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June and July 2020
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CONTACTS Reader Safeguarding Co-ordinatorBarbara Coleman
ChurchwardenTania Cook ) [email protected] Fletcher ) Treasurer Tania Cook email : [email protected]
OrganistDavid Dobb
Bell Ringers Tower CaptainEmmi Checkley
Vicar's AdministratorEsther Henshaw Email: [email protected]
For all Church Hall Bookings, Weddings, Baptisms and all other general enquiries please phone:-01773 719941 between 10am and 3pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Out of Hours: 07763 865716
PCC SecretaryStephen Henshaw Email: [email protected]
Christian Aid/TraidcraftJanet Hedderly
Mothers' UnionBarbara Coleman
Social CommitteeWendy Taylor
WEEKLY SERVICES1st Sunday each month8.30 Morning Prayer (BCP)
10.15 Holy Communion
2nd Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)
10.15 Holy Communion
3rd Sunday each month 8.30 Morning Prayer (BCP)
10.15 Holy Communion
4th Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)
10.15 Holy Communion
5th Sunday each month8.30 Holy Communion (BCP)
10.15 Holy Communion
Every Wednesday10am Informal Holy Communion
Church Websitewww.greasleychurch.wordpress.com
OPEN DOORThe deadline for submitting material for the December 2019
and January 2020 issue will be Friday 15th November 2019.
Copy for the next issue should be forwarded to the
Church Office or at [email protected]
Comments and articles in Open Door do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the editor, clergy or PCC of
St. Mary’s Church, Greasley.
The Editor of the Greasley Church Open Door Magazine
(at his/her discretion) has the authority to select and decide
upon the suitability of contents and inclusion of articles. PCC
Church AdministratorAddress: Church OfficeGreasley Church HallChurch RoadGreasley, NottinghamNG16 2AB
For Contact Numbers Please Ring 01773 719941
See Church Notices
OPEN DOOR
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A letter fromour Reader
A Prayer For Anyone Living Alone
I live alone, dear Lord,Stay by my side,
In all my daily needs,Be thou my guide,
Grant me good health, For that indeed, I pray,To carry on my work
From day to day.Keep pure my mind,
My thoughts, my every deed, Let me be kind, unselfishIn my neighbour’s need.
Spare me from fire, from floodMalicious tongues.
From thieves, from fear,And evil ones.
If sickness or an accident befall, Then humbly, Lord, I pray,
Hear, Thou my call,And when I’m feeling low,
Or in despair,Lift up my heart
And help me in my prayer.I live alone, dear Lord,
Yet have no fear, Because I feel your Presence
Ever near.AMEN
Dear friendsI am sure that these past few weeks have felt strange to all of us, for myself almost like living in a bubble. But life is slowly beginning to get back to some sort of ‘normality.
I wonder what you have been doing to pass the days spent in lockdown. Many houses have had a Spring clean. Gardens are looking tidy and lawns neatly mown. Books have been read and repeats of TV programmes watched. Many church services and Bishop’s messages watched over media links. Ben dog has been out on his usual walks and met with his dog friends.
Because we are not meeting in church and worshipping together, we are finding other ways to communicate with each other and to still have worship times either privately or face to face with family members or via internet links. As I write this the Bishops are seeking to find ways in which we may safely worship together again.We need to remember that whatever way we find to worship God He is with us.
Many people I have spoken to have mentioned how much they miss family members and friends only being able to contact them by other means. A friend of mine spoke of phoning her mum and telling her how much she missed her. All her mother said was ‘How is Bailey? (the dog)!! We must not forget the lonely for whom these days spent in isolation appear long and unending.
Although there seems to be a slowdown in the spread of the virus our prayers are still essential as we seek to say thank you to all the people who are working the in NHS and other front-line services. We remember the carers working in care and nursing homes and communities. We thank those behind the scenes preparing and delivering food parcels and other neighbourly acts.
At this time there are thousands of friends and relatives who are mourning the loss of loved ones and haven’t had the opportunity to say goodbye at a funeral service. They are people we have never met yet they need our prayers.
We are all being challenged by this journey with an ending somewhere in the future. Churches will open and Services will resume but we need to be patient.
Keep well, keep safe, be prayerful.May the love of God sustain us always.
Barbara
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NEW BOOKI was informed of a new book that is available which tells the full story of the development of the Christian faith in Lincolnshire and N o t t i n g h a m s h i r e from the origins until 1660. This includes much on "Greasley and the area around.” So, I contacted the gentleman concerned and here we have details for anyone who wishes to catch up with some interesting reading during our lock down. Feels more like lock up. Editor
‘The important role of Greasley and district in the past Christian history of Nottinghamshire is covered in detail in the new book ‘Restless Souls, Pilgrim Roots’ by local historian Adrian Gray. The book covers the development of the Christian faith across the interconnected counties of Notts and Lincs from the beginnings up to 1660. For the Greasley district, it covers the growth of Beauvale Priory and its links with the well-known medieval work ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ before explaining its dissolution and the well-known martyrdoms together with a vision of the infant Jesus playing at Beauvale.
In the later 1500s the Priory became linked with the puritan Disney family and Greasley became something of a ‘radical’ church. The book talks about the romance of Mayflower Pilgrim leader John Robinson and how he came to be married at Greasley and also includes the colourful life of Lemuel Tuke who ministered at Greasley in the 1630s.
The book is available from all the usual sources or direct from the publishers at 01777 869224 or by email to [email protected].
Adrian Gray, MA (Cantab)Historical Adviser to Bassetlaw Christian HeritageDirector, Pilgrims & Prophets Christian Heritage Tours
https://pilgrimsandprophets.co.uk/https://bassetlawchristianheritage.com/https://www.facebook.com/PilgrimsAndProphets/https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g661690-d12853759-Reviews-Pilgrims_and_Prophets_Christian_Heritage_Tours-Retford_Nottinghamshire_England.html
Friends of St Mary’s Facebook group
Some of you may already know that one of the unexpectedly successful side-effects of lockdown has been the setting up of a Friends of St Mary’s group on Facebook.
It came about after numerous dog walks where I’d bumped into several church regulars and had c o n v e r s a t i o n s where we were all asking after other friends whom no-one had seen or heard from.
It struck me then that perhaps the fastest way to get word around and check up on people, and having already several church friends on my FB friends list, might be to set up a Facebook group which we could use as a kind of church “cobweb”, drawing together existing FB members as well as using it to pass on messages from others we’d either bumped into or perhaps spoken to on the phone.
Within a week of setting up the group we had linked up, made contact with, checked up on, and accounted for over 92 members of the congregation.
I must emphasise that it is not an official St Mary’s page, the church’s official website is, of course, still the place to go for all official information
The Facebook group, which is private and can only be seen by its 42 members has, however, given us the chance to meet up virtually with each other, share information, photographs, quizzes, memories and prayers and to pass on messages and good wishes to and from those church members who are perhaps not online.
Indeed, barely a day goes by without someone posting a message to say that they’ve “just seen so-and-so while out walking and they wanted to be remembered to everyone”.
It’s been heart-warming to see how quickly people have embraced the idea of the group and I know that, for those members who are perhaps in lockdown on their own, it’s given them something else to do and look forward to on a daily basis.
Keep up the good work, FB friends!Ian Wheeler
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A CHALLENGETo read the Bible in one year
Have you read the whole Bible? No!
Well this is a challenge to read the Holy Bible in one year. Supported by a simple daily guide.
Download the App ([email protected]) to your mobile, laptop or Ipad, it will automatically send you each day’s readings as
well as support for each of those daily readings.
Here’s what Nicky Gumbel says:
Happy Leap Year!I wanted to write a brief note to encourage all of you taking part in the Bible in One Year challenge to keep going. Rick Warren has written that ‘reading the Bible generates life, it produces change, it heals hurts, it builds character, it transforms circumstances, it imparts joy, it overcomes adversity, it defeats temptation, it infuses hope, it releases power, it cleanses the mind’. I hope and pray that reading the Bible in One Year brings much benefit to your life, just as it has done to mine.Nicky Gumbel Holy Trinity Brompton, London
Beware soft drinksHaving just one soft drink a day in middle-age could increase your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.Recent research has found that the sugar-laden drinks raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of clots that cut off blood supply to the heart or brain. It was found that daily consumers of soft drinks were 53 per cent more likely to have large amounts of a fat called triglycerides, that collects in vessels and arteries, compared with people who rarely touch sugary soft drinks. The study was done at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Cardiovascular disease is the UK’s number one killer, claiming 170,000 lives a year. It is responsible for one in four premature deaths.
170.000 lives a year, something each one of us can do something about. Editor
CHRISTIAN AIDIn 2019 Christian Aid Week raised £8m to help mothers and children across the world. As a result over 58,000 people gained access to well-built health clinics, 64,000 people were trained in hygienic practices helping mums and children to fight off illness and live healthier lives and 13,000 women were given the means to save and pay for things like transport to their nearest clinic, through community savings groups.
Here at Greasley we raised £4,800 and we cannot thank you enough for your generous and unfailing support.
In 2020 the emphasis is on climate change and coronavirus and on how it affects people’s lives: -
Climate ChangeBina Desai and his baby son who face the wreckage left behind by a cyclone in India. Rosa Jonathon whose parched farmland in Kenya won’t support crops, 19-year-old Glory from the Philippines, worried for her vulnerable island, and celebrating with Faith, also from Kenya, whose fields are green and thriving thanks to a nearby dam.
Rowan Williams, Chair of Christian Aid, says “Christian Aid has worked for 75 years alongside communities living in poverty. The greatest driver of poverty in the immediate future is the impact of the climate crisis, so it is right we should emphasise this”.
This year we face enormous difficulties. Both the House-to-House and the Supermarket Collections are impossible due to the coronavirus. It’s approximately 50 years since our church has not held a house to house collection.
CoronavirusChristian Aid rallying cry in current week’s Covid-19 storiesThe Church Times Tuesday 05 May 2020THE former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged the public to “give generously” as a digital-only Christian Aid Week begins. All the funds raised this year will be used to help poorer communities around the world to tackle the coronavirus.
Mr Brown said: “Christian Aid Week this year will focus on the needs of those who have been hardest hit by the coronavirus in the poorest countries with the least-developed health systems, often with no social protection whatsoever.”
The week, which begins on 10 May, has traditionally involved door-to-door collecting, special collections at church services, book sales, coffee mornings, and other fund-raising events. The pandemic and lockdown has put paid to these.
Therefore, we have decided that we will put out the
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begging bowl as soon as we are back in church together with envelopes if you wish to use gift aid. We are not yet set up to use more modern means but if you wish to give before then you can do so on line at caweek.org. We know that you will support us. What a wonderful thing to be able to say!Janet Hedderly. Secretary, Greasley Christian Aid Group.
Corona’s Letter To HumanityThe earth whispered, but you did not hear.
The earth spoke, but you did not listenThe earth screamed, but you turned her off.
And so I was born...I was not born to punish you..
I was born to awaken you..
The earth cried out for help...
Massive flooding, but you didn’t listen.Burning fires, but you didn’t listen.
Strong hurricanes, but you didn’t listen.Terrifying tornadoes, but you didn’t listen.
You still don’t listen to the earth when....
Ocean animals are dying due to pollutants in the waters.
Glaciers melting at an alarming rate.Severe drought.
You didn’t listen to how much negativity the earth is receiving.
Non-stop wars.Non-stop greed.
You just kept going on with your life..No matter how much hate there was..No matter how many killings daily..
It was more important to get that latest phone than worry about what the earth was trying to tell you..
But now I am here.
And I’ve made the world stop on its tracks.
I’ve made YOU finally listen.I’ve made you take refuge.
I’ve made you stop thinking about materialistic things..
Now you are like the earth...You are only worried about YOUR survival.
How does that feel?
I give you fever.. as the fires burn on earth.I give you respiratory issues.. as your pollution
filled the earth air.I gave you weakness as the earth weakens every
day.I took away your comforts.
Your outings.The things you would use to forget about the planet
and its pain.
And I made the world stop...
And now...China has better air quality.
Skies are clear blue because factories are not spewing pollution unto the earth’s air.
The water in Venice is clean and dolphins are being seen. Because the gondola boats that pollute the
water are not being used.
YOU are having to take time to reflect on what is important in your life.
Again I am not here to punish you.. I am here to Awaken you...
When all this is over and I am gone... Please remember these moments..
Listen to the earth.Listen to your soul.
Stop polluting the earth.Stop fighting amongst each other.
Stop caring about materialistic things.And start loving your neighbours.
Start caring about the earth and all its creatures.
Because next time, I may come back even stronger....
Signed,Corona - The Virus
A thought provoking poem. Unknown writer. Editor
Gardening Tips for May and June
Trees, shrubs and hedges will benefit from a feed at this time of year. I use chicken pellets, which seem to suit all areas of the garden and are easy to use. If they are newly planted, they will need thorough watering to help them set deep, firm roots. A sprinkling will not be enough as the roots will stay near the surface, so a good deluge at least once a week is better than a sprinkling
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St James the Least of AllOn why holding an Arts Festival in church is not a good idea
The RectorySt James the Least
My dear Nephew Darren
Your decision to hold a Summer weekend Arts Festival in church, bringing culture to your inner-city streets, was most commendable. Pity, how it all turned out.
The Friday evening started well with the concert of Scott Joplin piano music. Obviously knowing that the pieces were originally played in seedy bars on pianos wildly out of tune with several notes missing, your committee must have gone to endless trouble to find precisely the right instrument. Your stage-hands, were, however, less careful and hadn’t noticed that the platform had a noticeable list to port. After each piece, the pianist had to relocate the piano stool closer to his nomadic piano, with the last piece being performed with both entirely out of sight behind the pulpit.
It created much innocent entertainment for the audience, but the fault really should have been remedied before the Saturday evening choir concert. Discarded kneelers and rotting hymn books do not form a stable base for a stage supporting an 80-strong choir. So, when it came to the enthusiastic rendering of hits from ‘Oklahoma’, with copious hand movements, it came as something of a relief that the stage took this as the moment to signal defeat, tipping the tenors behind the altar. The audience’s thunderous applause, assuming this was a carefully choreographed part of the performance, was quite touching. I am sure all the compensation claims will soon be sorted out.
Your one great mistake was to take on responsibility for organising the refreshments afterwards. Church entertainments committees have centuries of collective experience in judging the numbers of ham sandwiches and bottles of milk required. I am forever proud that our own ladies – through years of experience – can now get five cups of tea from every tea bag and can butter bread so thinly that one pack can last several months.
What you now do with 29 surplus loaves of bread is a problem you have brought upon yourself. You could possibly use them for supporting the stage next year.Your loving uncle,Eustace
every day. Spring bulbs, such as grape hyacinths, bluebells and tulips can be lifted and divided, as long as they have finished flowering. Remember to leave the foliage to die back naturally. The greenhouse needs to be watered regularly and a spray of water also helps to keep the air humid. Flowering perennials can be given the ‘Chelsea Chop’ at this time of year. If they are cut back to half the growth, this will encourage more vigorous growth and encourage flowering for longer periods. This works well with autumn flowering plants such as asters, or michaelmas daisies as it is more commonly known.
It is easy to get concerned if the grass is looking brown and faded, but grass is tough, and will survive. As soon as the rain comes, the grass will perk up and look green and lush again. Only new laid lawns should be watered as turf will shrink if allowed to dry out. The early summer perennials such as aubretia, alyssum, arabis and helianthemum benefit from having a chop with the shears to keep them compact. Hardy geraniums will also flower again about 3 weeks from being cut back.
Gardens are amazing in helping get through the bad times, let’s hope by the time this magazine is published, those times are getting easier. Any queries on anything written about, please contact me on 07941314129. Happy gardening!! Sheila
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Keep An Eye Out For The Elderly
When did you last see your elderly neighbour? Seriously: are they okay?
During this time of social distancing, it is all too easy to assume that the elderly person you never see is simply safe indoors. But are they?
Isolation can be dangerous: it is too easy for them to have had an accident and be unable to call for help.
Why not arrange a system with them whereby you agree that you will give them a quick ring once a day, or even stand outside their house and wave? It only takes a few seconds to make sure they are still on their feet, and that all is well.
If you have several elderly neighbours, why not ask a few of your local friends to help you keep in brief touch with them each day?
Nature out and about
The lockdown this Spring at least gave Nature a brief respite. Wild goats, herds of deer, sparrowhawks, stoats, snakes, badgers, spawning toads and songbirds all seemed to have enjoyed the peace and quiet.
We, in turn, have enjoyed watching them from our windows. As Mark Thompson, a presenter on Stargazing Life, said, “This lockdown is giving people
a chance not just to connect with our families, but also to
connect with Nature around us. It has given us the change to
recalibrate".
Is The Coronavirus A Judgement From God?
Pestilence tells us more about ourselves than it does about God, argues Graham Tomlin
AS THE virus crept up on us, I started reading Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year. It is a kind of docudrama written in 1722 about the outbreak of the plague in London in 1665. So many of the trends that we are seeing in our current pandemic were evident then. Anxiety and fear stalked the streets, rumours and conspiracy theories abounded, and the poor and the homeless were hit far harder than the well-off: they had more cramped living conditions and fewer opportunities to escape.
A discordant note for the modern reader, however, is struck by the idea that the plague is the judgement of God upon a faithless people, and, equally, that its departure is due to the mercy and kindness of God. As the plague begins to dissipate, the author reflects that this release “was evidently from the same secret invisible hand of him that had at first sent this disease as a judgement upon us”.
He presumably has in mind the Old Testament plagues that are also seen as visitations of God on a faithless people: an idea taken up in the collect for a time of plague in the Book of Common Prayer:
“O Almighty God, who in thy wrath didst send a plague upon thine own people in the wilderness, for their obstinate rebellion against Moses and Aaron; and also, in the time of king David, didst slay with the plague of pestilence threescore and ten thousand, and yet remembering thy mercy didst save the rest: Have pity upon us miserable sinners, who now are visited with great sickness and mortality; that like as thou didst then accept of an atonement, and didst command the destroying Angel to cease from punishing, so it may now please thee to withdraw from us this plague and grievous sickness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
If plagues were the judgement of God against the sins of a people, they naturally gave rise to calls for lamentations, confession of sins, and the rest. Defoe’s reporter describes how “The government encouraged their devotion, and appointed public prayers and days of fasting and humiliation, to make public confession of sin and implore the mercy of God to avert the dreadful judgement which hung over their heads.”
Continued on page 9 column 1
It is Groan Joke Time1. What time of day was Adam created?Just a little before Eve.
2. Who was the fastest runner in the race?Adam. He was first in the human race.
3. Why are atoms Catholic?Because they all have mass.
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EASTWOODMEMORY
. CAFE .Meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month
12.30 - 3.00pmPlumptre Hall behind St Mary’s Church, Church Street,
Eastwood, Nottingham NG16 3BSCost £1 per person
No charge for care/nursing home staffA carer or supporter must attend with the person
affected by dementia.We are unable to provide respite care.
Residents of Care and Nursing Homes (accompanied by a relative, carer or member of staff ) are very welcome to
attend. More information can be found on our website at
www.eastwoodmemorycafe.btck.co.uk
Contact us by phone on 07847 716 759, email us at [email protected] or call in and
see us on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at Plumptre Hall from 12.30-3pm
This project has been funded by NHS Nottingham West Clinical Commissioning Group in partnership with Broxtowe Borough
Council as part of the Broxtowe Health Partnership.A 'not for profit' organisation helping those affected by dementia and
their carers to live well.
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TODAY, we are distinctly uncomfortable with such language of plagues as divine judgement, leading to the need for confessing our sins. Christian commentators have rushed to avoid any suggestion that God has sent this plague deliberately on us — and with good reason.
In most strands of Christian theology, the doctrine of Providence is the idea not that everything that happens is part of the original divine will for the world, but that, through everything that happens, God’s sovereign will win out in the end.
It means that God is capable of weaving into his ultimate plan for the world not only the normal good course of events in created time, but even damaging events that work against his will. As a result, even sickness, disaster, and death can become, in the providence of God, a means of achieving his purposes. This does not mean that God causes sickness, disaster, and death (how could the Creator God will the destruction of his creation?), but it does mean that none of these are beyond his power to transform and even to use for his glory and his purposes for the goodness and final salvation of the world.
What, then, of the biblical language of judgement and the confession of sins? Can this mean anything for us today? The Greek word commonly translated by our word “judgement” is krisis. It could be translated “crisis”, “verdict”, or even “decision”. A crisis is a significant moment, a providential heightening of tension, the drawing together of many strands of life and existence to create a sense of emergency — bringing things to a head, as it were. A crisis, a judgement, is an opportunity for decision, for decisive action.
Divine judgement is, then, a moment of crisis, where events come together in such a way that something significant is revealed about the society, person, or period of time which is under scrutiny. The deliberate visiting of sickness on a people is more characteristic of Norse gods such as Thor, with his thunderbolts, or the capricious gods of pagan Greece or Rome. Judgement, in Christian understanding, is, perhaps, better understood as when the deformed shape of the world as we have fashioned it is revealed in all its brutal reality, when the final truth about us is displayed. Pestilence, therefore, may have more to tell us about ourselves than it does about God.Church Times 4th May 2020
They're awful, I know4 Why didn’t they play cards on the Ark?Because Noah was always standing on the deck
5. Why didn’t Noah ever go fishing?He only had two worms.
SENIOR MOMENTS
Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
When queuing for half an hour at the post office to buy stamps, you forget to stick them on any of your letters.
When your friend arrives at the allotment and asks you how long it has taken you to weed and hoe his patch.
When you become frustrated by instructions to ’press any key’ why would they tell you to do that when there is no ‘any’ on your keyboard?
When you are not too surprised by the arrival of a new financial crisis – your hairline has already been in recession for twenty years.
When your enthusiastic efforts to catch the attention of a friend in the street are met with looks of increasing terror as you draw nearer and embrace a complete stranger.
When you reach for a 5-iron on the golf course and pull out your new lightweight walking stick.
Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.
When you can re-read the same book every year because you will not remember any of the plot or characters from last time.
When you suddenly wonder why there are so many cars driving on the wrong side of the road today.
When you search high and low for your car keys only to find them in the car door.
When you go upstairs to get something – forget what it was and come downstairs with something else you did not know you needed.Church Scribe
A Biblical Plague Of LocustsA new wave of crop-eating locusts has been devastating East Africa, just as communities are also dealing with an increase of coronavirus cases.
At the start of 2020, Ethiopia and Somalia faced the biggest invasion of the insects in 25 years – and the worst in Kenya and Uganda for 70 years. The locusts also reached parts of South Sudan, where millions of people are already suffering from severe food shortages amid conflict and political instability.
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The latest plague could be 20 times larger. The UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO), is calling it ‘an unprecedented threat’ to food supplies and jobs.
Yet tackling the locusts will be even harder now that coronavirus has forced governments to close their borders. With severely reduced air travel and cargo shipping, pesticides from Europe and Asia can’t get into the countries – and to the farmers – that need them. Tearfund is asking governments to recognise activities responding to the locust swarms as essential services, so that they can continue despite the restrictions on travel.
‘The locust plague, together with the coronavirus pandemic, could mean all the work Tearfund supports communities with is on the brink of collapsing', says Ephraim Tsegay, Tearfund’s Country Director for Ethiopia.
‘If the second wave of locusts is not prevented before it inflicts further damage, more people will be forced to leave their homes to find food, land for their animals to graze, and an income elsewhere. It will also make people more vulnerable to coronavirus.'
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Over 6,000 Calls In First 48 Hours To Daily Hope
A free phone line offering hymns, prayers, and reflections 24 hours a day while church buildings are closed because of the coronavirus received more than 6,000 calls in the first 48 hours.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, recently launched ‘Daily Hope’ as a simple new way to bring worship and prayer into people’s homes, during the lockdown period.
The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services in mind.
The service is supported by the Church of England nationally as well as through the Connections group based at Holy Trinity Claygate in Surrey and the Christian charity Faith in Later Life.
Within 48 hours the line had received more than 6,000 calls from across the country, with many being referred by friends, family or members. Calls have so far spanned more than 50,000 minutes, with some of those accessing the service listening to the music, prayers and reflections for up to 50 minutes at a time.
The Revd Canon Dave Male, the Church of England’s Director of Evangelism and Discipleship, said: “The volume of calls shows that Daily Hope is meeting a need.
“We have a duty in these strange and difficult times to find new ways of bringing prayer and worship to people wherever they are, and this is one more way of helping people to connect with God from their own homes.
“This is such a simple idea – planned and launched all within a few short weeks by a small dedicated team – but I pray it will bring real comfort, hope and inspiration to people at this time.”
Callers to the line hear a short greeting from the Archbishop before being able to choose from a range of options, including hymns, prayers, reflections and advice on COVID-19.
Options available include materials also made available digitally by the Church of England’s Communications team such as Prayer During the Day and Night Prayer, updated daily, from Common Worship, and a recording of the Church of England weekly national online service.
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Prayers & Poems
Planted in the love of the Father
Planted in the love of the FatherYou can grow, dear one,
You can grow.
Watered by the spring of the SpiritHis fruit you’ll show,His fruit you’ll show.
And when the sun scorches,And the thorns threaten,
And the storms around life’s garden blow -Your roots will hold,
And hold secure, Because you’re planted in the love of the Father.
By Daphne Kitching
In the Day of TroubleThere is a God who answers prayerWho intercedes before the throneThe Son of God who ever cares
Who walks with us, we’re not alone.
Though flood and pestilence should comeHe sees the path that we now treadHis rod and staff will comfort usHe knows the days that lie ahead.
We trust in Him who knows all thingsAnd lift our prayers to heaven above
Our confidence is all in HimEncompassed by unfailing love.
By Megan Carter
Editor: Nigel Beeton writes: “Simon, my vicar, was completely unfazed by the closure of his church in March. The very next week he’d set up ‘Zoom’ and
many of us have been weekly attenders of his ‘virtual church’ for the weeks now. I realise that many other
churches are doing the same, but we’ve had people join us from all over the place! Of course, we all look forward
to getting back to St Mary’s, but it has brought the congregations together in ways that we could never have imagined. This poem began one recent Sunday morning when I said to my wife, Carol, “let’s go and worship at
St Sofa’s”. That inspired her and so the first verse of this poem is hers, not mine!
St Sofa’sWe worship at St Sofa’s now
Since Covid came to stayWe don’t dress up or do our hair
But still we come to pray!
Our Vicar is a clever chapA Zoom with his IT
And so we sit down ev’ry weekAnd meet up virtually!
Our Parish Church stands emptyWith praise she does not ring;
But still her people gather roundTo pray, and praise, and sing!
The virus is a nasty thingYet it has helped us see
The church is NOT a buildingBut folk like you and me!
By Nigel and Carol Beeton
Nigel Beeton writes: During the lockdown, we are forbidden from driving to beauty spots and walking in National Trust parks. I wonder what the birds make
of it all?
Titwillow (With apologies to WS Gilbert)
On a tree by a river sat little Tom TitSinging ‘willow, titwillow, titwillow’.
His mate fluttered in and beside him did sit,Singing ‘willow, titwillow, titwillow’.
“Oh, where are the people?” bewildered, he cried,“Tis many a day since a soul I have spied”
“I think,” said his wife, “they’re all staying inside!”“Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow”.
“I do like the quiet, I do like the peace!“Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow,
“But find myself wondering why did they cease“Singing willow, titwillow, titwillow?”
“The people in hundreds of cars they all came“Especially when there was no sign of much rain,
“The weather’s so nice, it seems such a shame!“Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow!”
“I think I can tell you!” – she’d a smile on her beak,Singing willow, titwillow, titwillow,
“For I saw some people last Saturday week,“Singing willow, titwillow, titwillow,
“They stood in a group, they were flying a kite,“Along came a police car with lights flashing bright,
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“It seems the Old Bill gave those people a fright!“Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow!”
A buzzard, above them, then uttered his ‘mew’Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow.
As quick as they could off to safety they flew,Singing willow, titwillow, titwillow!
Arrived at their nest then our avian pairCorrectly concluded what caused human scare:“They’re frightened of critters that fly in the air!
“Oh willow, titwillow, titwillow!”By Nigel Beeton
Editor: A prayer for Trinity Sunday…
Shield meO may God shield me, and may God fill,
O may God watch me, and may God hold;O may God bring me where peace is still,
To the King’s land, eternity’s fold.Praise to the Father, praise to the Son,Praise to the Spirit, the Three in One.
From The Creed Prayer, poems of the Western
Highlanders
The cattle grazingSmooth pastures, long, and wide to roam,
Beneath your hoofs, rich meadowland,Friend God the Son to bring you homeTo fields where springs eternal stand,
Fields where springs eternal stand.
From poems of the Western Highlanders
Psalm 461 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Remember Traffic Jams?One good thing about the lockdown is that you’ll have spent less hours stuck in traffic this Spring.Recent research has found that in 2019, car-using commuters lost an average of 115 hours stuck in traffic. No surprises that London was the most congested, with people losing 149 hours over the year. After all, London comes 8th in the world for bad traffic jams.
Belfast was the next worst, with 112 hours lost per commuter. That is closely followed by Bristol (103 hours), Edinburgh (98 hours), and Manchester (92 hours).
London and Edinburgh have tied for the title of UK’s slowest-moving City Centre, with the average speed being about 10mph.
Church Christmas MarketAs I write this we are still well in lockdown and there’s no sign yet of when restrictions will be lifted in order for larger gatherings to resume. Indeed, it may well be that we are still in a similar situation for several months to come.
However, trying to look on the positive side, let us assume that by the end of the year things may, fingers
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Quotes
With Coronavirus In Mind“God is present in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds us.”- Henri Nouwen
“I think one of the big effects is there’s a renewal of the sense that we all belong to Christ… I’ve been deeply moved by the services I’ve participated in; they’ve reached out in a way that surprised me and that is, I think, a sign of the work of the Spirit… We’re finding this all over the country. There are so many clergy streaming from really basic facilities, finding
crossed, be on their way back to normal and our annual Church Christmas Market will be able to go ahead.
It is slated to take place this year on Saturday, November 28th and, as I’ve said so many times before, really does mark the start of Christmas celebrations at St Mary’s, both for church regulars and the wider community.
It is also a major fund-raising event for our church and its importance in that respect cannot be underestimated.So, on the assumption that it will be able to go ahead, let’s all try and make this year’s Market the best ever!
I know that many of our Market regulars will have been spending lockdown time doing knitting and crafting, so this year could be a bumper year for home-crafted gifts!
Equally, many of us have rediscovered the joys of home baking. How wonderful it would be to see the cake stall groaning under the weight of all that newly-honed talent!
And the fact that many of us have had more time to take up reading should mean that this year’s book stall will have more nearly-new volumes than ever before!All this and the usual regulars — including last year’s much-commented upon expanded refreshments area and the extremely popular Santa’s Grotto — means that the Christmas Market will be, as ever, the best place to be to kick off the festive season locally.
So please, carry on knitting; save those books; put aside a bottle or two for the bottle tombola; dig out any unwanted jewellery for Janet and Katrine’s jewellery stall — and keep the date free.
And let us all hope and pray that on Saturday, November 28th, we can once more all enjoy a bacon buttie, a mince pie and each other’s company!
huge numbers of people online with them, and making a huge impact.” -
Archbishop Justin Welby
‘The Covid-19 pandemic will, in the long term, prove a mere chapter in human history. And then (when) the world comes back to life, Sir David Attenborough (and others) will keep fighting to save it.' -
Joe Shute, journalist
‘My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.’-
Psalm 119:28
“The sociologist Rodney Stark says that one explanation for the success of Christianity in the Roman Empire was its response to plague; while the pagans upped and ran… the early Christians tended to the sick…. Christianity in action defies the rules of nature. It is natural to step away from sickness; the Christians goes towards it.” -
Tim Stanley, Christian writer and journalist
“Enduring uncontrollable adversive events can leave us feeling trapped, unsettled and helpless… Focus on what you can control, and favour short-term goals over longer-term aims.” -
Linda Blair, clinical psychologist
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” –
Victor Hugo, writer
‘…Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’
1 Peter 5:7
“Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.” -
Smith Wigglesworth, preacher
With Trinity Sunday (7th June) in mind…
The doctrine of the Trinity is what basically distinguishes the Christian doctrine of God as Christian…in contrast to all other possible doctrines of God. –
Karl Barth, theologian
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The divine nature is really and entirely identical with each of the three persons, all of whom can therefore be called one. ‘I and the Father are one’. -
St Thomas Aquinas
Thousands of the ablest minds of the centuries have pondered this problem and no man has been able to explain it; who then invented it? What man can invent, man can explain: what man cannot explain, man cannot have. It must be a revelation. -
GH Lang, theologian
No wonder that the doctrine of the Trinity is inexplicable, seeing that the nature of God is incomprehensible. Our faith must assent to what our reason cannot comprehend, otherwise we can never be Christians. -
Francis Burkitt, theologian
Miscellaneous Observations On Life And Faith…
The good thing about prayer is that there’s only one way to go wrong, and that’s not to do it. If prayer at its simplest level is listening to God and talking to Him, you don’t need long books to tell you how to do it. -
Anon
Are you someone God wants to hear from? The message of the Bible is that however unworthy, sinful and useless we may feel as human beings, God can’t wait to hear from us. -
Anon
The more we love Him, the more we will desire to obey Him; the more we obey Him, the more we will grow in our personal knowledge and love for Him. –
Kenneth Boa, writer and minister
True faith depends not upon mysterious signs, celestial fireworks, or grandiose dispensations from a God who is seen as a rich, benevolent uncle; true faith, as Job understood it, rests on the assurance that God is who He is.- Charles Colson, Christian writer
A home is no home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. -
Margaret Fuller, writer
Who lives in fear will never be a free man. – Horace, philosopher
What we desire our children to be, we must endeavour to be before them. - Andrew Combe, writerIdeal parenting is modelled after the relationship between God and man. - James C Dobson, writer
Flattery is the art of telling a person exactly what he thinks of himself. - Anon
Genuine fellowship comes when Christians stop relating to one another as righteous saints and accept one another as unrighteous sinners. - David Watson, writer
Sunday-morning Christianity is the greatest hindrance to true revival. - Vance Havner, writer
We should all be concerned about the future – because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there. - Charles Kettering, writer
A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, philospher
God gives His gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to receive them. - C S Lewis, writer
If a person gets his attitude towards money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life. - Billy Graham, evangelist
Tact comes as much from goodness of heart as from fineness of taste. - Endymion
Here we have a baby. It is composed of a bald head and a pair of lungs. - Eugene Field, humourist
Crabbed age and youth cannot live together. – Shakespeare
Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked something. - Anon
The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you’re off it. - Jackie Gleason
THANK YOUThank you to our many friends at St Mary's Greasley who sent cards and their best wishes on the occasion of our Golden Wedding anniversary on the 16th May. We had a lovely day, including an afternoon in the garden with some of the family, the sun, and strawberries and champagne. The family holiday in Spain, planned for 17 of us during half term week, has of course, been cancelled. Maybe next year...........?Rosemary and Barry
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God does not wish us to remember what He is willing to forget. -
George A Buttrick
This was the alternative front coverand I thought it too nice not to use
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Cancer Research UKCancer Research UK have joined the coronavirus relief efforts. The Cancer Research UK scientific family has provided much-needed kit and machinery, and volunteered their skills, to the national testing labs being set up across the devolved nations – an important effort to scale up the UK’s testing capacity. They are also working on new immunotherapy treatments to help beat COVID19, lending their expertise to help search for treatments and manufacturing PPE.
Meanwhile the need for cancer research, support, advice and treatments are unabated and so the usual fund raising events have been altered to accommodate the need for social distancing and isolation.Our Story
In 2013, Emily Bowden and Jane Johnston entered the Race for Life at Clumber Park a few days after Jane had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and the day before Chris Johnston was diagnosed with colon cancer. Since then, we have raised funds for Cancer Research UK through Coffee Mornings, making gifts for sale as well as through the Race for Life. In 2017, Lily Bowden joined Emily and Jane in walking 5k and we raised over £600 for Cancer Research UK, thanks to your generous support.
This year, we are racing together, but apart and undertaking a 10k bike ride, during the first week of June; Emily and Lily in Northleach on their road bikes and Jane in Nottingham on her static exercise bike. We would like to raise at least £800 and would be very grateful for any support you can give us.Though our lives may seem to be on hold at the moment, there is one thing that hasn’t stopped and that’s cancer.
To make sure people get the support they need during these unprecedented times, I’ll be taking part in the Race for Life at Home. Every pound you can donate will go towards Cancer Research UK’s ground-breaking work, so please donate to our Giving Page today! If you would rather pledge money and give to us at a later date, that is also fine and I can add to our sponsorship forms. Why not sponsor us by donating to Cancer Research UK on the page https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/janes-race-for-life-at-home-1 ?
Sadly I have been one of the 36.000 families that have lost a loved one to the Coronavirus. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is one thing. Dealing with that persons life, solicitors, banks, funeral directors property, finaces all within the restraints caused by the virus is unbeleivably traumatic. Pray with me for all who toil under this dreadful burden. Editor
Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession
For the health workers tending the seriously ill
for the scientists working on a vaccination for the researchers analysing data and identifying trends
for the media outlets working to communicate realityfor the supermarket workers, hygiene and sanitation
providersfor the good news stories of recoveries and effective
planningfor the singing from balconies by locked-down
communitiesfor the recognition that isolation doesn’t need to mean
lonelinessfor the notes through letterboxes offering help and
support for the internet and telephones and technology that
connectsfor the awakened appreciation of what is truly important
Thanks be to God.
For those who are unwell and concerned for loved onesfor those who were already very anxious
for those immune suppressed or compromisedfor those vulnerable because of underlying conditionsfor those in the ‘most at risk to coronavirus’ categoriesfor those watching their entire income stream dry upfor those who have no choice but to go out to work
for those who are afraid to be at home for those who are more lonely than they’ve ever been
for those who are bereaved and grieving.God be their healer, comfort and protection,
be their strength, shield and provisionbe their security, safety and close companion
And raise up your Church
to be your well-washed hands and faithful feet to be present in the pain
to respond with love in actionif even from a safe distance.
God, in your mercy,Hear our prayer.
