Winterborne Valley and Milton Abbas Benefice A time for moving In July, our new Rector Lewis and his family, Jo, Matthew, and Emma moved into the rectory and are gradually settling in. We look forward to welcoming them into our church family. Sadly, Sue and John Litchfield move out of their house in Milton Abbas in September to move to Sherborne. Sue reflects on her time with us below. Fortunately for us she is moving but not saying goodbye as she will be coming back to be with for services and coffee mornings. Lewis also provides some words of welcome as he embarks on this new chapter in their lives. Debbie Albery From Sue: I am looking at a photo of the Cross on the top of Bulbarrow, knowing that from the middle of September we will be living on the other side of the hill. Our Granny Annexe is sold along with our Son’s house and we are all on the move. It is exciting and a little scary, but we are not saying goodbye, because we are not far away and will still be involved. It is eight years since we retired to Dorset and we have made so many good friends, although initially it was a little like landing on Mars! We had been in a Village in South Northamptonshire for 39 years and knew everybody and where everything was. Then suddenly everything was strange and if I am honest, a little scary. Our saving grace on a practical front was the Computer and the Sat Nav. The former to look up things like “where is the nearest B & Q” and I can remember being amazed that it was Poole. On a personal front it was the Church and Coffee Mornings and the Patchwork/Quilting Club in Milton Abbas. You see, we had come with our family to view a house and ended up having tea in the Reading Room, at Milton Abbas. I was tired and gratefully sunk into the nearest chair while my daughter in law kindly fetched me a cup of tea. She came back with an older lady who was holding a photo of a patchwork group. The lady was Mary, who has always lived in the street, and who would prove to be such a good friend. Mary gave me so much information that I learnt to carry a small notebook when we were together! But she helped me settle into our new community and I will be forever grateful for her friendship. Most of you will know the story of Jesus walking on water in the middle of a storm and Peter having a go at doing just the same. Peter does quite well, until he takes his eyes off our Lord and looks at his feet, and then all his doubts and fears come crowding in. At times in all our lives we all need to step out of the boat and trust in our Lord, knowing that he will never leave us. We are never alone it is just that sometimes we forget. Today we are each having to slowly step out into our strange new world, whilst respecting the space of other people. For many who have been shielding this is a scary undertaking. For our Young People going back to school and off to college it is a new challenge, exciting yet slightly daunting. As Lewis is inducted as our new Rector, there is the challenge of his induction under Covid 19 restrictions. Where we would normally have packed one of our larger churches to see him “done”, he will now slowly have to meet everyone. When Peter stepped out of that boat he said, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come” and Jesus simply said, “Come.” It was enough to have Peter scrambling over the side, taking those first steps into the unknown. Jesus could have answered our every question about God and life and death and suffering. But he didn’t. He could have calmed every storm and prevented his disciples’ fear in the first place. But he didn’t. He could have held Peter’s hand and let him do a little dance across the Sea of Galilee. But he didn’t. He didn’t make it easy for Peter then, and he doesn’t make it easy for us now. Because Faith requires trust and love requires sacrifice. Every great relationship is built on trust and love. And that is what God wants with us — a relationship. God is doing God’s part. He came in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, to show us the quality of his life. Now it is time for us to do our part. Every faith journey, no matter how rocky, begins with getting out of the boat and walking toward Jesus. My photo of the Cross on Bulbarrow shows a stormy sky and the sheep huddled under the Cross. Every time I travel to our new home I pass that cross and it is a powerful reminder that Jesus goes with me
and all will be well. Being a Christian, surrendering your life to Jesus does not mean you don’t take the world seriously or feel the burdens of the world around you. It does not mean you won’t face adversity or come up against some fierce challenges and headwinds. It does mean that when Jesus goes with you, you can turn the most challenging force into an exciting adventure. For in the end, everything in the world must dance to the tune of the Creator. He is the Lord of the Dance. And you are His dance partner. Stay safe and keep well my friends, and I will see you all again very soon. Rev Sue From Lewis: It’s great to have arrived in the beautiful surroundings of the Winterborne Valley. I look forwards to taking up the role of Rector officially from the 3rd September. Arriving at a time of great uncertainly is not easy in many ways, however I look forward to meeting many of you - whilst current restrictions may mean that this is a slower process than I would have hoped for. I wholeheartedly believe that the Church is for all people, believers, doubters, seekers and sceptics. I hope that over my time here, together we can plot a little fun and goodness in many ways, inspired by the example of Jesus. Please do get in contact with me if I can do anything, although please bear with me as I find my feet in a new setting. Be assured of my prayers for you and all who live in this area. Rev Lewis
Pamela Hambro Hall There have been some important developments at the Hall since lockdown began and we had to close because of the lockdown. Firstly, we have redecorated the hall inside during August and it should look pristine for re-starting classes and group meetings in September. These will of course be affected by requirements to maintain especial cleanliness and social distancing where possible, so if you attend one of them you should expect to have to give name and contact details, and use sanitiser on entry and exit. We will be operating a one-way system for the foreseeable future – entrance via the main door as usual, and exit via the rear door. There will be other systems in place to help lower any risk of infection, including social distancing rules. Please support everyone by not attending if you are unwell, help your group’s organiser as much as possible, and look out for each other. The hall won’t be available for private hires during this period. We have also been able to install a much ‘greener’ heating system, thanks to a 40% Grant from Low Carbon Dorset. This has been funded partly by the European Regional Development Fund. It will result is the hall being a carbon negative establishment – a real achievement for our village! Our thanks go to Graeme Gale, our vice chairman, for organising and overseeing this initiative. We should have held our Annual General Meeting in April, but for very obvious reasons we were unable to do so. We shall however be having this meeting on Monday September 14th at 7pm in the hall – everyone will be welcome. We have some vacancies now on the committee, arising from people leaving the village, so if you would be interested in joining the committee we’d be pleased to hear from you! Give me a call if you’d like to have a chat about this possibility. Graham Case, 880740
Milton Abbas Surgery First of all, we would like to let our patients know that our surgery now has an official Facebook Page. Please follow @miltonabbassurgery for surgery notices and useful information. There has been a lot of encouragement to get active and eat better recently. Whether you have decided that now is the time to kickstart your health journey, or you have already made a start but need some