Welcome! July 2011

NEWSLETTER OF THE

JULY-AUGUST 2011

DIARY Page 6 ● READINGS Page 9 ● NEWSROUND 3

www.costachurch.com

OF THE COSTA DEL SOL WEST

http://www.issuu.com/costachurch

http://www.costachurch.com/

3

Alan’s BitAlan’s Bit

Despite the dire warnings of climate change the seasons still continue much the

same. Sometimes we are overwhelmed with rain and other years we have

drought. No matter what we always find something to complain about!

It is amazing to me that the promise of God to keep the seasons going is still ful-

filled. In some parts of the world there is plenty and in others there is not enough.

Maybe if we learned to share instead of hoarding we would have enough for every-

one.

At the moment we find that it is not just people in far-away countries who do not

have enough, but people in our town, perhaps in our street or urbanisation. Be-

cause we see a great deal of need, even poverty among our neighbours, as a

Church the main thrust of our giving this year will be fairly local.

We have already given € 500 to an old folks home because they

did not have the money to buy milk and basic foods. We are sup-

porting Caritas in San Pedro and Emaus in Estepona as well as a

Baptist Church in Algeciras that distributes food to the poor.

The challenge is to us all to share food as well as money. You can

bring non-perishable goods to any of the services. In these ways

we are trying to care as Jesus asked us.

Enjoy the Summer and God bless you. Alan

© WELCOME! is published by Anglican Church of the Costa del Sol West. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form

without the publisher’s written permission. All advertisements are accepted for inclusion in good faith; the publisher cannot be

held responsible for claims made by advertisers nor for the content of advertisements.

WELCOME! is edited by Fred Wallis (952 812 151), Peter Rogers (952 855 087) & Andrea Bennett.

The next issue is due out on September 4. Printed by Digiprint, Estepona.

Cover picture: The cup that cheers, well it does if you’re a certain age — see page 16

Chaplaincy House

C/ Juan de Fuca 27, Urb. Beverly Hill,

29680 Estepona Tel: 952 808 605

[email protected]

For baptisms, marriage blessings, home

and hospital visits, and for any pastoral

needs...Call Alan on 952 808 605

A summer for sharing

4

Items from the minutes

OFFICERS : At the May meeting the following officers were elected: Vice Chair Gordon

Braithwaite, Treasurer Cathy Braithwaite, Secretary Douglas Allan, Child Protection

Officer Andrea Bennett. It was noted that issues surrounding child protection were

likely to take on a higher profile over coming months.

FINANCES : Cathy presented figures for the year to May 24 which showed a deficit

but which, bearing in mind normal fluctuations, is considered stable and manageable.

Reserves plus cash in hand and interest arrangements (principally with CAM) are per-

ceived to be good. Notwithstanding that, Cathy stressed the continuing need for spe-

cial fund-raising events, particularly as the annual Raffle had ‘run out of useful steam’.

Unexpected expenses are an inevitable blight – for example community painting

charges in respect of the Chaplaincy house. Nikki speculated that some kind of ladies’

day might prove lucrative. It was agreed to review possibilities at the next meeting.

WARDENS’ REPORTS : Ros reported growth in the Anglican portion of Sotogrande

Church with a gratifying increase in the number of children attending. She indicated

two matters of immediate concern: the need to purchase equipment for the Sunday

school; continuing problems with the sound system and the probable need to invest in

some kind of mobile alternative. Professional advice is being taken but expenditure

approaching €7,000 has been conjectured.

Joan Robertson also reported growth in the San Pedro congregation and children’s

participation. She also highlighted two issues: the lack of a meeting place for anything

other than church services and the incidence of aggressive begging in the parking

zone of the Church. With regard to the latter, it was agreed that Alan would talk to the

Roman Catholic priest and see if some joint solution can be found.

CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE : The meeting decided that the success of Sunday

School and children’s activities in both San Pedro and Sotogrande merits further im-

petus. To that end a development sub-group was appointed whose members are Alan

Maude, Malvin Preece (convener), Nikki van Wyk, Margarita Wilkendorf, Ed le Feuvre,

Marjorie Maude and Janet Humpidge. The financial needs of this group will be in-

cluded in future in the Church budget.

5

Members of the PCC

Chairman:

Canon Alan Maude 952 808 605

Vice-chairman:

Gordon Braithwaite

Treasurer:

Cathy Braithwaite

Secretary:

Douglas Allan

Synod Representatives:

Lorenzo Wilkendorf

Barry Mason, Thea Horsey

Electoral Roll Officer

Bob Hilton

Child Protection Officer

Andrea Bennett

Church Warden — San Pedro:

Mavis Tolfree 952 792 454

Church Warden — Sotogrande:

Ros Burns 956 695 178

Other members:

Janet Humpidge Olwen Smith

Joan Thompson Nikki Van Wyck

Malvin Preece Ed Le Feuvre

Ros Mavis

COMMUNICATIONS : Joan Thompson

and Ed le Feuvre volunteered to take on

a communications role across both San

Pedro and Sotogrande congregations.

MAGAZINE : A discussion took place on

the print run of the magazines and the

number of issues. It was decided to in-

crease the number of issues per annum

to 10.

Following the closure of Cortijo Park,

several of our members moved into

Sanyres, a modern residential home in

Puerto Banus. In Holy Week about 10

of us visited the home for a Holy Com-

munion service. This was a success

and we have subsequently been invited

to take a service there regularly.

We have decided to do this on the last

Tuesday of each month (not August),

meeting at the home at 11am and

starting the service at 11.30am.

Those who have helped in this have

found it a fulfilling experience. If you

wish to join us please let Pamela or

Alan know. Some members of the

Church visit each week, individually or

as part of a group organised by Age

Concern.

Sanyres services

Chaplaincy

6

SUNDAY, JULY 3

Holy Communion San Pedro (10.15am)

Holy Communion Sotogrande (11.45am) –

change from normal

TUESDAY, JULY 5

PCC meeting (5pm)

SUNDAY, JULY 10


Holy Communion Sotogrande (11.45am)

SUNDAY, JULY 17


Methodist Service Sotogrande (11.45am)

SUNDAY, JULY 24



TUESDAY, JULY 26

Holy Communion Sanyres Residential Home

(11am)

SUNDAY, JULY 31


Songs of Praise Sotogrande (11.45am)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7



SUNDAY, AUGUST 14



SUNDAY, AUGUST 21



Diary

7

Home Groups

Most Home Groups take a summer break during

August. For information contact numbers are:

Lorenzo & Margarita (956 792 151)

Joan & Douglas (956 615 457)

Chaplaincy (952 808 605)

Yvonne Vince (952 883 685)

Men’s Prayer Meeting (952 808 605)

The function of a Reader in the early church was

basically just that, to read from the Scriptures.

Today it is more comprehensive in assisting the

Church’s ministry in a variety of ways.

In my training we covered five subjects — the Old

and New Testaments, Creeds, Christian ethics

and Common Worship. But my Reader training

was not complete until the Diocesan leaders had

considered your views on my leading of services

and preaching! Many thanks for your comments.

In the ten years Ethne and I have lived for a sig-

nificant part of each year in the Costa del Sol

West, we have covered a lot of ground. We have

used our Estepona home for Bible studies/home

groups, Alpha courses and speaker lunches. We

have supported discussion groups and I have

already been involved in funeral ministry. So how

might I contribute to our journey of faith together

in the future?

My training has given me a deeper understanding

of our Christian faith as expressed through the

Testaments and its statements of belief in the

Creeds while Christian ethics is of ever increasing

importance in our society today. So what would

you like us to address together? I will be referring

to these issues in future sermons. Please let me

have your views. It is always helpful when you

raise questions on points which you find confus-

ing or contentious. So let’s work on this together

now!

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

So, what’s So, what’s

a ‘Reader’ a ‘Reader’

for?for?

Our newly-licensed

Reader, Barry,

wants to hear from

you

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11



PAPARAZZI? We are

always grateful to

those who provide

photographs for the

magazine. In this

issue — as well as our

usual star photographer Marjorie

— thanks go to Margarita Wrann

Hartmann and Alex Scott.

Readings from Scripture

for July & August

July 3

Genesis 24.34-38, 42-49 & 58-end

Romans 7.19-25a

Matthew 11.16-19 & 25-end

July 10

Genesis 25.19-end ● Romans 8.1-11

Matthew 13.1-9 & 18-23

July 17

Genesis 28.10-19a ● Romans 8.12-25

Matthew 13.24-30 & 36-43

July 24

Genesis 29.15-28 ● Romans 8.26-end

Matthew 13.31-33 & 44-52

July 31

Genesis 32.22-31 ● Romans 9.1-5

Matthew 14.13-21

August 7

Genesis 37.1-4 & 12-18 ● Romans 10.5-15

Matthew 14.22-33

August 14

Genesis 45.1-15 ● Romans 11.1-2a & 29-32

Matthew 15.10-28

August 21

Exodus 1.8 - 2.10 ● Romans 12.1-8

Matthew 16.13-20

August 28

Exodus 3.1-15 ● Romans 12. 9-end

Matthew 16.21-end

9

Welcome! is put together by members of the congregation who

write copy, edit the pages, distribute the copies, take the

photographs, manage the advertising, etc. It is a real team effort.

Every now and again team members change and right now we

are looking for someone to come forward to take over the editing/

production side of things.

If you are reasonably at home on the computer and enjoy a

challenge, please tell Canon Alan (952 808 605).

A DVD recording of this year’s Away Day (see p13) was

made by Jim Fraser. Copies (€5) are on sale at services. All

proceeds will go towards chaplaincy funds.

Help wanted please

Re-live this year’s Away Day!

11

The Chaplaincy of the Costa del Sol West is now online. Of course, there has been a

website – set up and run by John Burns – for some time. But now, thanks to the mar-

vels of the internet and to the intervention of Ed le Feuvre who understands these

things, you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. We even have our own ‘blog’.

Confused? Don’t be.

FACEBOOK Our facebook name is CostaChurch and we can be found at

www.facebook.com/costachurch

TWITTER We can be found tweeting at www.twitter.com/costachurch

BLOGGING Our blog can be found at costachurch.blogspot.com

WEBSITE On the web we can be found at www.costachurch.com

Most importantly, the magazine Welcome! can be found online at www.issuu.com/

costachurch

The last one is a virtual page-turner, in all senses. Why not look it up — and all the

other sites of course.

We’re all of We’re all of

a twitter!a twitter!

Wedding blessings Costa style The wedding season is in full swing on the Costa del Sol. Although it is difficult to

arrange a legal wedding service, we can offer a Blessing of marriage afterwards. The

legal ceremony may take place in Gibraltar, the UK or another country, with the Bless-

ing to follow here in Spain. Often the couple will come to Spain specially, but increas-

ingly Spanish residents who want a Blessing in English come to the Church to arrange

that. Between May and September this year we have averaged one Blessing a week.

Elsewhere in the magazine there is a picture of the marriage blessing of Julia and Ian;

Julia is the daughter of Sheila and Paul Wilkinson who are members of our Church.

Near the end of October Linda and Malvin, who regularly attend San Pedro, will have

their marriage blessed, and already we have two firm bookings for next year and several enquiries.

If anyone wishes to discuss their marriage blessing please contact Alan on 952808605

http://www.facebook.com/costachurch

http://twitter.com/costachurch

http://costachurch.blogspot.com

http://www.costachurch.com/



13

BAPTISMS

May 8 Maisie Rowe // Melanie Rowe

May 15 Gabrielle Keable

MARRIAGE BLESSINGS

May 21 Rachel Corbett & Barry Charmer

May 28 Jessie Barker & Tom Watkins

June 4 Lucy Halsall & Nedum Onuoha

June 10 Julia Wilkinson & Ian Tibot

June 21 Lynsey Windrum & Jonathan Myles

June 23 Natalie Snoden & Scott Wilson

June 30 Ruth Fowler & Ian Wade

CREMATIONS

April 9 Jerry Escombe-Gedge

April 12 Tom Kennedy

April 13 Geoff Firth ● April 18 Peter Berry

April 29 Susan Lunnis

May 3 Rosalind Closs

May 12 June Hannay

May 24 George Bromley

June 2 Ronald Ball

June 3 Ivy Cook ● June 8 Denis Mellors

June 16 Jeremy Owen

The Chaplaincy’s charity auction in June

was a success, beating its target and

raising over €2,500. Held at the home of

Olwen and Lewis Smith in Sotogrande, it

proved both enjoyable and profitable.

Over 100 lots were auctioned in a couple

of hours. Bidders who arrived early to

view the lots, enjoyed tea, biscuits and

Sangria and when the bidding started at

11.30am everyone was in a mood to buy.

Two pictures were the star items, an origi-

nal batik painting by the Swedish artist

Ake Carlstrom, and a painting on silk by

Susan Dolding Carr.

Auction beats its target

The sun shone on Cortijo El Papudo

when over 50 people attended our Away

Day in May. Our talks were led by An-

drew Tweedy, Chaplain from Barcelona,

who challenged us to share our faith

with folk who rarely came to Church.

Roy Stoddard directed a lighter look at

the story of the tower of Babel and, for

the first time, we had a programme for

children which was led by Mary Dolding

from Gibraltar. Our worship was led by

Lorenzo, Fidel, Cindy and Martin. As

usual Vivien and Michael Harvey were

great hosts. Thanks to them and to eve-

ryone else who contributed.

50 attend Away Day

What is he going to do with that cake? See p16

From the Registers

17

Welcome! welcomes

more new advertisers In this issue we are pleased to welcome three

new advertisers — Rosalind Scott-Gibb (p6),

David Hyde (16) and Physio Sport (p8). They

join a number of new businesses appearing in

our pages...we are grateful to them all and

urge readers to patronise their products and

services.

Welcome! now reaches many more readers

through the internet — see p 11 — making it a

more effective advertising medium.

The rates are modest — € 30 whole page, €15

half-page, €7.50 quarter-page.

To find out more contact Ed le Feuvre

[email protected]

18

By Anthony and Mary Gammie

The monasteries of St Antony and St Paul in Egypt are situated in the mountains some

distance inland from the Gulf of Suez on the African side. They are both Coptic, ex-

tremely ancient and still functioning with monks and even a few nuns.

Of the two St Antony is the more interesting, in part because it is better preserved but

mainly because it is

the oldest active

monastery in the

world, being founded

in 356 AD just after

the death of St An-

tony (who, by the way,

is nothing to do with

St Anthony of Padua

who lived in the mid-

dle ages). The mon-

astery is large and

surrounded by an

impressive wall some

10 metres in height

and 3 metres thick. The monks clearly did not want uninvited quests and indeed the

local Bedouins were always interested in raiding the place. As an additional precaution

there was, until recently, no entry gate, all visitors and supplies being hauled up on a

primitive form of elevator operated by a capstan.

Both monasteries could exist solely because they each had a small mountain spring

running year round, surprising in a land which is pure desert with minimal rainfall.

As the crow flies the monastery of St Paul is only 25 km away but since it is the other

side of a mountain range it takes one hour to travel between them. St Paul’s is a good

Three monasteries in Egypt

St Antony’s monastery

19

deal younger and is believed to date from the 5th century AD. It was founded on the

site of a cave where St Paul of Thebes lived for 80 years until his death around 340

AD.

The monastery was sacked by the Bedouins at least twice in the

early middle ages but rebuilt and repopulated in the 18th cen-

tury. Again it has an impressive defensive wall, clearly a neces-

sity in that wild and inaccessible region.

Both sites are remote and both are situated in a harsh region

which has a beauty of its own. We feel privileged to have been

able to visit them.

St Catherine’s, a Greek orthodox monastery, is in the middle of

Sinai on the site where, it is believed, Moses had his encounter

with the Burning Bush (Exodus 3). It is reached after a three-

hour drive from Sharm el Sheikh, for the most part through arid limestone mountains


The monastery

of St Paul

20


which get more and more spectacular as you reach the centre of the Sinai peninsula.

The monastery is tucked into the base of Mount Sinai and is home to upwards of 200

monks. As with the other two monasteries it is heavily fortified with walls up to 3 me-

tres thick and in places 20 metres high. The entire effect is

more of a medieval fort rather than the home of a religious

order, a commentary on the wildness of the location.

The monastery was founded at the time of the Emperor

Justinian in the 6th century AD in memory of St Catherine

who was the daughter of well-to-do pagan Alexandrians and

martyred for her Christian beliefs around 330 AD. The mon-

astery has survived the Arab conquest, the fall out from the

Crusades and then the Ottomans. Numbers rose and fell but

continuity was maintained and the monks were able to look

after themselves and to develop their library, which today

contains 3000 items and is second only in importance to

the library in the Vatican.

Visitors are confined to the church, which is typically Greek

orthodox, the icon rooms and the immediate surrounds which contain the well on

which the monastery depends and the Burning Bush, now looking like a mid-sized ole-

ander but apparently something different and indeed unique. Sadly the library cannot

be visited, neither

can the area where

the monks live and

work. This is disap-

pointing but quite

understandable.

We are glad to have

seen St Catherine’s

but the press of visi-

tors is somewhat

intimidating. All the

same an opportunity

to visit the place

should not be

missed.

The monastery of St Catherine

Wall painting in St

Antony monastery

21

Wedding tears During a marriage ceremony the mother of

the bride managed to keep from crying

until she glanced at her parents. The

bride’s grandmother had reached over to

the grandfather’s wheelchair and gently

touched his hand. That was all it took to

start the mother’s tears flowing.

After the service, she went over to her

mother and told her how that tender ges-

ture had triggered her outburst.

“Well, I’m sorry to ruin your moment

dear,” the older woman replied, “but I was

just checking to see if he was still alive.”

Answers from children of a Catholic ele-

mentary school in a test about the Bible:

■ Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark; Noah built

the ark and the animals came on in pears.

■ Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt during the

day, but a ball of fire during the night.

■ Sampson was a strong man who let him-

self be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.

He slayed the Philistines with the axe of

the Apostles.

■ The Egyptians were all drowned in the

dessert. Afterwards Moses went up Mount

Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments.

■ The greatest miracle in the Bible is when

Joshua told his son to stand still and he

obeyed him.

■ David was a Hebrew king who was

skilled at playing the liar. He fought the

Finkelsteins.

■ When Mary heard she was the mother of

Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.

■ The Epistles were the wives of the Apos-

tles.

■ One of the Oppossums was St Matthew

who was also a taxi-man.

Bible students

When you get to your

wit’s end, you’ll find

God lives there

A vicar parked on a yellow line. He left a

note under the wiper that read: “I’ve

driven around this block 10 times; if I

don’t park here I’ll miss my appointment.

Forgive us our trespasses.”

When he returned, he found a ticket and

this note: “I’ve driven around this block

for 10 years; if I don’t give you a ticket I’ll

lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

Parking prayer

22

Thinking Aloud

By

Father Maurice

10 MINUTES A DAY...FOR

HEALTH’S SAKE

Stop what you are doing just for 10 minutes.

Light a candle. Then be silent for 2 minutes. Say the Lord’s Prayer.

Think now about any international SAD NEWS you have heard on the radio

or TV or in the newspapers. Think about any local SAD NEWS you’ve heard.

As images of sadness come into your mind, pray for any need. Now think

about any personal or family need. Pray for that need. Then thank God for

all the blessings you receive in your life.

Then be silent again for two minutes.

Then you have prayed for the health of the world, the community and lastly yourself. If you want to take

prayer any further why not look at ‘Morning Prayer’ in the liturgy of the Anglican Church?

A personal note. When my wife and I used to go to do the locum in the beautiful church of St Andrews

in Tangiers, the Church provided a cleaner to clean the Church flat, a young Muslim woman. At 12

o’clock without a word to us she would go into a corner facing the wall and stay there for 10 minutes

quietly mouthing her prayers. That, and having Mustofa, a Muslim, as full-time caretaker and guide for

the Church, who received the OBE for his services over 40-plus years, it was a wonderful combination.

Over the chancel in the church, in Arabic and English, is the prayer that Jesus taught us, The Lord’s

Prayer. As the poet Tennyson said: ‘More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of’.

After being interviewed for a teaching post at an American school, the candidate said:

“Let me see if I’ve got this right.

“You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behaviour,

observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits and instil a love for learning. You

want me to check their bags for weapons and drugs and raise their self-esteem. You want me

to teach them patriotism and citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, how to register to

vote and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognise signs of anti-

social behaviour and make sure they pass their exams. And you want me to do all this with a

piece of chalk and a blackboard, a few books and a starting salary that qualifies me for food

stamps. “And then you tell me I’M NOT ALLOWED TO PRAY!”

Submitted by Penny Hale

Teaching in a P.C. world

23

■ Holiday Rentals

■ Property Management

■ Event Management

We offer a complete service to

Owners and Visitors

Contact Janet Humpidge on:

English & Spanish spoken

25

San Pedro helpers:

Marjorie Maude ● Sheila

Wilkinson ● Janet Humpidge

Call Janet for more details:

952 762 348

Sotogrande helpers:

Margarita Wrann Hartmann

Claudia ● Ed le Feuvre

Call Margarita for more

details: 650 965 677

Sunday Schools meet every week during the morning services at

San Pedro and Sotogrande. All children are welcome.

The two Sunday Schools joined forces for

a ‘Bring and Share barbecue’ in May. The

children had a wonderful time playing

together and the parents enjoyed a very

relaxed afternoon getting to know each

other. The Sotogrande youngsters acted

out a play they had put together about the

parable of the Sower. A great time was

had by all, and there are already plans to

repeat it!

26

HOW TO There are two congregations in the Chaplaincy

One is based on San Pedro, the other on

services at either location.

Services at San Pedro are

held in a hall adjoining the

Parroquial del Virgen del

Rocio, a Roman Catholic

church at the western end of

the town.

Services of Holy

Communion are held every

Sunday morning.

Services begin at 10.15am.

After the Service we meet

for coffee in the Ruta de

la Plata café

San Pedro congregationSan Pedro congregation

Major roadworks in San Pedro are dis-

rupting traffic and the A7 at the point on

the map is closed to East-West traffic.

From Estepona and Marbella—Traffic is

diverted along a temporary ‘by-pass’

south of the A7. Following signs for

‘Glorieta del Ingenio’ will bring you to

what was the original roundabout on the

main road at Km 170 .

Continue northwards and follow

the map. Parking is plentiful in

the streets close by the church.

The Sunday Club for children is

held in the same building.

The San Pedro team Mavis Tolfree (Church Warden)

Gadjia Burne, Joan Robertson,

Cathy & Gordon Braithwaite

Carlos Llorente, Margaret Bennecker

Janet Humpidge, Nicky Lowden

Barry & Ethne Mason

Carol & Bob Hilton

Martin & Cindy Holmes

Yvonne Vince, Pamela Alba

Fred Wallis

Carol Hilton

27

FIND US of the Anglican Church of the Costa del Sol West.

Sotogrande. You are very welcome to attend

In charge is CANON ALAN MAUDE

Sotogrande congregationSotogrande congregation

The Sotogrande team Ros Burns (Church Warden)

Paul Martin, Penny Hale

Val Morgan, Diana von Ahlefeldt

Janet Grice, Lorenzo Wilkendorf

Douglas Allan, George Grice

Roy & Di Stoddard

Rosemary Dale

Debbie Tan

Norma Sutton

Gloria Pearson

Cindy & Martin Holmes

George Grice

The ‘Big church’ is visible from the A7

autovia. Exit the A7 at Km 130 and take

the coast-side service road heading

northeast. This brings you to a round-

about . Take the first exit (right). Pass

the security point barriers and go

straight on for about 200m. On the right-

hand side there is the first of a series of

white-on-blue signs to the

‘IGLESIA’. Follow these

through a large housing de-

velopment to reach the

church and its large car park.

Join us for coffee after the

service at the back of the

church

Services at Sotogrande are

held in La Iglesia de Nues-

tra Sra. de la Merced (the

‘Big church’). Many mem-

bers of the congregation

participate in both Method-

ist and Anglican services.

■ 1st & 3rd Sundays —

Methodist Service

■ 2nd & 4th Sundays —

Holy Communion

■ 5th Sundays —

Songs of Praise

Services begin at 11.45am

Welcome! July 2011

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Transcript of Welcome! July 2011