BOWDON CHURCH NEWS JANUARY 2006
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As we begin a New Year we look back on a very successful Launch of the Appeal to build a Parish Centre to serve the Church and the community here in Bowdon. Ahead of us now lies the need to aim to reach our fund-raising target. Building costs are increasing at a rate far above the normal headline rate of inflation, so it’s important to raise the funds as soon as we can.
A CHALLENGE TO START THE NEW YEAR !
A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH HAS MADE THE VERY GENEROUS OFFER TO MATCH ANY DONATION WITH 10%!
A member of St Mary’s has made a generous personal donation and now wants to encourage others to do the same by offering to match any donation with a further 10%. This will apply for any donations made between now and Easter. So, if you give £100 this will be matched by £10 ... if you give £10,000 it will matched by £1000! And beyond! This is a real inspiration and encouragement. . . and we are grateful to this Church member, who, like so many of us, wants to see this vision become a reality. If you are still considering making a personal donation I am sure this will encourage you to give generously, knowing that the amount you give will be met by a further 10% and, of course, if you are a taxpayer, there will be a further 28% from gift-aid. So your donation can go a long way towards Building for Bowdon.
For further details on how to make a donation, please contact the Appeals Secretary David Manning on 928 1472
GRANTS It was disappointing to hear that our bid for a grant for funding from Onyx has unsuccessful. We felt we got so close when the bid was recommended by the Regional Panel. However, it had to go before the main Board, and this is where, with an overwhelming number of applications from this and other regions, it failed, despite a very professional presentation by members of our fund-raising and project team.
DONATIONS We shall continue to seek funding from other organisations, but it makes the need for donations from within the parish and the community even more important. If you have not yet responded to the invitation to be part of this exciting project I hope the Advent to Easter 10% Challenge will encourage you. If you have not received an invitation with the information pack or have mislaid the one sent to you, please simply ask for one from myself on 928 2468 or Sue Sinagola on 928 3082.
FUND-RAISING EVENTS Below are three ways in which Church groups and individuals are helping to swell the total through fund-raising events. We thank the Scout Group for their seasonal ‘gift-wrapping’ service in the run-up to Christmas. If you or a group of which you are part want to get behind the fund-raising with an event then please just make contact – we’d love to hear from you.
A WINE-TASTING EVENING: DDD, NN Januaryxxxx at 8 pm in the Johnson Hall
John Lambie and Andy Fishwick will be presenting an evening of wines
from the Languedoc. John and Andy have travelled the region and have
got to know the wines well. They will be offering 8 wines from four different domaines
(3 whites, a rosé, and 4 reds, a range of single and blended grape varieties.)
Places will be limited, and admission will be by ticket only. There is no
charge for the ticket, but donations are invited to the Parish Appeal.
There will be the opportunity to make this donation on the evening.
It promises to be a popular evening, so to book your ticket please call the co-ordinator for the evening, Alexia Hine on 928 2468 or alexiahine@hotmail.com
IT COULD BE RINGING FOR
YOU! It was
lovely to hear the bells ringing out over Bowdon for the Christmas services and
to hear them ring in the New Year. The bells could ring for you. 
The team of ringers will ring to mark an occasion special to you – a
birthday, an anniversary, a gift for someone you know. The team invite
donations to the Building for Bowdon Parish Centre Appeal of (at
least) £25. The team are also offering to give a visit to the tower to
include 20 – 30 mins ringing, a tour of the bells and how they work,
trip to top of tower for photographs, and “ have a go” at ringing for a larger
donation. To arrange this or for further details contact Doug Reeson on 01625
250715 or Keith Hine on 928 2468
START THE YEAR WITH KEEPING FIT
If you want to lose some of those pounds
you put on over the Christmas season, then come the Keep Fit group which meets
on Monday mornings at 10 am in the Johnson Hall (opposite the Griffin and next
to St Mary’s). Some gentle stretching and then some more vigorous exercise
will do you the world of good. There is no formal admission fee for tis group:
you are simply invited to make a contribution to the Parish Centre Appeal
Fund. The first session of the New Year starts on 9 January. For more details
contact Tricia James on 01565 830061.
TOTAL RASIED FOR THE PARISH CENTRE APPEAL £ XXXX
With every blessing for 2006
[signature of KH]
A NEW YEAR OFFERING
We squeeze them into the stable along with the shepherds. They mean three more parts to cast for the Primary School Nativity Play. The three Wise Men. It is only later in Christian tradition that they become Three Kings and only later again given the names of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. The stable, however, wasn’t quite that crowded: the Wise Man arrived some time after the birth of Jesus, and we mark this by celebrating their visit on 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany. Though traditions are changing under the all-powerful influence of commercial Christmas, this day has been in some countries the day on which children receive their presents, to coincide with the gifts which the Wise men their own gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We usually think of the recipient of these gifts, the child in the manger, and the symbolism this gives. Gold is for a future king; frankincense to show his divinity, and myrrh to foretell his suffering and death. The hymn “We Three Kings” underlines this threefold symbolism. But there is perhaps a deeper meaning in these gifts. In a sense the Wise Men carried three things which were part of their lives, something they used and needed. Gold was the currency of their daily lives, frankincense was recognised a symbol of prayer, both in the Jewish and other faiths. Myrrh was used in their culture not only for embalming but for healing of all kinds. The gifts they carried said something important not simply about the person to whom they offered them, but about themselves and their lives. And they can say something important about our lives too. Gold stands for the money we have at our disposal, which we can use for ourselves and our own pleasure alone, or for others and the world in which we live. There are so many positive ways we can use and share our material blessings. Frankincense is the prayer we can offer – for the world, for the people and things we care about, for our own lives. Myrrh is the healing we can offer … in our words and actions, in our daily relationships, in countless simple ways, we can bring help to others, and they to us. Here are gifts we can carry as we journey into 2006, gifts we can offer to God and to our neighbours.
PARISH PROJECT 2006 : KASHMIR
What is the Parish Project? Bowdon Parish has for many years raised funds to support different ‘project’ beyond the parish. These have included building a church in Aru, in the Congo, helping to refurbish the Booth Centre at Manchester Cathedral, and the a loft-conversion to province a meeting place of the young members of St Mary’s Church Partington. Each project has run for two or three years.
What will the Church be supporting in 2006? The Church Council has agreed to support the work of rebuilding and relief in a community hit by the October earthquake
Where is this community? Rawalakot is a town in Azad Kashmir, about a five-hour drive into the Himalaya foothills from Islamabad. It forms part of a larger community of villages, known as a tehsil. The town was relatively prosperous before the earthquake but is now devastated and many people are destitute, having lost their livelihood.
Why was this chosen? The terrible scenes of devastation moved people to want to do something. Many people responded immediately with money, as many in Bowdon will have done, but then the Church Council became aware that there was a way of continuing to support this community beyond that initial response. The feeling of wanting to help transcended any issues of religion or politics.
How was the link first made? A member of the Church Council is in regular contact with a close friend who began work as a VSO volunteer but who now continues a personal volunteer. She has worked there for a number of years setting up a new school and a purpose built Institute of Teacher Education.
What is needed? The main work at the moment is the medium term phase of building shelters to get people safely through the winter. The money already contributed has been spent, every penny so far, on that and we are getting up to 1000 families safely sheltered. The longer term need is for earthquake proof housing, schools and hospitals and properly trained personnel to staff them. The loss of teacher and pupil lives that day has been enormous; hence the desperate need for projects like this. It is also support for people to feel 'safe' again. Many people live now on a knife edge of insecurity, never trusting at night that they will see the morning. There are still aftershocks and they causing even more fear that more damage could occur. No one trusts anything about their lives anymore. As well as immediate and medium term relief people will need things that will give them hope like education, community development and especially vocational training of all types for the future.
How can we know the funds raised here will reach the right people?
The money will be channeled through KEF, the Kashmir Education Foundation, which has developed into a major relief agency simply because it is known to be absolutely honest and using all the money for the purpose for which it was intended. Therefore money from Pakistan, as well as abroad, is coming through this agency. Fully audited accounts and any information regarding the funding are available.
Will there be reports on progress? Yes, we will be able to bring regular updates as the work of rebuilding continues, with photographs.
How will the Parish raise funds? This will be through different events through the year, which in the past have included fairs, garden parties, coffee mornings. The first event for 2006 will be an illustrated talk on a journey through South America.
How can I help? Write a cheque, get involved, pray, contact the Project Team with your ideas for helping. Contact Evelyn Harwood 980 1761 or Christine Manning 928 1472
SUNDIALS
In our
November issue we featured an article on the Church clock. Not many of our
readers will know that a much more ancient method of telling time, a sundial,
stands in the Churchyard. Sundials are thought
to have been used to mark the passage of time from the very earliest man. As
early as 3500 B.C. the Egyptians began building slender, tapering, four-sided
obelisks which served as timepieces. The moving shadow of the obelisk formed a
type of sundial, and markers arranged about the base separated the day into divisions
as well as indicating the longest and shortest days of the year.
Have you ever noticed on a sundial that the shadow thrown by the stick, its proper name is a gnomon, only goes half-way round the circle, unlike the hands on a proper clock? As the sun only moves from east to west its shadow can only move in that one direction also, which will be therefore only be 180 degrees. The shadow will always move clockwise – which is where we get that expression from.
Before mechanical clocks began to be commonly used in the fifteenth century many churches had a sundial on the wall to show when the ‘Mass’ would take place. They were constructed differently and vary in form, size, detail and position in the many ways. But they all have a central hole in which the gnomon or style was fixed and from which lines, if any radiate. One line is usually marked better than the others – the usual hour of the mass in that church. In Medieval days the walls of churches were coated with a form of cement and lime washed both inside and out. Mass or Scratch dials were then painted in the scratched lines near the main door or the priest door at about four to five feet above the ground. Since then many churches have had parts rebuilt or porches added, so the mass dial can end up almost anywhere inside the building, even on a north wall.
The one in St Mary’s is now listed and stands just to the south of the church building.
ANY PENNY : THE PENNY KEEPS ON ROLLING!
The year may be well and truly up for the original ANY PENNY challenge – to collect One Million Pennies for charity in One Year- but the challenge continues to roll, and despite so many of us using plastic instead of cash - and so not getting change, the pennies are coming slowly but surely. Keep spreading the word about the penny collection. Austin has a reputation at a local petrol station for putting diesel in to his car and requiring a penny change! When asked if he really wanted the penny he explained about the challenge. It was worth it just for the look of astonishment on the face of the attendant! We have over £4,600 in pennies and expect to have £5,000 by January, but ONLY WITH YOUR HELP! Please call Austin on 9415645 and he will collect your pennies if you can't get to St Mary's to leave them at the back of Church.
A NOVEL APPROACH TO JESUS
If you were lucky enough to get a book token or two for Christmas you could well try Walter Wangerin’s new book. His much-acclaimed retelling of the Bible as a novel, The Book of God, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. He now turns his attention to the life of Jesus Christ in this gripping novel. The story starts with the young Jesus attending Passover in Jerusalem, where his mother tells him about the extraordinary events surrounding his birth. The focus then moves to Jesus’ ministry - his miracles, preaching and parables - and his interaction with a wide range of people before he starts the journey to Jerusalem for his final Passover, culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection. Faithful to the gospel accounts and expertly retold, this is an engrossing read for all intrigued by the person of Jesus.
Jesus: A Novel by Walter Wangerin £14.99 ISBN: 0 7459 5202 X
SPREAD THE NEWS
There is a need for a distributor for the Bowdon Church News in Bowdon Vale, covering Robinsway, Brickiln Row, Primrose Bank and Edale Close. That’s about 40 copies. If you could spare an hour once a month to help with this, please contact Evelyn Harwood on 980 1761
Bulletin Board
The Sixty Club
Monday 9th January at 7.30 pm for 8 pm at the Cinnamon Club.
Speaker Graham Byrne on “Japanese Style Gardens in Tatton Park and Elsewhere.”
St Mary’s Christmas Cards.
£500 was raised for the Building For Bowdon. Thank you to all sellers and buyers.
M. M.
Registers
Baptism We welcome into God’s Church family
Thomas Hill William Bold Alicia McDowell Jonathan and Christopher Bray Louis Kennedy
Funerals We commend to God
George Stott Clara Annie Capper John Shaw Sidney Guy
Calendar for January
Morning Prayer is said in St. Mary’s at 8.45 am
Monday to Friday. Entry through the vestry door.
1 First Sunday of Christmas
(First Sunday in January)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.45 am Holy Communion, (Order One).
Oblations: The Parochial Church Council.
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Evening Prayer.
4 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
7.30 pm PCC Meeting in the Johnson Hall.
5 (Thu) 10 am St. Luke’s, Holy Communion (BCP), with Mothers’ Union.
10.30 Coffee drop-in at St. Luke’s.
8 First Sunday of Epiphany
(Second Sunday in January)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.45 am Family Service.
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Choral Evensong.
9 (Mon) 2.30 pm Bible Reading Fellowship meeting at 34 Bow Green Road.
11 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
8 pm A Service of Healing.
15 Second Sunday of Epiphany
(Third Sunday in January)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am Said Matins.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.40 am Trekkers.
10.45 am Holy Communion, (Order One).
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Evening Prayer (BCP).
18 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
19 (Thu) 2 pm First Steps. “New Year, New Starts, New Babies, New Life.”
22 Third Sunday of Epiphany
(Fourth Sunday in January)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Morning Worship.
10.40 am Trekkers.
10.45 am Holy Communion, (BCP).
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Evening Praise.
25 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
2.15 pm St. Mary’s Mothers’ Union at St Luke’s Church. Speaker Mrs Marion Digweed M.U.
29 Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
(Fifth Sunday in January)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.35 am Trekkers.
10.45 am Holy Communion, (Order One).
Oblations: The Parochial Church Council.
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Evening Prayer (BCP).
February
1 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
2 (Thu) 10 am St. Luke’s, Holy Communion (BCP), with Mothers’ Union.
10.30 Coffee drop-in at St. Luke’s.
5 Fourth Sunday before Lent
(First Sunday in February)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.40 am Trekkers.
10.45 am Holy Communion, (Order One).
Oblations: The Gardeners.
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Evening Prayer.
8 (Wed) 11.30 am Holy Communion.
12 noon Lunch Club.
8 pm A Service of Healing.
12 Third Sunday before Lent
(Second Sunday in February)
8 am Holy Communion.
9.30 am St. Luke’s Holy Communion.
10.45 am Family Service.
followed by coffee at the back of the church.
6.30 pm Choral Evensong.
Each week we pray for people living in the Parish.
|
Wk/begin |
We pray for those living in |
|
1 Jan |
Vicarage Lane and Brereton Close. |
|
8 Jan |
Hall Road, Side Avenue, Hopkins Field and Vale Court. |
|
15 Jan |
York Road and Ash Grove. |
|
22 Jan |
Eaton Road and Eaton Court. |
|
29 Jan |
Sunnybank. |
|
5 Feb |
Birch Tree Close. |
|
12 Feb |
Fletcher Drive, Weaver Close and Thatcher Close |
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