The Lantern, February-March 2023

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RIP Olive Anderson

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SNIPPETS, SOUNDBITES AND STORIES At the time of writing we are still in the Season of Epiphany and since I wrote about the Three Kings/Wise Men last year and hearing again the legend of the fourth visitor on Epiphany Sunday this year, I thought it appropriate to relate some of the deeper explanations I have read recently. The first conundrum being Kings or Wise Men? (Of course, the rulers of the time would have their own wise men for example political, financial and medical advisers) but in about the 6th Century AD the word ‘magi’ had more connotations with its ‘magic’ connection. To avoid the wrong interpretation the kingly presence was adopted. However, we cannot dismiss them as magicians, as they would have been the intelligent and learned of their time, or as once described as “some foreign academics” borne out by their ability to track the new star.

But what of the Kings? This account is found only in St Matthew’s Gospel, which is considered by academics to be the ‘most Jewish’. It is strange then that he is relating the revelation, manifestation or Epiphany of the hoped-for Messiah to non-Jewish people.....perhaps giving it more truth-related credibility. But Matthew knew his scriptures and many of the details he relates are regarded as fulfilments of Old Testament prophecies, e.g. Rachel crying for her children being a prophecy of the massacre of the Holy Innocents and “Out of Egypt have I called my son”, the return of the holy Family from exile in Egypt. In last week’s bible readings we heard Isaiah’s account of camels and kings bearing kingly gifts and these kings are now thought to represent the nearby continents to whom it was God’s purpose to reveal His truths to the world.

There is much more but I will conclude with the reference to the line in the Hallelujah Chorus , ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ during which it is recorded that King George II stood in deference (as with the example of the three kings) to a greater King than himself .

A little known tradition in our own royal household, going back nearly 500 years, is the offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh which are placed on the altar during the Eucharist service in St James’ Palace chapel, And a couple of snippets for after Candlemas.

A lady from the intellectual and upper class (no inverted snobbery intended) died and her husband was surprised that she had requested the children’s hymn “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” as one of the hymns to be sung at her funeral . It was apparently one of her happy memories of her Salvation Army upbringing. He need not have worried. Apparently the full church congregation sang with gusto, renewing their own happy childhood memories!

I read somewhere recently that it was fortunate for the victim that the Good Samaritan had a fiver in his pocket! The moral of this is that it is not the amount of money you have but what you do with it.

Anita Buyers 7

LET US HELP YOU GET THROUGH YOUR LOSS We’ll guide and assist you through all the funeral arrangements.

Call us 24 hours a day.

R. S. JOHNSON & SONS FUNERAL DIRECTORS Crossgate House, Western Approach, South Shields, NE33 5QU

Tel: 0191 456 0054 And Spring Villa, St John’s Terrace, Jarrow, NE32 3AB

Tel: 0191 489 0063

St Peter’s Monthly Draw Nov 1st Prize

£50

136

Jessica Foreman

Nov 2nd Prize

£20 81

Sue Sparrow

Nov 3rd Prize

£10 105

Irene White

Dec 1st Prize

£50 30

Gina Baird

Dec 2nd Prize

£20 100

Derek Tighe

Dec 3rd Prize

£10 23

Pauline Taylor

Extra Draw

£20 71

Elaine Goldberg

Extra Draw

£20 13

Audrey Huntley 8

Winning numbers for January and February will appear in the next edition of the magazine.

If you want to take part in the draw for 2023 then call Jean Roberts on 0191 425 2368

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A Litany for Holocaust Memorial Day One day, may our hearts be open to the suffering of others.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may our nations strive for unity, not division.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may truth triumph over lies.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may we celebrate our common humanity, made in the image of God. May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may there be joyful celebration of our differences.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may I see the needs of others and put them before my own.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

One day, may our darkest moments be swaddled by your light.

May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

Help us to live, this day, in the light and truth of Your love, bringing your Kingdom to earth. Amen. (produced by The Council of Christians and Jews) 11

Introducing Kayla Harward We are very much looking forward to welcoming Kayla Harward as our new curate this summer. Cameron asked Kayla a few questions as way of finding out a little bit about her.

Tell us a little about your background and growing up.

I’m originally from South Carolina, in the USA. I have 2 siblings and grew up in a close family. We all were members of the United Methodist Church, and that was an important part of my day-to-day life growing up. I went to the University of South Carolina for my undergraduate degree – in Anthropology and French, and then got a Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School after that. While I was at Duke, I participated in a year-long exchange studying at Durham University and absolutely loved being in this part of the world. I went back to the States to finish my degree and begin working in the UMC in South Carolina, but eventually felt the pull to come back to this side of the pond. I’ve always felt a connection with the UK and have now lived here for nearly five years and still love being in the north-east.

What prompted you to begin exploring a call to ministry?

I’ve always said that my call to ministry was nothing like a ‘telephone call’.

For me, the calling to ministry came very gradually and was followed somewhat reluctantly on my part. Having grown up in the church, I’ve always felt comfortable in a worship setting and increasingly felt a calling to explore ordination. However, I was always very shy, and the thought of preaching was very scary, so I assumed I could never manage to speak in front of a church, but thankfully decided to take the plunge and follow what I was feeling led to do. After some experience in placements, I finally felt ready to fully accept that calling, and over the years working in ministry I’ve increasingly felt at home in the church. This has continued with my move into the CoE. I’ve realized that a lot of my own understanding 12

of calling has come from where I feel most at home, or most where I belong, and I’ve found that I have that same feeling participating in the CoE. I’m looking forward to seeing how my unique calling to ministry will be shaped and developed through curacy.

What are you looking forward to most as you begin your curacy?

I’m excited to get to know the people in the parish as well as getting to know the area. I’m also looking forward to getting involved in the churches.

I’ve enjoyed the short times at placement churches I’ve had in training, but it will be good to be able to be with you all long-term.

Is there a particular bible passage or hymn that means a lot to you?

I think my favourite hymn is “How Great Thou Art.” I’ve always liked it as one that I grew up singing, but it became more of my favourite when I learned that it’s one of my grandmother’s favourites. It made me listen to the lyrics more closely and now when I hear it I think of how the words reflect her life as well as my own, particularly speaking of how we can see God’s wonder in the beauty of nature.

What hobbies or interests do you enjoy?

I like to read novels in my spare time, I enjoy cross-stitching and playing games. I like watching movies and am a huge fan of Disney movies in particular. And I’m often out walking my dogs, Loki and Echo, and enjoy taking them to new places.

What is the most surprising fact about you?

I spent a semester after I graduated undergrad working at Disney World in Orlando. I was just in a gift shop (something I didn’t aim to do long-term), but I enjoyed being able to live on site for several months (and go to the parks whenever I wanted)!

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Activities at St Peter’s Church Hall Weekly Social Activities & Uniformed Organisations Monday

Tuesday

• Twinkle Tots

• 9.30 am to 11.30 am

• U3A Art

• 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm

• Brownies

• 6.00 pm to 7.15 pm

• Guides

• 7.30 pm to 8.45 pm

• Pilates (Judith Briggs)

• 9.30 am to 10.50 am

• Yoga (Pat Uttridge)

• 3.00 pm to 4.30 pm

• Yoga (Jill Glozier)

• 7.30 pm to 8.45 pm

Wednesday • Art & Craft Club (Carol White) • 9.30 am to 12 noon • Line Dancing - Beginner (Ethel • 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm Ramsey) • Line Dancing - Improver (Ethel • 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm Ramsey)

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

• T’ai Chi (Martin Thorogood)

• 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm

• Yoga (Carrie Kirston)

• 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm

• Yoga

• 6.30 am to 7.30 am

• 50+ Exercise to music (Ethel Ramsey)

• 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm

• Cubs

• 5.45 pm to 7.15 pm

• Scouts

• 7.15 pm to 9.00 pm

• Exercise (Caroline Maidment) • 10.00 am to 11.00 am • Craft Quilting

• 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm

• Beavers

• 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm Helpers needed

• Irish Dance (Stokes & Collins Dance)

• 9.30 am to 1.00 pm

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Activities at St Mark & St Cuthbert’s Church Hall Monday

• Your Voice Counts Cooking • 9 am to 3 pm • Karate • 6 pm to 7 pm

Tuesday

• Bertie’s Toddler Group • ‘Crafternoon’

• 9.15 am to 11.15 am (not held in August) • 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm

• Brownies

• 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm

• Friends Together (1st and 3rd Wed every month in church) • Rainbows

• 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm

Thursday

• Bertie’s Toddler Group • Ballet & Tap

• 12.45 pm to 2.45 pm • 4 00 pm to 7.00 pm

Friday

• Line Dancing

• 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm

Sunday

• Coffee

• after 10.30 am Parish Eucharist

HARTON GARAGE for all your new and used cars

J M & W DARLING LTD

(plus all your servicing and MOTs)

88 Dean Road, South Shields

183 Sunderland Road,

Tel: 0191 454 3841

South Shields

1 Stanhope Parade, South Shields,

Tel: 0191 427 7070

Tel: 0191 455 4551

Wednesday

Fax: 0191 427 9272 18

• 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm

Chemist

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Rev Kate Boardman MA FHEA. revkateboardman@gmail.com

Vicarage:3 Page Avenue, South Shields, NE34 0SY

* 0191 4554682

CHURCH PERSONNEL ST MARK & ST CUTHBERT’S Church Wardens Mrs Leanore Sheldon Mrs Suzie Webber

• 07407 640915

Treasurer

Mrs Suzie Webber

• 0191 4260007

PCC Members

Ms Liza Dorothy; Mrs Diane Lee; Ms Sarah Lysaght; Miss Jean Smith; Mrs Eileen Wraith

Deanery Synod Members Mrs Leanore Sheldon Hall Booking Sec Ms Gemma Slater Magazine Committee Rep

Vacancy

Safeguarding

Mrs Diane Lee Ms Liza Dorothy

• 07392 845422

• 07703 275025 • 07538 719585

CHURCH PERSONNEL ST PETER’S Associate Priest

Rev Cameron Abernethy revdcam@gmail.com

• 07725 314995

Church Warden

Mrs Jean Stokes jastokes@virginmedia.com

• 0191 4207818

Treasurer

Mr Colin Brown c.brown932@btinternet.com

PCC Members

Mr Colin Brown; Mrs Angela Clark; Mr Jamie Hughes; Mr Ernie Russell; Mr Melvin Paterson; Ms Amanda Lenney; Mr James Scott; Dr Mark Sinclair; Mrs Linda Smithson

Deanery Synod Members Mrs Angela Clark; Mrs Jean Roberts; Mrs Joanne Tunnadine Hall Booking Sec Mrs Ethel Ramsey ethelramsey92@gmail.com

• 0191 4542341

Magazine Editor Mrs Linda Smithson lindasmithson@hotmail.co.uk & Committee Mrs Jean Stokes jastokes@virginmedia.com

• 0191 4217634 • 0191 4207818

Safeguarding

• 07813 345747 • 07704 165675

Mrs Angela Clark Mrs Shirley Sinclair

HARTON CHURCHES TOGETHER REPRESENTATIVES St Mark & St Cuthbert contact Margaret Kirkwood 0191 456 007 Harton St Peter contact Margaret Haley 0191 454 3376 22

Quiz St Peter’s Church Hall Saturday 28th February 7.00 for7.30pm Tickets £6 includes PIES & PEAS Bring your own drinks For tickets contact Ethel on 4542341