Parish of Porthcawl April 2017

EASTER 2017

Porthcawl Parish Magazine

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60p April 2017

Porthcawl Parish Magazine

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April 2017

A little sunshine makes the world of difference!

Isn’t it amazing how a little bit of sunshine makes the whole world look so much better! Daffodils, Mothering Sunday and Easter – Spring is really here.

Once again in this issue you can catch up on what’s happening around the Parish. There’s news from each of our three churches, the 200 Club has been relaunched and it’s great to see so many of our young parishioners participating in our worship.

You’ll notice that this month we’re ‘playing it safe’ on the layout!

Technology gave us a bigger challenge that we anticipated last month and a number of articles were “chopped off” in their prime. I am so sorry, it is very frustrating when those virtual gremlins attack! This month’s crossword is a little easier as all the clues are included….I hope!

You can see a full and complete copy of last month’s magazine on the Parish website - www.parishofporthcawl.org - along with additional photographs and illustrations. Please have a look and tell me what you think.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue. If you have any stories or snippets, comments or contributions, please do let me have them. All contributions for the next issue to me by 24th April, please. And please keep sending the photos too – they really add interest to the website.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter, Helen Murdoch Please send magazine or website contributions to me at: parish@parishofporthcawl.org or call me on 01656 773645 or 07721 864493

Keep up with Parish news: On the website: www.parishofporthcawl.org On Facebook: search for Parish of Newton, Nottage & Porthcawl Lots of photos and up-to-date news - come and have your say!

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CHRIST HAS DIED, CHRIST IS RISEN, CHRIST WILL COME IN GLORY The Past, the Present, the Future—words we say or sing each time we gather round the altar. They describe the wholeness of our faith, the journey we travel through each year in Holy Week and Easter—and the expectation that journey still has further to go, that there will come a future time when all will be safely gathered in.

To start with the past. With Jesus we must go to before the Creation -’In the beginning was the Word and all things were made through him’. We hear the Story of man and woman made and unmade, the story of the fall, the wrong-making of choices which still afflicts us today because we too make wrong choices. We hear of Jesus, the second Adam, born among us to set us free, come to rescue us from our wrong choices and bad choices, God taking our flesh to lift our flesh to him.

We hear the teaching, the call to a better life where we learn to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are called to be good Samaritans, called to learn from the forgiveness given the prodigal son.

We learn about compassion for those outside ‘proper’ society—the leper, the tax collector, the prostitute, the woman caught in adultery. We hear the story too of Jesus despised and rejected, abandoned even by his closest friends and disciples. We walk with him on his way to the Cross, at one and the same time helpless bystanders and active joiners-in. We remember—it was for our sake he will hang and suffer on the Cross.

And there he dies. His grieving, despairing, returning friends take him down hurriedly and place him in a tomb—time is running out before the Sabbath. There he is left until the Sunday morning, early as the sun rises.

The Story differs in detail—it is confused because it is unlooked for, revolutionary. One thing is certain in all four gospels—when they go to the tomb the tomb is empty. Jesus who they had laid there is longer there, though the grave-cloths are. He is not dead.

He is risen.

We move from the Past to the Present. ‘He was dead; He is risen.

The change of tense is important.

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It is important because this new truth, this new understanding that life is no longer bounded by death, transforms our lives and gives a new understanding, a new perspective. Jesus’ rising from the dead means we live differently—our ‘is’ changes. For those who receive this truth—and not everyone will— we learn that with death life is changed not ended. God’s love in Jesus, shown in and on the Cross, shown in his taking of our death, destroys death’s finality. It gives us new hope and new purpose. And it give us something to share.

Something dramatic has happened– something which can transform a huddle of frightened disciples locked away in an upper room in case they themselves are dragged out to the Cross. And despite the risks (and accepting the risks) they take this new message out.

They preach resurrection—that is the message of the early church.

They preach a move from slavery to freedom—just as the Israelites went through the Red Sea from slavery to freedom. The Jesus message is for all—’In Christ there is neither male nor female, slave nor free’. It doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter what you have: ‘repent and believe the gospel’ - be converted, let Jesus turn your life around.

After forty days the disciples’ lives are changed: the Spirit comes and the proclamation begins. It is still costly—this is not cheap love. (Think of the martyrs of Egypt on Palm Sunday this year).

But the proclamation of this life-changing Jesus needs to continue though us and by us. Have Confidence—do not be afraid!

And he will come again, in power and great glory, to judge the living and the dead. The world is finite but God-made and God-loved.

Let that knowledge and that love be seen in the way we live, not just in what we say.

He is Risen. Alleluia!

Father Philip

Eastertide 2017

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Parish News Dates for your diary Parish Council—to examine the Accounts Tuesday, 9th May at 7pm in All Saints Annual Vestry Meeting: Ascension Day: Thursday, 25th May 200 Club (re)Launch—Saturday 3rd June 2017 Join us for an afternoon event to re-launch the Parish 200 Club.

Look out for more details on the website and Weekly Sheet.

Saturday 8th July 2017 St John’s Church Summer Fayre 2017 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land—November 2017 We would like to have three more people to make the pilgrimage this year. For further information, contact Pat and Tony Capron on 01656 789446 or crossfield.27@googlemail.com ********** Magazine Subscriptions Magazine subscriptions are now due. If you have not already paid, please pay the person who delivers your magazine.

Food Bank Donations Please remember that donations for the Porthcawl FoodBank are collected on the last Sunday of every month. Your contributions are always very much appreciated. Shopping list is on page 21.

Greetings George Jabbour has sent his greetings to the members of our churches. He remembers his times in Porthcawl with pleasure and he looks forward to visiting us again soon.

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Our aims as we relaunch the 200 Club: 1.

To live up to the impeccable standards set by Margaret Slaughter

2.

To have our first draw around the Church’s birthday i.e. Pentecost, together with a celebration

3.

To increase our membership

4.

To enable members of the 3 churches to get to know each other better

5.

To involve churchgoers with enjoyable fundraising!

If you are a new member or you haven’t yet paid for this year, please find an application form on the back of last month’s magazine - or ask one of the following people who will also accept your payment of £10 per Club number.

Saint John the Baptist - Iris Hickman All Saints

- Dilys Moxham

Saint David

- Gloria Long

The church wardens, Janice or Jean will accept your applications and payment if the above people are unavailable.

We’re looking forward to your support.

Janice Parkinson and Jean Flower

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Father Craig Thank you Over 60 pilgrims from the Parish attended Father Craig’s licensing on Monday 27th March at St Illtud’s in Llantwit Major.

It was a glorious evening and the church looked magnificent.

Supported by his lovely Mum and Dad, as well as so many friends, Craig made a great impression and had an excellent start in his new home.

Bishop David gave a very amusing address and the evening was rounded off by a splendid buffet.

Thank you Craig for your fun, friendship and dedication to us in Porthcawl. Your new Parish is lucky to have you and we offer you our very best wishes for the future.

Easter in the office It was Sunday morning in Jerusalem and the staff at Temple House, administrative headquarters for Religious Affairs, were making their way back to their desks after the short Passover break. They were doing so with some reluctance; last week had been particularly tough across all departments.

It had started in Finance; temple money changers had demanded compensation after someone had been allowed to run amok, overturning their tables. Next, Stewardship had complained that queues of impoverished widows carefully placing single small coins in the treasury were putting off the more prestigious High Value Donors; important men who appreciated neither the wait nor the smell. Around midweek, HR got wind that a man called Lazarus, whose sisters had just claimed welfare payments following his death, was apparently alive and well and walking the streets of Bethany.

Across the corridor, Safeguarding were investigating rumours that an unknown rabbi had been, in the words of a reliable informant, “suffering the little children to come unto him”. There was no documentary evidence of him completing the necessary training. Legal had spent half the week looking into what powers they had to restrict him.

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Communications had faced their own problems, when local media published a survey claiming an alarmingly high proportion of Sadducees did not believe in a physical resurrection of the dead. Getting out their rebuttals wasn’t helped by a meltdown in IT. Half the messenger pigeons had come down with bird flu and Maintenance couldn’t promise spares until after the holiday. To top it all, the secretary to the Buildings Committee had spent hours refuting claims that somebody had submitted an application to tear down the Temple and replace it in just three days. “Does nobody realise how many months it takes to approve moving a candlestick, let alone throw up an entire new building, and with unconventional construction techniques?”, she’d exclaimed.

Anyway, today was the start of a new week. Much of the trouble had been traced back to a single maverick preacher. With some help from the Romans, he had been appropriately dealt with. After that the Passover had been fairly quiet.

Actually, like most Passovers they could remember, it had been a bit of a let down. Every year, in the build up to the festival, there was at least a frisson of hope that this would be the time when God would act to save his people. Maybe this Passover would not simply be a remembrance of long ago but the moment when a new deliverance would be accomplished. It never happened, but the annual tinge of post-festival disappointment could not quite be expunged.

And the new week wasn’t shaping up well. Reports coming in suggested unauthorised removal of a body from a grave; was it a matter for Faculty administration? Some witnesses implied there had been violence against the troops guarding the tomb; did this make it a Discipline matter? A woman now claimed to have seen the deceased; perhaps it was a ghost, as he hadn’t allowed her to touch him. Maybe Deliverance were the people to handle it. Still, in every office there’s a place where the complex and difficult problems nobody wants to deal with get dumped, and Religious Affairs was no different. After all, if somebody was wandering around the city carrying a three-day old corpse that had lost its burial wrappings, it just had to be a case for Health and Safety.

David Walker is the Bishop of Manchester.

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April 2017

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April 2017

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Porthcawl Parish Magazine

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April 2017

Parish Trips The Museum of Childhood was enjoyed by 42 “trippers” and £60 was raised for Parish funds by a ‘belated’ hair cutting sponsorship!!

This is still open to donations if anyone would like to contribute.

Editor’s Note: Having made the decision to adopt a new hairstyle.

Jean put this to good use!

Upcoming Trips: Please look on the Weekly Sheet for full details.

1.

Ross-on-Wye, with tea at “Labels” on Tuesday 25th April this trip is almost full.

2.

Narberth and Haverfordwest - in May or June.

3.

Tewkesbury, calling back to the “Farmers’ Service Station” near Gloucester - June or July.

4.

Visit to Althorp to view some of Princess Diana’s dresses as well as her original home.

If you are interested in any of the trips, please contact Jean Flower on 01656 784864.

Jean Flower

A little light relief Three young people are shipwrecked on an uninhabited desert island. Among the debris washed up on the shore they find a bottle. When they open it, out pops the local friendly genie.

The genie says, “You can have three wishes. One each.”

After a little thought, the first young person says “I want to go home.” After the usual sound and visual effects, it happens.

The second person says, “I would like to be in a luxury hotel in the West Indies.” Three, two, one and it happens.

The third young person, not the ‘sharpest knife in the drawer’, thinks for a while and says, “I’m lonely. Bring the other two back.”

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News from All Saints What a lovely service we had on Mothering Sunday. As is now becoming a tradition, our young people took the lead and did us proud. The following all contributed to the prayers: Rohan, Isaak, Jude, Iwan, Anousha, Florence, Rex, Frankie, Abigail, Patrick and Rhodri.

They also distributed daffodils to the ladies in the congregation.

After the service, homemade cakes were sold - all made by the children - and the £66 raised was given to the Mothers’ Union ‘Make a Mother’s Day’ Appeal.

A huge thank-you to everyone for their generous donations and also to our young people for their excellent contribution.

Sadly we have had a number of funerals in All Saints in the past month: Liz Sumner, Jan Fletcher, Marcia Vaughan Leyson and Mary Evans. All will be sadly missed—May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

We are all looking forward to a choral treat after the service on Palm Sunday - a rare performance of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere by our augmented Parish choristers conducted by Roger Hudd. All Saints is a wonderful setting for this ethereal and evocative piece with that beautifully sung top ‘C’.

We also wish Jane Angell a very happy ‘special’ birthday!

Finally, as this little piece was “chopped-off” last month, we give a big thank you to Father Craig for his fun, friendship and dedication to our parish. We offer him and his family our very best wishes for the future.

Helen Owen and John Murdoch PS. Happy birthday to you too Helen you didn’t think we’d forget you, did you!

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News from St David’s Sad loss of a lovely friend The Rector announced the sad death of Jan Fletcher in the last issue of the magazine, but we wanted to recognise her contribution in Saint David’s too.

Jan fell in her house just before Christmas breaking her hip and received a partial hip replacement. She had a number of health problems following her return home and was looked after by her family, carers, and nurses.

She never really recovered and died during her sleep at home. A Requiem Mass was held in thanksgiving for her life in All Saints Church on 22nd March. The church was full, including six priests serving at the altar and others in the congregation showing the number of lives she had touched in the community and beyond.

In St David’s she was sub-warden and always worked hard in the church, with services, events and rotas and with management of hall bookings including opening and closing the hall. She was secretary of the PCC and tried to organise the Parish Office.

As well as this she was active as secretary of the U3A and even held a meeting of the U3A in her home during her illness. She spent many hours working in the YMCA (now the Y Centre).

She will be sadly missed. Our sympathy goes to her family, Mike, Anne, David, Linda, Katherine, Hannah, Noah and Poppy.’

Pat Parry

St David’s Ladies Guild 20th April at 7.30pm - an evening of members’ memories including when Anne had tea with the Queen and a wedding and afternoon tea at Margam Park.

18th May at 7.30pm - a talk with Leighton Rees ‘On the Beat’.

Leighton will include ideas about how to keep safe and will give an insight into police work.

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News from St John’s It has been very pleasing to see that some people have come forward to keep the 200 Club going.

For those who are already members, if you have not already renewed you membership, Iris Hickman is the person to see.

If you are not already a member, I am sure new members would be welcome. For just £10 per annum, it provides a very good source of income for the parish. Again, speak to Iris.

As I mentioned in last month’s magazine, the Flower Guild are collection for Lilies, in memory of loved ones, to decorate the church at Easter. They are a minimum of £3 per lily with envelopes in church, which can be given to either one of the Flower Guild or Denver.

It is good to see Iris back in Church. She is doing very well, getting stronger and walking better as each week goes on. Throughout it all she has been unfailingly cheerful.

As usual, on Mothering Sunday at the 11 am service, the ladies in the congregation received daffodils, this year distributed by Father Terry and David as they left the church.

Diane Jackson

Design-a-Poster Competition Children across Porthcawl are invited to design-a poster to promote the 2017 St John’s Church Summer Fayre. There are several age categories: 4 to 6 years : 7 to 10 years : 11 to 15 years and a prize will be awarded to one design from each category.

Guidelines for designing your poster: à All posters are to be on A4 white paper à Make sure all lines and colourings are made with felt tip pens or pencils – DO NOT USE CRAYONS à On the back of your poster you must include: your name : age on 23rd May 2017 : school or organisation Closing date is Tuesday 23rd May 2017.

We look forward to receiving your entries.

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The history of Easter Eggs As a Christian, the first image you see when you think of Easter may be the cross or the empty tomb. For the general public, with so many adverts and merchandise in the shops, it is more likely that Easter Eggs come to mind.

So how did eggs become associated with Easter?

Many Ancient cultures viewed eggs as a symbol of life. Hindus, Egyptians, Persians, and Phoenicians believed the world began with an enormous egg. The Persians, Greeks, and Chinese gave gifts of eggs during spring festivals in celebration of the new life all around them. Other sources say people ate dyed eggs at spring festivals in Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome. In ancient Druid lore, the eggs of serpents were sacred and stood for life.

Early Christians looked at the connection eggs had to life and decided eggs could be a part of their celebration of Christ’s resurrection. In addition, in some areas, eggs were forbidden during Lent and were therefore a delicacy at Easter. Since many of the earlier customs were Eastern in origin, some speculate that early missionaries or knights of the Crusade may have been responsible for bringing the tradition to the West.

In the fourth century, people presented eggs in church to be blessed and sprinkled with holy water. By the twelfth century, the Benedictio Ovorum had been introduced authorising the special use of eggs on the holy days of Easter.

In 1290, Edward I recorded a purchase of 450 eggs to be coloured or covered with gold leaf. He then gave the eggs to members of the royal household.

Once the custom became accepted, new traditions began to grow up around it. Eggs were dyed red for joy, and in memory of Christ’s blood. Egg rolling contests became popular, possibly as a reminder of the stone being rolled away. And the Easter Egg hunt may have grown out of the tradition of German children searching for hidden pretzels during the Easter season – now instead of hiding pretzels we began hiding eggs!

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Quick Crossword

Across 1 Lake District lake (10) 7 Skittles (8) 8 Fly high into the air (4) 9 Sibilant sound (4) 10 Chide (7) 12 Basic (11) 14 Big cat (7) 16 Looped knots of ribbons or fiddlesticks! (4)

19 Advantage (4) 20 Opening (8) 21 Poacher’s foe (10)

Down 1 Bounty captain (5) 2 Treachery (7) 3 Pen-name of essayist Charles Lamb (4) 4 Assembled (4) 5 Vertical part of a stair (5) 6 Wonder (6) 11 Wedlock (8) 12 Without restriction 13 15 17 18

or interference (6)

Dance (3-4) Penne, rigatoni etc. (5) More certain (5) Brazilian footballer, Edison Arantes do Nascimento (4)

Copyright Š 2017 Best for Puzzles

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Answers on Page 21

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A little light relief A cat dies and goes to Heaven. God meets him at the gate and says, “You’ve been a good cat all these years, so anything you desire is yours - all you have to do is ask.” The cat says, “Well, I lived all my life with a poor family on a farm and had to sleep on hardwood floors.” God says, “Say no more.” And instantly, a fluffy pillow appears.

A few days later, 6 mice are killed in a tragic accident and they go to Heaven. God meets them at the gate with the same offer that He made the cat. The mice said, “All our lives we've had to run.

Cats, dogs and even women with brooms have chased us. If we could only have a pair of roller skates, we wouldn't have to run anymore.” God says, “Say no more.” And instantly, each mouse is fitted with a beautiful pair of tiny roller skates.

A week later, God decides to find out how the cat is doing. The cat is sound asleep on his new pillow. God gently wakes him and asks, “How are you doing? Are you happy here?” The cat yawns and stretches and says, “I've never been happier. And those Meals on Wheels you've been sending over are the best!'

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Mothers’ Union News At our meeting on the 7th March, Hannah Leckie and Jean Humphreys from Marie Curie gave a talk on the background of this Cancer charity.

Hannah started by giving information of how Marie Curie came into being. It started in the same year as the NHS - 1948. It was a group of nurses from the Marie Curie hospital in London. The charity decided to focus on home nursing care. Nine hospitals throughout the UK and 900 nurses providing palliative care. They put patients and their families first.

Every day of your life matters. The right care and right support at the right time can help people with a terminal illness.

They deal with any terminal illness and not just cancer. They have a helpline which provides lots of information. The nurses in palliative care in Bridgend and Porthcawl provided over 3000 hours of care. Patients should not be left in hospitals but rather be at home. The nurses provide practical and emotional support.

Hannah is the local fundraiser for Marie Curie.

Jean told us how she got involved with Marie Curie. On the 8 September 2007 the worst thing in her life happened: her husband died. On the 15 March 2007 her husband told her he had got a bit of a bad back which did not go away. They went back and forth to the surgery but he still had the pain – finally they went to A & E and saw a consultant who gave her husband tests. The result being that he had terminal cancer and there was no treatment.

He had about 3 months to live.

He had his first treatment at Velindre and then went to the Marie Curie hospice in Penarth where the treatment was second to none. There the nurses had more time for him but he wanted to come home to die.

Marie Curie is not completely funded by the NHS – 40% comes from the NHS and 60% from fundraising. Over the last 4 years they have raised over £70,000 in Bridgend and Porthcawl alone.

Sue Coughlin

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e-mail: belleviewmason@live.co.uk

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Crossword Answers

Foodbank Shopping List: ANY of these would be welcome Sugar (950g / 1kg bag)

Coffee

Longlife or powdered milk

Teabags

Baby food (tins or jars)

Biscuits

Packet soups

Tinned fish

Tins of soup

Tinned meat

Tinned vegetables

Cereals (not large family size)

Tinned fruit

Sauce (HP or tomato ketchup)

Pasta sauce

Toiletries

Pasta / Rice Collection in all churches on last Sunday of the month

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Pause for Thought

A New Day This is the beginning of a new day God has given me this day to use as I will.

I can waste it - or use it for good.

What I do today is important, for I am exchanging a day of my life for it!

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, Leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.

I want it to be gain, not loss; Good not evil; Success not failure, In order that I shall not regret The price I paid for it

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