|
Epsom United Reformed ChurchNewsletter for Aug./Sept. 2007 |
|||
|
Alan Wood I think you’ve done very well! You have twenty pages of text, four pages of photographs and three pages of cover to wade through – but then, it is meant to last you two months, so you’ll need to pace yourselves to make it last! At last Church Meeting we were told of a booklet by Gillian Straine and Nathan Oxley entitled ‘For Creed and Creation’. It has the explanatory sub-title: ‘A simple guidebook for running a greener church’ and goes on to say: ‘This book is about creating a greener church in the Greater London area. It is about why and how your church can be a lot more environmentally friendly very quickly and without spending a lot of money. 58% of Londoners say that they are Christian. 11% of the Christian population of the UK live in London. As a city, and as Christians, we have a huge opportunity to work together, responding to the challenge of climate change and environmental justice. Most churches are now finding ways to tackle this challenge.’ Many of the ideas are short, and I will try and fit these in around the main text in place of some of the usual one-liners. And I’ll throw in a few of my own, too. Look for the J symbol. The ‘No Smoking’ signs are up. It seems very strange to everybody connected with a church, that churches do not get an exemption for this new legislation. I suppose it is a sign of an increasingly secular world, and of the Nanny State thinking that everybody needs to be told what to do all the time! On 20th August I am off with my school buddy David on our fourth cycle-camping trip around the canals of France. This year we’re doing the Saone, Marne and Bourgogne, and we plan to get down as far as Dijon and Beaune, a great wine-producing area. I see that the temperatures are in the mid-twenties and that the weather is generally partly cloudy, some chance of rain – so long as it does not rain like it did last year, when it took three days for my shoes to dry out! All this means that I will not be doing a NewsLetter for September, and hopefully I have included all the September information. For short items and dates for September, and items that have not made this NewsLetter, Val has offered to do a News Sheet, so be kind to her and get your new copy to her in good time, i.e. by 19th August, ready for publication on 26th August (Bank Holiday Weekend). So if you are still to have your holiday, I wish you as good a time as we wish ourselves, and hopefully I will see you for the Harvest and the October NewsLetter. Colin has been in hospital - at both Epsom and St. Helier – for more than two weeks. He is making progress and is now home again. We were all so sorry to learn of Phemie's unfortunate accident resulting in a double fracture of the left arm, which has required surgery. Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time and hope the enforced change of life-style from your normal very full life, much spent helping those in need, is not too frustrating or irksome. It was a real pleasure to have Marjorie and Anne, Dorothy and Frank, Judith and grandson Harry and friends, and Lynne, John and Chris with us for the Cream Tea afternoon. We remember Sonia Bentzon and Mary Hallifax in their nursing homes in Banstead and Ashtead, as indeed we do for all mentioned in ‘News of the Family’. Our prayers and love to you all. (top)Do you know who Ichabod was? (Ichabod of the Bible, not of Washington Irving’s ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’!) If you don’t, then you are in good company, for neither did most of us on the Minister’s Refresher Course I attended in June at Westminster College in Cambridge! I have since found that Ichabod turns up in 1 Samuel 4:21. He was the son of Phinehas, who was a son of Eli. The name means ‘The glory has departed from Israel’ because at the time of his birth, the ark of God had been captured and both his father and grandfather died. The point of asking if we knew who Ichabod was, was to suggest that we do not know our Bibles as well as we should. The point was made! But it did give me an idea. We could all read the Bible together! We will start with Mark, the earliest of the Gospels to be written (and the shortest!) On the first Sunday of September, I will preach on Mark, and then whoever wishes to take part will read through Mark on their own. You can do it chapter by chapter or all in one sitting or however you want, from any translation you wish to use. You don’t have to understand everything that you read, just do your best. The Ewell URC will also be taking part, so that there will be perhaps 50 or 60 of us all reading Mark at the same time. The objective is simply to familiarize ourselves with books of the Bible, to make us a little more informed about the stories of our faith. I will follow this up with some quizzes and puzzles based on Mark, in the October edition of the church magazine. In October we will read Matthew, and November we will read Luke, with services on the first Sunday of those months based on the gospel for that month. I hope that you will take part in this and have a little fun in doing so. PatSecretary’s Letter .Well, this is the Summer edition of the Newsletter, but where has our Summer gone? We should not complain at this part of the country; it is difficult to imagine just what it must be like living in those flooded areas with no power or fresh water. To those of you who are having a holiday soon I do hope you have a rest and – dare I say – see a little sunshine! August is always a quiet month in our calendar, everything begins again in September, but don’t forget the outing to the Weald and Downland Museum at Singleton on 16th August, all the details are in this edition. It is a long time since I visited Singleton, but I remember it was a fascinating place and well worth a visit. On 23rd September will be the Harvest Lunch at Epsom and on 30th September we will be celebrating our Harvest Festival. There is an article in this Newsletter about out chosen charity, it sounds a very worthy cause. Some of us together with some from Ewell are busy organising our Autumn Activity Day (24th October) which will be entitled “All Creatures Great And Small”. We will be having visits from dogs that help us, and singing and miming to a new version of “All things bright and beautiful”, and making animal puppets and masks, to name but a few of the activities, so it should be a fun day. If you would like to help in any way please let me know, you will be very welcome, we need as much help as possible to make the day run smoothly. I know that Pat has some plans for us in September and so have Churches Together in Epsom, so it seems September and October are going to be busy. Have a good rest in August and return with lots of energy and enthusiasm to begin another year in God’s service. P.S. Hope the Editor has a rest, too!! [Thanks, Sheila. Ed.] (top)J On Motorways, keep your windows closed to reduce the drag.
I Can't Quite Remember . . . We’re all getting older, and some of us more than others! It’s my ‘mind’ that getting increasingly forgetful, or, as my dictionary tells me, I’m getting absent-minded, suffering from amnesia, senility, mental retardation, or in that poetic-sounding state of mental fuzziness, I’m entering into a ‘clouded sensorium’. Whatever, it’s still what’s called regression or impairment. If, at times, I go ‘bananas’, it’s because I can’t quite remember what I’m supposed to be doing! So here’s a poem, or, rather, a bit of doggerel, that expresses the condition I’m in. Here goes: Just a line to say I'm living, I got used to my arthritis, For sometimes I can't remember And, before the fridge so often, There are times, when it's very dark, So if it's my turn to write to you, Here I stand beside the post-box By Sonia Bentzon. Lioness in the
branches, Sun lover, Swung high above the earth
(Note - thoughts in my office, on gazing at a fine calendar photographic study of a golden lioness observing the world from her hidden place. SB) I would like to THANK so many people, to many to name, for the cards, flowers, telephone calls, drives and the shopping that has helped me survive these last weeks. It has made me feel very humble that so many people have given so freely of their time to me. If I could be granted one wish it would be that my name never again, after five fractures in twenty years, appears on the Monday fracture clinic list in Epsom General! Coffee Morning for SightSavers. Well done, everybody who came, enjoyed their coffee and the company, It was especially good to have some toddlers (accompanied, thankfully!) from The Toddlers’ Group.
We hear that £89 was raised, and we are told that this is sufficient to carry out five cataract operations. A Good Show! It was reported at the recent Church Meeting that we had raised the magnificent sum of £600 by all the different activities. A big THANK YOU is due to all the organisers and helpers of the events, be they Coffee Mornings or Breakfasts or whatever. Your efforts and talents are very much appreciated.. Our Harvest Charity for 2007. I am sure that you have all read the excellent article in last month’s Newsletter on ‘Mercy Ships’. It was taken from the Parish Pump and covered the commissioning of the charity’s fourth ship, ‘Africa Mercy’, which is now fully operational. With £1Ms-worth of supplies on board the ship, the financial coffers of the charity will need topping up on a regular basis. Most of the staff on board are volunteers from all walks of life and they deserve quality support while they are giving their time and talent in this way. The Elders decided that this was the most worthy charity of the three suggested by members of the congregation and have selected it for this year’s Harvest Appeal. ‘Mercy Ships’ are sending a local speaker to talk to us at our Harvest Morning service on the 30th September at 10.30 a.m. Make a note of this date in your diary and come along and hear the speaker and support the day.
First Aid and the Accident Book May I remind you that Kim Menagh has kindly taken over the stocking and replenishment of the First Aid Boxes we have at the church and in Unity Hall. Would all people who use any equipment from the boxes please advise Kim or any member of the F&GP Committee of the items used. May we also remind you that details of any accidents are to be written up in the Accident Book, which is stored inside each First Aid Box. Under Data Protection rules, the reports when completed are stored in the church safe, so if you have cause to complete a report, then remove it from the book and hand it to Tom Lockett or Alan Wood, who will ensure that it is put away in the safe. It seems such a long time since I saw you all at Church, in fact since Christmas!! I was recovering nicely from my broken leg (the result of previous falls) when unfortunately I had another fall which put me back to Square One, and I have not been right since; I suffer pain most days, and I find I lack confidence in walking at the moment. Needless to say how much I miss the worship and fellowship of my Church. I think of you all on Sunday mornings. In spite of my age, I am optimistic that my confidence will be restored and I will recover sufficiently to be with you again soon. I wish to say how much I look forward to the visits of my Minister, Pat. She keeps me in the picture of happenings at my church. At the same time, I wish to thank you for your prayers on my behalf, and for the flowers I receive from time to time: it is all very much appreciated and makes me feel I still belong. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate receiving the NewsLetter from month to month; it enables me to follow the activities of the church from week to week, and especially particulars of the Sunday Services. I wish to thank Alan for his efforts in producing the NewsLetter each month; I trust we will respond to his appeal to supply news and views, so that he will have plenty to report. Now I send my love and best wishes to you all. God bless you, As ever, Lynne. [Lynne was, of course, very much in evidence at the recent Cream Tea; it was good to see you there, Lynne. Ed.] J Make it a church policy to only use washable crockery and cutlery. News from Churches Together in Epsom Lent House Groups: A hundred people had attended these, in nine groups, one of which was in our Longhurst Room.Open Air United Service: This will be held in Rosebery Park on 16th September at 3 p.m., to celebrate Epsom’s Christian Diversity. Each church will have a gazebo and a simple display. Service for World Peace: This will be an open-air service on 28th October at 3 p.m. in the West Hill Green area, where the trees were planted. Week of Prayer – 24/7: This will be in September, and will again be held at St Barnabas. There may be a High Street venue as well. Listen out for the dates. ‘Songs of Praise’: It is planned that there should be a BBC ‘Songs of Praise’ programme from the new Grandstand. ‘Abbeyfield’: There was a presentation about the Abbeyfield homes. The Epsom and Cheam branches are to combine, and they would like more partnership with the churches. COTE Carol Service: This will be held on 19th December at St Barnabas, and not at St Joseph’s, this year. Thanks from Kim and Charlie We just wanted to write to thank everyone at church for helping us celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary – we have had a marvellous time and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our celebrations. We have many treasured memories of our celebrations, including photographs and video footage! We had a dinner at Reed`s School, Cobham, [where Charlie works] for 80 friends and family on Saturday 16th June, and another dinner at Gemini Restaurant in Tadworth for a further gathering of 33 friends and family on our actual anniversary day, Tuesday, 19th June. On Sunday 17th June we celebrated in church with a very large, but delicious, cake which we were glad to share with friends. As you can see, we certainly made the most of our anniversary celebrations! Our thanks go to Rebecca, who so ably played our request of the Toccata from Widor`s 5th Symphony at the end of service on Sunday 17th June, which we had at our wedding in 1982 at Streatham United Reformed Church. Thanks also to everyone who signed or sent us cards - your kindness is very much appreciated. We asked for donations rather than presents at our celebrations, as we wanted to support the Multiple Sclerosis Society. This is a charity close to our hearts as Charlie`s two brothers lost their wives to this disease at a very young age and we have friends suffering from MS as well. Specifically, we want to help the Brambles Respite Care Centre, a local MS facility in Horley. We believe our donations will go towards a new resource centre there. To date, we have received £1,000 in donations and, as the centre relies on donations and does not receive government funding, we are sure these donations are going to a worthwhile cause. Thank you once again for your friendship and kindness. Wishing you good health, happiness and our love, The Junior Church CWM Box In Junior Church, in addition to their offertory money, the children used to bring their coppers for the CWM box, the money recently going to the Commitment for Life. Joseph has faithfully continued to bring his week’s collection of copper coins to put in the box. It was agreed at Church Meeting that it would be a good idea to have the box available downstairs at the back of the church, so that Joseph, and hopefully others, would be able to contribute more easily. The Foundling Hospital We sang ‘Praise the Lord, Ye heavens adore him!’ (R&S No. 116) a few Sundays ago, and I noticed at the bottom that it was in The Foundling Hospital Collection. I thought it would be interesting to find more about the Foundling Hospital. In the 1720s in London, large numbers of babies were abandoned in the streets, as many as a thousand a year. An illegitimate child was thought of as living proof of its parents’ sin. A man called Thomas Coram, childless himself, loved children and decided to do something about the poverty all around him. His idea was to start a Foundling Hospital where children could be offered food and shelter. A temporary shelter was set up in 1741 and the first children were taken in on 25th March at 8 p.m. No questions were asked and even the lights at the front of the building were turned off so no one could recognise the women coming to the door with their tiny bundles. There was no room for mothers, of course (and there was certainly no talk about a ‘family togetherness’) but the mothers knew their babies had a chance. Funds were raised to build a purpose-built hospital. The history of this is itself of great interest: Handel and Hogarth were both supporters of the project. I could write so much more about the beginnings of this hospital, the routines for the children and how their well-being was nurtured. Perhaps instead you would like to visit the Museum, in London, where the history is on display? The Museum runs an on-going programme of workshops for children and adults. For those enabled, details may be found on http://www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk. ‘Age Concern’
Celebrates! This year ‘Age Concern Epsom and Ewell’ reaches its diamond anniversary, having been founded in 1947. If anyone remembers the early days of the Charity or have photos of Epsom and Ewell in these days the Charity would be pleased to know, let me know. On Friday, 14th September, between 10am and 4pm at the market place, you will find some stalls, especially a cake stall run by me, so if anyone would like to donate baking for sale I would be delighted. As well as the cake stall there will be an exhibition of items from the 40s and early 50s. Children from local schools will be singing and dancing and a local band playing. Two local professional dancers will be giving a demonstration in the afternoon. In conjunction with Epsom Coaches, ‘Age Concern’ wish to honour a local person with an award. If you know of someone over 60 who gives a lot of time volunteering and lives in Epsom or Ewell, someone who goes that extra mile, you could nominate him/her. Forms of nomination can be found in local surgeries, through ‘Age Concern’, or even talk to me. The successful person will receive a cheque from Epsom Coaches and a suitably inscribed paperweight. 35mm Cassette Slide Projector
Wanted ALREADY DONATED, THANK YOU Does anyone have a 35mm slide projector, able to take the straight cassettes holding fifty slides? I have my Dad’s lecture ‘Epsom Past and Present’ on 35mm slides which are stored in cassettes, but I don’t have a projector on which they can be shown. A long-term project is to transfer the slides, and commentary spoken by my brother Geoff, onto cd or dvd, but that’s for some time in the future… In the meantime, if anybody has a suitable projector unwanted, unused and unloved, I would be pleased to hear from them. Thanks. The floor in Unity Hall has been duly cleaned and re-surfaced, so much so you can almost see your face in it. Barriers and signs were employed to prevent people from going onto the floor too soon, and the treatment had a whole week in which to dry out and harden off,; this should last for another couple of years.
The Manse Garden Party 2007 Many years ago when I had my boat we used to sail in Chichester Harbour at Hayling Island. Frequently we sailed under a blue sky with gentle breeze and blazing sun while watching the black storm clouds over the South Downs and out to sea. We called our blue sky the "Hayling Hole". On July 21st we definitely experienced the ‘Epsom Hole’. At 11a.m., with blue sky, Pat and I passed the point of no return. We were ‘on’ for the Manse Garden Party. Come 12.30, depression set in, together with dark clouds. ‘Plan B’ was put in place – it would be an indoor garden party – including "Pete and Pat’s" high-class bookstall and exhibition of raffle prize hampers. Faced with a myriad of ’phone calls from worried church friends anxious that they could be done out of their cream teas, Pat gently calmed their fears and the first wet guests arrived just after 2pm. Then the ‘Epsom Hole’ miraculously appeared. Blue sky and sun, and with the patio rapidly drying under the sun, tables and chairs were quickly set up with bright table cloths and… Hallelujah…. we had an outside garden party! In total, we had over thirty guests including our newly-appointed Epsom police liaison officer, Mags Johnson. Previously, friends from both congregations responded magnificently to Pat’s request for Fair-Trade and/or organic raffle prize contributions – so much so that we were able to create no less than seven hampers of goodies for the raffle. Peter also took the opportunity to donate a lot of his (somewhat unread) paperbacks, many of which were snapped up quickly. The wonderful support team of Jean and Roy Nash, Rosemary Holmes, Val Wood and Sheila Smith produced the cream teas, organised the raffle and oversaw the bookstall—a super Rolls-Royce operation.
With everyone relaxing in the sun or watching Betty (she can make the county side) Malandrone playing cricket, it was auction time. Peter’s Nutty Organic fruitcakes (or, as someone with the initials ‘GS’ put it, Nutty Peter’s a fruitcake!!) was up on offer. Bidding started briskly and, with Beryl Williams egging him on, the first cake went to Ken for £2.50; knowing a good thing Tom Lockett got the second cake with the only bid, also at £2.50. Excitement mounted with the last cake. Stan (no problem) Baker, thinking there was no competition, turned white when he was out-manoeuvred by a determined Rita (I’m a winner) Robins with a bid of £3. Promptly—almost by clockwork—the ‘Epsom Hole’ shut at 4 p.m. and five minutes later the heavens opened again. So ended the 2007 Manse Garden Party, spot on time! (continued over) Since many friends were unable to come to the Garden Party, raffle tickets were again on offer at both Epsom and Ewell‘s Sunday services. And the lucky hamper winners were: Beryl and Ken Williams, Evelyn Beer, Joan Deering, Pippa Smith, Doreen Wright, Daphne Dawe, and Betty Masters. Memorably, £219.52 was raised for this year’s charity, ‘Moorfields Eye Hospital’ from a combination of hamper raffle, book sales, cake auction and individual donations. Finally, thank you everyone for all your contributions and for having faith in the ‘Epsom Hole’. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Those of us who were at the garden party would like to express our thanks to Pat and Peter for hosting the event and making it such joyful occasion. “Sacred”: Discover what we share The world's greatest collection of Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy books. The rarest and most exquisite sacred books and manuscripts presented and explored, side by side, in a major UK exhibition for the first time." This is how the British Library describes this exhibition on its web site. I had the opportunity to see it this past week along with three colleagues from Epsom and four people from the Epsom Muslim community. It is quite simply one of the best exhibitions of anything that I have ever seen! Better even than the Hollycombe Steam Fair! And that takes some doing! I wonder if there are people in the Epsom or Ewell United Reformed Churches who are interested in going to see it? (the "Sacred" exhibition, not the steam fair!). A group of 8 or more can request a guide. The guide for the tour on which I went was excellent. She was an Orthodox Jew who really knew the exhibition well. Not only are many of the items in the exhibition of great beauty, but it helps to make sense of some of the things the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions have in common. If you are interested in seeing this exhibition, please let me know and we can get a party together. The library is near St. Pancras station, a building worth a trip to London in itself, as far as I am concerned! Oh, and you can get tea and cakes in the cafe afterwards! I would suggest a morning visit to the exhibition, and waiting until early September when some of the tourists have gone home! The Sacred Exhibition is open every day until 23 September. The regular opening hours are: Monday to Friday 9:30 am-6 pm; Sundays and English public holidays 11am -5 pm. Pat ‘What Goes Around Comes Around!’ His name was Fleming and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son's life.” “No, I can't accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly. “I'll make you a deal”, said the nobleman. “Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of.” Which is what he did. In time. Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. [From the Editor: This was submitted to me by Lynne Lewis, and thank you, Lynne. It was also submitted to me by another contributor, and this other version continued: The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Winston Churchill. Isn’t it a great story! Unfortunately, it is another of the Urban Myths that tend to fly around. There is no evidence to support this. What a shame! But to put the other side of the story, I have found a section of the great Sir Alexander Fleming’s biography from (where else!) ‘The Scotsman’: ‘He was born the third of four children to Hugh and Grace Fleming in 1881 near Darvel in Ayrshire. His father, who had four children from a previous marriage, died when Alec, as he was known, was aged seven. ‘He attended a small country school at Loudoun Moor, then Darvel and finally Kilmarnock Academy. At the age of 14, he went to live with a step-brother in London. After two years at a local college and four working as a shipping office clerk, he used a small legacy to attend St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in 1901. He had found his calling.’ And the rest is history! Weald and Downland Outdoor Museum Epsom and Ewell United Reformed Churches’ SUMMER OUTING will take place on 16th August, to the Weald and Downland open-air museum near Chichester. If you wish to go, please sign up on the sheet in the foyer and indicate if you are driving and how many passengers you can take. There are picnic facilities there as well as a cafe where light lunches are served. We will meet at the church at 10 a.m! This outdoor museum is set in 50 acres of beautiful Sussex countryside. There is a collection of nearly 50 historic buildings dating from the 13th to the 19th century, many with period gardens, together with farm animals, woodland walks and a picturesque lake. Rescued from destruction, the buildings have been carefully dismantled, conserved and rebuilt to theiroriginal form and now bring to life the homes, farmsteads and rural industries of the last 500 years. Admission: Adults £8.25; Adults over 60 £7.25; Children 5-15 and full-time students £4.40; Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) £22.65; Children under 5 free; car parking free! Registered Disabled and a single helper £2.00 each; If there are at least 15 people going, we can get a Group Rate for adults: £6.65; and children: £2.70. Cream Teas at the Church It was an unusual sight to see tables set out on the Church porch on 14th July, all in preparation for the Women’s Church Council Cream Teas.
Everyone was made very welcome and could choose to sit outside or at one of the tables in the foyer. A few stalwart people sat outside the church enjoying the view and the sunshine, but the majority of visitors were packed into the church foyer. Wherever they sat, everybody was provided with delicious scones, jams and cream and either tea or coffee.
There was a convivial buzz with everyone chatting and eating and generally enjoying the atmosphere. There were also cakes for sale and a raffle of a basket of fruit and all the proceeds were put to the Church Development Fund. It was a lovely afternoon and we would all like to thank the Women’s Church Council for arranging it. J Leave your car air-conditioning off for better fuel economy. SURREY CHURCHES
BIKE RIDE - 8th SEPTEMBER 2007 You will remember that last year I cycled twenty-five miles and visited twenty-four churches, raising £305, from which our church received £152.50. Unfortunately I am not able to participate this year owing to a prior engagement. However, Pat will have the paperwork and sponsor forms, and will be able to get you going—and you need to get your sponsors signed up! If you don’t want to cycle, why not organize a walk round the Epsom churches for a group of you? Lectern Bible for the Bible Case We have heard no more about the bible that was taken from our display case. We must just hope that wherever it is, it is doing some good. I mentioned last month about following up a lead of Sheila Carpenter’s about trying Book Aid. This is the organisation that was collecting van-load’s of books at the CRE in May, and taking them for packing and redistribution to third-world countries that can’t afford them. I rang up, and it appeared that they might have something suitable, but it was not possible to choose a book by telephone, and a personal visit was necessary. I had to make my way to Sydenham, a nasty trip which took about 1h 20m. But once I was there, it all got better, and I met Ada, a little old lady who took me under her wing and showed me all the large bibles they had. Some were magnificent, real old family bibles, with tooled leather covers and brass fittings, very ornate – but obviously not suitable for our purpose. Some had rather ‘fussy’ print, again not the easiest to read, and some had half of the page given up to references and commentary in very small type! But eventually we found one that I considered suitable, and for the princely donation of £20 it was ours. The trip home was not nearly as bad as the outward trip, so all in all, I was pleased with the afternoon.
Then came the matter of securing the bible. I noticed that the gap down the back of the bible was quite large when the bible was opened, so I bought a 1.8m long cable fitted with a combination lock, as used for securing bicycles to the bicycle racks. Then it was just a matter of drilling suitable holes in the bible stand and the display case structure, threading the cable and closing the lock. A lick of paint on the cut surfaces, and a nice inconspicuous lock was in place.
When you need to remove the bible, e.g., at Advent, there are several in the F&GP who know the combination. (top)Flowers for August/September 5th August TBA12th August Sheila Smith 19th August TBA 26th August TBA 2nd September Top Vaughan 9th September Phemie Young 16th September TBA 23rd September Sheila Smith 30th September TBA 12th Epsom Brownie Guide
Pack The Brownies finished working for their World Travellers’ badge and ten of them have now earned it. In celebration of Helen Keller’s birthday on 27th June in 1880, we held a disability awareness evening. The Brownies enjoyed learning a bit of Braille and a bit of Moon and worked out messages in them for the others Sixes to read. They all had a go at tying their shoelaces using only one hand, writing their name using the hand they don’t normally use, and being guided by the rest of their Six around an obstacle course with their eyes closed. As we met on 4th July, which was American Independence Day, we held an American evening. Some of the girls had brought in things from America to show us. We devised a relay between the Sixes putting together corresponding words in English and American and the girls completed an American word search. The evening finished with drinks and American-style cookies. On our last evening for the term we invited the Brownies to bring their grandparents or some other elderly friends. Unfortunately there was something important being held at some of the local schools and only six Brownies attended, none of them bringing a visitor. As we were going to entertain our visitors by singing some Brownie songs to them, we decided to have a sing anyway. The Brownies then made some cards that were suitable to send out with the church flowers. Several of the girls went to the Division’s Circus Day in July, and passed badges in Circus Skills. We shall be restarting after the summer holiday on Wednesday, 12th September, when we hope to welcome some new girls. Monday Club We have continued to meet each Monday with our family of three children who really enjoy coming. On 25th June, LEON Day, exactly six months before Christmas Day, we had an Australian theme at our meeting. The children made boomerangs and kangaroos, coloured pictures of kangaroos and koalas and barbecued marshmallows. [LEON? Noel backwards, of course!]
Eloisa was the only one well enough to attend on 2nd July, but she enjoyed making a rainbow spinner and building a house from some special sticks brought in by Rosemary. The following week the children designed their own shoulder bag using special fabric pens, and the week after that they made clay pots using Rosemary’s potter’s wheel. 16th July should have been the last meeting of the Monday Club, but Rosemary had suggested they come for another week. The children made circus clown masks and decorated purses using fabric pens. As the floor in Unity Hall was being renewed, we held our last meeting on 23rd July in the Longhurst Room and kitchen. The children made chocolate crispie cakes, decorated biscuits with icing and personalised puppets with fabric pens.
At the end of the evening Rosemary and I were each presented with some flowers and chocolates for which we were both very grateful. We are both very sorry that this young family that has kept Monday Club going will be moving to Kent sometime during the summer holidays. The outlook for Monday Club is not encouraging, as we have had neither any new members nor any enquiries about membership. We shall probably devise a programme for the autumn and hope that someone will come. Afternoon Fellowship The Afternoon Fellowship is presently in recess, but make a note in your diary that the 2007/08 session opens on Thursday 27th September at 2.30pm with a Communion Service - Pat will be with us. Evening Fellowship The Evening Fellowship should have enjoyed a visit to Kew Gardens a few days ago – unfortunately, the weather being rather inclement, the visit was postponed. Listen out for the revised date (when we’ve found the person with the crystal ball!) The new session of the Evening Fellowship will begin on Monday 1st October at 8.00pm.
Women’s Church Council The "Cream Tea" afternoon on Saturday 14th July was a very successful occasion. The whole time there was a buzz of conversation, together with much laughter - a happy and rewarding time for those who came. Thank you for for your help in swelling the Church Development Fund and a big thank you to the band of helpers who worked so hard. Our August Coffee Morning will be on Tuesday 14th in the Longhurst Room from 10.30am. The Diabetic Association is the charity we will be supporting. Do please come and spend a while with us and enjoy the company, the coffee and the "goodies" for sale. The September Coffee Morning date is Tuesday 11th. ‘Age Concern’ is marking its 60th anniversary this year. ‘Epsom and Ewell Age Concern’ has been a most significant independent charity, affording much information and advice to the senior folk in the Borough. With the many facilities available, ‘Age Concern’ has helped many elderly folk through the Transport and Visiting schemes, to mention only two, as well as improve the quality of life for so many. Let us show our gratitude by a really worthwhile response. Copy for the next issue should be with the Editor by 22nd July for publication on 29th July, 2007 And Finally . . . A family on holiday went to visit a strange church. Afterwards, father criticized the sermon, mother thought the organist had played atrociously, and the daughter disliked the choir's choice of anthems. Then the small boy of the family ventured: "But it was a good show for a pound, don't you think, Dad?" The aviation instructor, having delivered a lecture on parachuting, concluded: "And if it doesn't open, well, you'll be doing what is known as 'jumping to a conclusion'." Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
|
||||
,
Fund raising will start well before that date. Please
come along to the the Sunday Breakfast on
the 16th September , you can have continental or full English before
going on to the morning service. The numbers attending the previous
breakfasts have been slowly rising but there is still plenty of room for more
takers, I can recommend the cooking and the company.
