May 2011 - Sodbury Vale Benefice

The Sodbury Vale Benefice

2011

Chipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury, Horton & Little Sodbury

O U T LO O K

magazine

May

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Contacts Rector The Rev. Canon Jane Kenchington, 01454 313159 email jane@kenchington.plus.com Assistant Curate The Rev. Val Bexon, 01453 521417 email:valeriebexon@onetel.com

Regular Weekly Events Sunday 9.00am Breakfast Club Church Centre Chipping Sodbury 11.00am Brunch Bunch, Church Centre Chipping Sodbury Monday 8.45am Morning Prayer, St John’s Chipping Sodbury 7.30pm Bell Ringers’ practice Church Tower Chipping Sodbury Wednesday 8.30am Morning Prayer, St John’s Chipping Sodbury Thursday 8.45am Morning Prayer, St John’s Chipping Sodbury 7.00pm Choir Practice, St Johns’s Chipping Sodbury Friday 10.00am Tubbie Tots Church Centre Chipping Sodbury 7.00pm Youth Club (age 11-18) Baptist Church Centre

Churchwardens Chipping Sodbury

Little Sodbury Nigel Rawlins Little Sodbury House, Little Sodbury, BS37 6QA 01454 312 269 Nancy Nagle Winchcombe Cottage,Little Sodbury End 01454 319798

Horton Tina Hildick-Smith Kirrin House, King Lane, Horton 01454 320380 George Hammersley 2 Adringal Cottages, Horton Hill. Horton 01454 318863

Church Office Open during term time Monday, Tuesday & Thursday mornings 9.00 - 12.00 01454 325160 Email stjohns.sodbury@talktalk.net Web Site www.sodburyvalechurches.wordpress.com Advertising Sylvia Franklin St. John’s Church Centre 07788 111 726

Paul Jones-Williams 1 Meadow Mead, Yate 01454 324970 Keith Stanley 132 Harescombe, Yate 01454 319467

Old Sodbury Val Walker 16A Melrose Avenue, Yate 01454 318286 Tony Dixon 16 Chatterton Road, Yate, BS37 4BJ 01454 321 528

16 volunteers were commissioned as Street Pastors on Sunday 17th April.

They will initially be out & about on the streets of Chipping Sodbury on Fridays between 10pm and 2am. Please pray for 2 them.

Dear Friends, Do you like travelling? Are you adventurous or do you prefer to go to places familiar to you?

During Holy Week we were encouraged to accompany Jesus on his last journey that led to the cross. We cried "hosanna!" as we re-enacted Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. We have tried to imagine what it was like for Jesus being betrayed and deserted by people he thought were his friends. We have pondered the events of Good Friday how he carried his cross along the via dolorosa - a very narrow street where he would have jostled against people. And we have tried to understand a bit better his journey through death to resurrection and what that means for us in our own lives and communities.

Easter Day is not the end - it's just the beginning. There was the journey to Emmaus; there were all the events that happened and are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles - of people's lives being turned upside down and transformed by encountering the risen Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit. People who thought they were journeying in one direction found themselves turned round and travelling somewhere new - stepping out into the unknown but knowing that this was a journey into new life into a God-filled life.

Jesus journeyed; the early Christians embarked on new journeys and we're all on a journey - the journey of life. But we're called to be on a journey walking closely with Jesus; a journey that'll have its ups and downs, but a journey where we know we're not alone and where we're empowered by God's Holy Spirit to live that new kind of life that only God can give. How's your journey going? Do you know where you're going? Are you going in the right direction?

Are you being challenged to step out a bit into the unknown and allow God to be in charge instead of you always determining what'll happen?

Journeying is often better if we're not always alone. Christians aren't meant to be isolated. We need each other to help us on our Christian journey. Some might cynically say, "God gave us Jesus and we got the Church!" We might criticise the Church, but that's what we've got and it's up to us to make it a better place. On Rogation Sunday, we'll gather together as a Benefice in Horton church and worship together and then go for our Benefice walk.

Gathering together helps us to get to know each other better and we can be an encouragement to one another. So do come along - journeying can be fun!

With love and prayers, Rev. Canon Jane, Kenchington, 01454 313159, email:jane@kenchington.plus.com

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The Bishop of Gloucester, The Right Revd Michael Perham visited the Benefice on March 27th and preached at services at Chipping Sodbury and Old Sodbury.

Bishop visits Benefice

He brought with him the new Dean of Women's Ministry, Robbin Clark who has migrated from sunny California to set up her home in Gloucester.

Mothers Union Coffee Morning & Plant Sale May 14th 10 am– 12 noon at the Church Centre Chipping Sodbury.

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Parsons, son and daughter-in-law of David and Christine, live in Kenya and work in Kibera for the Turning Point Trust.

Kibera was recently the subject of two television programmes shown by the BBC on the lead up to Comic Relief. I would like to hold a coffee morning in my house, not only to raise some money for the project but also to further raise the profile of the Turning Point Trust and the work being done there.

If you are able to come to 16 Hounds Close, Chipping Sodbury on Saturday Hello from Kibera! Exciting times for May 7th anytime between 10.30am and Turning Point as we look to open our 12.30pm we should be pleased to see next centre in Kibera. Following some you. research last year, we plan to open a centre that will target daytime street kids, Ann Gay offering them access to food, education, and healthcare, and giving them an How can YOU help?... opportunity to know and experience Have you got an idea to fundraise for God's love for them. The centre will be Jon & Jo to help them with their vital part-run by a social worker who will be work in the slums of Nairobi - if so trying to reach out to teenage girl please have a chat with David Parsons prostitutes, some as young as 14, who operate in the area. Our football coach Wotton-under-Edge will operate from this new centre, with The Rowe Veterinary Hospital some of his time dedicated to managing Bradley Green a youth drop-in centre where young Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire people will be able to get together to Tel: 01453 843295 socialise and chat, be befriended by our Yate staff, and hear the Good News of Jesus Yate Veterinary Surgery for themselves. We have identified the 9 Station Road site, and are in negotiations right now to Yate Bristol purchase the property. After that it will be Tel: 01454 318016 all go as we plant a church there, then Thornbury open the centre and see who God brings Thornbury Veterinary our way. As I said, exciting times!

Surgery

News from our mission partners in Kenya:

3 Pullins Green Thornbury Bristol B35 2AX Tel: 01454 425478

Please join me for coffee.

Most people in the Benefice know that Jon and Jo

Bradley Stoke

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The Rowe Veterinary Hospital Bradley House Ferndene Bradley Stoke Bristol Tel: 01454 275000

Old Timer Visits St John's at Old Sodbury gets many old timers passing by on the Cotswold Way but none so obviously interesting as this vintage vehicle belonging to Alex Hunter.

His fabric bodied 1929 Humber 9/28, with a coach built body by Weyman attracted considerable attention from young and not so young alike - Val is wondering if her own 'post vintage thoroughbred', T reg Renault Clio will ever to be viewed with such enthusiasm.

Blokes @ A number if things for blokes to do in the Benefice are being considered in the coming months and we would like to compile and invitation list so need a whole load of contacts. Emails are probably the best way to make contact as blokes seem to spend hours on their computers (or so they are told).

So if you would like to be invited to coffee mornings with a difference, walks with boots and beer or anything else please send your email address to Stuart on bexon@onetel.com - making suggestions for activities if you wish.

For a lovely selection of cards for every occasion

Sodbury Cards Cards • Giftwrap • Balloons

Vouchers

Two floors of quality cards & gifts 54 Broad Street, Chipping Sodbury

Tel 01454 273999 6

If you have any supermarket vouchers looking for a good home please put them in the boxes provided in our churches. They will be passed on to our C of E schools in Chipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury and Horton.

Say it with flowers Luckily it was Mothering Sunday when Tony Dixon was first on duty as new church warden at St John's, Old Sodbury, so champion warden Val Walker 'mothered' Tony with some flowers to welcome him to the team.

good opportunity to explore the possibility.

Candidates will be confirmed on July 17th at Chipping Sodbury.

If you would like information and need further guidance please talk with Val or Jane.

.....here’s one we missed

Sources close to Kate Middleton have revealed that a confirmation ceremony was carried out recently by Bishop of London Rt Revd Richard Chartres, in a Follow the trend private service at St James' Palace. In It is becoming increasingly popular to be attendance were Prince William and members of Miss Middleton's family.

Confirmed in later years and so a number of candidates are already joining Baptised at St Andrew's Bradfield, Berkshire, at just five months old, she us for the start of our preparation course had not been confirmed as a schoolgirl. on May 11th. Many of our churchgoers Now she has taken up the formal have never been confirmed and this is a commitment to faith at age 29.

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Sodbury Vale Benefice Calendar May 2011

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Royal endorsement

Bible: Facts & Figures The King James Version of the Bible is 400 years old and was heavily influenced by the works of William Tyndale who lived and studied within our Benefice.

The Old Testament contains 592,493 words, 23,214 verses, 969 chapters and 39 books. The New Testament has 181,253 words, 7,959 verses,260 chapters and 27 books.

The first word in the Bible is "in" and the last word of the Old Testament "Curse" and in the New Testament it is "Amen".

The Prince of Wales has described the anniversary of the King James Bible as 'part of the very architecture of our culture'.

The Prince has written the foreword to a special 400th anniversary edition of the KJV Bible, published by Bible Society.

Receiving a leather-bound copy of the new edition at Clarence House, the Prince described the Bible as 'a benchmark of civilisation.'

HRH Prince Charles says, 'I have always given a high priority to the spiritual roots of our society. I do believe that the survival of civilised values, as we have inherited them from our ancestors, depends on the corresponding survival in our hearts of that profound sense of the sacred.'

The most common word is "and". The most common nouns are Lord, 7,970 times, God 4094 times, Man 3,323 times, King 2404 times and Sin 1016 times.

The middle of the Bible is the 8th verse of Psalm 118. The Bible has been translated into at least 2,454 languages.

It is said that the Bible can be read in 70 hours and it is also reported that Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, memorised the entire Bible in around 3 months. If you don't believe any of this "Yea of little faith" (Matthew 6:30/14:31) -this quotation, together with scores of other everyday sayings are taken from the Bible.

A series of talks are being hosted by Trinity College and the Bristol Baptist College at Christ Church, Clifton this year - the next one "The Bible and Jesus" is on Wednesday May 18th at 8pm - free admission. More details from www.biblefresh.com

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Rogation walk

delightful South Gloucestershire countryside.

Our GPS calorie counter indicates that this is a good opportunity to burn off a few unwanted calories but be warned tea is at 4pm in the church and you are very likely to add some more.

Summer Fete It's that time of year ago to 'beat the bounds' and walk around the parish but this year we are going to make it a little easier - by popular request Following a Benefice service at St James the Elder, Horton, on May 29th we will set off around noon to take a leisurely 7 mile stroll through the

Chauffeurhire

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Saturday July 2nd is the day when St John's Church, CS will be joining our church school, St John's Mead, to hold a summer fete in the school grounds. We need to start planning what we want to do soon, so if you have new ideas for stalls, games or other activities, please let Paul Jones-Williams or Christine Stephens know.

For the record Rex Isaacs of Horton is presented with a signed certificate at St James the Elder, Horton

by Maththew Higby who rehung the bells recently . It shows the weight, foundry and dates a f all the bells.

Prayers St John's Mead School Once a term,a small group of staff & friends of St. John's Mead school meet informally to pray for the life & work of the school during the coming term.

The next meeting will be on Monday May 16th. at 9.00a.m. in the Resource Centre at school.

Please join us there if you are able, otherwise remember our Church School in your own prayers at that time.

10Dorothy Downing, Foundation Governor.

Here's one I made earlier

Talent on the PCC?

The brand new Nativity Exhibition at St Johns' will be opened by Bishop John Went on November 29th and will run until December 4th.

A great chance to brush up on your Blue Peter skills as we need shed loads (well actually stable loads) of entries into this innovative exhibition.

The one pictured is crafted from wood please note the creative use of timber from one of the St John's felled trees.

These two PCC members drew self portraits during an 'activity session' recently - one is young and the other even younger. There are no prizes for guessing who is who.

National Family Week The Big Bible Storytime Wednesday 1st June 6.30-7.30pm St John's Church Centre.For all ages Come and hear some of the best bible stories.. Pyjamas welcome & don't forget to bring your teddy!

The best nativity crib scenes are the ones you make yourself - remember Huw Weldon "well and truly - all your own"? He later became managing Director of BBC TV. And if you don't remember him dig out your Blue Peter badge and start creating.

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World Partnership Sunday

An invitation Have you ever wondered what the people working for the diocesan departments in Gloucester are doing?

Do you know how many people there are and what skills and services they have to offer? Some of you will feel that central departments cost too much and others will value the services individuals like Sandra Millar, the Children's Officer, or Andrew Braddock, the Diocesan Missioner, provide to church communities across the Diocese.

We are planning a lively and informative day and look forward to welcoming you to Gloucester Cathedral on 8 June (1pm to 5.15pm)

On Sunday 8 May, churches in and around Gloucestershire will be celebrating their links with the worldwide Church. The Diocese of Gloucester has five diocesan links from around the world; the Diocese of Karnataka Central and the Diocese of Dornakal in India, the Diocese of Västerås in Sweden, the Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Africa and the Diocese of El Camino Real in America. Bishop Vasanthkumar and Bishop Devamani from our Indian partner dioceses will be coming to a service of celebration in Tewkesbury Abbey at 3pm. Everybody is welcome to attend the service on Sunday and enjoy imaginative and inspiring music and worship. To find out more about our links see our new brochure One World One Church at www.gloucester.anglican.org/downloads/ 2164.pdf Saturday 21 May, 9.30am to 4pm Faith Day with John Coles, St Andrew's Churchdown.

A day of encouragement, faith building and worship. £8/£5 concessions. Tickets on sale after Easter from the Church Office 01452 712154. email jos@josgregson.plus.com

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Brunch Plus Song Contest

The Chocolate Biscuit Ministry The Chipping Sodbury Mop 25th March 2011 A small team opened the Church Centre again whilst the Mop Fair was happening to offer toilet facilities, warm drinks and a place to chill out. We have been offering this hospitality for more than 3 years just on the Friday evening of the mop from 7.30ish onwards. Nights can be varied from the very quiet to the totally chaotic. We also go out onto the streets to get an idea of the mood and to help anyone who may need it. We don't advertise but just have a sign on the open door offering toilets. Our team consists of Sam Jones-Williams, Rosie Pearce and Paul & Jenny Lucas. This year we welcomed over 40 people in, from families of their way home to teens just going out. It was very quiet, but we were able to serve lots of hot chocolate & chocolate biscuits to grateful teens who had run out of money and some of the security staff. We discovered that it was also quite a popular place to arrange to meet friends they had become separated from. We had some amazing conversations with the young people. Sometimes they don't know what the building is, and they always ask why we do it for free. What a fantastic way to explain faith in action! God has really blessed this outreach and we will continue to provide as long as it's needed.

The Church Centre was alive with the sound of Music on Friday 1st April as the young people of St John's Brunch met for a karaoke evening. The Playstation was linked to the projector and almost all joined in having a great time singing along to some classic tunes. Memorable moments included Lizzie and Sarah's 'Year 3000' by Busted, and Dom & Lizzie's version of Sonny & Cher's 'I got you babe'. Phoebe was the overall winner with her highest score for 'White Flag' by Dido The next Brunch Plus will be on Friday 13th May 7.30-9.30pm and Brunch is on Sundays between 11am and 12.15pm.

Anyone in years 7-13 is welcome to come along.

For more details contact Paul & Jenny Lucas 07967 763799

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13 Email: office@lenergy-assessor.co.uk

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Private Chapels of Rest at Coalpit Heath & Yate

HOLIDAY HOME

Baptisms - we welcome into the Church: 27 February 2011 Emma Sophia Grace Standerwick in St James the Elder, Horton 6 March 2011 Joseph Nicholas Roberts in St John's, Chipping Sodbury 20 March 2011 Austin Andrew Wiltshire in St John's, Old Sodbury Marriages - we send our congratulations to: 26 March Emma Smith & Paul Plummer in St John's, Old Sodbury 26 March Nicola Thornton & Andrew Daniel (Dedication & Blessing after a Civil Marriage Ceremony) in St John's, Old Sodbury 9 April Kelly Rae & Gareth Box in St John's, Old Sodbury Funerals - we extend our sympathy to the families and friends of:

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25. March Melvyn Lionel Smith aged 65 (at Westerleigh Crematorium) 31 March Michael Keith Parker aged 83 (at Westerleigh Crematorium) 6 April Mabel Mary Mason aged 103 (at St John's, Chipping Sodbury) Are you being called?

National Vocation Conference: Exploring Ordination

Is being held at Glenfall House, GL54 4EP, Friday 22 to Sunday 24 July Contact the Revd Catherine Williams, National Advisor for Ordinations, 0207 898 1593, Catherine.williams@c-of-e.org 14

Hat trick

Easter Cross "We're going to make a presentation to the Church of a mosaic cross that is a symbol of the strong links we hope to continue having with our church" This is what the children of Horton school promised and this was the Rectors response.

"I am delighted and touched that Horton School has presented this beautiful cross to St James' Church. I am using it on Good Friday at the service we'll have in church and I'll make sure the cross is regularly in a prominent position in St James. I really value the link we have with the school".

Jane Kenchington 7th April 2011

Easter Craft Morning Saturday the 2nd April was our Annual Easter Craft morning for 5-11s. 12 children signed up for a variety of crafts including Easter cards, baskets and handprint flowers. The most popular craft was painting ceramic watering cans, even though it did require aprons!

The children who cam are also now eagerly anticipating the growth of their seeds planted in their Easter gardens.

These were made with paths and straw trees and of course a cave with the stone rolled away. This gave us the opportunity to talk about the Easter story. Our refreshments were kindly provided by Dorothy who produced a big tin of chick & bunny biscuits, which were dairy free to the delight of one of the children!

Look out for the next craft morning at Christmastime!!

The youngest member of the JonesWilliams family has joined the St John's PCC at Chipping Sodbury. ….and she is also probably the youngest person ever to serve on the church council.

In cricket terms it is a hat trick, in biblical terms a trinity but for us it's just good news - lets hope she keeps her parents in order.

We wish her well in her new role and look forward to her making an impact on the future of our church.

Richard Kenchington Domestic Structural Engineer

MSc(Eng), CEng, MICE, ACILA Chartered Civil Engineer & Chartered Loss Adjuster

ŸSteelwork & timber design. ŸStructural surveys. ŸSubsidence specialist. ŸFoundation problems. ŸProject management.

The Vicarage, Horse Shoe Lane, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol BS37 6ET

Telephone: 01454 324888

15 E-mail: richard@kenchington.plus.com

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