At our October meeting we welcomed our friend Margaret Hughes who spoke about the amount of time we spend looking at the notifications on our phone in comparison to the number of times we look at our Bibles for direction and advice. She ended by showing us an interesting video on the development of the Bible and its importance through the ages. Margaret also brought a selection of Christmas cards and other cards for us to buy to support the work of the Mother’s Union.
*More than 30 churches across Carlisle have come together to collect nearly a quarter of a tonne of candles to help people in Ukraine. Over two months, congregations across the city and in rural parishes within the Carlisle Deanery have worked together to collect the candles which have now been transported to a special project in Wiltshire Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP) oversees the shipments to Ukraine, to help those people who are struggling without power and heat. Carolyne Baines, churchwarden at St Michael’s Burgh by Sands, first read about the SHAP project in the Church Times. She said: “This was something that I thought was very worthwhile and which churches could easily get involved with. The response to the appeal has been beyond everyone’s expectations and an amazing 230 kilograms of candles have been collected. “We are also very grateful for the help and support of the Rotary Club of Carlisle who arranged for the collection of candles to be taken down to Swindon.” Churches within the Carlisle Rural Mission Community - to the west and south of the city - have also been involved, as well as St George’s United Reformed Church in the city centre. Cardboard boxes full of new and partly-used candles donated by congregations were taken to SHAP’s warehouse unit. That is where trench candles are produced to provide a heat source for Ukrainians, who face winters where temperatures plummet to minus 30 degrees Celsius. The Rev Simon Bickersteth, Vicar of St James Carlisle and Rural Dean for Carlisle Deanery, said: “It’s been wonderful to again see how churches and congregations can come together in such a practical way to support those who are facing terrible hardship. “As Christians, we are committed to doing all we can to help those who are struggling and need support. As winter sets in, our prayer is that these candles bring heat for the people of Ukraine and represent to them the hope and light that we see in Jesus Christ as together we continue to pray for an end to the war in their country.”https://www.shapuk.org/candles-for-ukraine
The three windows, designed in 1870, at St Peter’s Church, Kirkbampton, were designed by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, later called Morris & Co. The firm was run by the seminal William Morris, one of the founders of the movement - which sought to revive traditional British textile arts and methods of production. They were the first windows by the firm in the county and contain and feature designs by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris himself. They were suffering from advanced paint loss with many details, like the faces of the angels, almost illegible. A recent condition report for the windows revealed that surface dirt, condensation and biological growth on the window were damaging the fragile paint layers. It was left to Church warden Elizabeth McCall, treasurer, Margaret Hay, and resident Stewart Kay to raise funds. Elizabeth said they raised the thousands needed through a grant and fundraising, through an online donation website, after a friendly chat with a restorer. She added: “We were approached by a restorer that said grants could be made available, she explained what was needed. “The windows were very faded, now you can see the angel’s faces.” The vicar, Rev Tudor Boddam-Whetham said: “It is great to have them to how they once looked and I’m very grateful for the way the community got together to raise funds.” It is not the first time the condition of the windows was noted. In 1880 William Morris, who was seminal in the Arts and Craft Movement, and who company made the windows, wrote to his friend George Howard, 9th earl of Carlisle complaining about the loss of paint in the church’s paintings - with the damp conditions making matters worse. Article in Evening News and Star 21.10 2020
