The Lantern August/September 2020
A selection of four from the many roses grown in Krystyna and Ed’s garden this summer on the Cleadon Park Estate.
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Our buildings gradually re-open for worship, service and love goes on… Join in with Sunday worship: 8.10 am Radio 4 Morning Worship 9.30 am Morning Worship at St Mark & St Cuthbert’s* 11 am
Morning Worship at St Peter’s*
*NB may need to book
11.15 am Durham Cathedral live on facebook.com/durhamcathedral/ 1.15 pm BBC Songs of Praise 3.30 pm Durham Cathedral evensong on facebook.com/durhamcathedral/ 6 pm
Evening Worship on stpetersharton.org.uk/worship/
or you can follow it on facebook.com/stpetersharton or on YouTube
24/7
our worship is available to listen to on 0191 814 1230 (local rate call)
Weekly notices and news send out via email, please see either website to join. Prayer requests or support requests – books, jigsaws, food, medicines etc. – or baptism/wedding enquiries welcome by email or phone: 0191 455 4682 stpetersharton@gmail.com or stcuthbertcleadonpark@gmail.com Daily Hope, offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of a free telephone line.
contribute to worship over these last weeks and months – some 44 different individuals by Pentecost, and more since. This should be seen as a huge outworking of God’s spirit in the gifts of his people. Those voices will continue to be heard and shared, encouraged and developed. As we move back into face-to-face worship, we pray that we will transfer this to a vibrant way for more people to lead worship in-person too. That has been our dream for some time, and we can now see it being able to bear fruit. From unexpected seed grows hope and encouragement.
From the Vicarage From the vicarage is currently correct, but we are approaching the day when Jim Haley will be able to cut down the closed signs that it pained him so much to fasten up in March. After an eye-watering (literally) number of hours of crafting and editing the required safety documentation and assessments, and more than a few pounds on requisites, we take our tentative steps back into re-opening for public worship this weekend. There is information for those who want to return – or to join – later in the magazine, but here let me underline just a couple of things: we are committed to keeping a version of worship accessible online and on the phone lines for the foreseeable future, partly because we know that not everyone is immediately comfortable about returning, and because not everyone will fit under capacity restrictions, but also because we realise that this is something we can offer to those who for various reasons cannot [/no longer] attend services in person anyway. To do so also allows us to benefit from the generous efforts of people across the communities who have been able to
Also, we are committed to retaining a pattern of pastoral calls and messages. A structure for this had been in place for home communicants and some of our most vulnerable members for a year, but we sat after evensong the night before the anticipated lockdown and extended that by drawing out the groups and schedules for the contact cascade across our communities. Here we have also seen gifts released, and relationships and friendships developed and released, so that our pastoral team, just as our worship team, will be able to grow in reach 3
face-to-face as well. We will look at the groups and reassign responsibilities, as some who have delighted in making their several phone calls each week go back to work, whilst some who are more housebound have found joy in this being a real area in which they can serve the church. Again, we will be moving in to a new phase in September. There are plenty of you who have said recently, “oh, I’m ok, don’t feel you need to ring” and yet the offer will remain, as we look at the relationships that begin to knit together the fellowship of those who ‘attended services’ into real warmth and friendship rooted in being the body of Christ. I thank God for those people who have attended to the living over these months, whilst I have attended the dead.
have been trying to sing – no, we have mostly succeeded in singing – the Lord’s song in a strange land. We called on him for liberation and for restoration, and we are now seeing paths open for us through the desert, through the dark waters of death. Through the desert – as the barrenness of our isolation is watered by cafes, groups, garden afternoon teas and the faces of friends; through the dark waters of death as we look around us with eyes which see our world afresh, with a clarity and focus which may have been dulled before by the old grind of life. Just as in baptism we are ‘raised to new life with Christ’ and a monochrome life takes on colour, our renewing of life should hopefully bring new excitement with and appreciation of the smaller things. Desert and Water images perhaps don’t seem to fit together, but both I think have something to offer us as we are restored to our sense of place[s] and in a very real sense to many, as we are restored to life. We seem to have liberation, but it has come at a cost. As the Israelites reached the promised land, they mourned those who had been lost along the way, and we do too. We lament the suffering
So what now? There are theological images between which we bounce, from both Old Testament and New. We have been in a period of exile, thrown out of our habits and lifestyles, out of our worship space for a season. We have endured hardships, suffering, loss, uncertainty, estrangement from loved ones and mental and material struggles. We 4
that continues, as we watch, fairly helplessly, the virus ravage those areas of our world with less robust healthcare systems. With the psalmists, we cry “How long, O Lord?”
gratitude, that they and loved ones have survived, that prayers have been answered, and that thankfulness must be offered, held alongside the pain of those whose prayers, it felt, were not.
With the uncertainty over what the autumn will bring, we hesitate as yet to define exactly how our ‘normal’ season of remembrance will look, but we anticipate that our All Souls commemoration will be ticketed and duplicated. We will be offering memorial celebrations to all those families who would like one, as services resume, and St Peter’s will be open for quiet prayer soon for those who wish to bring their own reflections quietly into church.
As we go forward from here, it is crucial to know one thing, and that is it is simply not possible to just pick up threads of before. There is no going back, but only going forward. In a much less theological truism, “we’re not in Kansas any more.” Part-way through lockdown, we received the news that the Diocese has been successful in receiving a large Church Commissioners’ grant for the next phase of Resource Churches, which includes us. This ought to be grounds for celebration, but needs us to completely recalibrate where we are against the plans that we had made. But, in all the turmoil, God is good, and we trust that he is giving us an opportunity to refresh, replenish and renew, not just to return. We pray that we might listen to the quiet harmonies that nudge us from unexpected places, that we might sing his song even louder, with his refrain of love resounding even more through our community.
We considered, weeks ago, to what extent we would eventually be able to ‘celebrate’ the re-opening of churches, how we would attempt to balance the joy many would feel about a moment of ‘moving on’ when so many lives have been lost, and so many lives overturned. We have not, truthfully, been sure how to carry that duality successfully, but the language of the psalms can bring us also a vocabulary of thankfulness in the midst of hurt and confusion. For many, there is 5
Cascading at St Peter’s and St Mark and St Cuthbert’s Every week, and as I write this in the middle of July we are onto week 17, a group of individuals from both St Peter’s and St Mark and St Cuthbert’s have been contacting, usually by telephone, over 150 people connected with o u r c h u rc h e s . N o t o n l y congregation members, but those linked with the churches by friendship groups such as Tea at Three and Friends Together. We were aware that not only the vulnerable due to age or health conditions but everyone could be affected by this virus. Anyone could become ill and maybe someone else was dependent on them and so would need help, hence the aim was to keep in touch with everyone. This has been a cascading system whereby five or so people are phoned by a volunteer. The large group of volunteers report back to one of five people; Jean Roberts, Pauline Taylor, Jean Stokes Margaret Hayley or Anne Blair-Vincent who inform Kate of how things are, especially of any particular concerns. Hence over 150 people have been phoned 6
each week, a huge task, but made simple by breaking it down into manageable sizes. As the Corona virus began to take hold it was obvious that we needed to know how everyone was and if they needed any practical support and indeed to ensure we at least provided mental support by showing how much we care and love one another, as Christ instructed us to do. Volunteers were usually given a mix of people to phone, some they were acquainted with but others they may not have been able to put a face to, and in many cases this has worked very well, strengthening or even growing friendships. Hence the volunteer and the recipient have gained, often offering each other much needed support during this unprecedented time. Linda Smithson who is one of the volunteers explained, ‘I was a little bit hesitant when I first started making the calls, not knowing how people would feel about receiving unsolicited calls but they have been well received.
I have become good friends with two of the ladies I am phoning, one I knew but one I had never met, so cascading has been a very successful exercise from my point of view.
deal. Generally a good old chat putting the world right is all that has taken place, something so simple but so effective. A lifeline f o r m a n y a n d s o m u c h appreciated by the majority. The gratitude received has been overwhelming and a privilege. T h e c o n t a c t s h a v e b e e n welcomed by those not on their own, who indeed have families to support them, but let’s face it we all like a chat with different people. The awareness of belonging to our Church Family has been amazing and welcomed by all’
Audrey Archbald was thrilled that we thought of her as it was Edna Thomson, her sister in law, who attended St Peter’s. She says she has enjoyed our chats immensely and is looking forward to me joining her for a cup of coffee as soon as we can. She looks forward to a continued friendship in the future. Christine Wears says she enjoys our chats which often centre around politics and the measures being taken by the government to combat the Covid 19 crisis. She looks forward to continuing our calls.’
Anne Blair-Vincent sums up the positives of the cascading system, ’Members of the congregation at St Mark and Cuthbert’s and St Peter’s have been keeping up contact with each other by phone and socially distanced garden visits as well as the regular calls/ texts from their church contact cascade person and this has been a useful way of identifying any issues. Alongside the online and telephone services and the various WhatsApp groups it has been a way of us feeling together whilst apart.’
Margaret Haley explains, ‘during these strange times of isolation you do not realise how it must feel to be truly lonely often our phone calls are the only contact people have with the outside world. The friendly voice a new friend who’s actually caring and interested in their wellbeing, offering reassurance that there is support if needed means a great
Though many parts we are one body. Jean Stokes 7
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St Peter’s Monthly Draw June 1st Prize
£50
116
Ollie Green
June 2nd Prize
£20
106
Donna Massie
June 3rd Prize
£10
163
Rosie Hegarty
July 1st Prize
£50
96
Anne Skipper
July 2nd Prize
£20
79
Paul Bird
July 3rd Prize
£10
132
Samantha Lunn
August 1st Prize
£50
30
Jim Haley
August 2nd Prize
£20
113
William Pithers
August 3rd Prize
£10
79
Paul Bird
A note for the winners for June to August - your prize money will be delivered to you shortly.
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Coming to re-opened worship
Pre-arrival – over the coming weeks we will endeavour to work out how to facilitate and optimise access to worship for everyone. Please don’t be offended if we need to implement booking and have reached capacity for a service you would like to attend. If this is the case, we will offer you a place at the next one.
We are delighted to be able to reopen for public worship from Sunday 16th August. But worship will be a little different, as summarised below. Please do familiarise yourselves with what to expect (very similar to most places). Capacity – the point of the parish system is that the church is open to all. We are faced with a dilemma in re-opening – a good dilemma to have, in many ways, that our worshipping community exceeds the capacity which we are restricted to what we have with physical distancing. We have decided that August will be a ‘suck it and see’ few weeks, and as more people get comfortable with returning to indoor events we may need to rethink for September.
First visit – we will be complying with the NHS Test & Trace service to help with the swift tracking of potential infection clusters. So we will retain your contact information for 21 days after a service in order to pass it to the NHS or to the local government response group if necessary. Because this is a use of your data which shows your religious affiliation, under GDPR we won’t hand that on without your consent. You can do this the first time you come back to church, or preauthorise it online. On arrival – please wait in a distanced manner to be welcomed in one household at a time. Sanitiser will be available, and in line with new legislation, face coverings should be worn. No more ‘normal pew’ I’m afraid, to maximise capacity and minimise physical movement and proximity you will be shown to a seat, sitting in households/bubbles.
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Services – it might feel like there is lots missing, as we currently won’t be singing, sharing the peace, staying for coffee. We can however celebrate the Eucharist (for which local instruction will be given) and so a ‘Sunday’ service will feel more like a ‘midweek’ service. For the moment, we have chosen to return to the words of the old traditional liturgies, that their poetry might carry an intrinsic completeness.
Yes, it will feel strange. And sad not to be all worshipping together. But we take our tentative steps back, and we hope the welcome will remain warm.
We think it is possible to ‘quarantine’ service booklets for a week between services, but we may well encourage you to let the liturgy embrace you, and join in where you remember. Not every service going forward will be a Eucharist, which was already the direction of travel. A recovery of midweek worship is planned for September. Services now will therefore be a bit shorter, and for the moment children will need to stay in church with parents. Leaving – unfortunately coffee and mixing after the service is verboten at present. We understand people will want to catch up, but we will encourage you to do this outside in the open air where it is safer.
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Holiday Club at Home – the Rainbow Challenge is in full swing. 7 different activities for 7 themes every Sport & Exercise Culture & Craft MasterChef Science & Nature Kindness Performance Eagle Eyes….. Here’s just a tiny glimpse of what we’re getting up to – and we’re not even half way yet!
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Obviously it wasn’t feasible to host 50 children a day in church, as we might normally have done, so we had to have a new plan. Somewhat optimistically there are activities for every week of the 7 weeks of school holiday. We pre-prepared resource bags for every household wanting to register, and each Tuesday morning there are some new activity packs for whatever they need for the week. We’re very conscious that after three months of lockdown, supplies of felt pens, gluesticks etc would likely be running low. It’s not quite the same not being together, but we’ve still got plenty people engaged and having fun.
All the activities have a corresponding short video introduction and more details on the web page. They use the minimum of required materials and are released on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but can be done any time. Registering got you a sticker sheet, and stickers are available on Tuesday mornings for the activities you’ve done. Those with enough in each category at the end will get their smiley faces stickers for the lovely certificate. There’s an even more special prize to be had though, in that one of the activities is to design a dress for Colin aka Big Pink Dress, and he’s promised to choose a winner and make the dress to actually wear.
All the resources will stay online – probably shouldn’t have called it the Rainbow Challenge 2020 with a date!! But they can all be accessed at rainbowchallenge2020.wordpress.com and anyone is welcome to join in. Grandchildren or neighbours feel free – do pass on the word. 13
Twinkle Tots
Having done so, and drawn up a list of resources to begin with, Sarah and Angela Clark had planned to begin rolling out a new toddler group for St Peter’s this September.
As Bertie’s has grown at St Cuthbert’s and established itself as a popular, parent-led group which really feels itself connected to the church family, and been a great place to grow relationships with baptism families and with parents and siblings of Brownies, Rainbows and Holiday Club children, we’ve always been conscious that we don’t have a similar group at St Peter’s.
As ever, partly we’ve needed to have commitment from people who can lead this ministry in order to breathe life into it. We also wanted to learn from our experience at Bertie’s, and both to hit the ground running at St Peter’s and use that to feed back into our provision at Bertie’s.
The lockdown has rather set this back as well as so many other things, however, we are not to be deterred, and we are now beginning to pick up again our plans, and look to reschedule. At the moment, our toddler groups are the remaining thing untouched by guidance for safe restarting, but we hope that before too long we will have a weekly chance to build another small community, that can feed into Sing Praise and Stepping Stones, or just come along and be part of on its own. Watch this space, as Twinkle Tots is born!
Over the beginning of this year, just before lockdown, Sarah Lysaght was making a concerted effort to visit all of the local toddler groups to learn as much as possible not just about the provision, but also about the ‘guest experience’ – with Anna and Catherine giving great user feedback!
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Virtual Church Services St Peter’s and St Mark and St Cuthbert’s Our worship throughout the coronavirus situation has been on Sundays 6pm, accessed via various v i r t u a l a n d t e c h n o l o g i c a l platforms; Facebook, YouTube, online in an audio format and by phone (0191 814 1230 to hear the worship as a local phone call).
congregations taking part in the delivery of the service which has made the experience more personal to us. Leanore: We have enjoyed the wide variety of voices presenting the services - we've got to know people from St Peter's too. We also like seeing how many people have watched the service on YouTube because it fosters a sense of congregation.
Shirley: Every Sunday at 6pm during lockdown without fail, we have sat down (with a cup of tea) and joined the St Peter’s and St Mark and St Cuthbert’s service on YouTube. No buses, umbrellas, or warm jackets needed - what a treat! Actually, we have missed the warmth of people around us, and the friendly chats, but it has been great to hear the familiar voices doing readings, prayers and reflections. We have not been singing along, being slightly off key s i n g e rs , b u t h av e e n j o y e d humming and felt very uplifted by the music, especially the bonus special when Kate sang for us in St Mark’s and St Cuthbert’s, gently illuminated by rays of sunshine!
Patti: I love the virtual church services. They help me to feel connected and it is lovely to hear familiar voices. We may not be able to be in church physically, but we can still give our worship and praise to God. The church is very much alive and active, despite our present circumstances. The chat groups and Zoom meetings give us a chance to share with each other afterwards too. Diane: I look forward to the virtual services every week, it b r i n g s e v e r y o n e t o g e t h e r although we are apart. It is comforting to hear the familiar voices in these difficult times and to know that God is with us all wherever we are. xx
Linda: The virtual services have enabled me to feel that I am still part of our church ‘family’. I think this has been achieved by hearing both adults and children from our 15
SNIPPETS, STORIES AND SOUNDBITES When I wrote this column for the last issue, though written some weeks earlier, I did not know that my comments on plastic waste would have so much resonance, i.e. the amount of plastic which has been essential for PPE, not to mention plastic carriers for home deliveries and click and collect. I only hope where possible it has all been reused or responsibly disposed of! I feel as if we are living in some sort of parallel universe at present, and when I wondered what to write about, I thought, well, not much really... with the exception of...VE day celebrations, clapping on Thursday nights (beginning in the dark and ending in sunlight!) Captain Sir Tom, and many heroes like him, keeping in touch with family, friends, cascade group, flower class, writing shopping lists or compiling online shopping...watching old films (e.g. Geordie, with local lad Bill Travers, and Genevieve) ... starting long forgotten jobs and not finishing (or finishing if you are diligent), inventing recipes, combing your hair!!! So, quite a lot going on really. There has also been more time to explore our spirituality, with thanks to Kate and team for ongoing worship, along with Durham Cathedral, Radio 4, BBC1 Sunday morning service (now discontinued) and other media. Today (at time of writing) we ‘visited’ York Minster with the new Archbishop Stephen Cottrell. However, when I was sitting in the garden contemplating on this a couple of days ago, I was under attack from a flight of swifts, wheeling and circling above my head, in what I think with hindsight, was their rehearsal for their own version of the next day’s Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary tribute. Too ‘swift’ for the camera. The incident reminded me of what pleasure we have had in the emerging of spring, into summer, notwithstanding strange weather. One morning when I opened the curtains, the bird feeder was like Asda after shelf-stacking. Green and gold finches, chaffinches, a bullfinch, blue, great and coal tits and I am convinced they were feeding each other’s young! We’ve had the first thrush for a few years, in addition to a few unrecognisable little brown birds (not sparrows), black birds, robin, wren, magpie and wood pigeons. The bird book is being well thumbed! Watch this space for more riveting excitement! Anita Buyers 16
Squash & barley salad with balsamic Cooking time 25 mins Dairy free
Serves 8
Vegetarian
Vegan
Kcal 301 per serving
Ingredients
Method
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut
1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the squash on a baking tray and toss with olive oil. Roast for 20 mins. Meanwhile, boil the barley for about 25 mins in salted water until tender, but al dente. While this is happening, whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Drain the barley, then tip it into a bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well and let it cool.
into long pieces • 1tbsp olive oil • 250g pearl barley • 300g Tenderstem broccoli, cut into medium-size pieces • 100g SunBlush tomato, sliced • 1 small red onion, diced • 2tbsp pumpkin seeds • 1tbsp small capers, rinsed • 15 black olives, pitted • 20g pack basil, chopped • • For the dressing • 5tbsp balsamic vinegar • 6tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1tbsp Dijon mustard • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2. Boil the broccoli in salted water until just tender, then drain and rinse in cold water. Drain and pat d r y. A d d t h e b ro c c o l i a n d remaining ingredients to the barley and mix well. This will keep for 3 days in the fridge and is delicious warm or cold. 17
‘Because we always have’ brings a security of togetherness that outweighs social distancing. But, ‘because we always have’ can sidestep the deeper questions that have been echoing during this strange season and prevent us from the fullness intended for gathered church. What is at our very core that causes us to gather? Rather, the question is, who is at our core? The church gathers unto the risen and reigning person of Jesus, to proclaim Him as King and to be formed together into a people who live in the ways of His kingdom. We gather together, in the Spirit, to worship the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Every person or community worships something. Our human nature is designed to give allegiance to what we value as ultimately good. When we gather, we choose to acknowledge as a community that Jesus is our King, His reign is supreme, and His rule is ultimately good. We adopt the ancient words, “You are our God. We will be Your people”, and pledge our allegiance to Him with sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. We gather to be formed. We gather to be formed more fully into the people God desires. The
When we come together Donna Jennings explores the theological basis of the gathered church – an article from the website of the Evangelical Alliance, June 25th For over three months we have not gone to church; we have streamed church services, experiencing our coming together while being apart. It is counter-intuitive not to gather as church, and we know a deep discomfort, an inner longing, to be back together again. Why does the church gather? Because we always have. The church (ekklesia) is, at its heart, a gathering of people. We are a connected people, a community, the people of God, the body of Christ, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, the flock, the household of God. From first creation to the new creation, scripture is permeated with images of people gathering to worship God. From Eden to Sinai, tabernacle to temple, in the Jewish synagogue, private homes and the Greek agora, across the world and throughout history, the community of God has always gathered and affirmed the ancient words: “You are our God. We are your people” (Psalm 95:7). 18
gathering is a place where we submit to Christ and to each other. Committed to living in His ways, we come together to sit under His word, in the power of His Spirit, for personal and corporate transformation. The gathering is the place of formation, not merely information. The word is not only proclaimed and taught but enacted and obeyed together through shared prayers of repentance and faith in Jesus, times of confession and forgiveness. We gather because we are one. We have been gathered up, into one body. Salvation is no personal, private, individual affair. The place of salvation is being reimaged, recreated persons in Christ – and so we are saved along with others to form His body, the new reimaged humanity. Gathering both expresses and enacts the ‘oneness’ of who we are. The early church gathered to worship through acts of prayer, reading and teaching scriptures, shared meals, the Lord’s table, sharing possessions, singing songs, discipline, collecting alms, and sharing reports from the wider church. These components or acts of worship were not the end goal of worship in themselves but rather acts that both formed and expressed
the church’s true identity as one people. The church gathers to enact our new community identity: men, women, boys and girls, members of one new body, which is being conformed together into the way of Christ our Head, and so functioning as the image of God in His world. As we come together in a diversity of age, gender, social class, race, ability, gifts, these identities become secondary to the endowed identity of being a member of God’s family, in Christ, His Son. There are no divisions in the family of God: the power structures of the community and society around us are overridden in this new community. We have become a new society where “all are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). We gather together to enable worship-filled lives in our scattered places. Gathered worship does not take place within a subjective, spiritual vacuum but blends the earthly and heavenly realms we inhabit. Our family, work, neighbourhood, issues of the public square are woven into the fabric of our shared, whole-life worship. We gather to enact the story of redemption for every aspect of human life. Spiritual, earthy acts of gathered worship, should be 19
rooted in earth but awed by heaven – formed by our cries of lament, how long?. Gathered as God’s people, we respond in worship to embody the healing hope of heaven in the earthy places we inhabit. We gather as a people to embody and encounter the presence of God. God’s promised presence among His people permeates scripture from start to finish – made complete in Jesus Christ and His indwelling Spirit. The church, God’s own people, has become His temple – the meeting place of God’s presence in the world. Although the presence of God’s Spirit expands throughout every space in His world, our intentional gathering unto Him embodies His presence most intensely, according to His promise: there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). We gather together to witness to a watching world. Our gathering tells the redemption story of a good God, who is gathering up a people to Himself where heaven and earth become united eternally. We gather with a sense of anticipation (maranatha), and our gathering becomes a signpost to kingdom come and coming. Gathering as church is an announcement, an invitation to the world that Jesus is Lord, and He is
working out His purposes, right here, right now. ‘When you come together’ is full of promise. But Paul used this phrase with a corrective instruction – to the church whose gathered choices, behaviours and actions stood in direct contradiction to the essence of church as a gathered, united, equal and earthy body of God’s people. When you come together, in your garden, your front room, your church building, after many weeks of being ‘together but apart’, what will you do? How will you worship? As we, the church, look ahead and make plans to return to our planned gatherings, what we do must creatively and intentionally be formed by who we are and make real the prayer of Jesus, the essence of the church, “that they may be one” (John 17:11). Why else would we gather? Eternal God, whose Trinity of love gathers all into one, gather your people from their scattered places, drawing them once more into your presence, not only apart, but together. May your abundant love overflow from that joy of being together again to those who need to know it.
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CHURCH PERSONNEL ST MARK & ST CUTHBERT’S Church Warden
Anne Blair-Vincent anne.blair.vincent@gmail.com
• 0191 4203886
Treasurer
Mrs Barbara Matheson
• 0191 4260007
PCC Secretary
Vacant
PCC Members
Ms Liza Dorothy, Mis Diane Lee, Ms Sarah Lysaght, Mrs Barbara Matheson, Mrs Eileen Wraith
Deanery Synod Members Mrs June Mitchinson, Miss Jean Smith Hall Booking Secretary
Ms Liza Dorothy
• 07538 719585
Magazine Committee Representative
Mrs Anita Buyers
• 0191 5365452
Safeguarding Officer
Di Lee
• 07703 275025
CHURCH PERSONNEL ST PETER’S Reader
Peter Cross
Church Wardens Mrs Ethel Ramsey ethelramsey@hotmail.com Mrs Jean Stokes jastokes@virginmedia.com
• 0191 4542341 • 0191 4207818
Treasurer
Mr Colin Brown c.brown932@btinternet.com
PCC Secretary
Vacancy
PCC Members
Mr Phil Brown, Mrs Gill Brown, Mrs Angela Clark, Mr Ronnie Clark, Ms Diann Fox , Mrs Glenn Middleton, Mrs Janet Nichols, Mr Ernie Russell (co-opted), Mr James Scott, Mrs Linda Smithson
Deanery Synod Members Mr Peter Cross, Mrs Emma Waters Hall Booking Secretary
Mrs Ethel Ramsey ethelramsey@hotmail.com
• 0191 4542341
Magazine Editor Mrs Linda Smithson lindasmithson@hotmail.co.uk • 0191 4217634 & Committee Mrs Jean Stokes jastokes@virginmedia.com • 0191 4207818 Safeguarding Officer
Mr Phil Brown philneptune@yahoo.co.uk
HARTON CHURCHES TOGETHER REPRESENTATIVES St Mark & St Cuthbert contact Margaret Kirkwood 0191 4560007 Harton St Peter contact Margaret Haley 0191 454 3376091 21
• 07568 172375
An exciting research development for Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) Many of you will remember Katrina Dick, the daughter of Raymond Dick, the former Vicar of our two churches, and his wife Caroline. Katrina grew up in the family of of our churches after arriving as a small child. She displayed many talents, not least developing a beautiful singing voice and becoming an accomplished player of the cello. However, she perceives her greatest achievement is to have fulfilled her science teacher’s assessment in 2006, that she was proving to be ‘a very capable scientist’. Little could that teacher have imagined that she would go on to have her research into the relationship between the type of mutation a person has and the age that they start experiencing symptoms of FTD and go on to gain her PHD , becoming Dr Katrina Moore (married name). Katrina found, through her research, that the age when symptoms began was influenced by which gene was mutated. A single gene can be mutated in different ways, and Katrina found that in the case of the MAPT gene specifically, different types of mutation also influenced the age that symptoms began. There are at least 16,000 people living in the UK today with frontottemporal dementia or FTD. As with other types of dementia, there is currently no cure or disease modifying treatment available.One third of FTD cases are caused by a genetic defect or mutation in one of th following genes: MAPT, GRN,and C9orf72. These mutations can be passed down through a family, from generation to generation. Thanks to Katrina’s research, we now know more about when the symptoms of genetic FTD are likely to start. This is a vital stepping stone for future treatments and may help inform researchers of the best age at which to treat an FTD patient in clinical trials. Katrina is now working in San Diego doing research. As you can see from one of the illustrations on the next page, the Americans granted her a visa stating she was ‘a person of extraordinary ability’ a description we heartily endorse. 22
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