RG31 - Winter 2021 by St Catherines

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Winter 2021

The Parish Magazine of Tilehurst St Catherine & Calcot St Birinus

Acts 2:42: ‘The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ Teaching and to Fellowship, to the Breaking of Bread and to Prayer’ Teaching

Fellowship

pages 15 to 18

pages 19 to 22

Breaking of Bread

Prayer

pages 23 to 27

pages 28 to 31

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From the editor It has proved quite diﬃcult to ‘pigeon hole’ all that goes on into those four distinct sections as there is much overlap. Does our Sunday service come under the heading ‘Teaching’ or ‘The Breaking of Bread’? Does Café Siena come under the category of Fellowship or does that hospitality come under the Breaking of Bread?

A year ago I wrote that in 2021 I would continue with four issues a year with a subscription price of £5, but that the whole magazine would be printed in colour. Thank you to everyone who re-subscribed on that basis and to our advertisers who all continued with us, with their adverts too all now in colour and with a simplified pricing structure. I am pleased to say that on this basis we have covered the cost of producing the magazine this year and have also been able to increase the number of pages to accommodate most of the ideas that the editorial team (me, Revs Gill & Phil) have come up with. I do hope that you will subscribe for 2022, it would be helpful if you would fill in the enclosed yellow form to do so straight away, so that it does not get forgotten! The next issue, and the first for 2022 will be out shortly before Easter. In this issue, we’re looking at how the core activities of the early church were described by the Apostle Luke in the Book of Acts and how we might relate them to what goes on at St Catherine's.

So I hope you will forgive me if the way I have split the activities seems illogical but the important thing is that the width and depth of the Church Centre and Community is illustrated, celebrated and made known so that more people will be drawn in to join these communities of common interest and maybe lend a hand. Whilst over the years I’ve been involved in starting and running a number of activities for all ages, I’ve found that you’re never too old to try something new and I’m enjoying my new role, working in Café Siena as a ‘waiter’ every other week. Whilst the Fellowship illustrated in these pages might also be found in a secular setting, here at St Catherine's it is our parish purpose: ‘To worship God and show that Jesus’ love makes a diﬀerence in reaching, serving and caring’. Our core values are healing, hope and hospitality and we invite God into every activity so that his love can shine through us. I hope that this edition might encourage you to ‘try something new’ whether as a participant or a helper. Read on and you’ll see there’s a wide range of activities to choose from. Tony Bartlett

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Rev Gill Rowell READY OR NOT? Happy Christmas! I say it so quickly, and possibly, at times, glibly – but my hearts’ desire for everyone to have a happy Christmas does, I think, reflect my passion for heaven to be established on earth for all peoples everywhere! Or at least for the two domains to collide as we celebrate the pinnacle of God’s goodness to us in sending Jesus, love beyond words and worlds, giving us purpose, and hope. The Christmas story is so simple and yet so profound. God come amongst us as a baby, vulnerable and dependant. Who could have known what was to come? And are we ready for what is to come? Because Jesus will return again one day – whether we are ready or not!! It was living in the light and awe of Emmanuel – God with us - and Jesus’ resurrection and impending return that inspired the early church to meet every day, devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the breaking of bread, to fellowship, and to prayer. You can read about this in Acts 2 (especially verses 42-47). “But, he hasn’t come yet!” , you may say to me, so why should I bother?! We should bother because the Bible tells us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2) – and because we belong to that day (if indeed we do!), we should put on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8). So whatever pressures you may be facing just now – and this season has been a difficult time - and however you are feeling, don’t forget that God has shown his love for you once and for all through Jesus. God cares for you, and he has shown this by giving us Jesus, the greatest Christmas present ever. As one year ends and another begins, may I encourage you to keep Acts 2 in the forefront of your thinking during 2022? As we “lean in” to different aspects of living the Christian life, my hope is that we will catch a glimpse of heaven, not just through the joy of celebrating Jesus’ birth, but by being more devoted to his teaching, to sharing hospitality as well as communion, devoted to being together not only to serve but to have fun together too, and to prayer, which is one of the greatest privileges available to us. Communing with the creator, maker and redeemer of the world is what you were born for (what I mean by that is that God wants us to be friends)! So, this Christmas, whether you are on your own or surrounded by friends and family, make sure you carve out some good time to worship the one who truly loves us – Jesus, our Saviour, Redeemer and our Friend. Happy Christmas!

Gill Winter 2021

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Catherine joined us as part of her training for local ordained ministry. She came to some of our summer services, and from September to October experienced most aspects of our life as a church, and contributed in many diﬀerent ways. Gill

And then she was gone! Sorry if I didn’t say goodbye to you personally. I had many good experiences in the time I spent at St Catherine’s. Coming from a traditional church dating from Norman times, with a robed choir and formal liturgy, I wanted to experience a diﬀerent form of churchmanship and a more ‘modern’ outlook. I found the less formal approach to services and the interactions within the congregation refreshing and I appreciate the beneﬁt of using screens both for worship content and for additional material. I enjoyed learning and singing new songs. I particularly enjoyed the youth-led service at the end of October after which someone commented to me with a big smile on her face, that it had brought the whole congregation together.

Thank you everyone, particularly Gill and Phil for being so friendly, helpful and welcoming, not only to the services but also to the many activities that you have, and enabling me to participate. I have benefitted enormously by getting to know you as a worshipping community that has much on offer both within the church and with outreach, and a great café! I take away with me new ideas which I hope to be able to share with my own church and congregation and I wish you all the very best in the developments in your worship and mission. Catherine Radcliffe

Bye Bye Phil! If we want to know something about the “provenience” (an act of anticipation or forethought) of God, all we have to do is think about Phil (Joke)! We didn’t ask for him, we didn’t expect him, but he came nonetheless, and whilst not quite living and dwelling amongst us (in the same way that Jesus did!), he has made a huge and signiﬁcant impact on our life as a church. It was no mistake that he joined us six months before the very ﬁrst lockdown; and has been with us throughout all the challenges and uncertainty that we had to accommodate.

From my perspective it was so wonderful to have a clergy colleague to thrash ideas about, to work with, and to encourage and, yes, to disciple and train. A real privilege. As Phil moves on to the responsibility of managing and leading the life of 8 rural churches would you join with me and pray, in the words he says so often: God bless! God bless you Phil as you step into a new and exciting next phase of your life - our life at St Catherine’s has been thoroughly enriched by your presence with us! Thank you, Lord. Gill

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So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen Goodbye…… As I come to the end of my time here (the Publication date for this quarters RG31 coincides with my ﬁnal Sunday at St Catherine’s) it is hard to know how to begin saying goodbye. I only came here for 3 months, but ended up staying for 2 years. The way that you all welcomed and embraced me as your own made it pretty clear that this was where God wanted me to see out the remainder of my curacy. I have been so blessed to be part of the community here in Tilehurst and it has been such a privilege to have served alongside you all. I will always be grateful for your willingness to try new things as well as the lack of judgement when things don’t go entirely to plan. As a curate learning his trade, that has been so precious. It’s been a funny kind of curacy; changing churches half-way through and then immediately walking into a worldwide lockdown, but I’m so glad that I was able to walk through this unprecedented world event with you. I hope that I was able to share some hope, wisdom and a little bit of fun during what has been a really hard 18 months for everyone. You have certainly encouraged and built me up in that time. Your love and prayers have been critical for keeping going when things get tough. I won’t share any speciﬁc highlights as there are too many, nor will single out individuals because again there are too many. Having said that, I do want to publicly, in print, say thank you to Gill who has been an amazing mentor and friend.

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I have a theory that as time goes on Churches and Vicars increasingly mirror each other’s characteristics. I don’t know if I am right, but I do know that the warmth, genuine care and passion for Jesus that I noticed in Gill when I first met her is also there in bucketloads in the wider Church here in St Catherine’s. If there is any truth in my theory about churches and vicars, then the congregations of the Draycote and Leam Valley Benefices definitely need your prayers (as do I). Having spent 2 years at St Catherine’s, I am really excited to be going to lead these churches as I have seen first-hand what Church can be. But I am also slightly apprehensive, as you have shown me that the Church of God is a very precious thing that needs to be handled with love and care. I will be licenced to these parishes during a service on Tuesday 11th January at 7.30pm at All Saints, Leamington Hastings and everyone is welcome!

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Phil Price

Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild After his ministry he was led to The Cross like a lamb to the slaughter.. meek? who bothers with the meek, some say? Biblically though, meek doesn't mean weak. Jesus didn't say be weak and timid. He said be gentle and loving but BOLD!

Deﬁnition of meek - quiet, gentle and easily imposed on: submissive In our world the description of being meek is one of being weak, submissive and of being a bit of a push over. Not a very desirable trait in the self centred society of today. It's the leaders who shout the loudest, who don't take no for an answer, who get their way. It's the 'inﬂuencers' on social media networks that hold the platforms in order to get ahead. They exude a certain 'power' that others adhere to, be it willingly or unwittingly. No one today wants to be referred to as meek. During the Christmas festival season Jesus is portrayed to one and all as a meek and mild baby.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared that ''The meek shall inherit the earth''. The meek listen to the Holy Spirit. They have a mild, humble temperament and do not retaliate when provoked because they trust in God's justice. They know there is no room for arrogance or self importance because Jesus has made himself known to them personally. So, as we celebrate the birth of gentle Jesus meek and mild, let's rejoice that he is the King of Kings and it's not the proud that will inherit the 'new' earth but the meek. Psalms 25:9 (KJV) ''The meek will he guide in judgement; and the meek will he teach his way''. Lorraine Roberts

Mothers’ Union Prayer Chain - Prayer in Emergencies A call to one of the following numbers will start a chain of prayer straight away Hilary Smee ℡ 0118 941 2895 Jo Day ℡ 0118 942 1481 Shirley Horsnell  07872 315 506

Evelyn Bartlett ℡ 0118 967 8659 Lorraine Roberts ℡ 0118 942 6189

From the Registers Baptised 26th September Emmie Gwen Rose Chapman Baptised 10th October Poppy Sally Anne Wellsteed Please pray for these children, their parents and Godparents 6

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It’s Discipleship stupid! The phrase ‘it’s the economy stupid’ was a phrase ﬁrst coined by James Carville in 1992, when he was part of Bill Clinton’s election campaign. The phrase was meant to ensure that campaigners kept on message, talking about what was most important to voters. Being a Church community and being a government are very diﬀerent jobs, but I do wonder if politicians’ habit of picking out one big priority and then talking about it constantly is something that we as a Church should be doing. When we ran the worship survey earlier this year, we asked people what their priorities were when they thought about Church. We forced people to choose one from a number of options so got a range of answers: • for some people Worship, through music was a key reason for coming to church • others came for the teaching • some people had fellowship and social time at the top of their list • whilst for others sharing communion was All of these are good reasons to come to church. At PCC we have been dwelling in the word with a section of Acts 2 which includes this verse: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) All of the reasons that people gave for coming to Church at St Catherine’s are listed in that one verse (if we think of sung worship as a form of prayer). That means that none of them are wrong, or

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better than each other. However, those are 4 really big things (you’ll notice that elsewhere in RG31 this month we have articles looking at each of them). We also found in the survey that whilst everyone valued some of the things on that list, many people struggled with at least one of them. So, I don’t think any of them can be our ‘priority’ in the way that the economy was for Bill Clinton. So, is there something else that we could hang our hat on? Something more important than these four things? I think so, and you can probably guess what it is from the title of this article. I think that discipleship should be the key, number one priority for the Church – by discipleship I mean growing as followers of Jesus. If you think about it, those four things listed in our Acts 2 passage are all about helping people to grow as followers of Jesus; • the apostles teaching was there to help people grow in their knowledge of God, • the fellowship between the believers meant that they were encourage and built up in the faith by each other • the Breaking of Bread (or communion) was a regular time to centre themselves on Jesus’ death and resurrection and what that meant for them. • time spent in prayer was time deepening that relationship with Jesus and inviting him into their lives Having described the way that the early church devoted themselves to these activities Acts 2 concludes: (Continued on page 8)

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It’s Discipleship stupid! (Continued from page 7) And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47) As the early church grew as disciples it also grew in numbers. We’ve touched on this in our two most recent sermon series (‘Sharing our faith’ and ‘fruits of the spirit’). As people grow as disciples their faith becomes more attractive and they become better equipped to share it. All of this is a long-winded way of saying that discipleship is at the heart of everything we do here at St Catherine’s. When the various leadership teams are meeting and planning, they are doing so with the aim on making St Catherine’s a place where followers of Jesus are growing in knowledge and love of him. That is why we have invested time and energy in running courses and starting groups that encourage people to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus together: • We’ve started a Youth Bible Study group for the teens in our congregation • We ran the Bible course • Gill has been running the ‘Bible Book Club’ for people who are just starting to explore the Bible • We’ve launched the Zoom Bible Study which alongside the physical life groups oﬀers a space for Bible study and fellowship • We’re starting to look at initiatives to oﬀer people space to meet together to pray We also have initiatives to try and be disciples by serving those around us.

As Jesus commanded us, we serve our community by running the café, Friday Friends, Pick and Mix, Tuesday get together and so many more things besides. Our Sunday services are also a really critical part of how we are looking to ensure we are all growing as disciples. Earlier this year we took the decision to become one congregation meeting at 10am each week. When the leadership team took that decision, we didn’t do it lightly because we knew that it would be a painful decision for some, but it was done with a view to helping us all to grow in our faith and as followers of Jesus. We’re still settling into the new way of doing things and I know that some people have been feeling a bit of a sense of loss. When you have been worshipping a certain way for a long time, embracing different and ‘new-to-us’ forms of worship can be hard. But I really want to urge you to keep going with it because I think that this is a process that will help us all to grow as disciples. We are all different, which is why there was such a range of answers to our worship survey and why we are all finding things we like and things we don’t like in our new way of being Church on a Sunday. However, by embracing the differences between us and spending time together I believe that we will grow as disciples. Some people don’t really ‘get’ a traditional communion service whilst others struggle with the more contemporary feeling services. However, by experiencing these different services and then rubbing shoulders with people (Continued on page 9)

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Operation Christmas Child After a gap year due to Covid restrictions, our annual ‘Shoebox’ service resumed in 2021. At the service we watched a video showing the work that goes into the scheme and the joy of the children who receive a box of gifts; pencil & paper that will make it possible to go to school, their own toothbrush as well as toys. Stuart told us how it all began:

In 2020 we were encouraged to donate online and whilst this trend has continued and many of us ﬁlled Shoeboxes online, we did collect 41 ﬁlled boxes which were taken to Kingsmen, our local collection depot. In addition the O’Sullivan family donated 150 knitted hats which went direct to the local HQ in Abingdon. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Tony Bartlett

In 1990, after Dave Cooke, a local businessman in Wrexham and family felt called to do something in response to the plight of Romanian orphans at the end of the Cold War and came up with the concept of the shoebox gift as a form of easily transportable ‘Christmas stocking’ wrapped and packed with love. Dave put out a local radio appeal for blankets, toys, medical supplies. The community responded generously ﬁlling 7 lorries with nearly 3,000 shoebox gifts.

During the service we prayed for the children who will receive these gifts

In the summer of 1993, Dave called Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham asking if he’d be willing to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in wartorn Bosnia. After actively partnering with Samaritan’s Purse the Wales-based shoebox gift project became an official project of Samaritan’s Purse in 1995. (Continued from page 8) who view them differently to us, we have a chance to share our own spirituality with each other. As we show and tell each other how we like to worship God and draw near to him, we can build each other up and deepen our own spiritual lives.

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At Kingsmen Builders My hope and prayer for St Catherine’s, as it continues on this new journey as one congregation, is that everyone may encounter God in new ways that they hadn’t expected, because being open to meeting and experiencing God in unexpected ways is a key part of discipleship.

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onlookers – but this year only 10 children were allowed.

October meeting We were welcomed by Hilary who led the prayers and thanked Stuart for enabling the slides to be shown without any problems. She then introduced Sue Milton who shared her experiences of Swan Upping – a tradition which dates from the 12th century when the Crown claimed ownership of all unmarked mute swans to ensure a ready supply for royal banquets. Swans are no longer eaten but the ceremony continues on the river Thames in the 3rd week of July each year. The Swan Uppers consist of 3 groups – the Queens dressed in red, the Vintners in white and the Dyers in blue, and each rowing boat ﬂies the Queen’s Standard or the company ﬂag accordingly.

The crews ﬁnished at Moulsford instead of the usual Abingdon and maybe because of less disturbance they counted more cygnets than usual. The whole exercise is most convivial because of numerous stops at riverside pubs for drinks and meals as well as the royal salutes! Hopefully the general public will be encouraged to watch this colourful exercise next year. Sheila Bryant

November meeting Moira welcomed around 38 members and friends to our Annual Flower Arranging Demonstration with Julie Crawford and her friend Sarah sharing their ideas for Christmas.

This year the 6 boats started from Sunbury rather than deeper into London and were escorted by extra staﬀ on small motor boats. When they see a brood of cygnets the cry “All Up!” goes out and they surround the birds easing them to the bank where they are counted, weighed and rung rather than the nicking of their beaks which used to be the practice. The boats gradually move upstream and when in sight of Windsor Castle they pause in the lock, stand upright and salute the Queen drinking the traditional toast. Sometimes the Queen or perhaps Princess Anne will visit the Swan Uppers and are brought to the site in a beautiful old boat built in 1882 called Alaska. Normally school children are invited to see what happens as well as many

While preparing and decorating a wreath with ivy and roses Julie told of her love for ﬂowers since winning a pressed ﬂower competition at Park Lane Primary (Continued on page 11)

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(Continued from page 10) school. Later she studied with Jane Haas who has now moved away after entertaining us each Christmas for many years with her creations. This led to Julie taking a Floristry course at the Berkshire College of Agriculture where she met Sarah. Now both of them work at Basildon Park which they enjoy. The Park representatives gave them some ideas and Julie, Sarah and 2 others had approximately 2 months to interpret them. It will be good to visit the Park and see what they have done. Sarah then took the stage and using wisteria vines twisted into a ring shape she glued dried hydrangea heads which had been dipped in pastel coloured paints

and shiny baubles to make alternative Advent wreaths. She also re-used a panettone tin as a base for a natural greenery and candle design. Both ladies gave us a lot of hints and tips and their creations were snapped up when the raﬄe was drawn. As always the tea break included delicious cakes made by MU members – a most enjoyable evening! One thing Julie said was how much she enjoys doing arrangements for our church and we would love to have more people prepared to have a go. Perhaps 2 ladies would like to share occasionally – Just have a word with Maureen Ward. Sheila Bryant

Christmas stars Thank you to all those who knitted Christmas stars for the Mothers Union ‘Children Heard and Seen’ project helping families with a parent in prison.

Each child will receive a Christmas star along with other small gifts. A total of 38 stars were knitted and sent oﬀ. Hilary Smee

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Across 1 Provisional meeting place of God and the Jews (Exodus 25:9) (10) 7 David’s third son, killed when his head got caught in a tree during a battle with his father (2 Samuel 18:14-15) (7) 8 They ruled much of the west coast of South America in the 15th and early 16th centuries (5) 10 Small deer of European and Asian extraction (4) 11 Seized control of (Numbers 21:25) (8) 13 Terror (Luke 24:5) (6) 15 First World War heroine shot by the Germans in Brussels, Nurse Edith ____ (6) 17 Stormy (8) 18 A bitter variety of this, together with lamb and unleavened bread, was the Passover menu for anyone ‘unclean’ (Numbers 9:11) (4) 21 Arson (anag.) (5) 22 How John Newton described God’s grace in his well-known hymn (7)

23 Habitation (Isaiah 27:10) (10) Down 1 ‘_____ and see that the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8) (5) 2 ‘The wicked man ﬂees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as ____ as a lion’ (Proverbs 28:1) (4) 3 One of the exiles, a descendant of Parosh, who married a foreign woman (Ezra 10:25) (6) 4 He escaped from Nob when Saul killed the rest of his family and joined David (1 Samuel 22:19-20) (8) 5 City and lake in Central Switzerland (7) 6 ‘Oﬀer your bodies as living ________, (Continued on page 13)

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(Continued from page 12) holy and pleasing to God’ (Romans 12:1) (10) 9 Pouches carried by horses (Genesis 49:14) (10) 12 One who accepts government by God (8) 14 Aromatic substance commonly used in Jewish ritual (Exodus 30:1) (7) 16 He asked Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ (John 18:38) (6) 19 Are (Romans 13:1) (5) 20 ‘You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will ____ his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21) (4)

A Sudoku Challenge

Crossword and Sudoku Solutions are on page 48

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Something for everyone! I have heard it said many times since I came here that “church is about the people, not about the building”, which is true – but the building is a wonderful resource and a special place to focus our attentions on God. But, I have more to say! Church is not just about Sunday worship either – it is about every day of the week!! We live out our Christian lives 24/7 and whilst Sunday worship is important, because it strengths, equips and sustains us to live out our lives the rest of the time; it when we can proactively encounter God in our midst and together discern his will for our lives - church is a 24/7 thing! That’s why at St Catherine’s, we oﬀer so many mid-week activities and events. And that is why I really love our community - so much is going on and I believe we are honouring God through all we do! Is everything we do “church”? Strictly speaking, church is anywhere that a group of people meet together and where Jesus is worshipped and gloriﬁed. Well, in most of what we do, Jesus is not explicitly mentioned – but some of the time he is! And I know for a fact that serving him is the motivation for all that we do. If you are not in the “habit” of participating in any of these things, please know that if you would like to come along and give something a go you would be warmly welcomed.

For pre-school children Tuesdays Cornwell 0-5’s toddler group Fridays, Tot’s Praise For Children Cats Cartoon Club For Growing in Faith 10am Sunday Life groups Prayer courses 10am Wednesday communion For anyone free on Tuesday mornings Tuesday get Together Meet old friends and make new ones Friday friends Café Siena Interested in crafts? Crafty Space 2nd Saturday 2-5pm For the media-savvy www.stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk How about a gentle new sport? St Catherine’s Bowls Club At a loose end on a Saturday morning Gardening club Church Maintenance For Young people Youth Bible study Pick’n’Mix Youth club Passion for ‘Green’ issues? The Green Team

A sample of the many activities taking place, do come along!

Gill

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Teaching For many people the teaching will take place in our Sunday service where we hear passages read from the Bible and someone will explain the context, the message and the relevance for our lives today. There are other opportunities for teaching: • From time to time a series of courses looking at, for instance, prayer. • Small groups meet during the day or evening on a regular basis; we call the ‘Lyfe groups’. • Occasional Sunday afternoon or evening services give the opportunity for more in depth teaching. Whenever we meet together as a church family we get to know one another better and so all the above could have been listed on the ‘Fellowship’ pages.

A ‘Socially Distanced’ Sunday morning 10am service in progress But the teaching in a church service is in the context of worship, whilst we may think of worship as the singing of Hymns, Psalms, and Songs, worship encapsulates so much more; it is the oﬀering of our time, our attention, our prayers. Our sung worship is not restricted to the church building, here leading Carol singing at Tilehurst Triangle and our ever-popular ‘Carols under the Old Oak Tree’

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Teaching Cornwell 0-5s,

this might not be where you might think Christian teaching would take place. Whilst the photos show our singing session where there’s a mix of Nursery Rhymes and Bible-based songs, the two-hour session is all about teaching. It is teaching the children, the majority of whom on a Tuesday are ‘Lockdown babies’, to share and often for the ﬁrst time in their lives, to play with other children, to help prepare them for the next stage in their lives; whether that be Nursery, Pre-School or Primary School, to sit at a table whilst eating the healthy snacks that we provide, to help at the end of the session with ‘Toy Tidy’ as we put everything away.

Tot’s Praise,

this takes place in church and as the title implies the aim is to begin to tell the Christian story through Bible based songs, Bible stories and Prayer. There is a craft activity, drinks and biscuits for all in the play corner of church and many of the mums and carers stay on in the café.

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Teaching Teaching or Preaching?

- When JB Phillips made his ‘modern’ (1955) translation of the Book of Acts, he wanted a ‘modern’ title. He called his translation “The Young Church in Action”, for that is what the majority of the book is about. As such, it is often seen as the main source of information as to what Churches should do, even today. It is clear that teaching is something the Church should do. The verse this magazine concentrates upon - Acts 2:42 - refers to ‘teaching’ as something the early church did, and this is not the only place in Acts where ‘teaching’ is referred to. … they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead (Acts 4:2 ESV) And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” (Acts 5:25 ESV) And he (Paul) stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:11 ESV) proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31) The first book Timothy is also taken partly as an instruction to the early church. Talking about Church leaders, the Apostle Paul says … Therefore, an overseer must be …, able to teach, … (1 Timothy 3:2 ESV) (although it is only fair to point out this is one element of a long list Paul provides!) We sometimes hear the leader at the front of Church doing this referred to as a ‘Preacher’ rather than a ‘Teacher’. Is there a difference? It would appear that they can’t mean the same exactly the same thing, as the Bible often uses the both those two different words in a single sentence. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:42 ESV) But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord (Acts 15:35 ESV) Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 5:17 ESV) (Continued on page 18)

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Teaching (Continued from page 17) And when talking about Jesus’ ministry, both words are used again … When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities (Matthew 11:1 ESV) Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel (Luke 10:1 ESV) Clearly the words must be quite similar - after all we often use the words ‘Preach’ and ‘Teach’ interchangeably, and the roles of ‘Preacher’ and ‘Teacher’ likewise. Nevertheless, there is a difference between them, and one worth exploring to better understand what is happening at the front of a church service, as well as many other times and locations. Some Bible translation try to help by using different words to translate the authors meaning more clearly (remember, the New Testament was predominantly written in Greek). Look up some of those aforementioned Bible passages in other modern translations and you’ll see the word ‘Proclaim’ often used. This often works well as the verse normally describes what is being proclaimed, such as ‘proclaiming his message’, ‘proclaim Jesus’ and ‘proclaimed the word of the Lord’ Proclaiming is like announcing. Short, simple, important ideas can be proclaimed. The most important tenets of our faith can be proclaimed - such as ‘God loves you!’ and ‘Jesus died for you!’ But once heard, the listener may ask ‘how do we know this?’, ‘why did this happen?’ or ‘what should our response be?’ That’s where teaching comes into play. Teaching instructs & explains the Bible - what God has done, why he did it, how he did it, and how we should respond. Proclaiming is announcing, teaching is instructing. Proclaiming without teaching may leave people confused and uncertain as to what to do. Teaching without proclaiming is just an academic education which may not be acted upon. These days, preaching has come to mean both proclaiming and teaching. The early church didn’t just teach about Jesus, they proclaimed the good news about Jesus. Clearly, as a Church, we must also do both. Stuart Poore

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Fellowship Crafty Space ﬁrst opened its doors in February 2008.

We’ve had the privilege and fun of sharing in lots of occasions and memories over the years. Everything from wedding preparations to prom tiaras; from holiday scrapbooks to making scenery for Children’s Holiday Clubs. We’ve oohed and aahed over Chinese paintings, knitted jackets, rush stools taking shape and quilts being sewn.

Here’s what a few of our crafters say about us! • “It’s lovely meeting people.” • “ More natter than knitting!” • “Delicious cake (and Saturdays are zero calorie days!)” • “I like seeing what everyone else is making, we can be nosy about it!” • “If you’ve got a problem and don’t know how to solve it, someone else will.” So have you got a project that you’ve put aside and haven’t picked up again, or need some help with a crafting problem. We also have a very well stocked swap box that we need using up! Come along and join us! We meet monthly, apart from August, in St Catherine’s Hall, from 1.30pm to 5.30pm. Drop in for an hour or stay all afternoon. We provide time and the space you need to spread out to do your activity, hot drinks and cake. All we ask in return is a donation to cover the refreshments and costs of the hall. We suggest £1.25 per hour which works out at £5.00 if you stay for the whole four hours. Accompanied children are welcome. The next few Saturdays are, January 8th, February 12th, March 12th. Valerie Poore 0118 9624 555 and Caroline O’Sullivan 0118 9624 709

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Fellowship Café Siena Book Club, this was set up about three years ago and takes place in the café area on the third or fourth Thursday of each month depending on when the books are ready for collection. We currently have eight members. We choose the books that we would like to read from a list provided by Reading Library. There is a varied selection to choose from and we all like diﬀerent genres so often we are challenged in the books that we read. Our latest book was “Memoirs of a Geisha” which most people found very interesting. Other recent books have been “Cold Comfort Farm” and “A very British Murder” As well as the stimulation of having books that we may not have thought of reading, the group shares support and friendship. We kept going through lockdown via Zoom but it is good to meet up again in person! Rosemary Cunningham

Tuesday get Together

after a break of 18 months we finally were able to resume our weekly meetings. This is what some of those attending have said: • A place to meet with old friends and make new ones. • The atmosphere is welcoming, friendly and safe. • The meetings are informal. • There is always someone to talk to. • There is no need to worry about the first visit, our volunteers are on hand to ensure people feel at ease. • Everyone is welcome. • Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided. TgT has been a revelation, with participants sharing stories of from within the local area and beyond. Near neighbours who have not seen each other for some time have struck up renewed friendships. Many a conversation begins with ‘Do you remember..........?’ In fact, most Tuesdays we have several participants who would love to stay beyond the 12 noon end of the session. Christine Sanger & Ella Canning

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Fellowship St Catherine’s Carpet Bowls Club,

was formed in 1996 at the instigation of Pete Howgego. Initially the equipment of - 2 mats, 4 sets of woods (32 bowls) and fenders for each end of the mats, were loaned to the Club by Newbury District Council on the understanding that the Club when established paid for the equipment which they did with the help of a grant for 50% of the cost. Over the years the Club has purchased 2 new mats, a mat winding machine for storing the mats and extra sets of woods. The inaugural AGM was held on the 12 April 1997, familiar names present were Sheila & Terry Bryant, Sheila Ward, Pam & Maurice Toon, Rosemary and Ernie Cunningham, Sheila & Mick Drew, Kath & John Pady, Joan Burbidge and Rita & myself. A constitution was drawn up emphasising that the Club was to provide relaxing, sociable, and friendly activity to the benefit of the members. Initially the Club was for the members of St Catherine’s congregation but was later opened to non Church members as a form of out-reach. The membership has varied over the years maintaining around 20-25. We meet on a Saturday evening 7.00 to 9.00 pm from September to June. Officially we don’t meet in the summer as we have a number of out door bowlers. However for those who wished to continue playing casual bowls sessions are held on Saturday evenings. On a normal evening we use two mats and divide those attending into 4 teams the size of which varies according to those attending. We play 2 games (a game is 4 ends with each player using 2 woods.) The scores from these games are recorded as part of our annual competition. In addition we have annual Knock out and a Pairs competitions. Although the games can be quite competitive the evenings are not very quiet but very social able!!! Due to Covid we ceased playing in March 2020 but we have recently restarted putting in place Covid precautions. However we are short of members especially men. Anyone who thinks they may like to join (male or female!!) are welcome any Saturday evening to see what goes on – definitely no experience is needed!! Please ring our Chairperson Anne Soley 0118 942 5407 or myself 0118 942 5249 for more details. Paddy Barrett

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Fellowship Friday Friends,

together at last! If we didn't know the value of friendship and the joy of being together, the pandemic has shown us how much we miss other people’s company. Every Friday a group of people meet at St Catherine’s Church Hall to enjoy conversation, music, table games and sometimes a trip to memory lane, but above all, companionship. This is vital for the elderly population, many of our members live by themselves, but this gathering oﬀers them the opportunity to make new friends and to catch up with old ones.

Friends and volunteers look forward to the diﬀerent activities every week. Please join us and tell your friends and neighbours about Friday Friends. Plenty of tea, coﬀee and cake to enjoy every Friday between 2-4pm. Ella Canning

The Mothers’ Union - The aim of the Mothers’ Union is “To demonstrate the Christian faith in action by the transformation of communities worldwide through the nurture of the family in its many forms. In order to carry out this aim, Mothers' Union's objectives are: To uphold Christ's teaching on the nature of marriage and promote its wider understanding.” The St Catherine’s branch has a full and varied programme of events. On the 2nd Wednesday of the month an evening meeting with a guest speaker. Regular Bible study and Fellowship sessions (currently held in church) on the 3rd & 4th Wednesdays of the month respectively. You can read all about their recent meetings on pages 10 and 11 of this magazine and to know more please contact our secretary Stephanie Walklate - 0118 941 5871.

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The Breaking of Bread Midnight communion – What’s it all about? For many people Christmas starts on Christmas eve with ‘midnight communion’. It’s a tradition that dates back to before the reformation, but why do we still do it? Why would we go out in the dark in the (literal) middle of the night for a communion service, especially when there are still presents to be wrapped, turkey’s to be stuﬀed and tipples to be consumed? Well, the answer is simply that communion is special. There is no rule that you must celebrate Christmas with a communion at midnight, but if we are celebrating one of the most special nights in history (the night when Jesus was born) why wouldn’t we celebrate it with a special act at the start of the special day? Don’t get me wrong, I know that it is not practical for everyone to be at church at midnight on Christmas day. I also know that communion can be a bit of a divisive topic. It can evoke really strong feelings about how it should and shouldn’t be done. There have been passionate debates throughout the history of the Church about communion. I don’t intend to get into any of those debates now, but I would like to share a little bit about what communion means to me. As I’ve already said, I think that communion is special. There’s lots of things that are special about communion but here are three reasons that are important to me:

Jesus tells us to do it

During the last supper, as Jesus gives bread and wine to his followers, he tells them to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). I think that there is something really powerful about being able to follow Jesus’ direct instructions in such as simple, physical and literal way. To be honest, after 3 years of theology college and 4 years if curacy there are still things that I don’t really understand about communion. However, as I take bread and wine, I can rest in the knowledge that whilst I may not understand and know everything, I am doing what Jesus has commanded me to do. That sense of not having it all sorted myself is why I love the invitation to communion that we often say at St Catherine’s: (Continued on page 24)

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The Breaking of Bread (Continued from page 23)

Come to this table, not because you must but because you may, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and help. Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more.

It holds us together as a Church

There are Christians all over the world, we speak different languages, we have different cultures and different customs, but the act of taking bread and wine to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross transcends all of that. Anglicans around the world are known as the ‘Worldwide Anglican Communion’ in recognition of the fact that communion is something that is common to us all. And it isn’t just an Anglican thing, all of the major Christian denominations celebrate communion. We may have different words for it and different ways of doing it, but non-conformists, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Pentecostalists and Anglicans all mark Jesus’ death and resurrection in services that include bread and wine. Whilst we may disagree about what exactly is happening and we may have different ideas about how often we should do it, when we are presented with bread and wine, the labels we give ourselves no longer matter because we are part of the Body of Christ. There’s something really special about sharing communion with members of a different denomination as it shows that for all of our differences the events of Holy Week are central to our faith and hold us together as part of God’s worldwide Church. This is why, for me, there is also something genuinely gutting about being unable to share communion with members of those denominations which aren’t 1 allowed to share communion with us. This is why I love the part in the service where the bread is broken to the words: We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

It takes us back to basics

In some ways I might sound like I am contradicting myself here, because there is much about communion that is mysterious and debated. The more you think about it the more confusing it can become (great is the mystery of faith!). However, despite all of these debates, at its heart, communion takes us back to the last supper. It is a moment where Christians in the here and now are remembering and linking themselves to those disciples who were there with Jesus the night before he paid the ultimate price for them (and us!). (Continued on page 25)

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The Breaking of Bread (Continued from page 24) So, for all the complexity and theological debate that surrounds communion, the eﬀect it has on us and our faith can be quite simple yet profound. Through communion we, week by week, say words that remind us of the last supper, Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension. We remember what he did for us. The physical action of taking bread (and wine in non-Covid times) allows us to use our physical bodies to mark and remember what Jesus has done for us. For me the invitation to communion that we often say beautifully sums this up.

Draw near with faith. Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you, and his blood which he shed for you. Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving. There are lots of other things that I love about communion, but I have probably written too much already. So let me close by inviting you (if you are able) to celebrate a special day (the day we mark Jesus’ birth) with a special act at 11.30pm on 24th December in Church. Phil Price

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The breaking of Bread (Hospitality)

Real Community at Café Siena - One of the things that I have loved about being part of St Catherine’s is being able to be part of a community that is an all-week community rather than just a Sunday community. Nowhere is this more obvious than at Café Siena. I have been so blessed to be able (when Covid allowed) to sit in the café and see diﬀerent people come in, be warmly welcomed and then sit down with a cuppa, putting the world to rights with other members of the community. It’s been such a joy to have been welcomed into the café community and particularly to be allowed to join ‘the men’s table’. Over the last two years I’ve loved taking out a bit of time to spend with a group of men who are café regulars. As well as being a fun way to spend time it has also been highly educational. Subjects discussed have included; Mechanics, Biblical Greek and Hebrew, Vegetarianism, Evolution, History (ancient and modern), Postmodernism, Politics and much more besides. I’ve learnt a lot an awful lot and it has been so insightful to spent time looking at the world through the eyes of people who have lived very diﬀerent lives to me. Community is a place where you are welcomed and valued and listened to. It is also a place where you welcome, value and listen to others. When we partake in community all of our worlds are enlarged and expanded which can only be a good thing. Café Siena is not the only one way in which St Catherine’s is a community, but it’s a really visible and powerful example of what real community looks like. Community is a vital part of our witness because our God is a God of community. God desires to have relationships with us, in fact that is why he sent Jesus. So, when we invest in building relationships we point to our relational God. Phil Price

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The breaking of Bread (Hospitality) Café Siena, - Thursdays used to be busier than Fridays, but over time that has changed and Fridays are now very busy. This has led to kitchen staff becoming a little overwhelmed with orders, and food has taken longer to be served than I would like. In a bid to make our lives a little easier Gill came up with “November Nosh” on Fridays, which essentially means a streamlined menu with the emphasis being on a two course meal for a set price. Feedback has generally been positive, and we continue to monitor customer comments. As I write this, we have just entertained Tilehurst Triangle WI for their annual Christmas lunch. 25 ladies came for beef bourguignon, followed by crumble or tiramisu. It was a fantastic day, with lots of very nice comments about the food. It was a great team effort, so thanks to Debbie, Lynn, Chris J, Carole, and Jo A for all your hard work. I hope the café Christmas lunch on 16th December goes just as well! So as the year draws to a close, I reflect on what has been a challenging year for many. The café had to shut with the enforced lockdowns, then we tentatively opened and wondered if anyone would come. Outdoor café was very popular during the Summer, but then we were worried if people would want to come inside as we entered Autumn and Winter. Thankfully, with our Covid prevention measures put in place you have continued to grace us with your presence. It is so nice to hear the café alive with the sound of chatter and laughter.

Outdoor café whatever the weather!

Finally, can I say a huge thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time to help with the running of Café Siena. From making the food to washing the aprons, the café cannot exist without you! Best wishes for a lovely festive season however you choose to celebrate it, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2022. Karen Patrick, Café Siena manager

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Prayer Prayer is a hugely important part of life, and it is one which is often unseen. In a way, it has to be like that – partly because “our real life is hidden in Christ” and partly because we are told to “shut the door and pray and your heavenly Father, who sees what is done in private,...etc etc. These days, it is probably not so much a question of shutting the door but turning off our mobiles and giving social media a bit of a break, refuse to answer the phone or the door or kowtow to other peoples agendas as we focus on the living God, Lord of heaven and earth. There are lots of different ways to pray, which we were reminded of during The Prayer Course, a couple of years ago. Prayer can be categorised into different forms such as • intercession (asking God for things – something which most of us find uncomplicated and simple to do!); • petition (slightly different, it’s pleading justice for someone or something else); • adoration (coming before God in worship and awe); • contemplation (just being with him, sitting in his presence – which for some reason some people find very difficult); • spiritual warfare (taking our stand in Jesus’ name against evil forces); • praise (thanking God for all that he has done, and is doing and will do) • prayer for healing (which Jesus did so much of as he inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth.) If we pray by just saying a form of words without expecting God to show up, or act, we are misunderstanding the point. When Jesus went to the cross, it was to deal, once and for all, with everything that separates us from God. It was to enable us to have a full and unfettered relationship with God, our Creator, and not just our Creator but creator of all that exists, of all that is. That is a truly phenomenal thing. So - you could say - Jesus went to the cross to enable us to pray, to encounter and talk with God! That’s how important prayer is, because in prayer we are united to the one who is the source of all life. How incredible is that?!! Having said that, there is huge resource in using liturgy (structured and written prayers and worship) because it can be our security and stability for those times when we just don’t know what, or how to pray. Liturgy is helpful because it contains within it eternal truths about God which feed the soul and the mind, and the heart, whatever we may be feeling, if we let it. Some of us might be called or inclined to pray in one particular way in preference to other forms and some might pray in a medley of all forms, and some of us might just chat to God throughout the day. (Continued on page 29)

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Prayer (Continued from page 28) The important thing is to do it – to pray. Why? Because prayer changes people, and it changes things! When we come to God in prayer that’s when it is most likely that we will recognise what God is doing around us. Prayer helps us to be sensitive towards, and open to, God’s Spirit. Since the first lockdown our corporate prayer life has changed quite a lot. When we had to stay at home we were able to meet together – every day! – using Facebook – and these were precious times which helped us through the challenge of not being able to worship together or meet physically. We had a little bit of fun too. Also, I know that Thursday community prayers were maintained throughout the lockdown period even though it wasn’t possible to meet together in person. But since Easter, when we began worshipping in person again, we have not quite captured a prayer rhythm or focus as a church body, and I would like us to focus of our attention in 2022 on addressing that. Bearing in mind Acts 2:42, when the disciples devoted themselves to prayer, my hope is that 2022 will be a year when our prayer life is reinvigorated and a more central focus and habit of our life as a church. In the meantime, there are a few ways you can participate in our corporate prayer life right now! Such as: • PAUSE FOR PRAYER at 5.30pm every weekday in Advent on our Facebook page, just for 5 minutes or so. Do join us or watch on catchup (links on back page). • THURSDAY COMMUNITY PRAYER at 2.00pm in the GARDEN ROOM. • CALCOT PRAYER WALK, once a month at 2.00pm on a Sunday afternoon Also, if you are a group leader for any activity in church, may I encourage you to pray beforehand, with those who are helping? I know it will make a real difference to the spiritual climate! And if you’d like to lead prayers on a Sunday service, and haven’t done it before, I can give you some help and advice – so do speak with me if God is moving your heart in this direction. Finally, may I recommend the LECTIO 365 app as a beautiful resource to help you through a prayer time if you are not quite sure how to structure a personal devotional time with God. It’s simple but often quite powerful. Is it too bold a statement to say that prayer is what we were born to do? Because God wants a relationship with us, which is why Jesus – fully divine, fully human – came amongst us, and through his sacrificial death on the cross has wiped clean anything that mars or scars us, so we can approach Father God, in the power of his gentle Spirit, with confidence. Gill

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Prayer Day of Prayer for Climate Action and COP26 - On Saturday, 6th November, St Catherine's held a day of Prayer for the Climate. The day consisted of ﬁve 1 hour slots focusing on Genesis chapter 1 and our response to God's Creation of Earth, Water, Animals and Peoples. We had a very productive time of information sharing and guidance. Worship, intercession and times of creative prayerful reﬂection. Thanks to all who took part. This is a picture of some of our prayers

Lynn Stevens

Calcot Prayer Walks and Litter Pick -

A group of us from St Catherine's gathered in the car park at the Calcot Centre on a Sunday afternoon in October and again in November and enjoyed a walk around the streets of Calcot praying for the community and picking up litter. We all had a good time of fellowship and fun. If you would like to join in with us, there will be another prayer and litter pick walk in January. Details will be in the notices. Thank you to all who took part. Lynn Stevens

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Kerbside Recycling Our Green Team recently sent a petition, signed by 35 of us, to West Berkshire Council seeking an explanation of their kerbside recycling policy. We received the following reply Thank you for your petition letter addressed to Councillors Tony Linden and Joanne Stewart (dated September 2021) which asks why West Berkshire Council does not collect more dry materials from the kerbside for recycling. In particular, you would like the Council to collect additional items such as plastic pots, tubs and trays, and shredded paper. West Berkshire Council is committed to achieving greater environmental stewardship and you may be aware of our recently-published Environment Strategy Delivery Plan which sets out clear measures to help us achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The Council currently recycles about half of all the waste generated by householders. We have plans to introduce separate food waste collections in the near future which will help us to signiﬁcantly improve our recycling rate. Our current recycling collection approach is informed by a focus on not only raising the quantity of materials but just as importantly, a better quality of recycling output. We are unable to comment about how other authorities manage their waste, but there are advantages to our “kerbside sort” approach which delivers greater quality of recycling and is more aligned with emerging government policy and market preference for better quality recycling. We currently collect plastic bottles at the kerbside: if we mixed these

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with other plastic packaging materials, it would reduce the quality of the plastic we send for recycling. There is currently a limited amount of reprocessing plants in the UK for lower quality plastics, though we are encouraged to see that the market has been improving partly because of emerging government measures. We are able to collect a much wider collection of waste types from our on-thego recycling services than is possible from kerbside collections. As you may be aware, we have been trialling the collection of plastic pots, tubs and trays at our household recycling centres and our Thatcham and Hungerford Mini Recycling Centres since March 2021. This trial has been very successful, and I am hopeful that we will expand the number of sites next year. We have also introduced collection of “Pringles-type” paper tubes at our recycling centres. Shredded paper is currently not widely accepted by reprocessors for paper and card recycling. Shredded paper also has the likelihood of disintegrating when wet and can also contribute more easily to wind-blown litter within neighbourhoods. We will continue to keep the situation under review and if we identify opportunities including potential funding linked with emerging UK government measures for waste and recycling, we would consider expanding the range of materials collected at the kerbside. We anticipate that more clarity will be provided by the UK government about proposed policy measures within the next twenty four months. This will enable us

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Christingle A Big thank you to all those who attended our Christingle service this year helping to raise funds for The Children's Society work with vulnerable young people. We sang together ,watched a video and prayed for the work of The Children's Society. The children helped Phil with a memory verse Romans 8 v25 reminding us that if we hope for what we do not have we wait patiently. Each person was given a "Christingle kit" and we then made our Christingles. The candles were lit and as the lights were dimmed our candles shined brightly reminding us that Jesus is the Light of the world. The service was enjoyed by old and young alike and we all especially enjoyed waving the ﬂags to our closing song Shine Jesus Shine. I pray that everyone was able to gain something from the service and to remember those who are less fortunate than us and do not have a safe place to call home.

light and hope to their darkness. This does not include any on line donations direct to The Children's Society so the ﬁnal total is probably more. Hilary Smee Comments from families who attended: • We all enjoyed the service immensely. Thank you xx • My niece really enjoyed it and likes getting involved with all the things! • That was a lovely service. Thank you to everyone who organised it. • It was a real joy to be able to wave the ﬂags again.

Thank you to all who supported our service £72-30 was collected for the valuable work of The Children's Society with vulnerable young people bringing (Kerbside Recycling Continued from page 31) and other local authorities in the country to plan and invest with improved certainty into new local waste collection and recycling solutions. We look forward to working with residents and environmental groups such as yours to

achieved better outcomes in future. The Green Team will consider this response at our next meeting. Please speak to one of them (Jo Day, Hazel Newman, Caroline Heron, Sonia Ludford, Stuart Poore and me) if you have any comments. Richard Canning

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Phil on Films As you may have noticed, I quite like watching films and then using them as a springboard to reflect on God. As this is the final time I will be writing for RG31, I thought that I would take this final opportunity to offer some tips and suggestions for trying to spot Christian ideas and parallels in films. So here are my top 5 tips if you want to have a theological discussion about a film:

Look out for Jesus

Whilst Hollywood has had a go at portraying Jesus a number of times, I am not suggesting that we should expect to see a character called Jesus turn up in every film we watch. However, if we invest time reading the gospels and getting to know what Jesus is like, then we may begin to see aspects of his character and personality reflected in characters in movies. A good film character can be very complex; flawed in some ways, but also brilliant in others. There have been many times that my love of Jesus or understanding of him has been developed by watching a film and wondering to myself ‘how Is that character like Jesus and how are they different?’ For example, I love watching superhero films and thinking about the ways in which Jesus does (and doesn’t) conform to the idea of a hero portrayed by Hollywood.

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Look out for the Kingdom of God

There’s not always a character in a film that I particularly want to compare to Jesus, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there isn’t something interesting to think about from a Christian perspective. If there isn’t a ‘Jesus character’ there may be some glimpses of the kingdom of God. After our summer sermon series, we are all familiar with the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. goodness, faith, gentleness, and selfcontrol; often films explore one or more of these concepts. In fact, there are loads of films which contain some of the fruit of the spirit in its title. It’s fascinating to watch a film that claims to be about (for example) ‘love’ and then ask yourself if the ‘love’ portrayed in this film is the same as the idea of ‘love’ which is articulated in the Bible? If so, why? If not why not? Romantic comedies can be a good place to look for this kind of thing. Esther has made me watch the Wedding Singer a number of times. At the end (spoiler warning) Julie realises that Robbie loves her and Glenn doesn’t when Glenn refuses to give up the window seat in a plane for her. For me that is a great illustration of how (as the Bible tells us) love is really about actions and putting yourself out for someone (and actually sacrifice) rather than the slushy feelings that it is often mistaken for.

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(Phil on Films continued from page 33)

Look out for Social Commentary

Often films can give us an insight into different world views. As we follow characters through a story the things that they say and the way that they react to different situations gives us a bit of an insight into how they see the world. As we learn about different characters and the way that they see the world it can be quite enlightening to ask ourselves what these characters world views have in common with our own? It’s also revealing to ask ourselves how they are different? And ‘whose worldview is closest to Jesus’ teachings?’ This works best in ensemble films which have a number of well-drawn-out characters who all have space to unpack their worldviews. Notting Hill is potentially good for this (and actually a lot of Richard Curtis films do). In Notting Hill there is a scene where each character argues that they have the most depressing life in order to try and win a brownie. In that moment you get a lot of insight into how each character sees success and failure in life. It’s interesting to watch that scene and wonder who Jesus would give the last Brownie to.

Look out for gospel patterns

There are certain ‘patterns’ or ‘themes’ that we see in the gospel and throughout the Bible. For example, throughout the Bible there is a pattern of something or someone needing to die or be broken in order to be reborn.

It’s a theme throughout the bible and it comes up again and again in films. When you are watching a film do you ever notice patterns in the stories told which correlate with patterns that we see in scripture? For example, in the three original Star Wars films we see the Darth Vader cause carnage around the universe destroying planets and oppressing people in order to crush the forces that are working against his master, the emperor. In the climax of the trilogy Darth Vader has a deathbed conversion back to the ‘light’ side when his (Spoiler warning) son is willing to die rather than resort to hate and violence. If we can get good at spotting a ‘gospel pattern’ in a film then perhaps can we can then start spotting them in our own lives which will help us to know that God is at work in us.

Read your Bible

My final tip is not really about films, but I think it really helps you to enjoy a film and be challenged spiritually by it. I’ve given you 4 tips which are about things to look out for, however, they require some knowledge of the Bible and/or the Christian faith. By no means do you need to be a Biblical scholar to be able to watch a film and then consider it from a spiritual perspective. Some analogues and parallels are really easily spotted whilst others are more hidden. However, the more time you spend in the Bible the easier it is to spot the kinds of things I’ve been talking about and the deeper you can go in your ponderings. Phil Price

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How Green is your food waste? Do you eat bread, but only part of the loaf?

4. Use leftover roast chicken, pork and lamb etc to make a stir-fry or curry etc

Did you know that if everyone in the Uk stopped throwing bread away, it would equate to planting 5.3 million trees. Apparently, we throw away 20 million slices a day in the UK.

5. If you have chickens next door, ask them, the neighbours, not the chickens, if their chickens could use up your excess vegetables. I do miss my chickens for that purpose. RIP Rosie, Mable, Margot and others.

The waste reduction charity Wrap, says that halting food waste is among the most powerful actions individuals can take to help combat climate change. Colin Butﬁeld, co-author of Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet, says that food production costs the earth, literally! It uses a lot of land, water and impacts conservation. What do we do with that food? Globally, one third of food produced is wasted. That is quite awful. So what can you, one household, do about this? The simple answer is stop the food waste in your home. The way to implement this is not quite so simple. I can suggest a few ways to improve the situation in your home. Perhaps you have other ways too - please share them. 1. Freeze your bread and take out only what you will use for each meal. 2. Make bread pudding,summer pudding or bread and butter pudding with any leftover bread. The ﬁrst and last can be portioned up and frozen, to use later. 3. Turn leftover veg into soup. ( collect the veg in small bags/containers in the freezer until you have enough).

I do realise the previous suggestion is little “niche”, but it shows how a closed system can be used - grow veg, feed chickens, have eggs and chicken manure to feed the soil, enabling next years tasty veg to be grown. Can this system work if you don’t have chickens? The answer is a resounding “ yes”

So, how? 1. Have a worm bin in your garden. All food waste can be put in there. Plate scrapings and other cooked food you can’t put in a regular compost bin can be added. You just have to remember that worms don’t have teeth, so they do like food a little on the soft side! 2. Do you have a regular compost bin? That will be an excellent place to put those veg peelings and “too far gone” fruit and veg. 3. Collect and bag up food waste to put in your kerbside bin for your Local Authority to take away. Unfortunately, this way is not so earth friendly as composting stuﬀ in your garden. Driving food waste around the area, then travelling to the central (Continued on page 37)

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(How Green is your food waste? continued from page 35) waste disposal is not a carbon neutral way to deal with this type of waste.

So, I’ve given you some suggestions for making your food waste greener than perhaps it is now. My list is by no means complete. You may ﬁnd/have other ways.

I urge you to try either way to compost your food waste at home instead of giving it away to your LA (even if you are not a gardener). I will even promise to provide you with a “starter pack” of composting worms and some tuition to help get you going.

I did some years ago almost get into Bokashi, a method which “pickles” your fruit, veg, ﬁsh, meat and dairy waste, before it’s added to a hole in the garden. It then adds fertility to your garden. It’s very popular in Japan.

As Local Authorities offer reasonably priced home composting bins, you may choose to compost all raw food in that. Then only give the Local Authority anything cooked, dairy products etc If you are a seasoned or a newbie gardener, you will know the benefit of using the beautiful home made compost on your flowering plants or vegetables. These benefits can’t be achieved by handing over your food waste to the LA.

I found those statistics I wrote at the start of this article quite shocking - it made me want to “do” something. I can spread the word and hope and pray that some people will do something more with their food waste than they currently do. Will you be one of them? Hazel Newman

Another point to consider is that the earth is losing soil every day, due to many reasons, one being intensely fertilised farming and also from pollutants. By making your own compost you are acknowledging that soil is a precious commodity, one to be cherished. You can also save money by not importing so much from your local garden centre. Yet another point to consider, is that some of the peat free compost on oﬀer at the garden centre is compost that is produced by Local Authorities from food waste collections. Do you really want to give them your waste, only to pay good money to buy your waste back again? That feels so bad, especially as it is conveniently provided in a (single use) plastic bag.

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Citizens UK Citizens UK is a people power alliance of diverse local communities working together for the common good, through community organising. I was approached by the Co-ordinator of the fledgling Citizens Reading alliance; to investigate whether this was something that St Catherine’s might want to engage with. There is strong support from Bishop Stephen, (Bishop of Oxford) and Bishop Oliver (of reading) for this; and the Diocese have already committed financial support to facilitate its flourishing over the next three years. It seemed timely to me, and I attended a 3-day training event by zoom, (meeting with people across the nation from different institutions, faiths and backgrounds), to receive leadership training and learn how the alliances work. In order to complete my training, which is accredited, I need to attend other meetings too. Basically, Alliance members work together to see, as Archbishop Desmond Tuto succinctly put it, how we stop people “falling into the stream in the first place, rather than having to pull them out of it”. The Alliance has witnessed initiatives which have seen Muslims (who would in general be “anti gay” working with LGBTQ groups to counter hate crime; and there were many stories of organisations with widely differing backgrounds working together on a key issue or cause because of a shared common value to bring positive change in the community. For instance, Citizens UK was responsible for campaigning and winning a change in

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legislation to introduce the UK Living Wage which was made a signiﬁcant diﬀerence to literally millions of people struggling with poverty, and they are still challenging employers who don’t implement it. So far I have given a brief presentation to the PCC, and Caroline Heron, our churchwarden and Chair of the Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) Steering Group, has attended a sponsoring committee recently. We will need to seriously consider whether we become Alliance partners in the new year; from my perspective it is a dynamic progression of our continuing PMC journey, and will help St Catherine’s develop a commitment to social justice, an aspect of our church life which needs to be strengthened. Being an Alliance member would enable us to work together with others to work together for good. Gill

Your cat’s favourite Christmas songs 1. Up on the Mousetop 2. Have Yourself a Furry Little Christmas 3. Joy to the Curled 4. I Saw Mommy Hiss at Santa Claus 5. The First Meow 6. Oh, Come All Ye Fishful 7. Silent Mice 8. Fluﬀy, the Snowman 9. Jingle Balls 10. Wreck the Halls

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Congratulations Two couples from St Catherine's celebrated special anniversaries in October. Jo and Peter Day celebrated their Golden Wedding and Stephanie and Roy Walklate celebrated their Ruby Wedding. Jo and Pete were married at St Andrews Church, Kingswood in Surrey with English and Welsh relatives combined in singing “Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer” They had planned a family celebration this year together with Susie, William and grandsons but sadly Pete was not well so the family get together has been postponed until the New Year. The good news is that Pete is now much better!

Steph and Roy were married at St Michaels in Basingstoke. This year they decided to have a family holiday in Norfolk, a county that they are very fond of. They were joined by Alex, Amy, Jonny and his girlfriend and also by their two dogs! They had a special meal out, boated on the Broads and went to Cromer pier for crabbing – sounds idyllic! Both couples contribute so much to the life at St Catherine's – thank you so much and we all wish you well and send our congratulations! Rosemary Cunningham

BE AT PEACE-GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL! ‘This peace will control the way you think and feel.’ Philippians4:7 CEV Mother Teresa is attributed with saying, ‘l know God won't give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much!’ Is that how you feel today? Like there is too much to do and not enough of you to do it? Let Romans chapter fifteen, verse thirteen, percolate in your mind: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ (NIV). The way to have peace in the midst of a troubled situation is by staying filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. How do you do that? By developing a spiritual hunger and letting God fill you. He can give you a sense of serenity when you're surrounded by stress. So, if you're in over your head today, pray this:

‘Father, You said no weapon formed against me shall prosper (see Isaiah 54:17). I can't keep the enemy's weapons from being formed, but I know You will keep them from prevailing against me. You said if I ask anything according to Your will, You will grant my request (see 1 John 5:14-15). You said when I walk in obedience, I will be blessed when I come in, when I go out, when I lie down, and when I get up (see Deuteronomy 28:6; Psalms 1:2; 3:5). You told me to turn all my troubles over to You and You will take care of me (see 1 Peter 5:7). So here they are! Today I’m standing on Your promises. You said it! I believe it! That settles it! Amen.’ This thought is taken from ‘The Word for Today’, Daily Bible reading notes produced quarterly by UCB (United Christian Broadcasters Ltd) PO Box 255, Stoke on Trent, ST4 8YY. If you would like to receive these free (although UCB do welcome donations) notes or those aimed at Secondary School age, call UCB on 01782 911 000

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St Catherine’s Gardening Club I find myself, as I get older, appreciating God’s creation more and more. I suppose one has more time to contemplate the unbelievable beauty of a certain flower or tree. I particularly love the November light just now, when the sun is low, and just emerging in the morning to light up the huge variety of glorious colours on autumn trees and shrubs, sometimes against a peerless blue sky and sometimes against ominous dark clouds. I find myself reaching for the camera on my phone to try to capture that moment, impossible of course, but when I look at the photo later on my PC it helps me to remember how utterly uplifted I felt at the sight. Enough of me waxing lyrical about autumn colours! I have to confess to being “confined to barracks” for some weeks, due to family circumstances, so I’m not exactly up to date on what has been going on in the church garden. Last time I was there, Hazel had just spread soil improver all over the buttress bed facing South East, just around from the steps to the door from the sanctuary. She has great plans for bright colours in this bed, and had already started planting. I had finally finished planting Nerines in the bed along underneath the hall window.

creative, some simply clearing weeds. Sawyer’s mum Kathy has been a great help too. We’re very grateful to them both. In our efforts to achieve an Eco Church Silver award, Chris bravely climbed a ladder and put up a bird box on the trunk of the oak tree, and he and Hazel have worked together to build the framework of a “Bug Hotel”. It is on the corner of the top car park, next to the huge tree root covered in succulents. Children have been encouraged to add more “furniture” such as twigs, dead leaves and fir cones. We didn’t have to wait too long for the first residents to appear, apparently! In my ignorance I will leave Hazel to give more details! Hazel supervised the Brownies planting bulbs as part of the Tilehurst Remembrance Day activities this year. So now we must be patient until we see those shoots appearing while we enjoy this current season for all the beauty it brings. As always, do let us know if you feel you could help in the church grounds. Contact Jo Day 942 1481 or Chris Addison 07966 105 056 to find out more. By the time you read this we will be in Advent and looking forward to Christmas. We wish you all the Peace, Love and Joy that Christmas brings.

Our young volunteer, Sawyer, as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award , has been working hard under the guidance of Hazel on a variety of tasks, some more

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Jo Day “Weeds are ﬂowers too, once you get to know them” A.A. Milne

Christmas Fair Our Christmas Fair was held on 4th December and was a great success. Many thanks to the many helpers, especially, Sue and Sonia, the stall holders, caterers, people who put up posters and made the beautiful Christmas tableau outside and the talented musicians who accompanied the carols.

Talented young musicians, Daisy, Will, Leon and David from 79th Explorer Scouts shown here playing also provided great musical accompaniment to the lively community carol singing during the afternoon. They are fundraising to attend ‘Alps 22 Jamboree’ in the French Alps next August.

Thanks also to Tony and Madeline who arrived with the Rotary Club ﬂoat!

They will also be playing carols on the steps of the Tilehurst Methodist Church at around 2.00pm on Saturday 18th December to fund-raise, so if anyone would like to support them that would be wonderful. We also had a visit from a very special visitor who brought his sleigh and braved the cold outside to bring Christmas cheer to the children. I know you can guess who that was!

We were specially grateful to the superb bakers who provide cakes and preserves – we sold the lot!

I think we were all tired by the end of the afternoon but it was so worthwhile to see so many happy customers, some old friends and some who became new friends. They were so complimentary, friendly and humorous – Tilehurst must have some of the nicest residents on the planet! Rosemary Cunningham

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Tilehurst Triangle WI September 2021 was ﬁnally the month we had a WI meeting face to face. Although, we had enjoyed our garden party get together in August, this was our ﬁrst meeting in person with a speaker since February 2020! We were also in our new venue, the church, which we are very pleased with and has many assets. We had heard our speaker, Marcelle, on Zoom earlier this year, so it was lovely to meet her in person and see the beautiful embroidery produced by the women of Fancy Stitch. This enterprise selling their handicrafts helps women and children in a remote and very poor area of South Africa.

Our WI has decided that instead of Secret Santa at our Christmas party, we will donate the money we would have spent for this towards the cost of a water storage tank. In October, our speaker was hit by Covid and had to cancel. Instead, we hastily put together a quiz and members enjoyed a fun relaxed evening. Pleasingly, the speaker has recovered and has been rebooked for next year.

The talk also reminded us that clean water is a resource that is easy to take for granted. However, it is not so accessible to all.

A water storage tank

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Recently, we enjoyed Carol of the Bells playing various hits from musicals on handbells. Some members were invited to play too which was fun, if a little tricky at times. (Continued on page 44)

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FAITH St Catherine’s have been associated with FAITH for over 20 years supporting it with donations of food and money, who along with CCA and CIRDIC are Christian Charities supporting the homeless in Reading. It was founded by Jim McConnel in 1990 in response to the needs of homeless people in Reading. Jim initially operated out of the front room of his house in Norfolk Road, collecting food and clothing to be distributed to those sleeping rough. I remember dropping oﬀ donations at his house which was always full of items ready for his visit to Reading town centre. This led to a Drop in Centre every Sunday being opened at St. Andrews Church.

purchase of what was to become the Candle Tea Bar. This has been out in Reading town centre on Sunday afternoons almost every Sunday. It is also used for other events in Reading including the Pop Festival. After several homes in the early 2000’s it now has a permanent home in Boulton Road. Over the years FAITH has expanded its operation, but still focuses on the homeless – ReadiStreet, Bed 4 a Night, Stepping Stones, and ReadiFood which is not directly aimed at homeless people but nevertheless for those in need, who may be suﬀering from the causes of homelessness as previously highlighted.

As Faith grew it went mobile with the

(Tilehurst Triangle W.I. continued from page 43) Instead of our December Cuppa and a Chat, we had a very enjoyable lunch at Cafe Siena As always, Cafe Siena made us very welcome. Karen and her volunteers

(Continued on page 45)

served us a delicious meal at festive tables and we all had a relaxed and happy time, such a blessing after such a long time. We wish everyone at St Catherine’s a very Happy Christmas. Ros Somerville (secretary) 0118 941 6838 tilehursttrianglewi@berkshirewi.co.uk

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(Continued from page 44) In 2019 ReadiFood distributed 8500 food parcels. The Charity is staﬀed by 5 trustees and 450 volunteers some of whom are paid employees.

Supplying emergency food parcels to people in the greater Reading area

This Christmas St Catherine’s are collecting items for ReadiFood’s ‘Festive Food parcel’, and we will be having the annual appeal for ‘FAITH Helping the Homeless At Christmas.’ Thank you to all those who have supported Readifood during this diﬃcult year.

Providing a hot drink, a sandwich and more to anyone in need on the street

Much more information and pictures can be found on FAITH’s web sites. CCA is another local charity that we support, see overleaf for their recent Newsletter Paddy Barrett (Continued on page 46)

Providing food and shelter during winter months in partnership with Reading Churches

Homelessness So many people talk of homelessness as if it is as simple issue around not having a roof over your head The reality for most rough sleepers is way, way more complex, there’s • • • • • • • • •

Assisting people oﬀ the street and into accommodation including those with no recourse to public funds

Drug addiction PTSD Mental illness Domestic Violence Assistance cut Income inequality LGBTQ family rejection Alcoholism Student debt

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FAITH Christian Group and part of Transform Reading, a collaboration of Churches and Christian based Charities

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(Continued from page 45) CCA (Christian Community Action is another local charity that we support, this is their recent Newsletter. Paddy Barrett

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Vivace Voices Choir Many of you will know that we started our connection with St. Catherine’s many years ago when we hired the Hall for our weekly rehearsals. We were dismayed when the Hall was no longer available and we thought we would have to find a new venue. To our great relief we were offered the chance to move into the Church on a ‘free trial’ basis. It was a generous and much appreciated offer which worked well – we’re still there! Like everyone else we were affected by the Pandemic. Our Christmas concert had to be cancelled and lockdown meant we could no longer meet as a group. Zoom was our only option and, thanks to our inspirational Director Ian Westley and some of our technically minded members, we were able to ‘meet’ each week. Although it was strange not to be able to hear each other (finding the mute button was a priority) we were able to have tuition and keep in touch with each other. The sessions were well supported.

On the ﬁnal day we enjoyed tea and a ‘welcome back’ cake. Only a loyal and friendly group could have survived all this. The patience and support from St. Catherine’s has been outstanding and much valued. We’re delighted to be back in the Church again every Wednesday in term time from 1.45 to 4pm following the risk assessment rules and happy to hear from anyone who might like to join us – you are sure of a welcome! Norma Crockett www.vivacevoices.uk

We had hoped to have an Easter concert but that too had to be cancelled so Zoom had to continue into the summer term. When restrictions were eased we decided to hold our last two sessions outdoors and sang in your car park. We were lucky with the weather (yes, the wind blew the music oﬀ the keyboard but nobody minded)

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Simon the Leper (I'm no scholar - your opinion?) Scholars looked in vain for a small arch called "The Needle's Eye", to explain that "camel through the eye of a needle" parable. Or was that phrase just a trick to get attention? Old Hebrew writing normally omitted vowels. "Camel"? I'm told there was a similar Hebrew word for a thick rope, or hawser. Leprosy was a VERY HOT SUBJECT! Yet Jesus and others went to eat in the house of "Simon the leper" and NO COMMENT WAS MADE! Odd. Or (no vowels, again!) the word for "leper" was like a Hebrew word for a certain craftsman. Another interesting (and more delicate?)

word is "Son". We don't use it quite like the old Hebrews. Then, a son had to do a lot of work (e.g. on his ageing father's farm?), and to represent his Dad in important ways. Many scholars say that "son" could sometimes be a bit like "servant". In OT times, royals might be called "Sons of God", meaning they served the Almighty, represented Him, and urged their subjects to follow in His ways. Such talk can be awkward. (Once it was a "crime"!) But folk can quote diﬃcult words as they criticize us. We mustn't look clueless? It might pay to be ahead of them, armed with better, well-researched interpretations. Phil French

Solutions to puzzles on pages 12 & 13

ACROSS: 1, Tabernacle. 7, Absalom. 8, Incas. 10, Roes. 11, Captured. 13, Fright. 15, Cavell. 17, Cyclonic. 18, Herb. 21, Sonar. 22, Amazing. 23, Settlement. DOWN: 1, Taste. 2, Bold. 3, Ramiah. 4, Abiathar. 5, Lucerne. 6, Sacriﬁces. 9, Saddlebags. 12, Theocrat. 14, Incense. 16, Pilate. 19, Exist. 20, Save.

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Christmas Quotes With the true meaning of Christmas in mind… God did not send Christ to us; God came to us in Christ. - Don Skinner The incarnation was a historical and unrepeatable event with permanent consequences. Reigning at God’s right hand today is the man Christ Jesus, still human as well as divine, though now His humanity has been gloriﬁed. Having assumed our human nature, He has never discarded it, and He never will. - John Stott

The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child…. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. - J I Packer The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle. - C S Lewis Christ became what we are that He might make us what He is. - Athanasius

With Christmas entertaining in mind… some very light-hearted observations

He that made man was made man. - C H Spurgeon Christmas is the day that holds all time together. - Alexander Smith

Where there is peace, God is. - Anon

There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas. - Robert Lynd

Peace rules the day when Christ rules the mind. - Anon

Parents are people who bear children, bore teenagers, and board newlyweds. - Anon

Peace is a free gift, and it ﬂows from the pure mercy of God. - John Calvin

Some people use one half their ingenuity to get into debt, and the other half to avoid paying it. - George D Prentice

Filling the world, He lies in a manger! Augustine

We rob ourselves of much joy if we forget the loving and caring presence all round about us of the angels of God. - Maurice Roberts

The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them. - Kin Hubbard

Bells, the music bordering nearest heaven. Charles Lamb

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident. – Charles Lamb

Whatever we hold to ourselves is loss. Whatever we give to God is gain. - Gilbert Shaw

You talk about your pleasures to your acquaintances; you talk about your troubles to your friends. - Fr Andrew SDC

Who can deny that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of the most High God, is the eternal glory of the Jewish race? - Benjamin Disraeli

Drive carefully this Christmas. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker. Anon

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On the peril of choosing new kneelers The Rectory, St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren After all these years, I now understand why the non-conformist denominations sit down, rather than kneel, to say their prayers. That way, no decisions have to be taken over the number, size, shape, colour, material and design of kneelers in church. Our present set was donated by a retired Major-General in 1899 to celebrate the Relief of Mafeking, and after more than a century of use by the pious and not-sodevout has taken its toll. Like certain members of our congregation, they now look a little worse for wear. Many have sprung leaks, so that when used, a jet of flocking is emitted all over the clothes of their neighbour, who then leaves Mattins looking like a Yeti. Other kneelers have been occupied by grateful mice, who find them most congenial for nesting and who leave in high umbrage, creating chaos as Miss Mapp chases them down the aisle with her umbrella; that this provides her with the perfect excuse to leave before the sermon is, I am sure, entirely coincidental. The final straw came when my own, by some quirk in its design, now sounds like a whoopee cushion every time I kneel. It may cause the choirboys much amusement, but it lends nothing to the dignity of our worship. So, we have decided to have a completely new set – and therein lies the problem. Who makes them? What will be the designs? Who co-ordinates the whole project? There is enough here to occupy the combined minds of our Church Council for the next Millennium and there will be enough scheming, manoeuvring, signing of nonaggression pacts and formation of tactical truces to make the United Nations look like amateurs. Unfortunately, we do not have the ecclesiastical equivalents of the blue berets to enforce peace. The more patriotic members of the congregation have suggested they all show the Union Jack – presumably so they can be waved at appropriate moments in our services; one belligerent individual wants to see depictions of St Michael slaughtering the dragon, John the Baptist’s head on a platter and other such tasteful scenes; on the other hand, dear Miss Timmins wants them all to depict doves or small fluffy creatures, which would make the church look more like pets corner. Cutting through these vital issues, I have suggested that the entire congregation converts to Roman Catholicism.... and then we could stand for our prayers and do without kneelers entirely. Your loving uncle, Eustace

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St Catherine’s Centre Church and Hall regular bookings listed below To book Church or Hall contact Eve Combes  hall@stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk OR  07969 423 232. Monday Pre School - 7.30am-3.15pm (term time) After School Club - 3:30pm-6.00pm (term time) Exercise Class - 7.00pm-8.00pm (term time) Yoga - 8.15-9.15pm Tuesday Pre School - 7.30am-3.15pm (term time) Tuesday Get Together - 10.00am-12.00noon After School Club - 3:30pm-6.00pm (term time) W.I. - 2.00pm-4.00pm (3rd Tuesday) AA - 7.00pm-9.30pm Wednesday Pre School - 7.30am-3.15pm (term time) Communion Service 9.00am-10.00am After School Club - 3:30pm-6.00pm (term time) Vivace Voices 1.45pm-4.15pm Mothers’ Union - 7.30-9.30pm (2nd Wednesday) W.I. - 7.00pm-10.00pm (3rd Wednesday) Karate - 7.00pm-9.30pm Thursday Pre School - 7.30am-3.15pm (term time) Cafe Siena - 10.00am-2.00pm After School Club - 3:30pm-5.30pm (term time) Brownies - 5.45pm-7.15pm Karate - 7.30pm-10.00pm Friday Pre School - 7.30am-12.00noon (term time) Tots Praise - 9.30am (term time) Cafe Siena - 10.00am-2.00pm Friday Friends - 2.30-4.30pm Pick’n’Mix (Youth Group) - 7.45-9.15 pm (alternate Fridays Term Time) Saturday Yoga - 10.45-11.15am Crafty Space - 1.30-5.30 pm (once a Month) Cats Cartoon Club - 4.00pm (First Saturday) Bowls Club - 7.00-9.00 pm

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RG31 - The Parish Magazine of Tilehurst St Catherine & Calcot St Birinus

RG31 is published quarterly by the P.C.C. of Tilehurst St Catherine & Calcot St Birinus to subscribers (contact editor to subscribe, the cost is £5 for the year) or in digital form accessed from our website: www.stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk Editor: Tony Bartlett ℡ 0118 967 8659 Assistant Editor: Advertising: Richard Canning ℡ 0118 942 8238 All details and events are correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of going to print. The P.C.C. and Editors are not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by contributors in this magazine. We welcome contributions of articles or letters for future issues from anyone living in, or connected with the parish. All contributions for the next (Spring) edition must be received by the editors by the 27th March. Contributions may be sent to: © Tilehurst St Catherine & Calcot St Birinus P.C.C. 2021 Some material is © Parish Pump Ltd, and some © Dave Walker Cartoonchurch.com Cover Picture - Stuart Poore

The Anglican Parish of Tilehurst St Catherine & Calcot St Birinus ST CATHERINE OF SIENA Wittenham Avenue, Tilehurst, RG31 5LN www.stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk www.facebook.com/st.catherines.tilehurst Please check these websites for up-to-date information on services and other events We are ‘live-streaming’ our 10.00 am Sunday services so that they can be viewed via our Facebook page. Simply go to: www.facebook.com/st.catherines.tilehurst (you do not need an account to view - if asked to login or join, you can click ‘Not Now’). Once shown on Facebook, all our videos can be found again on our Web Site: www.stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk Every Sunday, The Ten O'clock Service - varies in style and contents each week, but will always be ‘family friendly’. It will contain praise, teaching, communion and usually include a time of sharing what God is doing amongst us. Refreshments afterwards in the Hall. On Wednesdays at 9.00 am - there’s Holy Communion in church, everybody welcome.

NOTE - All our services will follow the current Covid 19 guidance

Who’s Who in the Parish Vicar Rev Gill Rowell ℡ 0118 942 7786  rowellgill@gmail.com

For initial enquiries regarding baptisms and weddings, please contact Gill

Licensed Lay Minister

Mike Heather ℡ 0118 962 4852

Tony Bartlett ℡ 0118 967 8659

 michaelheather@btinternet.com

 tony.bartlett.ccc@ntlworld.com

Churchwarden Richard Canning ℡ 0118 942 8238

Churchwarden Caroline Heron

 richard@meadowsweet.eu

 caroline.heron123@btinternet.com

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