November 2017 Issue 72

THE OLIVE BRANCH

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Beauty in Truth 2

New Beginnings 3

Warm Welcomes and

Sad Goodbyes 4

Wellbeing Wishes 5

Shalom 6

Springtime 7

FUNdraising 8

Autumn Leaves and

Winter Warnings 9

‘The Sons of Rest’ 10

What’s Up Next 11

Our Adventures 12

News from Olivet Christadelphian Care Home

“Living in the Moment ”

‘But Godliness with

contentment is great

gain’

1 Timothy 6:6

This is precisely what we did on a

sunny day in July when 32 of us went

by coach to Weston for the day.

Nearly all the residents from Cedars,

some family members, staff and a

couple of welfare committee

members set off at 9:00am for what

was unquestionably, for us, the best

day out of the summer.

We are indebted to the Brethren and

Sisters of the Weston ecclesia for

opening up their hall to us and for

providing such warm and loving

hospitality. Nothing was too much

trouble.

After a fish and chip lunch at the hall,

one of the daily Bible Readings and a

prayer, we spent a couple of hours

wandering along the promenade at

Weston enjoying the heat of the sun,

the breeze on our faces, the amazing

sand sculptures, ice cream and just

simply a wonderful day out before

returning to the Weston meeting

room for a picnic tea.

We sang all our favourite songs

as we journeyed home and

enjoyed the many chocolates

and sweets that were given to

us to share by Sister Peggy

Morris’ daughter, Sally. This

receives special mention as

Sister Peggy has since fallen

asleep in Christ, as has Sister

Joan King. They both were

part of this special day and

“lived in the moment” enjoying

a fabulous day out and leaving

us with so many special

memories to cherish.

Thank you to everyone who

made this day possible.

BEAUTY IN TRUTH

Thankfully our God is a gracious and forgiving God

and so we have no need to be afraid of his power

to see inside us.

In John 8:31-36 Jesus is in debate with those ‘Jews

who believed in him’ and, step by step he reminds

them of the process of conversion: first you have

‘to hold to my teaching’, then you will come to

know the truth, and knowing the truth will ‘set

you free’ from sin, and ‘you will be free indeed.’

Yes! Of course! That is the way, the work, the

function, the mission of truth- the glory of the

gospel. Jesus is the truth of God made manifest in

the earth, and it is that same truth that inspires

us, encourages us, assures us, strengthens us,

comforts us and brings every one of us freedom

from sin. We are not only in the truth, but the

truth is in us and we all rejoice in its beauty and

power. Thank you Lord for the truth. Amen

‘I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…’ … said

Jesus, reminding his disciples of his intimate

relationship with the father, and, at the same

time, re-assuring them of his constant

presence. If you want to live a life that has

truth at its centre, then follow me, said Jesus.

Truth! ‘What is truth’ said jesting Pilate and did

not wait for an answer. Through the ages many

millions of people, searching for

enlightenment, have asked the same question,

and thankfully, many have found the

answer there in the bible where they have

discovered the ‘true God’ and Jesus Christ who

he has sent’… the one who was the

embodiment of truth.

It often helps us to understand the meaning of

the word ‘truth’ when we think of other similar

words- synonyms: right, verity, precise,

unimpeachable, honesty, soundness, sincerity,

integrity and candour, are just some of them.

Your bible concordance will tell you that the

Greek word for ‘truth’ is aletheia which means

the foundation, the underlying motive, the

reason, the cause, that which is hidden, but

brought to light in that which is manifested.

That is rather a technical way of saying- if you

have truth in your heart, then you will speak

truthful words and perform truthful deeds. Oh!

It’s a kind of principal then? Yes, a moral,

spiritual condition that generates and

underpins all we do. It means living a true life-

inside and outside.

Some have likened truth to something that is

transparent, which means that you can look at

someone who claims to be ‘living the truth’,

perceive whether they are honest and sincere;

that there is no pretence or hypocrisy, or hidden,

ulterior motive. In fact we are all ‘transparent’ to

God; Jesus, we are told, ‘knew what was in man.’

Page 2

Bro Norman Fitchett, Flat 5. The Mews

‘all things are naked and opened unto the

eyes of him with whom we have to do.’

Hebrew 4:13

NEW BEGINNINGS

Page 3

Bro Dave Wilkins, Home Manager

At the end of June this year we said a sad

goodbye to Sarah Watts, Deputy Manager,

having thanked her for her work with us over

the last two years. We welcomed Ruth

Vickerstaff as our new Assistant Manager,

responsible for the day to day management

and delivery of care. Ruth is often out working

with staff and residents but lives (sometimes)

in the office by the stairs to Cedars and loves a

visit from residents, family and friends!

CCH’s Trainee Manager programme continues

and earlier in the year Rupert Lunn joined us

on the programme and is working on his Level

5 Diploma in preparation for a management

role, God Willing. Rupert had worked for

many years at care homes and so “hit the

ground running” at Olivet! He has worked

across the home and is now managing Garden

House, working with the team of Senior Care

Assistants. It is likely that Rupert will move on

to other CCH homes as part of his training and

experience but has proved a popular addition

to the team here.

Following work to transform our kitchen, (seen

in the last edition of the newsletter) we have

refurbished our dining room and lounge in

Garden House and residents are now dining

and relaxing in a lovely place. Families and

friends are welcome to join us for lunch or tea

but prior booking is essential! Our carers,

general assistants, catering staff and

housekeepers have coped superbly during all

the works over the last year and have ensured

that our family of residents is well looked

after. Thank you for so many lovely comments

about our staff and the care they give.

Above: Bro Rupert surrounded by some of our

residents at a coffee morning.

Below: Sisters Christine Hughes and Olive Allfree

in the new Garden House Lounge

Sister Sarah Watts

Sister Ruth Vickerstaff with

Carer Kay Archer

Page 4

WARM WELCOMES AND SAD GOODBYES

Sis Emily Perry, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Sadly we have also said goodbye to some of our family. Until we meet again.

Brother Stanley Oakley moved into Olivet in December 2015 and fell asleep in Christ on 9th April 2017.

Sister Irene Hendry joined us on 19th August 2016 and fell asleep in Christ on 10th April 2017.

In April we also said goodbye to Brothers David Manton and Fred Harrison. Brother David moved into Olivet 8th January 2015 and fell asleep in Christ on 19th April. Brother Fred Harrison moved in 30th March 2017 and fell asleep in Christ on 22nd April.

Sister Ilse Jones moved into Olivet from The Mews in 2010 and fell asleep in Christ on 15th May.

In June Sister Marguerite Webster and Brother Peter Phipps moved into Olivet. Sadly they were not with us long as they fell asleep on the 18th and 19th June.

Sister Aslaug Harrison moved into Olivet on 20th June 2015 and fell asleep in Christ on 25th June 2017.

Sister Margaret Chapman moved into Olivet from Eden House on 17th January 2017 and fell asleep on 8th July.

On 19th August Sister Joan King fell asleep in Christ. Joan had been living in The Cedars since August 2012.

Sisters Susan Lowe and Ethel Davies moved into Olivet earlier this year on 17th January and 6th March. Susan fell asleep in Christ on 3rd September and Ethel fell asleep in Christ on 4th September.

On 13th September Sister Joyce Cross fell asleep in Christ. Joyce had been living in Olivet since 16th December 2013 when she moved in with her husband Philip.

Sister Peggy Morris moved into Olivet on 30th November 2016 and fell asleep in Christ on 20th September.

Brother Peter Martindale moved into Olivet 4th March 2011 and fell asleep in Christ on 21st September.

In the last six months (April–September) we have enjoyed welcoming some new faces here at Olivet.

Sister Glenys Bloomfield from Kings Bromley Ecclesia moved in on 7th April.

On the 11th April Sister Jane Boyd joined us. Jane is from the Nottingham Jarvis Avenue Ecclesia.

In May Sisters Eunice Doughty, Ruth Ellis and Christine Hughes joined us. Eunice and Ruth both joining us from Wales. Christine moved into Olivet from The Mews.

On 23rd June Joyce Malpass moved into Garden House.

Brother Ken Smith from Acocks Green Ecclesia moved in on 7th July.

In August Sister Rose Roberts moved in to Garden House to join her husband, Bro Walter who moved in to Cedars in February.

On 7th September Sister Lorraine Yeomans joined us from the Solihull Ecclesia.

Sister Pat Stubbs joined us on 18th September from Erdington Ecclesia.

We have also had some guests staying with us for short stays in the last six months, including

Ian and Sister Esme Stewart. Sisters Mary Housley, Joyce Caudery, Betty Wileman and Brother and Sister Elwyn and Gillian Rowlands.

Also, Brother David Booth who joined us for respite initially moved back to Olivet to stay permanently on 30th September.

Page 5

WELLBEING WISHES

Sis Emily Perry, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

If anyone else has any unspent adventures up their sleeve don’t

hesitate to ask!

Mavis and

Jane taking

in the

beauty of the

concert hall.

Sister Mavis Morgan lived on the outskirts of

London with her husband Brian in the 1980’s.

However, in all their years there they never had

the opportunity to go to the Royal Albert Hall.

Consequently, at the back of Mavis’ mind it has

always been something she wanted to do.

When the Olivet newsletter came out in March

showing Jean Jenkins’ wish Mavis came to find

me and asked if it was something we could

arrange.

On 20th April the BBC proms programme came

out and we were hot off the mark to book up a

concert. Mavis chose Strauss. Now all we had

to do was wait for Wednesday 30th August.

When the day came we set off from Olivet at

1pm for our journey down to London. As we

drove through the streets we commented on

the prominence and style of the buildings. We

all agreed that there is just something about

our capital city; it has an ambience and feel

quite of its own. It was a rainy August day in Lon-

don but it didn’t dampen our spirits. Mavis was

overwhelmed by the architectural beauty of the

Royal Albert Hall and thought it was positively

resplendent!

We had pre booked a table for dinner at Verdi, an

Italian restaurant. Once we were inside and we’d

bought a programme from the box office we

went up to the restaurant. We enjoyed a

sumptuous feast of red wine and fresh pasta,

followed by dessert, of course! Mavis chose

vanilla ice cream with expresso and amaretto.

Then it was on to the main event. Our seats were

in the rausing circle on the third floor which gave

us a great view over the musicians at work. It was

the Stockholm philharmonic orchestra and they

played with great finesse.

After the concert it was time to return home.

Thanks be to God for safe journeys we arrived

back to Olivet at midnight! Mavis described it as

‘a day she would never forget’. Mavis at

the Italian

restaurant

Verdi.

Mavis and I

outside the

Royal Albert

Hall.

SHALOM Sis Emily Perry, Wellbeing Co coordinator

Page 6

A view of Singers Hill Synagogue from the entrance showing their Norman-wheel

window.

You may remember an evening we spent last

November enjoying the sound of the Kol Kinor

Jewish Choir in our Olivet lounge. Following their

performance in 2016 they invited us to visit their

synagogue in Birmingham.

So, in May of this year we took up their

invitation and visited the Singers Hill Jewish

Synagogue on Ellis Street in the centre of

Birmingham. Built in 1856 it is known as the

‘cathedral synagogue’ and has been home to

the Hebrew congregation in Birmingham for 161

years. Making it the oldest synagogue in the

West Midlands.

Led by Bro David Griffin a party of sixteen of us

arrived at the synagogue for 10.30am. On arrival

we were introduced to our guides and each man

had to put on a Kippur. Once the men’s heads

were covered they went in via the left entrance

leaving the women to go in the right hand side

door.

Above: Brother Laurie Budd and Sister

Barbara Faulkner being shown one of the

scrolls of the Torah by one of our guides.

Inside we also sat separately in keeping with

the orthodox law.

The synagogue combines neo-classical,

Romanesque, and Italianate details, and uses

a classical basilica plan, with a central Bimah.

During our tour we were quick to share our

understanding of the Bible and God’s plan for

mankind with our guides and they

appreciated our respect for them as God’s

firstborn people.

An interesting and educational morning had

by all. We were very grateful to the Singers

Hill community for their warm and generous

hospitality.

‘And if ye are Christ’s, then ye are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according

to the promise.

Galatians 3:29

SPRINGTIME

Page 7

Sis Janine Finlay, Wellbeing Assistant

As we all know, spring is the season of

new beginnings and new life. Spring here at

Olivet was no exception as we endeavoured to

transform seven plain old eggs into beautiful

Olivet ducklings. Residents, staff and visitors

alike were able to watch the entire hatching

process unfold before our eyes, monitoring the

incubator daily as we eagerly awaited the arrival

of our fuzziest (and undeniably most adorable)

new residents. A few of us lucky folks sat front

and centre as we witnessed the runt of the

bunch punch his way to life, finally emerging

from his shell four hours after his siblings! It was

a full team effort to keep him healthy and

thriving over the following days, and he soon

became a favourite of the home as he powered

on, tiny in stature but mighty of heart.

Sis Jenny Cousins and Sis Iris Brake were

front-runners in duckling wellbeing, visiting

them daily (and sometimes hourly) to ensure

their cuddle quota was being adequately

reached. Their time here culminated with

residents gathering round the paddling pool to

witness the ducklings going for their first dip.

Wary at first, and excessively quacking, they

soon realized—with a little encouragement—

that swimming was really quite enjoyable, and

took to it very well…like ducks to water! Need-

less to say, we can’t wait to welcome back a new

flock next spring.

After the fauna, came the highlight of the flora.

In May we were blessed to see the vast array of

wildflowers painting the countryside and my

personal favourite thing about England; the fairy

-tale land that is created by the bluebells. A

small group of us enjoyed a morning trip to see

the bluebells in the grounds of Warwick

University. Bro Walter Roberts particularly loved

seeing the big trees scattered around the

campus, and everyone was entertained by the

brave Canadian geese which seemed to take no

issue getting up close and personal. It was a

lovely morning spent together walking through

God’s creation and fully appreciating the beauty

and freshness of new life in spring.

Sister Jenny Cousins with one of our ducklings

Brother George Quiney and

our ducklings

FUNdraising

Page 8

Janine Finlay, Wellbeing Assistant

June was a month that put the “fun” in

fundraising. To start off, the extended Olivet

family was invited to join us in our annual

sponsored walk around Olton Mere in an effort to

raise money for our residents. Spurred on

throughout the day by hotdogs, hamburgers,

comradery, and caffeine it was a truly

encouraging environment as we cheered each

other on to walk each extra mile. For those

whose forte isn’t walking, there was much

entertainment provided by staff who, as

instructed by a spinning wheel, endeavoured to

dress ridiculously, hop, skip, jump and

three-legged walk around the mere. There were

rumours of a walking ice cream cone-bear duo,

and sightings of a carrot and panther canoeing

around the mere (although heightened levels of

exhaustion can sometimes cause hallucinations).

Highlights of the day included Sister Pauline

Bromage’s march to victory, completing over 12

laps herself and trainee manager Rupert Lunn’s

stunning dedication to the cause as he out-lapped

us all walking a total of 25 miles! Altogether, we

raised £2097.50 in funds, to continue giving our

residents the best level of care and enjoyment

that we can.

Shortly after our time at Olton, the Oak Lounge

here at Olivet was transformed into all things

pink, red and berry delicious as we held our

annual strawberry tea afternoon, to raise money

for Breast Cancer Care. From cakes, jellies and

scones, to a table-top sale and even an

afternoon tea themed quiz, the room was

jam-packed throughout the afternoon.

Residents, staff, family and friends shared in

food and fellowship all afternoon, to the dulcet

tones of Brother James Pearson live on the

piano. All in all, we managed to raise £400 for

breast cancer care, and look forward to mass

amounts of strawberries filling our lounge again

next year.

A BIG thank you to all who contributed and

supported both events.

‘The generous soul

will be made rich,

and he who waters

will also be watered

himself.’

Proverbs 11:25

Above: Brother David Hill with

some of our volunteer walkers.

To the right: Care Assistant Rosie

Lawson getting in to the spirit of

things in fancy dress!

To the left

Sister Iris

Brake at the

spinning

wheel!

Sisters

Mavis Heath

and Mary

Fowler

surrounded

by

strawberry

delights!

Page 9

AUTUMN LEAVES AND WINTER WARNINGS

Autumn leaves speckle the forest floor Leaving a mottled view.

The river lazily provides a path for leaves To journey through.

Determined trees continue to hang on,

Will not, yet, let go So the leaves can gently fall away,

Instead, they glow With tans and greys and reds and gold

Makes a glorious show.

These breath-taking beautiful scenes After summer’s gone,

Is the Creator’s designated plan, This season’s ‘song’.

And so it is in life our seasons

Do come then go, Each with a particular purpose:

God’s plan to know.

Anon

A photo from our recent trip to

Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Winter draws on , as they say, and it’s time to remind you about visiting Olivet during Autumn and Winter when many infections and coughs and sneezes can afflict us.

COUGHS, SNEEZES AND WORSE!

Whilst we love to welcome visitors to Olivet, we ask that If you have ANY cold or flu symptoms, and particularly if you have suffered vomiting or diarrhoea within 48 hours, please do NOT visit Olivet until those symptoms have gone. Last year we suffered a major closure over Christmas and New Year which was such a shame for everyone, so we would like to avoid any outbreaks this year, God Willing, by encouraging everyone to be

careful and cautious before coming in.

In this way, and by God’s grace, we call help to protect all of our residents and staff. If you are in any doubt about whether you should visit, please give us a call and our nurses and care staff will be happy to advise you.

Page 10

‘The sons of Rest’ Left to Right: Brethren Norman

Dunning, Laurie Budd, Jim Jones and Geoff Poppett.

THE SONS OF REST

The sons of Rest, and who are the sons of rest?

You may ask…

Well, on Friday afternoons when lots of our sisters

here at Olivet attend ‘Knit and Natter’ some of our

refined gentleman have been taking the

opportunity of their absence and whiling away

their Friday afternoons resting in their own special

way!

On July 19th we were pleased to celebrate the 90th

birthday of one of these renowned gentlemen.

None other than our own art tutor and hymn

singing extraordinaire Laurie Budd. On this

occasion these infamous ‘Sons of Rest’ gave us an

afternoon of much hilarity with music, songs and

poems. Below I have enclosed their title number

for you to enjoy reading once more.

We always like to get together when the women

folk all knit, Yes its mostly on a Friday and we

enjoy each others wit, We always talk about the

old days and we get things off our chest.

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

While the women drop their stitches and try to

sew up all their squares, It’s a time we have

together when we don’t have any cares, And we’re

never interrupted and we feel so greatly blest,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest

We are gentleman of culture, and were always

very kind, We always learn from one another, and

we like to be refined, If you want to come and join

us, well you’d have to pass a test,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

Sis Emily Perry, Wellbeing Co-ordinator

with poem by Bro Laurie Budd

We always talk about the old days and the naughty

things we’ve done, So when the women folk are absent

we have a lot of fun, It’s a time we have together when

we like to joke and jest,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

All the women love to chatter of resolutions that they

make, They say they are strict with their diet, then they

stuff themselves with cake, But we are much more

careful with the food that we digest,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

We are gentleman of leisure, we are happy when we

meet, It’s a peaceful time to treasure and it keeps us

off the street. We like to keep up all the standards and

we all come smartly dressed,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

When the knitting time is over and the chatter has to

cease, We, the sons of rest, are grateful for we’ve had a

bit of peace! Its our special time together when we

never get depressed,

We are…. We are…. We are….

We are the sons of rest.

Page 11

WHAT’S UP NEXT ? God Willing

3rd February - Brother David Miles joins us to give us a presentation

on Cadbury’s in Birmingham through the years

25th November - ‘The Springfield Singers’ Choir join us to perform

4th December — Welfare Seasonal Meal at Hall Green Ecclesia

7th December – Trip to see the Nutcracker Ballet at the Birmingham Hippodrome

11th December – Reindeer visit Olivet

18th December – The Christadelphian Choral Society come to Perform

21st December – Performance of ‘Witness’: The events of Jesus’ birth.

24th December – Join us round the piano for an evening of Carols, poems and mince

pies!

9th January – David Mcfegan joins us to sing songs from the 40’s,

50’s and 60’s

17th January – A trip to the theatre to see Rogers and Hammerstein’s

‘The Sound of Music’

OUR ADVENTURES

Page 12

On this page are a selection of pictures from some of the trips we have been on

Since the last newsletter.

These include Barston Lake,

The Severn Valley Railway,

David Austin Roses,

Moseley Bog and

Umberslade Farm Park .

Olivet Christadelphian Care Home

17 Sherbourne Road, Acocks Green,

B27 6AD

olivetwellbeing@cch-uk.com