This month we bid farewell to Revd. Pete’s sidekick Angus McShoogle who is retiring from public life after 75 Youtube videos. 75 videos! Wednesday mornings will not be the same!Revd. Pete also takes the helm of this month’s Dear Friends article in which we are entreated to look back with gratitude, and forward with hope and confidence, in the knowledge that God will love and care for us.We also celebrate St Christopher’s day on the 25th July which gave me an opportunity to publish a splendid picture of a Citroen car! I also witter on about Twitter, TikTok and other modern developments that may have confounded many innocent parishioners… The rest of the magazine is my fault as usual.
In this month's edition Revd. Paul Finlinson’s writes about the community of church.There is an article about the Beer & Banterers who managed to shed the shackles of Zoom and meet in person. Also meeting up again, the Zone got to play table tennis (without a ball) and eat pizza in the churchyard. Friday Fun Club also met again in the churchyard. Fingers crossed that this is a sign that life is starting to return to normal.Sheila Newsome records Pat & Bill Thorpe’s move to Derbyshire to be nearer their family. I always think of Pat when I’m cutting down the grasses in the conservation area; Pat did a great amount of work in the Churchyard and her efforts live on! Let it be known that the trees are doing well Pat!The rest of the magazine is my fault as usual.
This is the 49th edition of Connected and one constant during the past four years has been the contributions of Tony Service. Never late, always relevant and interesting, Tony has written texts for every edition. I had no idea that he has provided articles for 17 years. Staying fresh and relevant over such a time span is difficult and that Tony has achieved this is impressive. Tony, I will miss your email pinging into my inbox at the start of each month! I hope and pray that you continue to have much joy and hope in your life.Revd. Rob writes the Dear Friends article this month - I can almost feel sand between my toes! There is also an update on the excellent Afternoon Teas that were supplied by Evie and Molly Watson; my waistline bears witness to their scrumptiousness!We also remember Linda Reed who, with husband Hugh moved to Devon in 2014 and has sadly died. Glenn Guilliatt and Mrs Clarke seek to get one over on the taxman whilst also emptying your pockets of any folding loose change; remember it’s all in a very good cause!The rest of the magazine is my fault as usual.
This month Revd. Philip Macdonald celebrates the coming of Easter and notes that whilst the world may be changed by the pandemic we will always have the comfort of Christ who will live with us forever, if we let him.Local physician Tony Service prescribes leeks fried in butter to cure The Piles; whether we are to apply them to the distressed area, or eat them, is uncertain. More seriously Tony is also looking forward to Easter and the reopening of the Chapel.Karl Jarvis completes his virtual walk along the St Hilda’s Way, and Sheila Newsome raises a smile with a list of children’s writings about the Old & New Testaments.I adapt an email from Revd. Pete about Keith Fossey’s recent Zoom presentation on the work of the Swaziland Schools Project with orphaned children in eSwatini. This is a charity worthy of everyone’s attention.I also rabbit on about Albrecht Dürer’s painting Christ as a Man of Sorrows, whilst Dr Ruth M Bancewicz looks at ethics decisions in relation to new technologies. Karl Jarvis provides an update on the works proposed and undertaken in the Parish Hall. Finally I encourage everyone to consider joining the Parish Council; “ask not what your PCC will do for you, but what can you do for the PCC”, as JFK didn’t say (but would have done had lived in Brayton).
