THE BEACON
November 2006
The Parish Magazine of
All Saints’ Sedgley & St Andrew’s The Straits
50p
MARCH 2014
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ALL SAINTS’, SEDGLEY Sunday Services 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion 10.30 a.m. Parish Communion (First Sunday: All-Age Worship) 6.30 p.m. Evensong (BCP)
Weekday Services Monday 10.00 a.m. Holy Communion Wednesday 7.30 p.m. Holy Communion (1st Wednesday: Healing Service)
ST ANDREW’S, THE STRAITS Sunday Service 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion (1st Sunday: Morning Prayer)
Weekday Service Wednesday 7.00 p.m. Holy Communion
THE STRAITS CHURCH
Sunday Services 9.30 a.m. Prayer & Communion 11.00 a.m. Family Service 6.00 p.m. Evening Prayer
(When there is a fifth Sunday in the month the three churches in the Team Ministry meet for a united service at either 9.30 a.m. or 10.30 a.m. depending on the venue.)
Baptisms & Weddings
Arrangements for baptisms and weddings at All Saints’ and St Andrew’s can be made at the Vestry Hour at All Saints’, which is held on Wednesdays at 8.00 p.m. in All Saints’.
Baptisms are generally held on the fourth Sunday of the month at 4.00 p.m. at All Saints’, and on the second Sunday of the month at 3.00 p.m. at St Andrew’s. Baptisms can also take place during the Sunday morning service at All Saints’ or St Andrew’s by arrangement.
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WHO’S WHO AT ALL SAINTS’ & ST ANDREW’S
GORNAL & SEDGLEY TEAM MINISTRY
Team Rector The Revd Stephen Buckley 01902 883255 (Day off Friday) Team Vicar The Revd Andy Stand 883467 (Day off Monday) Licensed Lay Minister Jan Humphries 661275
Authorised Lay Ministers Suzanne Bradley 880055 Tracey Bate 880727 Laura Price 678572 PCC Secretary Chris Williams 672880 ALL SAINTS’
Parish Wardens Rob Lavender 661325 Derrick Turner 895066 DCC Secretary Pam Hunt 670787 Treasurer Derrick Turner 895066 Electoral Roll Liz Williams 672880 Organist Martin Platts Bell Ringers Keith Williams 672585 Servers Len Millard 676339
Junior Church Barbara Price 676591 Youth Group Laura Price 678572 Noah’s Ark Parent & Toddler Group Linda Edwards 672556 Hall Bookings Linda Watkins 678830 Hall Caretaker Joan Moon 682902 Social Club John Dillworth 670156 Magazine Editor Christine Buckley 883255 Distribution Rob Lavender 661325 Advertising “ “
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Mothers’ Union Liz Williams 01902 672880 Ladies’ Society Geraldine Baker 674608 Men’s Society Roger Berry 881374
Uniformed Organisations Rainbows Liz Naylor 885517 Brownies Heather Churm 674709
ST ANDREW’S Church Warden Jan Humphries 661275 DCC Secretary Rosemary Reed Treasurer Gordon Betteley 882777
Little Angels Mums & Toddlers Jan Humphries 661275 THE STRAITS COMMUNITY CHURCH Pastor Tony Guy 473270
PARISH WEBSITE: www.gornalandsedgley.org.uk
CHURCH REGISTERS
BAPTISMS All Saints’ 23 Feb Ethan George Bytheway “ Elsa Ren Greta Sullivan Samuel Connor Fereday
St Andrew’s 9 Feb Louis Victor Thomas Periner-McLean “ Thomas Andrew Smart
PARISH FUNERALS 29 Jan Olive Fisher 5 Feb Hazel Dorothy Williams, aged 82 “ George Brian Jones, aged 68 “ Walter Williams, aged 77 12 Feb Violet Astbury, aged 91
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MAGAZINE MATERIAL
Articles for the April magazine should be sent to the Vicarage by Sunday 23rd March. These may be sent by e-mail to [emailprotected]
MARCH MAGAZINE
Our apologies for the late arrival of the March magazine. This was due to a
computer problem which took some while to correct. This means that some
information in the magazine will be out of date. Once again, our apologies.
THE BEACON
If you are interested in having the magazine delivered to your home on a regular basis please contact Rob Lavender: tel. 01902 661325. The Beacon is
published ten times a year and the cost for the year is £5.
CHURCH OPENING
Friday mornings from
10.30am to 12.30pm
The church is open for quiet prayer
& coffee and a chat.
We will be pleased to see you.
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BISHOP JOHN’S LENT MESSAGE Bishop John recorded this message from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
during his recent visit to the Holy Land.
What comes home to me when I come to Jerusalem, amongst all the other
emotions that it evokes, is that our faith is an historical faith, a geographical faith. It’s rooted in time and in history. It’s rooted in the events of Jesus’ birth and life and
death and resurrection: Jesus Christ – crucified, risen and ascended. We believe in
what is sometimes called the scandal of particularity. That Jesus chose this time and this place in order to become human and to die for our sins. The logical conclusion
of that though, is that there is an extension to us, to our time and our place in the
Diocese of Worcester. What happened in the Holy Land 2000 years ago is just as meaningful to us, in our time and in our place as it was when it happened. The
death of Jesus, very near to where I am sat, avails for you and for me. Because of the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, we are able to be an Easter people
whose song is Alleluia, who can be set free to praise the Lord.
Downstairs at the moment, worship is taking place in the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre. People are meeting the risen Lord Jesus and as they do so, they are
empowered to become what Jesus wanted in his earthly living ministry to proclaim – Kingdom People. Jesus went about proclaiming the Kingdom.
That’s our vocation in the here and now, in the Diocese of Worcester and
beyond. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are given a new power, the power of the risen Christ; the power of love, which is stronger than death;
the power of the Holy Spirit working within us; enabling us to be set free to
worship Him, to love Him and to love one another. Working for those Kingdom values of love, compassion, justice and freedom.
Those Kingdom values which Jesus espoused in his teaching – for which he lived, for which he died and for which he rose again. So as I’m here in the
Holy Land with pilgrims from the Diocese, reflecting on the fact that ours is an
historical faith, a geographical faith, rooted in time and history and pondering on the way in which it impacts on our lives in the here and now; my prayer for
you and for me is that the death and resurrection of Jesus into which we enter
this Easter, would impact in a new way in your life, would reach into your being, would touch you deeply and would set you free so that you and I and all
our brothers and sisters in Christ, would be able to fulfil our vocation to
become Kingdom People, proclaiming by word and deed – love, compassion, justice and freedom. Proclaiming it and living it out so that the Kingdom may
go forward, Jesus may reign and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. God bless you during this Lent and Eastertide.
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AGM’S
Being a Team Ministry we are blessed with a plethora of Annual General Meetings.
The dates of which are as follows:
St Andrew’s District Church AGM Sunday 23rd March - 10.45am
All Saints’ District Church AGM Sunday 23rd March - 12.00 noon
(Please note this a week later than originally arranged)
Annual Parochial AGM at St Peter’s Sunday 6th April - 12.00 noon (Following a Team Service)
Please note that Deanery Synod elections are held this year, and we are entitled
to 5 members from across the parish; 2 from All Saints’, 2 from St Peter’s and
one from St Andrew’s.
YOGA
IN THE CHURCH HALL
On
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
1.30 – 2.30
FOR DETAILS PHONE
KAY 01902 566933 Or
LINDA 01902 678830
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MOTHERS’ UNION
The Revd Sue Oliver led us in Iona worship at our afternoon meeting in
February, before speaking to us about her pilgrimage to Iona. On hearing there were two spaces on a pilgrimage to Iona, organised by Revd Susan Renshaw,
Sue and her Mum decided to sign up.
A small island in the Inner Hebrides, Iona is renowned for its tranquillity and
natural beauty. It was here, in 563, that St Columba, an Irish monk, established
the island as a place from where the gospel would be proclaimed. In the 1930s the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community committed to seeking
new ways of living the Gospel of Christ in today’s world, was founded. Sue
told us of their stay in the Abbey, a beautiful monastic stone and slate building, and how through talking, praying and worshipping together they experienced
the feeling of being in a place which had been the focus of Christian faith and
devotion for nearly 1500 years.
Continuing the theme of ‘pilgrimage’ we were pleased to welcome Stephen to
our evening meeting to tell us about the pilgrimage he undertook, with three of his friends, to the shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. They
chose the 150 mile walk from Porto, in Portugal, a route which was predominantly
rural with field after field of sweetcorn with vines growing around the edges. They crossed many medieval bridges usually walking about 10 miles a day,
part of the route being along Roman Road No. 19. Stephen told us that what
stood out for him was the generosity of the people they met along the way.
Everywhere they went they were given wonderful meals and accommodation at
very reasonable prices. In most cases you simply paid what you could afford. On one occasion their evening meal ended with people singing songs from their
various countries – needless to say having gone with friends from Yorkshire our
pilgrims gave a rendition of ‘On Illkley Moor Baht ‘At’!
On arriving at Santiago de Compostela our intrepid pilgrims joined in a
service at the cathedral where the reliquary with the remains of St James are said to rest, and where they were mesmerised by the giant thurible that swung
from the roof at the end of Mass. Stephen was able to celebrate communion in
a side chapel in the Cathedral for his fellow walkers the following day. Peregrinos (pilgrims) have a ‘passport’ which is stamped at points along the
way and which is necessary to get their Compostela, a certificate which
confirms they have completed their Camino (pilgrimage).
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We saw the proud pilgrims with their certificates outside the cathedral and were pleased to hear that they managed to be in the first ten Caminos who were given a
free ‘Pilgrim’s Breakfast’! Before leaving they visited the ‘Bronze Boot’ on the
hillside above the city, where many burn their boots having completed their pilgrimage. Stephen and his friends raised £3000 for Embrace the Middle East. A
wonderful experience and a great achievement – well done Stephen.
Our Lent Project this year is as in previous years to provide items for the
Women’s Refuge. Lists of the items needed are on the Mothers’ Union notice
board and there will be a box in the narthex in which to place items during Lent. The Coffee Morning and Collection has yet to be confirmed.
Dates
4th March 2.30pm Lent Reflection, Revd. Canon Stephen Buckley
17th March 10.00am Corporate Communion
18th March 7.30pm Life and Culture of Morocco, Anne Ridge
Liz Williams
LADIES’ SOCIETY
Bring and Buy Sale
There is not a lot to say about a Bring and Buy, but here goes! We had a very
varied selection of sale items and in between looking at the items on offer and trying to decide what to buy, we were able to have a really good chat to our
friends. The evening was greatly enhanced by enjoying a glass of wine and a
slice (or two?) of gorgeous cake. These were provided by Margaret Hollis to help her celebrate her Special Birthday. Thank you, Margaret, on behalf of all
of us. Geraldine was happy to announce that we had raised a total of £89.00
from our sale.
Our next meeting will be on March 3rd when we will have as our speaker a
well known figure around Sedgley, Martin Jones. Martin will be giving a talk on local history, which I’m sure will be very interesting.
Just a reminder for anyone going to see “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in May, Barbara will be collecting the money for tickets. There will also be a collection for
Stephen’s charity, so please come prepared. I hope to see you all on March 3rd.
Molly Taft
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MARTIN PLATTS Martin has recently taken up the post of Director of Music at All Saints’, and
writes to introduce himself.
I have lived in Rowley Regis all my life, and was educated in local schools.
Later I went on to read Music and Education at the then Birmingham Polytechnic,
and was awarded my B.Ed. in1990. In my professional life I have practised as a piano teacher and a music adult education tutor, working with adults from
2004 originally at Dormston School, but now at Thorns Community College.
One notable position I held for 10 years was music teacher at Sutton Coldfield Girls Grammar School, where I not only taught music but was also Director of
the school choir,
Music has always been important to me, and I started learning the Violin at the
age of 7 and was a member of various orchestras including Warley and Sandwell
Youth Orchestras. My interest in church music came through being a chorister at St Andrew’s Parish Church, Netherton, in the 1970’s.
My first Organ teacher was Geoffrey Evans at St Thomas’s Stourbridge, from whom I learnt not only how to play pieces but to accompany hymns; Geoffrey
was a fantastic mentor. I also studied with David Bruce Payne at St Augustine’s,
Edgbaston from whom I learnt how to experiment with different organ stops, and explore all musical possibilities.
I was appointed Organist and Choirmaster at St Mary’s, Kingswinford in 1981, and have since served in a number of churches. My previous post, before coming
to All Saints was at St Giles, Rowley Regis, where I played from 2004 to
2014. At St Giles as well as playing for services I worked with junior/youth groups and instrumentalists in the congregation.
Martin Platts
CHILDREN’S SOCIETY COLLECTION BOXES
Thanks to all those who have been filling their Children’s Society collection
boxes throughout the year; I now need to collect them from you. It would be
helpful if you were able to bring them to church, but if this is not possible please contact me and I will call to collect your box from you.
Kath Apperley
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INTERCESSIONS FOR MARCH
1st David, bishop & patron of Wales
2nd Bishop John
3rd Junior Church
4th The Food Bank
5th Ash Wednesday
6th Community of the Resurrection
7th Our Youth Group
8th Edward King, bishop
9th Gornal & Sedgley Team
10th The Homeless
11th Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, priest & poet
12th Noah’s Ark
13th Displaced people
14th Canon Graham Usher, bishop elect of Dudley
15th The Homeless
16th Kingswinford Deanery
17th Patrick, bishop & patron of Ireland
18th Cyril bishop teacher of the faith
19th Joseph of Nazareth
20th Cuthbert bishop & missionary
21st Thomas Cranmer, archbishop, Reformation martyr
22nd Peace in the Middle East
23rd Archdeacon Nikki
24th Oscar Romero, archbishop & martyr
25th Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary
26th Open the Book team
27th Little Angels
28th World Poverty
29th The persecuted church
30th Mothering Sunday
31st John Donne, priest & poet
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R T KNIGHT OPTICIANS
Independent, Professional Eye care
Contact Lens Centre Glaucoma Screening
8 Dudley Street Sedgley Dudley
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Tel. 01902 883260
HADEN NEWSAGENTS
35 Dudley Street Sedgley
Tel. 01902 674200
Newspapers, Confection-ary,
Magazines, Tobacco,
Stationery, Greeting Cards,
Payzone/Mobile Top Up
Gas/Electricity payments
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS MAGAZINE CONTACT ALL SAINTS’ VICARAGE
Tel 01902 883255 E mail: [emailprotected]
Rates for 12 months
Quarter page £25 Half page £40 Full page £70
The magazine is distributed to 350 households in the
Sedgley area
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Sarah Powell Foot Health Practitioner RGN Dip, CFHP, MPSP (FHP)
Friendly Home visiting services in this area
Foot health check
Nails trimmed
Corns and calluses treated
Problem nails treated
Foot massage to finish
After-care advice given
Discount given for initial treatment
For more information or to make an Appointment please ‘phone 01902 671824
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FOR A GREAT DEAL CONSULT
INSURANCE SERVICES (MIDLANDS) LTD
BILSTON ST, SEDGLEY
For low cost motor insurance Household insurance Personal accident &
travel insurance
Payment by instalments available Written details on request For a free quotation call:
01902 880044
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07837 767344
01902 881361
[emailprotected]
Block Booking Discounts Pass plus Tuition
Free Theory Test Guidance First Lesson: 2 hours for price of 1
ANGELINA’S CLEANERS
Regular or Occasional Cleaners
Reliable, local family run domestic cleaning service for
Coseley, Gornal, Sedgley & Tipton
CRB Checked Fully Insured
References Available
Tel. Maria on
01902 409384
Or
07969 079531
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JENNY’S
KITCHEN
Speciality Caterers
Evening & lunchtime
catering to suit
all occasions
Full waitress service
(Ask for details)
Tel: 01384 400733
www.jennyskitchen.co.uk
Dental
Surgery
Stephen L Rees B.D.S. U. Birm MFGDP (UK)
Tel:
01902 670080
The Surgery
Sedgley Hall Avenue
Sedgley
Dudley
DY3 3TA
Taylors
Independent Estate
Agents & Valuers
For a friendly &
personal service
2A Dudley Street
Sedgley
Dudley
West Midlands DY3 1SB
Tel. 01902 880888
Fax 01902 665075
www. Taylors– estateagents.co.uk
Sandyfields Home improvements
Andy Barnfield
Painting & Decorating
Flooring & Fencing
Jet Washing & Gardening
45 Sandyfields Road Sedgley Dudley
West Midlands DY3 3LB
Tel: 01902 884807 Mob: 07852 435060
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Painting & Decorating Services
Papering - Painting
Property Maintenance
Houses - Shops - Offices
Residential & Commercial
Member of Dudley Age Concern Fix a Home Scheme
Worth Sides
Turf Specialist Quality Lawn Maintenance
Mowing & Edging Turf Installation
Hedge Trimming Light Hauling
Wood Chip Mulching
Pressure Washing
Mobile 07816 250387 Home 01902 881206
Phil Orton
For an estimate:
Tel: 01902 894830 Mob: 07974 281894
P & C ELECTRICAL &
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From changing a Light Fitting to a Consumer Board
From a Dripping Tap to a complete Bathroom Suite
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Call Phil: 01902 673 419 Mob. 07836 770135
Alderbrook Close, Sedgley
HARTILLS OF SEDGLEY MONUMENTAL MASONS
(BRAMM REGISTERED)
MEMORIALS OF DISTINCTION
New Memorials Additional Inscriptions
Renovations
Unit 1D High Street, Sedgley
DY3 1RP
Tel/Fax 01902 882466
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G L S ALARMS SECURITY SYSTEMS SPECIALISTS
Intruder Alarms, Maintenance Contracts
Repairs & Upgrades, Annual Service
Existing systems maintained & repaired
Est. 15 years - Insurance Approved
sahib registered installer
68 Longmeadow Drive, Sedgley DY3 3QR
Tel: 01902 883188
The Shaggy Dog Pet Grooming Centre for Dogs and Cats
For busy people we take bookings for Bank Holidays and Sundays
17 Bilston St, Sedgley DY3 1JA
Tel: 01902 661377
Evenings: 01902 677869
(As recommended by Maisie, the Vicarage Dog)
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L A J LOCKSMITH
For all your household needs Replacement locks/keys
Lockouts, Servicing Repairs & security upgrades
Motorcycle security, chains & padlocks Friendly service
(Don’t forget to add the tel. no. to your mobile, you never know when you might need to use it!!)
Tel: 07905882148 E-mail: [emailprotected]
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RUSSELLS REMOVALS
House & Office Removals Fully Insured
Clearances & Storage Free Estimates
13 Robert Street Lower Gornal
Dudley DY3 2AZ
Tel. 01902 680081
SWEET TRADITIONS DUDLEY STREET
SEDGLEY
Old Fashioned & Traditional Sweets
Pick and Mix Gifts and More
Children’s Party Bags
Tel: Sedgley 07906 653937 [emailprotected]
Has Gareth Malone inspired you to sing?
Then come and join us!
We are
Coseley Male Voice Choir
And we want more men to join us. Tenors particularly welcome.
We practise on Monday evenings approximately 1 mile from Sedgley. If you are interested
please urgently call Gordon on 01902 658402.
We are also taking Concert Bookings for 2013 and if you would like the Choir to perform for you please speak to Sheila on 0121 520 0739.
mailto:[emailprotected]
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SEDGLEY POWERWASH SERVICES
PROFESSIONAL DRIVEWAY &
PATIO CLEANING SERVICE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES
SKYVAC A CAMERA GUIDED GUTTER CLEANING VACUUM
Prices start from £20
Call for a free no obligation quote Contact Pete on 07791 241952
www.sedgleypowerwash.co.uk email: pete–[emailprotected]
ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH HALL
The hall is available for hire by groups on a weekly basis, or for one-off events.
(No private parties)
For further information please contact:
Linda Watkins Tel. 01902 678830
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FROM THE ARCHDEACON OF DUDLEY
My introduction to the Diocese of Worcester and the Archdeaconry of Dudley has been a very watery one. As I have met with diocesan staff to find out how
their roles interact with mine, the views through their windows in the Old Pal-
ace offices have been ones of vast expanses of water stretching across to the Malverns. As I have driven from one church to another, detours to avoid roads
and bridges closed by floods have featured often. I have learned that life in the
country means permanently having a dirty car and that wellies in the boot are a must-have item!
The floods across our area, and in other parts of the country even more so, have been devastating for many, though thankfully held back by new defences along
much of the Severn this time. Water in vast quantities in the wrong place can be powerful and destructive, it permeates everything, flows everywhere there is
space, gets in through the cracks, over and under many barriers. Yet we know
too that water is vital for life. In countries ravaged by drought, the rains are longed for, every drop of clean water is regarded as a precious gift.
It may be hard for us to imagine intense heat and desperate thirst, surrounded as we are by our flooded countryside and with clean water readily on tap, but
that is the experience of many, and one with which many can therefore connect
when King David draws a spiritual parallel with his need for God in Psalm 63: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being
longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
God’s presence is as life giving water to the soul, as crucial for our spiritual
health as water is for our bodies. The Bible teaches us that through the Holy
Spirit we can experience God’s refreshing presence in abundance. In John’s gospel Jesus talks about the water of life: “On the last and greatest day of the
festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come
to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those
who believed in him were later to receive. (John 7:37-39)
As healthy kingdom people who are deeply rooted in prayer and being renewed
and transformed by regular worship, we are constantly filled with the Spirit, in
order that the Holy Spirit might flow from us into our communities. How wonderful it would be if the life and hope of the gospel, its values of love, compassion,
justice and freedom, flowed from our churches into our communities with the same
persistent permeation that flood water exhibits.
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What an impact for good will be made if God’s love seeps through every crevice and crack as his people serve those around them. And what good news stories there will be to share if
barriers are consistently broken down by acts of loving kindness in God’s name. I pray that
my Worcester experiences will continue to be watery as I explore the diocese, but in the spiritual realms rather than the physical ones, as I see God’s life-giving
presence flowing from the people of our churches into our neighbourhoods.
Nikki Groarke
THANK YOU
I would like to thank you all for the very generous gift presented to me on the occasion of my farewell as Organist at All Saints’.
I have spent twenty five very happy years in Sedgley and have made many
friends and I will miss you all but the time was right for my departure, but we will keep in touch and you are always welcome to visit us at St John’s on the
4th Sunday of the month for choral evensong. We are beginning to settle in at
Halesowen and looking forward to the challenge ahead. Glenise and I send you our love and best wishes.
Mel Jones
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AROUND THE PARISH
A belated happy birthday to Barbara Price who celebrated on Friday 31st January. Everyone who called in at church on that day for coffee enjoyed the
bonus of a slice of cake from Barbara; a lovely surprise.
Also happy birthday to Des who celebrated his birthday on 6th February, and
to Mary Davenport, exact date not known though.
Get well wishes to Pam Garrington who at the time of writing is in hospital.
Also please remember in your prayers Val Trinder, Derrick Turner and Hazel,
mother of Becky Hill.
Sad news. Liz William’s Godfather died on Saturday 15th February; he was 90 years. We send our condolences to Liz, Chris and Jonathan as well as to members
of his family. We hope in the fullness of time happy memories will ease the
sadness they are now feeling.
Noah’s Ark Mothers & Toddlers. Three more children have joined; Elizabeth
and Emma who are twins, and Ollie. Jennie tells me they are now full and have a waiting list. A new Play Kitchen has been purchased and lots of other smaller
items for the children to paint or decorate. Soon it will be Mothering Sunday,
or in the case of Noah’s Ark Mothering Tuesday because that day is set aside for the children to make something special. Plans are well ahead so watch this
space in next months magazine.
A brand new cooker has been provided for the hall kitchen along with new pots
and pans. It certainly is a big improvement. Our thanks to Linda Watkins, who
obtained a grant from the Council to pay for the pcooker and to Noah’s Ark for their contribution towards the overall costs of new equipment.
Dorothy Inett
KINDLE
As the 30th March is a 5th Sunday there will be a Kindle Service at 6.30 pm at
All Saints’. Although Kindle was devised as a Youth servcie it has in fact
attracted people from a wide age range, so if you’ve not been before do come along and experience an alternative form of evening worship.
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BARN DANCE
WITH
FOLK AND A JOKE
featuring
THE
EVE EVANS EXPERIENCE
Sat May 10th 2014 in the Church Hall
7.30pm to 11.00pm
Fish & Chip Supper included
and Bar available
Tickets £7
Available from:
Roger Berry 01902 881374 or
John Howe 01902 678576
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JUST THOUGHTS
Plant a seed of friendship; reap a bouquet of happiness.
A friend is one who knows you for what you are, and understands where you
have been, yet still accepts what you can be, gently allowing you to grow.
We are all, at times, travellers in the wilderness, the best we can do for ourselves,
is to ensure we have a friend with whom we can share our travels.
Few delights can equal the mere presence of someone we utterly trust.
A loyal friend laugh’s at your jokes when they are not so good, and sympathises
with your problems when they are not so bad.
One of the blessing of an old friend that you knew in your youth is that you can
still afford to act in a totally stupid way with them.
The best friend you can have, is the type that you can sit with on the porch and swing
away in quietness till your hearts content, without never saying a word, and then as
they walk away you feel like it was the best conversation you have ever had.
Count your age with the number of your friends, not with the number of years.
A best friend is the brother or sister that destiny forgot to provide you with.
A brother or sister is not always a friend, but a friend is always a brother or sister.
Friendship will double your joy and divide your grief.
What ever the problem you’ll get by with a little help from your friends.
The bird a nest, the spider a web, the human begin a friend.
The loneliest person in the world is the one without a truly close friend.
It maybe possible to live without religion or meditation however it would be near impossible to survive without human affection.
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the nicest things you can be.
If you have just one true friend maybe you have more than your share.
Nothing is worth more than the winning of the love and laughter of friends.
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Friends should be the sunshine of your life.
Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts, and as a result are souls are never the same again.
What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
The ornaments of a house are the friends who frequent it.
You have a hand, a stranger has another, put them together and you may gain a
friend forever.
A friend is someone who reaches out for your hand and touches your heart.
A friendship can be born from the moment one person says to another; “What
you too? I thought I was the only one.”
Remember- no person is a failure to their friends.
Best friends are like diamonds precious and rare, false friends are like leaves
that in autumn can be found scattered everywhere.
Wherever you may be it’s your friends that make your world.
A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg, even if they know that
you are slightly cracked.
Compiled by David Melhuish
MAKE A MOTHER’S DAY
The Mothers’ Union are promoting ‘Make a Mothers’ Day’ again this year. The
project raises funds for MU work caring for families worldwide. This will be
the church ‘Charity of the Month’ during March and on Mothering Sunday. Further information about this can be found on the Charity of the Month board
at the back of church.
LENT GROUPS
This year we shall be following the York Course “Build On The Rock”. Both
We have two groups, and both will meet on Mondays. One at 2.30 pm in All
Saints’ social club, and the other at 7.30 pm at 72, The Straits.
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SYNOD APPROVES NEXT STEPS ON WOMEN BISHOPS
In February the General Synod voted to pave the way for the legislative process to enable Women to become Bishops to be completed this year. In a
series of interrelated legislative and procedural items the Synod held four
debates dealing with differing aspects relating to women in the episcopate. The first synod discussion related to the House of Bishops draft Declaration and Disputes
Resolution Procedure regulations - GS 1932. Both the proposed declaration and
accompanying regulations were drawn up by the House of Bishops at the invitation of the last meeting of the Synod.
The debate was opened by the Rt. Revd. James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, Chair of the Steering Committee, who moved “That this Synod welcomes the draft
House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests and the draft Resolution of Disputes Procedures Regulations as set out in GS 1932”. The motion
was passed by the Synod.
The legislation is currently out in the dioceses for approval. Provided a
majority approve it by the 22nd May deadline the General Synod will be able
to hold the final approval debate in July, less than 20 months after the failure of the earlier legislation to secure the necessary two-thirds majorities in
November 2012. If passed the legislation would then go to Parliament for
approval and could be in force before the end of the year.
A CRAFTSMAN’S ART
All Saints’ windows were recently given the once-over by Roy Albutt, an
expert who specializes in nineteenth and twentieth-century stained glass
produced by West Midlands studios. I’d met Roy when he came to see and photograph the window in the Lady Chapel at St Margaret’s, Hasbury, where
we were before coming to Sedgley. This was a late – possibly the last – work
by A. J. Davies, a leading member of the Bromsgrove Guild of artists, installed in about 1950. Roy also noticed an almost invisible signature showing that the
east window at St Margaret’s was by another Guild artist, A. E. Lemmon.
Many of the Guild were trained at the Birmingham School of Art, and influenced
by the Arts and Crafts movement there. Roy’s book on stained glass by the
Guild in the Bromsgrove area was published in 2002, a second on the work of A. J. Davies in 2005, and another on A. E. Lemmon in 2008. He has developed
his interest in the work of other stained glass creators, especially those linked
to Arts and Crafts, and in other aspects of the Guild’s output.
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While I was aware that none of our glass has a direct link to the Bromsgrove Guild, I thought some, at least, might be of interest to Roy, and I wanted – quite honestly –
to pick his brains about the windows whose designers remained unidentified, so I
invited him to visit. He spent the best part of a morning taking photographs for his extensive records.
It often takes someone from outside to see things that pass us by, because we take them for granted, and sure enough Roy spotted the signature ‘D. Brooke’
in the right-hand corner of the east window, at its foot, above ‘Weirs Glass’.
Roy knew of a designer called Donald Brooke (1900–81), who lived and worked at Long Compton, just north of the Warwickshire–Oxfordshire border.
A check of Roy’s records on his return home showed that this Brooke was
indeed responsible for the c.1970 figures of the Apostles that replaced the main lights of the east window, imported from Germany in the 1830s. Brooke trained
at the Birmingham School of Art; he often had designs made up by Weirs
Glass, which at the time was based in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
Another snippet provided by Roy was that our Rosemary Rutherford window was
made by Lowndes and Drury of London. It was interesting that the company had been co-founded, in 1897, by another woman artist, Mary Lowndes, although it
was being run in the 1970s by Victor Drury, son of the other co-founder.
I realized after Roy had left that I’d forgotten to mention the window now in the
clergy vestry, which at the time was the baptistery. Luckily, he knew it from
drawings in Lichfield diocesan records, and was able to say that it was designed and made by Hardmans, the well known firm based until quite recently at Lightwoods
Park, beside the A456 at Bearwood on the Birmingham–Sandwell boundary. The window’s title is given as the Holy Grail.
When Roy had found the 1920 Faculty for that window in Lichfield archives, some years ago, he noted that it also covered the installation of the bronze
plaque commemorating Thomas William Underhill. There, the plaque is said to
be the work of the Bromsgrove Guild; at last, Sedgley turns out to have an item from a Guild studio.
Roy’s initial interest in the window at St Margaret’s, and his infectious enthusiasm for designers and makers of glass, have ultimately led to further rediscoveries about
features in All Saints’ that I, for one, find interesting. They show that memorial
commissions were often placed with the best-regarded designers and firms in this area, and sometimes beyond it.
Christine Buckley
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DIARY DATES: MARCH
Sunday and weekday services at All Saints’, St Andrew’s and The Straits Community Church are advertised on page 2 of this magazine. Any alteration
to this pattern is shown below.
All Saints’
Mon 3rd March 7.30 pm Ladies’ Society meets in the church hall
Tues 5th March 2.30 pm MU meets in the church hall Mon 10th March 7.45 pm Men’s Society meets in the social club
Tues 18th March 7.30 pm MU meets in church
Sun 23rd March 12.00 noon All Saints’ AGM Tues 25th March 7.30 pm Baptism meeting in the social club
‘Noah’s Ark’ Mums & Toddlers meets in the hall on Tuesdays at 9.30 am in
term time.
St Andrew’s
Mon 3rd March 7.30 pm DCC meets in the church hall
Sun 23rd March 10.45 am St Andrew’s AGM
‘Little Angels’ Mums & Toddlers meets in the hall each Monday at 9.30 am in
term time.
St Andrew’s ‘Silver Threads’ (over 60s) meet each Wednesday from 10.30 am to
12.30 pm in the church hall.
Lent Study Groups - “Build On The Rock”
Our two Lent Groups will meet weekly on Mondays. Group 1 at 2.30 pm in All Saints’ social club and Group 2 at 7.30 pm at 72 The Straits. The meeting dates
are; Monday 10th, 17th, 24th March, and the 7th and 14th April
Parish & Deanery Meetings/Services
Tues 18th March 7.30 pm PCC meets in All Saints’ social club
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