From the Vicarage

Dear Friends Thank you very much for your prayers and support at this time of great challenge and increased uncertainty. A very special thank you to everyone involved in setting up and maintaining our Facebook page and our YouTube account and to May, Clive, Susan, Daphne, Tim, Michael and Tony who have been keeping in touch with Parishioners via telephone calls and emails. As you all know, we are living in ‘uncertain times’ brought about by the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. Despite all the uncertainties and increased levels of anxiety, Almighty God – the God whom we serve in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Saviour is definitely in control and has the ability to transform all things and every individual. The Psalmist encourages us to cast our cares/burdens on God and reminds us that God will sustain us and, like a strong tower, provides safety for those who go to him (Psalms 55:22; 61). We should therefore not try to do things in our own strength but rather entrust everything and one

another to almighty God who not only knows what is going on but cares for each one of us and actively works in our interest (Romans 8:28). The period of Lent reminds us of God’s costly demonstration of love and commitment to the human race, and Easter reassures us that everyone who put their trust in the Lord will never hope in vain. In their letter dated 24th March, following the Prime Minister’s announcement the previous evening, the Archbishops of York and Canterbury as well as announcing the closure of all church buildings not only for public worship but also for private prayer, encouraged us, ‘as the Church of Jesus Christ’, to offer ‘hope and light in the darkness of this world’s ills’ by maintaining ‘a praying presence for our community …from our hearts and from our homes.’ As a Parish we will continue to do all that we can through modern technology to maintain a praying presence and a worshiping community. By now, most of you would have accessed our Mothering Sunday Service via our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/9CvvPG2V8AE. We will continue to upload services on this channel. Please subscribe to this and to our Facebook page. Although our physical movement is restricted at this time, the opportunity accorded us (by this lockdown) is immense. We need to think of innovative ways of being community and not allow ‘Social distancing’ to become an obstacle to us demonstrating love, care and concern through an email or a ‘phone call, or permit ‘self-isolation’ to lead to loneliness. Although the parish office is now closed, we will be responding to emails and voice messages. Please make use of the resources on our website and those on the Church of England website which can be accessed through a link on our website: www.stpaulsrusthall.org.uk. May the God of all compassion cause us to grow in grace and divine wisdom and may we always draw strength from God’s continuing presence, tranquillity from the peace that Jesus gives and, through the Holy Spirit that resides in each one of us be able to rejoice, to the praise and glory of God. Amen.

From the Editorial Team When I looked back at the editorial I wrote for last month’s magazine, in mid-February, there was not a mention of Coronavirus. It was a mysterious new virus centred in Wuhan, seemingly a safe distance from us here. How quickly things have changed! The first UK death from Covid19 was on 5th March but my suspicion is that by the time you read this, that number will be more like 1000 – if we are lucky. A national emergency has been declared and most of us are closeted in our homes, keeping ourselves safe and protecting others. Obviously with Churches shut and services cancelled there will be no congregation to pick up a magazine, so we are doing an online only edition to go on the website. The advantage is that we have been able to leave more of the pictures in colour, so I hope you like it. We will try to do another issue next month if we get enough copy in! We will try to include some tips for staying healthy and happy at this worrying time. I hope you are all taking it seriously and looking after yourselves – though I know there have been reports of people ignoring the requests. The virus affects the elderly more than the young, with very few children and young adults having serious symptoms compared to the growing risk to those over 60. However, we need to warn the youngsters in our families that they are not immune to this virus and they need to be especially careful if they are not to spread it to more people, especially the more vulnerable members of society. The diagrams showing the impact of effective social distancing in reducing the spread of Covid19 are very clear.

Fortunately we are all much better connected than in earlier times. Imagine how awful it must have been in days gone by, shut up in your house to avoid the plague and unable to see anyone at all. If you have access to the internet via phone, tablet or computer – as you presumably do if you are able to read this online magazine – it is very easy to stay in touch with family and friends and to keep yourself amused and occupied. Personally I am a great fan of the WhatsApp coffee morning. My friends and I agree a time, arm ourselves with a mug of coffee (and perhaps a biscuit) and then use the app to make a video conference call. Have a go if you’ve only ever used WhatsApp to send messages – it's lovely to be able to see who you are talking to. My friend was even able to give me a tour of her new house in Yorkshire – and all risk free! Other apps such as Facetime, Skype and Zoom offer the same facility. For reluctant ‘Silver Surfers’ this might be the time that you are encouraged to be braver in using your devices. If

you have only used your smartphone to make calls so far, now is the time to discover all the useful apps that are available to you. Remember that whatever you want to do, Google (or another search engine of your choice, eg Bing, Yahoo or Ask) is your friend. If you type ‘How do I …’ you will be able to find a page or video giving instructions on an amazing range of things, from how to change the font size in Microsoft Word, to how to identify Venus in the night sky. Remember also, though, that theft and fraud also occur online and keep your wits about you. Don’t be taken in by the advertisements that pop up on Facebook or forward false recipes for hand sanitizer on to your friends. If in doubt, put the item into a search engine and see what comes up. Ask ‘is this a scam’ if you are not sure. Perhaps the people we need to be most concerned about are those people who do not have any access to the internet. My friend has made a list of all the people she usually talks to in a week and is making a point of telephoning them each week instead, especially those elderly friends she knows don’t use a mobile or computer. For those who are online, have you seen the Mothering Sunday Service on YouTube, or joined the new St Paul’s Rusthall Facebook group? Ronnie is going to try to put more services online so look out for them. It's not quite the same, but it is lovely to see familiar faces and places and have a bit of continuity in our lives. If you are in the group of people most vulnerable to the virus you will have been asked to self-isolate for 12 weeks in order to protect yourselves. Looking at the experience of Wuhan, it may take slightly longer than this before the restrictions can all be safely lifted. If we are to get through this and still be happy and healthy we are

going to have to be very careful that we look after ourselves and each other. Advice is to put some structure in your life. Make plans each day so that you are doing something for

mind, body and soul. We will need to be strict with ourselves if we are not going to fall into bad habits. Those who know me will know that I am a real night owl, but if I have nothing to get me out of bed early for a couple of months I am in danger of becoming completely nocturnal - so I am being very strict about getting myself to bed by midnight every day. I think it will be fascinating to see what we each learn during this time and from this time. For some parents they may rediscover the joy of spending more time with their children - they will certainly learn to appreciate the skills of the teachers who usually educate their children every day. My

friend is using the time to catch up on reading and also to learn Sanskrit and brush up her Latin using the Duolingo app

(I have some odd friends!). I have joined Gareth Malone's Chorus and thoroughly enjoy the daily singing rehearsals. Lots of people have started bird-watching, or crafts, or making lovely meals from whatever is in the freezer. If you search online you will find virtual tours of museums and galleries, theatre productions to watch, yoga classes to join, and if you feel down then search for giggling babies or funny animals and you will find YouTube film clips guaranteed to raise a smile. If you have anything to share, please send items in to magazine@stpaulsrusthall.org.uk. How are you managing to stop yourself going stir crazy, occupy the children, keep in touch with friends and relatives? Do you have recipes to share? Is there someone who ought to be thanked because of all they are doing? Please send us your articles for the May edition of St Paul's News by Sunday 19th April 2020 to magazine@stpaulsrusthall.org.uk and cc to deborahjbruce@gmail.com and haresuej@gmail.com just in case

the office is closed at that time.

Deborah Bruce, Sue Hare and Mione Palmer - all from our own homes! Please remember to follow the Government advice - to keep yourself and everyone else safe and stop the NHS from being overwhelmed. Details can be found at gov.uk and nhs.uk

Everyone needs to practise Social Distancing

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water frequently, and especially when you come in from outside, before you handle food and before you eat.

Cough or sneeze into a tissue then bin it and wash your hands. If caught out use the crook of your elbow.

Go out as infrequently as possible. You may go out to buy food, medicine, to exercise or to work (if working from home is not possible). When you go out keep at least 6 feet from anyone other than people from your own household.

If you are showing symptoms - a temperature or cough - stay at home and Self-Isolate. You must not leave the house for shopping or to exercise. Other members of the household must also self-isolate. If a member of your household is particularly vulnerable you should attempt to shield them from other members of the family.

If you are particularly vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19 because you are over 70 years old or have underlying health conditions you should

Self-Isolate to Shield Yourself. You should stay at home and only allow those providing you with personal care or medical treatment to enter your home.

Churchwardens' Notes

In terms of day to day affairs and routine maintenance we are pleased to report a blissfully quiet period since our last notes and by the time you

read these the problem with the light above the west door at the parish church should be resolved. Clearly there are some issues which are beyond even the powers of your stalwart Churchwardens to resolve and we have sadly had to follow instructions to close the Church and Church Centre for the time being. It will also be necessary to postpone the APCM which was due to be held on 26th April. We hope that this can now be held in the autumn. We shall be monitoring advice from both Rochester

Diocese and the Government on a daily basis and will of course reopen the churches as soon as permitted to do so. Love and peace

May and Clive

Working from Home

Trust God

“Give it to God”, is a common phrase used among Christians when talking about their troubles. As I was a natural worrier when I was younger, this was a phrase I found difficult to understand and even more difficult to put into practice. What exactly did it mean when people said ‘Give it to God’? Did it mean pray about it, was it simply a cop-out, shorthand for burying my head in the sand and doing nothing? Not really knowing what it meant, I’d pray about whatever was troubling me and then I’d stay up all night worrying as well. I watched friends who I

knew had issues that would cause many people to worry, yet they seemed to have fun and enjoy themselves. I wasn’t sure I could be so joyful in similar situations. Looking back, I realise that I missed chances to enjoy some wonderful experiences; I’d be worried about something that might or might not happen in the future. When worry becomes our normal way of thinking, it is difficult to take on Jesus’ advice to live one day at a time and trust God that our needs will be met. Yet, I think Jesus knows that it’s not easy. If it was, he would have had no need to preach about it. Sometimes we learn to lean on God by practicing letting go of small everyday anxieties. Other times it takes a situation so clearly out of control that we have nowhere else to turn but God before we truly experience what it means to put our trust in him. It took me a long time to learn really to let go and trust God, but when I did, I found it very freeing. I enjoy my life a lot more. Of course, this change in my outlook didn’t happen overnight and it is something I am still practising. Sometimes I think I have given a problem to God, and then I find

myself worrying about it and realise I have taken my problem back and need to hand it over again. I find it helpful to use something physical to signify handing the issue over. In my garden I have smooth pebbles on the tops of my plant pots. When I begin to worry about something, I hold one of the pebbles in my hand and pray about the situation. Then I put the pebble down and whenever I find the problem coming up in my mind, I can look out on to the garden and know that it is OK, because I have given it to God.”

Carmel Thomason, author

adapted from ‘Believe in Miracles’ (2016)

Parish Fellowship On the fourth Wednesday in February, when there would normally have been a meeting, it was Ash Wednesday, so quite a number of us went to church in the evening. Then on Wednesday March 11th, we had a talk about “Brains Matter” which previously most of us knew as “Headway”, and which is one of the charities we are supporting this year. Abbie Morton came to talk to us, and to tell us about what “Brains Matter” does, and she brought with her Dean, who was accompanied by his Assistance Dog, Prince. Dean read the story of his injury and recovery, and all the help he had received from “Brains Matter”. Prince, who was his constant companion, meanwhile was very well behaved and friendly, and was rewarded by some biscuits when we had our refreshments! On Saturday 7th March we held our annual Coffee Morning, to raise money for the 2 charities we are supporting, “Brains Matter” and “Street Children of Sierra Leone”. This was in the United Reformed Church Hall from 10 am to noon. The stalls were Cakes, Raffle, Tombola, Jewellery, and Bric-a-

Brac. Although we did not have as many people as usual, it was a successful and enjoyable morning, and we raised £354.15, a very good total, and thanks to all who came and supported us.

Future Programme It has been necessary to postpone all future meetings of the Fellowship while we practice Social Distancing. Meetings will resume as soon as possible. For further information contact Mrs. Zillah Witt,

Chairman, on 01892 523028

Gillian Penny

Cereal Offender

“Noisy eating in a cinema is perhaps slightly less antisocial than in a public library. Recently a man sat next to me and pulled out a bowl and a packet of cornflakes. Surely not, I thought. He filled the bowl. It can’t be, I thought. He added some milk. I was just thinking I must be dreaming when he produced a large bag of sugar. I moved seats before he could start eating and I could lose all faith in civilisation.”

from a letter to The Times

Being Ordinary “When Thomas Merton left his monastery after some years, to visit the local town for the first time, he was overwhelmed with a sense of the beauty and goodness of the people whom he had met. It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes many mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself glorified in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! To think that such a commonplace realization should suddenly seem like news that one holds the winning ticket in a cosmic sweepstake. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking round shining like the sun . . . There are no strangers . . . If only we could see each other as we really are all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed . . . I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other . . . The gate of heaven is everywhere. On the road to Jerusalem, the apostles argue among themselves as to which of them is the greatest. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, ask Jesus,

‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ (Mark 10:37) They wish to have the top jobs, to bask in the glory, to be raised up above the competition. They do not want to be ordinary, ‘common or garden’ apostles. But Jesus says that ‘to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’ (10:40) And indeed when he is lifted up in glory on the cross, it is two ordinary thieves, whose names we do not even know, who have the place of honour.”

Timothy Radcliffe OP (b.1945)

from ‘What is the Point of Being a Christian?’

Day 4 of Self-Isolating

Struck up a conversation with a spider today. Seems nice. He's a web designer.

Prayer Diary for April 2020

from Billy Everett

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:

he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

St John 8:12

At least the constant rain that we have experienced recently has had one benefit for me, it has encouraged me to read more of the books on my Lent Reading List. It has also made me profoundly thankful that we have not suffered from the horrific flooding that has devastated the homes and businesses of so many people. One book that is bringing me enormous pleasure, and which has been described by the Church Times as ‘eighty pages of gold dust’, is by Rowan Williams and is called ‘Luminaries: Twenty lives that illuminate the Christian Way,’ The first person I read about was Florence Nightingale, so often called ‘the lady with the lamp’, and thus I decided that my theme for the Easter season would be ‘Light’.

Dear Jesus, Flood my soul with your spirit and life,

That my life may only be a radiance of yours. Stay with me, and then I shall begin to shine as you shine,

So to shine as to be a light to others; The light, O Jesus, will be all from you,

None of it will be mine: It will be you shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise you in the way you love best, By shining on those around me.

Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

I love this time of year when the days lengthen, and the light streams in the window in the early morning, and it is still possible to enjoy being outside until the evening. In fact, I enjoy ‘light’ in all its forms, although I admit to being baffled as a 10-year-old, when three of us were mistakenly put in a Sunday School group with much older children. They were all concentrating on ‘seeing the light’ on a Course led by a very evangelical young Canadian preacher who was on an exchange visit. I don’t know how much the teenagers understood, but we three were completely ‘in the dark’! I was so worried about this that I sat in my room (behind the blackout curtains) staring into the dark, waiting for this flash of blinding light – which never came. Eventually, I think I was ‘seeing stars’ and, in desperation, I contacted my friends, and we agreed to visit the vicar to tell him the good news. Neither he, nor the curate was in when we called, so we bicycled down to the Church Warden’s house and when he opened the door, proclaimed triumphantly that we’d seen the light. I don’t know how the poor man kept a straight face, but he told us he was delighted and, much relieved, we all cycled home for tea.

O Christ, Tirelessly you seek out those who are looking for you

And who think that you are far away; Teach us, at every moment,

To place our spirits in your hands. While we are still looking for you,

Already you have found us. However poor our prayer

Brother Roger of Taizé (1915-2005)

Now, seventy-five years on, I am still not certain that I have ‘seen the light’! The trouble is that it’s an expression that I find hard to understand. My interpretation would be nearer to a form of mindfulness: an awareness of God’s presence, as I don’t think the word ‘mindfulness’ had materialised all those years ago, although the concept is centuries old. The beauty of mindfulness is that it is automatic: you don’t have to change gear or take any direct action, just absorb and enjoy the nearness of God, wherever you happen to be at that moment in time. Of course, there are some places that are more conducive to being mindful than others, and even if you can’t get out very often, there are many superb books which can transport you to almost any location on earth – not to mention the superb travel and wildlife programmes on the TV.

God of delight, Source of all joy, Thank you for making me part of the web of life,

Depending on the rhythms and the fruits of the earth For my existence.

Help me to be wholly present to you, Now, in this place,

where my feet are on the ground, and where I am surrounded by creation’s gifts,

from concrete to clouds, if I have the wit to notice them!

Angela Ashwin

About five years ago I discovered a book that literally transformed the way I felt about the natural world. It is called ‘Meadowland, the private Life of an English field’ by John Lewis- Stempel, a writer and (working) farmer. Tim Smit, of The Eden Project, wrote that it is, “One of the best five books I have ever had the privilege to read.” Stempel’s many books on wild life are hymns of praise to Creation and the world as God made it, and are for me a far greater encouragement to protect the planet than the noisy exhortations of recent street protesters. All around us there is beauty in colour, form and wild life, and though suburban living has done much to damage and limit its original glory, I suggest that reading ‘Meadowland’, will give you a truly enlightening experience.

O world invisible, we view thee

O world intangible, we touch thee O world unknowable, we know thee,

Inapprehensible, we clutch thee! Does the fish soar to find the ocean,

The eagle plunge to find the air – That we ask of the stars in motion If they have rumour of thee there?

The angels keep their ancient places – Turn but a stone and start a wing! ‘Tis ye, ‘tis your estranged faces,

That miss the many-splendoured thing.

Francis Thompson (1859-1907) from ‘The Kingdom of God’ (adapted)

We celebrate Easter! “We look this morning into the empty Tomb as if through an open door. On the other side is a world drenched with light, God’s beauty shining through; yet it’s our own world we are seeing, seeing it as God made it to be, seeing ourselves as God made us to be. We are walking into daylight.”

Bishop Rowan Williams, from a morning broadcast, Easter 2004

Church Life is at the Heart of Rusthall

St Paul’s Primary School

‘Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it’ Proverbs 22.6

The rain stopped for a morning to allow the Reception Infant class of Rusthall St Paul’s to walk through the village, across the common and the busy Langton Road and down the dell to the church for their first ‘church study’. This was a huge adventure for the short legs of the youngest pupils and they had to walk all the way back to school afterwards! Ably led by the Headteacher and accompanied by their teachers and volunteers it was

very special watching them in their yellow jerkins chatting happily about all they were seeing. Once at the church and split into groups, the children explored the churchyard looking at the tombs and gravestones, the flowers and mini beasts before searching for gargoyles, crosses and various decorative carvings on the outside of the building. With respect beyond their five years, they continued their study inside the church looking at the font where some of them had been baptised, the pews, windows, Bibles, umbrella stands and finally sitting up at the altar taking in that most special of

places.

All too soon and before they were ready, everyone had to line up and leave the church behind but every child took with them an appreciation of their local church and the importance of it.

As the children grow through the school so they regularly visit the church, partaking in services both school and public. The school banner is proudly carried during parade services and with Ronnie

taking regular Worship Assemblies in school every child not only knows their church but also their vicar. St. Paul's Church Rusthall is truly at the heart of their local school.

Angela Culley

Foundation Governor

Education Sunday

Pupils from a range of local schools donned their school uniforms to come to church. It was very special to see the breadth of schools that families within our congregation attend and represent. Pupils shared their school mottos or mission statements with the congregation giving us time to reflect on our own schooldays and the values we carried from them which have undoubtedly influenced our adult lives. The motto of each school represented will equally give their current pupils an excellent moral compass for them to remember and hold onto as they grow into increasing independence.

During the service, the members of the Junior Choir sang “I lift my eyes”

School Closure due to Coronavirus As you will know by now, the measures to limit the spread of Coronavirus means that the school is currently closed to most pupils; however, it is still open for the children of key workers to ensure that their parents can still go to work. Caroline Powell,

Headteacher, says that the school is open with just a skeleton staff but the school office is contactable by email. She would like to thank those people in the community who have sent their best wishes to them or offered support. They are very grateful for that, and knowing that the community is rallying behind them is keeping them going.

Relax

‘Don’t fear tomorrow. God is already there.’

Wise Words

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

Scottish novelist, poet & travel writer

Think About It

‘You cannot cross a river without getting wet.’

South African Proverb

Tongue tied

“I was amused by the anecdote about a Colombian who joked about the word for monoglot being ‘English’. (is there a suggestion that the Scottish

and Irish and most of the Welsh are any better?) I recall being told by a Dutch friend that an Englishman speaking a foreign language is like a dog riding a bicycle: he doesn’t do it particularly well but it is astonishing that he does it at all.”

from a letter to The Times

A Musical Note

It is difficult really to know what to write here. Had I submitted my magazine article on time (which never happens - apologies) then I would have been writing about the run up to Easter and the music we would be singing during Holy Week. We did have some super music planned, the beautiful Ubi caritas

by Duruflé on Maundy Thursday, Lotti’s amazing 8 part Crucifixus for Good Friday and we even had the Hallelujah Chorus for Easter Sunday. Of course now writing this a week later everything has changed and we are faced with the prospect of no choir practices or services for the foreseeable future. Once the Church of England had taken the decision to suspend public worship I sent a message to everyone in the choir. Unsurprisingly the messages I received back were full of great sadness that we wouldn’t be able to sing together. The choir is an

amazing community that really looks out for each other and I know that when we do get to see each other again it will be wonderful but of course we do not know when that might be. We will attempt an online choir practice at some point which will be absolutely hilarious but I know most of the choir would just like to do some singing! If we are able to record anything that sounds reasonable then we will of course put it on the website for you all to hear but knowing my technological capabilities there is only a slim chance of this actually succeeding!

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to award Charlie Lineker his Dark Blue Ribbon. Charlie’s voice broke whilst he was in Year 7 but now in Year 8 he has joined the tenors and is singing really well so congratulations to him on receiving his medal. Sadly we have said goodbye to Darja Gruener who was here on an exchange programme from Germany. Darja was an amazing addition to the choir and came with us to Peterborough a few weeks ago. She also taught us how to say all of the

German words in our anthem for choral evensong last month, Geistliches Lied by Brahms. Sadly since the schools here have closed Darja has returned to Germany and we will miss her very much.

We cannot know how long it will be before life goes back to the way it was but I hope that everyone will stay safe and well and that we will all be back

worshipping together again soon.

Fiona Johnson

Everyone Sang

Everyone suddenly burst out singing; And I was filled with such delight As prisoned birds must find in freedom, Winging wildly across the white Orchards and dark-green fields;

on - on - and out of sight. Everyone's voice was suddenly lifted; And beauty came like the setting sun: My heart was shaken with tears; and horror Drifted away ... O, but Everyone Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.

Siegfried Sassoon

A Naughty Choirboy?

This carving can be found in St Peter's Church, Charsfield, Suffolk. The church has served the village for over 900 years, the oldest part of the

building dating from the early twelfth century. This chap is to be found on the choir stalls, made of oak and carved by local craftsmen, which are much more recent, having been added in the 1930s.

The Gravity of Kindness

I mentioned that I had been to a singing day in January with Howard Goodall at St Sepulchre’s Church in London - the musician’s church. It was a lovely day, culminating in a concert of the two works we has rehearsed, Gloria by Vivaldi and The Gravity of Kindness by Howard Goodall. The benefit of having Howard there was that he was able to give us an insight into how the piece came to be written. With the recent pleas for there to be a little more kindness in the world, it seems to be most apt.

He had been given a commission by a choir, The Addison Singers, who wanted a piece to celebrate their anniversary, which was in December 2019. Howard decided that he did not want to do anything too obviously Christmassy, but something that did point to some of the themes we turn to at Christmas, family and friendship, and the giving of gifts. He had been carrying around a poem called Kindness which he had discovered after reading an article by its writer and he mixed the text of this with some snippets of the Coventry Carol (Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child) and a Mexican lullaby Arrorró mi niño. The Coventry Carol is probably the best known of the medieval carols, and intersperses the comforting lullaby elements with reminders of Jesus’ future including pain and death, showing how mothers everywhere seek to comfort their children in the face of hardship or peril. Naomi Shihab Nye is the product of an American mother and Palestinian father and her poems have often explored similarities and differences between cultures. She wrote Kindness after being caught up

in a coach robbery in Columbia, while trying to travel the length of South America with her new husband for their honeymoon. It was a very nasty attack, with one passenger murdered, the Indian in a white poncho mentioned in the poem. Naomi was robbed of all her possessions except the notebook and pencil in her trouser pocket. She was struck by the small acts of kindness shown to her, an unknown foreigner, by the impoverished locals, and says that the poem came to her as a voice in her head, fully formed. She felt that the experience, awful as it had been, had made her realise that it is only when you have suffered loss that you realise

the difference that kindness can make. In 2018 it was voted the most popular poem on the Academy of American Poet’s website.

Kindness Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.

You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.

Naomi Shihab Nye

Howard Goodall (left) with David Wordsworth,

conductor

Down the Garden Path

Oh, very smart! Two new garden fences, thanks to the windy weather. The first one was a fairly simple replacement but the one in the back garden involved much more work as the men had to stand on the garden in order to get things done. They were very careful but three large men and six big boots do not produce Monty Don’s recommended ‘fine tilth’ – more like a Christmas pudding mixture! However, three large bags of multi-purpose compost (from The Venture in Rusthall High Street) have helped to improve what will soon be a newly-planted border. I have also had an interesting time searching for suitable stones with which to edge between the border and gravel path. I often see lovely old, small rocks when walking on Ashdown Forest but taking them would be illegal – and rightly so! Finding similar ones for sale has proved to be a challenge and I have had some very funny looks when I ask for stones which are old, craggy, dirty and preferably mossy. However, I am fairly satisfied with the result and can always ‘tweak’ it a bit. It is very heartening to see not only the early flowers but also the first signs of leaf growth on shrubs and

trees. I’m so pleased to welcome the tender, wrinkled, new growth on my roses. Now is the time when I relax my ‘no harmful chemicals’ rule and the roses have their one and only ‘Rose Clear’ spray to kill off last year’s Black Spot fungi (before insects wake up); after that the rule is ‘only fungicide, no insecticide’. (I admit that the spray which kills insects is more effective against Black Spot than the environmentally - friendly one.)

Anemone Blanda

Early spring flowers are such a welcome sight! I am enjoying a mixture of small Narcissi (mostly natives from hilly countries), Primroses and Anemone blanda. Not so welcome are enthusiastically-spreading Celandines! It happens every year: not a sign of Celandine then suddenly... there they are!

Healthy rounded leaves almost hidden by masses of enamelled-yellow flowers smiling innocently in the sunshine! So, I decide to enjoy them for a short

while then remove them. What happens? They disappear almost overnight until next spring when at least twice as many appear and the problem is repeated. If only all our problems were as welcome and easy to deal with as Ranunculus ficaria (lesser Celandine)! Incidentally, it’s time the experts who are so keen on re-naming plants turned their attention to Greater Celandine which looks nothing at all like Lesser Celandine and is, in fact, from a different family altogether – The Poppy family!

Ranunculus ficaria (lesser Celandine)

There - I’ve had my grumble for this month and feel so much better!! I will go outside now and enjoy the flowers, oh dear – it’s raining again.

Elsie Emes

Never Lose Hope

“There are no hopeless situations;

There are only men who have grown hopeless about them.”

Clare Booth Luce (1903-1987)

“People think that when something goes wrong, it’s their fault.

If only they had done something differently. But sometimes things go wrong to teach you what

is right.” Alice Walker (b.1974)

“The tree that is cut down grows again; The moon that wanes after a time waxes again.

Thus do wise men reflect and, though distressed, are not overwhelmed.”

Sanskrit Proverb

“Saying Yes to Life”

It’s not easy to think about things that we feel we have no control over, like getting older, the coronavirus epidemic and the climate crisis. But Ruth Valerio’s new book “Saying Yes to God” (SYTG) is a positive way forward. It suggests that we as Christians can make a difference to the way

we live, both as individuals and as communities, both small and large. SYTG is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2020. In it, Ruth Valerio begins by looking at the two great stories in Genesis (not a lot of people

know that!) She concludes with the positive statement that “God is beside us, working with us, in our own communities and in our churches.” Therefore we are never on our own when we face life’s problems. We are part of a greater whole. Psalm 24 reminds us that the planet Earth is God’s not ours. We are therefore God’s stewards on this earth. It’s up to us to decide whether we will be good stewards or, by doing nothing, bad stewards. Ruth Valerio’s final point is to remind us that we are “resurrection churches”. That is, we as Christians have agreed to commit to being “resurrection people”. As such, we are prepared to admit our weaknesses and omissions and then to be active by being open to the inspiration and strengthening of God’s spirit. Thus we may become better able to take action together to make

this world a better place. Now few of us are engaged practically with caring for God’s world on a global scale, though we can all hold international concerns in our prayers. But we all can, in our smaller groups, church,

neighbourhood, families and schools, do our bit. The practical question then is What? What can we

do that will make a difference? Dr Valerio, who spoke to a well-attended meeting of the Christians Together in Tunbridge Wells last year, suggests a number of ways. The following is a list taken from her book SYTG, and then related to Rusthall parish. Hopefully, each of us can get engaged in at least a few of these ideas:-

Continue to save energy. Ensure all our light bulbs are LED, and put lights out in rooms when they have emptied.

Instead of buying new, have a “swishing” event, where we swop clothes, toys, books, household and garden tools etc

Have a “Hunger Lunch” one day in Christian Aid Week, May 10 -16

Invite Ruth to come and preach or speak at St Pauls. She has recently been installed as

the Rochester Diocesan Canon Theologian

If we don’t do so already, support and learn from Operation Noah, A Rocha, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Traidcraft etc

Find out how to become an Eco Church

Encourage each other to have a Meat-Free Monday

Go on-line and find an activity to do something that matches your interests and abilities

See the DVD of Al Gore’s TED talk

Attend the May meeting at Christ Church

in the TW High Street [coronavirus restrictions permitting] of the Christians Together in Tunbridge Wells on how to relate the Food issue to the Climate Crisis. Date to be announced.

Whatever we do, at home or in our groups, let us

remember, we are all the children of God, inspired

by the life and spirit of Jesus to be his active people

on earth today. We can make a difference.

Let’s Say Yes to God, together.

Tony Rutherford

Evolution One day a zoo-keeper noticed that a monkey was reading two books – the Bible and Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’. In surprise he asked the monkey, “Why are you reading both those books”?

“Well,” said the monkey, “I just wanted to find out if I was my brother’s keeper, or my keeper’s brother.”

“Is the Patient Breathing?” A troop of Boy Scouts was being used as guinea-pigs in a test of emergency systems. A mock earthquake was staged, and the Scouts impersonated wounded people who were to be picked up and cared for by the emergency units.

One Scout was supposed to lie on the ground and await his rescuers, but the first-aid patrols got behind schedule and the Scout lay ‘wounded’ for several hours. When the first-aid squad finally appeared where the casualty was supposed to be, they found nothing but a brief note: ‘Have bled to death and gone home.’

Then And Now

Troas, Uz and the Via Dolorosa

Troas is the city from which St. Paul first sailed to carry the gospel from Asia to Europe. Its full name was Alexandria Troas. It was a maritime city of Mysia, in the northwest part of Asia Minor, situated on the Aegean coast, at some distance south of the supposed site of ancient Troy. The name also included all the coast south of the Hellespont. It was a Macedonian and Roman colony of much promise. The Turks call its ruins Eski Stamboul, the Old Constantinople. Its remains, in the centre of a forest of oaks, are still grand and imposing. It was here, on his second missionary journey, that Paul saw the vision of a man of Macedonia, who appeared to him saying, come over and help us. It was probably also here that Paul raised Eutychus from the dead and on one of his visits he is reported to have left behind his cloak and some books. During Byzantine times Troas was the see of a bishopric. Even today there is evidence of the great size and importance of the city. It is possible to

trace the city walls and within the walls see the remains of a theatre, temple and gymnasium which was provided with baths. The port from which Paul sailed was constructed by means of a mole (or causeway), with an outer and an inner basin. The most imposing part of the ruins however, is a large aqueduct which was built in the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan.

Uz or the Land of Uz is a location mentioned in the Old Testament, most prominently in the Book of Job - There was a man in the land of Uz, whose

name was Job. There has not been any positive location for Uz found today, but there are three possible locations. It may have been an area beyond the Euphrates. It is sometimes identified with the kingdom of Edom, roughly in the area of modern-day southwestern Jordan and southern Israel. The third suggestion is that it was in the more southern part of Arabia, especially Dhofar, said to be the home of the original Arabs.

The Via Dolorosa is basically the route that Jesus took between his condemnation by Pilate and his crucifixion and burial. Over the centuries the route has changed several times. Today, the main route is that followed by the early Byzantine pilgrims, with fourteen stations along the way. Probably, to most pilgrims, it is the meaning rather than the exact location that really matters. It begins near the Lions’ Gate and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is not exactly the place for quiet meditation and prayer, since the route is through busy streets lined with snack bars and tourist shops.

Each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross are marked with a plaque but these small signs can be difficult to spot. Franciscans lead a weekly procession every Friday at 3.00 pm along the Via Dolorosa. The traditional Stations are:- 1. Jesus is condemned to death 2. Jesus carries his cross 3. Jesus falls for the first time 4. Jesus meets his mother

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross 6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 7. Jesus falls for the second time 8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 9. Jesus falls a third time. 10. Jesus is stripped of his clothes 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross 12. Jesus dies on the cross 13. The body of Jesus is removed from the cross. 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb This is the end of this series. W, X and Y are not

used as place names and Z only for very minor places in the Bible.

Daphne Pilcher

The Killing

That was the day they killed the Son of God On a squat hill-top by Jerusalem.

Zion was bare, her children from their maze Sucked by the dream of curiosity

Clean through the gates. The very halt and blind Had somehow got themselves up to the hill.

After the ceremonial preparation, That was the day they killed the Son of God

The scourging, nailing, nailing against the wood, Erection of the main trees with their burden,

While from the hill rose an orchestral wailing, They were there at last, high up in the soft spring.

We watched the writhings, heard the moanings, saw The three heads turning on their separate axles

Like broken wheels left spinning. Round his head Was loosely bound a crown of plaited thorn

That hurt at random, stinging temple and brow As the pain swung into its envious circle. In front the wreath was gathered in a knot

That as he gazed looked like the last stump left Of a death-wounded deer’s great antlers. Some Who came to stare grew silent as they looked,

Indignant or sorry. But the hardened old And the hard-hearted young, although at odds

From the first morning, cursed him with one curse, Having prayed for a Rabbi or an armed messiah And found the Son of God. What use to them

Was a God or a Son of God? Of what avail For purposes such as theirs? Beside the cross-foot

Alone, four women stood and did not move All day. The sun revolved, the shadows wheeled,

The evening fell. His head lay on his breast, But in his breast they watched his heart move on

By itself alone, accomplishing its journey. Their taunts grew louder, sharpened by the knowledge

That he was walking in the park of death, Far from their rage. Yet all grew stale at last,

Spite, curiosity, envy, hate itself. They waited only for death and death was slow And came so quietly they scarce could mark it.

They were angry then at death and death’s deceit.

I was a stranger, could not read these people Or this outlandish deity. Did a God

Indeed in dying cross my life that day By chance, he on his road and I on mine?

Edwin Muir (1887-1959)

Scottish poet, novelist & translator

The Unknown Future “How many ideas have there been in the history of the human race that were unthinkable ten years before they appeared?”

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)

‘Do-Gooders’

I was hungry and you formed a committee to investigate my hunger. I was homeless, and you filed a report on my plight. I was sick and you held a seminar on the underprivileged. You have investigated all the aspects of my plight. And yet I am still hungry, homeless and sick.

Interruptions “There are enough hours in each day to do all that God wants. The secret lies in knowing how to recognize when an interruption is really an intervention. Who knows, the next knock on the door could be from God.”

Rev. Ian Coffey

Baptist preacher, leader & teacher

Activity Pages

Easter together with Christmas are two of the major festivals of the Church calendar, but how any others can you name? To complete the names write a vowel in each circle and a consonant in each

square.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

A Crossword on games, sport, leisure and fun

Clues across 1. Country where Matrioshka dolls come from 3. Needed to play solitaire

9. A light spear used today in sport 10. Game similar to billiards 11. Slide on snow 12. Group of people on the same side 17. Brilliant tennis serve 18. Shape at the centre of a football pitch 20. You might score a bullseye when you throw one 21. Jump up on one foot over squares on the ground to play this game 23. Not in 25. Number of players in a football team 26. See 23 Down

28. Contest of speed 30. Score in Rugby 31. Two letters which precede Milan when referring to a football team 32. Hop, skip and _ _ _ _ 33. Football trophy

Clues down 2. Cricket referee 4. Nil points in tennis

5. A form of dance 6. Wimbledon month 7. Game played on horseback 8. Plaything 9. Funny man in a pack of cards 12. Cuddly toy 13. Games, set and _ _ _ _ _ 14. _ _ _ pin bowling 15. A campanologist would ring this 16. Tennis area 18. Winning call in Chess 19. Trainer

22. Not under 23. And 26 Across – Special sports event held every four years 24. When not playing you sit on this 26. You score one of these in football 27. Card game for children 29. First name of tennis player – Henman

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

8 9

10

11

12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19

20

21 22 23

24

25

26 27

28 29 30

31 32 33

In this word search you will find the following words which all have a connection with the Bible or the Christian Faith APOCRYPHA APOSTLE APSE BISHOP CHALICE CHOIR EASTER EDEN ELI EVE EZRA FAITH FRY HALO HOLY HOST HOSEA LAY LENT LITANY LOW MAGI MARTYR MARY NAVE NAZARENE NEHEMIAH OIL PULPIT RECTOR ROSE RUTH TEN TENET TITUS VALENTINE VERGER VIADOLOROSA

A Y W B M E C I L A H C

P R O I A E S O H A A H

S F L S G E V A N S Y O

E A A H I A I M O N H I

N I H O Y M R R A T O R

I T I P E N O Z U R L E

T H L H Y L A R E R Y L

N L E S O R E T E N E T

E N E D E C C T I T U S

L V A N T T S O H L I O

A I E O T A T I P L U P

V E R G E R Y T R A M A

If you have been successful you will have used every letter at least once. Now there might well be some words which you don’t recognise so here are some definitions to help.

APOCRYPHA Section of books between the Old and New Testament

APOSTLE Name given to the first 12 disciples APSE Area behind the Altar BISHOP Priest in charge of a Diocese CHALICE Cup used for Communion Wine CHOIR Group of singers who lead church worship EASTER Festival when we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus EDEN Garden mentioned in Genesis ELI Old Testament High Priest EVE First Woman EZRA Book in the Old Testament FAITH Belief FRY Elizabeth Fry was a prison reformer HALO A circle of light round the head of a saint HOLY Something that is sacred HOSEA Book in the Old Testament HOST Another name for describing the bread used at Communion LAY Term often used for those by a bishop to perform offices but

not Ordained LENT 40 days before Easter LITANY A form of prayer

LOW Term used for the Sunday after Easter

MAGI Way of referring to the 3 Wise Men MARTYR Person who has died for their faith MARY Mother of Jesus NAVE Central part of the church building NAZARENE Person form the town of Nazareth NEHEMIAH Book of the Old Testament OIL Special consecrated oil used in some

church services PULPIT From where the Sermon is preached RECTOR In some circumstances another

name for Vicar ROSE Name sometimes applied to the

Virgin Mary RUTH Book in the Old Testament TEN Number of Old Testament

Commandments TENET Main statement of belief TITUS Bool in the New Testament VALENTINE Saint remembered on 14th February VERGER Person who helps care for a church

building VIA DOLOROSA The route in Jerusalem thought to have been followed by Jesus on his way to the Cross

Cards that you make yourself are always appreciated and thee is still time before Easter. This design can be made as easy or as elaborate as you wish.

In April people in England celebrate St George’s Day because he is the Patron Saint of England. By legend he is supposed to have killed a dragon and so saved a life. He could be said to have given service. St Christopher

I often thought of as patron saints of travellers, but perhaps we should link him with service. His name means ‘Christ Bearer’. It is true that we only have legends about him, but they are both worth hearing and thinking about. Legend says that Christopher lived in the fourth century after Christ and that he was a particularly tall and strong warrior. Since Christopher felt himself to be so strong and great he felt it would only be right for him to serve someone who was supreme. When he found a king whom all declared to be great Christopher offered his services and became a member of his court. One day while at the court he saw his master make the sign of the cross when a minstrel mentioned the name of the devil in a song. Christopher asked the reason for the sign of the cross and the king explained that he was afraid that if he didn’t make the sign the devil would have power over him. Ah, thought Christopher, then the

devil must be more powerful than the king, so away he went to search for the devil. The devil heard that Christopher was on the look-out for him and he soon introduced himself and Christopher became his follower and obeyed him in all things. One day Christopher was out with the devil when they came to a cross set up in the middle of the path. Immediately the devil left the path and plunged into the bushes and brambles. He did not rejoin the path until the cross was far behind them. Christopher immediately wanted to know the reason. The devil explained – You see God became a man, but I got men to crucify Him, and now I am afraid when I see a cross because it reminds me of Him. Ah, thought Christopher, if the devil is afraid of Christ, Christ must be the greater. So Christopher left the devil and wet in search of Christ. He did not find Christ but he did find an old hermit and he explained about his searchings. You may not be able to find Christ, but you could serve Him, explained the hermit. Not far from here is a river which many people need to cross. In places however it is very deep and many people have lost their lives trying to cross. Now you are tall and strong. Why not live beside the river and hep those who need it across. By doing this you would be serving Christ. Christopher agreed and was kept very busy and may people were thankful for his help. One day a child came to ask for help and Christopher carried the child over but it was much the most difficult crossing he had ever made. As he reached the other side he said – I felt as if I was carrying the whole world on my shoulders. You did, replied the child – because the person you have just carried over made the world, and carries the sin of all the world. Christopher then realised that he had carried Christ and immediately asked to follow Him. Christ replied you are following me because by giving service to others you are giving service to me. At this

Easter time don’t let us forget that service is an important part of our Christian faith. ANSWERS Festivals of the Church Calendar

1. Harvest 2 Trinity 3 Lent 4 Palm Sunday 5 Epiphany 6 Ash Wednesday 7 Pentecost 8 Holy Week 9 All Saints Day 10 Maundy Thursday 11 Advent 12 Good Friday Crossword

Across 1 Russia 3 Marbles 9 Javelin 10 Pool 11 Ski 12 Team

17 Ace 18 Circle 20 Dart 21 Hopscotch 23 Out 26 James 28 Race 30 Try 31 AC 33 World Cup Down 2 Umpire 4 Love 5 Salsa 6 June 7 Polo 8 Toy 9 Joker 12 Teddybear 13 Match 14 Ten 15 Bell 16 Court 18 Checkmate 19 Coach 22 Over 23 Olympic 24 Bench 26 Goal 27 Snap 29 Tim

General Information

Vicar Rev Ronnie Williams, 521357

The Vicarage, Bretland Road, Rusthall

Readers

Mr Tim Cripps, 10 Muskerry Court 543355

Miss Daphne Pilcher, 37 Stephens Road 521691

Churchwardens Mr Clive McAllister, 7 Rustwick 532817

Miss May Graves, 21 Hill View Road 680274

Deputy Churchwardens Mr Graeme Anderson, 51 Westwood Road 532922

Mrs Mione Palmer 667951

Mrs Susan Powley 545067

Mrs Margaret Brown 680455

Parochial Church Council Secretary Mrs Pat Churchill, 4 Rusthall Road 531541

Treasurer and Planned Giving

Mrs Pat Cripps

c/o Parish Office 521447

Child Protection Officer c/o May Graves 680274

DBS Officer Clive Brown

c/o the Parish Office 521447

Bible Reading Fellowship Secretary Vivienne Sharp 543263

Choir Leader Miss Fiona Johnson 07540273302

Magazine Editors Deborah Bruce, Sue Hare and Mione Palmer

c/o the Parish Office email – magazine@stpaulsrusthall.org.uk

Flower Arrangers

Mrs Daphne Hodges 533492

Parish Hall Bookings Enquiries to Parish Office 521447

Rusthall St Paul’s Primary School Headteacher - Miss Caroline Powell 520582

Churchyards Enquiries to the Parish Office

CHURCH ELECTORAL ROLL

All worshippers who are baptised members of the Church of

England, and aged over 16, should have their names entered on the

Electoral Roll. This entitles them to attend and vote at the Annual

Parochial Meeting. Forms for enrolment will be found in the

Parish Church or the Parish Office and should be sent to the Vicar.

Organisations

Julian Group

Mrs Pat Stevens 529187

St Paul’s Parish Fellowship

Mrs Zillah Witt (Chair) 523028

Mrs Muriel Reeves (Secretary) 520468

Group Scout Secretary

Mr K Powley 545067

Scout Membership Secretary

Merissa Patrick

Email – rusthallscoutwaitinglist@yahoo.co.uk

Beavers: beaversrusthall@gmail.com

Cubs: rustahllcubs@hotmail.co.uk

Scouts: rusthallscouts@gmail.com

Guide Senior Section

Helen Deller 07720 252481

Guide Guiders

Ms Tina Francis 545877

Brownie Guiders

Mrs Wendy Anderson (Thurs) 532922

Ms Tina Francis (Mon) 545877

Rainbows

Mrs Mary Saunders 543572

Email – saundi@aol.com

Mothers and Toddlers

Mrs Annie Softley, 21 Woodside Road 548366

Rusthall Local History Group

Dennis Penfold, 18 Meadow Road 537939

Rusthall Lunch Club

Mrs Ros Rodwell 862652

Rusthall Community & Youth Project

Barry Edwards 680296

Rusthall Village Association

Alex Britcher 07967 011467

Rusthall Parish Council

Council Clerk 07805 475397

Rusthall Bonfire and Fete Committee

Annie Sofley 548366

Friends of TW and Rusthall Common

Clive Evans 534040