St Mary's Christmas Magazine 2009

St Mary’s Parish Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 30

Christmas 2009 www.woodfordstmarys.org.uk

Getting to know each other A few weeks ago, I met a baby boy, born on the day of my licensing service in St Mary’s. He was smiling, content, with bright eyes taking everything in, learning about the wonderful world around him.

In the same way, over the last three months I have been learning about the wonderful world of St Mary’s, impressed by the warmth, talents and commitment of the many members. I have been trying to learn who is who - and who knows whom. I have been discovering who does what, and what goes where.

It’s a lot to take in. I have been working at it full time, and I realise that it must be harder for new church members, with less time to get involved in our community. So I have asked the Fellowship Committee to organise an evening event in January, for newcomers to the church.

As there hasn’t been such an event for some time, we will interpret ‘newcomers’ to be those who have joined in the last five years.

There will be a chance to sign up for this after Christmas.

Welcoming new members, and making them part of our community, is important if we want our church to grow. Yes, some will be attracted and retained by the worship, or by the preaching. However, most people want to build friendships with people whom they can get to know and trust. In churches with more than 100 members, nobody can know everybody, and if new people feel ‘alone in the crowd’ they are unlikely to come back. Many larger churches stop growing, unless there are home groups and other activities which provide settings where relationships can grow.

I have been pleased to visit seven of our home groups so far. They are delightfully diverse in their composition and character; and many people say how much the support of their group means to them. If you are already in a group, why not invite somebody else to come along? If you are not in a group, we can put you in touch with one. And there is no reason why individuals, or existing groups, should not found new groups.

That baby boy will be growing, as Jesus grew, ‘in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men’ (Luke 2:52). May the same be true of St Mary’s! In the meantime, a Happy Christmas to you all.

Ian Our front cover features Ian with Santa at the annual Bazaar.

Read more about this major event in our church life later.

PARISH REGISTER Welcomed into God’s family by baptism 1st November: Chloe Ewing 15th November: Harrison James Lamb Teddi Jack Lamb United before God in marriage 17th October Willem DuPreez and Samantha Pillay Funerals December 2nd Derek Boland May he rest in peace and rise in glory

Local Churches get together Jean Morgans Have you heard the word cluster associated with our church? If not you soon will do, starting with this article.

At a meeting of the Redbridge Deanery Synod, at the beginning of 2009, we heard of plans to form the churches in our deanery into clusters. It was to be done on a mainly geographical basis, in an attempt to provide a viable working system and to build friendships and relationships. St Mary’s has been joined with St Barnabas, Woodford Green and St Paul’s Woodford Bridge. The Area Dean, hoped that the representatives in each cluster would meet 3 times a year, and that each cluster would lead a Deanery Synod meeting. At the tine of writing, two clusters have already done so. At the meeting in February 2009, we were divided into our clusters and looked at three questions: • what we do well • what we find challenging • how can we help each other Our group felt slightly handicapped as two of our churches were experiencing an interregnum; since then the representatives from our three churches have met three times and there are now some firm plans in place: • A Songs of Praise, here at St. Mary’s on Sunday, February 7th at 6.30 pm—preceded by tea and cakes; • A quiz at St Pauls, Woodford Bridge on Saturday June 12th; • The three clergy, changing pulpits sometime during the year.

We at St Mary’s were very anxious that our strong links with St Anne Line and the Methodist Church should not suffer and so they too have been invited to attend the Songs of Praise. It should be good! Hope to see you there.

St Mary’s Deanery Synod representatives are: Rowena Rudkin, Chris Meikle, Jean Russell, Jane O’Regan and myself: Jean Morgans.

Christmas around the world Frances Davies looks into how Christmas is celebrated in other countries Definitely no snow How about Christmas in Australia? It has all the glitz, tinsel and razzmatazz as the UK, but obviously the one big difference is the weather. Christmas down under is normally blessed with blue skies and temperatures ranging from 25 - 38° and definitely no snow.

There could be electrical storms floods, or hailstorms but definitely no snow.

The first official Christmas in Australia was celebrated in 1788 at Sydney Cover. After the service, Governor Arthur Phillips and his officers dined very jovially and toasting the King of England. However, the first white inhabitants were convicts and the only rations they had on Christmas Day were their usual rations, bread. So to them, 25th December was no different from any other day.

Christmas is celebrated with seafood, glazed ham cold chicken duck or turkey and various types of desserts with pavolovas being a hot favourite.

But despite all this Australian Christmas is also a time for remembering the true meaning of Christmas. For many, Christmas will begin with families attending midnight mass. Seventy per cent of Australians are either, Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran. After Mass families travel home and try to sleep. Then it is a mad scramble to get an early phone call in to relatives worldwide.

A visit from Dun Che Lao Ren Christians in China celebrate by lighting their houses with beautiful paper lanterns and decorating their Christmas trees, which they call “Trees of Light” with paper chains, paper flowers and paper lanterns. Chinese children hang muslin stockings and await a visit from Santa Claus, whom they call Dun Che Lao Ren, which means ‘Christmas Old Man’.However, since the vast majority of the Chinese people are not Christian, the main winter festival in Chinese tree of light China is the Chinese New Year taking place towards the end of January.

Processions and Market Stalls Several weeks before Christmas in Mexico, elaborately decorated market stalls are set up in the plazas of every town and city. People travel for days from remote areas to get to these markets. The stalls offer crafts of every conceivable kind, goods such as cheese, bananas, nuts and flowers such as orchids and poinsettias.

The main Christmas celebration in Mexico is called las posadas, which refers to processions re-enacting Joseph and Mary’s search for

a place to stay in Bethlehem. The processions begin nine days before Christmas, because the original journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem took nine days. Friends and family members divide themselves into two groups, pilgrims and innkeepers. The pilgrims travel from house to house requesting shelter until they finally reach the house where an altar and Nativity scene have been set up. Once they are admitted a traditional prayer is said and then food and drink is served.

For Hope and Immortality Most Christian Russians belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church and it is customary to fast until after the first church service on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but festive.

The most important ingredient is a special porridge called Kutya. It is made of wheat berries or other grains, which symbolise hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds, which ensure happiness, success and untroubled rest. A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed and a priest visits the home accompanied by boys carrying vessels of holy water, which is sprinkled in each room. The kutya is eaten from a dish to symbolise unity.

Decorating Banana Trees Christians in India decorate mango or banana trees at Christmas time. They also decorate their houses with mango leaves. Small clay oil-burning lamps are used as Christmas decorations; they are placed on the edges of flat roofs and on the tops of walls. Churches are decorated with poinsettias and lit with candles for the Christmas Evening service.

Banana Christmas Tree The Holy Bed of Straw Brazilians are a mix of people from many parts of the world and as a former Portuguese colony: they have many Christmas customs, which originate from this heritage.

One tradition is to create a nativity scene or Presepio. Presepio originated from the Hebrew word “presepium” which means bed of straw upon which Jesus first slept in Bethlehem and they are set up in December and displayed in churches, homes and stores.

In Northern Brazil the people enjoy a version of the folk play Las Pastores or “The Shepherds” In the Brazilian version, there are shepherdesses rather than shepherds and a gypsy who attempts to kidnap the Christ Child.

Christmas dinner consists of turkey, ham, coloured rice with wonderful vegetables and fruit dishes. Brazilians are devout Catholics who attend Midnight Mass or “Missa do Galo”.

Decorations include fresh flowers picked from the garden.

Fireworks go off in the skies over the cities and huge Christmas trees of electric lights can be seen against the night skies in major cities such as San Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

Memories of European Childhood Stille Nacht, Heilige nacht Alles schlaft, einsam nacht Nur das traute hochheilige paar, Holder knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlicher Ruh! Schlaf in himmlicher Ruh!

Silent night, Holy night All is calm, all is bright, Round yon virgin mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace

I was raised in the Lutheran Church tradition and celebrated a European Christmas as a child.

The smell of pine needles and real candles burning brightly evoke memories of my childhood.

Our wire and straw advent wreath would be carefully unwrapped ready to be covered again with fresh pine branches , secured with yards of red ribbon. Then four spiked candle holders were pressed into the wreath. When the candles were light it was, for me, a magical sight.

[No health and safety worries in those far off days and we never had an accident!]

My mother always sang Silent Night in her home language first, then my father would sing it in English. I love both versions equally.

Chris Meikle

The Thought That counts A Christmas story by Geoff Weekes John was an only child, but by no means a spoilt brat! His parents, Joe and Mary, adored him, but set boundaries which he knew he must not transgress. Mother was loving, gentle but firm. Father could be quite strict. In fact, sometimes John would call him, sotto voce, a miserable old – what was that word Mother forbade him to use? He’d heard the Rector use it, talking about himself, actually, and the adjective had been ‘silly’, so he thought it must be all right.

Ah, yes, that was it – miserable old b. . . .! And he, Dad, always insisted that John had done his homework before he would let him watch (quite strictly rationed) television, or, best of all, play with his computer games. He would have liked to spend hours at it, like his friend Patrick. Oh how he envied Pat. Not only were his Mum and Dad much more indulgent, he was also the proud possessor of an XBox, a very expensive games console. For some time, John had been saving up to buy one of his own; every, or nearly every bit of pocket money was carefully put away in his money box, as was the odd 50p he earnt by doing odd jobs for his Nan – clearing up the fallen leaves in her garden, taking her fussy little Pekingese out for ‘walkies’. Why couldn’t she have a proper dog? He tried every which way to avoid seeing school friends when he was dragging Topsy – Topsy? Oh, flippin’ ‘eck! (Another phrase he daren’t say out loud at home) – along on her reluctant lead. And now Christmas was drawing near.

In spite of the reservations I have perhaps overstated, John loved his darling Mum and dear old Dad ‘to bits’, as his female cousin would say, and he so much wanted to please them, to show them how much he loved them. What to get them for Christmas? No idea. Every night, before he went to sleep in his modest little bedroom, he would toss and turn, mentally pounding his brain to come up with some useful ideas, but to no avail until…

The next day, which providentially happened to be a Saturday, he took himself to the ‘Woollies’ in the High Street. There he examined the tie-rack. He’d heard his father on the Friday evening riffling through his ties, searching for the exactly appropriate tie to go with the suit he was going to wear at the rather posh dinner he and Mary were going to that night. Nan was baby-sitting. He was an ardent wearer of ties was Joe, known in his firm, an Insurance Company, as ‘the tie-man’. Only the previous Sunday afternoon, while they were taken their customary post-Sunday lunch stroll in the local park, had John seen Dad, uncharacteristically smile at the sight of a particularly attractive young woman ‘exercising her gorgeous Labrador (why couldn’t Nan have a real dog like that?) John thought: could this be Dad’ s weakness, if weakness it be? Perhaps.

‘Joe! Really!’

‘Oh come on, Mary’, John heard Dad retort, without quite understanding what he meant, but it made Mum giggle, apparently in spite of herself, ‘You can look a the menu without going into the restaurant!’

And there on the tie-rack was the just the thing - a long, beautiful, shiny tie on the surface of which there sported, almost seductively, a lurid painting of a blonde! Dad would surely love that. He could wear it when he was going somewhere really posh, like that firm’s dinner they’d gone to last night.

And Mum? He mustn’t forget her. Wonderfully, the answer was given him on a nearby counter – a bottle of scent. As they had both been dressing for their outing John had also heard his Mum say, ‘Oh, bother. I’ve nearly run out of perfume. There’s just enough here, thank goodness!’

Now. The prices. Oh golly! Together, they added up to 50p more than he’d put by in his money box. ‘Ah, well’, he thought to himself ruefully, ‘I’ll just have to take that soppy little Topsy out again’. It was only a week later, after he’d made his secret purchases and was struggling with sellotape and wrapping paper that John remembered the Xbox console. That’ll have to wait another few months, unless Father Christmas…? ‘Huh! I bet’ he soliloquised.

Christmas Day dawned. The annual pre-breakfast present-opening ritual was held on Joe and Mary’s bed – the one day in the year they felt they could be a tad indulgent. John insisted that they should open their presents first. So Mary extricated the bottle of scent with some difficulty from the gaudy wrapping paper, and with suspense, loving hypocrisy cooed, as she gently unscrewed the stopper and breathed in the absolutely foul, acrid odour of the cheap perfume – “Oh darling! You clever boy! How did you know? It’s just what I need – thank you so much”, and gave him a warm, maternal kiss and breath-expelling hug.

Then it was Joe’s turn. The tie met his horrified gaze and he was about to explete when he remembered the lines from one of his favourite poems, and felt like almost contradicting them: And is it true? For if it is, No loving fingers tying strings Around those tissued fripperies, The sweet and silly Christmas things Bath salts and inexpensive scent, And hideous tie so kindly meant, No love that in a family dwells, …

Can with this single truth compare (Oh, I don’t know, though.. perhaps it could compare…!)

That God was Man in Palestine And lives today in Bread and Wine.

And he turned to his anxious son, held out his hand and shook John’s firmly and enthusiastically (the first time he’d done such a man-to-man thing) and said ‘Thanks, old man. It’s great, just great’.

John’s cup was full.

Laus Deo

The Burning Babe AS I in hoary winter's night Stood shivering in the snow, Surprised I was with sudden heat Which made my heart to glow; And lifting up a fearful eye To view what fire was near, A pretty babe all burning bright Did in the air appear; Who, scorched with excessive heat, Such floods of tears did shed, As though His floods should quench His flames, Which with His tears were bred: 'Alas!' quoth He, 'but newly born In fiery heats I fry, Yet none approach to warm their hearts

Or feel my fire but I! 'My faultless breast the furnace is; The fuel, wounding thorns; Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke; The ashes, shames and scorns; The fuel Justice layeth on, And Mercy blows the coals, The metal in this furnace wrought Are men's defiled souls: For which, as now on fire I am To work them to their good, So will I melt into a bath, To wash them in my blood.'

With this He vanish'd out of sight And swiftly shrunk away, And straight I called unto mind That it was Christmas Day. Robert Southwell

A Quiz for kids of all ages Work out who these famous footballers are from the picture clues.

If you need the answers—ask the Walker family!

What ever happened to BP’s RR John Davies tracks down an icon of the past I would imagine that there are a few former and present day Scouters who read the magazine and on visiting Gilwell Park recently at their annual reunion, I became interested in some literature I came across about BP’s car and decided to investigate further. I found the following information about the car and thought it might be of interest.

BP being presented with his Rolls Royce and Caravan at the 1929 World Jamboree held at Arrowe Park – Liverpool Jam Roll is a 20 horse power Rolls Royce, chassis number GVO-40.

It was one of the last 20hp chassis to be made. The car was fitted with a custom made 'D' back limousine body that was made

by Page and Hunt. Itwas one of only a few made by the coach builders for Rolls Royce.

The order for Jam Roll was a rush order with the chassis card marked "Urgent 6/8 weeks" The order was placed on 21 June 1929 and the completed chassis delivered to Page and Hunt on 19 July.

Further notes on the Chassis card state "if this car is not complete by the date of the jamboree R-R to loan car for one day for this occasion" The car was presented to BP on the 10 August 1929 only 50 days after R-R received the order.

A unique feature of Jam Roll is the radiator mascot: rather than having the typical "Sprit of Ecstasy" (The Flying Lady) that takes pride of place on a Rolls Royce radiator, Jam Roll had a custom-designed mascot that incorporates the Scout arrowhead and Scout motto "Be Prepared" 1929 The Scout Movement celebrated is 21st birthday by holding a World Jamboree at Arrowe Park, England.

To commemorate the occasion, Scouts from all over the World were invited to contribute one penny towards a gift to the Founder and Chief Scout, soon to be created First Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell. At the Jamboree, the President of the Boy Scouts of Denmark presented the Chief Scout with the car, which B-P

nicknamed “Jam Roll” (from Jamboree and Rolls-Royce), a caravan, which B-P named ‘Eccles’ (after the caravan manufacturer) and a portrait of B-P in oils by David Jagger. B-P used Jam Roll and Eccles on scouting journeys until his retirement to Kenya in 1938.

1945 On her return to the UK, following the founder’s death in 1941, and the end of the second World War, Olave Lady Baden-Powell gave Eccles to the Boy Scouts Association who have displayed it since at Gilwell Park. She then sold Jam Roll into private hands. From then on until 2008 the car was owned by eight different private individuals, occasionally being lent to The Scout Association for special occasions such as the 1957 and 2007 World Jamorees.

2007 Inspired by the sight of Jam Roll and Eccles reunited on the lawn at Gilwell Park at the 2007 World Jamboree, four Scouters, including Michael Baden-Powell, a grandson of the Founder, formed a charitable company with the aim of purchasing and conserving Jam Roll. Their vision is to ensure that, once again, she can be seen and enjoyed by Scouts, to remind them of the link between the founder and his movement.

2008 The company, B-P Jam Roll Limited, purchased the car thanks to the generosity of donors and an interest free loan. They are now discussing with the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust how best to conserve and maintain the car. Among the many people who have congratulated the company, Derek Twine, Chief Executive of the Scout Association, said, “I am delighted that a group of Scouters has succeeded in buying Jam Roll, ensuring that Scouting’s gift to the founder remains within the movement. I wish them well in their endeavours; to enable part of our history to play its part in supporting our future.

The Future We would like to display Jam Roll in a suitable museum and to make her available for major events around the UK, so that she can be seen and appreciated by today’s Scouts.

If any former or present Scouters or anyone else is interested in donating towards ‘Jam-Roll’, further details are available on please visit www.JamRoll.org where further details are available.

John Davies Jam Roll and Eccles Cake appeared together in 2007 at Gilwell Park as part of the Centenary of Scouting.

If anyone is interested in the Scouting movement local contacts are: 4th Bancroft School, High Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 0RF Contact: Neil Athey 01992 463872 36th All Saints Church, Inmans Row, Woodford Green IG8 9HN Contact: David Hall 020 8926 4627 43rd St. Thomas of Canterbury Church, High Road, Woodford Green, IG8 0RB Contact: Pete Brown 020 8501 0332 52nd 118 High Road, South Woodford E18 2QS (Behind library car park) Contact: Alan King 020 8505 6074 Explorers Address as 52nd Troop Contact: Rob Youd 020 8505 9579

What if it all ends tomorrow?

In 2004 film producer Roland Emmerlich made a movie called The day after tomorrow; this year he has given us one which opened recently with the title 2012; perhaps this could have been called The year after the year after next. They are both epic disaster movies, depicting the end of “the world as we know it”. They both pander to the human desire to be frightened and challenged in the cosy safety of a padded cinema seat.

Our morning service some Sundays back featured three scripture readings which included a note of challenge about the end of the “world as we know it”. Daniel speaks of a time of great anguish through which his people will pass, and of a resurrection from the dead – with some going on to everlasting life but others going to shame and everlasting contempt.

Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple and other troubles that are on the horizon. If you read the entirety of Mark 13 you will find that Jesus shares with four of his disciples prophecy about a number of different future events: the destruction of Jerusalem, accomplished by the Romans in AD 70; the persecution of Christians, first by the Jewish leadership and later by gentile authorities, and the return of Jesus himself.

However, he admits ignorance about specific timing, and some of his observations about timing can be understood in different ways.

Thirdly, in the epistle reading of the day, the writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers that “the Day” is approaching. By this they would have understood the day of judgement – again, the end of the world as they knew it.

Two thousand years have passed and although you can argue that

some of these biblical prophecies have already been fulfilled, the big day of judgement has not yet come. We could be lulled into thinking that it will never come; but since Jesus said that it would come when we least expect it, we should be on our guard against settling too comfortably into our padded cinema seats (or unpadded church pews).

For what if it were to come tomorrow?

• What if nuclear war were to be unleashed?

• What if earthquake, flood or blizzards so disrupted our economy that there were no electricity in our homes, no water in our pipes, or no food in Sainsburys, Tesco or Waitrose?

• What if God stepped in, and said: “This is the end of history”?

What would we hold on to when all our securities were taken away?

When the chips are down, what really matters to us? Our memories?

Our achievements? Our relationships with other people? Our relationship with God? Is there unfinished business that you would want to sort out, if you were given 24 hours notice of the end of the world? Somebody you want to apologise to, to thank or just to hug? And if those things are worth doing, why not get on and do them sooner rather than later?

The psalm that Sunday gives us some comfort to balance the challenge. In it, David wants to be identified with the community of God’s people, those who are noble at heart; just as the writer to the Hebrews says, let us keep meeting one another, provoking one another to love and good deeds, encouraging one another. Being a solitary Christian is a hard and lonely road.

And David disassociates himself from those who run after idols. He will not sacrifice to those false gods. I won’t mention the names of 21st century false gods – you know what your neighbours chase after. We each know our own temptations.

The psalm gives us confidence: “For you will not abandon my soul to death, nor suffer your faithful one to see the pit”. And we have the happy anticipation not just of surviving death, but that what is to come will exceed what we know already. We are reminded of Jesus saying: “I have come that they may have life, and have it in abundance”.

The end of the world as we know it, or the end of the individual life of any one of us, might be coming tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or in 2012. Or at any time. That sobering uncertainty should help us to value what really matters in life, and to keep short accounts in our relationships.

But we are not to be fearful. We can trust in God, and our trust will open the door to all the good things that he has in store for us.

Ian

Another Brilliant Celebration The Woodford Festival was again a runaay success. Peter Webb, Richard Walker, Penny Freeston and Lee Noble were there.

Peter: The annual Memorial Hall Lecture , "Between Heritage and the Bulldozer", was given by Dr. William Fawcett, Chadwick Fellow in Architecture at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Architecture... I admit that I was expecting something heavy and rather above my head, but Dr. Fawcett treated us to a lively and humorous exposition of how buildings go out of and come back into fashion - apparently they are at their nadir forty years after construction. We considered many rather charming images of buildings put up in the nineteen sixties, some surprisingly picturesque with their Mondrian-style grids and their coyly reflecting plate glass. How pretty these slabs of concrete look when glimpsed through a thin veil of boskage! The doctor provoked a lot of questions, but gracefully avoided giving us any answers. I was left with the suspicion - perverse, as he assured me - that the only buildings worth preserving at any one time are those that we find most distressing, for in that way we are sure to avoid the trap of being misguidedly tied to the fads and prejudices of our own time.

The Jazzathon - twenty six Miles Davis, presumably - on a balmy mid October summer's day, attracted a mellow and motley crew to dispose themselves elegantly among the tombstones of St. Mary's and soak up the ambience, the Pimm's and the poetry of idleness. The scene was a pun on a Puvis de Chavannes, a spoof Stanley Spencer. It took Geoff Sieff a while to persuade his inscrutable fellow instrumentalists, the Woodford Wheezards, to come out of the church onto the top step to play, but in their own good time they emerged into the late afternoon light, rather like those little weather-forecasting figures appearing gradually through the arches of their dainty huts. It was nice for us, to see their expressions, and for them, I hope, to see how enthralled their audience was. The players' mature knobbly good looks were soon leavened by the gentler yeast of feline ladies who came

forward to wail or purr in front of them, though not so as to forbid their listeners to chat, lounge or wander to the puddly table tops for more refreshment, "...And I was filled with such delight / As prisoned birds must find in freedom, / Winging wildly..." Wait a minute - I don't like jazz!

Tearing ourselves away, we rushed up the road to the United Reformed Church to gulp a last draught of artistic goodness before closing time. Here was my element, footed in paint, clay, glass. But while we were looking for the exhibition, we pushed through a door and found ourselves in a massive basilica with a painted ceiling. The architect is the same one who designed the Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum - but this was almost Byzantine. We had not come for the architecture, however, so through to a hall full of the hard work of local painters and potters, and of some astonishing mosaics of magical whimsicality and charm. We saw a mosaic page of music dissolve into ripples of colour and reflected light; a sparkling wet pebble beach; celestial bodies in their orbits; a frieze of intertwining pepper vines. Some elegant and austere Chinese ceramic shapes in another part of the hall caught the corner of my eye, their delicate pale greens and rusty reds seeming to hum a still chord after the romping mosaics. But moves were being made to pack the show up and shut the doors, our Byzantine reverie was broken, so we set out into the evening and across the golf course home to tea and to think about writing this.

The Joy of Jazzathon Richard: The sun shone down on us, the temperature warmed us up, the Wheezards wheezed and entertained us, Lesley and team fed us with fabulous southern style food, Martin watered us with liberally poured Pimms and mint Julip, and Richard just pretended to organise everyone. Once they persuaded themselves to come out into view, Geoff Seef and the band weren’t so bad to look at, nor that bad to listen to either, and their guest singers hit the spot time and again. A great afternoon’s entertainment for the many visitors old and young alike, sat between the tomb stones on the lawn, or mingling around the bar, this was one of several successful events of the 2009 Woodford Festival staged at St Mary’s; so roll on next year when possibly we’ll all be singing and dancing in the rain instead.

Geoff Seef — A Woodford Wheezard

That was the week that was!

Penny: Having been involved from the start I was keen to support the Woodford Festival again this year. It has been another sterling effort to bring our community together and I am pleased to say that South Woodford, and Readers: Penny, David, Eileen and Roberta indeed, St. Mary’s, have both been at the fore! The hard-working committee deserves our congratulations in master-minding the festival once again.

My involvement this year was to organise two events: another performance from the Poetry Collective and an opportunity for local writers to read their work in South Woodford Library.

Following on from last year’s presentation: Woodland Shady Boughs, exploring writers from the Epping Forest area, we were keen to work on a new production: Along the Woodford Road that focussed specifically on writers associated with Woodford over the last 350 years. We found a wealth of material, including poetry by George Herbert, William Morris, Ernest Dowson and Clement Atlee. Prose from local writers included extracts by Richard Warner, Sydney Smith and James Hilton. We were accompanied again by members of the Roding Consort to provide musical interludes.. Ten of us performed in all in the Gwinnell Room on the first Saturday afternoon of the festival and there are clips on the St. Mary’s website.

Voices from the Hedgerow was a celebration in the Hollis Room, South Woodford Library by local writers reading work that has been published in The Hedgerow over the years, a publication that is available free of charge from local bookshops and libraries in the Epping Forest area. The programme contained twenty writers’ prose, poems and stories including poems by the late Eileen Stickley from Derby Road Methodist Church, who contributed regularly over the years, and an unpublished poem written in 1916, sent in by the relative of a soldier who served in the Great War. I was also invited to read a poem on the same day (National Poetry Day) on Speaker’s Steps, Westminster as a finalist for the John Clare Poetry Prize. The theme this year was Heroes and Heroines and I wrote about carers. To my amazement I came second and although Martin and I had to miss the subsequent lunch I was able to get back in time for the event in the library with half an hour to spare!

Both local events were well attended and it was good to meet new faces in the community.

I also persuaded Martin to open his pottery studio for the first weekend and we received around seventy visitors making their way up the hill in the autumn sunshine as part of the Redbridge Arts Trail.

The festival programme was so packed it was impossible to attend everything but we enjoyed a play about Sir Winston Churchill, followed by a lively discussion at the Redbridge Drama Centre, and the Memorial Hall annual lecture on architecture. Martin also attended a talk on the history of the Central Line that was very wellreceived.

The last weekend of the festival saw us at the Jazz Festival on Saturday afternoon outside St. Mary’s, tea at Packfords Hotel and the last-night party at the Sports Centre in Monkhams Lane.

We are very fortunate to be living in such a vibrant community and having St. Mary’s at the hub of it all. If you haven’t been involved this year put next year’s dates in your calendar: October 2nd -10th 2010 and celebrate Woodford en fete!

Another way of remembering..

Lee was also at the Memorial Hall Lecture The Woodford Parish Church Memorial Hall Lecture by Dr William Fawcett during the Woodford Festival challenged the traditional views on architecture. Are all old buildings quaint and deserve to be kept while new buildings are universally unappealing and an eyesore?

After a few contrasting views of buildings that have stood the test of time and some, perhaps surprisingly, which have not… we saw that there were many factors involved. The suitability for current purpose, the overall shape and size, the natural appeal to the beholder as well as good basic construction all played a part in forming the make up of our towns and villages. The rich mix of our cultural heritage on display all around us does not mean that there is not a place for well balanced exciting buildings coming off the drawing boards for the 21st Century and just because a building is over a hundred years old is it really worth keeping ? Just the sort of discussion all architects love and a very fitting event to commemorate Ian Noble’s involvement with both St Mary’s Church and the Hall next door.

Revelling in the Glory of God Sally Barton on God, Maths and Soccer I am slowly getting to know people at St Mary’s and I want to say thank you to everyone for being part of this community and welcoming us.

I am enjoying being part of the choir, even if my sight reading skills are sometimes challenged. As we seek to lead and inspire in worship I am grateful that we worship a forgiving God who accepts us as we are. As a student and now as a teacher I find that it is unconditional acceptance that enables us to strive higher. Our God accepts us as we are, but he is also a creative loving God who expects us to accept his love and power to be transformed.

I delight in being able to put many different things into my life and to do them all for the glory of God. A big part of my life is taken up with mathematics. Back during my Woodford days when asked what I wanted to do, my answer was maths, maths and more maths and I have been able to enjoy maths in many ways. I particularly enjoy aspects of mathematics which help me to understand my faith.

Infinity is something most people probably avoid, but in mathematics we have many tools for handling the infinite – and indeed many different infinities – I once explored the inaccessibly large infinite numbers… Thus it is that I can see the birth of a baby in a stable, and three years ministry of the man he grew into, being mapped into every moment of history that has already been or is yet to come… But enough of maths (though for anyone who wants to I like talking maths anytime – which is one reason why I have kept my job in Nottingham as they pay me to talk maths).

One thing I am missing from Nottingham is our contact with students from overseas as well as the UK and the Sunday lunchtime conversations we had. One thing with students is that given the offer of food they come. Inviting people for Sunday lunch now needs to be done ahead of time as most of you already have your plans for lunch before you come to church. However we have found fellowship over a meal is good and hope to be able to break bread with many of you over the coming year.

One thing I have been able to pick up again after our move is my football. I have been playing in a ladies team since I organised one at university; at Woodford CHS when I was there we were allowed to play cricket but not football! So I am pleased to be able to join a

local team, Leyton Ladies, who play in the London league. I am also able to use my FA level 2 coaching skills with Redbridge ladies juniors on a Saturday morning.

I work from home on a Monday and we both have Friday off so Ian and I can spend some time together during the week before the busy weekends come along. One thing that may cause some confusion is that I didn’t change my name when we married. Ian was already in training for ministry and I had a “Dr” (of mathematics) to put in front of my name. So I remained as Dr Barton to anyone who didn’t know me and became Sally the wife of Ian to those who did. I also kept my name because I serve God with the gifts he has given me: Ian and I are a partnership but you get me as a separate member of the congregation.

Wishing you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

The Home Made Ball Bearing Wheeled Scooter 1938-1948 John Goldsmith Those who remember the post-war Ealing comedies will perhaps recall, Hue and Cry. The first successful Ealing comedy directed by Charles Crichton and starring, Alistair Sim, Jack Warner, Valerie White and very young Harry Fowler and Joan Dowling, told the story of good winning a battle over evil. Evil was represented by a menacing Jack Warner and good came in the shape of a gang of east-end kids. Alistair Sim represented the blind authority figure, so popular today! The children created a network of communication which meant rapid mobilisation when faced with the threat of the Hun or the gangsters as in this case.

Wartime east London was a difficult place to grow up in. However it bred a ‘can do’ attitude especially when faced with war time shortages. Every bomb site was a playground and blitzed materials could be formed into practically anything. From tree houses, to imitation wooden firearms, to scooters!

The munitions war effort precluded many of the ‘essentials’ of modern life. There were almost no private cars produced, very few bicycles were made and scooters were practically non-existent.

Football was played in the street with a worn tennis ball and cricket wickets were marked on convenient walls with white chalk.

The boy who thought of the idea of using second hand ballbearings for the first scooter is not known. But much in the fashion of the Hue and Cry story, suddenly these crude vehicles started to spring up all over the east end. Ball bearings, or ball-races as they were also called were patented by a French bicycle engineer in 1869. However Caligula had ships made with platforms supported

by bronze ball bearings.

Although the modern ball race was virtually friction free, they did wear and when cast off were waiting for the young man mentioned above. As well as the bearings one needed, two lengths of 6”x1” floorboard, a short length of 4”x2” softwood, sundry short bits of hardwood for axles and handlebars, four large screw-eyes and an eight inch bolt (with nut if available) plus sundry nails and screws.

Additional features were a small square of lino for the platform, short piece of rubber flat or leather for the optional scrub brake and suitable crown bottle tops with pins to decorate the steering column. (see sketch).

Thus many happy hours were spent rumbling up to the Roman Road street market just after the stalls were stripped down, where the smooth asphalt surface could be exploited for races, stunts and broadsiding. The freshly brushed damp road was ideal for the latter.

Of course, post-war rationing prolonged the shortages, but somehow the passion for self build scooters waned. The return of Speedway racing quickly took over, but that is another story.

Red School Honours Chris and Kath The Woodford Green Preparatory School, known locally as the Red School, earlier this year opened the Whitfield Building, a £400,000 extension named after our own Chris Whitfield and his much missed late wife, Kathleen. Together, Chris, seen at the official opening, and Kath served for a total of around 50 years as governors of the school, with Chris chairman of governors for 17 of them. The present governors decided it would be a fitting tribute to them both to name the extension after them. Over the years they contributed hugely to the school’s development and success, said the school.

The extension was commissioned in 2008 to provide a modern science teaching facility with a small multipurpose meeting/ training room. The school’s parentteacher association, of which Kath and Chris were active members, raised Chris (second right) at the opening ceremony £10,000 towards with David Patison, Chairman of the Goverequipping and nors,and some Red School pupils. furnishing the new building.

Chris writes: It is over 50 years since Kathleen and I started work with Drs Eric and Sylvia Ashton in South Woodford. When Kathleen discovered she was expecting a baby, Sylvia told us to be sure and put the child’s name down for Red School. All her children had been there and she was certain it was the best place.

She was right…

Kathleen would have loved the opening occasion, to renew old friendships, make new ones, praise the school, admire the new building, approve the fact that science and cookery were to be taught there. The concept of a space which would also be available for use by the local community would have had her special approval.

During our time as governors the entire school apart from the school hall was rebuilt, sometimes more than once. New blocks were built, a gym and an extra floor were added and the two cottages which faced out on to Snakes Lane were purchased and modified for school use. The present new building stands in their old back garden. Despite the place often looking like a builder’s yard it managed to be a very successful school. Its appearance changed, but its values did not. I hope the building will stand as a memorial to a long, very rewarding and special relationship which Kathleen and I enjoyed in the service of the school.

Faith & Image Rides Again Faith & Image is now back in full swing and working in the premise that less is more. Our annual contribution National Big Draw was back in St Mary’s this year on October 11th and managed to foster an atmosphere of relaxed creativity. The theme was ‘the seasons’ with plenty of artefacts and natural objects to

inspire our steady stream of visitors, and lots of help from able facilitators Peter Webb, Kay Pamplin and Jane Cooper. One of the most attractive activities is always the mono-print drawing technique, which we set up in the relatively safe, water-resistant environs of the Gwinnell Room. It appeals to all ages often producing some powerful images. Even the Rector had a go and got in touch Mono Printing with his creative side. Once tried it is addictive! Thanks as always go to Viveca Dutt for producing yet another wonderfully evocative audio-visual, which contributed greatly to the gentle and friendly atmosphere of the day.

More recently, Faith & Image turned to the East to gain some insights into the art and culture of Armenia. On November 26th we were pleased to welcome Armen Kazandjkian who introduced us to Armenian history, culture and its many art forms. This country was the first to formally adopt Christianity at the beginning of the 4th Century and we heard of its turbulent history characterised by invasion, persecution and martyrdom. We were shown images of the remarkable landscape of Armenia and its many Eastern Orthodox church buildings which have survived even where the whole towns surrounding them had been destroyed. Some of the most touching stories from Armen, related to members of his own family who had survived the Armenian genocide of 191516 and against all the odds, had found their way to Egypt. The following morning a small group of us made a prearranged visit to St Sarkis Church, which is an architectural gem hidden away behind High St Kensington. This was built in 1924 and is one of only two churches that St Sarkis Church serve the Armenian population of London.

We were warmly welcomed by the priest who gave a very accessible talk on the history, theology and liturgical traditions of the Church which brought forth a lot of comments and questions. It was certainly a privilege to be there.

Mark Lewis Advance notice: Tuesday, January 12th: A talk on Hinduism and a visit to the Neasden Hindu Temple on Friday 15th. All are welcome.

My kind of music John Green on flattened fifths and jazz Although my paternal grandfather was a piano tuner, I had no formal education in music, and have simply gone along with whatever came along. So as a choirboy at St George’s Gants Hill when very young, I finished up as “top boy” at about 11 or 12. This involved singing the solo for a few bars in the Creed every Sunday morning, ending with “and was made man” on a fairly high note, which I could not quite reach. The whole choir turned east to face the altar for this part of the service, and I can still clearly see the pained faces of the elderly choirmen as I failed to reach the top note.

Little did I know it, but I was achieving a “flattened fifth” and, more importantly, a “flattened seventh”, which are essential components of the blues, a class of music which I have come to love much later in life.

Thinking of “later in life”, I have been considering the question of music to be played at my funeral. First choice is “Thine be the Glory”, not only for the words, but for the magnificent tune, composed by one George Friederic Handel. It’s in the classic jazz pattern of chorus-bridge-chorus. Glorious chords, with the bridge in a minor key (not miner; that would be digging too deep – ouch!).

And to finish up? I’m stuck between “Things ain’t what they used to be” and “Don’t get around much any more”, both entirely appropriate, but the search goes on to find a suitably talented organ player (Wild Bill Davis and Jimmy Smith were not available).

The first thing I look at when we turn to a hymn is the life span of the wordsmith. I was doing OK until 609 turned up: Fanny Crosby (a relative of Bing?) held on for no less than 95 years, so I still have a way to go.

And then there are the hymns about Jordan, including the “great divide” – no comment! But then in 34, we have Jordan’s Bank – I worked for Lloyds Bank for 35 years, but confess I never heard of that one.

The next census will follow in a year or two, and it will include the question “Do you have a religion?” If they knock at your door, and you wish the caller to mind his own business, don’t say “none” because it will be taken down as “nun”.

Almost everyone we speak to these days ends conversations with “Take care” – to which I reply: “I always do”. In my earlier days it was “Mind how you go”, or even “Watch it”. So there we go – life is great fun, and an experience we would not go without. Life, for me, is based on the two great essentials – our relationship with creation which Jesus called God, and our relationship with our family and other folk, whom we and Jesus called “neighbours”. Simple. But mind how you go!

An Angel For You

There’s an angel for you and an angel for me, For angels are everywhere, though we don’t see, And although our vision is clouded with doubt, There are myriads and myriads of angels about.

They are there with the people who stand in a queue, Who give up their seats on the buses for you, They’ll carry your shopping when you are in pain, So look out for your angels – they’ll be there again.

An angel is present in friends who are kind, An angel can touch you when you’re troubled in mind.

A chat with your angel will ease your despair, So be comforted; someone who loves you is there.

You are never alone, for they come in disguise, But they are real angels whatever their size.

They don’t need wings, though these too can appear, For you that’s your angel, the one you hold dear.

Some angels are feelings, a form, shape, or light, Many you sense, they’re not meant for sight.

God’s angels protect you, arrive on the scene Just at that moment where despair had been.

Strangers are often an angel God sent, To stop something happening, a mishap prevent.

They surround you, enfold you when you are asleep, And if you’re feeling lonely, your vigil they keep.

When you’re sad and down, turn your face to the light, And know that your angel’s aware of your plight.

How cared for and calm now that you understand, There is always your angel – just hold out your hand!

(Author unknown)

Many thanks to all my St Mary’s angels who have helped me through a very difficult year. Rita Partridge.

Not got your Choir CD yet?

Get a bargain, support the choir says Martin Seymour What more could you want for in your Christmas stocking? Over the last few months the choir (juniors and adults) have been spending several Sunday afternoons in St Mary’s recording various pieces to delight your ears! This has been quite an experience for all as with a live recording you can’t edit bits together like you can in a studio, make a mistake and it means going back to the start! The music has been chosen to represent a variety of styles and periods of music from plainsong right the way through to modern day composers. I also arranged for Alex Chaplin to accompany us and record some separate organ pieces which sound absolutely stunning. So why not buy one for yourself, and then for your family, friends and relations! Priced at a very reasonable £8, they will be available from me or Sandy in the office. I know what I want for Christmas!

After we have all recovered from the forthcoming season’s festivities, the choir will soon be back in action, not only for Epiphany choral evensong on January 3rd but we are off to sing in Southwark Cathedral on the following Saturday (9th). The diocese’s servers will be having their meetings and festivities that day in the cathedral so we shall have the privilege of rounding off the activities by singing choral evensong at 4pm and we would love to see some of St Mary’s there with us. So why not make a date in your diary, visit the borough market at the same time and make an enjoyable day out in town!

Best wishes to you all for a happy Christmas! Martin {Ed note: again many thanks to Geoff Peacock for his initiative and support} A Christian volunteer organisation which provides confidential non-judgmental support for anyone experiencing feelings of distress, despair, loneliness, or any other kind of problem is looking for helpers. Called LinktoGod, it is looking for helpers who will provide practical assistance with household repairs, shopping, collecting prescriptions as well as paperwork or form filling.

Volunteers are to be Christian, and of any denomination, says LinktoGod. They must be at least 18 years old and will have to be Criminal Records Bureau checked and certificated.

Interested? LinktoGod is an autonomous organisation initially formed under the umbrella of St Paul’s church, Hainault. Try them. http://www.linktogod.co.uk/ question@linktogod.co.uk 020 8227 9216 (every evening from 8pm - 10pm) Mobile : 07961 623 878 (call or text)

Getting ready for the Olympics

by Bob Pamplin On the 2nd November I went to St Marks College Audley End to take part in a discussion day about making the most of mission and community engagement opportunities towards the 2010 London Olympics.

The day started by Bishop David quoting 1 Corinthians 9 24 -27 which starts “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?”

The point of the day was to discuss what the diocese was doing and to set up a diocesan strategy and a diocesan focus group.

Representatives were there from churches in all parts of the diocese: Clacton, Harwich, Leytonstone, Wanstead to name a few. Our own Duncan Green was one of the speakers.

It was agreed that any group that was set up should be for five years so that work would continue after the games has finished.

To sum up a day’s discussion is very difficult but the following points may spark of some thoughts as to what we at St Mary’s can do in 2012.

• Have we anyone in the parish that is involved in the 2012 Olympics, can we get them to visit us and tell us what they do?

• Do we have in the parish a past Olympian?

• Can we theme our holiday club or youth activities to include the Olympics?

• Have we any one from our link parish coming to the Olympics?

• Can we offer homes for families of athletes?

• What role has our church in the deanery and diocese mission?

• Can our Church set up a big screen to show the games?

Can we offer refreshments in areas where a big screen may be set up?

It is my opinion that we should do something as Deanery as well as in the diocese. I believe that the Rural dean will is in the process of setting something up.

If you have any ideas about how we at St Mary’s could do something please let know.

I would also like to hear from people who think we should not be involved or that the Olympics should not have come to London.

I promise to collate all responses and let you all know the results.

You can either email me bob.pamplin@btconnect.com or write to me C/O St Mary’s.

One World with animals The theme for this year was “Hunger for One World” which and was marked in Woodford by two Interfaith Events.

The first, under the auspices of the Woodford Festival, was held at the Woodford Liberal Synagogue on “The Care and Protection of Animals”. We were first welcomed into the Succoth, the shelter which Jews build in their synagogues, and sometimes in their homes, to remind them of their time in the desert, the impermanent nature of this world, our reliance on God and of those who are worse off than ourselves. All were invited to shake the wand of citrus fruit, date, willow and myrtle and ask for God’s blessing on the harvest.

The Reverend Robert Hampson, who had conducted a service of blessing on animals earlier in the festival, opened the main part of the evening. His theme was to illustrate the improvement in Christian attitudes to animals in the 19th century largely due to the Evangelical revival led by such people as William Wilberforce, Lord Shaftesbury and Arthur Broome and culminating in the formation of the R.S.P.C.A. to which Queen Victoria gave royal status in 1840 but which has been followed by so many other animal charities.

The Moslem speaker had some tender stories to tell on animals as pets and expressed much concern that children brought up in an urban environment had few opportunities to develop an understanding of nature, a generational problem in the Moslem community where parents have often come from an agricultural environment but a problem by no means peculiar to them.

However, she did not avoid the controversial subject of the ritual slaughter of animals but compared the lot of an animal kept lovingly in by a family during its life before it was slaughtered and the lot of battery chickens in the industrialised world. The host Rabbi took as his starting point Genesis Chapter 1 verse which 28 refers to man’s “dominion” over other creatures; “dominion” he interpreted as “stewardship” rather than “mastery “ . This stewardship is an obligation which the human race has neglected at its own peril.

Questions concentrated very much on the tension between the need of all for food and the slaughter and hunting of animals.

Hunting revealed once again the difference and lack of understanding between rural and urban communities; what other means are there to control such animals as foxes and are not some of these at least as cruel as hunting if not more so because they can involve a lingering death. One speaker, who introduced himself as a retired meat inspector, stressed the good practices increasingly expected of abattoirs to relieve to suffering of the animals to be slaughtered. The debate was a pointer to those of us

who are not vegetarians that we have no right to be sentimental about animals.

Sunday the 18th October saw an Interfaith gathering at St Anne Line church hall which focussed on the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change. Father Francis opened by quoting Papal Encyclicals of both Leo XII and the present Pope, each urging people to change their mindsets in light of changing worlds. That our world is so rapidly changing from that in which most of the people there were brought up, he illustrated by showing a Christian Aid film which contrasted not only the difference between the rich and poor worlds but showed how the latter are far more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rabbi Becker of the Herman Hill synagogue supported this from a Jewish perspective showing how much prudence there has been in Jewish tradition but was far from comforting when he pointed out that the majority of the people in the underdeveloped world are under 25. Dr Rahman, Deputy Iman of the South Woodford mosque, concluded by reminding us that Mohammed had lived in a pastoral society and had been well aware of the importance of nature; he illustrated this concern with many examples from The Quran urging Moslems of the need to care for and cherish nature generally and animals in particular.

Both events were thought provoking and well attended. However, it sad to relate that, while there were many Jews and Moslems in the synagogue, Christians were somewhat thin on the ground, but that the gathering at St Anne Line was overwhelmingly Christian; indeed apart from the speakers a solitary Moslem was the only non Christian present.

Rowena Rudkin

Come and have Lunch Lunch club has been in existence for many years and was originally the idea of the late Lillian Goldsmith. The initial plan was for people to enjoy a Sunday lunchtime meal together, particularly aimed at folks who might otherwise eat alone. Over the years it has had many visitors, some on a regular basis and some who come from time to time. We like to think that anyone is welcome - the more the merrier.

I have been with the group for about nineteen or twenty years; one of the changes that was made quite early on, in my involvement, was for it to be held on a regular basis, this being the second Sunday of each month. Very rarely does the date change and if second Sunday falls at Easter or on Mother’s day, for example, there is still a meal and a chat waiting for anyone who wishes to join us.

We meet at the back of the Memorial Hall; the cost at present is £4.00 per adult, for a two course lunch and coffee.

Feel free to join us, either on your own, with a friend or as part of your family. It is handy to know in advance an idea of numbers, but not essential, and of any special requirements e.g. vegetarian, diabetic, celiac, allergies, etc.

For more information JOIN US! Lesley Blacker and Team.

Lesley NB Team not mentioned lightly –all hard working and essential and if they don’t mind me mentioning it ranging across the decades from ‘teens to eighties’.

Chandler family Another in our series of profiles of members of the St Mary’s community

Chris, with wife Clare and children Elizabeth and Arthur

Some time ago I was sharing a funny story from work with a few people over a cup of tea in the Gwinnell Room after Sunday service. My job offers ample opportunity to gather and retell some quite bizarre anecdotes, and Geoff Jones, who was laughing along with the story, suggested I put a few of my experiences together for an article in the Parish Magazine. I thought very quickly, and said, “Well I prefer people to get to know me for who I am, and not what I do for a living”. This, I thought, had neatly side stepped the issue, but Geoff just smiled beatifically and said, “That would be wonderful an article on you and your family would be something people would love to read”.

Oh dear I walked straight into that one, well never mind I thought, he’s bound to forget.

Oh how wrong I was. So here I sit, reflecting that funny stories would be far easier to relate that writing about myself.

I was born in 1968 in St Chad’s Hospital in Birmingham, which is now an upmarket apartment conversion just outside the City Centre.

My mother worked in administration for the hospital board and my father, who was a Baptist Minister in nearby Bearwood, was one of the Hospital’s chaplains. I had a very happy and uneventful childhood. My father had married my mother later in life, and my two brothers and sister are all considerably older than I. Whilst never told so, and never having felt any awkwardness, I have always suspected my arrival was not entirely planned. As a result I was still only eleven when my father retired. Now the Baptists, like many denominations make retirement provision for clergy, who as a result of serving in a vocation with provided accommodation seldom have a home on retirement. These provisions do not take into account small boys however.

So on my father’s retirement my parents and I moved to live with my grandparents in Walsgrave on the outskirts of Coventry. My father had previously been the Minister there in what was then a village, that’s how my parents met. My grandparents were truly wonderful people. Granddad was a retired coal miner, and in my childhood memories was a towering figure. At a recent family funeral however I realised from comparison between my aunts and uncles, and my own not insubstantial frame that my grandfather’s presence must have been more a force of character, and he must have been physically smaller than I recall. My grandmother was one of life’s true characters. A tiny woman who had grown up through difficult circumstances to replace a lack of physical size with a force of character that can only be described as indomitable.

Everyone who knew her tends to recall her with a smile and a funny anecdote based on her spirit and strong if slightly eccentric sense of justice. One of my favourites is the tale of how my aunt, as a little girl, returned home in tears with her best, and favourite, dress spattered in tar as the result of a careless workman repairing a nearby road. Grandma filled a tin bucket with water and dragged it slopping and overflowing across the village. Having spilt most of the contents on route, she paused to top it up at the village pump without once thinking it would have been far easier to have carried an empty bucket there. She then deposited the contents over the astonished workman who must have been twice her size. When he exclaimed “What the hell was that for misses” she became so enraged (remember hell was considered a swear word back then) that she had to be restrained from beating the unfortunate man over the head with her bucket.

At the funeral I referred to earlier one of my cousins made reference to Grandma, saying how as little girl at Sunday School no one ever said, “Behave or I’ll tell your mother” it was always “Behave or I’ll tell

your aunty Vera”. Another touching story that sums up my Grandmother was how towards the end of the Second World War she responded to a group of German POWs. Remember that in November 1940 the Luftwaffe had all but destroyed Coventry and there was hardly a family in the area that had not been touched in some way by the ensuing tragedy. The POWs were being walked past under guard to work on a nearby farm. The atmosphere amongst villagers was positively hostile when my grandmother walked over to them and gave them each a piece of fruit from the shopping she had just purchased.

She then turned on the outraged onlookers and said, “Well they’re all somebody’s son and they look half starved to me”.

So I grew up attending Church blessed to be able to learn how a good life should be lived from my parents and grandparents. The standard they set was the very highest, and I have not always lived up to it. At the age of sixteen I had gained some reasonable O level results and was studying for my A levels. My grandparents had already passed away, but my world was truly rocked when my father died suddenly of a heart attack. Whilst I didn’t exactly, “Go off the rails” I found my remaining time in the sixth form difficult, and whilst I passed my exams I decided not to study further.

I resolved to strike out and make my fortune with all the naivety of an eighteen year old. I had secured a place as a management trainee with Marks and Spencer and was convinced I would be an instant success, and would in fact, probably be asked to join the board within a few years. The reality was a crashing disaster. I wasn’t very good at it, and I thoroughly hated almost every moment I was there. The lowest point came after a harsh berating about my ineptitude in laying out a display of ladies hosiery. I remember standing there staring at ladies tights and thinking “Is this really what I want to spend my life doing”.

So I resigned and took a job in an office in Birmingham to tide me over until I could find something more worthwhile. In 1989 at the age of twenty I came down to London and joined the Metropolitan Police where I am still, working on a Safer Neighbourhood Team in the Barkingside area.

My mother had by this time retired to the pretty seaside village of Shaldon in Devon. As a young man I spent a lot of my weekends off visiting her and enjoying a chance to escape London. I started spending a lot more of my free time down there, once I had met Clare, who lived in the same village and is now my wife. Sadly my mother was killed in a cycling accident just before Clare and I were married in 1992. For a couple of years we rented a small flat in Beckton, before moving to Woodford in 1994. We have two children Elizabeth, born in 1998 and Arthur, born in 2001.

We came to the St Mary’s family through my wife and daughter’s involvement with the mums and toddlers group, we had looked at several local churches, but came to feel at home with the welcoming atmosphere we encountered here. Since then both our children have progressed through Seekers and have been involved in a number of other church activities, particularly the holiday clubs. I was brought up with a clear understanding of the importance of Christian fellowship but if I needed a reminder, it was certainly brought home to me in 2005 when Clare faced a battle with Cancer. I can’t express how important the prayers and support of our friends at St Mary’s were. Clare I’m glad to say is still with us, and is as healthy as ever. So next time you see us over tea in the Gwinnell room feel free to say hello, if you don’t already. I should have chance to chat now Geoff won’t be asking how the articles coming along!

Bazarrely Successful This year’s Charity Bazaar brought a welcome return of a much loved St Mary’s character, our very own bushy bearded Father Christmas lookalike, David Ward who, despite being a little slower on his feet these days, had no trouble in managing to let us all know pleased he was to see us; such a smoothy. Having somehow found myself in the hot seat of heir apparent organiser it’s testament to the efficiency and reliability of a huge team of volunteers yet again working away busily behind the scenes beforehand and even more on the build up day and clear up aftermath that the day was a fabulous success with little or nothing to do with me. So a big thank you from me to all concerned.

Richard Walker

Please pray for the Diocesan Team taking part in the process to nominate the new Bishop of Chelmsford and especially for meetings with the Crown Nominations Commission 14th and 15th January.

Taking a risk without God In the autumn magazine Chris Winward, under the title Taking a risk with God, writes compellingly about his personal faith in an article that explores the power of faith in the lives both of theologians and of men and women of action. I have no intention of taking issue with anything that Chris has said but I am impelled to add an addendum as a result of a sermon he gave us at St Mary’s towards the end of the interregnum. In that sermon he spoke of God’s creation of the world not in terms of the graphic seven-day event related in the book of Genesis but in terms that left too little room for Charles Darwin and the so-called theory of evolution – and I say so-called because the sheer volume of evidence since Darwin’s day about the development of every element in creation plants, birds, fish, mammals and indeed humans – is such that there can be no possibility of rejecting Darwin’s cogently argued scientific account of the evolutionary development of all these elements in creation. Indeed, up-to-date evidence of evolutionary development is there in abundance in David Attenborough’s astonishing series of presentations under the title Life which are being broadcast this autumn. And as an educationalist I was encouraged to note in November that as part of a review of the primary school curriculum pupils are to be given compulsory lessons on evolution, a change which has been welcomed by the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of science, which said this: “Teachers should aim to explain why evolution by natural selection is the only known way of understanding all the available evidence. Learning about evolution can be an extraordinary, exciting and inspiring experience for children!” That I consider is a sound observation and to think of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution is to return to believing that the earth is flat. We no longer have a problem with the fact that the earth moves around the sun, even though this contradicts Genesis, so why should we have any problem with evolution? Religion is a route to human redemption, not a world view that everrules models of the worlds based on observation, experiment and hypotheses that have predictive value.

Philip Swallow

Some New Year Dates Saturday 9th January

4pm Choir at Southwark Cathedral

Saturday 23rd January

The Big Breakfast

Saturday 30th January

Newcomers’ Supper

Sunday 7th February

Joint Songs of Praise service

Saturday 13th February

Coffee Morning and Race Night

Thursday 18th February

Faith and Image

Saturday 27th February

Reg Fowkes Photo Competition

Copy date for the Easter magazine is 28 February. Please send material to Geoff Jones jillian-jones@sky.com (8491 6508) copied to Viveca Dutt vivecadutt@talktalk.net 8530 6051 in plain text.

And don’t forget to think picture at any event you are going to: If it is of interest to you it is probably of interest to us!

May we take this opportunity to thank all our contributors over the past year and to wish everyone all God’s blessing’s on you during 2010.

And thanks to Chris Meikle for this set of New Year’s Resolutions 1. Wake Up! Decide to have a good day.

"Today is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

2. Dress Up! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.

"The Lord does not look at the things a man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

3. Shut Up! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears but only one mouth so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.

"He who guards his lips guards his soul."

4. Stand Up! . . . for what you believe in.

"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

5. Look Up! . . . to the Lord."

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."

6. Reach Up! . . . for something higher.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding."

7. Lift Up! . . . your prayers.

"Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY about everything."

THE REG FOWKES ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION AND ILLUSTRATED TALK 2010 PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION 27TH FEBRUARY St MARY’S CHURCH, HIGH ROAD, SOUTH WOODFORD EXHIBITION OPEN 3PM TO 6:30PM REFRESHMENTS SERVED UNTIL 6:30PM PRESENTATION OF PRIZES AT 6:30PM HOW TO ENTER CATEGORIES

1. LANDSCAPE-SEASCAPE 2. PEOPLE 3. NATURE 4.SNOW SCENES 5. SNAPS DIGITAL AND CONVENTIONAL PHOTOS WILL BE ACCEPTED PRICE OF EACH PHOTOGRAPH ENTRY £1 PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO ST MARY’S CHURCH PLEASE GIVE DETAILS OF YOURSELF, NAME. ADDRESS.IF YOU ARE A NEWCOMER AND CATEGORIES

SIZES OF PHOTOGRAPHS UNFRAMED BLACK AND WHITE OR COLOUR PRINTS NO BIGGER THAN 26cm x 30cm (10” X 12”) SNAPS MUST BE NO LARGER THAN 15cm x 10cm (6” x 4”) OR 20cm x 15cm (8” x 6”) FIRST FOUR CATEGORIES MOUNTED ON CARD; SNAPS MUST BE UNMOUNTED

PRIZES 1ST PRIZE IN EACH CATEGORY £20 2ND PRIZE IN EACH CATEGORY £10 3RD PRIZE IN EACH CATEGORY £5 £20 FOR THE BEST NEWCOMER PLUS THE PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD OVERALL WINNER FROM ANY CATEGORY - REG FOWKES MEMORIAL SHIELD

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES IS FRIDAY 19TH FEBRUARY SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO: THE REG FOWKES PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION ST MARY’S CHURCH, HIGH ROAD, SOUTH WOODFORD, E18 2PT OR C/O PAT SMITH, 12 PARKWAY, WOODFORD GREEN, ESSEX, IG8 7RE. PHONE: 02085051177

CHILDRENS COMPETITION CHILDREN’S AGE GROUPS 6-10 YRS & 11-14 YRS CAN ENTER SNAPS ON ANY SUBJECT, THEY MUST NOT BE MOUNTED ON CARD. SIZES 15cm x 10cm (6” x 4”) OR 20cm x 15cm (8” x 6”) PRICE PER ENTRY 50p PLEASE ENCLOSE NAME, AGE, ADDRESS AND TEL. NO. PRIZES FOR EACH AGE GROUP ARE: 1st: A FREE CINEMA TICKET FOR THE ODEON SOUTH WOODFORD, 2nd A TIN OF SWEETS & 3RD A PACK OF FUN SIZE SWEETS RETURN OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS AFTER THE EXHIBITION PLEASE ENCLOSE A STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE OR COLLECT FROM THE CHURCH AFTER THE SERVICE AT 11:30 ON THE 7ND MARCH OR BETWEEN 10AM & 4PM ON 2ND 4TH AND 5TH MARCH ALTERNATIVELY BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT FROM PAT SMITH AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS

THE ANNUAL ILLUSTRATED MEMORIAL REG FOWKES LECTURE .

WARSHIPS TO THE OLYMPICS

BY PETER LAWRENCE, CHAIRMAN OF THE WOODFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY 27TH FEBRUARY AT 7:45PM FOLLOWING THE PHOTOGRAHIC PRIZEGIVING ENTRANCE TO THE TALK IS BY TICKET - £6 INCLUDING BUFFET AVAILABLE FROM PAT SMITH TEL 020 8505 1177 OR AT THE DOOR ON THE EVENING