seeing a photo of Daniella and Laura outside the Platform Gallery with St. Mary’s banner which they helped to make for last year’s Clitheroe Festival.

All three girls will be commissioned for their special journey at our Patronal Festival on Sunday, July 19th. Our prayers will go with them and we look forward to hearing all about their experiences!

                                                                                                            Patricia Duxbury

Curate’s Corner

 

A five-year old spat within British Evangelicalism is still going strong: Steve Chalke, the well-known Baptist preacher, is in trouble with fellow members of the Evangelical Alliance (UK) regarding a particular ‘theory’ of Atonement (‘at-one-ment’ - how Christ has reconciled us to God) known as ‘penal substitution’ (PS), which has long been the controlling soteriological (about ‘salvation’) model within mainstream Evangelicalism. Put simply: Jesus’ death on the Cross paid the penalty for sin on behalf of wicked humanity – “He died that we might be forgiven…” - God’s anger against us was assuaged by Jesus’ innocent death. PS is one of a number of Atonement metaphors/models, but its popular exposition (from the pulpit and in hymns) is often crude: “And when I think that God His Son not sparing/Sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in/That on the cross my burden gladly bearing/He bled and died to take away my sin.” This kind of image is, according one Anglican theologian, “so inadequate and can be so easily perverted and made misleading”, it would be better if it were “rejected altogether”. Chalke clearly agrees.

 

So in December 2003, with co-author Alan Mann, he published ‘The Lost Message of Jesus’. Not about Atonement as such, the book accused PS of promoting a wrong understanding of both God and human nature. If you follow ‘The Simpsons’ then you will know the sanctimonious Ned Flanders who told Homer: “I don’t judge you. I leave that to a wrathful, angry God to do”! This, argues Chalke, is precisely how PS is often presented; it is “biblically, culturally and pastorally deficient and even dangerous….a distortion, misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the purpose of the Cross”. Atonement is not “a form of cosmic child abuse – a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed….[and] people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith”. Furthermore PS “betrays Jesus’ attempt to root out the tendency of religion to lead to violence by inventing a theology of his death that is in direct opposition to his teaching. If [he concluded] the church could rediscover a deeper understanding of the cross, we could once again speak with prophetic power to a global society caught in the grip of the lie that violence can be redemptive.” Such condemnation is not new. The 12th Century theologian, Peter Abelard, complained: “How cruel and wicked it seems that anyone should demand the blood of an innocent person as the price for anything, or that it should in any way please him that an innocent man should be slain – still less that God should consider the death of his Son so agreeable that by it he should be reconciled to the whole world”.

 

What of other models of atonement and their Biblical roots? Properly understood (St Paul often mixes his metaphors), they can offer important insights into ‘the work’ of Christ but, whilst not as fundamentally flawed as PS, they share a basic weakness: they are, inevitably, culture-bound. Those based on ancient cultic ideas about sacrifice require extensive re-interpretation. The so-called ‘ransom’ theory (Christ’s death was a payment to the devil – Chalke’s preferred model) comes from a time where it was customary to ransom captives. St Augustine, influenced by Roman law, produced more legalistic models (hence the idea of paying ‘penalties’) and St Anselm’s approach was based on the feudal practices of his day (concepts of ‘honour’ and ‘satisfaction’). The 16th Century Reformers stressed absolute human depravity, the prospect of eternal damnation, and the transfer of guilt to the innocent Son (for Calvin, God has already decided who is to be saved and who is damned, and even babies “are guilty…their whole nature is a seed of sin”). Such ideas, contextualised in remote and often bloodthirsty cultures, tend (thankfully) not to resonate today and, when their implications for our picture of God are properly thought through, a sensitive believer will find them distressing, whilst those outside the Church will dismiss Christianity as barbaric, and Christians as (Chalke again) “harsh, censorious and ungracious”.

 

‘Atonement’ is a derivative doctrine (unlike ‘Incarnation’ or ‘Trinity’, Christianity could live without it) not to be found in the classic Creeds. Some Early Church Fathers (such as St Athanasius) promoted instead the notion that the act of Incarnation itself, in restoring humanity’s divine potential, was salvific. This is in the Creed: “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven”, and also in the Eucharistic Prayer for Easter: “[Jesus Christ has] restored in men and women the image of your glory”. So is this ‘Evangelical spat’ of any relevance? The answer is best approached by reflecting on the whole life and teaching of Jesus; for focusing on the Cross alone ignores both the life lived before it and the Resurrection which followed. Chalke reminds us that, in the story of the Prodigal Son, we don’t find a father seething with anger and demanding punishment; rather, we find one who “simply runs to greet his wayward child, showers him with gifts and welcomes him home.” Then there is Jesus’ story of the vineyard owner who had to send his son to collect his share of the produce, only for him to be killed by the wicked tenants. According to PS, the father (God) should have been pleased that ‘The Plan’ had been fulfilled! But far from it; he clearly did not intend his son to die, and he punishes the killers. Furthermore, although Jesus predicts his own death, there is nothing to indicate that he saw it as a cultic event or sacrifice (Jesus quotes Hosea 6: 6 – “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice”). As Chalke put it: “If the Cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God…then it makes a mockery of Jesus’ own teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil”. Even St Paul (in whose teaching much atonement theory is rooted) wrote that if the ‘rulers of this age’ had really understood God’s plan, “…they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2).

 

Jesus was not ‘sent to die’, and it is a distortion of the Gospel to say he was. Jesus came to share God’s love, and it was this which led to his death: a message of unconditional love can be tolerated neither by a cruel state demanding obedience nor by a ‘religious’ pride which abhors challenge. What the Cross properly represents is God’s involvement in our human predicament and his willingness to participate even in the worst kind of suffering (so Jurgen Moltmann’s ‘The Crucified God’), and that – not a God obsessed with the need for retribution - is what we need to proclaim. I’ll leave the last word to Steve Chalke: “It is Easter Sunday, not Good Friday, that shows the new kingdom in all its glory and God’s love in all its fullness. On the cross, Jesus does not placate God’s anger in taking the punishment for sin but rather absorbs its consequences and, as three days later he is raised, defeats death”. Alleluia!

                                                                                                            Peter Shepherd

Prayer Diary August 2009

 

1st

For all abused children.

2nd

Trinity 8. For all who live on Cringle Way and Crangle Fold.

3rd

For fire-fighters.

4th

Jean-Baptiste Vianney, cure d’Ars. 1859. For all who offer spiritual guidance.

5th

For those on holiday.

6th

The Transfiguration. For Andrew and family.

7th

John Mason Neale. Priest. 1866. For all church musicians.

8th

Dominic. 1221. For all who preach.

9th

Trinity 9. For all who live on Park Avenue.

10th

For friendship.

11th

John Henry Newman. 1890. For Christian unity.

12th

For all carers.

13th

Florence Nightingale. 1910. For all nurses.

14th

Maximillian Kolbe. Martyr. 1941. For all who oppose tyranny.

15th

The Blessed Virgin Mary. For all who seek to hear and obey the word of God.

16th

Trinity 10. For all who live on Duck St. 

17th

For our parish organisations.

18th

For single parent families.

19th

For those who foster children.

20th

William and Catherine Booth. 1912 & 1890. For the Salvation Army.

21st

For community cohesion.

22nd

For our families.

23rd

Trinity 11. For all who live on Brungerley Ave.

24th

Bartholomew the Apostle. For a lack of guile in our dealings with each other.

25th

For justice and reconciliation in Africa and the Middle East.

26th

For those suffering from the effects of natural disasters.

27th

Monica. Mother of Augustine of Hippo. 387. For all who have the responsibility of nurturing our children in the Faith.

28th

Augustine. 430. For all teachers of the Faith.

29th

Beheading of John the Baptist. For courage.

30th

Trinity 12. For all who live on Chatburn Park Drive.

31st

Aidan. Bishop. 651. For our mission as a parish.

 

Parish Lunch

to welcome Rev. Andrew Froud and his family

on his first Sunday, 9th August

after Parish Communion in St Mary’s Centre.

Tickets £5, children under 10 free

Available from Peter Shepherd, Pat Gorrill or the Parish Office.

Drinks available from Licensed Bar

 

 

 

 

Diary for July 2009

 

Fri

3

10.30am

Holy Communion

for the Festival of St Thomas

Ch

Sat

4

11.00am

Organ Recital by Graham Barber, Leeds

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

5

 

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Parade Service

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

Fri

10

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

12

 

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thu

16

10.30am

CRGS Commemoration Day Service

Ch

 

 

7.30pm

PCC meeting

CV

Fri

17

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

19

 

The Patronal Festival of

St Mary Magdalene

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Festal Eucharist with guest preacher David Bruno (USPG)

 

 

 

6.30pm

Top Ten Hymns

followed by Cheese and Wine evening

in aid of Music @ St Mary’s

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Tue

21

2.15pm

Ladies Group Afternoon Tea & Bring & Buy at the home of Erica Pollitt

 

Fri

24

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

Sat

25

1.00pm

Marriage Service

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

26

 

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

 

PARISH REGISTER

 

HOLY BAPTISMS

 

‘We welcome you into the Lord’s Family’

 

31st May      GRACE ISOBEL HORROCKS daughter of

Phillip & Nicola Horrocks

 

31st May      MADDIE IRENE MAY RIDGWAY daughter of

                   Philip Ridgway and Nicola Fairhurst

 

 

FUNERALS

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy’

 

6th Jun        MILDRED BUCKLEY               Aged 87 years

 

11th Jun      ELSIE MAY WILSON                Aged 87 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diary for August 2009

 

Ch=Church; CV=Choir Vestry; H=Hall; MR=Mutual Room; V=Vicarage.

 

Sat

1

9.30am

Bellringers – George Campling Peal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

2

 

The Eighth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

Thu

6

7.30pm

Induction Service for Rev Andrew Froud

Ch

Fri

7

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

9

 

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

10.30am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

1.00pm

Marriage Service

Ch

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri

14

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

16

 

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

Tue

18

10.00am

Magazine Deadline for Sept Issue

Off

 

 

2.15pm

Ladies Group Afternoon Tea & Bring & Buy at the home of Kathleen Carlton

 

Fri

21

10.30am

Holy Communion

Ch

 

 

 

 

 

Sun

23

 

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tue

25

7.30pm

Ops/Drams Enrollment Night

H

Thu

27

9.00am

Magazine Folding

MR

 Fri

28

10.30am

Holy Communion

 

Sat

29

11.00am

Organ Recital by Bob Marsh (Skipton)

Ch

Sun

30

 

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

 

 

 

8.00am

Holy Communion

 

 

 

9.45am

Parish Communion/Sunday School

 

 

 

6.30pm

Evening Prayer (said)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advance Notices for SEPTEMBER

 

Sat

5

11.00am

Organ Recital by Stephen Carleston (Bolton Parish Church)

Ch

Sat

12

 

Auditions for Music @ St Mary’s ‘Showcasing Young Talent’ Concert

Ch

 

 

Open Door

 

Our lovely churchyard is open all day, every day for people to find rest and refreshment as they look at the view, sit on one of the seats or just walk through. It would be good if the church could be open more often too, and with this in mind we shall open the door between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during August. Members of the congregation will be on hand to welcome visitors and. we hope that many people will come in to look around, to pray or just to find a quiet place for a few minutes. Our church building is in the middle of Clitheroe, and we want it to be available to the whole community. 

Pat Gorrill and Patricia Duxbury