Honeycomb April 2009
Rector's Remarks
The Enigma that was Jade Goody
In about 2003 I became aware of a woman called Jade Goody. She was a contestant on the TV show Big Brother and was becoming "famous" for her drunken behaviour and ignorance. She was heard to ask the question "is East Anglia abroad?" From those reports I felt an instinctive disapproval of her. Her name continued to be reported on, nearly always reinforcing my initial negative view of her. In 2007 she hit the headlines when she was on Big Brother again and made racist comments about a fellow contestant, the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. Last year, whilst once more in a Big Brother house, this time the Indian version, she learned that she had cervical cancer. Since then she has been told that her cancer has spread and is terminal.
My instinctive disapproval of Jade Goody was immediately softened by sorrow for her. Since then I have learned more about her. She grew up in a tough part of London. Her father had left the family home and spent 4 years in prison. She had little schooling. Despite such a disadvantaged background she clearly was ambitious and I guess that Big Brother was an opportunity when most doors were shut to her because of her lack of education. She certainly made the most of that opportunity. Yes, she became a celebrity before she had any achievements to warrant that status which I guess was in part at the root of my disapproval. But she also then went on to run her own beauty salon, record her own keep fit DVDs and launch her own perfume. She clearly is a very bright woman who has overcome her lack of education in a very 21st century way.
Having lived in the spotlight of media attention, she is now choosing to die in the same glare. In doing so she is teaching us all some very valuable lessons about dying well. By "well" I do not mean that her tragically early death is any way desirable, but that given its inevitability, she is showing us how to face it. She is "putting her affairs in order". Those affairs no doubt include practical matters such as a will and arrangements for her two sons. More importantly those affairs include her relationships. She has married her partner Jack Tweed. She has been baptised (christened) along with had her two sons and expressed the hope that through Jesus they will all meet again one day.
All this happened, as I was reading about St. Benedict who established an order of monks and nuns in 6th century in Italy. This religious order continues up to the present day and includes both Roman Catholic and Church of England communities. St. Benedict encourages members of the order to "hasten to do now what may profit us in eternity". In modern language he was encouraging them to prepare for a good death. By a good death, he meant one where all fear had been removed by the hope and expectation of meeting God after death. Such hope and expectation would be founded on having lived this life in accordance with God's will rather than allowing the selfish side of human nature to dominate.
This concept of a "good death" might seem morbid to us in the 21st century who do everything possible to avoid death. Death is often seen as defeat. It is viewed as the end of everything we know, whilst not knowing what, if anything, is beyond death. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that aiming for a "good death" is important. Death is inevitable as Jade Goody has discovered far too young. Avoiding death and trying not to think about it will not stop death being inevitable. I have been alongside far too many people who die in fear because they have not prepared to die well. Jade Goody is preparing to die and hopefully to die well although it appears she has little time in which so to do. She has taken the practical steps; she has sorted out her human relationships and it seems that she is developing a relationship with God through Jesus. At her age she cannot die without regrets at all the things she has yet to do. However, if she has enough time to develop a solid relationship with God, she will die with hope and without fear. That is the lesson we can all learn from her and we have time to learn it. For most of us death, as far as we know, is not immanent. We have time to write wills; to sort out our human relationships; to live well following God's will, and most importantly, to develop a relationship with God so that we come to death not fearful but full of hope.
Jan Brookshaw
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Darwin's Christianity - and why he lost it
Darwin was a Christian who lost his Christian faith. Contrary to popular opinion, however, he was never, even in his "wildest fluctuations", an atheist and he was insistent that you could be "an ardent Theist and an evolutionist."
Darwin's loss of faith has much to tell us, even today. His family stock was variously sceptical and Unitarian and he himself recognised that his faith was never that deeply rooted. He needed encouragement to read his Bible when studying medicine in Edinburgh. He trained for ordination largely because his father, worried he was turning into "an idle, sporting man", forced him. His time at Cambridge and the following five years on the Beagle was the period during which he was at his most "orthodox", but it was a particular kind of orthodoxy: objective, rationalistic, propositional. He eschewed personal experience and, in as far as it played a role, Scripture was primarily a source of raw material for arguments that proved Christian truths. The cross and its crucified messiah were largely absent.
Perhaps most importantly, Darwin was heavily influenced by the theology of William Paley, which insinuated that the existence and nature of God could be read off the demonstrably designed and benign world of nature. In the years after his return from the Beagle, Darwin developed a theory of evolution by natural selection that eroded that designed and benign vision of nature. Not surprisingly, his Christian faith, which had rested heavily on just those foundations, toppled and fell.
It was a slow process, however, and only complete many years later when he sat at the bedside of his favourite child, Annie, aged 10, as she died of a "typhoid fever". It was a devastating loss about which he could never speak again and one that would have threatened the most robust of Christian faiths. In reality, it was this suffering that lay at the heart of Darwin's loss of faith: not evolution per se, which early notebooks show him accommodating with an intellectually defensible concept of God.
Even suffering was not an outright deal-breaker for Darwin. His musings on the subject were subtle and alert us to the fact that somewhere along the line, biology turns into theology and fundamental value judgements are involved. Today, some modern Darwinians talk about the suffering of sentient creatures as if it were a conclusive argument for the non-existence of God. Others ridicule such sentiments. "Nature is too cruel to have been invented by God! A wet, mawkish, bunny-hugging argument," remarked Libby Purves in the Times.
For Darwin the balance may have weighed in favour of happiness over suffering, but that was not enough Once he had lived through Annie's wretched death, he could not reconcile the reality of suffering (albeit, he thought, outweighed by happiness in the final reckoning) with his understanding of the Christian God. Hence, while only the ideologically-blinded think that evolution somehow disproves God, it would be intellectually dishonest to think that it poses no questions whatsoever to Christians. Contrary to popular opinion, those questions are nothing to do with Genesis or human uniqueness. Rather, they are about the oldest problem of all: suffering.
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Easter Day
Easter, which this year falls on April 12th,is the most special day of the Christian year: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why does the date move around so much? Because the date of Passover moves around, and according to the biblical account, Easter is tied to the Passover. Passover celebrates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and it lasts for seven days, from the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which equates to late March or early April.
Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first to use the Hebrew lunar calendar to come up with firm dates for Good Friday: Friday 7 April 30 AD or Friday 3 April, 33 AD, with Easter Day falling two days later. Modern scholars continue to think that these are the most likely. Most people will tell you that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is broadly true. But the precise calculations are unbelievably complicated and involve something called an 'ecclesiastical full moon', which is not the same as the moon in the sky. The earliest possible date for Easter in the West is 22 March, which last fell in 1818 and won't fall again until 2285. The latest is 25 April, which last happened in 1943 and is next due in 2038.
Why the name, 'Easter'? In most European languages, the festival's name comes from 'Pesach', the Hebrew word for Passover. The Germanic word 'Easter', however, seems to come from Eostre, a Saxon fertility goddess mentioned by the Venerable Bede. He thought that the Saxons worshipped her in 'Eostur month', but may have confused her with the classical dawn goddesses like Eos and Aurora, whose names mean 'shining in the east'. So Easter might have meant simply 'beginning month' - a good time for starting up again after a long winter.
Finally, why Easter eggs? On one hand, they are an ancient symbol of birth in most European cultures. On the other hand, hens start laying regularly again each Spring. Since eggs were forbidden during Lent, it's easy to see how decorating and eating them became a practical way to celebrate Easter.
To celebrate Easter we have three church services:
In about 2003 I became aware of a woman called Jade Goody. She was a contestant on the TV show Big Brother and was becoming "famous" for her drunken behaviour and ignorance. She was heard to ask the question "is East Anglia abroad?" From those reports I felt an instinctive disapproval of her. Her name continued to be reported on, nearly always reinforcing my initial negative view of her. In 2007 she hit the headlines when she was on Big Brother again and made racist comments about a fellow contestant, the Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. Last year, whilst once more in a Big Brother house, this time the Indian version, she learned that she had cervical cancer. Since then she has been told that her cancer has spread and is terminal.
My instinctive disapproval of Jade Goody was immediately softened by sorrow for her. Since then I have learned more about her. She grew up in a tough part of London. Her father had left the family home and spent 4 years in prison. She had little schooling. Despite such a disadvantaged background she clearly was ambitious and I guess that Big Brother was an opportunity when most doors were shut to her because of her lack of education. She certainly made the most of that opportunity. Yes, she became a celebrity before she had any achievements to warrant that status which I guess was in part at the root of my disapproval. But she also then went on to run her own beauty salon, record her own keep fit DVDs and launch her own perfume. She clearly is a very bright woman who has overcome her lack of education in a very 21st century way.
Having lived in the spotlight of media attention, she is now choosing to die in the same glare. In doing so she is teaching us all some very valuable lessons about dying well. By "well" I do not mean that her tragically early death is any way desirable, but that given its inevitability, she is showing us how to face it. She is "putting her affairs in order". Those affairs no doubt include practical matters such as a will and arrangements for her two sons. More importantly those affairs include her relationships. She has married her partner Jack Tweed. She has been baptised (christened) along with had her two sons and expressed the hope that through Jesus they will all meet again one day.
All this happened, as I was reading about St. Benedict who established an order of monks and nuns in 6th century in Italy. This religious order continues up to the present day and includes both Roman Catholic and Church of England communities. St. Benedict encourages members of the order to "hasten to do now what may profit us in eternity". In modern language he was encouraging them to prepare for a good death. By a good death, he meant one where all fear had been removed by the hope and expectation of meeting God after death. Such hope and expectation would be founded on having lived this life in accordance with God's will rather than allowing the selfish side of human nature to dominate.
This concept of a "good death" might seem morbid to us in the 21st century who do everything possible to avoid death. Death is often seen as defeat. It is viewed as the end of everything we know, whilst not knowing what, if anything, is beyond death. Actually, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that aiming for a "good death" is important. Death is inevitable as Jade Goody has discovered far too young. Avoiding death and trying not to think about it will not stop death being inevitable. I have been alongside far too many people who die in fear because they have not prepared to die well. Jade Goody is preparing to die and hopefully to die well although it appears she has little time in which so to do. She has taken the practical steps; she has sorted out her human relationships and it seems that she is developing a relationship with God through Jesus. At her age she cannot die without regrets at all the things she has yet to do. However, if she has enough time to develop a solid relationship with God, she will die with hope and without fear. That is the lesson we can all learn from her and we have time to learn it. For most of us death, as far as we know, is not immanent. We have time to write wills; to sort out our human relationships; to live well following God's will, and most importantly, to develop a relationship with God so that we come to death not fearful but full of hope.
Jan Brookshaw
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Darwin's Christianity - and why he lost it
Darwin was a Christian who lost his Christian faith. Contrary to popular opinion, however, he was never, even in his "wildest fluctuations", an atheist and he was insistent that you could be "an ardent Theist and an evolutionist."
Darwin's loss of faith has much to tell us, even today. His family stock was variously sceptical and Unitarian and he himself recognised that his faith was never that deeply rooted. He needed encouragement to read his Bible when studying medicine in Edinburgh. He trained for ordination largely because his father, worried he was turning into "an idle, sporting man", forced him. His time at Cambridge and the following five years on the Beagle was the period during which he was at his most "orthodox", but it was a particular kind of orthodoxy: objective, rationalistic, propositional. He eschewed personal experience and, in as far as it played a role, Scripture was primarily a source of raw material for arguments that proved Christian truths. The cross and its crucified messiah were largely absent.
Perhaps most importantly, Darwin was heavily influenced by the theology of William Paley, which insinuated that the existence and nature of God could be read off the demonstrably designed and benign world of nature. In the years after his return from the Beagle, Darwin developed a theory of evolution by natural selection that eroded that designed and benign vision of nature. Not surprisingly, his Christian faith, which had rested heavily on just those foundations, toppled and fell.
It was a slow process, however, and only complete many years later when he sat at the bedside of his favourite child, Annie, aged 10, as she died of a "typhoid fever". It was a devastating loss about which he could never speak again and one that would have threatened the most robust of Christian faiths. In reality, it was this suffering that lay at the heart of Darwin's loss of faith: not evolution per se, which early notebooks show him accommodating with an intellectually defensible concept of God.
Even suffering was not an outright deal-breaker for Darwin. His musings on the subject were subtle and alert us to the fact that somewhere along the line, biology turns into theology and fundamental value judgements are involved. Today, some modern Darwinians talk about the suffering of sentient creatures as if it were a conclusive argument for the non-existence of God. Others ridicule such sentiments. "Nature is too cruel to have been invented by God! A wet, mawkish, bunny-hugging argument," remarked Libby Purves in the Times.
For Darwin the balance may have weighed in favour of happiness over suffering, but that was not enough Once he had lived through Annie's wretched death, he could not reconcile the reality of suffering (albeit, he thought, outweighed by happiness in the final reckoning) with his understanding of the Christian God. Hence, while only the ideologically-blinded think that evolution somehow disproves God, it would be intellectually dishonest to think that it poses no questions whatsoever to Christians. Contrary to popular opinion, those questions are nothing to do with Genesis or human uniqueness. Rather, they are about the oldest problem of all: suffering.
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Easter Day
Easter, which this year falls on April 12th,is the most special day of the Christian year: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why does the date move around so much? Because the date of Passover moves around, and according to the biblical account, Easter is tied to the Passover. Passover celebrates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and it lasts for seven days, from the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which equates to late March or early April.
Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first to use the Hebrew lunar calendar to come up with firm dates for Good Friday: Friday 7 April 30 AD or Friday 3 April, 33 AD, with Easter Day falling two days later. Modern scholars continue to think that these are the most likely. Most people will tell you that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is broadly true. But the precise calculations are unbelievably complicated and involve something called an 'ecclesiastical full moon', which is not the same as the moon in the sky. The earliest possible date for Easter in the West is 22 March, which last fell in 1818 and won't fall again until 2285. The latest is 25 April, which last happened in 1943 and is next due in 2038.
Why the name, 'Easter'? In most European languages, the festival's name comes from 'Pesach', the Hebrew word for Passover. The Germanic word 'Easter', however, seems to come from Eostre, a Saxon fertility goddess mentioned by the Venerable Bede. He thought that the Saxons worshipped her in 'Eostur month', but may have confused her with the classical dawn goddesses like Eos and Aurora, whose names mean 'shining in the east'. So Easter might have meant simply 'beginning month' - a good time for starting up again after a long winter.
Finally, why Easter eggs? On one hand, they are an ancient symbol of birth in most European cultures. On the other hand, hens start laying regularly again each Spring. Since eggs were forbidden during Lent, it's easy to see how decorating and eating them became a practical way to celebrate Easter.
To celebrate Easter we have three church services:
Dawn | Bonfire lit Holy Communion at 5am at Hillands End, Melchbourne the home of Sue & William Tusting |
9:00 am | Holy Communion at St Mary Magdelene Melchbourne |
10:30 am | Holy Communion at Shelton with an Easter egg hunt for the children. |
Do join us for one of these services - you will be really welcome.
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Holy Week and Easter
![]() | Sunday April 5th sees the start of the greatest eight days in the Christian year. It begins with excitement as on Palm Sunday we recall Jesus entering Jerusalem and being proclaimed King by the crowds. From the excitement of Palm Sunday the mood changes dramatically. On Maundy Thursday we remember the mystery of the last supper shared by Jesus and the disciples, the sadness and fear of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane and his betrayal by Judas. Good Friday leads us into the growing horror of Jesus' passion as we follow his trials, his torture, his crucifixion and finally his death. After all that emotion Easter Eve is a quiet, reflective day. It is the day when we believe Jesus went into hell and released all the souls imprisoned there. Holy week finishes with a far greater high point than that of Palm Sunday. It is a deep joy as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus early in the morning of Easter day on Sunday April 12th. There is a range of services throughout Holy Week to help us enter into the core of the Christian faith |
![]() | Palm Sunday April 5th, 11am, Swineshead Family service celebration of Palm Sunday with the retelling of Jesus? triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We will also be baptising Elizabeth Seddon during this service |
![]() | Maundy Thursday April 9th, 8.00pm, Yelden In memory of the last supper and Jesus washing of his disciples' feet, there will be a Holy Communion service with optional foot washing. Jesus spent all night awake in the garden of Gethsemane. We will remember this by our own (optional) vigil from 9pm to midnight. The vigil is being planned so that people can come for just half an hour. |
![]() | Good Friday April 10th, Melchbourne, 10.00am We re-enact the Good Friday story along Park Road in Melchbourne. A great experience for all the family. Good Friday April 10th, Swineshead, 2pm A one hour meditation as we lead up to the end of the crucifixion when Jesus dies on the cross at 3pm. |
![]() | Easter Day April 12th, 5.00am venue to b e announced, 9am at Melchbourne and 10.30am at Shelton Jesus' resurrection was witnessed very early in the morning. Jesus is also known as the light of the world. To celebrate both these themes there will be a bonfire lit Holy Communion service at 5am on Easter day at Hillands End, Melchbourne (the house of Sue & William Tusting). At 9am we will also be at Melchbourne to celebrate Holy Communion with hymns and at 10.30am we will have a fully sung Holy Communion at Shelton with an Easter egg hunt for the children. |
Forthcoming Events
Upper Dean Duck Dash - 25th April 2009 11:00am Upper Dean Bridge
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Around the Villages
MELCHBOURNE
Correspondent- Philip Pahl
New Correspondent
Hello - I'm Philip your new Melchbourne correspondent. Firstly we should all thank Alison Mackonochie for all her work as Melchbourne correspondent for the past nine years - a hard act to follow! I live in Park Road with Lyn, several chickens, fish, doves and a dog and I am in urgent need of your help with local information. Please contact me by phone or by e-mail (above) to advise all village events, family news such as births or weddings and also anyone moving in or out of the village or "any other business" you feel worthy of a mention. Info. will need to be in my hands by the 8th of each month to reach the deadline for the following month's publication date.
Beetle Drive
By popular request we are holding our second Beetle Drive in the Village Hall. 7.30 start. Adults £7, children under 12 £5. Hot supper provided. Please bring your own drinks and glasses.
Saturday, 31st October
Halloween Bonfire Party. Details to come!
Family News
Catherine & David Mathews are in the throes of moving out of Melchbourne as I write this, we wish them farewell and good luck in their new home and also wish them belated congratulations on the birth of their baby daughter Lily, born Christmas Eve
Good Friday Re-enactment
The re-enactment of the Good Friday story along Park Road in Melchbourne this year is on the 10th April starting at the Village Hall at 10:00. Bring the family along for a great experience. The procession will continue up Park Road to the Church for an hour or so.
Drivers please bear this in mind and be tolerant of any delay as a result.
The Melchbourne Messenger Mail
Please also visit the MMM village website supporting Honeycomb with fast news for villagers with details of current events and more topical articles at mmmatmelchbourne.synthasite.com.
Village Hall dates for your diary:
Tuesday, 14th April at 8.00 p.m. Village Hall AGM
This is a great opportunity to come and voice ideas for new events, etc. and hear the village hall news. Everyone is welcome, especially newcomers to the village. Refreshments will be served.
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YELDEN
Correspondent - Sue Taylor
Strawberry Fayre
You may think the end of June is a long way off but it's creeping up and so, like last year, we plan to hold an Open Meeting in the Village Hall on Tuesday May 12th at 8pm. There will be a glass of wine and some nibbles and you are invited to come along with any ideas or thoughts which might help with the organisation and running of this annual village affair. Strawberry Fayre is the main fund raiser for the Restoration Fund of St Mary's Church. Hope to see you on the 12th.
Valentines Evening
A very successful dinner and dance was held in the Village Hall with a very 'live' band. Anne and Karen with some very helpful helpers provided us with a lovely three course meal before the dancing commenced. The funds will go towards the upkeep of our Village Hall. John Braga and his bus load from Dean definitely helped swell the numbers.
Yelden Chapel Service
Sunday 5th April at 11.00am
Palm Sunday Service led by Lillian Butler.
St Mary's Yelden PCC - AGM
Time again for the Annual General Meeting of the PCC. This will be held on 10th April at 7.00pm in the Committee Room of the Village Hall. All members of the village are welcome.
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PERTENHALL
Correspondent - Chloe Reid
St. Peter's Church PCC
The Annual Meeting of Parishioners of Pertenhall is to be held at 8.00pm, Wednesday 29th April in the church. All are welcome to attend.
Pertenhall Village Hall committee is running its popular Gadabout on Saturday 27th June, venues to be confirmed but it will start at the Village Hall and include a BBQ. Tickets available from Paul Sheard or the Secretary. Cost £10 per adult, under 16y £5.
Please note the date of the AGM is Wednesday 22nd April at 7.30pm, more committee members desperately needed - call or email Di if you'd like to join us.
Di. Birtwistle
Secretary.
01480 860800
pertenhall.hall@btinternet.com
Pertenhall 100 Club
Upper Dean Duck Dash - 25th April 2009 11:00am Upper Dean Bridge
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Around the Villages
MELCHBOURNE
Correspondent- Philip Pahl
New Correspondent
Hello - I'm Philip your new Melchbourne correspondent. Firstly we should all thank Alison Mackonochie for all her work as Melchbourne correspondent for the past nine years - a hard act to follow! I live in Park Road with Lyn, several chickens, fish, doves and a dog and I am in urgent need of your help with local information. Please contact me by phone or by e-mail (above) to advise all village events, family news such as births or weddings and also anyone moving in or out of the village or "any other business" you feel worthy of a mention. Info. will need to be in my hands by the 8th of each month to reach the deadline for the following month's publication date.
Beetle Drive
By popular request we are holding our second Beetle Drive in the Village Hall. 7.30 start. Adults £7, children under 12 £5. Hot supper provided. Please bring your own drinks and glasses.
Saturday, 31st October
Halloween Bonfire Party. Details to come!
Family News
Catherine & David Mathews are in the throes of moving out of Melchbourne as I write this, we wish them farewell and good luck in their new home and also wish them belated congratulations on the birth of their baby daughter Lily, born Christmas Eve
Good Friday Re-enactment
The re-enactment of the Good Friday story along Park Road in Melchbourne this year is on the 10th April starting at the Village Hall at 10:00. Bring the family along for a great experience. The procession will continue up Park Road to the Church for an hour or so.
Drivers please bear this in mind and be tolerant of any delay as a result.
The Melchbourne Messenger Mail
Please also visit the MMM village website supporting Honeycomb with fast news for villagers with details of current events and more topical articles at mmmatmelchbourne.synthasite.com.
Village Hall dates for your diary:
Tuesday, 14th April at 8.00 p.m. Village Hall AGM
This is a great opportunity to come and voice ideas for new events, etc. and hear the village hall news. Everyone is welcome, especially newcomers to the village. Refreshments will be served.
Return to Menu
YELDEN
Correspondent - Sue Taylor
Strawberry Fayre
You may think the end of June is a long way off but it's creeping up and so, like last year, we plan to hold an Open Meeting in the Village Hall on Tuesday May 12th at 8pm. There will be a glass of wine and some nibbles and you are invited to come along with any ideas or thoughts which might help with the organisation and running of this annual village affair. Strawberry Fayre is the main fund raiser for the Restoration Fund of St Mary's Church. Hope to see you on the 12th.
Valentines Evening
A very successful dinner and dance was held in the Village Hall with a very 'live' band. Anne and Karen with some very helpful helpers provided us with a lovely three course meal before the dancing commenced. The funds will go towards the upkeep of our Village Hall. John Braga and his bus load from Dean definitely helped swell the numbers.
Yelden Chapel Service
Sunday 5th April at 11.00am
Palm Sunday Service led by Lillian Butler.
St Mary's Yelden PCC - AGM
Time again for the Annual General Meeting of the PCC. This will be held on 10th April at 7.00pm in the Committee Room of the Village Hall. All members of the village are welcome.
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PERTENHALL
Correspondent - Chloe Reid
St. Peter's Church PCC
The Annual Meeting of Parishioners of Pertenhall is to be held at 8.00pm, Wednesday 29th April in the church. All are welcome to attend.
Pertenhall Village Hall committee is running its popular Gadabout on Saturday 27th June, venues to be confirmed but it will start at the Village Hall and include a BBQ. Tickets available from Paul Sheard or the Secretary. Cost £10 per adult, under 16y £5.
Please note the date of the AGM is Wednesday 22nd April at 7.30pm, more committee members desperately needed - call or email Di if you'd like to join us.
Di. Birtwistle
Secretary.
01480 860800
pertenhall.hall@btinternet.com
Pertenhall 100 Club
| January Draw | ||
No.27 | Mrs J Strand | £20 |
No.29 | Mrs R MacKillop | £10 |
No.57 | Mrs C Honeybourne | £7 |
No.69 | Mr P Sheard | £5 |
No.82 | Mrs B F Green | £5 |
No.45 | Mrs E Saunders | £5 |
| February Draw | ||
No.75 | Mr I B Harper | £20 |
No.68 | Mrs J Vasmer | £10 |
No.63 | Mrs E Robinson | £7 |
No.54 | Mrs J Young | £5 |
No.49 | Mr R Hartop | £5 |
No.111 | Mrs P Hull | £5 |
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SWINESHEAD
Correspondent - Jenny Leishman
Would all villagers please note that from 1st February the village correspondentfor Swineshead will be Jenny Leishman of The Gables. Her contact details are in theContact Us section. Please note this is not the same address as was used in the autumn.
St Nicholas Church:
| Date | Cleaning | Flowers |
April 5th | Frances, Anne, Anne | No flowers |
April 26th | Pauline, Clarissa, Wendy | Julie |
May 10th | Dorothy, Diana, Margaret | Edna |
May 16th | Edna, Emma, Jan | Wedding |
May 24th | Pat, Jan, Jean | Jan |
Village Hall
The Sixth Bell bar will be open on Fridays 3rd April and 1st May from 8pm. Afternoon teas will be served in the hall on Thursdays 2nd, 16th and 30th April from 3pm.
Farewell
To Jo Pike of Elm Cottage who has moved to Norfolk to live near her brother and sister and their families. We hope she will enjoy her new life there.and Welcome
To Matthew and Janet Elsegood, their children Charlie and Luke and not forgetting dog Cracker, who are moving in to 2 Sandye Lane. We hope they will enjoy living in the village.
100 CLUB
March Draw Winners
Thursday 5th Teas
1st Prize £20 - Tony McManus (93) 2nd Prize £10 - Jonathan Driver (66)
3rd Prize £5 - Jan Herdan (72) 4th Prize £5 - Christine Hartwell (84)
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DEAN
Correspondent -Annette Brooks
Chapel Services
Sunday 12th April which is Easter Sunday 2.30p.m.
Sundays 26th April and 10th May at 2.30p.m.
Bulk Refuse Collection
The dates for these, which may be the last due to the changes in Borough taking over County responsibilities, are Sunday 17th May and 14th October at the usual times.
Newspapers
With several new people moving into the village it may be time to advertise the fact that the church porch is where a number of newspapers are put each day. A volunteer rota of the people who have ordered them collect from Kimbolton or the Manor Farm, Lower Dean and put them there for those who have ordered them to pick up. If you wish to have a newspaper you need to order from The Paper Shop in Kimbolton and you pay them the bill for it. Many of those who have a paper now do not have one every day and quite a number only have one at weekends, but they take a turn on the rota. Contact Gillian Aylott 01234 708174 for further information.
Around the Villages
Mothers Union On 15th April at 2.30p.m. in Pertenhall Village Hall the Rev. Paul Lanham will come and provide music on the Theme "Time for Ourselves". He has been several times before and we have always enjoyed his thoughtful choices. This is not an easy theme so we await with anticipation. You do not have to be a member of the Mothers Union to attend our meetings so why not take the opportunity and come?
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Contents this edition
Rector's Remarks
Jade Goody
Charles Darwin's Christianity
>Easter
Easter Services
Around the Villages
The Deans
Shelton
Mekchbourne
Pertenhall
Swineshead
- Yelden
Forthcoming Attractions
To find out more about any of the events detailed below, just click on the image




