Partnership website: www.swindon-otpc.org.uk

PARTNERSHIP MAGAZINE

JUNE 2014 55 PENCE

40 Glorious Years of Christian service!

Congratulations to Margaret Williamswho celebrates 40 years of licensed lay ministry

this month.

Swindon Old Town Partnership of ChurchesAnglican - URC - Methodist Est. 1969

One in Christ - Together in Mission

Your ContactsBATH ROAD METHODIST CHURCHMinister: The Revd. Mark Barrett, 147 Drove Road, SN1 3AQ

Tel: 529263 e-mail: markrev55@aol.comWeb site: www.bathroadmethodistchurch.org.ukWeekly news items: marietait1@googlemail.com

CHRIST CHURCH with ST. MARY’S, Cricklade StreetSt. Mary’s, Commonweal Road (off The Mall) Vicar: The Revd. Canon Simon Stevenette, The Vicarage,

26 Cricklade Street, SN1 3HG. Tel. 529166e-mail: simon.stevenette@gmail.com

Curate: Revd. Norma McKemey. T. 845917; mckemeyn@talktalk.netRevd. Daphne Hardwick. T. 693721; daphne@christchurchswindon.co.ukWeb site: www.christchurchswindon.co.ukWeekly news items: parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.ukFriends of Christ Church: c/o The Parish OfficePARISH OFFICE: at the Community Centre, SN1 3HB. Tel. 522832e-mail: parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.ukUsually the Parish Office is open Monday-Wednesday 9.30am-4.30pmThurs morning, briefly, about 9.30 am after Morning Prayer. Thursday evening 5.30pm-7.30pm, Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat 10am-12 noon. COMMUNITY CENTRE: Manager Chris Smith, T.617237 or 07582 305760email: chris.smith@cccswindon.co.uk

IMMANUEL UNITED REFORMED CHURCH, Upham RoadMinister: The Revd. Robert Jordan, 152 Drove Road, SN1 3AG

Tel. 513039. email: robert.jordan1@btconnect.comChurch Secretaries: Liz Gleed, Tel. 721364. Anne Farrow, Tel.490672

email for both: immchurchsec@gmail.comWeb site: www.immanuelurc.org.uk Weekly news items: immanuelweeklynews@yahoo.co.uk

LAWN COMMUNITY CHURCH, Guildford AvenueMinister: The Revd. John Roe, 6 Donnington Grove, SN3 1HD.

Tel. 485082 e-mail: john.roe1@tiscali.co.uk

SALVATION ARMY: The Citadel, Devizes Road. MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTOR: Mr. Eric Sparkes, Tel. 530997. email: trezaise1@talktalk.netMAGAZINE EDITORS:Mrs. Diana Swann, 58 Sandown Avenue, SN3 1QQ. Tel. 529897e-mail: diana.swann@tesco.netMrs. Margaret Williams, 39 Sandown Avenue, SN3 1QQ. Tel. 421102e-mail: margaretwilliams111@gmail.com PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL: Co-ordinator: post vacant

Chairman: Godfrey Room, Tel. 610010; Treasurer: David Bevan, Tel. 336667

PARTNERSHIP WEB SITE: www.swindon-otpc.org.uk

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Partnership Letter

Christ Church Vicarage

Dear Friends,

Come Holy Spirit

I am looking forward greatly to this month of June! I am excited and full of expectation for all that God is going to teach us across the Old Town Partnershipand out and about in Swindon. On Sunday June 8th we will all celebrate thechurch’s birthday, Pentecost; the coming of the Holy Spirit. I want to encourageyou to join me in reading the Acts of the Apostles which is the book in the Bibleimmediately following the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of Luke and is all about Action,Events, and Encounters. The book’s chief purpose is to tell how Jesus’s earlyfollowers, led by the Holy Spirit, spread the Good News about him inJerusalem (locally) in all Judea and Samaria (nationally) and to the ends of theearth (internationally), Acts 1 verse 8. It is the amazing story of the Christianmovement as it began among the Jewish people and went on to become atransforming faith for the whole world.

God’s plan and purpose is for his kingdom to fully come in the whole world.This is beautifully illustrated in the three principal parts contained in Acts. Theyreflect together the ever widening area in which the Good News about Jesuswas proclaimed and the church established. Firstly, the beginning of theChristian movement in Jerusalem following the ascension of Jesus, secondlyexpansion into other parts of Palestine, thirdly further expansion into theMediterranean world as far as Rome.

A wonderfully uniting feature of the whole of Acts is the activity of the HolySpirit who comes with power upon the believers in Jerusalem on the day ofPentecost and continues to guide and strengthen the growing church and itshuman leaders throughout the exciting events reported in this book. Above all,they show the power of this early Christian message in the lives of the believersand in the fellowship of the church.

Friends, each of us follows in their footsteps. We face similar challenges. Asyou read the Book of Acts with me, please pray you will be open to receiveGod’s gift afresh in your own life, quite simply the presence of Jesus to

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strengthen and empower you. Ask these questions and I promise God will answer you. Firstly, who is the Holy Spirit? Secondly, what is the Holy Spiritcalling me to do? Thirdly, how can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? I am prayingfor a renewal of the Holy Spirit’s work in our own town this Pentecost 2014; I would love you to pray this too and see what action results.

It’s the presence of your spirit Lord, we need. For the moving of your Holy Spirit Lord, we pray.

Happy Pentecost! Every blessing

The High Sheriff of WiltshirePeter Addington

CHARITY CONCERT FOR SWINDON CARES

raising monies for

ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY

and

SWINDON CARERS’ CENTRE

at Christ Church, Old Town, Swindon,on

SATURDAY 7th June 2014 at 7.30 pm

featuring The Kentwood Show Choir, 50th Anniversary

Tickets £6 Children under 14 accompanied by adults, free.

Tickets available from Christ Church Parish Office in the Community Centre

and the Swindon Visitor Information Centre at Swindon Central Libary

Unreserved seating

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FAMILY EVENTS

BAPTISMWe welcome into the family of the Church

CHRIST CHURCHApril 13 Carys Zofia Walega

MARRIAGEWe wish joy and happiness to

CHRIST CHURCHMay 3 Akhil Shah and Laura DashMay 3 Nick and Katie Dent

DEATHS

We extend our sympathy to the loved ones of:

BATH ROADApr 30 Jeanette Eadie-Cairns

CHRIST CHURCHApr 7 Mary Hampson, 90 yearsApr 12 Marian Croucher, 74 yearsApr 28 Jacqueline Tilley, 80 yearsMay 8 Dorothy Finn, 87 yearsMay 8 David Gilson, 78 years

Old Town Partnership Birthday Service

Trinity Sunday 15th June, 10am at Christ Church

We look forward to welcoming as our guest preacher The Venerable CarolineBaston, Transition Minister at St Andrew’s, North Swindon previously Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight. Caroline will look at the relationship betweenGod the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and what the wonderfulteam working implicit in the Trinity can teach us and inspire us afresh in ourOld Town Partnership in 2014 Please make the service a priority as we lookforward to renewing our commitment to God’s ecumenical vision.

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Christ Church with St. Mary’s

Christ Church ministerial staff news.....

The Revd Norma McKemey

We are delighted that Norma has successfully completed her 4 year self-supporting curacy. Congratulations, Norma!

Following the unanimous endorsement of the Christ Church PCC and theSwindon Deanery Leadership team, Norma will be licensed as an AssociateMinister at Christ Church on Monday June 2nd 3.30pm by Bishop Lee at MarkHouse. I will be supporting Norma at this occasion.

We look forward very much to the following Sunday, Pentecost June 8th at10am, when we will celebrate Norma’s new ministry both in our worship service at which Norma will preach and afterwards at a sparkling wine andcanapés reception. All our partnership friends are welcome. Please rememberNorma and her family in your prayers.

We have been enormously blessed by the quality of Norma’s sacrificial ordained ministry over the last 4 years. Her preaching, worship leading,teaching ministry and pastoral care are widely appreciated in a whole varietyof settings, including Lainesmead School, Wichelstowe and across the Partnership.

Thank you Norma for all you have shared with us. It is a privilege to have youas a close colleague and friend. We will do all we can to support you as yourChristian ministry develops.

Simon Stevenette

FRIENDS OF CHRIST CHURCH AGM

Sunday 8th June, 3.00 pm in the Community Centre@Christ Church

Refreshments will be served after the meeting

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An Open InvitationMonday 9th June, 7.00 pm at Christ Church

The Swindon Deanery Leadership team has invited our Diocesan Bishop, TheRight Reverend Mike Hill to come and inspire us, teach us and pray with us onMonday 9th June 7pm at Christ Church.

This event is the day after Pentecost and is part of our training and equippingduring this 2014, when our strategic goal is to grow in confidence in telling ourChristian story. Across the Bristol Diocese we are wanting 10,000 people toshare their Christian story and we pray that at least 500 people of our ownages will become Christians and be baptised.

The plan for the evening is that we will have a time of Pentecost worship.Bishop Mike will give a keynote address and then answer questions on whatthe Christian faith means to him personally and to the world and our communities.We will end with a time of prayer and ministry by 9.15pm. All are welcome.

Bishop Mike is a truly gifted and inspirational speaker and leader. He willspeak from the heart and we pray that the Holy Spirit will fire us up for servicein His name.

LUNCHTIME RECITAL OF BRITISH ORGAN MUSICby Tim Eyles

Director of Music at Christ Church

WEDNESDAY 4th JUNE, 1.00 pmat

Christ Church, Old Town

Featuring music by Alfred Hollins, Nigel Ogden, Robert Jones,William Mathias, David Bednall and Andrew Carter.

There is a range of musical styles here, from the theatre organ style of

Nigel Ogden, to the light romantic style of Robert Jones and Alfred Hollins,

and to the more modern idioms of Mathias, Bednall and Carter.

Entrance: £5 at the door, with proceeds to church funds.

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Margaret Williams40 Glorious Years of Christian service!

On Sunday June 22nd we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Margaret’s licensing as a Lay Reader, now called Licensed Lay Minister (LLM). Margaretwas the first woman reader in the Malmesbury Archdeaconry.

Margaret has had an amazing ministry across our Old Town Partnership andfurther afield in the wider Swindon community. Her love for Jesus, passion forthe Christian Gospel, ecumenical vision and her ability to communicate theChristian faith to all ages is legendary.

Margaret, thank you so much for all you have shared with us and for all youcontinue to share with us across the Partnership. You were born to be ateacher and a Christian leader in education and out and about, your sense ofhumour, pastoral warmth, friendship, generosity of spirit and collaborative styleof working are priceless gifts.

I speak on behalf of the late Derek Palmer, Owen Barraclough and all yourclergy and lay colleagues, Margaret, to say thank you for who you are and allyou have given.

We look forward to sharing your celebration and thank God for the strength hecontinues to give you and his Holy Spirit renewing you day by day.

On Friday 20th June the Swindon Deanery lay ministers will celebrate withMargaret at a party at the Vicarage.

On Sunday 22nd June, 10 am at Christ Church, we will have a special service to mark the occasion, during which Margaret will preach andBishop Lee will preside at Holy Communion.

Friends in the Partnership are invited to join us for a parish lunch at 12.30pm in the Community Centre.

RSVP The Parish Office, telephone 522832 email: parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk

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Sponsored Head Shave for Cancer Research

Ten years ago, our dad Simon Stevenette wasbeing treated for cancer at the Great WesternHospital. He has been in remission for 10 yearsnow and I want to do something to say thankyou!

I thought it is as good a time as ever to raisesome money for Cancer Research and my target is to raise £1000. In early June I'mplanning to have my head completely shaved,and this is going to happen where I am studyingat Cardiff University.

As with many families, cancer is something thathas affected our family over the years. This

year we are also thinking especially of Angela my grandmother who died 5years ago from Mesothelioma, an aggressive lung cancer caused by asbestos.

For me, having my head shaved is such a small sacrifice and if, in doing so, itcould lead to a contribution of funds for a great charity in Cancer Research, thenthat would be brilliant.

If you would like to sponsor me, please either go to my Just giving page onwww.justgiving.com or talk to my mum Nicola, or dad, and they will be able tocollect any sponsorship. Tel. 529166 email: simon.stevenette@gmail.com

Any donations, large or small, would be very much appreciated and I promiseto send an ‘after’ photograph for the next magazine!!

Thanks, Robert Stevenette

Come and tryTHE FRONT ROOM

A social gathering for the unemployedEvery Tuesday 12 noon - 2 pm

Come and join us for food and a chat atSt. Augustine’s Church, Summer Street, Rodbourne

By the unemployed, for the unemployed

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Martin Palmer's visit

It was especially moving having Derek and Cecily Palmer's son Martin with uson Sunday 11th May. Prior to his visit to Christ Church, Martin had launched amajor new book Faith and Food on the BBC Radio 2 programme with ClareBalding at 7.30am. He then preached at Christ Church in the morning andevening.

In the afternoon, he gave the first Annual Friends of Christ Church lecture onhis book Sacred Land : Decoding Britain's extraordinary past; with special reference to Swindon and Avebury.

Martin then flew to New York in the evening as part of his work with the UnitedNations getting values and faith into the sustainable goals of the United Nations15 year programme. Martin is the General Secretary of the secular organisation,the Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Further information can be foundon the following websites which he asked us to advertise:

www.arcworld.org worldwewant2015.org/values

It was quite an extraordinary day, as we welcomed back 12 members of thePalmer family on the 10th anniversary of Cecily's death. See photograph on

page 18. Martin wore his father's cassock and said to me that although hespeaks all over the world he only ever gets nervous when he speaks wherehis father has ministered!

Martin spoke about the key sacred relationships with God, our neighbour, ourselves and our environment.

I am enormously grateful to Margaret Williams, who has been a great link withboth Derek and the Palmer family and Owen and the Barraclough family.Thank you to the Friends for sponsoring the lecture and for a beautiful tea inthe afternoon. Simon Stevenette

Christ Church Choir will be singing Choral Evensongat Christ Church

on Sunday 8th June at 6.30 pm.

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Thank you so much for your incredible support in making the "CURRY NITE" event successful. Wepraise God that, with his blessings, we have so farraised £1200 plus towards my visit to The Gambia, details of which were in the April magazine.

Steven Nitin Shinde

BOOK REVIEW: Unapologetic by Francis Spufford Subtitle: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional senseFaber and Faber 2012 224 pages

The lengthy subtitle of this book neatly summarises what it is all about. I thinkthe author, a literature teacher at Goldsmiths College, London, was perhapsspurred on to write it by the atheistic diatribes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

The general style of this book is very informal and irreverent and there arevery many swear words beginning with F, so if this sort of language upsetsyou, don’t read the book. However, I hope many of you do, as it deserves awide audience. Its central message is that humans are made with a propensityto mess things up (he abbreviates this to HPtFtU) and that Christianity is theonly monotheistic religion to recognise this.

Francis Spufford is refreshingly undogmatic in his assertions of the divinity ofChrist; instead he relies on his personal “religious” experiences to state whyhe is a Christian. He makes comparisons with Islam and Judaism which arenot disrespectful of those religions, but which make clear that Christianity isvery much not a religion of rules and black and white certainties. Instead, hesays, Christianity admits that humans are subject to HPtFtU, and gives usways to deal with that, in the form of God’s forgiveness.

He freely admits that he didn’t do any research in order to write this book, buthe still manages to put in a lot of interesting facts and, moreover, to get to thebottom of what being a Christian in 21st century Britain can offer us. If youcan bear the four letter swear words, this book is very highly recommended,to both Christians and atheists.

Tim Eyles

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A personal perspective from Tim Eyles

May 2014 saw the 21st Swindon Festival of Literature take place,mostly in the Arts Centre, but also at other venues around theborough. I thought it might be interesting for readers not familiarwith the Festival to learn a little about some of the talks I’ve beento this year.

I guess most of us think of fiction when we see the word “literature”, but in factthe majority of the authors appearing at the Festival have written non-fictionbooks and are promoting them by giving talks and answering audience questions. The usual format is an hour session at lunchtime, 12.30 to 1.30pm,then two sessions in the evening, 6.30 to 7.30 and 8pm to 9pm. This year Imanaged to get to seven talks:

Philip Lymbery – “Farmageddon”. This book is subtitled “The true cost ofcheap meat” and seeks to highlight the environmental impact of factory farmingworldwide. Philip Lymbery is CEO of Compassion in World Farming andcomes from an ornithological background. He pointed out in his talk that wepay for our food three times: first at the checkout (or till if you ever buy food ina shop that’s not a supermarket), secondly in farm subsidies (over half the EUbudget goes to the CAP) and thirdly in environmental clean up costs, whichare even larger than the farm subsidies. The move away from mixedarable/livestock farms to huge monoculture and factory farms means morepesticides, more artificial fertilizers and more animal waste seeping into theground and water courses.

Laurens de Groot - “Hunting the hunters”. Laurens is an ex-Dutch policedetective who decided to give up his job and go to the Antarctic to try to stop illegal Japanese whaling. He showed some quite disturbing video clips ofintimidation of the protesters by the whaling ships, including the destruction ofone of the protesters’ boats. They were lucky not to have died in the freezingwater. ‰

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Bee Wilson – “Consider the fork”. This is a book about kitchen implements,subtitled “A history of how we eat”. It sounds a most unlikely topic for a book,but in fact the talk was fascinating, including an interesting question from aFrench lady in the audience, who asked why the English don’t seem to usepressure cookers. Bee gave an interesting reply to the effect that she agreesthat they are a superb way of cooking vegetables and sauces, but that manypeople in this country may have memories of tasteless, over-cooked vegetablesfrom their childhoods and that certainly struck a chord with me!

Nigel Jones – “Peace and war: Britain in 1914”. This talk was held in theCentral Library and was a really fascinating account of Britain in 1914 and thevarious pressures and concerns of the British government, none of which included a potential war on the continent of Europe. The main issues confronting the British government during the first half of 1914 were labour relations, women’s suffrage and the Irish question.

Lisa Appignanesi OBE – “Trials of passion”. This book is all about crimesthat have been committed by people in a state of passion, usually love. Lisagave us an insight into several historic court cases, not just in Britain, and discussed the attitudes of different legal systems to crimes of passion and different interpretations of “justice” in this context.

Nick Cohen – “You can’t read this book”. Nick is a journalist and columnistfor the Observer and gave us a slightly disturbing view of just how effectivelyfree speech is controlled, even in a democracy and even in the age of socialnetworking and the internet.

Stefan Collini – “What are universities for?”. The author of this book isprofessor of intellectual history and English literature at the University of Cambridge, so you could argue that he is not unbiased when attempting to answer the question in the book title. However, he most persuasively arguedthat universities are about more than just providing economic benefit to acountry. He believes they are a “public good”, that everyone in society benefitsfrom what goes on in universities and that the current government and mediafocus on funding, impact and access of universities is rather missing the point.

Matt Holland, the director of the Swindon Festival of Literature, is to be

congratulated on devising and running such a high quality literature

festival, right here on our doorstep. There were lots of spare seats in

most of the talks I attended and I would encourage all readers of this

magazine to sample the Festival next year. n

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Bath Road‘Legal milestone’ praised by President of the Methodist Conference.....

Leaders of the Methodist Church in Britain have welcomed the UK Government'srecent ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty. The President of the MethodistConference, the Revd Ruth Gee, said it had come about because “across theworld, people have made their voices heard. They have spoken against theobscenity of the sale of arms to governments or groups who abuse rights andkill civilians.

“It's over ten years since the Methodist Conference called on the UK Govern-ment to support a global Arms Trade Treaty. We are convinced that trade andeconomic exchange must be grounded on the principles of justice and the dignity of every individual that lie at the heart of the Christian faith. The ratification of the treaty by the UK and other governments is a legal milestonethat should help to protect those who are abused and oppressed. “

BEST BIRTHDAY WISHES go toBethany Rouse, 8 on the 10th June

At Home

You are invited to the home of Gillian and Eric Sparkes

14 MILL COURT, OLD MILL LANE

from

2.00 pm to 5.00 pm

on

SATURDAY 14th JUNE

to meet the Revd. Ava Berry and her husband Bob

Ava, from Texas, USA, was minister at Bath Road for

1 year following the death of the Revd. John Ducker

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Outing on Steam and Diesel TrainsWednesday 11th June

leaving from Henrietta Court at 9.30 am

A scenic rail trip on a Heritage Line in a beautiful part of the Cotswolds.

A buffet car is available on the train and also onthe railway station, but you could bring yourown picnic.

FARE FOR COACH AND TRAINS £25

Seating is limited to 49. Please book early to avoid disappointment.Contact: Barry De La Haye, Tel. 525500

OUTING TO BRISTOL GRAND HOTELMonday 22nd September

leaving from Henrietta Court at 9.30 am£40 each, including coach, lunch, show and gratuities

10.45 am Tea/Coffee and biscuits11.30 am Enjoy the first half of the show12.30 pm 3 course lunch with tea/coffee2.00 pm Enjoy the second half of the show3.00 pm Depart for home.

There is a choice of menu for the meal

Optional fancy dress - you could win a prize!

Seating limited to 53. Please book early to avoid disappointment.Contact: Barry De La Haye, Tel. 525500

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Church historian the Rev Dr Herbert McGonigle considers

the ‘Methodist Pentecost’.....

How the ‘Methodist Pentecost’ helped transform Britain

Early in 1760 there was a remarkable move of the Spirit among the Methodistpeople in Otley in West Yorkshire. Although it began in a small way, it was aspark that caused a very large conflagration. The revival was so impressivethat John Wesley took time to visit Otley and talk with those caught up in avery significant work of the Holy Spirit.

‘In the year 1760 there was a great revival of the work of God in Yorkshire.About thirty persons were met together in Otley in the evening in order to pray,sing hymns, and to provoke one another to love and good works…thus theycontinued for the space of two hours, some praising and magnifying God, crying to Him for pardon or purity of heart. Before they parted, three believedGod had fulfilled and cleansed them from all unrighteousness.’

John Wesley wrote of Otley that it was ‘a glorious work of sanctification’ andreferred to it as the day of Pentecost. If John Wesley, always exact and definite in his use of words, likened the work at Otley to that which launchedthe Church in Jerusalem, then we can be sure it was a revival of great spiritualpower. When the history of this Yorkshire move of the Spirit is carefully traced,the undeniable evidence is that wherever the spiritual flame spread, hundredswere converted.

John wrote of Bristol on 21st September 1761: ‘God was pleased to pour outHis Spirit this year on every part of England.’ 24th July 1762: ‘I rode to Dublinand found the flame was not only continuing but increasing.’ A letter from Limerick in the west of Ireland confirmed that ‘a glorious work’ was going onthere and ‘the fire is now spreading on every side.’

Wesley returned to England to hear that the fires were burning in manyplaces. From Cheshire came the news that ‘there was an outpouring of theSpirit, nor is His hand yet stayed.’ In Liverpool he found ‘such a work of Godas had never been known there before.’

18 years after the outbreak of the Methodist Pentecost, John Wesley’sjudgement on its spiritual impact had not changed. ‘The glorious work of

sanctification spread from 1760 …and wherever the work of sanctificationincreased, the whole work of God increased in all its branches.’ ‰

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No wonder Charles Wesley taught the Methodist people to sing:

See how great a flame aspires, Kindled by a spark of grace!Jesu’s love the nations fires, Sets the kingdoms on a blaze.To bring fire on earth he came;Kindled in some hearts it is:O that all might catch the flame,All partake the glorious bliss!

(The Revd Dr Herbert McGonigle, is a retired Lecturer in Theology, Church

History and Wesley Studies at Nazarene Theological College)

All We Can!The Methodist Church has changed the name of its relief and developmentarm. MRDF will be known as All We Can, the Methodist relief and develop-ment partner. “Our new name reflects our Methodist roots and heritage – withits echoes of John Wesley – and also our vision and future role. We believethat All We Can will continue to have a distinctive and important contribution tomake to the task of eliminating extreme poverty.”

Wroughton Silver Band concert raises nearly £500for the R.N.L.I.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Wroughton Silver Band concert‘Music of the Sea’ held at Bath Road Church at the end of April.

There was a good audience, with people coming from all over Swindon andWroughton. With music from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Pirates of Penzance and Padstow Lifeboat, to Fantasia on British Sea Songs, there wassomething for everyone. Judging by the comments from the audience after-wards, I think there will be another concert around the same date next year.

The evening was a great financial success as well as an evening of greatmusic with £484.28 being donated to the Lifeboats. Thank you to those involved in putting on this concert and to everyone for their generosity.

Noel Hunt

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Encore concert raises nearly£500 for DASH.

Many thanks to all who were able to attendthe concert at Bath Road Church on the7th May. We were fantastically entertained

by Encore who excelled at singing (as usual!) Thank you, Encore.We were most glad and grateful to all, to have raised £435.57 which will go towards running our services.

DASH, which stands for Discovering Autistic Spectrum Happiness, is a smallSwindon charity running services to help children and adults on the AutisticSpectrum. We have a wild flower nursery with sowers and diggers, an allotment group, a men's group who restore garden furniture and do variouswoodwork projects, a young people’s social group meeting at the Oasis, a Friday Women's group who use our wildflower seeds to make weddingfavours, a young women's Wednesday group and a monthly social group forover 25s.

We also have run Swindon's Autism Information and Advice service, based atPinetrees Community Centre, which offers support and information to familiesand individuals, whatever the issue.

If you would like to know more or missed the concert, and would still like to donate, please go to http://www.dashswindon.com/

Ceri Evans-Ford

Beautiful music to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve

Saturday 21st June, 7.30 pmat

Bath Road Methodist Church

featuring Rachel Gilliam and Heather Main (Sopranos),

Richard Worthing Davies (Bass Baritone) Francis Couldridge (Piano)

Tickets: £6, available from the Friends of Willows, Prospect Place,Tel. 426650 or 0776 844 2393 or on the door

In aid of Willows Counselling Service

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Jump-for-Justice and

Fun Day at Cricklade

Christian Aid Week was launchedin some style with the Jump-for-Justice and Family Fun Day at StSampson’s Church Cricklade onSunday 11th May organised by thearea Christian Aid team from Bristol.

Jump-for-Justice was a sponsored abseil down the inside of the tower whichwas completed by over 40 people during the course of the day. Their agesranged from teenagers to over-eighties and included Bishop Lee and GeorgeKennedy from Bath Road (pictured here). At the time of writing George hasraised over £1000 in sponsorship through a Justgiving web pagehttps://www.justgiving.com/George-Kennedy) and off-line donations, which is amarvellous result thanks to many people’s generosity.

The Family Fun Day included contributions from the Cricklade BandAcademy, Heberden Bells, 4/4 CrickladeCommunity Choir, Purton Pear Tree Pealers, not to mention a bouncy castle,chocolate fountain and teddy-bear parachutes (also from the church tower).

These events were enjoyed by a largenumber of people of all ages. There werealso refreshments including a barbecue,cream teas and cakes. All of these raisedfurther valuable funds for Christian Aid.

The afternoon was rounded off by a shortact of worship led by Bishop Lee, including the hymn “I the Lord of Sea andSky”. In his brief address, Bishop Leesaid that the event had brought fun intothe church, which is something that should happen more often.

George Kennedy

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Martin Palmer (2nd from the left) and his family on the Vicarage Lawn with Nicola and Simon Stevenette

Happy Birthday to John JarvisAlthough the attendance was low at the recent Christ Church Men’s breakfaston Saturday 3rd May, due to the Bank Holiday, it did not stop us having a caketo celebrate the day being John Jarvis’s birthday. John has worshipped at ChristChurch for over 70 years. Here he is blowing out the candles.

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The Thursday Fellowship at Immanuel

The Thursday Fellowship, whichmeets at Immanuel Church, enjoyed the visit of Denis Hedgeswho gave a very interesting talkon his Land’s End to John O’GroatsSponsored Cycle Ride in aid ofthe Make-A-Wish FoundationUK. Denis accomplished this inAugust 2013 at the age of 80.

The Make-A-Wish Foundationaims to grant magical wishes tochildren and young people fight-ing life-threatening conditionsand Denis undertook this ride asa way of saying thank you to theFoundation which had helped ayoung member of his family.

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Easter Eve Partnership Walk

On Easter Eve, 19th April, 15 folk set off on a bus trip to Marlborough andGreat Bedwyn and then walked along the Kennet and Avon Canal to theCrofton pumping station. We coincided with the Devizes to Westminster canalrace ... "Can you get out of the way please, we need to carry our canoe roundthe lock". Others joined us for a tour of the pumping station, which was “insteam”, so we saw the 1812 Boulton and Watt beam engine working. After some lovely food most of us came home again on the bus.

Daniel and Caroline Pitt

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A local group meets at the home of Marian Evans, a member of Bath Road Church. Marion says, “Our most stimulating meeting so far has been invitingan atheist to join us. He enlightened us on his thoughts, which in turn stimulated our thoughts, challenged our beliefs and confirmed our faith.

PCN Britain takes these eight points not as a creed or statement of faith but asan expression of how we wish to live as Christians....

1. Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.

2. Recognise the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the gateway to God’s realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.

3. Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to be arepresentation of an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples.

4. Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life withoutinsisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable.

5. Know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other peopleis the fullest expression of what we believe.

6. Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmaticcertainty, more value in questioning than in absolutes.

7. Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another forthe work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people; protecting and restoring the integrity of all God’s creation; andbringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.

8. Recognise that being followers of Jesus is costly and entails selfless love,conscientious resistance to evil and renunciation of privilege.

If you would like to know more, or would like to attend any of the local PCNmeetings, please contact Marian Evans on 01793 528864.

22

Exciting News!3 of the young people from Christ Church: Tom Jackson, William Stevenette,year 11 at Commonweal School, and Mahima Patole at New College, havebeen part of the group of 11 on the Growing Leaders mentoring programmeorganised by Swindon Youth for Christ and Scripture Union over the last year.Their graduation is on Wednesday 4th June, 7.30pm-9.00 pm. Please remember them in your prayers and support them if you are able to come onthe evening. Details are on the poster below.

Simon Stevenette

23

ImmanuelA message from Geoff Gleed:

I must say how surprised I was to discover that only 20 people - from acrossthe whole of Swindon - have so far signed up to attend Martin Camroux'sevent "Is Religion Dangerous?" being held at Immanuel from 10.00am- 4.00pmon Saturday 14th June.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with Martin (a former minister) and tochallenge ourselves over a key issue with people today who want to blame religion for many of the atrocities happening in our world.

Martin is a man who has never been afraid to address the many issues facingpeople of all faiths today and he does this in an informed and engaging way.I honestly think you will be missing out on a great day, one which will undoubt-edly broaden our understanding and help us all to be better equipped to answer the many challenging questions we face from critics of religion. I doseriously encourage you to try and come along if you possibly can for whatpromises to be a really stimulating and thought-provoking six hours.

Geoff Gleed

Full details of this event are on page 26

In June, Pat Bennett and the Estelle School of Dance will be performingthe musical Hans Christian Anderson in aid of Wiltshire Air Ambulanceat the Wyvern Theatre. This is both an excellent opportunity to see a fantasticshow and support a really worthy charity. There are many people from Immanuel in the show, both acting singing and dancing, so please go alongand see who you can recognise! Full details are on page 27

A gift to Immanuel You will notice a new set of chairs in the chapel, different from the ‘blue’chairs. This set of chairs was at Penhill Church until its closure, and they havenow been donated to Immanuel. The chairs were gifted to Penhill in memoryof Ronald and Pam Bezer, and have reached us through their daughter Mrs Skillern. We would like to thank them for this kind donation and the reminder it brings of our links with Penhill Church.

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Exploring our faith I am organizing three meetings as a tester of a plan to explore our faith, whereinstead of providing answers we explore together, interacting, sharing with anopen mind and willing to be challenged, even asking questions which mayseem difficult but in a progressive way, hoping that as a result we can deepenour understanding of what God is involving us in. There will be two sessionsfor each meeting, one early afternoon (2pm) and one in the evening (7pm) allowing those interested in coming to fit into the best possible times. The firstmeeting will be on Tuesday 17th June.

The programme includes a 30 minute video session and then discussion; eachsession should last about an hour and a quarter.

If you would like to be part of the challenge, you are welcome to come along toexplore what it is all about.

Robert Jordan

All-Age CommunionOn Sunday 4th May we held an all-ages celebration of communion. From theyoungest (age 5) to the oldest (age ??) all of the congregation were invited totake the bread and wine. We felt that it was important to include the youngermembers of the congregation in this service, so that they learn what this important part of worship involves and what it is about. This will help them beprepared for it when they are older.

***** Immanuel's five-star kitchen

Following the recent visit of a Borough Environmental Officer, I am delighted toreport that the kitchen and Luncheon Club organisation have been awardedfive-star status for food hygiene and health and safety (an up-grade from theprevious grade 4). The five star status is the highest that can be awarded andis a real reflection of the hard work of the catering teams and those who striveto keep the kitchen clean.

May I make a plea for all users of the kitchen to ensure that it is left clean andtidy - I would not wish us to lose this accolade!

Steve Brain

Chairman Walcot West Luncheon Club

Election of Elders:You will all be delighted to hear that David Leadbeater and Don Macarthurwere unanimously elected to serve as elders for a 3-year term. This meanswe have 13 serving elders. Please do support us not only in your prayers butalso in your actions. Anne Farrow, Joint Secretary.

25

Late - but surely coming

There is a new release out - the lyrics go like this: ‘Dear Holy Spirit, you arewelcome here, Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.’ Do you everfeel like that? Well, according to the computer, you have to have Adobe FlashPlayer to see and hear it. Not according to my bible. You just have to ask,‘Come Holy Spirit’ and he will come. There are fringe benefits, of course. Hewill already have given you a cleansed heart and a commitment to the LordJesus. But who wouldn’t want that?

As we know, but just to remind ourselves, the Holy Spirit is the third memberof the Trinity. He is fully God. He is eternal, omniscient and omnipresent, hasa will and can speak. He is alive. He is a person.

The Holy Spirit takes what belongs to Jesus and makes it known to us. He reveals Him in His totality. Every aspect of the nature, character and ministryof Jesus is unfolded to us by the Holy Spirit.

It is interesting to note that once the Holy Spirit had descended on the disciplesin the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, they never had any further doubts.

Denis Price, in his book ‘Purposes of Pentecost’, says that when we study theNew Testament we are compelled to acknowledge that the whole life and experience of the early Christians was permeated in every part by the super-natural. It was not something incidental or additional; it was an integral part oftheir whole lives as Christians. If you remove the supernatural, you are leftwith something that has no meaning.

When we are directed by the Holy Spirit, there are some things in life that cannever be understood or discovered by natural reasoning. A vitally importantway in which God works is by helping us in our prayers. Paul in Romans 8 describes how we need the guidance of the Spirit to pray aright. Even asChristians, he says, we do not know how to pray. It is a weakness we all haveof the mind and understanding. We do not know what to pray for and we don’tknow how to pray. Therefore, God sends the Holy Spirit to help us in thatweakness. He also suggests that the Holy Spirit does the praying through us.It is good to learn how to be so related to God in this way that we can submitto Him and allow Him to guide, direct, inpsire and strengthen us as individualsand as a church of believing people.

Barbara Furguson (Immanuel)

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Church leaders: “UK Government has missed opportunities to makeprogress on disarmament.” Submitted by The Revd. Robert Jordan

The leaders of the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Union and the MethodistChurch are pushing the government to make progress on disarmament at theNon-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting in NewYork. They are concerned that the UK government has failed to live up to commitments made at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) ReviewConference in 2010. Steve Hucklesby, policy adviser for the Methodist Church,is part of a World Council of Churches delegation attending the PrepCommeeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In March, leaders of seven UK Churches wrote to William Hague, the secretaryof state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, outlining a series of missed opportunities for progress on promises made in 2010. The UK Governmentboycotted the Oslo and Nayarit inter-governmental conferences, held last yearand earlier this year, on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.In his letter to church leaders, William Hague said: “We concluded that theobjectives of the (Oslo and Nayarit) conferences were at best unclear and thatmany supporters of the conferences appeared to have as their goal a nuclearweapons convention or other treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons outright."

In response to William Hague’s letter, Steve Hucklesby said: “There is no adequate explanation from the Secretary of State as to why an examination ofthe relationship between nuclear weapons and International Humanitarian Lawis such a concern to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Oslo and Nayarit conferences did not focus solely on the disarmament agenda; suchconferences have the potential to strengthen the Treaty as a whole. The NPThas been the cornerstone of efforts to constrain non-proliferation for decades,but it will be under threat unless the nuclear weapons states take their respon-sibilities seriously.”

The Revd Dr Michael Jagessar, moderator of the General Assembly of theUnited Reformed Church, said: "The possession of chemical and biologicalweapons is banned by international treaties and the same should apply to nuclear weapons. While states continue to invest billions in nuclear weapons, there remains the risk of a nuclear disaster either by accident or design. OurChurches have long maintained that security policies based on the terror of a catastrophic nuclear explosion are both unreliable and unethical; that nuclearweapons offer more insecurity, fear, and a threat to life; that true peace willnot be found in a climate of fear; and that the only ultimate protection againstnuclear weapons is their total elimination." n

27

May the faith that gives us hope,May the love that shows the way,

May the peace that cheers the heart,Be yours this day.

Anonymous

The Estelle School of Dancepresents

Hans Christian AndersonThursday 19th - Saturday 21st June

at 7.30 pm. Saturday matinee 2.30 pm

at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

The musical is full of memorable songs by Frank Leosser, includingThe Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, Inchworm, Wonderful Copenhagen

and many more.

Tickets: £10.00 - £12.00 Concessions £2.00 off

Theatre Ticket office: 01793 524481

In aid of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance

Please send toMrs. Diana Swann, 58 Sandown Avenue, SN3 1QQ

email: diana.swann@tesco.net

COPY for the JULY/AUGUST MAGAZINE

by THURSDAY 12th JUNE, please.

Please note that next month’s magazine will be a double issue

Contributions ahead of the deadline are always welcome.

28

29

OLD TOWN FESTIVAL EVENTS

Tickets (except Choral Society concert) are available from the Festival hotline:0790 324 6955, as well as outlets listed.

June 13, 7-10 pm Barn Dance with live band and burgers at the CommunityCentre@Christ Church. Tickets £12 from Christ Church Parish Office andwebsite*

June 20, 7-11 pm Quiz Night at the Conservative Club, Bath Road. £1 perperson at the event.

June 21, 7.30 pm Choral Society Concert: Songs from many lands, atChrist Church, Old Town. Tickets £10. www.swindonchoral.org.uk and the Information Centre at the Central Library.

June 27, 7.30-10.30 pm Beach party dinner on The Lawn, Old Town. Tickets £10, from Festival hotline.

June 28, 10am-12 noon, Wood Street, Opening ceremony, Family Fun Run, Fancy dress,Waiters’ race.10am-5.00 pm, Family Fun Day on The Lawn, with dog show, stalls, randomrun event and refreshments.5-10 pm Band Concert on The Lawn - a free event.

June 30, 6.30 pm History and Mystery Walk starting from the Locarno CarPark, £3. Limited to 30 tickets, available at start of walk if enough left.

July 3, 12 noon-2 pm, Paul Turner Piano Recital - Impressions of Claude Debussy. Food 12-1pm Music 1-2pm. Tickets £5 from Christ ChurchParish Office and website* or on the door.

July 3, 6.30 pm Ghost walk starting from the Locarno car park. £3. Limited to30 tickets, available at start of walk if enough left.

July 5, 1-4pm Young people’s entertainment at the Town Gardens Bowl - a free event.

July 5, 4-10.30pm Entertainment by bands at the Town Gardens Bowl - a free event.

*www.christchurchswindon.co.uk or parish office 01793 522832

30

LETHBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

SUMMER FETE and CRAFT MARKET

Saturday 21st June, 11.00 am to 2.30 pm

FUN RUN STARTS

AT 11.00 AMFUN

Refreshments on offerthroughout the day

Over 25 stalls, featuring an extensiverange of arts, crafts and foods.

The perfect place to find a variety ofunique and wonderful gifts.

Old Town Festival

BARN DANCEwith caller

Live Band Five Bar Gateand Burgers from Vowley Farm

FRIDAY 13th JUNE, 7.00 pmat

Community Centre@Christ Church

Ticket: £12 available fromFestival hotline 07903 246955

andCaroline Pitt 01793 521732

orwww.christchurchswindon.co.uk

Old Town Festival

PIANO RECITAL

Paul TurnerImpressions of Claude Debussy

THURSDAY 3rd JULY, 1-2pmat

Christ Church, Swindon

Refreshments available 12-1pm

Ticket (recital only) £5 fromFestival hotline 07903 246955Parish Office 01793 522832

and on the dooror

www.christchurchswindon.co.uk

31

The Lord’s Prayer

The sun shone at May Messy Church and we allhad a great time. The theme was ‘The Lord’sPrayer’ and each activity focussed on a line ofthis familiar prayer that Jesus taught us, to helpus understand what it meant for each of us.

Our Father in heaven: We thought about God the loving parent as wepainted a picture or made figures out of pipe cleaners of a parent and child. Hallowed be your name: To celebrate that God is good and great we mademobiles displaying things which God created.Your kingdom come: We made regal crowns to remind us that God is king,which the children enjoyed wearing!Your will be done on earth as in heaven: We thought about loving others asGod loves us and made ‘prayer bears’ and a special love box to give to someone.Give us today our daily bread: God gives us food, so we made sandwichesin lots of different shapes.Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us: To remind usthat God forgives us when we say sorry for doing wrong, as we should forgiveothers, we drew round our hands and wrote or drew things on them for whichwe needed to say sorry to God.Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: We made lifebelts toremind us that God rescues us.For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.Amen: to remind us of this special prayer which Jesus taught us, we made aspecial fold out book with the Lord’s Prayer in to take home.

Over the usual splendid Messy tea, our table top questions encouraged peopleto think about things they would like to pray for, and each family was given a

laminated copy of the Lord’s Prayer and a tea light to take home for family

prayer times. We also introduced a special Prayer corner to Messy Church, forpeople to come into if they so wished, sit quietly, pray alone or ask someoneto pray with them, or write down any prayer requests. We had been thinkingabout doing this for a little while and it seemed an appropriate time to start itwhen we were thinking about prayer, and we will continue to do this eachmonth. It was very moving to observe 2 or 3 children wandering into the prayercorner after tea and spontaneously offering out loud their own prayers.

Since Pentecost is later this year, we will be celebrating this at our JuneMessy Church which meets on Sunday 15th June at King William StreetSchool. Thank you again for your ongoing support and if you would like toknow more please speak to one of the team!

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The Old Rectory and the Old Vicarage immediately conjure up amply pro-portioned houses in a country setting, close to an historic church. Thisvision is partly based in reality and partly in the lyrical descriptions of

some of our most favourite authors: Jane Austen, Alfred, Lord Tennyson andAnthony Trollope, to name just a few.

Literary rectories

• Steventon in Hampshire inspired Jane Austen who wrote Pride and Prejudice there.

• The Old Vicarage in Grantchester, Cambridgeshire was immortalisedby Rupert Brooke, who pined for its lilacs and chestnuts while he was travelling in Germany,

* Rectories loom large in Anthony Trollope’s ‘Barsetshire Chronicles’, which are full of descriptions of ecclesiastical interiors.

• Sir John Betjeman lived at The Old Rectory in Farnborough,Berkshire between 1945 and 1951.

• In 1624, clergyman poet George Herbert was presented with a portion of the rectory at Llandinam in Montgomeryshire. He latermoved to a parish in Wiltshire.

* R. S. Thomas, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature,took up the rectorship of Manafon in Montgomeryshire in 1942.

* The old rectory at Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, was home to George Bernard Shaw between 1906 and 1950.

Children of the cloth

* Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born at Somersby Rectory inLincolnshire in 1809.

* Laurence Olivier’s clergyman father was a cleric at St. Martin’s, Dorking when his younger son was born in 1907.

* R. D. Blackmore, author of Lorna Doone, lived with his aunt at Elsfield Rectory near Oxford.

* Sir Christopher Wren was born at the rectory in East Knoyle, Wiltshire.* Bluntisham Rectory in Cambridgeshire was the childhood home of

Dorothy L. Sayers.

* The Bronte sisters grew up in the shadow of the Yorkshire Moors at Haworth Parsonage. Their brother Branwell played the organ in the parish church.

* Samuel Taylor Coleridge was the youngest son of the vicar ofOttery St. Mary in Devon.

Taken from an article in Country Life and used with their kind permission.

33

Bath Road MOPS, 10.30 am in the Crossland RoomJune 5 Coffee and chatJune 19 Coffee and a chat

Christ Church with St Mary's Mothers' Union

Wed 11 Afternoon group, 2.15 pm in the Lady Chapel:Deanery Quiet afternoon led by the Revd. Daphne Hardwick

Immanuel Women’s Fellowship, 2.30 pm in Immanuel Church HallJune 4 Members’ afternoon, Bring and BuyJune 11 To be arrangedJune 18 Silver Spoons - Pat ChapmanJune 25 Cream TeaWe break for the summer.

FLOODLIGHTING

May 7 In ever loving memory of Granville C. Lund - previous Head Teacher of Clifton Street and Lawn Junior Schools, also previousMusical Director of Swindon Male Voice Choir. Devoted husband of Cynthia and loving father of Christopher, Vivienne, Kathryn and Hilary.

If you would like to sponsor the floodlighting of Christ Church in celebration of abirthday, wedding anniversary, special occasion, to advertise your Company,or in memory of a loved one, the minimum gift per evening is £30.00.Cheques to be made payable to ‘Christ Church PCC’. Please write to thePARISH OFFICE, COMMUNITY CENTRE AT CHRIST CHURCH, SWINDON,SN1 3HB at least a week before the date of the floodlighting. GIFT AID: If you are a UK taxpayer and wish Christ Church to reclaim the tax,you may Gift Aid your donation.

ADVERTISEMENTS

To advertise in this magazine, please contact Mrs. Diana Swann,telephone 01793 529897; email: diana.swann@tesco.net

Whilst care has been taken, no responsibility can be accepted for statements made by the advertisers, neither can we be responsible for anylosses caused by any errors or omissions in the advertisements.

34

PARTNERSHIP DIARY FOR JUNE

01 Sun 8.00 am Christ Church, 1662 Holy Communion 9.00 am St. Mary’s, Holy Communion 10.00 am Bath Road, Morning Service, Mrs. Rosie Beal 10.00 am Christ Church, All-age worship 10.30 am Immanuel, Holy Communion 11.30 am Christ Church, Searchlight 6.30 pm Bath Road, Circuit Easter Offering Service 6.30 pm Christ Church, Holy Communion 6.30 pm Immanuel, Evening Service

02 Mon 7.30 pm Christ Church staff team at the Vicarage03 Tues 7.30 pm Alpha Course in the Community Centre04 Wed 10.30 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm Organ Recital by Tim Eyles in Christ Church07 Sat 7.30 am Christ Church Men’s Breakfast 7.30 pm Swindon Cares concert in Christ Church 08 Sun Pentecost 8.00 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 9.00 am St. Mary’s, Holy Communion 10.00 am Bath Road, Holy Communion, Revd. Mark Barrett 10.00 am Christ Church, Family Holy Communion 10.30 am Immanuel, Morning Service, 11.30 am Searchlight 12 noon to 1.00 pm Reception for Norma McKemey in celebration of her becoming an Associate Minister 6.30 pm Bath Road, Evening Service, Mr. Alex Scott 6.30 pm Christ Church, Choral Evensong 6.30 pm Immanuel, Evening Service

09 Mon 7.00 pm Pentecost Praise in Christ Church with Bishop Mike10 Tues 7.30 pm Alpha Course in the Community Centre11 Wed 10.30 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 12 noon to 4.00 pm Mothers’ Union Quiet afternoon in Christ Church 7.30 pm Christ Church Standing Committee in the Parish Office 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm Healing prayers at St. Mary’s

35

15 Sun 8.00 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 10.00 am Partnership Birthday Service at Christ Church No Morning Service at Bath Road or Immanuel

3.30 pm Messy Church at King William Street School 6.30 pm Bath Road, Holy Communion, Revd. Mark Barrett 6.30 pm Christ Church, Healing Service 6.30 pm Immanuel, Evening Service

16 Mon 7.30 pm Bath Road Church Council17 Tues 7.30 pm Alpha Course in the Community Centre18 Wed 10.30 am Christ Church, Holy Communion21 Sat 7.30 pm Swindon Choral Society in Christ Church

22 Sun Trinity Sunday 8.00 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 9.00 am St. Mary’s, Morning Prayer 10.00 am Bath Road, All-Age worship, Revd. Mark Barrett 10.00 am Christ Church, Family Holy Communion 10.30 am Immanuel, Morning Service, Revd. Bob Ellis 11.30 am Christ Church, Searchlight 11.45 am Bath Road Church AGM 12.30 pm Lunch for Margaret Williams in the Community Centre in celebration of her 40 years of lay ministry 6.30 pm Bath Road, Evening Service, Revd. Tony Barnes 6.30 pm Christ Church, Common Worship Evensong 6.30 pm Immanuel, Holy Communion

24 Tues 7.30 pm Alpha Course in the Community Centre25 Wed 10.30 am Christ Church, Holy Communion28 Sat Alpha Course Away Day

29 Sun 8.00 am Christ Church, Holy Communion 9.00 am St. Mary’s, Holy Communion 10.00 am Bath Road, Service taken by the Worship Leaders 10.00 am Christ Church, Family Holy Communion 10.30 am Immanuel, Morning Service, Revd. Geoffrey Gleed 11.30 am Christ Church, Searchlight 1.00 pm Christ Church, Holy Baptism 6.30 pm Bath Road, Evening Service, Revd. Andrew Wigley 6.30 pm Christ Church, Book of Common Prayer Evensong 6.30 pm Immanuel, Evening Service, Revd. Geoffrey Gleed

OPEN HOUSE every Monday morning at Bath Road Methodist Churchbetween 10.30 am and 12 noon. Come and join us for drinks and a chat.

36

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Swindon Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents

THE GONDOLIERS

Wednesday 4th-Saturday 7th Juneat 7.30 pm

Saturday matinee 2.30 pmat the

Arts Centre, Devizes Road

Adults £10-12 Children £5-£6

Book tickets online at: www.wegottickets.comSwindon Arts Centre Box Office: 01793 614837

or the Society: 01793 337906