Deeping St James Parish Church Magazine
Photographs of some parish events are available in our Photograph Album elsewhere on the site
To:
| Information Centre | Trades & Services | Notices |
| Diary | Groups & Societies | For Sale |
Dear Friends,
'O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
(Robert Burns)
For Mark and myself that possibility became a reality last week. As part of the Lincoln Diocese Leadership Development Programme we were asked to consider our own estimates of how we rated ourselves in particular areas as against the estimates of others we had contacted.
The results were interesting and sometimes surprising. We were asked to log them on a box called a 'Johari' window (so called after its inventors, Joseph and Harry). The box was divided into four quarters, things both known to ourselves and others, things known to others and not ourselves, things known to ourselves and not to others, and things known neither by ourselves or others.
It is a little tool that all Christians could use to benefit their spiritual lives. As people called to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and their neighbour as themselves we have high standards to aim at. Good, honest friends will give us their insights, and sometime of the time at least we will agree with them. Through self- examination at the end of the day we will have our personal input. As Christians, we would call that fourth area, not 'unknown' but 'known only by God'. Only God knows the secrets of our hearts and whether we line up with what he would have us be.
Wisely, the Church's forms of general confession take into account both sins of omission (what we have not done) as well as commission (wrong actions). If at any time you need to talk things over confidentially or to seek assurance of God's forgiveness, your clergy are happy to help.
Readings for November
To see your reading in advance without having to mark your bible pages, you can select and copy your reference and paste it into oremus Bible Browser (or type in your reference) and print out the reading. The translation used in church is the New Revised Standard Version, which is the default version on oremus.
Friday 2nd November, Commemoration of All Souls:
- 09:30: Wisdom 3: 1-9; Romans 5: 5-11; John 5: 19-25
4th November, All Saints' Day:
- Morning: Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18; Ephesians 1: 11-end; Luke 6: 20-31
- 18:00: Lamentations 3: 22-33; John 11: 32-44
11th November, 3rd Sunday before Advent, Remembrance:
- Morning: Job 19: 23-27a; 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-end; Luke 20: 27-38
- 18:00: 1 Kings 3: 1-15; Matthew 22: 15-22
18th November, 2nd Sunday before Advent:
- Morning: Malachi 4: 1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13; Luke 21: 5- 19
25th November, Christ the King:
- Morning: Jeremiah 23: 1-6; Colossians 1: 11-20; Luke 23: 33-43
Home Groups
- The Bible Study Group meets on Fridays at 10:00 at the Vicarage
- House Group: Every Wednesday, 7.30 pm at 45 Crowson Way - Everyone welcome
Priory Prayer Group
Owing to circumstances, the Priory Prayer Group has, for the time being,
ceased its regular fortnightly meetings.
We must pray to our Lord that a way will be found for it to again provide
the parish with a power house of prayer.
Bernard Babb
Notices
Christmas Tree Festival
The Church Social Committee with help from members of the Deepings Flower Club are staging a Festival of Christmas Trees in Church during the festive season. If any organisation, group or family would like to supply and decorate a tree would they please contact any member of the committee for details.
Remembering Our Loved Ones
A memorial service for
All Saints Sunday
4th November 2007
3pm at the Priory Church,
Deeping St James
Hymns, prayers and readings to commemorate the departed
Light refreshments will be
available after the service.
All are welcome
From the Flower Co-ordinators
On behalf of Christine and myself I would like to thank everyone who helped in any way to decorate the church for harvest.
Pauline Brooksbank
And I sould like to addmy thanks, too! Mark Warrick
Harvest Festival 2007
Here are the results from this year's Harvest Festival Lunch and Auction:
| From Auction | £ 175-75 |
| Donation from Margaret from the Lunch | £ 131-00 |
| Donation given to Mark (various coins) | £ 22-00 |
| Grand Total | £ 328-75 |
Well done to all, and especially the whole church's thanks to the Social Committee for the organisation and presentation of this annual event.
Parish Greetings
This year we have been asked to revive our Christmas card board. This will enable us to send good wishes to everyone at church and also welcome the many visitors who join us at Christmas. I hope you'll support this so we can have a full, festive board.
Bet Washbrooke
News from Explorers, Climbers and Scramblers
Explorers, Climbers and Scramblers have been looking at some of the Parables which Jesus told, especially those to do with being lost. They learnt that some people are lost because they don't live God's way and do things which displease him. God cares for everyone, no matter what they may have done wrong so as Jesus took the punishment for the things we do wrong all we have to do is to be really sorry and ask God to forgive us.
Explorers made up a play to show how people can move from being lost to being found. On a lighter note they went on a sheep hunt in the Church Hall (!) and decorated cup cakes to look like piglets to remind them of the lost son's menial job at one stage. Climbers and Scramblers iced lost sheep biscuits. They used white chocolate drops for their tummies and pink marshmallows for their ears. Their legs were pieces of liquorice. The biscuits reminded us that God cares for each one of us, just like the shepherd cared for all his 100 sheep in our Bible story.
Explorers (7 - 11), Climbers (5 - 7) and Scramblers (under 5) meet every Sunday morning (except during the Summer holiday period) at 9.50am in the Church Hall. They join older worshippers in Church for their blessing, final hymn and refreshments. New members are always welcome. Please contact Andrea (Climbers and Scramblers) on 344926 or Alison (Explorers) on 345890 for more details.
Brrrrrr!!!!!
Now that these chilly mornings and evenings are with us could I please ask you to spare a thought for those who live on the streets? It`s cold, wet and unfriendly out there.
The Priory Church collects food - (tins, tea, pasta, biscuits etc) which is always gratefully received by St.Theresa`s Hostel in Peterborough who run a hostel 5 days a week.
At weekends Project Hosanna comes into force - through their volunteers they feed the homeless great meals and have a clothing store where the needy can be given a change of clothes. Food and blankets are also taken by volunteers straight onto the street to find the people sleeping rough.
There is a great need for blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing (jackets, anoraks, jeans, sweaters, jumpers, gloves, hats, scarves etc). I need hardly say that these should be in a reasonable condition but if you have any spare items would you please contact Doris Warner on 01778-348110 where collection can be arranged or take them round to her at 45 Crowson Way.
Thank you - Anne
BISHOP'S LETTER
"The Soul in Repose Grows Wiser"
This classical quotation features prominently in Mark Mills' best selling novel The Savage Garden. I read it during my period of Study Leave during the summer, and so you can understand why this particular aphorism caught my eye.
In fact, although we had a good two weeks' holiday in Florence (where The Savage Garden is set, incidentally), and two weeks Retreat in West Wales, my soul was not always in repose. This precious time to simply read, reflect and write set my mind racing around issues to do with religion and faith in the world of today and tomorrow.
My working hypothesis was that there is too much religion in the world and not enough faith. This builds on Dean Swift's question: "Why is there just enough religion in the world to make us hate one another, and not enough to make us love one another?" That question has never been more relevant than it is now.
My feeling is that religion remains extremely vulnerable to being hi-jacked by interests and ideologies which are far removed from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, faith is not so much about recruiting God to serve our agendas, as about putting our agendas at the service of God.
Faith I defined as:
"A disposition of the heart and mind to entrust oneself and one's interests to the reality, reliability and benevolence of the living God".
Religion then becomes the formalising of faith in the shape of sacred texts, creeds, institutions, membership rules, codes of conduct etc. etc. All these are vital to the preservation and transmission of the Gospel, but they must only ever be the servants of faith, and must never become ends in themselves.
Anyway, thanks to the generosity of my colleagues who shouldered additional responsibilities while I was away, I have been able to produce a set of written variations on this theme which might get published somewhere, sometime. If it stimulates a debate in the Diocese, and further afield, then others will be able to judge whether or not my soul in repose did indeed grow wiser!
+ John Lincoln
COOKING WITH MARGARET
MARGARET'S VEGETABLE SOUP
By Request
- 2 Celery stalks
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Onion
- 8oz Swede
- 1 Parsnip
- 1 Potato
- 1 Leek,
- 1½ Pints stock
- 1 tbs tomato puree
- Salt & pepper to taste.
Peel and chop all the vegetables, and place in large saucepan add the stock and simmer until tender, add the puree then blend altogether with hand blender.
Season to taste.
Registers for September 2007
Will be published in the next issue. Sorry about the delay due to holidays etc.
This is only an extract from some of our magazine. Residents of Deeping St James can subscribe to the printed version.