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Newsletter No 71 May 2001 Please select from the list below:
Dear Friends,I'm sure that like me you are looking forward to the summer. I wonder what sort of summer it will be. Surely there will be some better weather soon, and that like me you will be looking forward to a time when all the footpaths are open, (maybe they will be by the time you read this) and the mud will have become baked and hard and we will be able to go and find the first orchids or cowslips or whatever . Its very difficult to imagine just as the moment for once again I look out on a grey scene; a grey sky, grey trees on the horizon and even my apple trees are still grey to brown. (I have lichen on my apple trees and a friend told me that that is a sign of clean air , so grey it might be but clean it is.) I trust you all had a good Easter and I wonder what your memories are? If you are church people no doubt you were in church somewhere on Easter Day, and will have welcomed the blaze of colour after the austerity of Lent. Maybe you visited a church when you were on holiday. Maybe you were one of the many who received communion at hospital or at home, or maybe you are one of the people who likes to come to church occasionally and Easter is one of those occasions. I wonder how many of you were aware of the different processions and outside activities that went on over the Easter period. Those in Ramsden could not fail to have seen and heard the hundred people who made up the procession on Palm Sunday. I hope there were some in Finstock who looked out of their windows on a very grey cold Good Friday and witnessed a
Bur what of Easter? Easter is about the most important event in history, for Christians believe that because of Easter we no longer have to fear death; we have a future , all of us; life doesn't stop. There is an existence beyond the grave, and whatever we have done whether a mildly bad deed or an extremely bad deed, no matter, we can all be forgiven. Therefore it is a time of celebration. Just as in Latin America when there are so many processions and all the people join in and there is feasting and dancing so it could be with us; but we have an English temperament and so we find it more difficult. There were party poppers on Easter Day in Finstock church however, and at Leafield church there was a wonderful service with loud music to welcome the day, and at Ramsden all those people with all their banners and wavers couldn't fail to be noticed. There's something special about taking part in a procession and there's something very special about belonging, being part of the group, the community'
'Next year if you want to know what its all about, come and join us. Come and see whether it is worth staying at home during the Easter weekend; turn the bank holiday into a holy day or two and celebrate, and then you needn't worry about filling up the empty skip outside your house or painting the bathroom yet again. They will wait, but you only pass this way once. Have a good summer. Jane Knowles Footnote: Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. (Oscar Wilde)
Bach Purcell and VivaldiThere will be an instrumental concert of music by Bach, Purcell and Vivaldi, given by La Confrerie de St Julien. This group of players is well known throughout Berkshire, and this is an opportunity not to be missed. Leafield Church
The Church DiaryInformal Praise & Worship serviceSunday 29th April 6 pm at Leafield Church. For the young and young-at-heart - musicians bring your instruments.
Benefice House Group & Bible StudyWeds May 9th 8 pm. 24 Witney Lane, Leafield. Poppy's WalkSaturday May 19th, watch for announcement on timing and route. PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY
TRAIDCRAFT Sales in MaySat May 5th Leafield Church 10 am - 12 noon Sat May 12th Ramsden Church 10 am - 12 noon Weds May 16th Finstock Church 3 - 4.30 pm MUSICIANS ...Are you interested in contemporary Christian music, can you play keyboard or guitar? If so, Ruth Sims would be pleased to talk to you (200586). Finstock Annual Plant and Book SaleSaturday May 19th
Mobile Library TimetableAlternate Tuesdays at Finstock outside school 9.55 - 10.30 (new time table) May 8, 22; June 5, 19 Alternate Tuesdays at Ramsden War Memorial 9.30 - 9.45 (new time table) May 8, 22; June 5, 19 Alternate Fridays at Leafield, The Green, 10.20 - 10.50, May 1, 11, 25; June 1, 15, 29
Advance NoticesRamsden Fete and Dog ShowSaturday 9 June 2 pm Middle Farm, Ramsden Lots for all the family: including a water slide, Tug of War, bouncy castle, plants, books, cake stall and, of course, dog show. Don't miss this very popular village occasion. All proceeds to the Church. Leafield Village FeteSaturday June 30th, Village Green, Leafield at 2pm. Volunteers needed to help with organisation.
From the RegistersBaptismsPhilippa Bethan Watkins: Ramsden29th April We welcome Philippa into the church family and pray that she will faithfully follow in the footsteps of our Lord. Weddings Edmund Robert Juszczak and Karen Ann
MacInnes: Finstock: 21st April. FuneralsRonald Webb: Leafield: Leafield: 22nd March. Derek Pratley: Leafield : 26th March George Edgington: Finstock: 6th April We commend Ronald, Derek and George to God's merciful care, giving thanks for their lives . We pray that God will comfort those who mourn.
Youth Alpha AnticsIt was a dark and stormy night when the Youth Alpha Group set out to raise money for Comic Relief in the pouring rain!
Everybody was cheery even though the weather wasn't. The Youth Alpha Group took a blow at Poverty and split into two groups and went opposite ways, one to Ramsden and the other to Finstock. We went round and said things like this: Mozambique is the poorest country in the world; average life expectancy is only 47 years . Floods have once again damaged crops and homes. The Alpha Group raised £120
Pants to Poverty.Adam Sambrook Thank you to all those who worked so hard over the Easter period to make the Churches look and sound so beautiful .JFK
Stop Press Important Announcement. There will be an instrumental concert of music by Bach, Purcell and Vivaldi, given by La Confrerie de St Julien on Sunday may 6th at 7pm. Tickets at the door £6 (concessions £3) . This group of players is well known throughout Berkshire, and this is an opportunity not to be missed.
OFF OUR TROLLEYS!Shopping with a differenceAs 'consumers¹ we pride ourselves on getting the most for the least. We seldom take thought for the consequences of our choice in terms of child labour, human rights abuses, destitution, malnutrition and disease. We go for the 'best price¹ around and admire the firm that provides it. So we pride ourselves on buying cheap clothes, cheap bananas, cheap shoes, cheap coffee, cheap tea. The people who suffer do not always live overseas either: it has taken BSE and foot and mouth disease to make us realise how we drive our own farmers to poverty, despair and suicide in our pursuit of cheaper food (so we can spend more on satellite TV, cars, booze, overseas holidays and the rest). So the organisation Traidcraft spells its name the way it does in order to make a point. Founded 21 years ago by Christians who wanted to fight poverty through trade, the company has shown that trade need not be the source of exploitation, inequality and poverty it so commonly is. It can be beneficial to both parties to the deal: 'fair trade¹ (which has nothing in common with 'free trade¹) is something we can all engage in, and we don¹t even need a government or a charity to do it all for us. Traidcraft, and others like them, have shown that Christian principles really can be applied to trade. Those Christians who stand up and cry foul are unusual even within the church community. I talked to Stella Marks, a stalwart of the Ramsden congregation, who has been a Traidcraft supporter locally for some years. I won¹t embarrass you by mentioning how few people locally buy their fairly traded tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, nuts, honey and biscuits from her. Yet by buying fairly traded food (or clothes, toys, t-shirts, bed linen, jewellery or whatever) you can ensure that the money you spend goes to enhance the living standards of the makers and producers, often providing education and health facilities and giving advice and assistance with marketing. You can¹t buy everything you need from fair trade suppliers. But the variety and choice are growing. Traidcraft offers a remarkable range, including a growing number of organic items, and Stella has arranged three special events locally for May (see the notice on this page) so you can see and buy for yourself. Traidcraft will surprise you if you think it is all coffee beans and soapstone vases: come and see a variety of craft items, cookies made with fairly traded brazil nuts, chocolate or stem ginger, muesli, nuts, dried fruit, rice and of course a considerable range of coffees (ground, instant or beans), teas, chocolate, chocolate bars, toffees, butter mints, loo rolls, kitchen paper, facial tissues and lots more. Loving our neighbours, helping ourselvesThe Traidcraft catalogues show everything that is available, and if something is out of stock, it can be ordered for you very quickly. There is an expanding range of household linen (duvet sets, table cloths etc.) and clothing (mostly for women and children skirts, dresses, trousers, nighties, T-shirts etc. but there¹s a shirt for men!), not to mention items such as an ironing board cover, a jute hammock, egg cups You can order fair trade wines by the case from the Traidcraft catalogue, but a recent initiative with the Co-op means that a red Chilean wine, Carmenère, can now be bought in local Co-op shops (including Charlbury). At £4.99 it¹s good value and tastes excellent, but don¹t take my word for it: try it for yourself. While you drink it, remember that the bottle you bought is helping fund business and technical improvements for one of only two wine co-operatives left in Chile (Pinochet bankrupted the rest), bringing economic security to the 55 growers who own the co-op, and building showers, toilets and a refectory for the workers (who are free to join trade unions). Many other fair trade products can be found in local shops and supermarkets. Look for the 'fairtrade¹ logo, and the claims made by ethical companies such as Clipper Teas who buy 'from tea gardens with comprehensive welfare policies including fair pay, free housing, healthcare, education and many other welfare matters¹. Oxfam sell their own brands of fairly traded tea, coffee, chocolate and other foods in their shop in Witney. In Woodstock the One Village shop sells craft items from poor communities who directly benefit in terms of higher wages, sound environmental practices and improved health and education. It is all beginning to be significant. Supermarkets such as the Co-op, Waitrose and Sainsburys are buying accredited fair trade brands and selling own-label fair trade lines. Traidcraft¹s annual turnover is over £7m. One Village wholesales to over 400 shops round the country. What is extraordinary is that so few people still care how they spend their money, and whether they are funding health, education and decent wages on the one hand, or poverty, starvation and destitution on the other. If you have read this far, the choice is yours. You have opportunities this month in Ramsden, Finstock and Leafield to take your very own small step that can be part of this giant leap for humankind. We prayed at the Palm Sunday meditation in Leafield: "We pray for all Christian people, for increased love and commitment, working within the world as yeast within the dough." Do we mean it? Jon Carpenter
Junior Church/Sunday School at St James', RamsdenTo have or not to have one - that was the question at the Ramsden PCC! Jane Knowles thought it a wonderful idea if there was enough response. We would like to find out the feelings of the residents of Ramsden - so please could any interested people ring Jan Krouse (868383). The format could be either every Sunday or alternate Sundays, starting off in the Church and then going on to the Memorial Hall or, possibly, the other way round. Not only do we need children but we need adults to help with the supervision of the children on a rota basis. If you have any further suggestions about the possibility of a Sunday School/Junior Church in Ramsden please contact Jane Knowles, Ruth Sims or me. Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you. Jan Krouse
The Church newsletterThe circulated paper church news letter is published at the beginning of every month except January and August. Editor: Ruth Sims (Note from the web editor. This electronic copy is reproduced from the paper copy with grateful assistance from Sarah T who saves me the tedious task of typing the material onto the website. ) The vicar of the four parishes is If you would like to contribute an article, letter, photograph or item for the local news section, or if you are organising an event or activity and would like it to be included in one of the diary columns, please send your copy to the editor Ruth Sims by the 20th of the month to go into the next month's newsletter. Note:
Newcomers to the BeneficeIf you are a newcomer to the benefice and would like to make contact with the various churches or organisations, if you have questions regarding baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc. or if you have any prayer requests, please contact the Revd Jane Knowles on 01993 868687. |
