The Reading Room
Silence please!
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What is a Churchwarden?
Each year, at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, two churchwardens are elected to office for a period of 12 months. In our Parish of All Souls, there are two churchwardens for each of our five churches, making ten in all. The role of churchwarden has a long history, dating back to the 12th century in some instances, and is one of the earliest forms of lay ministry. Churchwardens are officers of the Bishop, appointed as the chief representatives of the laity in their parish to co-operate with the incumbent in the smooth running of the parish. If they have serious concerns about the incumbent, however, they can appeal directly to the Bishop.
Originally, it seems that the primary function of the churchwardens was to be responsible for providing and maintaining all that was necessary for public worship, and even today they are the legal guardians of the church’s moveable assets, such as furniture, plates and ornaments, and responsible for their security. Other responsibilities are connected with building maintenance and repairs, provision of adequate heating, seating and lighting, upkeep of the churchyard, and even clearing pathways in the event of heavy snowfall!
They also have responsibilities in connection with Sunday services, ensuring that visitors are welcomed and order is maintained. (In the event of a disturbance they even have the power to arrest offenders and escort them off the premises if necessary!) And should a priest or licensed layperson be unavailable, they have the authority to officiate at services of Morning and Evening Prayer. Together with the incumbent they ensure that the parish functions properly and in the event of an interregnum they share this duty with the Area Dean.
Today their activities are very much church-based but from the mid 16th century to the 19th century churchwardens were also officials of the civil parish, with duties as various as providing arms for soldiers, poor relief, testing the quality of the beer and vermin control.
Consequently, even today, anyone who is resident in the parish is entitled to vote for a person to be elected as churchwarden, should an election be necessary, though in this day and age even volunteers are hard to come by! In former times it was often the custom for the parish to elect one churchwarden (known as the “People’s Warden”) whilst the other would be selected by the incumbent (the “Vicar’s Warden”) but nowadays both wardens pool their time and talents to form a hard-working team. Yes, it requires a degree of commitment, but it also has its rewards in maintaining a Christian presence and witness in the community.
Celebrating the Passover
When Jesus decided to enter Jerusalem just days before his death, it was the week of the Passover, the oldest and greatest of the Jewish festivals, marking the start of the festival year in the ancient biblical calendar.
The Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, negotiated with the then Pharaoh by Moses and Aaron, with more than a bit of divine assistance. The Pharaoh took some persuading: a series of twelve plagues were visited upon the hapless Egyptians, culminating in the slaying of the firstborn in each Egyptian household, before the Pharaoh acceded to the Lord’s demand to free his people from slavery. In order to escape this divine vengeance and protect themselves from the slaughter, the Jews were instructed to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on the sides and tops of the door frames of their houses, as a sign to the angel of death to ‘pass over’ that dwelling. They were then to roast the lamb and eat it, along with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. They were to eat in haste, dressed ready to depart at a moment’s notice.
The Israelites were commanded to commemorate this momentous day in their history by an annual observance of the ceremony and the handing down of the tradition to each generation of their descendants. Hence the role allocated to children in the celebration of the Passover meal, whereby the youngest son is charged with asking four questions about the significance of that night, which prompts the telling of the Passover story by the adults. In modern Passover the children also have to look for a piece of unleavened bread, known as the afikomen, broken off and hidden at the start of the meal. As well as the symbolic foods, it became the custom to drink two cups of wine before and after the meal, to remember God’s promises to free and redeem his people Israel. At the end of the meal, the participants would remain and sing the Hallel Psalms and many would then proceed to the temple to pray for the coming of the Messiah.
Over the centuries the Passover evolved into the lengthy ritual celebrated by orthodox Jews around the world. After the Exodus, once the Jews were established in the land of Israel, the Passover had already begun to develop as a seven-day national holiday, incorporating the first barley harvest. Once the Temple had been built, the Passover celebrations became centred on Jerusalem, and continued until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. After that event the festivals began to be based around the family and the home, as happens today.
Jesus was brought up in the tradition of Jewish religious observances and would have celebrated the Passover every year from earliest childhood. The accounts given by Matthew, Mark and Luke of the Passover meal on the night before Jesus’ death are relatively brief and focus on the elements that Jesus endowed with special significance for his Christian followers: the breaking of the bread (thought by some to be the afikomen) and the sharing of the wine, which Luke makes clear is the second cup of wine, drunk after the meal, the Cup of Redemption. Few other details are recorded. Intriguingly, all three gospels mention the fact that Jesus and his disciples ate the meal in a reclining position. This was the practice of the Romans at their banquets and was initially adopted by the wealthier Jews. It survives today, when at certain moments during the Passover meal, everyone “reclines” or leans to the left, with the left elbow resting on the table. Matthew and Mark also both mention the singing of a hymn before the group moved out to the Mount of Olives. John records none of the details we are familiar with in the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Far more attention is given to the significance of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet, and John is the only gospel writer to describe Jesus’ identification of his betrayer by handing a piece of bread to Judas Iscariot. John’s main concern is to identify Jesus as the sacrificial Paschal lamb.
Jesus’ actions during this final Passover meal clearly made a deep impact on his disciples and for most of them their first recognition of the risen Christ came as Jesus presided over the evening meal at Emmaus on the day of his resurrection: as he gave thanks, broke the bread (still the unleavened bread of the Passover period) and gave it to them, they suddenly recognised the stranger who had walked and talked so compellingly with them along the road from Jerusalem.
It is also clear from the accounts in the New Testament that the early Christians remembered the death of Jesus through bread and wine not just once a year but as a regular part of their common life, usually in the context of a community meal on the first day of the week. Gradually, however, within the first hundred years of the beginnings of the early Christian Church, the sharing of a meal was discontinued, perhaps because it sometimes resulted in over-indulgence, as implied by the apostle Paul in chapter 11 of his first letter to the Corinthians.
For Christians, Passover, as the basis of the Last Supper, and Easter are inextricably linked. An understanding of the Passover traditions can only enhance Christian understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Alison Meredith
Abernethy, founded in 1971 is a Christian outdoor activity centre situated in the Cairngorm National Park, just north of Aviemore. Visitors to the centre include school children (mainly from Scotland) who come to stay for midweek holidays, youth groups and families. The centre offers instruction in canoein,g climbing, zip-wire, dry-slope skiing, gorgewalking and a number of other activities. There are also opportunities for groups to take part in team challenges, orienteering exercises and in the afternoon enjoy a swim in the pool.
I came to Abernethy in August 2009 as part of a team of 8 gap-year students, to work in the ‘House and Kitchen Services’ team. Two of the group work in the Maintenance Department. Members in the gap-year team have come from all over the UK, including Ireland and Scotland. Other members in the wider team at Abernethy have come from as far afield as Sweden and South Africa.
A typical day at work in the house might include cleaning the swimming pool changing rooms, dusting and polishing, hoovering, mopping and cleaning washrooms. On some evenings I might have to cover the shop, a great opportunity to meet the guests. The other part of my job involves work in the kitchen. This can include laying tables in the dining room, preparing vegetables, soups and making puddings for groups of up to 80. I also have to clean up after meals, washing up and shutting the kitchen down.
At New Year we held a ‘New Year House Party’, which proved an eventful time, with power cuts caused by the snow. However, it was enjoyed by staff and guests alike. The New Year Ceilidh was a great success!
Abernethy runs an evening programme for the guests, called ‘Time Out’. The sessions include games, songs, drama, quizzes and talks on stories from the Bible. The team at Abernethy also get involved in the local community at Nethybridge. I have been helping with a group called 7up, which is a youth group for children aged 7 – 11 that meets weekly on a Tuesday night. I find it a fun and challenging experience, running games for the youngsters. A member of the 7up team will normally give a short talk on a topic from the Bible.
The things I find most rewarding about being at Abernethy are the early mornings, seeing the beautiful scenery. I have also enjoyed the opportunities to try many new activities, such as climbing. The gap-year students are also given the chance to gain a qualification in an activity of their interest, for example skiing or kayaking, and recently I completed a life guard course lasting 4 days.
I have enjoyed my time at Abernethy so far, learning new skills, meeting new friends and working for God. My faith has grown and been encouraged through weekly Bible studies, team-fellowship meetings and personal mentoring sessions. Working at Abernethy is an enjoyable, exciting, challenging and worthwhile experience.
For further information, look at the website:
Tamsin
Shilleto
Coming home?
Jenny Merritt spent 18 years working in Ethiopia and Austrey and Warton supported her during that time through Crosslinks. She returned to the UK three years ago, but coming home was more difficult than she expected. Here is an article she wrote for the Crosslinks’ news sheet of November 2009.
I can never forget the privilege and joy of serving the people of Ethiopia. The individuals I met, the things I saw and experienced, the joys and the sorrows I shared, the friends I made – all these will stay with me forever. I am so grateful for the part I was able to play in the Hosanna School for the Deaf, the community-based rehabilitation programmes, the local church, and for the Lord’s ongoing care for them.
I recall coming home after those amazing years in Ethiopia. It felt as if half of me was still there and I knew it would take time before the UK felt like home. I was surprised by the many adjustments I had to make, like using plastic cards instead of cash. The A1 motorway was hair-raising: five lanes of heavy traffic, travelling at 70 mph, hoping that we had read signs correctly and were still going in the right direction.
And then, even though I knew it was in very good hands, I found it very hard to lay down the reins of the school in Ethiopia. I woke up thinking about it: was all well with the students? Were they still being encouraged to read the Bible every day? What of Selamawit, the project leader, going to study for her Masters in Special Needs in Addis Ababa? Was her replacement coping? Did the boarders have all the clothing and bedding they needed? Who was praying with them?
I hadn’t expected to find it so hard to return to the UK, although many people had warned me it would take a little time to settle. Nevertheless, seeing my family, visiting churches and long-term supporters and friends again was such a joy.
I have kept in touch with my friends in Ethiopia since then. It’s given me a sense of continuity with Ethiopian life, and I have been back to visit a few times, which has been marvellous, as I wasn’t able to make all the proper farewells I wanted when I finished work there.
But I have left. Sometimes communication is frustrating and things have changed, and I still miss the people in Addis Ababa very much, particularly the students who are growing up, and the staff and colleagues who have moved on.
After the transforming experience that was Ethiopia, what do I still find so different about living in England? I have no doubt that it was right that I should come home and I have loved being with my family and friends. However, living in the UK prompts many often-contradictory emotions: where are those people going, all so well dressed? Heavy traffic is still scary, but at least I can drive at night without fear of being car-jacked. I’ve noticed, too, how little respect some young people have. In Ethiopia the young have much more respect – but then, it felt that everyone had more time for others in Ethiopia. I still tend to think like an African. I am conscious of the importance of the spiritual, rather than the material things around me, because I have seen how God provides in a land that has so little.
Would I have done things differently if I had known how hard it was going to be to return? Well, I wouldn’t have missed my time in Ethiopia for anything and I shall always thank God for allowing me to go.
To current mission partners preparing to come “home” I would say ‘Get someone to work with you on the organising, planning and packing. Leave time to do the people things; make time to say goodbyes; and try to catch up with the UK culture – sit and watch even the terrible programmes on TV so you know what people are absorbing and talking about. Join a local church and get involved with God’s mission here. Come and be part of the UK again.’
I had lost my copy of the book, so I bought another from Amazon (one penny plus postage), but I found it very disappointing because it had not stood the test of time. However, the ideas within it are very relevant to our situation as a new parish of five different congregations, trying to become the united church that Jesus requires us to be.
God made us all different, because that is how he wants us to be, and we have all had different experiences and have different priorities and preferences. That’s fine. Now, how can we get better at allowing ourselves to be built into one church? It’s by realising that we are all, without exception, banana-shaped. None of us has a monopoly when it comes to preferences for forms of worship, liturgy, content of services, versions of the Bible, etc. None of us is completely right, but equally none of us is necessarily wrong. We have to give attention to what others think, and be ready to show that we have listened. Remembering that you are a banana does wonders for the sense of humour, and I think that a church full of people who don’t take themselves too seriously is very attractive.
There is a very good article on this very subject on line at dave-burke.squaredance.com/building-with-bananas/. If you have access to a computer I urge you to have a look at it because it will give you lots to think about. If you would like a hard copy I will gladly print one off for you. In the meantime, just remember that we’re all bananas!
Eileen YeoFarming
News
MOO
I
am starting to write this as the very cold weather may be starting to
ease,
some of the snow has gone, but the ground remains largely frozen. I
must say,
as I get older I do not like going out on these very cold mornings!
However
there is nothing like a hard frost to repair the soil and kill diseases.
But animals must be fed and we are now quite full with 155 currently in our care. Fortunately, we only had water troughs frozen up on three days, and a few buckets of hot water got them going. The heifers managed it quite well, though, when we were getting changes of temperature, a few did run high temperatures themselves. When working amongst them a few days ago, I was reminded how, despite enjoying their company and the need for some to have their daily head scrub, we must always be careful. One large animal decided to kick out behind, it was very quick, and I felt the draught, but apart from a dirty footprint on the upper leg of my overalls, no actual contact; a lucky escape!
I
was out with friends yesterday, and over lunch we were talking about
woodcock,
a ground nesting bird, and one described seeing one, when disturbed in
the
spring, fly a little way away with a chick between it’s feet, it
then came back
two or three times for the rest of its brood. Now that is maternal
instinct!
When watching nature, I am still amazed by the new things I see and
learn.
What
a horrible tragedy has happened in Haiti!
Whilst we must all give generously to help them out of the
current
disaster, it underlines the need to try more vigorously to help the
poorer
nations of the world.
Robert Critchley
Our grandparents’ generation was very much for various remedies designed to fortify or cleanse the body. I can remember being plied with this concoction as a child, usually in March, as soon as the weather turned spring-like. The ingredients no doubt tell their own story .....
Ingredients: 1 lemon
1 eating apple
1 tablespoon camomile flowers
1 tablespoon senna pods
1 tablespoon epsom salts
4 ozs demarara sugar
Method:
Wash the lemon and the apple and cut them into quarters. Put in a quart jug (2 pints or one and a bit litres) with all other ingredients. Fill with boiling water and stand all night. Strain and bottle.
Recommended dose: a wine glass every morning
before
breakfast.
Alison
Meredith
WALK FROM
NEWTON REGIS TO AUSTREY Mike
Smith
You might have noticed that the
motorway cuts our
parish neatly into two.
There are good footpath connections
between all our
villages, except between Newton and Austrey.
There is a direct main road which connects the two, but who
wants to
walk along a busy road?
There
are two footpath routes between Newton and
Austrey, both rather indirect, but one is a particularly good to walk,
for the
views as well as your health! It takes about one and a half hours.
Penny
and I caught the bus from Austrey to Newton on a
bright day, although the snow had not long gone so we were expecting to
find
some mud. The bus leaves Bishop’s Cleeve
at about ten minutes to every hour. We
alighted outside Newton School.
1.
From
outside
Newton school, cross the road and turn right to find a farm track
running
alongside Newton playing field and village hall, which are to your
right. We
found lots of signs telling us what we could not do but the footpath
sign was
lying in the ditch. Continue past Newton Gorse, a nice little wood
which is
worth exploring if are in no hurry. We stayed on the farm track right
through
to the road although the right of way cuts across the corner we could
not see some
way-markers and there was no path marked across a cropped field.
2.
At
the road we
walked down the edge of the field to find the way-marker in the hedge. Cross the road to another way-marker pointing
across the field at right angles to the road.
There was no path marked through a young crop of brassicas and
the far
side of the field was out of view so we just had to strike straight
up-hill. When the hedge came into view a
post could be seen, but it had no way-marking arrow attached. Through the hedge and turn right along Salt
Street. All along here keep stopping to admire the views. Cross the motorway by means of a spectacular
bridge which leaves the traffic in its right place well below. Continue along Salt Street to the Wireless
Aerial, which we have always known as the “Rocket”.
3.
At
the road, do
not walk straight over but turn right and walk down the road for about
a
hundred yards to a farm track.
4.
The
track leads
to Hill Farm. There are no way-markers,
presumably because it is “another route with public access”! The track leads between two houses in the
farm and then through a farm gate. Continue
along the track until it turns sharp right and then walk down what we
have
always understood to be “Windmill Hill”.
We found parts difficult underfoot as it had been chewed-up by
motor
vehicles. Also, watch out for
dog-droppings!
5. At the bottom of the hill the track opens onto a road. Turn left and into Austrey.
January 2010
The Staffordshire Hoard Mike Smith
The so-called Staffordshire Hoard consists of a large number of Anglo-Saxon artifacts which were unearthed from a field near Lichfield in July of last year. Experts are still reeling from the discovery and trying to make sense of what little information they have.
To give some indication of the importance of the find, comparison can be made with the famous Sutton Hoo find of Anglo-Saxon burial treasure. There was 1.66 Kg of precious metals found at Sutton Hoo, the Staffordshire Hoard contains 5 Kg of gold, 1.3 Kg of silver and a large number of objects made of base metals like copper. A value of £3.285 million was put on the Hoard, to be shared by the finders.
One of the peculiarities of the Hoard is that it comprises largely of parts of weapons such as sword hilts and parts of daggers and helmets.
At the moment it is thought that the Hoard was possibly buried between the years 650 and 700. This is because a number of the objects are decorated with stylised animals with interlaced bodies, distinctive jaws and eye settings, as shown in the drawing. Such decoration was characteristic of the late sixth century and into the seventh century.
At that time Britain was divided into a number of ‘kingdoms’ and our parish is situated in the centre of what was one of the most aggressive of those kingdoms: Mercia or the ‘Middle Kingdom’. Tamworth was the main stronghold of the kings of Mercia.
One of the most successful of the Mercian kings was Aethelbald who ruled for forty years and managed to overcome a number of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. He was murdered by one of his body-guards in 757 at Seckington. The famous Offa followed as king after a brief civil war.
The original reason for burying the Hoard is one of the most puzzling aspects of the discovery. The contents of the Hoard are quite different from anything found previously, in that there is a very narrow range of objects. While there are many sword fittings there are no related parts such as belt buckles, there
are no brooches that are strictly decorative and there are no feminine objects such as dress fittings. It is suggested that it is a ‘trophy hoard’ collected from vanquished enemies. The swords stripped of valuable fittings and the blades re-used by lower ranked soldiers.
The Hoard might represent a royal treasury. Anglo-Saxon nobles paid a form of tax when they died so that the king would honour promises made about the disposal of the noble’s property. This tax could be paid with weaponry.
Neither of these theories explain the presence of five Christian crosses, the only items that are not clearly war-gear. The largest may have been an altar or processional cross and it has been crudely bent and buckled, possibly to reduce its bulk. It has been suggested that this lack of respect indicates the Hoard was buried by pagans. Christianity was only slowly spreading into this area at the time in question.
There is an intriguing gold strip which is thought to be part of another cross. It has an inscription, rather crudely engraved, of part of Psalm 68 from the Latin Vulgate Bible, with an apparent abbreviation and a couple of spelling errors. Spelling was not considered very important 1300 years ago, but it might indicate the engraver worked from memory rather than from an open Bible.
Surge domine et disepentur (dissipentur) inimici
tui et fugent
(fugiant) gui oderunt te a facie tua
The translation is in keeping with the rest of the war-like material:
RISE UP O LORD, AND MAY THY ENEMIES BE DISPERSED AND THOSE WHO HATE THEE BE DRIVEN FROM THY FACE.
A lively group of 11 – 18 year olds continues to meet on Wednesdays at 6.45 pm, usually around 16 in number, though more are always welcome. Because of problems caused by a burst pipe in Newton Regis Church Hall, the group is meeting temporarily in Warton Parish Room. If you’re not sure about the venue, contact Sally on 01827 373231.
Two JC Way members were confirmed recently. Ant Parkes writes:
“I’ve been wanting to get confirmed for about a year now, and finally, in the last week of November, I was confirmed at Dosthill Church, along with 9 others, including my friend Ed Westley. I think that I wanted to get confirmed because I felt as though I needed to take my faith to the next step. My family and my godparents have been so supportive of me and it was through their influence that I finally made the decision to be confirmed. The service itself was packed full of everyone’s family members and was conducted by the Bishop of Aston. The whole event ran really well, so thank you to everyone who had a part to play.”
Wednesday mornings from 10.00 – 11.30 am at Warton School. Children are encouraged to communicate through play.
A new initiative has started this year in the village of Warton, part of the outreach of the Polesworth Children’s Centre based on the site of Birchwood School in Dordon. It provides a meeting place for families with children aged 0 – 5 years with activities organised by the Children’s Centre staff and is free of charge.
If this time is not convenient for you, there are other sessions during the week in Polesworth and Dordon. For further information please contact the Administrator of the Children’s Centre, Joanne Green on 01827 894649.
Following
the successful participation in last year’s Lent Groups, we are
planning
another 5-week study course for all those who would welcome an
opportunity to learn more about the Christian faith in fellowship with
others,
whilst reflecting on some of the biggest questions facing humanity
today and
how the Christian faith attempts to deal with them.
For
our material we shall again be turning to York Courses, who have
produced a
discussion booklet and CD entitled “When I survey ... Christ’s
cross
and ours”. To quote from their
website, “the death of Christ is a dominant and dramatic theme in
the New
Testament. So it’s not surprising
that,
over the centuries, the Cross has become the symbol of the Christian
faith. But Christians do not worship a
dead hero; we worship a Living Lord.
According to the Bible, the death of Jesus is not the end of a
track –
it’s the gateway into life.” The
course
explores some of the key themes surrounding Christ’s crucifixion,
including:
the place of silence in our noisy world; despair and hope; a suffering
world;
the challenge of living as disciples when Christianity is no longer
mainstream. The booklet is written by Dr
John Pridmore and includes questions aimed at provoking wide-ranging
discussion. Participants in the CD
interviews come from very different backgrounds and include: Revd John
Bell, a
sacred music specialist from the Iona Community and an ordained
minister of the
Church of Scotland, General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB CBE MC, Chief of
the General
Staff and professional Head of the British Army until his retirement in
August
2009, and Canon Dr Christina Baxter CBE, Principal of St John’s
Theological
College, Nottingham and Lay Chair of the General Synod of the Church of
England.
Details
of times and venues will be made known in coming weeks.
If you would like to know more, or book a
slot, please contact the vicar Revd Stephen Banks (01827 839022) or the
PCC
Secretary Alison Meredith (01827 892796)
bits
n bobs
Sunday
25th
April
Following
last year’s encouraging attendance, we have decided to hold our Annual
Parish Meeting again in Newton Regis School Hall at 1.30
pm,
following Morning Worship and a shared lunch for those who so wish.
We
hope that
as many of you as possible will attend: the format will be much as
before, but
we aim to improve our timing, address the problem of audibility and
streamline
the voting procedure!
Please
book the date now!
This
was
ratified by the PCC last November and a copy is available in each of
our five
churches for those who wish to inspect it.
Margaret
Dalton has
been
appointed as Child Protection Officer and she can be contacted
on 01827
894108. Any concerns relating to
church-based activities should be reported to her in the first instance.
After
completing a Performing Arts
Course at Birmingham Theatre School, Kate O’Dell is now
working for the
charity Aegis Students, which this year is focusing on action against
genocide
and addressing prejudice in schools through the medium of theatre. They are working on a pilot play which will
identify how prejudice can develop to culminate in the destruction of
an ethnic
group and help students to identify and challenge prejudice in their
own
communities.
Funding
is
needed for this project and if you get your magazine in time, you may
be able
to catch their fundraising music concert on Sunday 31st
January at
The Nightingale Club, Birmingham from 4 pm to 7 pm, with singing and
comedy
acts followed by a disco and the opportunity to meet and discuss the
forthcoming play and how you can get involved.
If you would like to know more, then please contact Kate by
e-mailing
her on kate.odell@aegisstudents.org