St Andrews, West Dereham newsletter
May 2013
The Church News Letter
April/May2013
DENVER, ST MARY - WEST DEREHAM, ST ANDREW RYSTON, ST MICHAEL - BEXWELL, ST MARY THE VIRGIN
Letter from the Rectory
Dear Friends,
I saw lots of chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs in the shops, but this true story reminds us what Easter is about:
In the summer holidays of 1937, John Griffith, the controller of the great railway drawbridge across the Mississippi River took his eight year old son, Greg, to work with him. At noon, John put the bridge up to allow ships to pass and he and his son went to the observation deck to eat their lunch. Time passed quickly.
Suddenly, John heard the shriek of a train whistle in the distance. The Memphis Express, with four hundred passengers on board, was racing towards the raised bridge. He rushed back to the control tower.
Just before throwing the lever to lower the bridge, John glanced down and saw something that filled him with horror. Somehow his son had fallen into the massive gears that operated the bridge and his left leg was caught between the two main cogs. Desperately, John tried to think of a way to rescue him, but there was no time.
Again, with alarming closeness, the train whistle sounded urgently. John knew what he had to do.
He buried his head in his arm, as he pushed the master lever forward. The huge bridge lowered into place just as the Memphis Express began to roar across the river.
John Griffith lifted his head, with tears pouring down his face. He looked into the windows of the passing carriages. Two businessmen were casually reading their newspapers. People were snoozing. Nicely dressed ladies were sipping coffee in the dining car and children were eating ice-cream.
No one looked out of the window at the control house of the bridge and no one saw the great gear box. With wrenching agony, John cried out, “I sacrificed my son for you! Don’t you care?”
With my love and prayers,
Judith Grundy.
Please note that the additional summer services will be starting again in April. These are the 8 am Holy Communion at Denver, St Mary, on the second Sunday of each month, and BCP Evensong at Ryston, St Michael, on the third Sunday. The Evensong service usually includes sermons from guest preachers.
WEEKLY & MONTHLY GROUPS
PRAYER MEETING – Every Wednesday, 9.30 am – 10.15 am at
St Mary’s Church, Denver, followed by:
DROP IN FOR COFFEE – Every Wednesday, 10.15 – 11.30 am, at
St Mary’s Church, Denver.
FRIENDSHIP GROUP – First Wednesday every month, 2.00 pm,
St Mary’s Church, Denver.
PRAYER MEETING – Every Wednesday, 7.00 – 7.30 pm at St Andrew’s Church, West Dereham.
SOUP SUPPERS – Last Thursday of every month, 7.00 pm at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bexwell. (April will be the last one – see below). Please phone Roy Shipton, 01366 384914.
HOME GROUPS:
First Tuesday in the month, 7.30 pm, at the home of John and Ellen Meakin. For details, please contact John on 01366 384347.
Alternate Fridays, 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm at West Dereham**. Tel. Janet Tanton for details, 01366 500031.**
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 2nd April 7.25 pm. Annual Parochial Church Meeting at
St Andrew’s Church, West Dereham.
Wednesday 3rd April 7.30 pm. Annual Parochial Church Meeting at
St Mary’s Church, Denver.
Tuesday 9th April 7.30 pm. Downham Market Choral Society will perform their Spring Concert, including Vivaldi’s Gloria, at Denver, St Mary. Tickets £6.00 each including refreshments will be available at the door or in advance from Lewks.
Saturday 13th April 2 – 4 pm. Spring Fair at Denver, St Mary. Craft stalls, cakes, tombola and refreshments.
Thursday 25th April 7 pm. Soup Evening at Bexwell, St Mary the Virgin, the last until the Autumn. Please contact Roy Shipton on 01366 384914
Saturday 27th April 10 am to 4 pm. Downham Market & District fund Raising Group are holding a ‘Feel Good Day’ at the Town Hall in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. A range of beauty treatments and feel good therapies will be available to watch and sample, and there will be refreshments, a raffle and tombola. Admission is free.
Tuesday 7th May 7.30 pm. The Archdeacon’s Visitation this year will be hosted by St Mary’s, Denver.
Friday 10th May 9.30 – 11.30 am. Coffee morning in the Bar Room at Downham Market Town Hall in aid of St Mary the Virgin, Bexwell.
ADVANCE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sunday 2nd June 3.00 pm. Deanery Confirmation at Stow Hall Gardens, led by Bishop Stephen. Please come and support the candidates.
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June. Denver, St Mary fund-raising weekend. The church will be open with displays of summer flowers, craft stalls and refreshments. More details to follow.
Sunday 23rd June 3.00 pm. Strawberry Tea Evensong at Denver, St Mary.
Wednesday 31st July to Friday 2nd August 10 am – 2.30 pm. Trekkers Annual Christian Holiday Club will take place in the Village Hall. More details of the scheme and how to book a place will be available in the next newsletter.
Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th September. Heritage Open Days at West Dereham, St Andrew. This year Bishop David will be visiting on the Sunday to tell us something of the history of the church, and will be sharing the Harvest Festival with us – not to be missed!
Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th September 10 am – 2.30 pm. Holiday at Home at Denver, St Mary. This is the adults’ version of Trekkers, tried for the first time last year and back by popular request.
Thought for the month: From Song of Songs, Chapter 2, verses 11 and 12… “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” |
Some Items of News……
1. A essage from Judith. “I am very sorry to tell you of the sudden death of Rev’d Douglas Morris, one of the ministers at DownhamMarketMethodistChurch. He collapsed during their Sunday afternoon Café Church Service and never regained consciousness. What a lovely way to enter heaven, but what a shock for everyone left behind. We send our love to his wife, Lynese, and also to all his family and friends, who were looking forward to his retirement and return home to South Africa in a couple of months. Instead, God has retired him to heaven. I remember Douglas as a man overflowing with warmth and joy in the service of his Lord.”
2. On 10th February, Judith and her daughter Tamsin, myself and my husband Tony, all shared in BreakfastChurch at Boughton, (picture on the back page).This is one of the “fresh expressions” of church designed to attract new people to become involved with their local churches and communities, as well as beginning to explore faith for themselves. The church, which had been suitably adapted after 11 years of fundraising, comfortably seated about 40 people, and filled them up with scrambled egg, bacon and sausages, before singing a few hymns, saying some prayers, and hearing a very interesting talk from the Rural Dean, Barbara Burton, about the Roman Jewish historian, Josephus. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and very inspiring. There is an open invitation from Boughton to anyone who would like to join them on the second Sunday of the month; please contact Judith for details.
3. Many thanks to all who took part in the Women’s World Day of Prayer on 1st March, hosted by Denver, St Mary. The church looked very French, and those who attended were treated to croissants and brioche, after hearing a talk on the theme of welcoming strangers. Over £100 was raised for the various charities supported by this international event. A special thank you to Yvonne Atkinson for organising the day.
4. Whilst on the subject of “thank yous”, I am sure everyone from Denver, St Mary, would wish to thank our lovely churchwardens, Carol and Janet, who for various reasons are not going to continue their duties next year. Both ladies have given their time tirelessly and selflessly, and they will be much missed in their official roles, although hopefully they will still be part of our congregation.
MINISTRY TEAM
Rector Judith Grundy Tel: 01366-383226
The Rectory, Ryston Road, Denver. PE38 0DP
Lay Ministers Mary Hurst Tel: 01366-383867
John Meakin (Emeritus) Tel: 01366-384347
Franz Reinbold Tel: 01366-377141
Janet Tanton (in training) Tel: 01366-500031
Pat Blyth (in training) Tel: 01353-612130
The details of Church Officers for 2013 – 2014 will be published in the next newsletter once they have been formally approved at the 2013 round of Annual Parochial Church Meetings.
Websites – Catch up on all your Church News on-line:
Denver, St Mary www.st-mary-denver.co.uk
Bexwell, St Mary the Virgin www.bexwell-church.co.uk
Ryston, St Michael www.rystonstmichael.co.uk
Baptisms We welcome into the Lord’s family:
27th January Alfie Barry Harvey Howell Denver, St Mary
24th February Amber Mae Sullivan West Dereham, St Andrew
24th February Kenneth Michael Richard Schade Denver, St Mary
24th February Hugh Isambard Waring Furness Denver, St Mary
24th February William Shackleton Waring Furness Denver, St Mary
24th February Cecily Lavinia Waring Furness Denver, St Mary
Weddings If you are thinking of getting married, see the website www.yourchurchwedding.org, or contact Judith Grundy on 01366 383226
Funerals Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones.
18th January Isabel Harriet Blaney Denver, St Mary
11th March Lorna Pearl Allday Denver, St Mary
BREAKFAST****CHURCH AT BROUGHTON, 10TH February 2013
Finally, a message from the Editor:
This will be my last newsletter, (for the time being, anyway), as I need to devote more time to my studies for Licensed Lay Ministry. I have really enjoyed editing the newsletter, which has been a steep learning curve for someone who doesn’t like computers, and am indebted to lots of people who have helped me along the way. I would especially like to mention Tony and Wendy Stacey, for their marvellous, fail-safe proof-reading and encouragement, and to thank all the regular contributors. Please would you all now help Michael Poole, (a computer whiz!), who has kindly agreed to take over, by submitting news, forthcoming events and articles, as close as possible to the deadline dates.
Many thanks, Pat Blyth.
June/July 2013 newsletter articles and information – deadline 1st May 2013**.**
Send to Editor Michael Poole4churchnewsletter@gmail.com