NEWSThere will be an opportunity to thank Revd Josh and to say farewell over drinks and buffet after his final Sunday service at Barsham on 4th August. At its July meeting the PCC learned that there are no immediate plans for the appointment of Revd Josh’s successor, though discussions are taking place. Sunday services will continue under Revds Jonathan, John and Desmond, and Revd Jonathan has kindly offered to provide pastoral support to any who seek it. At the kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick the Summer Lunch took place at St Bartholomew’s, Shipmeadow on 17th July (cover photo). Excellent company and a very fine spread of food made for a most enjoyable afternoon for the 50 or so who attended. Huge thanks to those who helped in the planning, the provision and preparation of food and drink, the running of the raffle, and setting up and clearing away. The event raised £801.00, including £277.00 from the raffle. There was a short ceremony in the rain on Sunday 30th June for the interment of the ashes of the late Philip Wills, former organist and choirmaster at Barsham. Colin Harris knew him of old and writes an appreciation below. Congratulations to Bridget and Cheryl on being elected to represent the Deanery in the House of Laiety at the Diocesan Synod for the next triennium, commencing in August. The Revd Dominic Doble has succeeded Revd Josh in the role of Rural Dean and was licensed by the Archdeacon of Suffolk at St Peter’s Spexhall on 14th July. Haymaking in the churchyard, Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th July will be undertaken by a workforce under the supervision of the Probation Service with help from volunteers from our own church community. Once again, Chris Bardsley has kindly offered to provide a ploughman’s lunch. Do come for as much time as you can spare and please bring your own rake. Chris Bardsley would love to have any unwanted costume jewellery, beads and cufflinks – but no earrings and nothing valuable – for her Jewellery Bonanza at the July sales table.Congratulations to Doreen Springall who has recently ‘retired’ from writing her monthly piece in The Sheaf, having given faithful service as correspondent for Barsham with Shipmeadow since the magazine’s inception. The sales table organised by Margaret produced a healthy £90.00 and Sarah Jane raised a splendid £120.00 for the Fabric Fund by running a market stall in Beccles.We sent 125 items donated to the Food Bank in June. FORWARD PLANNINGSaturday 14th September, 9am-5pm – the annual Suffolk Historic Churches Trust Ride, Stride and Drive. The SHCT charity raises funds for the repair and restoration of churches and chapels in Suffolk. Of the money you might raise by sponsorship, half comes direct to Holy Trinity Barsham and the remainder is placed in a central fund from which grants are made. Dick Carter is the Barsham organiser, and Cheryl Coutts is the Beccles area coordinator. They would be grateful for participants and helpers on the day, so please keep the date free in your diary!Philip Wills, Barsham organist & choirmaster – an appreciation by Colin HarrisIt was my privilege to bear the ashes of Philip Wills to a final resting place in the peaceful graveyard of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity Barsham on Sunday 30th June. I had hoped to render a few words appropriate to the occasion but decided not to do so as the rain became heavier and few of the mourners were attired for the precipitation.My mind was cast back to childhood days, for Philip was the headteacher of the primary school I attended in Worlingham, a pretty, early Victorian thatched building funded and built by the Earl of Gosford who had married Mary Sparrow of Worlingham Hall. In 1956 the much loved and highly regarded Miss Janet Hadenham retired having completed 46 years of headship and Philip had the difficult task of establishing his own style of education. He was of course a young man, then only in his mid thirties, and introduced many innovations. Organised school holidays was one, and at a time when most children rarely ventured outside their county, a trip to Kent for us was of unparalleled excitement. I can still recall the splendour of Canterbury Cathedral, the magnificence of Dover Castle, the thrill of the Hythe to Dymchurch railway and above all the wonder of the Ashford railway works.Another dimension Philip brought and imparted upon his pupils was his love of music. Very soon choirs and wind bands were formed and regularly competed at the annual music festival in Beccles. I can still recall our introduction to recorded music, an inspirational rendition of the Peer Gynt suite which for me lit the flame of a love of classical music. His musical talent soon led him to becoming organist and choirmaster at All Saints Church Worlingham which he undertook with great skill for a number of years before finally moving on to a similar role at Barsham. It is a remarkable achievement that by the time Philip retired in 1983, both he and his predecessor Janet Hadenham had served as headteacher for an unbroken spell of 73 years, a feat unlikely ever to be surpassed. Time passed, I progressed through schooling and college years, employment, marriage and family and eventually retirement. From the depths of rural Norfolk Margaret and I moved back to Beccles and by an extraordinary coincidence found that Philip and his wife Jean were our neighbours. He of course did not recognise me, but was soon convinced as to my provenance when I produced the inscribed prize book I had received from him on leaving primary school. Although by then he was in his nineties, Philip remained fiercely independent, regularly holidaying with Jean in South Africa. I committed the cardinal sin of once offering him a lift to Evensong at Barsham; I could not have insulted him more than to imply at 98 years of age his driving capability was any less than mine. He continued to drive until shortly before his 100th birthday, when both he and Jean moved to Dell House. It was a strange, inverted symmetry, Philip had guided me in my early formative years, and I hope I was a good friend and neighbour in return during his final years. AUGUST DIARYSunday 4th August – Tenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJosh Bailey.Sunday 11th August – Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 18th August – Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.Sunday 25th August – Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
NEWSIt was with considerable sadness that we heard from Revd Josh that he is to resign as a minister in the Church of England and will lead his last Sunday service at Barsham on Sunday 4th August. Prior to addressing his congregations in person, Revd Josh wrote to the PCCs at Barsham and Bungay/Mettingham to explain his decision, and he has asked that this same message be printed in the July Newsletter. It appears below.The last Wednesday Matins for the time being will be on 3rd July, after which there will be a pause during the interregnum. The Prime Minister’s Office has announced that the King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Mike Harrison, Suffragan Bishop of Dunwich, for election as Bishop of Exeter. Bishop Mike leaves Suffolk at the end of September. On Trinity Sunday we celebrated our Patronal Festival with Choral Evensong. The choir enriched the service with a Schubert anthem and there was fizz and good company afterwards. Grateful thanks to Revd Jonathan for standing in at very short notice.Archdeacon Sally Gaze, Archdeacon for Rural Mission in this diocese, will be preaching at Sunday service on 23rd June. The Deanery Synod is to be held at Barsham Church on Monday 24th June at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome. After morning service on Sunday 30th June, Revd Josh will conduct a short ceremony for the interment in the churchyard of the ashes of the late Philip Wills, who was for many years the highly respected organist and choirmaster at Holy Trinity Barsham.Revd Josh will lead the Benefice Evensong service on Sunday 30th June at 6.30pm at All Saints Mettingham. With the sound system now installed in the belfry and emitting swift calls, swifts have been seen circling the tower, we hope reconnoitring with a view to nesting next summer. The May sales table organised by Jenny raised an excellent £130.00.Thank you for the 152 items donated to the Food Bank in May. FORWARD PLANNINGThe annual Summer Lunch at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow will take place on Wednesday 17th July at the kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick. Tickets will be on sale from Bridget from Sunday 23rd June and there will be a sign-up sheet at the back of the church for people to indicate what food they can offer to bring.Harvest Festival Evensong & Supper will be on Sunday 13th October. A Message from the Revd Josh BaileyIt is with sadness that I write of my decision to resign as a minister in the Church of England.I’ve handed in my notice to +Martin, and my last working day will be Saturday 10th August, when I will marry Tom & Robyn. We have found a house in Ditchingham and are hoping to complete on the sale in the next few weeks.I know this will come as something of a shock; unfortunately, I haven’t found a way of it being anything other than this. I’m sorry if this news is coming only through this means; it would always be my preference to say in person.The major reason for this change is a strong sense of call for Pippy, me and the children into the Orthodox Church as we have met and got to know two families in Suffolk through homeschooling connections. To quote +Martin in one of his questions to me, I’m not planning to lead an exodus out of the Anglican Church, but would be very happy to discuss the Orthodox Church with anyone who would be interested.Another contributing factor has been the general direction in which the Church of England is heading. The role of priest / rector is changing from when I was ordained into something that I don’t think I am well equipped to do in good conscience. I think there are ministers who are, and my stepping down is in the hope that this will make way for them to lead you and the Benefice forward.The decisions and future trajectory regarding the doctrine of marriage have also influenced my decision. There are strong and growing voices in the Church of England hierarchy that are saying ministers holding to the traditional teaching of the Church down the ages will not be welcome in the Church of England going forward. The wonderful arrangement of mutual respect we’ve been able to get to as a Benefice doesn’t seem to be acceptable to some with power and influence on the national scene sadly.Please do contact me also if you would like to talk further about any of this. Please could you also contact me directly if you would like me to continue to pray for you by name as an Orthodox Christian. The mode of intercession in this Church is primarily naming people regularly in the context of divine services. I would like to do this, but will leave it with you to request it as I appreciate this Church tradition is alien to many people.Archdeacons Rich & Sally have asked me to assure all churches of their zeal in making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone. They have also said they are available if any of you would like to contact them: Rich Henderson: Archdeacon.Rich@cofesuffolk.org Sally Gaze: archdeacon.sally@cofesuffolk.orgI have loved serving alongside you all, and firmly believe that this decision is itself borne from love for Jesus and for you, His people. Love in Him,JoshJULY DIARYSunday 7th July – Sixth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJonathan Olanczuk.Sunday 14th July – Seventh Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 21st July – Eighth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJonathan Olanczuk.Sunday 28th July – Ninth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.Wednesday 3rd July at 8.45am – Matins. Revd Josh Bailey. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
NEWSWe were pleased to welcome Fr Desmond Banister for his first service as celebrant at Holy Trinity Barsham on 21st April. On Sunday 28th April, Cheryl led a five-mile ramble for a group of two dozen walkers and canine friends from the Hempnall Sunday Walking Group and Barsham. Having explored the footpaths from Barsham Church to Beccles, the group paused to admire the view across the marshes from the terrace of St Michael’s in the town. The return route via Puddingmoor and the Angles Way, afforded the walkers views of Holy Trinity Barsham for the last mile, which surely sharpened their appetites for the delicious tea that awaited them there. Many thanks to Cheryl for skilfully organising the event and to all who provided the fine refreshments at journey’s end. At the invitation of Bishop Martin Seeley, Bridget and Cheryl attended a tea and special service of Choral Evensong at St Edmundsbury Cathedral to celebrate the work of churchwardens in the Diocese. There were around 500 attendees, including 150 churchwardens. The Bishop said: ‘So much of the work undertaken by churchwardens to support the life and witness of our churches and benefices is often hidden and goes on behind the scenes. The service was a wonderful opportunity to express our gratitude on behalf of the people, clergy, lay ministers and parishes of Suffolk.’ Here in Barsham, we are most appreciative of the work done on our behalf by Bridget and Diana, and now Cheryl. Thanks to some generous donations, Dominique has been able to commission the construction of six swift boxes for the belfry and these have now been installed. Dominique has also sourced a sound system from SOS Swifts so that swift calls can be emitted to attract the birds. In addition, Barsham PCC gratefully acknowledges a donation of £200.00 and a further donation of £200.00 from the Hempnall Sunday Walking Group event. Colin and the PCC express a special thanks to those who have kindly and generously recently increased their giving whether by standing order, freewill envelopes or cash in the offertory bag, all of which greatly aid the finances and viability of Holy Trinity Church.The sales table organised by Bridget raised a splendid £110.00.The Food Bank was pleased to receive 237 items from us in April. FORWARD PLANNINGPsalm-singing workshop, Saturday 15th June, 10am-3pm at Holy Trinity Bungay. This is a workshop for anyone interested in why and how to sing the Psalms: no prior experience and no particular musical skills are needed. Details and a booking form may be found at: https://www.psalmroar.org/suffolkOn Sunday 16th June the service will start at 11.15am. The Deanery Synod is to be held at Barsham on Monday 24th June at 7.30pm.The annual Summer Lunch at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow will take place on Wednesday 17th July by kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick. Details to follow.Harvest Festival Evensong & Supper will be on Sunday 13th October. SNIPPETS – Swifts: Scimitars of the Sky!Swifts are summer visitors to our shores, here just from May to August. These extraordinary birds feed and sleep on the wing, and land only to breed. A newly fledged Swift will shuttle between here and Africa for two or three years before finally landing to breed. They typically produce a brood of two or three chicks each year and they can live for up to 20 years. The swift boxes recently installed in the belfry have been made to fit the Barsham belfry openings to a specification provided by SOS Swifts – Save Our Suffolk Swifts – a joint project between Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk Bird Group. The project has been set up to arrest the decline in swift numbers, which have fallen by over 50% in the past 25 years. At Holy Trinity Barsham we are able to contribute in a number of ways to the objectives of SOS Swifts. First, we have installed the boxes to provide new nesting spaces, and since swifts are gregarious birds, we have installed six boxes. Second, we are installing a purpose-designed sound system to play swift calls to advertise the nest boxes, mimicking the low-level screeching that swifts make around existing nest sites and greatly increasing the likelihood that the boxes will be used. The best times to play the calls is between 7am and 9am, and from 7pm until dusk. The birds most likely to be attracted by the calls are adult birds that have lost a previous nest site and are looking for new sites, three-year-old juveniles looking for a nest site for the following year, and birds from an over-crowded colony nearby. We are told to expect that the birds might investigate this year and possibly use the nest boxes next year, or the year after: immediate occupancy is unlikely. Third, the churchyard and its surroundings are rich in food for swifts. The wildlife-friendly management of the churchyard and its wide variety of flowers and grasses make an excellent breeding ground and habitat for insects, likewise the Rectory paddock with its ponds, and the pollen and nectar strip and recently restored ponds in the field behind the church.JUNE DIARYSunday 2nd June – First Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). RevdJonathan Olanczuk.Sunday 9th June – Second Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 16th June – Third Sunday after Trinity. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.Sunday 23rd June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey. Sunday 30th June – Fifth Sunday after Trinity. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey. 6.30pm Benefice Evensong, All Saints Mettingham. Revd Josh Bailey. Wednesdays at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
NEWSAt the Annual Meeting of Parishioners on 18th April Diana stood down as churchwarden and was thanked for her outstanding contribution to the running of the church. In Diana’s place Cheryl was elected for a second stint as churchwarden. At the APCM David Ulph was elected and welcomed to the PCC, and he also becomes assistant treasurer. Palm Crosses were distributed to the congregation on Palm Sunday. The altar was stripped for Good Friday and dressings restored for Easter Day, when beautiful floral displays returned to the church once more. On the day of the Equinox 14 visitors witnessed a half-hearted display from the sinking sun. Some, including a group from the Henley Mothers’ Union near Ipswich stayed for a ‘walk and talk’ around the church. Cheryl welcomes additional participants for her walk around Barsham on Sunday 28th April with the Hempnall Walking Group. Meet at the church at 2pm for 4-5 miles walk, finishing back at the church for tea at 4pm. Thanks to a number of generous donations, Dominique can go ahead with the installation of swift boxes in the belfry. A Bluetooth speaker is needed to transmit swift calls to attract the birds: if anyone has an unused Bluetooth speaker they can lend for the early summer, please contact Dominique (07766 337247).The sales table organised by Jenny raised a goodly £90.00.259 items were gratefully received by the Food Bank in March. We have been asked to focus our donations for now on tinned meats, beans & sausages, tinned fruit, biscuits, breakfast cereals, dog & cat food, coffee, and small packs of sugar. FORWARD PLANNINGSunday service will start at 11.15am on 19th May and 16th June. The Revd Josh is to be instituted and inducted as Rector at Holy Trinity Bungay on Sunday 16th June. Details to follow. The annual Summer Lunch at St Bartholomew’s Shipmeadow will take place on Wednesday 17th July by kind invitation of Nick and Jenny Caddick. SNIPPETS – Some Reflections on Cricket & the ChurchThe 2024 cricket season commenced on 5th April, and it was fitting that on the following Sunday we sang a hymn by J R Peacey (1896-1971), one of many clergymen who have played first-class cricket. The Rev Canon John Peacey played cricket for Sussex in the early 1920s, before becoming a missionary in India and Headmaster of Bishop’s College, Calcutta. His contemporary the Rev Canon Howard Gaunt (1902-1983), whose hymns also appear in our hymnal, was another clergyman-schoolmaster and a Warwickshire cricketer. Gaunt’s Warwickshire team-mate, the Revd Canon Jack Parsons MC (1890-1981), was a fine batsman who scored 17,969 runs (including 38 centuries) for the county between 1910 and 1934. The Revd Canon Frank Gillingham (1875-1953) was another long-serving county cricketer, playing 181 matches for Essex in a career that spanned a quarter of a century. In 1927 he delivered the first ever ball-by-ball cricket commentary on BBC radio and went on to be chaplain to both George VI and Elizabeth II. The record for the oldest cricketer to play in the County Championship is held by another clergyman, the Rev Reginald Moss (1868-1956) who represented Worcestershire at the age of 57. A select band of clergymen played Test cricket. Vernon Royle (1854-1929) played in the third ever Test in Australia in 1878/9 and was ordained not long after. Charles Studd (1860-1931) played in the 1882 Test against Australia that became the origin of the Ashes, and shortly afterwards became a missionary. Tom Killick (1907-1953) played in two Tests in 1929, was then ordained but died young during an inter-diocesan cricket match. The only clergyman to play Test cricket whilst ordained was David Sheppard (1929-2005), who played for Sussex and England and captained England in the 1954 Tests against Pakistan. He later became Bishop of Woolwich, Bishop of Liverpool and a life peer.Whilst cricket is not in itself a specifically Christian activity, cricket and the Church have rubbed shoulders in various ways down the years and the Church of England undoubtedly played a strong role in the development of the game. Approximately a third of all Oxford and Cambridge cricket blues between 1860 and 1900 were later ordained to the clergy, and no other team sport has attracted the active participation of so many clergymen. Indeed, the Victorian clergy saw cricket as a game with a high moral code, capable of developing a player's character. In his 1982 essay Cricket and the Victorians, Keith Sandiford argued that the Victorian clergy gave cricket their unqualified blessing. Cricket became a vehicle for interaction between the Church and society and was used in some contexts to encourage church attendance. By the early 20th century, church cricket teams, drawn from church congregations and Sunday schools, were common. In 1920s Lancashire, church cricket teams accounted for 70 of 134 teams in and around Bolton, and for 107 of the 129 teams in Burnley. In 1922 there were 83 teams in the Burnley and District Sunday Schools League. In his 1999 book Cricket and England, 1919-1939, Jack Williams explains that ‘most Sunday school leagues and most church clubs had rules insisting that all players attended church or Sunday school regularly’. From the mid-19th century, in many people’s minds cricket became synonymous with Christian values. In Victorian literature cricket was sometimes used as a form of allegory for the Christian life. In Henry Drummond’s story Baxter’s Second Innings (Hodder, 1892), for instance, the bowler is called ‘Temptation’ and the batsman has three stumps to defend - truth, honour and purity. In Thomas Waugh’s The Cricket Field of the Christian Life (1910), the Christian life is described figuratively through cricketing terminology, life being a spiritual battle, ‘the Test match of all Test matches’ between Christ’s team and the Devil’s. The Victorian notion of ‘Muscular Christianity’, with its emphasis on the moral and religious value of sport, was promoted by churches and schools. St Paul, after all, had used sporting metaphors in his Epistles to describe the discipline of the Christian life: ‘If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules’ (2 Timothy 2:5); ‘I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7). Until well into the 20th century the majority of public and grammar schools were run by ordained headmasters, many of whom promoted the ethos of Muscular Christianity and with it the game of cricket, which became a central pillar of school sporting culture. It should not go unmentioned then, that we have in our own congregation a former first-class cricketer and schoolmaster in Vincent Cushing, who as an Oxford blue was invited to play for Lancashire. He retains a fund of entertaining anecdotes from his cricketing days well worth hearing.MAY DIARYSunday 5th May – Sixth Sunday of Easter. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Jonathan Olanczuk.Sunday 12th May – Seventh Sunday of Easter. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Canon John Fellows.Sunday 19th May – Pentecost. 11.15am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Desmond Banister.Sunday 26th May – Trinity Sunday, Patronal Festival. 11am Sung Eucharist (BCP). Revd Josh Bailey & 6.30pm Patronal Evensong. Revd Josh Bailey. Wednesdays at 8.45am – Matins at Barsham, but not on 1st May. Church correspondent: Robert Bacon 07867 306016, robert.bacon@yahoo.co.uk
