The Lantern, October-November 2022

From the Vicarage

As we enter the months of October and November, we traditionally enter a time of thanksgiving and a time of remembering. For many churches up and down the land, the turn from September into October brings with it the annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service. This is an opportunity to give thanks to God for all that we have whilst being aware of those who go without.

Alongside this time of thanksgiving, we also enter a time of remembering as October gives way to November. In the church’s year, November is the time when we remember those who have gone before – the saints. The holy women and men who have revealed some to the world of the joy and beauty of the Gospel. Those blessed saints also include our loved ones, those whom we see no longer in this earthly life. November also brings with it a time of national remembrance as poppies are worn again to remember the fallen and their hope for peace and justice in this world. This year has been a little different as we have begun our time of thanksgiving and remembering earlier than usual. The nation has mourned the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of her son, King Charles III. For many, in this nation, across the Commonwealth and beyond, this time of mourning has involved giving thanks and remembering

In pondering this time of remembrance and thanksgiving, I have sat with these words from Her Majesty.

“Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope. It is my heartfelt prayer that you will continue to be sustained by your faith in times of trial and encouraged by hope in times of despair.”.

These words remind us that our faith is built upon hope, a deep and everlasting hope offered to us by a God who loved us first. Her Majesty

found hope by daily and faithfully returning to the scriptures, spending time in prayer and worship.

For our faith is one founded not upon ideas and thoughts, but upon a living and personal relationship with God. The God who loved us so much that he sent his Son into the world, emptied himself of all for our sake and willingly journeyed to the cross. Our hope flows from our knowledge of the love and grace of God that binds up the broken hearted and lifts the fallen. And so Her Majesty prayed for us to be sustained by our faith in times of trial and encouraged by hope in times of despair. What a precious and truly Christian prayer for this monarch to offer on our behalf!

I conclude with this prayer of thanksgiving and remembrance offered in churches across our nation during the time of national mourning. A prayer that gives thanks for the life of Her Majesty and remembers the hope that we born into through our baptism, a living hope that we shall rise again through Jesus Christ. Merciful Father and Lord of all life, we praise you that we are made in your image and reflect your truth and light. We thank you for the life of our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth II, for the love she received from you and showed among us. Above all, we rejoice at your gracious promise to all your servants, living and departed, that we shall rise again at the coming of Christ. And we ask that in due time we may share with your servant Elizabeth that clearer vision promised to us in the same Christ our Lord; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Zoom Worship Brian Hails

The article below caught my attention as it clearly outlines the needs of those less mobile to maintain a ‘Corporate act of Worship’. Certainly those of us who are able should attend Church as the Archbishop of Canterbury recommends.

However Zoom worship in the Lockdown period of the pandemic was extremely beneficial. Actually one of my daughters who lives in Norfolk - her Church produced a 10.00am Sunday Morning Service on Zoom - and I was able to join in - indeed as I know her Vicar - I assisted in preaching, reading the Gospel, Praying, and a couple of Sundays did the whole Service for them. So here I was in the North East able to join with my daughter’s family each Sunday, Many elderly housebound Christians still to this day enjoy this Zoom act of Worship in Norfolk.

Perhaps this facility should not be cast aside ?

You can’t always get what you want Nearly 50 years ago my wife and I moved to our village. I was a lapsed Methodist, and she lapsed low church of England. We became part of the parish church,community which became an important part of our lives, and we were both active in it. Over the years people came and went, and vicars changed. Beloved friends died. Generations of children grew up.

My wife succumbed to the arthritis which was in her family, and I succumbed to the neurological defects in mine, in my case with MS. It gradually became more and more difficult to get to church in the wet, the cold and the dark. Eventually we were keeping in touch with our community but unable to participate in Sunday worship. We had always been glad to take advantage of what was essentially religious outside broadcasting. But it was not truly participative. Then Covid arrived.

The National church leadership addressed the problem of the spread of the disease by detailed advice to the local leadership, who took very conscientious notice of it. As the floodwaters of the risk of infection rose, we began to learn to worship over the Internet. Our strongly traditional vicar then learned to use the zoom mechanism from his sitting room. His wife became a very effective leader of ceremonies. He bought in from St Martin in the Fields an excellent package of music and words which allowed us to use the karaoke technique that we

already knew from funerals and other ceremonies, and to have a very successful community singing of hymns. We would also join in the morning or evening prayer. Church members would read readings and lead prayers, and the vicar would preach: very effectively.

Our family has benefited enormously from being able to participate in what is undoubtedly a real, if novel, form of worship. But the flood waters of the fear of infection are now beginning to ebb. The church leadership realises that “physical“ worship must be reestablished without delay. Our inspiration here is Justin Welby, not a man afraid to preach the gospel of Christ, and I feel that his advice must be followed.

So what of those of us who thought we had lost the chance of church, and had found a new expression of it? Must we give it all up again, and retreat to whatever religious outside broadcasts the church in the country can manage? Or must the able-bodied and non-vulnerable look to larger churches, as many people in our cities look to our cathedrals with their big spaces and lovely ceremonials and preaching and music?

My own view is that I want to worship God on a Sunday, and I don’t feel that zoom worship is a second rate form of religion. But our admirable vicar and his ministry team already haves too much to do leading physical worship. The only way to keep what we have gained is to take up the burden of preparation and technical skill ourselves. Until such time as we are able to do so, we have to rely on religious outside broadcasting.

But I know that he was not alone in the view. “If worship was too easy, it wasn’t “real“. People who could , if they put their mind to it, actually go to church, would be too tempted to stay at home and take the “easier” option. “

I think that Justin Welby has already addressed this concern by calling the ablebodied and non-vulnerable back to church. And the “worry” never did apply to the halt and the lame.

The relentless conservatism of humankind, and particularly of the church, has a sad monotony to it. Lazy thinking makes us fear to change our ways. We tell ourselves that “God don’t surf”. The truth is, you can’t get the staff.

Jim’s long life began in September 1928, and after a childhood disrupted by the tragically early death of his mother, with his father away at sea, Jim joined the RAF at the age of 18. On periods of leave he would return to Shields, where he would regularly call upon Dorothy – they’d met when Jim gate-crashed her 14th birthday party – and they became engaged on his return from Singapore. Marrying at St Peter’s on the 19th July 1952 means they were one of the very few couples to have received a card from the queen on their 70th anniversary.

In 1960 they bought a house on Horsley Hill Road while Jim was still in the RAF, and it was here they made their family home, welcoming son Brian. After leaving the RAF Jim worked for Plessies and for Frazers, but had to retire early in his 40s due to back problems. After this he focused a lot of his time at the RAF club, always willing to do things for anyone who needed anything. The club was their main place of socialising too, a second home and family.

Jim and Dorothy moved to West Avenue in 1984, where they settled into retirement. Here Jim loved to read, enjoy the garden and watch TV. And it was of course just round the corner from St Peter’s. He made his way religiously each week, to be the face of welcome smiling at each visitor, and we are so very grateful for that. Jim was not afraid of death, for he believed it not to be the end. His faith was absolute, a rock and a comfort. As we sang in his favourite hymn at our farewell – ‘endless is the victory’ – we can give very grateful thanks for Jim’s life, his faith and his service – to his family, his country and the church, as we commend him back to the Father in whom he so deeply trusted.

Reids

Fiksen

Fiksen

Oberammergau 2020 2022 - Paul Blakey

Dad went to Oberammergau in 1960 as part of a bus tour from Holy Trinity Southwick. So I was aware of the history of the Passion Play from a very young age and it has been on our bucket list for a number of years.

Back in 2018, we saw an advert for a tour that combined both the passion play and a visit to the opera in Verona. The day that we were due to be in Verona coincided with a production of Verdi’s Nabucco. I’ve sung Va Pensiera a number of times in both English and Italian, so was looking forward to going. Unfortunately March 2020 heralded the Covid outbreak so everything had to be put on hold.

When the Verona season for 2022 was announced, we discovered that the performance on the day that we were scheduled to visit would still be Nabucco. So the holiday was back on.

It was a late start to Verona and the performance didn’t begin until 21.00. The amphitheatre where the performance took place was built in AD 30 The performance was tremendous with 400+ being on stage. No amplification was needed as the acoustics were exemplary .

And so to the highlight of the trip – Oberammergau. We arrived in Oberammergau on Saturday afternoon. In 1633 plague circled the area and the villagers prayed that the village would be spared from the plague and in return they would perform a passion play every ten years. Not one person died and the first Oberammergau passion play took place in 1634 in the grounds of the cemetery of St Peter and St Paul’s church

The first act is from Palm Sunday until the arrest in Gethsemane. The second act covers the trial, crucifixion and resurrection with tableaux depicting stories from the Old Testament intertwined with pieces from the choir (hopefully we’re not dropping any spoilers here). The cast is around 1800 (including the choir and orchestra)… plus six sheep, three

goats, two horses, two camels, a donkey and a number of doves. I was convinced that the Doves would fly into the auditorium, but they were skilled enough to leave via the open air stage.

So we now have 2 bucket list items that are now ticked off, but if we’d been there in 2020 as planned, we would be comparing notes with Dad, sadly it was not meant to be.

ST MARK’S & ST CUTHBERT’S FLOWER ARRANGING GROUP

“Where have all the flowers gone?”

It is with sadness that we have to say Goodbye to this group, after being a very active part of our church for over 25 years. We originally started when colleges were no longer funded for leisure activities, unless they included a national training qualification. This meant that after a two year certificated course, students could not rejoin the class. As I taught at several colleges (Sunderland, Gateshead, Wallsend, Hebburn and South Shields) I had to find provision for those who wanted to continue in practical participation. Flower Clubs, of which there were also several, did not provide for regular ‘hands on’ activities. Our church hall provided the ideal answer, as well as the much needed revenue for church! Needless to say we were in great demand, as we also had ladies joining from church, as well as other churches in the area. (I still had a lady coming from Houghton le Spring and another from West Pelton at the end of last term).

In those days, I did ‘proper ‘ teaching, including history, colour, design, botany and horticulture, as well as practicalities of organising large-scale flower festivals (theme, title, accuracy ,fundraising, road signs, respect for property...the list goes on!). We held a few festivals in our church, as well as taking part in those in the vicinity, encouraging participation (with a little instruction) by other groups in the church. For a number of years Audrey, Dulcie and I held an event at Christmas, with a sales table of some exquisite flower themed gifts and decorations, and demonstrations of flower designs created while someone read appropriate Christmas poetry and prose. (Maureen Johnson’s party piece was John Betjeman’s ‘Christmas’, which she always read with great sensitivity and feeling). Sadly a few years ago we lost three members in a very short space of time, and we remembered them with a similar event of flowers and readings, the result being a donation to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation of nearly £800. Over the years we have reached the stage at which we chat first, coffee second and lastly, the flowers... but the chat has become more invaluable as a support group for health and aging issues! The ladies have always been very supportive of our coffee mornings , either by attending or in generous donations and raffle prizes.

Over these years I have always had my cousin Audrey to help me and stand in for me when I was away. Now age is creeping up and with the difficulties of continuing when allowed, subject to Covid restrictions, we have reached a stage of ‘will we/ won’t we’. and although I set up a lockdown WhatsApp chat line, numbers have dwindled, flowers more difficult to obtain and much more expensive, rising heating costs and the fact that we are down to such a low number, it is no longer viable. Sadly, for many reasons, we no longer do Church Flowers, which is also very sad for both Audrey and myself, but I conclude by expressing gratitude for the joy that flowers and friendship have given us for many years, and to many others.

Anita Buyers

9am to 3pm

6pm to 7pm

9.15 am to 11.15 am

2.00 to 3.30pm

5.30 pm to 7.00 pm

10.30 am to 12 noon

1.30 pm to 4.00 pm

5.30pm to 6.30pm

12.45 pm to 2.45 pm

4 00 pm to 7.00 pm

7.30pm to 9.30 pm

Bible readings

Sat Oct 1 Psalm 119.169-end & Luke 10.17-24

Sun Oct 2 Psalm 37.1–9 & Luke 17.5–10

Mon Oct 3 Psalm 111.1–6 & Luke 10.25–37

Tues Oct 4 Psalm 139.1–9 & Luke 10.38–end

Wed Oct 5 Psalm 117 & Luke 11.1–4

Thurs Oct 6 Psalm 119.89–96 & John 17.6–8, 14–19

Fri Oct 7 Psalm 111.4–end & Luke 11.15–26

Sat Oct 8 Psalm 105.1–7 & Luke 11.27–28

Sun Oct 9 Psalm 111 & Luke 17.11–19

Mon Oct 10 Psalm 113 & Luke 11.29–32

Tues Oct 11 Psalm 119.41–48 & Luke 11.37–41

Wed Oct 12 Psalm 1 & Luke 11.42–46

Thurs Oct 13 Psalm 98.1–4 & Luke 11.47–end

Fri Oct 14 Psalm 33.1–6, 12 & Luke 12.1–7

Sat Oct 15 Psalm 8 & Luke 12.8–12

Sun Oct 16 Psalm 121 & Luke 18.1–8

Mon Oct 17 Psalm 100 & Luke 12.13–21

Tues Oct 18 Psalm 147.1–7 & Luke 10.1–9

Wed Oct 19 Psalm 98 & Luke 12.39–48

Thurs Oct 20 Psalm 33.1–6 & Luke 12.49–53

Fri Oct 21 Psalm 24.1–6 & Luke 12.54–end

Sat Oct 22 Psalm 122 & Luke 13.1–9

Sun Oct 23 Psalm 84.1–7 & Luke 18.9–14

Mon Oct 24 Psalm 1 & Luke 13.10–17

Tues Oct 25 Psalm 128 & Luke 13.18–21

Wed Oct 26 Psalm 145.10–20 & Luke 13.22–30

Thurs Oct 27 Psalm 144.1–2, 9–11 & Luke 13.31–end

Fri Oct 28 Psalm 119.89–96 & John 15.17–27

Sat Oct 29 Psalm 42.1–7 & Luke 14.1, 7–11

Sun Oct 30 Psalm 32.1–8 & Luke 19.1–10

Mon Oct 31 Psalm 131 & Luke 14.12–14

Tues Nov 1 Psalm 149 & Luke 6.20–31

Wed Nov 2 Psalm 27.1–6, 16–17 & John 6.37–40

Thurs Nov 3 Psalm 105.1–7 & Luke 15.1–10

Fri Nov 4 Psalm 122 & Luke 16.1–8

Sat Nov 5 Psalm 112 & Luke 16.9–15

Sun Nov 6 Psalm 17.1–9 & Luke 20.27–38

Mon Nov 7 Psalm 24.1–6 & Luke 17.1–6

Tues Nov 8 Psalm 37.3–5, 30–32 & Luke 17.7–10

Wed Nov 9 Psalm 23 & Luke 17.11–19

Thurs Nov 10 Psalm 146.4–end & Luke 17.20–25

Fri Nov 11 Psalm119.1–8 & Luke 17.26–end

Sat Nov 12 Psalm 112 & Luke 18.1–8

Sun Nov 13 Psalm 98 & Luke 21.5–19

Mon Nov 14 Psalm 1 & Luke 18.35–end

Tues Nov 15 Psalm 15 & Luke 19.1–10

Wed Nov 16 Psalm 150 & Luke 19.11–28

Thurs Nov 17 Psalm 149.1–5 & Luke 19.41–44

Fri Nov 18 Psalm 119.65–72 & Luke 19.45–48

Sat Nov 19 Psalm 144.1–9 & Luke 20.27–40

Sun Nov 20 Psalm 46 & Luke 23.33–43

Mon Nov 21 Psalm 24.1–6 & Luke 21.1–4

Tues Nov 22 Psalm 96 & Luke 21.5–11

Wed Nov 23 Psalm 98 & Luke 21.12–19

Thurs Nov 24 Psalm 100 & Luke 21.20–28

Fri Nov 25 Psalm 84.1–6 & Luke 21.29–33

Sat Nov 26 Psalm 95.1–7 & Luke 21.34–36

Sun Nov 27 Psalm 122 & Matthew 24.36–44

Mon Nov 28 Psalm 122 & Matthew 8.5–11

Tues Nov 29 Psalm 72.1–4, 18–19 & Luke 10.21–24

Wed Nov 30 Psalm 19.1–6 & Matthew 4.18–22

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

Associate Priest Rev Cameron Abernethy revdcam@gmail.com

Church Wardens Mrs Leanore Sheldon Ms Suzie Webber

Treasurer Mrs Barbara Matheson

• 07725 314995

• 0191 4260007

PCC Members Ms Liza Dorothy; Mrs Diane Lee; Ms Sarah Lysaght; Mrs Barbara Matheson; Mrs Eileen Wraith

Deanery Synod Members Vacant

Hall Booking Sec Ms Liza Dorothy

Magazine Committee Rep Vacancy

Safeguarding Mrs Diane Lee Ms Liza Dorothy

CHURCH PERSONNEL ST PETER’S

Associate Priest Rev Cameron Abernethy revdcam@gmail.com

Church Warden Mrs Jean Stokes jastokes@virginmedia.com

Treasurer Mr Colin Brown c.brown932@btinternet.com

• 07538 719585

• 07703 275025

• 07538 719585

• 07725 314995

• 0191 4207818

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