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 |
|
January-March 2007
PCC Meeting: 28th March
Tolerance
Organ Dedication Service
Lenten Lunches
Medstead WI
Ben's Message for Lent
Gris' Memorial Service
PCC Meeting: 17th Jan
Mercy Home Appeal
Vision Day Update
Ben's New Year Message
Join Our Choir
Church News Feed
Christ & the Chocolaterie
Hear Joyce Huggett
Marathon des Sables
New Electoral Roll
Church Cleaning Rota
Make Mother's Day!
Benefice Julian Meeting
Quiz Night
2007 Social Events
Can You Help Katherine?
Alton Abbey
Refectory Duties
The Villager
Advent Study Group
Toy Service
Christmas Flowers
Births, Deaths & Marriages
October-December 2006
July-September 2006
April-June 2006
January-March 2006
October-December 2005
July-September 2005
April-June 2005
January-March 2005
October-December 2004
July-September 2004
April-June 2004
January-March 2004
November-December 2003
Anglicans Online
BBCi: Christian News
The Church of England Gazette
The Church of England Newspaper
Church Times Online
Diocese Of Winchester
Ekklesia
Ship of Fools
St. Andrew's website is:
The Parochial Church Council met on Wednesday, 28th March. As well as the usual items of business, your PCC discussed the following:
Our next meeting is the Annual Church Meeting on Sunday, 29th April, at 7.30pm in the Church Hall, followed by a brief PCC Meeting to elect the officers of the PCC.
The next, regular PCC Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 23rd May at 8.00pm in the Church Hall. If you have any matters you would like discussed, please let our Secretary, Chris Tew, know.
Related Links:
Vision Day Update
What is tolerance? At present, it can seem that 'tolerance' means all minorities be allowed to have their say, live their chosen lifestyle, follow their religious and/or secular practices freely whilst at the same time they are left to deny some or all of the same to the majorities. 'Democracy', if it is taken to mean 'following the decisions made by the majority', is increasingly being set aside in certain cases.
The Roman Catholic Church asked to be allowed to opt out of new regulations to do with the adoption of children. They did not ask, note, for adoption by same-sex couples to be banned; they simply preferred to be given the freedom to pursue their own course. The difficulty, though, at the moment is anyone who takes any kind of stance like this will automatically be accused of phobia, which is unfair.
There is, for example, much modern music, whether 'pop' or classical, which fails to move me completely; surely, that doesn't qualify as a phobia? I like to think I have a wide-ranging taste for music, but Schoenberg and Hindemith, for example, I will strenuously avoid, given the chance! But that's a long way from trying to rid the world of their music - which would be a phobia.
The Bishop of Central Tanganyika, the Rt. Revd. Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo, has recently issued a statement saying:
"We share the sufferings and hurts of the people we serve... We also work for the hope of glory in trying to transform the lives of our people, regardless of their colour, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and social status."
He adds, as Black Africans, he and his people have known the hurts and damages of their past experiences:
"We don't want to go that way again."
Tolerance, then, should mean to me as a Christian I will take the love of the Lord Jesus unconditionally to all people; I might not agree with all the values they hold, but I will respect their rights as I would expect them to respect mine. I just feel at the moment that, should mine differ with any of those minorities which are currently dominating the headlines, I'll be the one expected to change. That seems anything but tolerant.
It's sad, of course, when religion becomes involved in such controversies, particularly when believers are portrayed as being obsessed with sexuality.
I heard a remarkable Thought for the day on Radio 4 at the end of January. Jonathan Bartley, the speaker, wanted to remind listeners the early Church drew attention for how it conducted itself much more than for what it believed:
"Parts of the early church believed that they were following what they termed 'The Way': a lifestyle based on the author of their faith who ate with the disreputable, healed the sick, urged unconditional love of enemies, and even forgave those who killed him. It was their behaviour that made them stand out from the society around them." (©BBC)
I'd rather be recognised as a Christian by that definition than for anything I oppose. Christ was, ultimately, for people, with a bias towards the marginalised and excluded. That's where Christians should continue to stand.
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
We are currently planning a benefice dedication service at 10.00am on Sunday, 11th March at St. Andrew's, with Bishop Trevor of Basingstoke in attendance.
The service will include a dedication and blessing of the new organ, followed by lunch in the church hall and an opportunity to meet the Bishop.
We will also be arranging a concert to celebrate the installation of the new organ, later in the year.
Most of us, by now, have heard the wonderful music from our new organ and we must thank Adrian Barnes for managing this project.
We must also recognise the tremendous amount of work Adrian and Ian Jurd put in to remove the old organ and to install the new instrument.
The old bellows were an enormous item, weighing over 200lb, so much skill and strength was needed to remove it.
Integrating the new organ into the old space required much of Ian's joinery skills and special thanks must be given to Ian for the massive pre-Christmas effort he made.
Thank you, also, to everyone who has contributed so far to funding the new organ. The total cost is anticipated to be £16,000, which will need to be raised by donations, grants and the church.
We have made a very good start, having raised over £12,000 so far, which enabled us to purchase and install the organ.
However, we still need your help and support. If you wish to sponsor one of the remaining organ stops, at £100 per stop, or make a contribution, no matter how small, please contact Adrian or a member of the PCC.
You can also sponsor a stop or pledge a donation online, through our website.
Related Links:
New Organ Installed
Read more about our Organ Appeal
One of St. Andrew's major charity fund raising events is our annual series of Lenten Lunches. This year, they were held in aid of the following charities:
Ash Wednesday, 21st February: Motor Neurone Disease Association
The lunch was preceded, at 11.00am, by an Ash Wednesday Communion Service.
Friday, 2nd March: Lighodo Village School
A Medstead Primary School project. Chestnut class have been learning about Kenya this year and have established links with the Lighodo Primary School. The aim is to purchase a kitchen and food for the newly renovated school.
Thursday, 8th March: Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths
FSID is a charity which aims to prevent cot deaths. It funds research into and disseminates information on infant health and death and supports bereaved families.
Monday, 12th March: SSAFA
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families' Association is a charity committed to helping and supporting those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces and their families.
Tuesday, 20th March: Kathryn Mercy Home
Provides board, lodging and an education for 80 deprived children in Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, South India.
The Mercy Home relies almost entirely upon a network of sponsors and is undertaking a major fundraising effort to buy land adjacent to the school for much needed facilities.
Unlike most other schemes there are no hidden costs or overheads, all the money raised will go directly to the Mercy Home and make a direct and real difference to a child's life.
Saturday, 24th March: Treloar Trust
The Treloar Trust, based in Alton, provides education, therapy, medical support and training in independence for young people with physical disabilities in a caring and supportive environment. The Trust gives students the opportunity to develop their confidence and skills to enable them to achieve their potential in all aspects of life.
Thank you to all those who helped with and supported the Lunches. We served 192 lunches and received donations of £771. Each of the six participating charities were thus able to receive £128.50 to help with their good work.
Mary Spinks
Related Links:
Lenten Lunches, 2006
Lenten Lunches, 2005
Lenten Lunches, 2004
Everyone woke to a heavy fall of snow on the February meeting day, so sadly the attendance was rather depleted. However, speaker Maureen Rose gallantly drove up from Ringwood with her husband to talk about her life Working for the Royal Couturier.
What a super speaker she was, as she told everyone about her life and how she had come to be in the very privileged position of making clothes for HM Queen Elizabeth II. Not many can claim to have had many meetings with the Queen, who was dressed in just her undergarments!
Maureen had brought along samples of some of the fabulous fabrics used, photos of some of the dresses she had made and samples of some of the exquisite needlework and embroidery she had incorporated into outfits for the Queen, and was able to give a clear insight into life in the palaces and what a delightful lady our Queen is.
Over twenty members of the walking group enjoyed a leisurely walk along the Basingstoke Canal at Crookham Village on a lovely February morning, before returning to a local pub for a delicious lunch.
The craft group have met and made plans for all the craft meetings throughout the year, with lots on offer to learn and take part in. It is planned to a make a new tablecloth for the President's table to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Medstead WI in 2008.
Following a request from the British & International Sailor's Society another batch of warm woolly hats had been knitted by members and have been dispatched to the charity in Southampton.
Two guests and four new members were welcomed to our March meeting, which was definitely a treat for the chocoholics amongst the audience with Debbie Carter from Alresford Chocolate Company as the speaker.
Much was learnt about the history of chocolate and its manufacture, before Debbie demonstrated how to make some beautiful looking Easter eggs and also some truffles. While this was all going on samples were passed round for everyone to taste.
It is hoped a visit can be made to the workshop in Alresford to learn more about chocolate making, and to sample further all the delicious flavours on offer, including the chocolates made with scotch bonnet chillies!
In complete contrast, Medstead WI members will certainly be getting to know their onions this year as the competition for the large Garden Trophy will be for the largest onion grown in an 8-inch pot. Members were given one onion set each to nurture and return in August, when WI husband Tony Messenger, himself an expert at vegetable growing, will be judging the results.
Inspired by an article in the February edition of the excellent new WI membership magazine, the craft group enjoyed an afternoon making cushions using the crazy geometric patchwork technique. Equally inspiring was the 'boiled bag' from the March edition and Gill showed one she had made, which had turned out beautifully.
The walking group enjoyed a walk at Rotherwick with a pub lunch after. As has become a tradition this walk was dedicated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, with over £800 raised for the charity so far.
Medstead WI always welcomes new members and visitors to its meetings, which are on the second Thursday of each month at 2.15pm in the village hall.
Gill Siddall
I sometimes find myself wishing that the interval between Christmas and the beginning of Lent could be a little longer: in preparing this piece for magazine deadlines, I'm having to look forward to a penitential season while the sounds of celebration are still echoing in my mind!
According to the media, though, a season of restraint can't perhaps come soon enough to those who have overspent again and find themselves even deeper in debt than before. Not that everyone in debt has got there unwisely: undoubtedly there are many whose genuinely unpredictable circumstances, such as the sudden collapse of their employer's business, have brought them into hard times without warning.
I'm thinking more of the many we hear about who seem to believe that Christmas can't properly be enjoyed without spending on an obscene scale - just one symptom of a condition I have heard described as affluenza.
This is the malaise which sees the cure of all ills in the endless pursuit of the acquisition of 'things' with which to surround ourselves so as to prove we are a success, we are "worth something". I'm no macro-economist, but I wonder whether we have manoeuvred ourselves into such a position over the years that, unless we all go on spending at a rate higher than we can afford, our system will collapse.
If that is so, then more fool we for allowing it to happen. But more than this, more 'criminal' we, when we can only maintain our standard of living by raping the less-developed nations for our needs, consuming so much that they are left with so little.
No doubt there are those in these parishes whose commercial experience will put me straight on this, but what my eyes show me is that we in the wealthy world enjoy an extravagance which is so often paid for at tragic cost elsewhere. This is unChristian.
Perhaps, then, the season of Lent, with its traditional call for self-denial and fasting, far from coming up on us too quickly, cannot come soon enough! Taking this call seriously would mean going without, not just because its good for us, but primarily because its good for 'them', though whether we could restore a fair balance by just forty days fasting each year I very much doubt.
For example, having now seen at first hand the extremes of poverty and deprivation suffered in India, I am even more acutely aware than before that Christ's act of self-denial is the only pattern on offer which can make a difference.
Our salvation is earned, not through our own efforts, but by his offering of himself. Hope for those so desperately in need in our world will, likewise, not come principally by their efforts, though goodness knows so many of them try so hard, but through our generosity in following the example of our Saviour. Here is a message for Lent that should shape our thinking and our giving through Lent to Easter and well beyond.
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
Related Links:
Love Life, Live Lent: The Church of England's Lent website.
Text Lent to 64343 for the Church of England's Lenten text service.
On Saturday, 17 February a congregation of around 350 people filled the Chapel of Winchester College for a Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for the life of Brigadier E.G.B. Davies-Scourfield, CBE MC DL.
Many people in Medstead will have fond memories of Gris and his wife, Diana, who moved away to Sutton Scotney in 2006 having been such an integral part of the village for so many years.
Led by our Rector, Ben Flenley, the service was an amazingly uplifting celebration of Gris' faith and humility.
Gris had left precise instructions as to the content of the service. He had selected the hymn Onward Christian soldiers because the riflemen in his regiment always chose it for church parades. Psalm 23 was chosen because the title of his book, In Presence Of My Foes, is taken from one of its verses, while For all the saints was Gris' favourite hymn.
Among the congregation was one of Gris' fellow prisoners-of-war from Colditz. Another visitor from Suffolk had read Gris' book and had rung him to ask to meet him. Gris had invited him for tea and the visitor had been very inspired by their meeting.
Gris' son, Gwyn, gave a very moving tribute to his father's inspirational qualities, talking about his early years and the faith he instilled in himself and his sister, Susie.
Particularly touching was the reading by his daughter, Susie, from the Epilogue of Richard Adams' Watership Down.
Brigadier Colin Harrisson spoke about Gris as his commanding officer, relating several wonderful stories concerning Gris and his exploits in various challenging postings around the world. He finished by speaking directly to Diana, saying 'her beloved Gris was unforgettable'.
Sarah Delany
Related Links:
Announcement
Appreciation
The Parochial Church Council met on Wednesday, 17th January. As well as the usual business, the principal items discussed by your PCC were the draft aims for our Church, prepared following our Vision Day.
The five group leaders summarised the conclusions of their groups and it was agreed that a sub-committee comprising Ian Jurd, Andrew Jackson and Adrian Barnes would consolidate the aims of the five groups to eliminate repetition and bring the number of aims to a more manageable number.
Other items discussed included:
Our next PCC meeting is on Wednesday, 28th March and the next, joint, Benefice PCC meeting will be held on Tuesday, 20th February, both at 8.00pm in the Church Hall.
Gordon Randall, the Diocesan Stewardship Adviser, will address the Benefice PCC on the subject of Mission Audit. This will be important, because all parishes in the diocese have been instructed to carry out a Mission Audit by Pentecost, 2008.
If you have any matters you would like discussed, please let our Secretary, Chris Tew, know.
Related Links:
Vision Day Update
Winchester Diocese Christian Stewardship
National Christian Stewardship
Giving In Grace
We thought it would be appropriate at this time to let you know how our fund raising for the Mercy Home is progressing. As you may recall, we need to purchase the land adjacent to the Mercy Home in order to provide for a refectory.
The response has been truly overwhelming! Since the launch back in October 2006 we have received donations from so many people and organisations. Our target is £12,000, an amount that seemed daunting last year to say the least!
However, we have already raised over £9,000. Thank you so much for your amazing generosity - practical evidence of prayers answered!
We do still have some way to go, so if you would like to contribute please make any donations either by cash or, alternatively, by cheque made payable to Bentworth PCC, with Kathryn Mercy Home written on the back. If you are able to add gift aid to your donation please let us know.
If you missed our presentations at the end of last year we are going to repeat them in the Spring, so please look out for the dates, which will be published soon.
The Mercy Home was founded by the Reverend Jayapaul, a priest from Devakottai, a small town in Tamil Nadu, South India. Ben and I first met Jeyapaul whilst we were living in Salisbury, where Ben was at Theological College. One of our fellow students returned from a placement in South India accompanied by Jeyapaul.
Whilst in Salisbury he came to have a meal with us and told us that his 'Benefice' consisted of 15 churches which meant that he would leave home on Saturday and not return until the following Wednesday so he could celebrate Holy Communion in each church. This was because he had no motorised transport of his own and had to rely on a pushbike!
He appealed for a motorbike to make the travelling easier and we were able to contribute towards this. Little did we know this was the start of a relationship which developed into something very rich indeed.
Some time later he wrote to us, sharing his vision for his communities. Being a largely rural area, many of his parishioners were 'coolies', working for a pittance for local landowners. As 'untouchables' there was little chance their children could escape the grinding poverty unless they could obtain an education.
Jeyapaul was himself an untouchable. However he had had the opportunity of attending a mission school and had then gone on to university and Theological College.
His vision was to provide a hostel, or Mercy Home, for children so that they could attend school in Devakottai. He told us, if he could get five people in the UK to sponsor children, he would provide accommodation for the children in his home. We shared this vision with people in the Benefice and as a result the Kathryn Mercy Home was established.
Since then, thanks to your generosity, the Mercy Home has provided board and lodging for 80 children. This has meant building projects have been undertaken and there is now a complex of buildings comprising a nursery, the Mercy Home and the Joan Mercy Home for elderly widows and young girls. There are also sponsors in various parts of the country.
If you would like to know more about the Mercy Home or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Kathryn.
Kathryn Flenley.
Related Links:
Land Appeal
An Indian Summer
Letter From Devakottai
Mercy Home
Indian Priest To Visit The Benefice
Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18).
We have made good progress in drafting key aims for our Church, following our Vision Day on 18th November, 2006.
Five groups of parishioners, each led by a PCC member, have now reviewed the feedback from the day and created draft aims and objectives documents for each of the five Vision day topics:
The draft aims were presented to and reviewed at the PCC Meeting on 17th January.
The next step is for a small group to produce a single, rationalised set of Vision Day Aims from the draft, for presentation at the next PCC meeting, on Wednesday, 28th March. The PCC will then determine how best to implement our Vision Day aims.
If you have any comments, suggestions or would like to provide any futher feedback on the aims, please contact Ian, Adrian or Andrew
The Vision Day agenda and feedback from the discussion groups, which helped shape the aims documents, are available, below.
Related Links:
PCC Meeting, 28th March 2007
PCC Meeting, 17th January 2007
Vision Day
Downloads:
Vision Day Agenda
Vision Day Feedback
Right click on the link, select "Save Target As..." to save the file to a local directory. The documents are in Adobe pdf format, compressed using Winzip.
For each successive first of January, many people still make New Year's resolutions: a few will fail to survive more than a day or two, some might last a little longer, others perhaps even make a medium- to long-term difference. For a number, based on past performance, their resolutions won't even get started!
Why do we do this? What's the continuing appeal? Maybe the desire to change reflects a current fashion, a passing whim, or some deep, inner sense that all is not well: something about us needs 'fixing' or we have a long-felt desire to move in a particular direction with our lives. It's that "vision thing" which, according to AskOxford, a free online resource, is:
"a political view encompassing the longer term as distinct from short-term campaign objectives. The expression comes from the response of the American Republican statesman George Bush (1924- ), who in 1987 responded to the suggestion that he turn his attention from short-term campaign objectives and look to the longer term by saying, 'Oh, the vision thing'"
A goodly number of parishioners from St. Andrew's, Medstead came together one Saturday in November to take a look at 'the vision thing', the longer-term as distinct from the shorter, during a Vision Day led by Gordon Randall, the Diocesan Stewardship Adviser.
Much energetic debate during the day has led to the production of thought-provoking material which the PCC will use to guide our vision for the parish; much more will follow and we'll make every effort to keep everyone well informed. I will be giving the other three parishes the opportunity of looking at what was achieved at St. Andrew's with a view to further such Vision Days in due course.
At the end of November, I had the sad duty, but nonetheless privilege, of conducting the funeral service for Gris Davies-Scourfield. Only a few weeks before, we had all met together in St. Andrew's for a special service for Gris and Diana to thank them for their immense contribution to church and village life in Medstead over all the years of their residence in Old Rectory Cottage.
It was obvious that Gris was a man of great spirituality and inner strength, even without knowing of his war-time adventures. The account of that part of his life, which he described in his book In Presence Of My Foes, reveals a man whose faith underpinned his whole being. He showed leadership of an outstanding degree during the fierce fighting in Calais in 1940, following which he was decorated with the Military Cross for his bravery, and extraordinary courage as a prisoner-of-war, escaping even from Colditz Castle. He was recaptured, but received a Mention in Despatches for his conduct while a P.O.W.
After further exemplary military service, he retired in the rank of Brigadier as Commander, Salisbury Plain Area, and was for some years, Director of the National Association of Boys' Clubs, County Chairman of the Army Benevolent Fund and Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire. He was also awarded a C.B.E. (military).
Apart from all that, to us he was simply Gris, a steadfast and faithful Christian, constant and devoted in his attendance at worship in church and, with Diana, an immense contributor to our local life.
It was my great privilege to take Holy Communion to him in Sutton Manor just about a week before he died; Abbot Giles visited the night before his death. I know that he will be missed by so many people in so many places; we, in Medstead, have our own special memories of a very special man, and express our heartfelt sympathies to Diana, Gwyn, Sue and all his family.
Ben Flenley
Comments? email Ben
Related Links:
Vision Day
Gris & Diana: Appreciation
St. Andrew's is looking for junior members to join its talented Church Choir.
The choir lead worship at St. Andrew's each Sunday and, periodically, at other churces in the Benefice.
The choir also perform on special occasions, such as Nine Lessons and Carols, Midnight Mass, Holy Week and Easter, at weddings, concerts and other events.
Rehearsals are every Sunday at 10.00am, lasting around 45 minutes. They are normally held in the Church Hall.
If you are interested in joining the choir or would like more information please contact Wendy.
We are pleased to offer a new feature on our news pages: a Church of England news feed.
The news feed uses RSS to deliver the latest information on the Church's work, by linking to press releases from the Church of England website.
The RSS news feed is one of a number of new features available from the recently relaunched Church Of England website.
Related Links:
iPod your God?
The final two meetings of the Medstead Lent Study Group will be held on: Tuesday, 27th March, at The Rectory, Bentworth, and Wednesday, 4th April, at 34 Abbey Road, Medstead.
Later in April we are planning to hold a Chocolate Dinner for the Medstead and Lasham groups, as a celebration of this Lenten course.
Joyce Huggett, the world-famous Christian author of many books, including: Listening to God and Listening to Others will be coming to St. John's Church, New Alresford on Tuesday, 27th March at 7.30pm.
She will be encouraging us on our Christian journey with a presentation on Listening to God in Creation.
All are welcome.
Our youngest daughter, Davina, successfully completed the Marathon des Sables, the desert challenge, which started on Sunday, 25th March.
Over seven days she covered 151 miles across the Sahara desert, including 20 miles of sand dunes. The longest day was when she had to cover 50 miles, no mean feat in the desert heat.
In addition, she had to carry at least 15 kilos in her rucksack, including all her food, bedding and cooking equipment, daily.
She finished, well inside the time limits set, a creditable 626th of the competitors who completed the race. The temperatures were at times unbearable, the sand dunes extremely difficult to navigate and she is still trying to locate her legs!
Thank you for your prayers for Davina and for your generous sponsorship, as she undertook one of the world's great challenges.
Davina raised funds for our local charity, the Luke Frost Brain Tumour Research Fund.
Pamela & Malcolm Goodall
Ahead of our Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday, 29th April we must prepare a new electoral roll. This roll records all those who are members of our Church.
If you are a member of the electoral roll already then you have to renew your membership, if you are not then this is an opportunity to join.
This happens every five or six years and the roll has to be completely renewed, so please ensure you take part over the coming few weeks.
Please complete the Application for Enrolment form and post it in the box, both of which you will find at the back of the church, by Tuesday, 20th March.
It would help our Electoral Roll Officer if you could also add your email address to your form.
We would like to thank all of you who give freely of your time and energy to clean our church every week of the year. It is very much appreciated!
During March the Church Cleaning Rota for 2007-2008 will be compiled. Would you like your name added?
If you know of any changes or additions to last year's rota, please contact Elizabeth by Tuesday, 20th March so they may be incorporated.
Our next event especially for children will be devoted to creating all sorts of things to make Mum feel very special for Mothering Sunday.
It will be held at the Church Hall in Medstead, between 9.30am and 12.30pm, on Saturday, March 17th. There will be plenty of supervised activities, including gifts to make for Mum. The cost will be only £2.00 per child.
Do bring along a plate of food to share to keep energy levels high. We would also appreciate any 'greenery' you can spare, so children may make posies for the Mothering Sunday Service on March 18th, at 11.00am.
Oh yes, you'll also need a named carrier bag to take home all Mum's presents!
You can download an application form here. Simply complete the form and return it to one of the contacts below:
Kathryn Flenley
Kerry Magennis-Prior
Michelle Rankin: 01256 381273
Antonia Hammond: 01420 561614
Medstead Primary School
Bentworth Primary School
If you would be willing to help on the day, please contact Kathryn.
Related Links:
Make Mother's Day 2006
Make Mother's Day 2005
"What have you given up for Lent?"
During Lent we give up something we value - and what is more valuable, to most of us, than time?
There are many ways we can give time to God: an evening a week for a Lent Class, an extra service, a Lent Lunch, helping a neighbour, visiting someone in hospital...
We would like to invite you give up an hour on a Friday evening to come to one of our Julian Meetings.
Time spent with God in "the silence of eternity", as the Quaker John Whittier puts it in his hymn (A&M 115), is a wonderful source of peace and refreshment and an excellent discipline in preparation for Easter.
We welcome you to come and find out for yourself the joy of Christian contemplation, on Friday, 2nd or Friday, 16th March, at Cottesmore, Five Ash Road, Medstead, from 8.00pm.
For more information please contact Chris. Please do ring first, so that we may have enough chairs and coffee!
Jill Hurley
75 participants in 12 teams came to a cerebral head-to-head on Saturday, 24th February in the Church Hall.
Winners were the Morrish Dancers, closely followed by the Half Dozen, the Bedsteads and Scrumpers. However, the real winner was our Church which profited by £367.
Many thanks to the Social Committee for organising the event, Sharon Blackshaw for setting the questions, our MC, Logan Colbeck and to Andrew Jackson for keeping the score.
Highlights of the 2007 calendar for our, always popular, social events include:
Quiz Night: 24th February
Jumble Sale: 14th April
Spring Charity Concert: 22nd April
Four Church Challenge: 2nd June
Hog Roast: 30th June
Organ Recital: September
French Evening: October
Jumble Sale: 10th November
Please see our Events page for more details and put these dates in your diaries!
The Social Committee is also eager to recruit a few more members for its work. If you are interested, please contact Sharon.
Related Links:
Events
Sharon Blackshaw
Katherine has been accepted by the Oasis Trust to join their Frontline Team in London, for 11 months starting in September, 2006.
She continues to work hard during her placement and has passed the first module of her Sign Language Course.
Katherine now urgently needs sponsorship to pay the balance of her tuition fees, £350. If you feel, after considering the appeal prayerfully, you can assist, then please email Katherine.
Related Links:
Frontliners
Oasis Trust
The Anglican Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady and St. John is to be found just outside our Benefice, in Beech, and provides a wonderful spiritual resource.
The Community of six monks welcome visitors, formally on Retreat, at services, or informally to share their garden or a cup of tea.
Information about the monastery and the Benedictine way of life can be found at www.thelife.org.uk.
The 2007 Retreat Programme includes:
17th February: Quiet Day before Lent
31st March: Quiet Day before Holy Week
4th-6th May: Jane Austen Retreat
26th May: Jane Austen 1
8th-10th June: Gesso Weekend
10th-15th June: Icon Writing 1
16th June: Jane Austen 2
1st-6th July: Icon Writing 2
Places on Retreats can be booked by contacting the Guestmaster at the Abbey, Abbey Road, Beech, GU34 4AP.
As can be seen from this list, the monks have some very special skills which they share. One is an expert on Jane Austen, whilst another is a talented Icon writer and artist. Other gifts are apparent to visitors of this haven of peace and prayerfulness.
Services are open to all and a list of times can be found on the Notice Board at the Reception entrance. Do go and visit and find out for yourself about this oasis in our midst.
Jill Hurley
Thank you to all those who helped at Winchester Cathedral Refectory on Thursday, 4th January.
The next duties for the St. Andrew's team at the Refectory are on Thursday, 7th June and Thursday, 23rd August.
If you can join us please contact Mary Spinks.
We are looking for more helpers, so please consider volunteering for this important contribution to the Cathedral's activities.
Mary Spinks
Our Benefice magazine is looking for an extra member to join the team to help with advertising.
The Villager works as a team, with flexible roles and members supporting each other, so it is not too arduous a task to take on, especially as this year's advertising is completed.
Anyone interested in joining the team should contact either Caroline or Jill.
In an increasingly multi-everything society, can it really be said that all faiths are pathways towards a common end, or is each distinctive?
A course entitled The Uniqueness of our Faith will seek to answer just that very question.
Each session has a different theme, so anyone who has not been able to join during Advent is very welcome for the last two classes, starting at 8pm at either: Cottesmore, Five Ash Road, Medstead, on Wednesdays: 17th and 24th January, or Skule House, Lasham, on Tuesdays: 16th and 23rd January.
For more information please contact Ben or one of the Churchwardens.
On behalf of the Alton Family Support Team and the Alton and Aldershot Children with Disabilities team we would like to offer a heartfelt thank you for the donation of toys collected by your churches in the Benefice.
The toys and gifts donated will be distributed to families, children's homes and children who are unable to be with their families. Many of the children and families that we work with have experienced difficult and sometimes traumatic experiences.
We thank you again for your gifts and consideration for others who find themselves away from their families and loved ones at this important time of year.
John Stacey
Team Manager
Children Services Department
Hampshire County Council
A very big thank you is due to everyone who helped to decorate the church for the Christmas services. As always the floral decorations were beautiful!
If you have been inspired by the decorations and would like to join the team we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please contact Gill to find out more. New members of the team are always very welcome.
Gill Siddall
We are very sorry to announce the death of our dear friend Val Prior, who finally lost her long, brave battle against cancer on Sunday 18th February.
One of the stalwarts of our community, Val was to be seen everywhere in the village as she moved between Church, Medstead Players and many other village activities. She was always there for all of us, to help or advise and was always cheerful and positive.
Please remember Peter, Kerry and all her family in your prayers.
The funeral took place in the Church at 2.30pm on Thursday, 1st March.
Peter and Kerry would like to thank everyone for all the wonderful letters and cards that have been sent. It has been a huge comfort to know how much everyone thought of Val.
A special thank you also to Ben, Adrian and Ian for their help with the service.
Kerry Prior
Related Links:
Dedication
Tickled Pink
We are pleased to congratulate Sue and Alistair Sly on the birth of twin boys on Monday, 5th February. Mother and babies are doing well.
Max Daniel weighed in at just over 5lb and Ollie Luke at just over 3lb. Ollie is spending some time in the Special Baby Unit while he puts on a little more weight.
We thank God for this wonderful gift.
It is with great pleasure that, as part of our 11.00am Family Communion on 21st January, we welcome Grace Millie Headley to be baptised at St. Andrew's.
Grace Millie is warmly welcomed to our Church family and we are delighted to have the opportunity of taking part in her Baptism.