BrigstockwithStanion,%LowickandSudborough % Sunday10 %May ... ·...
Transcript of BrigstockwithStanion,%LowickandSudborough % Sunday10 %May ... ·...
News LetterBrigstock with Stanion, Lowick and Sudborough
Sunday 10th May 2020 Fifth Sunday of Easter
Dear Friends
This week I received through the post this beautiful rainbow with the word HOPE on. It is now hanging in my kitchen window, which I hope will give those who see it, some hope and cheer as it did to Alan and myself when we received it. The rainbow is a really great symbol particularly at this time. It’s been adopted as a symbol of support for the NHS during this corona pandemic, and the LGBT+ community has also adopted it. Additionally there’s long been a mystical association with rainbows. I expect most of us were told when we were younger we’d find a pot of gold at its end. Pictures of rainbows used to be common with leprechauns but now I often see unicorns with rainbows. Wherever we see a picture of a rainbow and especially when we see one in the sky, for Christians it is still a brightly coloured symbol of hope that brings a smile to my face. I’m sure we all remember the story of Noah’s ark and how after the flood God “set his bow in the clouds” as a promise or covenant between Himself and all humanity that he would never again allow a flood to “destroy all flesh”.
We know the scientific reason why rainbows often appear in the sky, when the sun appears after a storm light is refracted through the rain drops but that doesn’t stop the appearance of a rainbow being an important metaphor and a picture of hope, In fact it reminds me of an old hymn,
Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go
Oh, love that will not let me go I rest my weary soul in thee I give you back the life I owe And in your ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be
My life is not my own It's yours My life is not my own I know it's yours
Oh, light that follows all my way I yield my flickering torch to thee And my heart restores its borrowed ray That in your sunshine's blaze its day May brighter, fairer be
So light a fire in my heart And I'll burn for you So light a fire in my heart And I'll burn for you
Oh, joy, that seeks me through the pain I cannot close my heart to thee I trace the rainbow through the rain And feel the promise is not in vain That morn shall tearless be
So anoint me with joy And joyful I will be So anoint me with joy And joyful I will be
The young man who wrote this hymn, George Matheson, apparently left the following account of his writing of it: “My hymn was composed in the manse of Innellan on the evening of June 6th 1882. I was at the time alone. It was the day of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression rather of having it dictated to me by some inward voice than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this one came like a dayspring from on high. I have never been able to gain once more the same fervour in verse.” https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/432 Interesting eh? I don’t know about you but there are many things I hope for at the moment. I hope a vaccination is found quickly to combat this virus. I hope that there won’t be many more deaths from the virus and I hope that we can all meet safely again soon in “reality” rather than “virtually”. None of these hopes are wrong, they are probably hopes that the majority of us have right now but the Christian hope is different. It’s not a wish list, however noble that wish list might be, it’s multi-‐faceted like a rainbow and it’s what a Christian puts their trust in.
The Christian hope is rooted in faith. A faith that knows that Christ died for us, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and will come again. All because God loves us so much, and loves us unconditionally. We have a steadfast hope that after Christ ascended into heaven he sent us his Holy Spirit so we would not be left on our own, to help us, comfort and guide us but we also know that Christ will return again one day and there will be a new heaven and a new earth with no more pain, tears or sorrow. God will complete the good work that he has already begun in us because the whole of creation as well as ourselves will be redeemed. In fact the Church of God will also be pure, holy and glorified. And I believe that that’s all worth looking forward to, but the great thing is we don’t have to wait until death to start benefitting from God’s promises. Right now he will make his presence known to us. He longs to be in relationship with us, to help us each day and to give us his love and peace. We can already participate in what we hope for because Christ always makes our present more than our past. We can live in the present in a way that demonstrates our faith, even when, or perhaps especially when life is uncomfortable or hard. “God’s wondrous work takes root”, and “His spark of renewal is born,” here on earth, now. (Wells, S. How then shall we live?”) Take Care my friends, Stay Safe and remember the hope we have in us and the promise of God’s rainbows. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Romans 15:13 Rev’d Heather and Captain Alan. Please Pray for:
Ø The Sick: Wendy Adderley.
Ø This Weeks Mind: Elizabet Love 1805, Shiela Ganghan 2003, Audrey Corner 2009, John Halford 1690, Richard Brookes 1995, Barbara Johnson, Jeremy Glass 1988, Heather Bailey 2012
Celebration in Isolation by Jackie Makepeace
A couple of weeks ago I was trying to book an online delivery slot and I was surprised to find that the early May bank holiday had moved, to a Friday, What’s that about? Somehow the whole VE day anniversary had passed me by and, if I am honest, I couldn’t get up a lot of enthusiasm for it. A number of things have conspired to change my mind. The
family lockdown craft initiative is something I have mentioned before, this week my daughter-‐in-‐law Emma suggested we take VE day as our theme. They live in Birmingham in quite a built up area of mixed private and social housing and are having a very different experience of lockdown to ours. They have been volunteering for their local food bank .
Julia, my son-‐in-‐law’s mother submitted a flag she had made in readiness for their socially distanced street party in Kettering and I began to realise that perhaps a bit of a break from routine is just what we need.
Peter has decided to make a Churchill cake from a National Trust recipe. It seems that this was a favourite in the Churchill household but how they managed to get the rations to make it is a bit of a mystery! Ingredients
• 225g butter 170g dark brown sugar 285g self-‐raising flour 280g dried mixed fruit
• 2 cups strong black tea, 5 eggs, 110g halved glacé cherries, 1tsp mixed spice
• 1tbsp black treacle (optional)
Method
Soak the dried fruit in tea, preferably overnight. Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until almost white. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to cream together. Gradually beat the eggs into the mixture, remember to add a little flour to stop the mixture from splitting or curdling. Fold in the flour and add the mixed spice to the mixture. Add the the mixed fruit and the glacé cherries and continue to fold together.
Continue to fold and stir, whilst adding in the black treacle. Preheat oven to 150 degrees and line and grease a cake tin. Once completely mixed together, scrape the mixture into the cake tin and leave to bake for 2 hours. Check that the cake is cooked throughout before leaving to cool on a wire rack.
I have downloaded a template for Union flag bunting which I must get on with, I use an education website, Twinkl, which I only usually use occasionally for assemblies but they have really stepped up to help with home schooling and there is so much resource, much of it free. I also have a template for a paper Spitfire! My only other effort has been to attempt to style my hair in a ‘Victory Roll’ I will spare you the photo, but it was surprisingly easy and practical to keep my desperately in need of cutting hair out of my eyes!
Thrapston is quite good at putting on community events and I am sure the Peace park would have been a centre for events this weekend, as it is the council has issued a suggested timetable for celebrations including a 4pm front garden tea party!
I would be interested to know if any of you did anything, do contact us and share the story of your VE day celebrations, or anything else for that matter!
Contribution from Sally Wilks of Brigstock:
I think it's really interesting to see that Brigstock Latham school has had to close in the past! I June 1893 -‐ school closed for over two weeks owing to a measles epidemic in the village. And a month later the school was closed from 21st July to 2nd October because of diphtheria and then, because of further outbreaks of diphtheria, the school was closed until January 1894. There were many deaths and a barn in the village was converted into an isolation hospital for the children afflicted.
July 1899 -‐ school closed for nine weeks on account of a measles epidemic. 1912 -‐ school closed for three weeks -‐ scarlet fever. November 1918 -‐ school closed for four weeks because of the flu epidemic. The end of WW1 was therefore not celebrated. At other times there were outbreaks of typhoid, and even cholera, which meant that the school was working to a reduced timetable. We forget now how prevalent disease was before vaccination and antibiotics.
Parish Notes
Rector: The Reverend Heather Lowe Associate Minister (Church Army): Captain Alan Lowe, Telephone: 01536 263550 Address: 14 Willow Lane, Stanion, Northamptonshire, NN14 1DT Reader – Jackie Makepeace Telephone: 01832 358978 Churchwarden Contact telephone numbers: Lowick – Sarah Vogele-‐Hake 01832 358704 Sudborough – David Sparks 01832 730039 Brigstock – Carl Hector 01536 373410 Stanion – David Lafferty 01536 200175 Benefice Administrator – Allison Porter email: [email protected] or telephone 01536 373509
Benefice website: https://www.harpersbrookanglicans.org.uk
News Update:
The videos we have put together in recent weeks will soon be available to backview on YouTube. We realise that some of us have found them difficult to access at times and so if you go to the link below and click SUBSCRIBE, you can view them and others to come at your leisure.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSF7745DRm8eiwpdh0TDEAQ?view_as=subscriber
Giving. Please be aware that each of our churches has a Just Giving page. This means that if you normally give via the cash collection, you will be able to do that through this means instead. This would be appreciated as our income has dropped during the current crisis. (On our website click on GIVING and then the appropriate church.
On Friday 15th May at 2pm Alan and I are going to put on the Website, Kidz Time. We 'll let you know more..... But did you know there's a kids zone on our website? If you look at the top of the page there is a link that you click on and there's a couple of Easter videos. We'll try to put other things up there very soon. Keep checking! Also if you wish you can subscribe free of charge to our own YouTube channel where you will then be able to see any of the online service which we have put together so far. I think you may need a Google account to do this. If you go on the website you will find that Alan has put up some very useful material to help us make the most of reading our Bibles. It's called "Bringing the Good Book to life". It includes a Bible passage. I cannot recommend it enough. There will be new material each week on a Thursday. You can obviously do it in your own time and it is easy to access.
Contributed by Penelope Escombe – Two poems from the lovely anthology ‘Where Plovers Fly’ written by Joseph Goodson, whom many will remember. His brother in law, Jack Moyer, was churchwarden here for several years, and Norah
was a much-‐loved member of St Andrew’s congregation. Joe used to play Last Post and Reveille at the Act of Remembrance every year on Hall Hill. Many of his poems deserve a wider audience, as they are really very good.
Who Would Stand
O who would stand with me The murmuring stream that burbles by And hear the thousand throated choirs, ‘neath many a crumbling span, The drone of bees, the lilt of birds, And gathering yet more music sweet The meadow’s whispering spires, Than where its spring began; The chiming bells on a sabbath morn, Until no more its rushing theme And the brooding ring dove’s call? Is heard by you, or me… All these in moments bring to me But all that lusty foam at last Some joy surpassing all. Has found the waiting sea. Joseph Goodson
As we mark VE Day this weekend, I think it is worth remembering that because of King George VI’s heroic sense of duty, the strain of the war, having never expected to be King, probably lead to his early death.
That Loving Chapter That loving chapter’s closed, Truly didst thou follow The nation mourns; The King of kings, A life, full long composed Who takes thy hand at last Beneath its thorns. By healing springs. Monarch’s have held the torch To glory’s flame; But none shall dim the Cross Beside thy name.
The Listeners BY WALTER DE LA MARE ‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller, Knocking on the moonlit door; And his horse in the silence champed the grasses Of the forest’s ferny floor: And a bird flew up out of the turret, Above the Traveller’s head: And he smote upon the door again a second time; ‘Is there anybody there?’ he said. But no one descended to the Traveller; No head from the leaf-‐fringed sill Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes, Where he stood perplexed and still. But only a host of phantom listeners That dwelt in the lone house then Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight To that voice from the world of men: Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair, That goes down to the empty hall, Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken
By the lonely Traveller’s call. And he felt in his heart their strangeness, Their stillness answering his cry, While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf, ’Neath the starred and leafy sky; For he suddenly smote on the door, even Louder, and lifted his head:— ‘Tell them I came, and no one answered, That I kept my word,’ he said. Never the least stir made the listeners, Though every word he spake Fell echoing through the shadowiness of the still house From the one man left awake: Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup, And the sound of iron on stone, And how the silence surged softly backward, When the plunging hoofs were gone.
Just for fun Who’s Who -‐ Do you recognise this child in the photo, a Stanion resident?
We would love to receive more pictures for our just for fun ‘who’s who’ competition. All you have to do is take a picture on your phone of an old photo and send it to Alan or Heather (contact details below). Make sure you tell us who it is. No sending in photos of other people, they must be of yourself!
This Weeks Caption Competition Come on lets have a go at the caption below!
Answer to ‘who’s who’ and suggestions for caption to Heather by email, [email protected] or Alan by text 07480 113673
Please send your snippets, recipes, craft ideas or anything else that might be of interest to our readers.
If you would like to add to the weekly notices or to have this sheet emailed to you can contact Allison Porter 07933 804432, [email protected]. Entries need to be with Allison by Thursday evening to ensure they will be included in the next News Letter. Written consent is required if you want any personal details to be included.
Answers to Just for Fun 6, British Landmarks
1. Edinburgh Castle 2. St Michaels Mount Cornwall 3. Eden Project Cornwall 4. Whitby Abbey 5. Ribblehead Viaduct Cumbria 6. Lulworth Cove Dorset 7. Chatsworth House Derbyshire 8. Giants Causeway Ireland 9. Angel of the North Gateshead 10. Penshaw Monument Sunderland 11. Lichfield Cathederal 12. Spinaker Tower Portsmouth 13. Royal Pavilion Brighton 14. Tower Bridge London
Well done if you got them all.
Just for Fun 7 – Celebrating our Key Workers – Programmes/films with Teachers and schools (Answers next week.)