Clonallon & Warrenpoint with Kilbroney in the Diocese of Down and Dromore Area Dean The Rev Canon Myrtle Morrison For emergencies only 028 4372 2439
Clonallon and Warrenpoint Facebook https://www.facebook.com/warrenpointcoi/ Kilbroney Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KilbroneyParishChurchRostrevor/
Over the last few weeks there has been much advertising for school uniforms, stationery, and sports equipment, to help teachers and young folk prepare for the new term. We wish you all God’s blessing . There’s a “Blessing of Schoolbags” service in Kilbroney on 8th September … if you know folk who don’t go to any other church, this would be the time to invite them to bring their schoolbag (or work bag) and join in this shorter service of worship. There’s always tea and coffee afterwards! Thank you to all those who take a turn to provide this service.
“Back to School” reminded me that there is also a “Back to Church” initiative. It is usually the third or fourth Sunday in September … but it could be any Sunday! The months from September to December have a number of church activities which give us the natural opportunity to invite folk to join us in worship. The “Blessing of Schoolbags” in September, Healing Services and Compline in the evenings (first and third Sundays in Kilbroney), Harvest Services in October, Remembrance Day Services in November, the Christingle, Advent Carols and Nine Lessons & Carols in December. Let’s take seriously Jesus’ call to go into the entire world with the Good News. Sometimes all it takes is simply a personal invitation from a friend or neighbour!
Elizabeth Hanna (Editor)
Lectors
Harvest Thanksgiving Services
Sunday 13th October 2024
Kilbroney at 11.30 am Family Service
Clonallon at 3.00 pm Praise Service
These services provide a natural opportunity to invite folk to join with us in celebration. Please also read carefully the paragraph on Harvest Outreach on page 4.
Christian Burial
We extend our prayerful sympathy to all who mourn, especially to the family and friends of
Sarah Louise (Sadie) Goucher
Malcolm McMahon
Frederick (Freddie) Charles Barter
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. They are blessed indeed, says the Spirit, for they rest from their labours.
Revelation 14:13
‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ says the Lord. ’Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’
John 11:25-26
In addition we remember the family and friends of Tony Gallagher New Zealand
Stained
window made
two readings usually (not always!) Epistle and Gospel.
1
Lectionary Year B
Crafters on Wednesdays
Crafting (or chatting) in the Parish Room 11.00 am to 1.00 pm.
All levels of Crafters welcome.
Tea, coffee, a biscuit and craic are obligatory!
All are welcome
Tower Bells and Handbells on Thursdays
Tower bells 6.45 to 7.30 pm
Handbells 7.30 to 9.00 pm
Badminton
Warrenpoint Parish Hall
Mondays from 5.30 pm and Thursdays 5.30 pm until 7.30 pm
Join the WhatsApp group for updates.
Ladies Bible Study
Back in October
Sunday Explorers
11.30 am each Sunday
All children welcome!
Kilbroney Parish Room
Parish Prayer Time
10.00 am in the Parish Room Kilbroney
Each Wednesday
Everyone Welcome
Warrenpoint Parish Church
Open Church
From 11.00 am until Noon
Each Wednesday
Everyone is welcome to drop in for a bit of quiet.
1
st Sunday each month Wholeness and Healing
7.00 pm in Kilbroney Parish Church
This service will follow the liturgy printed in the Book of Common Prayer on pages 457 464. There will be an opportunity for the laying on of hands and anointing with oil for those who wish. When you come for prayer you’ll have a moment to tell God what it is that is on your mind
… we don’t ask any questions! Your request is known to God alone. Everyone is welcome to join us.
3rd Sunday in each month
Compline
7.00 pm in Kilbroney Parish Church
Everyone is welcome to join us for this traditional evening service.
As a means of outreach and witness, Clonallon and Warrenpoint will be collecting food for our giveaway table which will be on Monday 14th October at the gates of Warrenpoint Church.
This is a great opportunity to connect with the local community and a chance to share God's love. We will also be supporting the Cornerstone food bank. So we need a mixture of both fresh and non-perishable foods.
There are just a couple of things to keep in mind please: We ask for long 'best before' dates, and packaging and tins that are not damaged. These are all part of being a good witness too.
In Exodus 23 v 16 God's people were instructed to celebrate the harvest with the first fruits and in verse 19 they were told to bring the best of the first fruits. So, let's give God our first and our best.
Kilbroney parishioners Thiago Catani and Annie Hassen were married on 3rd August 2024
We send them our very best wishes. God is love, and those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16
We, Kilbroney Parish Church and the Rostrevor community, are so appreciative of the Shed’s annual river clean in advance of the Fiddler’s Green Festival. They report that there was much less litter than in previous years, but the dogs of Rostrevor need to really up their game. The number of tennis balls retrieved was unbelievable! Come on dogs, you can do better than that! Thank you Men’s Shed for doing this work.
Rostrevor Men’s Shed River Clean July 2024
Down in Possum Holler after church, Sweet Billy wanted to talk to the Rev. Josiah Du Right.
"Preacher, I heard you say t’other day that our bodies came from the dust."
"That's right, Billy, I did,"
"And I heard you say that when we die, our bodies go back to dust."
"Yes, I'm glad you were listening," the preacher smiled. "Why do you ask?"
"Well you better come over to our house right away and look under my bed, 'cause there's someone either comin' or goin'!"
The Church of Ireland is committed to ensuring all children and vulnerable adults are protected from harm.
Landscape Photography
William and Jonathan were very grateful to the Kilbroney Parish Select Vestry for agreeing to host our landscape exhibition during Fiddlers Green Festival in late July; and then continuing on display through August. We were encouraged by a good attendance at the opening night and thankful to Rev Elizabeth Hanna for officially opening the exhibition. There was a steady stream of visitors during the festival - from all over Ireland, from Denmark, Germany, U.S.A., Scotland, England, one visitor from Kuwait, plus many local folk. Many appreciative comments about the exhibition were written in the Church visitors’ book which was encouraging for us, and funds were raised towards the Canon Jameson Railings Memorial Fund through cash donations and possible sales (still waiting to be finalised at the time of writing).
Jonathan Heyhoe
Adams
Ansel Easton Adams (1902 –1984) was an American landscape photographer his black-and-white images of the American West. He was a life-long advocate for and his photographic practice was deeply entwined with this advocacy. Adams first visited Yosemite National Park in 1916 with his family. He wrote of his first view of the valley: "the splendour of Yosemite burst upon us and it was glorious.... One wonder after another descended upon us.... There was light everywhere .... A new era began for me." His father gave him his first camera during that stay, an Eastman Kodak Brownie box camera.
Ansel
c.1950
How can the Summer be over already? Where did it go? Where were those long sunny days? Anyway here we are again on the thresh-hold of a new term in the Ladies Guild.
We thank God for our Group and look forward to another year of fellowship, friendship and seasoned with fun together.
The Guild is open to all ladies. We meet on the LAST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7.00 pm
IN THE PARISH ROOM, KILBRONEY PARISH CHURCH, ROSTREVOR.
The membership fee is £20. Of course if you have never been before you are free to come along and taste and see before you join.
Over the Summer we were saddened by the passing of Sadie Goucher. Sadie was a faithful member of the Guild before Covid. Sadie's health prevented her from returning our meetings. We thank God for the lovely times we shared with Sadie in the Guild. We extend our deepest sympathy to George and the family.
We also send our deepest sympathy to Dorothy McMahon and the family on the sudden passing of her brother Malcolm.
Psalm 147 v 3 He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds
Our Autumn Term will recommence on THURSDAY, 26th SEPTEMBER AT 7.00 pm.
The topic is: The Price is Right with Lynda Quinn
Membership fees will be collected that evening.
Our October Meeting will a week earlier because of Halloween. So it will be held on THURSDAY, 24th OCTOBER AT 7.00 pm
The topic is: Quirky bottles with Karen Harding. Members are asked to bring a bottle and £2 to cover materials for decorating your bottle.
Our November Meeting will be THURSDAY 28th NOVEMBER AT 5.30 pm
This will be our CHRISTMAS DINNER. Details later.
Looking forward to seeing you in September.
Love and care
Dorothy Major Xx
Saint Bronach's Ringers at Taney
Well the auspices were good for a great day out which it certainly was!
We (Alan, Paul, Shelagh, Edward and myself) left Saint Bronach’s on time and in bright sunshine! We had a smooth trip until about 5 miles from Taney in an area of Dublin none of us knew well, we lost all mobile coverage and therefore no sat. nav - in other words we went round in ever decreasing circles until we found Taney Church just as mobile coverage was returned.
The Galbraith cup is decided between all the ringers from all over our Island, having been divided into teams with a mixture of ringers of mixed abilities as near fair as possible.
The ringers had great craic mixing and milling in the Church Hall which was incredibly impressive in size and facilities.
We enjoyed a fantastic BBQ in bright sunshine and the bells ringing in the background!
We didn’t win, but it was great fun taking part, although everyone did their best to win, it was good natured camaraderie (mostly)!
We had a smooth trip the way home and no problems with the navigation!
Many thanks to Alan Davis for driving us and his good wife Rachel for loaning us her lovely and spacious car. Kennedy Roberts
Open
Air Concert at Warrenpoint Parish Church
Saturday 10th August 2024
On Saturday the Warrenpoint Silver Band played an outdoor concert in aid of Warrenpoint Parish Church. The church will celebrate two hundred years in 2025 whilst the band will be celebrating 75 years. The sunny weather helped the atmosphere as people stopped for refreshments and a chat and to listen to the band. A wide selection of music was played including marches, hymn tune arrangements and more contemporary music. As usual the band relied on having a few subs from other silver bands, so a big thanks to Sam Woods from Wellington, Chris Dinsmore, St Peter’s, George McKee, Kilkeel, Stephen Gracey, Dynamic Brass and John Henry, Tullyvallen for their help.
Thanks to Warrenpoint Methodist Church for the loan of chairs, tables and flasks.
Memories of the Second World War Years
This is not a detailed account of the fighting during World War II, just memories of two small girls who with their parents happened to live in the rural peace of Killowen.
During the war, and for some years after, at Ballyedmond, a large private estate, the army had a camp. First there were British Soldiers, many of whom perished in the D-Day landing.
Next, the Americans arrived. The “Yanks” as they were known. They caused great excitement among the locals, especially the girls. Suddenly, folk who had never been further than Newry, Belfast or Dublin were speaking with an American drawl!
Rostrevor, the local village, was less than two miles from our home. In the evenings as kids, my sister and I played in our garden, which was next to and above the main Rostrevor to Kilkeel Road. We would throw the ball down to the ‘Yanks’ as they walked past on their off duty visits to the village.
They would kick it back up to us great fun! They would give us sweets or chewing gum: a real luxury for us as sweets were rationed and hard to get. Chewing gum soon became familiar to us. I can still feel my mother’s disapproval as she tinkled the window and shook her head and her finger at us!
At that time local families would invite soldiers into their homes as they became friendly with the young men. So far from their homes, the men kindly helped older folk with heavy household chores, cutting hedges etc.
Some of them visited our home. I have great memories of the two who came to us on Tuesday evenings. They played ‘rough and tumble’ with us kids. Apparently one of them had to go to hospital with damaged ribs, the only war wounds he received!
My parents kept in touch with the family for many years. At Christmas they always sent us a Christmas cake which came in a tin from Kansas. It was very moist and had big sticky cherries on top which we loved!
Joan Toase
Open Church = Visitors
Visitors to Clonallon on 3rd August from the Parishes of Keady, Armaghbreague,
The Canon Dermot Jameson
Work began on the new railings in early July. This has made access from The Square possible. The work is now completed with the arch. Thank you to all who have already contributed to this project.
An Old Bee
How can you tell?
Did you know that:
- one of the first coins in the world featured a bee symbol
First of all, if we see a bee on a flower it means she is a forager, and forager is a job for older, stronger bees. Bees have inside the hive jobs first, like cleaning or taking care of babies.
Second, we can tell by looking at her that she's been through some stuff. Her wing edges are pretty tattered and the fuzziness has worn off of much of her body.
So, this old lady is probably getting up there in age and may be 5 or 6 weeks old. Yeah, that's old for a bee. During the working seasons, worker bees typically only live about 6 weeks. Next time you see a bee on a flower, remember that she's an old lady and she's got work to do. Show some respect
- honey contains live enzymes. The metal spoon kills these enzymes. The best way to consume honey is with a wooden spoon, or a plastic one.
- honey contains a substance that helps the brain function.
- bees saved people from starvation in Africa.
- propolis produced by bees is one of nature's most powerful antibiotics.
- honey has no expiration date.
- the bodies of the world's greatest emperors were buried in golden coffins and then covered with honey to prevent them from rotting.
- the term "honeymoon" comes from the fact that the young couple consumed honey for fertility purposes after marriage.
- a bee lives less than 40 days, visits at least 1,000 flowers and produces less than a teaspoon of honey, but for her it is the work of a lifetime.
Thank you, dear bees!
Family, friends and neighbours gathered in Warrenpoint Parish Hall to wish Hugh a very happy 80th birthday.
When Liz returned from holiday a belated celebration was held after church when parishioners gathered to wish her a happy birthday.
To anyone else who celebrated significant events over the summer congratulations The Pointer is always happy to mark these occasions so please send us some photographs!
For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends. Ralph Waldo Emerson
So, finally the shallow dam is completed and the digger has gone. It used 78 out of the 80 hours so we have some funds left over to help with the final touches. We have set all the
levels across the dam, using a hose pipe filled with water, erected a fence around it, with a gate, to keep it secure. We have also constructed a pit latrine and a wash room for those who will come to the dam along with their livestock, to ensure a clean environment around the whole area. This has been a really successful project and your kindness and support is much appreciated. Thank you.
We also managed to install all our Boma Tanks. When we arrived in Kenya we had funding for 10 tanks, then we received funds for another 2 and so we were able to do 12 altogether! If you had any involvement in funding these tanks please receive our grateful thanks. The whole job took 3 days - not consecutive -
Day 1: visiting all the Bomas to assess each one.
Day 2: delivery of all the materials to each Boma.
Day 3: go with the work team to do all the installation ... a long day, from 7 in the morning till midnight.
We are so thankful for the energy to stick the pace. Now we're ready to go home!
Ronnie and Maggie Briggs
Where have the past four months gone? When we finished our Bible Study in May it seemed ages until October and yet in another month it will be here. Just to remind you DV our little Bible Study will commence on
TUESDAY 8TH OCTOBER AT 10.45 am IN THE VESTRY WARRENPOINT CHURCH.
We have been looking at Women of the Bible and we have met some remarkable women. There are a number of women who only get a very brief mention and yet the fact they are mentioned in Scripture they too have something we can learn from. So my train of thought is leading me towards them.
We praise God for his Blessing on us as a Group and we look forward to what He wants to teach us in this new term...whatever it is, we know that it will be good.
Father, we love to seek your face, we love to hear your voice. Father, we love to sing your praise and in your name rejoice. Father, we love to walk with you, and in your presence rest, for we know we always can trust you.
The Ladies Bible Study is open to all ladies. It's very simple and informal. You will not be asked to do anything. You will be most welcome.
Love, God Bless and stay safe
Dorothy Major Xx
Have you noticed that the days are getting shorter? that the sun, when we see it, is going to bed earlier? Have you noticed when out walking that the bramble berries in the hedgerows are beginning to colour? s the time to get the strong shoes on, find a couple of plastic containers, one big and one small, get out into the fields or forest and gather s the best form of relaxation that I
It s easier to fill a small container first and tip it into the big one, not so daunting as looking at a few berries in the bottom of a large container! The fruit along the roadside has accumulated dust and fuel smells so it’s best to pick fruit well away from the road. If you go into a field make sure that there are no animals in it and be sure to secure the gate before and after leaving!
This is my recipe for blackberry jelly. Prepare fruit, pick out any damaged or “livestock “! Wash fruit well.
Put fruit into large pan and BARELY cover with cold water, bring slowly to the boil, simmer a few minutes. Mash and drain through muslin, jelly bag, or a clean old pillow case! Best drain overnight to get the last drop of juice!
Allow one pint of juice to two pounds sugar (white bag). Mix and stir till dissolved. Bring to the boil, simmer a couple minutes and test for setting. Lift a teaspoonful of mixture, let it drop back into pot, if it drops gently it should be ready, if too runny give it another minute or so.
Pour into prepared jam pots! To prepare jam pots, wash well in dishwasher if you have one, if not, a good wash with detergent and very hot water. Leave in warm place to dry. Fill jam-pots, store and enjoy, give some to friends and accept the compliments!
Joan Toase
Thought for the Day
Festival Praise, Fiddlers Green Festival
As we are gathered here in the sacred space of Kilbroney church, let us reflect on the profound significance of celebrating culture, especially our rich and vibrant local and island culture on this final day of the Fiddlers Green Festival.
Our culture is more than just a heritage: it is the living, breathing spirit of our community, and we are a mixed community with room for all.
It encompasses our music, our song, our stories, our poetry, our dances, our drama and our traditions that have been passed down through the generations.
It is the tapestry that binds us together, giving us a sense of belonging and identity.
Here today, we have a largely Christian identity but that is not to exclude people of other beliefs or none, friends, neighbours and visitors, all are welcome.
My belief is that all our arts and crafts and music are given by God for us to use, enjoy and celebrate. Like the colours of nature, they are free.
the songs we sing and the stories we tell.
In this spirit of celebration and gratitude, let us give thanks for the riches of our heritage and the joy it brings.
May we continue to cherish and celebrate our culture:
Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, European, American, north and south, Australian, Canadian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, Turkish, wherever we are from, ensuring it thrives and inspires for generations to come.
ROOM FOR ALL ALL ARE WELCOME
We are all one under heaven.
So, thank you, and may the Blessings of our shared cultures fill our hearts with joy and peace. Joy and Peace! Say it together, ‘Joy and Peace!’ and again, louder, ‘Joy and Peace!’
Rev Canon Charlie Leeke
In celebrating our culture, we celebrate the resilience and creativity of our ancestors, who, despite adversity, managed to preserve their heritage and pass it on to us.
Each tune played, each song sung, each story told, each poem recited, each dance performed, each bell rung is a testament to their indomitable spirit and unwavering faith.
It reminds us of where we have come from and the values that shape who we are today.
However, festivals like Fiddlers Green bring us together, fostering a sense of unity and joy. They provide us with moments to share our cultural treasures with each other and with the world. They remind us that in our differences there is beauty, and in our shared experiences there is strength.
As we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, let us take pride in our culture and commit to nurturing it for future generations.
Let us celebrate it not only in festivals but in our daily lives, through the languages that we speak,
Across
8 Where the ark of the covenant was kept for 20 years (1 Samuel 7:1) (7,6)
9 One of the parts of the body on which blood and oil were put in the ritual cleansing from infectious skin diseases (Leviticus 14:14–17) (3)
10 Uncomfortable (3,2,4) 11‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have ’ (Malachi 1:3) (5)
13 Where Paul said farewell to the elders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17) (7)
16 ‘Jesus bent down and to write on the ground with his finger’ (John 8:6) (7)
19 Prophet from Moresheth (Jeremiah 26:18) (5)
22 Comes between Exodus and Numbers (9)
24 and 2 Down ‘Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under the ’ (1 Samuel 2:11) (3,6)
25 There was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7) (4,3,6)
Down
1 Rough drawing (2 Kings 16:10) (6)
2 See 24 Across
3 Underground literature (including Christian books) circulated in the Soviet Union (8)
4 Lo, mash (anag.) (6)
5 The Bible’s shortest verse: ‘Jesus ’ (John 11:35) (4)
6 ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her and have no compassion on the child she has borne?’ (Isaiah 49:15) (6)
7 Can be seen in a dying fire (Psalm 102:3) (6)
12 ‘Send me, therefore, a man ... experienced in the of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem’ (2 Chronicles 2:7) (3)
14 Second city of Cyprus (8)
15 United Nations Association (1,1,1)
16 One of the women who first heard that Jesus had risen from the dead (Mark 16:1) (6)
17 Braved (anag.) (6)
18 of Evangelism, outreach initiative in the 1990s (6)
20 ‘Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and in their own sight’ (Isaiah 5:21) (6)
21 ‘Neither nor depth... will be able to separate us from the love of God’ (Romans 8:39) (6)
23 What Jesus shed in 5 Down (4)
Church Notices that didn’t quite make it …
A talk on drugs will be given at the next Mothers’ Union meeting. This will be followed by a Bring and Buy Sale. A sudden gust of wind took all who were at the ceremony by surprise. Hats were blown off and copies of the cleric’s sermon and other rubbish were scattered over the site. The Rector is on holiday this month. Local clergy will be celebrating with us all the Sundays that he is away.
Don’t allow anxiety to kill you. Let the church help.
Don’t miss the Young Wives’ Victorian evening next month. It will be a fun night and some of the women will wear clothes.
9 out of 10 zoo dentists refuse to work on a Grizzly unless it has been given a strong anaesthetic. There’s safety in numb bears.
The inventor of the doorbell obviously did not own a dog.
The secret to a clean kitchen is simple. Don’t cook. Ever.
Christ and the Canaanite Woman
Annibale Carracci
This image is of a person known only by her country: the Canaanite Woman who pleads with Jesus to heal her daughter. She is a foreigner, probably a pagan, who is driven to desperate measures.
When a Jewish healer visits her Gentile territory, she seizes the opportunity. The disciples want to get rid of her, but our hearts go out to the woman in her persistence. She faces what looks like indifference in Jesus, then a put down, then a rejection. But her courage wins through as she begs for mercy, calls Jesus ‘Lord,’ and kneels before him. Her daughter is healed, and Jesus praises the mother as he says ‘Great is your faith’ – it is the only time we know Jesus used those words.
Annibale Carracci painted this moving scene in 1595 in Parma. He belonged to a talented artistic family, and here we sense his skill in capturing the warmth of this encounter. The woman points to a little dog, for the Greek word spoken by Jesus is kunaria, which refers to household pets, not the scavenging dogs that roamed the streets. Jesus reaches out to the Canaanite mother with an open hand. There is no mistrust and no suspicion as he offers hope and healing.
Perhaps Jesus communicated something about his own ministry in this meeting on foreign soil – that the kingdom he proclaimed will welcome all. As we read and look, perhaps we realize the need for that same spirit of mercy and goodness to rule our hearts and lives, wherever we may find ourselves.
Rev Michael Burgess
A Prayer
Bless those who are peacemakers, from all creeds and cultures, all who bring no other agenda than to see neighbour and stranger live together as one community. Bless the peacemakers. Strengthen and bless them.
Carracci
His cousin, Ludovico Carracci, painted the same subject at around the same time!
Bless those who are comforters, shoulders to cry upon, a willing ear to listen, a present help in times , of despair and hopelessness. Bless the comforters.
Strengthen and bless them.
Bless those who are healers of physical injury, and deeper hurts, whose touch brings relief from trauma and pain , who brings compassion. Bless the healers.
Strengthen and bless them.
Annibale
Ludovico Carracci
Saint Mary’s Gestingthorpe
By Edward Woolley
Way back in the mists of time, my father decided to retire from his job with Oxford University and take holy orders. He was ordained priest and in 1962 we moved from our village in west Oxfordshire to a remote village in north west Essex, close to the Cambridgeshire and Suffolk borders.
Our house in Oxon was situated at the SW end of Brize Norton’s main runway; we even had landing lights at the far end of our field. The occupants of ‘Brize’ then were the B47s and B52s of the USAAF (US Army air force) plus a spy plane or two = U2s!! So our new village, Gestingthorpe, was silent by comparison
Saint Mary’s Gestingthorpe was my dad’s new and first living. Here I have my memories fortified by photographs and web site; namely the Gestingthorpe History Group (with thanks to Ashley Cooper, farmer in Gestingthorpe and historian)
The main church is 14th century and built of flint, a stone very common in this part of the world. The tower was built of brick in 1520s
One morning I went into the church and the sun was coming through the east window. I found its clear glass very uplifting. The world outside, comprising fields of corn and trees in the distance, was visible and therefore ‘included’ in the church and our church was part of the outside world. Yes, one could feel secluded for prayer or contemplation; but a look up to the east and there was the rest of the world.
I am not sure when the east window was installed, but if it was at the same time as the chancel it would be 14th or 15th century. I have seen one source on the web which suggests early 14th century. The clarity of the glass especially on sunny days is enrapturing and a memory worth hanging on to.
The Oates family lived in this village and in the late 19th century they installed stained glass into some of the windows and also, on the north wall of the nave, there is a brass plaque “to a very gallant gentleman” namely Lawrence Edward Grace Oates who died in the Antarctic in the hope that Scott and the other explorers would survive.
Saint Mary’s from the south across the fields
The double hammer-beam roof is really beautiful too. It carries the date: 1489.
It might be sobering to think now that when my father became Rector, Gestingthorpe was his only parish and congregation. Now, I see from an Anglican web-site that Saint Mary’s is part of a team of 10 churches and the services at this church are:
Holy Communion:
Monthly, 2nd Sunday at 11:00 am for 1 hour
Morning Prayer: Monthly, 1st Sunday at 9:30 am for 1 hour
Compline:
4th Sunday, 4:00 pm for 30 minutes
Holy Communion:
4th Wednesday at 10:00 am for 1 hour
In 1967, my father accepted an invitation to move to the Isle of Wight to become Rector of Saint Lawrence church, in Saint Lawrence, just west of Ventnor –another church with windows.
Read Part Two (Saint Lawrence) in the October Pointer! Edward Woolley
An elderly lady walked into her local church. The friendly warden greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps.
“Where would you like to sit?” he asked politely.
“The front row please,” she answered.
“You really don’t want to do that,” the warden said. “The priest is really boring.”
“Do you happen to know who I am?” the woman inquired.
“No,” he said.
Water Drops Fundraiser and Art of Nations
During Fiddler’s Green Festival in An Cuan Susan Farrell ran a fundraiser from painting sales for the Water Drops Charity alongside April Feng’s Art of Nations exhibition. The Art of Nations everywhere from India to China to the U.S. and few places in between £283.53 was raised from the sales. This will go towards providing drinking water in remote villages in Kenya by installing tanks, and this will save many women and girls having to do 20 km round trips to fetch water and carry it back for the family.
Thanks to everyone who contributed. If you are interested in following the work of Water Drops go to their website
www.waterdrops.uk
“I’m the priest’s mother,” she replied indignantly.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked.
“No,” she said.
“Good,” he answered, and walked away quickly.
There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator … and only a fraction of people find that funny!
The Wankhade family from India are sadly leaving An Cuan, all the family are artists except Mum.
Susan Farrell
Lord of the Dance
During the Festival Praise service, on the closing day of Fiddlers Green Festival, the Rostrevor Children’s Choir gave a superb rendering of the Sydney Carter hymn with a most wonderful accompaniment.
I danced in the morning when the world was begun I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth at Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance, dance, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he, and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, and I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he I danced for the Scribe and the Pharisee, but they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me.
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John they came with me and the Dance went on. I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame; the holy people, they said it was a shame. They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high, and they left me there on a Cross to die.
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black it's hard to dance with the devil on your back. They buried my body and they thought I'd gone, but I am the Dance and I still go on.
They cut me down and I leapt up high I am the life that'll never, never die; I'll live in you if you'll live in me –I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
Sydney Carter 1915-2004
Lord of the Dance A Bible Study
by Janet Wootton
Telling the story of the incarnation as a dance has a noble tradition. Many medieval religious plays included an element of dance. In particular, the Cornish-language three day religious plays ended each day with a general dance, and an invitation (on the first two days) to return to hear tomorrow’s story.
One traditional song which seems to have come from this kind of background is ‘Tomorrow shall be my dancing day’, seemingly inviting an audience to come and ‘see the legend of my play’. The life of Jesus is then told in terms of a dance, in which Jesus variously calls his ‘true love’ to the dance, struggles with the
devil in temptation to break the dance and dies to lead the dance. At the end, ascended to heaven, Jesus opens the invitation to ‘come unto the general dance’. Sydney Carter takes up the theme of the life of Jesus as the great dance of creation, incarnation and redemption. The song has a light touch, like many of Sydney Carter’s texts, and conceals a profound depth of theological insight.
The song begins in John 1, with the pre-existence of the Word and the act of creation. But Carter’s text picks up the delight in creation which resounds through the wisdom writing in the Hebrew Scriptures. These wonderful writings are full of fascination with the natural world, expressed in breath-taking poetry. Job 38 describes Job’s encounter with God. Here, God describes the process of creation in dramatic terms. Verse 7 concludes one section with the words, ‘while the morning stars sang in chorus and the sons of God all shouted for joy’. This is the morning dance with the stars and the sun. The same delight in creation appears in Proverbs 8:30, where Wisdom is described ‘playing in God’s presence’ during the act of creation.
After dancing with the stars, the dancer descends to the earth. John 1 makes contact with the traditional Christmas story in Matthew 2, where the setting for Jesus’ birth is Bethlehem David’s City, the guarantee that Jesus is the Messiah.
But Sydney Carter is more concerned with the challenge and life of Jesus among ordinary people than with his otherwise kingly status. Two verses take us through all the tragedy and hope of Jesus’ life. A reading of Mark 1:14 – 3:6 gives the setting for these verses in its most concise form, though the whole of the gospel story is contained in them.
Mark 1:14 describes the mission with which Jesus sets out to proclaim ‘The time has arrived; the kingdom of God is upon you. Repent and believe the good news.’ As he began to speak this message, people began to respond. His call to the first disciples was simply, ‘follow me’. The fishermen, ordinary folk, responded by coming with Jesus and, in the terms of the song, joining the dance. But the Scribes and Pharisees refused to follow Jesus, and refused to dance. Their disapproval sounds a sour note through all these early days of Jesus’ teaching and their refusal to dance carries overtones of wanting the dance stopped.
Indeed, when the dance introduced a few new steps, breaking the old rules, the Pharisees saw their opportunity to act. Mark 2:23 – 3:5 tells of Jesus’ attitude to the Sabbath, and one of the main bones of contention with the Pharisees. First of all, Jesus and his disciples walk through a corn field on the Sabbath Day, and glean a few ears of corn to eat. For the Pharisees, this counted as work and was therefore forbidden on the Sabbath. Jesus answers with the common sense
response that, ‘The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath’ (Mark 2:27)
The Pharisees are now on the alert. They see him go into the synagogue on another Sabbath Day and note that there is a man with a withered arm. They watch to see what he will do and, of course, Jesus heals the man. After all, he asks, ‘Is it permitted to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ (Mark 3:4)
This is not the only time that Jesus heals on the Sabbath. Other incidents are recorded at Luke 13:10-17 (the woman bent double), Luke 14:1-6 (a man with dropsy), John 5:1-18 (the paralysed man) and John 9 (the blind man). Every time, the fact that the healing was on the Sabbath Day was a cause for controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees or Jewish authorities.
The first teaching of Jesus in the passage from Mark’s gospel ends with the Pharisees plotting with Herod’s party to have Jesus put to death (Mark 3:6). From now on, throughout the years of his ministry, Jesus is in danger and under threat of death.
Like the gospels, Sydney Carter’s song is divided just about equally between the birth, life and teaching of Jesus, and the events surrounding his death and resurrection.
‘Lord of the Dance’ records the torture of Jesus ‘whipped and stripped’. You can read the shameful events following Jesus’ arrest in Mark 15:16-20, culminating in the horrific execution method of crucifixion. This was not a quick or humane death. It was meant to be a slow, lingering, painful and very public execution. You were indeed, ‘left on a cross to die’, and many victims were there for hours before death came. We will come to the chorus later, but it has particular poignancy here to sing ‘Dance then . . . I am the Lord of the Dance’, when Jesus is immobilised, fixed hands and feet, to a wooden instrument of torture and execution, brings the singer face to face with the reality of Jesus’ death.
Jesus’ death was real. It was his final encounter with Satan, who had come to him, tempting, in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry. What was on Jesus’ back was the cross, and this was truly an instrument of the Devil. Blackness, darkness, was also a symbol of death. It is Matthew who records the darkness during the crucifixion of Jesus as a miraculous phenomenon (Matthew 27:45). The one who danced with the stars and the moon and the sun dies in the absence of their light.
And is buried dead, buried and gone. The stone is rolled over the mouth of the tomb, and the Pharisees breathe a sigh of relief: ‘they thought I’d gone’, but the tune carries us inexorably onward the dance is not ended, even by the anger of the Pharisees. The dancer becomes the dance, not just Lord of the Dance, but the
dance itself. Jesus in the moment of death becomes life.
The last verse celebrates this life and brings the truth of the gospel to the singer. Jesus is the life without end, the promise of life. Here, we are back in John’s gospel, with John’s characteristic use of the word, ‘life’, to mean the experience of eternity in the present age. So Jesus says, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me shall live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.’ (John 11:25).
In his great farewell discourses, Jesus expands on this relationship between the believer and the life that Jesus alone can give. This is for the believer, the disciple, who ‘dwells in’ Jesus and allows Jesus to ‘dwell in’ him or her. Jesus and the believer are at home in each other, and the life of Jesus becomes the life of the believer (John 15:1-10). The Lord of the Dance, who danced in the morning of creation and in the night time of death, dances in the lives of those who are willing to follow him.
Throughout the song, the chorus is Jesus’ injunction to the singer to ‘dance, wherever you may be’ and to follow the lead of the Lord of the Dance. This is both promise and challenge. We must not be like the Pharisees and refuse to dance, but for those who join the dance, there is healing and joy. ‘Wherever you may be’ addresses the singer in all circumstances. It is no facile command, for Jesus leads ‘wherever you may be’. And we are assured by the words of the song that this includes the times when we are facing betrayal, pain and even death.
Sydney Carter’s song contains and celebrates the full gospel of Jesus Christ, recalling the medieval imagery of the mystery play and the dance. It is a song to be enjoyed, as Wisdom enjoys creation. It is a song to challenge as Jesus challenged the Pharisees. But above all, it is a song to bring healing and hope to the singer in whatever the circumstances it may be sung.
In 1953, Chad was appointed Rector of Saint Stephen Walbrook Church in central London. Chad thought that in an emergency the citizen turns to the telephone and dials 999, so there ought to be an emergency number for suicidal people.
Chad decided the phone that the church had would be the answer. Chad knew that the new service would need a distinctive number. The telephone number for Saint Stephen’s turned out to be MAN9000 which Chad thought was fitting for a service for people.
Until, 1961, suicide was a criminal offence in Britain, and attitudes toward mental ill health had a long way to go. On 2nd November 1953 Chad took his first call at Saint Stephen’s from a person in distress. All he had offered to do was to listen, and not to pass judgement.
A number of volunteer helpers soon joined him as ‘befrienders’ or ‘listeners’. Despite the location and his vocation, he knew that the service was non-religious and not offering counselling. Instead it offered a non-judgemental, listening to the caller’s troubles.
Chad knew the service would only work if people knew about it. Luckily, his work of writing and illustrating articles for children's comics meant he had contacts at many national newspapers.
On 7th December 1953, just a month after launching, the Daily Mirror coined the phrase, 'Telephone Good Samaritan'. The man who wrote the article would
Although Samaritans is not a religious organisation, the name stuck, and word spread far and wide. Chad received calls from people who needed support on the phone, and face to face, and from many, many people who wanted to volunteer.
It soon became evident that the volunteers were doing the clients more good than he was. At first, Chad was sceptical of these volunteers. He let them sit with people as they waited for him. But people poured out their problems to volunteers and many felt no need to speak to Chad.
The concept of befriending, or ‘listening therapy’, spread to other countries and became an important way of supporting those struggling with their mental health. Volunteers – who listen, confidentially and without judgement – became the real strength of the service.
Chad learnt that an ordinary person can change the world for the better, help people who were frightened and distressed and by listening give them comfort.
In February 1954, Chad officially handed over the task of supporting callers to volunteers, and Samaritans as we know it today was born. People who contacted them became aware that they were loved by others.
In 2013 King Charles, then Prince of Wales, Samaritans Patron, celebrated their 60th Birthday.
“I'm deeply appreciative and full of admiration for everything, all these remarkable volunteers do. I'm sure you'll go on to grow in strength and effectiveness.”
Rev Mellissa Jeffers
The original telephone with the above label is on display in Saint Stephen Walbrook
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