They will call him Immanuel which means ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23)Worries are being voiced over what Christmas will mean this year as families face the loss of loved ones and concerns are being raised over how Christmas can be celebrated in these circumstances. Despite the difficult circumstances we face this year, one of the key messages of Christmas remains: God is with us. In our Christmas carol, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ we sing: ‘pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel’. And it is this truth that our above Bible verse refers to, reminding us that God came to live among us in the person of Jesus and is still with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. So no matter what the circumstances are this Christmas and indeed throughout this time of lockdown and beyond – whether we are lonely, anxious or fearful, we are not alone. God is with us and we can talk to him and share our worries & fears – that is what prayer is, simply talking to God. We don’t have to know special words or set prayers – God loves us and wants to hear what is troubling us, just as any loving parent wants to hear what is worrying their children. And prayer does make a difference – some- times it might change a situation but even if it doesn’t (and God does not promise to take all our troubles away) we do know the promise that God will help us in our troubles and give The strength we need to cope and have hope and joy in the midst of suffering. An example of this is the hymn writer Joseph Scriven who wrote, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’. It sounds a jolly tune and we may think that Scriven didn’t have a care in the world but the truth is very different. He wrote the hymn out of extreme pain – he lost two fiancées in tragic circumstances and never married as a result. He wrote to say that Jesus was with him and helped him cope through his difficulties. One of my favourite Bible passages is Romans 8:35-39 where the apostle Paul affirms that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Like Joseph Scriven, these were not just nice words – Paul knew what it was like to suffer: he was flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger at sea and in danger from many other sources; he endured long term illness, hunger and ultimately martyrdom. Yet God gave him the strength to keep going and to have joy despite his pain. This Christmas, perhaps more than ever, can we be encouraged to try praying – and find for ourselves that God is indeed with us and that we are not alone. Yours Tim
From a small start when the Foodbank opened at Stanwood Methodist Church in January 2020 we have seen a steadily increasing flow of people needing support from the Foodbank in recent months and given the current situation we anticipate this to continue. We are supporting roughly 28 households a week which means around 60 individuals.We are extremely grateful to everyone who is donating to the food bank in whatever way; every contribution is vital to supporting those in need in our local area. We also thank local businesses including Morrisons, Stannington Fruit and Veg, Go Local, Coop, Tesco and Iceland for their help and support either in donating food or providing a collection point for people to drop off their donations. With- out the generosity of so many people we could not provide to the level we do. In these difficult times for everyone it is humbling to witness so many people dropping donations off and these personal donations are an essential part of the supplies we receive. We have definitely seen an increase in donations as people want to support others during this difficult time in whatever way they can.Lately we have been encouraged by offers of support from our local community. During half-term a lady kindly provided us with vouchers for children to take to Yanni’s Plaice to exchange for a meal. However when she went to pay for the meals, she was told that the owners were going to foot the bill instead! What an amazing act of generosity. Already people have contacted us to offer a variety of gifts for Christmas. One suggestion is a ‘reverse Advent Calendar’; collect an item a day during Advent towards a parcel for the Foodbank.Due to Coronavirus restrictions, we are only able to allow volunteers into the building during our opening hour (12-1 on Mondays), which unfortunately means people do have to queue outside whilst waiting for their food parcels. We do hope to be able to improve this situation once the restrictions have been lifted.For a weekly update of which items are required and drop-off times and places, please check the Foodbank’s Facebook page, where you can also message us with any questions. We always need: long-life milk, tins of meat or fish, cereals, tea, coffee, tinned veg, pasta sauce, biscuits.Stannington Foodbank is a joint venture between Stanwood Methodist Church and Christ Church.
<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Mick Linacre was interviewed by Carol Ritson about his life, and his involvement in singing local carols.</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"></span><div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Where did you grow up? And when did you move to Stannington? Grew up in Walkley in the 50s and 60's in a good but modest home with no bathroom and an outside bog so roughing it has never been a problem. With a brother, a lot of friends around and the local countryside for a play- ground, life as a kid was good. We often wandered as far as Stannington and thought it a lovely, rural place. Lesley and I were dead lucky to find a restorable heap of stones on Uppergate Road in 1982.</span>How do you spend your spare time?Doing things outside I’m happy. Our daughters and grandchildren seem to be the same and being retired leaves time to indoctrinate them in the joys of gardening, walking, cycling and just being out there.When did you get involved in singing the local carols?The local carols are genuine folk music. Where else outside of Wales would you find a packed pub enthusiastically singing daft old songs. For 40 odd years I have been singing them in pubs and with Stannington choir for 30 odd. Both the Choir and ‘Humble Swain’ have been a chance to sing the carols in a more refined fashion than the coarse ‘roartin’ in pubs. ‘Humble Swain’s’ odd name comes from a line in the carol 'Back Lane' and the group originally consisted of six local blokes, pulled together by local folk singer John Fowler, who knew the carols well and thought they could do a good job on the harmonies. Find out if you agree by listening to their recordings.Humble SwainDo you have a favourite carol? And Is there a carol that is more technically difficult to sing or more unusual in its style or rare?Most of the carols are pretty basic and predictable musically (one reason for their popularity) but they <span style="font-size: 1rem;">are good, strong tunes with attemptable harmonies causing a lot of laughs in the pubs. My favourite has always been 'Old Foster' with its bass harmonies. The most difficult one for a group to sing well in harmony has to be 'Hail Smiling Morn'. The carols are mostly, religious pieces with primitive undertones which have great appeal for a lot of agnostics, atheists and lapsed Christians. For as long as I can remember the enthusiasts have assumed that young people would lose interest and the carols would die out and it's true that they are no longer part of local youth culture (were they ever I wonder?) but natural 'folkies' and ageing boozers in the right pubs keep falling for the magic of the local carols in numbers that keep the tradition going. Dr. Ian Russell has made impressive academic studies of the carols and locals such as Jack Goodison, Sheila Mettam, Hillary Osborn and Pam Handson in Nook Lane School have helped the cause.</span>What’s the plan for this year due to people not being able to meet up together and sing?The pandemic and the various lock downs should effectively kill the live singing season this year but noble efforts to produce electronic alternatives are being made by Christ Church members, Stannington Choir and other people within Stannington. There's nothing like singing together in the flesh, with no electrical gear involved, but to spare others I shall be hypocritical enough to keep a Humble Swain CD in the car and sing in isolation.Stannington is a smashing place to live and I've still got an outside bog but now with a view.Thank you Mick for sharing your life and your love of the local carols with me.</div>
