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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July-September 2004
PCC Meeting: 28 Sept
Harvest Supper
Teamwork
Church Roof Completion
Benefice Standing Committee: 7th Sept
Joint PCC: 14th Sept
Faster, Higher, Stronger
Lasham Olympics
Sponsored Ride & Walk
Hog Roast
Service
PCC Meeting: 22 July
Service Changes
The Beautiful Game
Harvest Festival Collection
Flowers
Autumn Study Groups
Service of Licensing
Gift Aid - Help
Help Needed
Gospel Choir
Church Survey UK
11th Commandment
Hook-A-Duck!
Bridge Tea
Duty Calls
Coffee Mornings
Medstead Village Fête
Alive To Tell The Story
Cake Sale
Race For Life
New Villager Team
Births, Deaths & Marriages
April-June 2004
January-March 2004
November-December 2003
Focus: Diocese Of Winchester
Anglicans Online
The Church of England Newspaper
The Church of England Gazette
Church Times Online
BBCi: Christian News
Ship of Fools
St. Andrew's website is:
Highlights from the Parochial Church Council (PCC) Meeting, held on Tuesday, 28th September were:
This village celebration was enjoyed by over 140 people in the Village Hall on the evening of Friday 24th September.
A splendid feast of gammon, sausages, baked potatoes, salad, fruit pies, fruit crumble and fresh fruit salad was provided, accompanied by a selection of jazz played by The Jasmanian Devils and instrumental and vocal music provided by other young, talented, local musicians.
Entertainment for the children included apple-bobbing, painting and more
500 raffle tickets were bought, bringing splendid prizes to the lucky few.
Many thanks to everyone involved, and particularly to Sarah Delany and her team, for a really great evening.
Unintentionally, there will be a profit, once expenses have been settled, which will be split £25 to the Jasmanian Devils and the rest equally between the Sudan Appeal and the Grenada Appeal.
Forty-two children, plus a few parents and several qualified instructors, gathered in Lasham Woods for the Lasham Olympics, as it was billed, one Saturday last month. A whole variety of activities was provided at David Shaylor's Woodland Training Centre.
For those of you who don't yet know, it's rather like a combination of outward bound and adventure training, widely used by companies to train their employees in management skills and teamwork. It quite reminded me of selection training for an Army Commission.
As a mere spectator, I was fascinated to watch young people from 6 to 16 working together to accomplish quite daunting tasks, many at high level, all under the watchful eyes of real experts.
One of the tasks involved walking up a sloping log to a height of about 10 feet above ground level, climbing up the vertical corner frame to about 20 feet, edging across a wide gap on a wire, with another wire at eye-level as a handhold, up the opposite corner frame to a height of 35 feet, then across another wire, but this time moving between vertically suspended cables as handholds, each one placed sufficiently far apart as to be just beyond reach without moving forward.
Each young person, suitably equipped with a helmet, was attached to a safety harness and rope, so as to be caught quickly in the event of any slip. The safety rope was belayed at ground level by other young people, so this was truly a team task. I watched as child after child tackled this climb.
One in particular whom I watched was a six-year-old who approached with some nervousness (Reader: have you fainted yet?). Half way up the sloping beam, he asked to come back, but was encouraged by his team-mates to keep going. He did. Then he 'enquired' about coming down, but was again encouraged to climb to the next level. He did. Setting out across the wire, he seemed to lose heart once more, but with many positive cheers, managed to reach the other side. I must say, I was full of admiration, and not a little apprehension, for this brave young person.
Up again, with more urging from his friends, to the final crossing. He gained the first vertical support and then seemed to freeze. Would the instructor have to fetch him down? Again, the air filled with his colleagues' cries, he 'unfroze' and edged his way nervously right across to the other side. Success! (and you should have seen his face!)
He showed great determination; his friends gave endless encouragement; the whole was achieved through teamwork of the highest order. Such qualities are required of us as Christians in an increasingly secular country. To take the Gospel to people who prefer not to listen certainly requires determination; no-one seeking to do this should be without support and encouragement; all of us within the churches must be a team to achieve our goals.
A fearful six-year-old reached out and achieved a huge personal victory - can we 'grown-ups' do the same for our Saviour? Of course we can!
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
8 July: Scaffolding erected
18 July: Tiles removed
22 July: Re-roofing starts
8 August: South face tiling
22 August: Tower and north face
2 Sept: Tower and south face
19 Sept: South face completed
26 Sept: Works complete
The work on the church roof is virtually complete and we were delighted to be back in our ancient church for Harvest Festival on 26th September.
Some minor external work is still to be finished. When this is done the PCC and FOSAC are planning to hold a party to celebrate the completion of the work and to thank all those who have made so much effort over the past few years, to which all will be invited.
What's New
The main roofs have been completely re-tiled. Over half the old tiles have been salvaged and re-used on the south face and porch, so a mature facade can be seen from the Wield Road side.
New tiles, also hand made in clay, have been used on the north face and in time they will mature to match the originals.
The tower roof has also been re-shingled, whilst the clockface and weathervane have been brightly refurbished.
The boarding on the tower walls and the leadwork around the tower have also been replaced.
Health and Safety regulations required the installation of improved lightning conductors. Whereas previously St. Andrew's had only one conductor, we now have three - on the tower, north transept and boiler chimney.
Thanks
We are indebted to FOSAC who raised the money for this work, and to Norman Penfold who has acted as our main contact with building team and the architect throughout the work.
Thanks are also due to the teams of cleaners, organised by Stephen Blackshaw, who spent two days immediately prior to Harvest Festival vacuuming, polishing and cleaning all areas of the church to remove all signs of the builders' debris and bring the interior up to it's usual high standard.
And, finally we would like to thank all those bodies who donated grants to fund the work, including Pizza Expess who awarded St. Andrew's a grant of £2,750 from their Veneziana Fund.
For every Veneziana pizza sold 25p is donated to charity on the basis half goes to the Venice In Peril fund and half to restore and maintain buildings over 250 years old, throughout the UK. Over the past 25 years over £1.3m has been raised.
Our own Bill Davis and FOSAC Honorary Treasurer, is reported to have said:
"I'm a great fan of the restaurant and it is fantastic to see some of the money I have invested in it over the years going back into our community."
Many thanks to Pizza Express, Bill Davis and all those who have eaten their way through the thousands of Veneziana pizzas needed to generate such a handsome grant!
The first of these two Benefice meetings provided an opportunity for all churchwardens to meet with the Rector and discuss policy and matters of common interest across all four parishes prior to a similar meeting with all PCC members present.
At both meetings, the Rector reviewed his activities over the previous quarter and the wardens likewise for their individual parishes. Subsequently the following major topics were addressed:
I don't know about you, but I always find the Olympic Games a very exciting tournament indeed, and have done for as long as I can remember. It's thrilling to watch people who are at the peak of their abilities taking part in so many different sports and each Games brings it's own dramas.
As I write this - after the deadline, because of my mother's death - I have just witnessed the despair and triumph, respectively, of Paula Radcliffe and Kelly Holmes. Never having progressed further than shooting for my City and my TA regiment, I can't say I know exactly how either of them feels, but I have a pretty good idea.
I spent hours and hours practising, funding my sport from my own resources and from the Taxpayer (thank you!), shooting at least twice a week from the age of 14. The desire to improve is enormous, the desire to file that perfect card totally dominating; the feeling when it comes absolutely exhilarating, but the feelings of frustration at not being able to repeat that performance on demand huge.
Most of my family have been keen sportspeople; my brother played cricket and rugby, the former for Bath Colts; my sister ran at the White City for Somerset as a teenager. My father rowed for his Oxford College and my very recently-deceased mother all but qualified for Wimbledon, pulling out only to join the W.A.A.F. on the outbreak of World War Two. All of us have shown to some degree the determination and resolve required to be up with or near the best.
St. Paul wrote about athletes in order to encourage the new Christian community at Corinth. "Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it." 1 Corinthians 9:24.
The beauty of the Christian faith is that, through the death of Jesus, all who enter the race win the gold medal of eternal life and forgiveness of sin. This we do, not by our own efforts, but through his sacrifice.
St. Paul continues, in v. 25: "Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one."
How fitting it is that, with the Games returning to Athens, all the medal-winners are receiving a wreath. How much more wonderful that all who hold fast to our Saviour wear an imperishable crown for eternity! Praise be to God for his most wonderful act in sending Jesus, the Messiah, for us!
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
"Where have I seen you before?" asked one intrepid climber to the Rector... He certainly looked different in his helmet and tracksuit, standing on the sidelines to encourage all the youngsters on the High Ropes.
The Lasham Olympics, held on Saturday 11th September, was wonderfully organised by Kathryn Flenley to give the children of the Benefice the opportunity of experiencing the challenges of David Shaylor's Woodland Training Centre, as well as calmer, artistic pursuits, such as T-shirt painting, biscuit decoration and treasure hunting. The children were divided into teams and during the day each had a go at everything, so while one team was building a shelter, another was on the Mohican tight-rope walk.
Around 40 children attended and many then came to the next day's Family Service at Lasham Church where they received certificates and spoke about the Saturday's exciting activities. Emily Magennis-Prior and Sasha Lawson voiced the feelings of others in describing their fears and doubts as to whether they could climb up the posts, walk along and then climb even higher. Children had felt "scared, frozen, doomed", then with the help and encouragement of those watching, became "determined, proud, ecstatic!"
The emphasis was on teamwork, each person needing the help and cooperation of others. And it was lovely to hear the spontaneity with which they thanked those who had helped them. Lizzie Holliday read the Lesson and then in the Service prayers (by the Slipper Family and Holly Appleby-Scriven) we thanked God for the exhilaration of physical challenges and asked for courage to know when simply to let go and trust!
Kathryn kept everyone so busy and she was enthusiastically helped by Michele, Liz, Diane, Yvonne, Kerry and Katherine and additional parents. We thank them all for making it such a terrific event. Finally, of course, warmest appreciation to David and Millie Shaylor for providing the woodland facilities, together with instructors, and for giving expertise and enthusiasm, and also to Charlie and Maggie Shaylor and capturing the day digitally, recording those truly Olympian achievements.
"I had so much fun at the Lasham Olympics. I did loads of activities. We got to decorate a T-shirt to take home, using felt pens and blow paints. I drew a spider. Then we got to make a shelter in the woods out of string, big bendy branches and a big tarpaulin sheet."
"After this, you could go on the trapeze if you wanted which I did. I had to climb up a pole 40 feet high on to a tiny platform. Then, I had to try and grab a bar when I jumped off, but I could not get it so I dangled there, attached to a rope until I was brought down. Even though I didn't grab the bar it was still great fun."
"We also did rock climbing, hand printing and biscuit making. So thank you to everyone who helped the Lasham Olympics to be great!!!"
Becky Bolsover, 9.
"I enjoyed a wonderful day in Lasham woods doing the Lasham Olympics. We were split into teams and I was in the yellow team. Then we headed off to our activities."
"Our first one was a rope course. We were attached to safety harnesses and we had to do a variety of activities high up in the trees. I was really excited but as soon as I had started climbing I was pretty frightened. In the end, I confronted my fear and managed to complete the course which I felt really chuffed about!"
"We then went back to the barn to have a delicious lunch which the Mums had put together for us. It had everything you could have imagined, from pork pies to fairy cakes!! We all ate ravenously."
"After lunch we went and built shelters, which was great fun. During this I went off to draw on a t-shirt, make biscuits and do hand printing. I then rejoined the group again in time to do a team activity, The Mohalk Walk."
"After that we went to our final event, a potato race which was brilliant fun. Finally, we went back to the barn to be collected by our parents. It was a really wonderful day and very well organised. So THANK YOU to everybody involved!!"
Hannah Bolsover, 11.
On Saturday, 11th September, between 10am and 6pm, Hampshire and the Islands Historic Churches Trust will be holding their annual sponsored cycle ride and walk.
The Trust raises funds to assist with the preservation, maintenance and improvement of churches in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, for the benefit of the public.
Participants gain sponsorship and visit, either by bike or on foot, as many churches registered for the event as possible. Riders and walkers visit and sign in at each church, which boosts their funds.
An enjoyable day is had by individuals, families or groups of all ages, interest in historic churches like St. Andrew's is promoted and Christians of all denominations are brought together.
Funds raised are split equally between the Trust and the church(es) of the individual's choice. The 2003 Bike Ride raised over £42,000.
Please do join in or be generous with your sponsorship. St. Andrew's has recently been the recipient of a grant towards the restoration of our church roof.
For more details, please contact Stephen Blackshaw.
The annual St. Andrew's Hog Roast took place in glorious weather on Saturday 31st July. As the Churchyard was partly cluttered with builders materials, and the Church was not looking its best, Sue Willson from the Castle of Comfort, kindly offered to give us exclusive use of the pub garden.
It was a very successful and enjoyable evening attended by 78 adults and 10 children.
Our thanks go to the Social Committee for organising the event, to Roger and Ann Mattia of the Hinton Arms for loaning us the spit, to Reads for supplying the pig at cost, and especially to Adrian who spent most of Saturday slaving over a hot grill! Thanks also to all those who supplied salads.
Although organised primarily as a social event it is expected that £250 will be added to Church funds.
When I first became Rector of the enlarged benefice, the PCCs and I worked out together a pattern for Sunday services which was introduced on a trial basis, with a review to be held after an initial period of six months.
That review is now complete and, with the assistance and agreement of all the PCCs, a new schedule has been produced. This will take effect as from the first Sunday in September and, again, this will run for a period of six months' trial.
In drawing up this new pattern, the Church Councils have endeavoured to provide:
It is very much to be hoped that this new pattern will prove beneficial widely, enabling parishioners to share in meaningful worship in all our churches Sunday by Sunday. Perhaps this would be an ideal opportunity to remind everyone of the mid-week services held regularly in three of our churches - peace and quiet with prayer and worship for those who can't manage Sundays easily, or who prefer smaller congregations.
Notwithstanding that Carol Fuller from Medstead is expected to be licensed as a Reader in October, and Charlie Shaylor has begun his training as a Reader, there is plenty of scope for those of you who don't wish to commit to anything quite so formal to assist with worship-leading: plenty of training is available, so please don't be shy - your parishes need you!
So many stories in the media are vying for our attention at the moment. The rising AIDS/HIV crisis, especially in Africa, the famine in Sudan; these are just two. Someone coined the phrase "compassion fatigue" some years ago to suggest that there comes a point when we, as human beings, simply become overwhelmed and unable to respond any more to all the heart-string tugging to which we are subjected. Books have been written on the subject.
Yet, I believe, it is our Christian duty to go on exercising that care which requires us to go "above and beyond the call of duty". We have recently been reminded in church of the gospel parable which Jesus told about the 'Good Samaritan' and the lengths to which the eponymous hero (I've long wanted to work that phrase into my writing!) was prepared to go. Now is not the time to let down our 'neighbour', at home or overseas. Please continue to give whatever help you can to those who suffer so much.
Thank you.
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
Highlights from the Parochial Church Council (PCC) Meeting, held on Thursday, 22nd July were:
Following the PCC Meeting on 26th May we can now confirm that from the beginning of September our pattern of services on the four Sundays of the month will be:
| 1st: | 11am Family Communion (CW) | |
| 2nd: | 8am Holy Communion (BCP) | 11am Family Service (CW) |
| 3rd: | 11am Family Communion | 6pm Evening Praise |
| 4th: | 8am Holy Communion (BCP) | 11am Morning Prayer |
As previously, on the months when there are five Sundays in the month, we will get together at 10am for a Benefice Service at venues to be announced.
Please make a note in your diary.
Ben's last service at St. Andrew's before his holiday will be on 11th July and he will return on 15th August.
Please contact one of the Churchwardens or Deputy Wardens if you have any queries, or if you would like to receive Communion at home, during Ben's holiday.
Well, did you watch the England vs France match? (If that leaves you cold, I'm talking football, a game in which twenty-two players kick a ball about for an hour and a half, rarely striking it into a net, of which there is one at each end of the playing area).
I had been out in the early evening, arriving home in time to see the last half-hour of the match. There was great excitement when, towards the end, England were awarded a penalty kick which, had it been successful, would have brought about a great victory. ("Great victory?" - isn't this just a game?)
What was interesting was to note the behaviour of the England players and fans alike at that moment: they all seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief - the game, they believed, was won; France was beaten. And that was their undoing. Fans and players alike relaxed, dropped their guard and assumed their work was over. However, with the penalty missed, the team was no longer psychologically geared up to continue and, quite literally in a couple of minutes, all was lost.
Back in the 19th Century, the Baptist Church in the United Kingdom, or so I have been told, was so successful and attracted so many worshippers, the order was given to "stop evangelising" because the strain on resources was too great! Underlying the Church of England's history from time to time, and I remember it happening in the 1950s, there was a feeling of success and security, that the nation was well and truly Christian and always would be. Perhaps the same was thought true of the permanent place in history accorded to the British Empire, that "Empire upon which the sun never sets". But eyes were taken off the ball and the game slipped away.
Now, as a Church, we find ourselves battling to survive. Many people, mostly non-churchgoers I suspect, though perhaps not exclusively, still believe that "the Church" is infinitely wealthy and that it will always be there. It will be there for those family occasions (baptisms, marriages and funerals in particular) as if by magic. But those of us who place ourselves firmly within the Church know all too well that the pressures on us are enormous. Lack of money, lack of full-time paid clergy, continued amalgamations of parishes into large benefices (such as our own) all add to the load. Those who landed on the beaches of D-Day sixty years ago know very well that victory was not guaranteed simply by the fact of the landings themselves; fighting, sometimes inch by inch all the way, had to follow.
We of today's Church are those who are confronted with the daily reality - the "game" is far from won. No time, this, to take our eyes off the ball.
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
The collections on 26th September raised £123.20 for the Sudan Appeal and £312.05 for the Grenada Appeal.
May I express my grateful thanks to all of those who created the floral decorations in the Village Hall for the Harvest Supper and the Church for Harvest Festival - the decorations looked stunning.
On the subject of thanks, I would like to thank Gill Siddall who will be taking over the flower rota in November.
I know that our loyal group of arrangers will continue to support Gill as they have me and I hope that some of the more recent members of our Church community might feel this is a good moment (under a new roof and new management as it were) to join us.
You really do not need to be a talented flower arranger, just someone who likes to see the Church looking beautiful and can spare a few hours a year to help make it so.
Please contact me if you would like to know more.
Jan Evans
Monday Bible Study
A bible-based study group of six sessions looking at Faith and Daily Life will take place on consecutive Mondays from 20th September to 25th October.
The meetings will start at 8pm at Tanglewood, Grosvenor Road. Please contact Carol Fuller on 01420 562445 for more details.
Wednesday Psalms Study
Starting on Wednesday 22nd September, at Bumbles, Five Ash Road, is a Bible Study Group of five sessions during which Ben will take us through some of the psalms.
The meetings will start at 8pm. If you would like to attend one or all of these meetings please contact Stephen Blackshaw.
Related Links:
A Pastoral Letter: Following the example of St. Paul
The Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop of Basingstoke and the Bishop of Southampton.
Daily Bible Reading
Study aids and notes.
Carol Fuller has now completed her training and is due to be Licensed as a Reader at a service in Winchester Cathedral on Saturday, 2nd October.
All are cordially invited to the service in the Cathedral and to an informal reception afterwards in the Church Hall.
We are asked to be seated by 10.40am at the latest.
If you would like to attend please contact Carol Fuller. If you would like to share transport please contact Chris Tew.
Thank you to all who responded to my appeal for information on Gift Aid Envelopes. Some have been traced to their owners but not all.
I am working through the paperwork and a backlog of unentered data. Some church giving envelopes have been issued but the names of the recipients have not been entered or verified on our computer system.
I am still trying to trace who had Envelope numbers:
33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38, issued about July 2002,
43 first seen on 11th November 2002, and
42, 48, 50 and 52 first seen after March 2003.
Do contact me if you know you were issued with any of these numbers. If I cannot trace the owners the church may lose a potential tax refund!
Please also contact me if you would like to make a Gift Aid declaration to painlessly increase your giving to St. Andrew's, or if you would like to pay by standing order.
Gabriel Howard,
Gift Aid Secretary
As some of you may know, I am shortly going into Southampton General Hospital for approximately a month. I am putting together a list of people who would be willing to drive my mother to the hospital so she can visit me.
Perhaps you could phone me on 01420 562338 if you feel you could spare a few hours. Many thanks.
Celia Hayes
I have been asked if I know anyone who would be willing to help a lady in Hussell Lane with her housework for a few hours per week on a regular basis. The lady is seriously ill and can no longer manage for herself.
If you or someone you know would be willing to help please ring me on 01420 563106 and I will put you in touch. Thank you in anticipation.
Elizabeth Tew
On Saturday, 18th September, we were lucky enough to be one of nearly 370 guests at a sold out charity concert at St. John's Church in Hartley Wintney.
The London Community Gospel Choir raised the roof and rocked the Church! Before long we were swaying, clapping and doing the actions!
Inhibitions went out of the window, and everyone had a good time. The tunes were catchy and stayed with us long after the concert. The vocalists were highly skilled and very powerful. The music proved to be very inspirational.
Yvonne, Gemma & Charlotte Haigh
A nationwide survey is being conducted to identify why church-going is declining throughout the British Isles. Ministers are being encouraged to place the survey's questions in parish magazines and circulate them amongst their congregation.
The survey's questions are:
If you attend church regularly, what are the main things which encourage you to attend? If your attendance is merely out of a "sense of duty", what could be changed to make it more appealing?
If you were a church-goer but now attend infrequently or not at all, what were the main things which led to this decline? What could be changed in order for you to attend regularly again?
If you have never been a church-goer what things would encourage you to begin?
The traditional custom of "clergy visiting" has steadily declined in spite of the maxim a "house-going minister makes a church-going people". Although a combination of factors will have led to dwindling congregations, do you think the demise of this customary role is significant?
A summary of the study will be publicised by the end of the year.
Responses can be emailed to Church Survey UK or in sent in writing to: The Vicarage, Clayhill Road, Leigh, Surrey, RH2 8PD.
The deadline for the receipt of replies is 31st August 2004.
Meanwhile, the Church of England has launched its first virtual church, the i-Church.
Run by a lay web pastor as part of the Diocese Of Oxford, worshippers congregate and pray in chatrooms, services are webcast and socialising is via e-mail.
Another online church, the Church of Fools, run by the UK Methodist Church and the Christian webzine Ship of Fools, is coming to the end of a three month experiment.
The webzine recently asked for suggestions for a new commandment to go alongside the famous 10. From over 2,000 entries the winners were:
Thou shalt not...
worship false pop idols
kill in the name of any god
confuse text with love
consume thine own body weight in fudge
be negative
Among the runners-up were:
Thou shalt not...
dump your lover by text
covet thy neighbour's iPod
dance like your dad
marry unless truly in love
change allegiance if your football team is relegated
hold loud conversations on thy mobile in a public place
condemn thy neighbour for having different beliefs
use faith to hide from reality
use plastic to multiply your possessions
shrink-wrap cucumbers
pretend to have no change when asked to donate to charity.
And:
Thou shalt...
commit random acts of kindness
respect the earth
indicate at roundabouts
smile at the person opposite.
Thanks to Kerry Magennis-Prior over £60 was raised towards Medstead Village Fête funds by the St Andrew's Hook-a-Duck stall at the Medstead Village Fête on Saturday 10th July.
There was so much interest from the children that Kerry had to send out for more prizes part way through the afternoon!
Well done Kerry, and thank you for representing us all.
This very pleasant afternoon took place on 8th July at Mole Farm, by kind permission of the Bedingfields. The bridge was very enjoyable and the tea was delicious.
Many thanks to Marguerite Colbeck for all her work in planning the afternoon and to the various ladies who provided tea. In excess of £400 was raised for FOSAC and Church funds.
Stephen Blackshaw
Many thanks to the team who helped at the Winchester Cathedral Refectory on 26th August, which was an exceptionally busy day. Prior to that, on 17th June, they were three members short of their usual number. Although, on both occasions, it was hard work they still found it great fun.
If you can help for either a half or a whole day at our next refectory duty, please sign up at the back of the church hall.
If you would like to give it a try and join the happy team, or if you want to know more, please contact Mary Spinks on 01420 561440, who will be very pleased to tell you more about it.
Mary Spinks will be holding Coffee Mornings as part of her Talents effort, at home on Saturday 17th July and Saturday 14th August from 10-12am.
There will walso be a Bring & Buy table where Mary's marmalade and other folks' goodies will be on sale. Entrance 50p.
Have you thought yet how will you increase your £10?
One stall has already been organised for St Andrew's at the Medstead Village Fête on July 10th, by Kerry Magennis-Prior, for the little ones.
Is anyone else willing to organise and/or run a stall to represent our church at this well supported village event?
In past years we have been the recipient of funds raised at the fête and it would do us no harm to be seen supporting this event for the benefit of others - you never know, we may need more funding at some future date!
Please contact either Ben or one of the Churchwardens.
Signpost Theatre Company, Basingstoke's Christian Theatre Company of 10 years standing, returns this summer with a brand new musical, Alive To Tell The Story, with folk from local churches taking part.
A resurrection musical, written by Susie Hare and published by Kevin Mahew, it tells the story of Jesus' last weeks, through the eyes of one of his friends, Lazarus, and is well worth seeing.
Performances run from 6th to 10th July at the Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke. Tickets, priced at £7 and £11, are available from the Box Office, telephone 01256 465566, or you can book online.
For more information please contact Nigel Pierce on 07786 166210.
There will be a cake sale in the church hall following the 27th June, 25th July and 29th August Family Services, in order to raise funds towards the Youth Day at Lasham Woodland Training Centre in September.
Cakes for the stall will be gratefully received either on the day, or in advance to Diane Palmer, Kathryn Palmer or Liz Gilbert, telephone 01420 562912.
Amidst all the wind and rain, Kerry and Emily Magennis-Prior took part in the Race for Life on Wednesday 23rd June.
They took part in one of 150 women-only 5km races organised across the country by Cancer Research UK, to raise £20 million for scientists, doctors and nurses who work to find new treatments for the disease.
If you pledged to sponsor them, or if you would like to add to their sponsorship, please honour your pledges soon. All donations will be very gratefully received.
Thank you.
Kerry & Emily
Following the planning meeting on the 19th May, a new team agreed to take over responsibility for the benefice's parish magazine, from the August issue.
All general correspondence and inputs for the August and subsequent issues should be addressed to the Editor, Maria Fordyce. You may email Maria or telephone her on: 01420 563068.
Individual contacts for village related activities, news co-ordinators, distribution, services, Guild Of Martha, Sidespeople and Readers have also been established.
It was agreed that the financial year should coincide with the calendar year (January to December) and that the next series of advertising would be for a five-month period only. However, to ensure the continued financial viability of the magazine, it was essential that advertisers settled their invoices promptly.
On 26th September we welcomed Emily and David Phipps, who brought their son Stanley Charles Borns to St. Andrew's to be baptised.
We have great pleasure in welcoming Stanley into the family of our Church and pray for God's blessing on Stanley, his parents, sister Harriet, godparents, family and friends.
At the Family Service on 22nd August we welcomed the parents of Hannah Williams who brought their daughter to St. Andrew's to be baptised.
We have great pleasure in welcoming Hannah into the family of our Church and pray for God's blessing on Hannah, her parents, godparents, and family.
We congratulate Mary Leonard on the increase of her stock of grandchildren. Her daughter, Judy, was delivered of a bonny bouncing 9lb boy on Wednesday 4th August. Mother and son are doing well.
The Banns of Marriage between Daniel John Gwilliam & Michelle Notman; Jennifer Mary Compton & George Simon Houghton; Rebecca Jane Whitham & Matthew Martin Andrew Smith and Louella Jane Voy & Martin Christopher Schooley were read for the third time at the 10.00am Family Communion service at St. Andrew's on 18th July.
We pray for God's blessing on these couples as they prepare for their weddings and throughout their lives together.
At the Family Service & Baptism on 27th June we welcomed Mark and Caroline Love, who brought their daughter to St. Andrew's to be baptised.
We have great pleasure in welcoming Phoebe into the family of our Church and pray for God's blessing on Phoebe, her parents, godparents, family and friends.