The Parish Church of St Andrew's, Medsteadwelcome | faith | services | events | news | archive | people | church | village | friends | location |
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The Parish Church of St Andrew's, Medsteadwelcome | faith | services | events | news | archive | people | church | village | friends | location |
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January-March 2004
PCC Meeting: 17 March
Simplicity
Benefice Standing Committee
The Gift Of Time
PCC Meeting: 28 January
Junior Church
The Villager
Barn Dance
Lent Studies & Lunches
Quiz Night
Call My Wine Bluff
Church Roof
Duty Calls
Focus: Information for the Diocese Of Winchester
Anglicans Online
The Church of England Newspaper
Church Times Online
St. Andrew's website is:
Highlights from the Parochial Church Council (PCC) Meeting, held on Wednesday, 17th March were:
Self-discipline has become outmoded, old-fashioned and discredited or am I being unduly harsh? Report after report from all sources, mostly medical, reveal that as a nation we are becoming increasingly obese, addicted to drugs and alcohol and reliant upon "retail therapy" to try to cheer ourselves up again.
Recently released figures show that in 2001, 23% of women and 21% of men were classified as obese, compared with 8% and 6% respectively in 1980. In 2001, 16% of six- to 15-year olds were considered obese, compared with 5% as recently as 1990. Obesity is said to be a contributory factor in 30,000 deaths each year in the U.K. through heart disease, strokes and diabetes, and this at a time when more diets and fitness clubs are available than ever.
Research is now also showing that the use of cannabis and ecstasy are strongly linked with long-term memory problems. "Binge drinking" is leading to liver problems and increased risk of strokes. Figures from the 2002 Health Survey for England showed that 23% of women aged between 16 and 24 drank over 21 units a week. The advised limit is 14. The number of men drinking more than the recommended 21 units a week has also risen by around a third, from 33% in 1997 to 42% in 2002.
The statistics showed men appear to be heeding the health warnings on smoking - but women are continuing to smoke as heavily. The proportion of men who have never smoked increased from 39% in 1993 to 44% in 2002. Among women, the figure rose by just 2% to 54%. (All these statistics I found within a few minutes simply by searching on the Internet).
Taken together, what sort of a picture begins to emerge? It's very easy for "the Church" to be seen as a puritanical killjoy when, as one often hears, people "just want to have a little fun", more particularly since "everyone works so hard these days". A former parishioner of mine once reminded me of the hours everyone worked during World War 2, and suggested people today have little to complain about - but perhaps war is the extreme example!
Nevertheless, there would be many who will regret the excesses of our current way of life and would look to the Church for an alternative. So many young people are themselves looking for another way - why else the marked increase in popularity of so-called New Age "spirituality"?
The Christian season of Lent now being observed comes as an annual reminder to look critically at our lifestyles, stop chasing around after every passing fashion and focus in on some sensible self discipline.
Time spent, on our own, in the company of others, with a priest or minister, giving ourselves a spiritual health check is always deeply rewarding, provided we are prepared to amend our lives in favour of Jesus' simple teaching: love God and love your neighbour. Or, in the words of the prophet Micah "and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
In an increasingly complex world, simplicity is the key, and being a Christian boils down to something very simple in the end!
Ben Flenley
The 5th Meeting of the Benefice Standing Committee took place on Wednesday 4th February. The Rector took the chair and churchwardens, or their representatives, from all parishes were present. The following summarises their discussions:
Annual Parochial Church Meetings: the dates were confirmed as 23rd March for Shalden, 24th March for Lasham, 20th April for Medstead and 21st April for Bentworth.
The requirements for annual reports were defined. It was noted that there would be a major turnover of Churchwardens on completing their statutory periods in office.
Benefice Services: the service pattern was reviewed and comments made on experiences to date.
Patronal Festivals: the following were agreed. Bentworth 21st March, Shalden 27th June, Lasham 12th September, Medstead 28th November. These dates were the nearest Sundays to the actual dates. For St. Mary, Bentworth this represented The Annunciation and for St. Mary, Lasham The Birth of the Blessed Virgin.
Mothering Sunday 21st March: a single Benefice Holy Communion service would be held in Bentworth, followed by Mothering Day services in all four parishes. Please see our services page for more details.
Rogation Walk, Tea and Service: Lasham would organise this new venture on 16th May, starting at 3pm and ending with Evensong in their church.
Other Services: outline plans for School Services in Bentworth and Medstead were discussed, together with the longer-term plans for Remembrance and Christmas. The Rector announced his holiday dates and the need for cover to be provided.
Lent Lunches and Studies: details were discussed.
Holy Week Services: the standard pattern of services during Holy Week would remain unchanged, but it was suggested that in 2005 there should be a Celebration of the Passover Supper and Thanksgiving for the Institution of The Eucharist on the evening of Maundy Thursday.
Easter Services: were agreed including a Benefice Service of Light and First Eucharist of Easter in Bentworth at 6am ending with coffee and hot cross buns to introduce Easter, followed by Holy Communion (CW) services in each of the four churches using the Christmas timings. Please see our services page for more details.
Benefice Policy: the topics Issues in Human Sexuality and Re-marriage of Divorced Persons were raised and it was agreed that they would be discussed by individual PCCs prior to a full discussion at a Joint PCC later in the year.
Worship Group: a Worship Group would be formed with membership from each Parish joining the Rector and his wife to discuss future plans and innovations to expand the ministry and achieve a measure of commonality in worship across the Benefice.
Administrative Assistance: the Standing Committee endorsed the part-time employment of an assistant for the Rector, working from The Rectory.
Joint PCC Meetings: the following dates were chosen: Tuesdays 11th May and 14th September, both in Medstead Church Hall, at 7.45pm
The Villager: after a discussion on its future, The Rector insisted The Villager must continue in its present form as an essential communications media between church and village activities.
Should there be no suitable volunteers to take over the Editor and Advertising positions he would reluctantly take it over on a temporary basis. However, to do this, he would have to reduce his pastoral work by one week per month. The members considered this to be unacceptable and undertook to make renewed efforts to resolve the impasse.
Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday 6th May at 8 p.m. in Withey Cottage, Shalden.
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The Villager
The Church's Year and waiting for a bus can feel very similar: from May to November, hardly any festivals come along, then a whole number come at once! For a parish priest, hardly has Christmas gone than Lent is upon us, and all the planning which that requires.
It is good to know that these parishes have a long-established pattern of Lent Lunches and Lent Study Groups, in which I am looking forward to sharing. This year there will be lunches as in the past: one held each week in Medstead, and another which will be held in Bentworth, Lasham and Shalden in rotation. Study Groups will be held in Medstead on Tuesday evenings and either Bentworth or Lasham on Wednesday evenings. I am planning to lead these Study Groups.
Full details will follow by posters, leaflets, pewsheets, and on our website's events page.
An ancient tradition in Lent has been to "give something up". I have always believed that this practice is only meaningful if there is a quantifiable benefit from the abstinence. For example, one of my forbears used to give up smoking each Lent, donating the money saved to a charity - a quantifiable benefit to the charity but, since smoking was always resumed on Easter Day, not so much for my ancestor!
Giving up one of our most precious possessions - time - can also lead to a quantifiable benefit. Time spent, each week if possible, at a Lent Lunch or Study Group provides the opportunity to support a charity or deepen understanding of the faith, depending upon which activity is supported, and is highly to be recommended. The advantage of a Lenten activity, of course, is that its requirements are strictly limited - five or six sessions at the most. I hope many of you will find the time to support these initiatives this year.
Also coming up will be each parish's Annual Meeting. Some officers have already indicated their desire to step down, which means we shall be looking for volunteers in a number of capacities - differing in each parish. Next month I hope to indicate more fully the positions we shall need to fill: I hope and pray that we shall find willing "labourers in the vineyard" (Matthew Ch. 20).
God bless you all.
Ben Flenley
Highlights from the Parochial Church Council (PCC) Meeting, held on Thursday, 28th January were:
Yvonne Haigh is no longer able to continue leading our Junior Church so we have now discontinued this group whilst we consider, on a benefice wide basis, how we should proceed.
Please let a Churchwarden know if you have children who wish to attend or if you wish to help in this area.
Meanwhile we thank Yvonne and Kerry for the work that they have done for the children at St Andrew's over the past years.
The present team produces its last Villager, the Parish Magazine of Bentworth, Lasham, Medstead and Shalden, with the August edition in mid-July. August is the start of the new financial and advertising year, and we will need volunteers to take over the posts of Editor and Advertising Executive from Ron Burnett and Sue Jamieson.
Please do not leave it to the eleventh hour to express an interest in taking over a going concern, otherwise it will be too late to assemble the advertisers upon whom we rely to cover our costs. Advertisers are contacted in May to confirm their continued support, but this year we might have to thank them for their support and notify them that we are about to cease publication?
Against this background, now is the time to contact Ron for a copy of the Editor's job specification, without obligation, or Sue for the Advertising Executive role.
Over to you!
St Andrew's Social Committee would like to organise a barn dance in the Village Hall on Saturday 8th May. When we add together the cost of the band, the hire of the hall and the cost of the fish & chip supper, then it is not viable unless we get firm commitments to sell at least 80 tickets at £12.50 per head. If you are interested in going to what should be a fun evening, and the previous ones were very much enjoyed, please sign the list at the back of the church. Unless we get a quick positive response the event will not go ahead.
The subject of our Lent Studies this year will be based upon the Churches Together In Britain & Ireland booklet: Face to Face - Growing into the image and Likeness of God
There will be two Lent study groups in the Benefice this year: one in Medstead at Cottesmore, Five Ash Road, on Mondays, beginning 1st March, and one in Lasham on Thursdays at Skule House, beginning 4th March.
The same course will be run in both locations for 5 weeks, so you can mix-and-match if you wish. The Monday group will be lead by Kathryn and the Thursday by Ben. Both will start at 8pm.
In parallel with the Lent Studies, Lent lunches will be held across the Benefice. In Medstead a series of lunches will be held between 25th February and 2nd April in the Church Hall, where nominated charities: the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Karamoja, Uganda, Burundi, Naomi House, Treloars School and Barnardos are invited to be present.
Lunches of homemade soup, bread and cheese will be served from 12 noon to 1.30pm. All donations collected will be divided equally between the nominated charities.
In Bentworth, Shalden and Lasham Lent Lunches will take place on Saturdays in rotation round the three churches. In each there will be a short service, at 12 noon, followed by a simple lunch in the church. In the spirit of Lent the collection will be given to a charity.
Please see our events page for more details.
Help is needed for our Lenten Lunches. If you would be willing to make soup, or help at any of these lunches please sign the sheet at the back of the Church.
Over 80 people attended the annual St Andrew's Quiz Night on the 21st February - presided over, yet again, by Mark Enfield (Liz Gilbert's son) who was assisted by his wife Linda. The winning team were The Thugs led by Ken Kercher. £524 was raised towards church funds so a big THANK YOU to everyone who took part but especially to Mark and Linda who gave up their weekend to come and lead us in a very enjoyable evening.
FOSAC's Call My Wine Bluff on Friday 6th February was attended by over 100 people. The evening started with wine options where everyone showed their skill in identifying whether a wine was red or white; new world or old world; etc. etc., those who got it wrong had to sit down until one person was left, who was the winner.
After that wine was tasted, three experts gave varying definitions of what had been sampled then the teams had to identify who had told the truth.
Everyone enjoyed the evening which made over £1,500 towards the cost of repairs to our Church roof.
Over the months readers may recall seeing reports about St Andrew's Church roof and our fund raising efforts and have probably noticed scaffolding appearing and disappearing around the church.
Everything is now coming together and the much needed major repair work is scheduled to start in the near future. The original start date of mid-March has been delayed by some unforeseen complications. As soon as we have a definite start date we will publicise it via the website, pewsheets, The Villager and The Medstead Times.
It is largely due to the untiring efforts of the Friends of St Andrew's Church that we are able to proceed with this work. Please keep supporting the Friends in their fundraising and other efforts.
We can now look forward to not having to worry about a leaking roof and can concentrate on other projects to assist our worship of the Lord. Perhaps a new organ upon which our various organists can really demonstrate their undoubted talents!
St Andrew's next duties at Winchester Cathedral Refectory are on Thursdays 17th June and 26th August. If you can help for either a half or a whole day please sign up at the back of the church.
If you would like to know more, please contact Mary Spinks on 01420 561440.