St Andrew’s Harlestone – March 2022Here I sit on St Valentine’s Day, under house arrest by Madama Corona, having contracted her in the lottery of life which saw all our household infected, but other regular visitors blessed with negative lateral flow tests (just a C line and no T line!) A weird St Valentine’s Day it has been today too, with the most unglamorous of starts as the NHS delivered ‘necessities’ for Dad and we snuffled our affections over our hankies on Day 5 of our isolation. This has been a week to be locked in, though, with bad weather outside, plenty on the newsfeed and I have spent much time ploughing through that news and social media.Having had a good PCC meeting (see website for the minutes, of which more later), and a wider Benefice meeting, we have discussed what format we would like Lent, Holy Week and Easter to take, alongside the more practical issues of wall repairs, bell repairs (the 5th bell is now serviced, greased and tightened, and all bells given a careful examination by Taylors of Loughborough), some dislodged roof tiles and careful woodwork repairs to the main oak doors. There is, and will always be, something to do. Details of our services will follow and be advertised on the A boards around the village. Feedback from the Christmas Market told us how effective these are. I have also been updating our church website and uploading various documents (take a look at www.achurchnearyou.com and search for Harlestone.)Now truly understanding why Apple call their internet browser ‘Safari’, my sniffle-accompanied, bed-based safari landed me in some really good spaces – so good that I wanted to share them. First of all, I saw an article on the retirement of the 8th Bishop of Liverpool, The Rt Revd Paul Bayes (someone I follow on Twitter) who gave a cracking interview in The Guardian. Google his name and The Guardian and you will find the full article in which among many things he said: UK was facing a “struggle between those in whose interest it is to fragment society and those who want to sustain the common good”. “It’s not about individual bad apples. It’s about the culture.” The culture of politics was “adversarial, scratchy, exhausted” and “rancid and dangerous”. People who suggested that bishops should not express political views were mistaken, he said. The church has “a place in the public square” and “there are values that we can express clearly that will have political impact. As long as that platform is there, it behoves us to stand on it.” That then led me to read a transcript of his retirement sermon in Liverpool Cathedral which truly knocked my socks off. Type www.bishopofliverpool.wordpress.com and see what you think. And, because I couldn’t go to church on Sunday which was also Racial Justice Sunday, I read a sermon from someone else I follow on Twitter – a young Deacon called Rev Charlie Bell. Again, another fine sermon which I commend to you. You can find it (and be challenged) at www.forwhom-thebell.blogspot.com as Charlie says: ‘It is a scandal - a scandal – that in the twenty-first century world, we continue to need to remind ourselves – in some places, as though hearing it for the first time – of the importance of racial justice... It is a scandal that God’s children continue to be judged on the colour of their skin, or the country they their ancestors have come from. It is a scandal when white people refuse to listen.’ I love that the sermon finishes with the words from a favourite hymn: ‘Christ doth call – one and all – ye who follow shall not fall’. (Name that hymn!) While some complain about the evils of social media, they can be a source of good and show how the church can have a relevance in wordly matters, and the three articles I have quoted make me proud to be a member of our Church of England with all its frailties, confusion, prejudices and yet amazing people. That honesty of preaching is found in our own services and I commend both as, since Christmas, we have also had some stonking sermons from both Revd Andrea and Revd Kathryn. Because I ‘do’ two services every other week, what I miss in the 9.15am sermon, I tend to catch up on at the 11am! It occurs to me that in a month where integrity, truthfulness and integrity have been discussed on a daily basis, and ‘speaking truth to power’ has become a soundbite, this can all be miles away from our local discussions about our roof, bells, what we do on Easter Sunday and whether we are too late for Snowdrop Sunday (we were, by the way). But it’s part of the thick and rich tapestry of a state church where the Queen remains Supreme Governor and we prepare for her Jubilee, where the process to select a new Archbishop of Canterbury creaks into gear, where Synod grapples with issues of (generally) yesterday and (hopefully) today, where our Bishops still have their place as Lords Spiritual in Westminster, where we are blessed and burdened by our ancient monuments (buildings, not people, I hasten to add) and where we, in our own little way, do our bit to keep it all going, keep the flag flying, raise enough money for the electricity meter and keep the place open for those who worship or just pass by. And talking of our own little ways, I have said to Andrea I am happy to start up a Benefice Quiz night – in person or on Zoom. I already have a bank of questions from ‘Disney’ to ‘Name that Hymn Tune’ and if it helps people who still feel isolated (whether or not that’s a legal requirement) then let’s do it. A sage elder of our village and church community recently said words to me that resounded in my head all week, and is why we need to look out for each other. He said: “we may have been isolated and locked down for two years on and off, but all this has aged me seven years.” In our rich tapestry of the C of E, that’s a good butt- kick for us all to look after, and look out for, and yes, maybe even love, each other – perhaps a fitting though on which to conclude St Valentine’s Day. That’s as smushy as I’ll get. OK, I’m done here and want to startle the editor by getting this copy in early for the first time ever. Now pass me the Lemsip and the LFT and I’ll see you in the next edition! Sam Dobbs
ST ANDREW’S CHURCH – DECEMBER 2021Sorry I missed the past two newsletter deadlines. At least one person missed my contribution and I thank her for her voicemail to check on my wellbeing! By explanation rather than excuse, having stood for re-election in the work role I’ve occupied for the past 15 months, I’ve just received news that I have been ‘returned’ for the next three years! One church person had presumed I was on a nice cosy run up to retirement. In fact I could’ve retired 14 months ago and am now probably working harder than ever, but it’s so rewarding and makes good use of my experience and 31 years in policing. And so I have to work church around my day job and juggle the expectations of my voluntary role(s). It’s a semi-apology for those who might be tempted to tut when church things don’t happen quite as they used to or as responsively. I do my best with the great support of the small church team around me, and there’s always room for volunteers, regardless of whether you come to church. As an example, I’m so grateful to hear from the helper who manages our Gift Aid scheme which has just seen a return of £2157 to St Andrew’s for the 2020 tax year from people’s donations given under this scheme which enhances the value of donations by 20%. I am equally grateful to the village friends who have offered to run a Christmas Market in December. I am also grateful to those who are helping me ensure that we have a Christmas Carol Service in church whilst remaining as Covid responsible as possible, leaving me to concentrate on the music. Every such little truly helps.So, down to business. I write this on Stir-Up Sunday – the last Sunday of the church’s year – when traditionally people start their Christmas puddings and turn our minds to Advent and Christmas. I get the impression that after last Lockdown Christmas and a challenging two years, people want to be stirred up and for Christmas to be more meaningful this year and so I am delighted to be able to let you know here what will be going on in St Andrew’s this Christmas - and plenty to tell you about. I hope you like the recipe!We start December with what’s billed as a Church Christmas Extravaganza and I’m delighted that this fundraising Christmas Market will be between 10am and 5pm on Saturday 4 December in church. We’ve licensed the church for refreshments including mulled wine and have ten good local artisan trade stalls to assist with Christmas present shopping. All are welcome – please come and support us. Put the dog on the lead, take a walk over to church, or put the kids and Gran in the car and have an hour with us having a mooch and a cuppa, or something stronger.Then the Village School has its Carol Service on 14th December and we are delighted to turn the church over to the school community as the great community asset it is.Later, as the big day approaches, on 21 December we will host two sittings of what we think will be ‘in-demand’ Community Carol Services – at 4pm and at 7.30pm. Both services will feature all your favourite readings and Carols, older and newer, accompanied by brass, organ and percussion, with guest pieces by Harlestone’s own Jude Wilton. Between services, the church will be aired and sanitised. After both services, the congregation will be welcomed at the Golf Club for traditional refreshments and where the bar will be open. Admission to both Carol services will be by free tickets available in advance on the Eventbrite website. To get your tickets, please go the Eventbrite website and book there. The link is www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-carol-service-tickets-206150741417Doing Carol Services this way will allow maximum welcome and attendance whilst being Covid safe. Do book early to avoid disappointment and to help us plan.Then on Christmas Eve, St Andrew’s will offer the less formal but traditional Christingle Service aimed at children led by Revd Andrea, starting at 3pm. All welcome. Later on, our nearest Midnight ‘Mass’ on Christmas Eve will be at St Botolph’s, Church Brampton at 11.30pm and the Benefice Christmas Day Service will be at St Mary’s East Haddon at 10amAs I close for now, with lots to prepare and plan, let us all spare a thought and thanks for those who will have worked across the Benefice in the arrangements for ten or more special services as they collapse in their sofas on Christmas Day afternoon. Thanks to Andrea, Kathryn and Virginia and all who will help us keep Christ in Christmas and to all who will help bring the light into what seems like a subdued darkened world. Wishing the earliest but sincerest Happy Christmas to all.
ST ANDREWS – APRIL 2021Our beautiful church, serving the ecclesiastical parish of Upper & Lower Harlestone, Harlestone Manor and Loxton’s Field, is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle – one of the Jesus’ twelve initial followers. Writing of him, Pope Benedict XVI tells us that the first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. He certainly enjoyed great prestige within the early Christian communities. The kinship between Peter and Andrew, as well as the joint call that Jesus addressed to them, are explicitly mentioned in the Gospels. We read: "As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”William Temple was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 until his death in 1944. He was the only AoC who was himself the son of another AoC, Frederic Temple. A renowned preacher and teacher William Temple was considered a brilliant communicator of the Christian Gospel. His work and writings as AoC is credited with helping lay the foundations for the modern welfare state. One of his most significant statements was the famous challenge to Christians that ‘the Church is the only organisation that does not exist for itself, but for those who live outside of it."As we enter a new post-lockdown era, our work as church and parish has never been more important. Whether it be cultural openness, or that great commission to follow Jesus and make us fishers of men (and women) or whether it the words of William Temple for our church to exist for people outside of it, our church team has all the challenges of keeping our church building open and fit to hand on to the next generation, after it has been effectively closed, covered up and gathering dust, for the past 14 months. That is why the work of Bobbie Austin and her family, Liz Ashton-Davies, my co-Churchwarden, and the ‘church ladies’, in recent weeks, has been, and will be, one of the crowning moments in an excruciating lockdown. The church is now open again: not in the conventional sense, with services on Sundays. But open. Installation of broadband now means we can leave the building open in the daytime, in the safe hands of discreet CCTV and security monitoring. The on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am for 3hrs or so, you will see a perspex screen in the front porch, from which teas, coffees and homemade cakes are being served as a takeaway service. The combined effect of these simple developments are that the steady stream of walkers and visitors can now take a detour on their walk. The gates and doors will be open, and on some days, refreshments can be offered. Whilst the income is considerable, sustaining, and welcome, what is key is that we – people and building – offer a welcome to those that are outside – outside of the building and outside of the church. We offer openness to people of all cultures and walks of life, spreading our nets wide, not necessarily to convert all those who pass by to become Christians, but by at least showing that our church is their church.St Andrew’s Church has stood proud in the centre of the community as the community revolves around it, for the last seven hundred years, almost to the year. As I reminded one visitor last Sunday – this Church of England church belongs to all, regardless of faith, belief or commitment, whether they live here, or are just walking past. I could not be prouder of those who work hard on a voluntary basis, to sustain it. It reminds me that our team is a small team and there is often a presumption that you need to be a bible-clutching, hymn-singing committed Christian to be on the team. Nothing could be further from the truth (though I can recommend the singing and prayer). Even if you don’t come to church, nor intend to, could you help us by contributing to help ensure it remains a place of welfare and refuge in the heart of our wider parish? We would really welcome offers of help in:· Joining the rota to serve teas, coffees and cakes· Joining a rota to share out locking and unlocking the church – maybe as a part of your established walk?· Delivering newsletters like this – especially as we extend out outreach to the communities at Harlestone Manor and Loxton’s Field· Working with the ministry team to create a support network for those who need it (and maybe visiting, when the roadmap allows.)· Helping with the cleaning of the church or gardening/maintenance in the churchyardAs I finish this contribution to the new iteration of our newsletter, I thank Richard and Emily Gent for taking on this gargantuan task from the stalwart effort, over many years, of Derek Bland. And I thank all those, who do their smaller and larger different parts, in keeping our church open today, in all senses of the word, and open for the next seven hundred years.Sam Dobbs
