Priory News, August 2006

From the Vicar

This month sees the ninth anniversary, on 15th, of my family moving to Deeping St James. It does not seem so long until I think about the things which have happened to us in that time - we are no longer the young family with three children at school, but the middle-aged family gradually acquiring "grown-up children". For me personally the biggest change has not been anything like that but the change in perspective which has occurred in my own mind, and I suppose it was given a kick-start a few years ago when Bishop Bob sent me on a "mid-service" course at Windsor, almost exactly half-way between my ordination and my anticipated retirement. Since then I've gradually taken in that I really cannot think of myself as a "beginner" any more, although, of course, there is still something new each day. Years have passed and I am now much nearer the end of my active ministry than the start of it.

When we are young we have a vast array of possibilities for the future, and I have a lot equipment stored away for the models that I thought I might build one day, when I have the time, you know .... but marriage and children and an enthusiasm for persuing my vocation have meant that some thirty or more years have passed by and I have not had the time yet! When we are older, of course, the array of possibilities shrinks: some of the choices we have made preclude others or make them far less likely to be available - marrying someone is an obvious case of restricting choice! Also, though, there is simply the matter of shortage of time as the horizon, indistinct though it remains, draws ever closer. Even if I have the time to build the model of Spalding station (underscale, of necessity) for which I did the drawings and took the photographs three decades ago, I doubt if I will ever have the space in my retirement!

I remember being told, when upset by something an old person had said, that I did not know what it is like to be old. That was (and at only fifty-two, still is!) true. I responded then that while I didn't know what it was like to be old, the old person id know what it was to be young, and so he might have been a bit more understanding. But I was wrong, because to be young is different in each generation. His youth was dominated by war, mine by sixties optimism!

And do I in middle age know what it is like to be young now, young as I still am? Do I understand the pressures on young people, the milieu in which they live, the expectations placed upon them by the parents, teachers and other young people, and their cynical exploitation by the mass media? "Not very well," I suppose, has to be the immediate answer, but recognising the issue is a big part of the way to being that bit more understanding, as I wished the old man had been. Those of us who work with the church's youth groups know that we have to make ourselves more aware of what it is to be a teenager today, but if we are to provide a church in Deeping St James which is truly open to all generations, it is vital for every one of us to think deeply about what it is to be a child, to be a teenager, to be a young parent, a forty year-old career person, a fifty year-old, perhaps coping with redundancy, a newly-retired person, an elderly person. It is hard for the young to imagine being old - to believe that the old are often still interested in just the same things as they always were (we're all teenagers inside, aren't we?), but it is almost as hard for the older to imagine what it must be like to be young (and powerless) in today's world of "wealth" and "choice" but a world so short of real relationships and time for each other, in which so many families are not the permanent bedrock on which to build a stable life.

It helps if we talk to each other, of course, in as much depth as we can, at all opportunities. We cannot simply assume what others are like and what their preferences might be based simply upon their age, any more than we would make assumptions based upon their race. It is not only those who lived through the thirties who like Jazz, for example! In church we are all to be one in Christ: as we express that unity let us also celebrate our diversity, most especially the contribution each age group can make - not thinking just of the children and the old, but all ages in between. Let us enjoy each other's company and celebrate each other's achievements as we journey on together towards our common home at Christ's banquet.

Readings for August

6th August, Transfiguration of Our Lord:

• Morning: Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1: 16-19; Luke 9: 28-36

13th August, 9th Sunday after Trinity:

• Morning: 1 Kings 19: 4-8 (08:00 only); Ephesians 4: 25 - 5: 2; John 6: 35, 41-51
• Evening: Job 39: 1 - 40: 4; Luke 12: 32-40

20th August, 10th Sunday after Trinity:

• Morning: Proverbs 9: 1-6; Ephesians 5: 15-20; John 6: 51-58

27th August, 11th Sunday after Trinity:

• Morning: Joshua 24: 1-2a, 14-18 (08:00 only); Ephesians 6: 10-20; John 6: 56-69

Home Groups

• Bible Study: On holiday until September
• Priory Prayer Group: 10th and 24th August at 19 Ascendale
• House Group: Every Wednesday, 7.30 pm at 45 Crowson Way - Everyone welcome

News from the Tower

Your thoughts and prayers are asked for Ron Willson, one of our ringers, who is still in hospital.

The ringers with their friends and families had another enjoyable barbeque on 8 July when some twenty of us gathered at Richard's house and took over the garden.

We are still supporting West Deeping Church by holding an evening ringing once a month, as currently they have no band of their own.

Notices

With the recent increase in the cost of electricity our bill has increased considerably. Therefore the PCC ask that you consider contributing by celebrating your special occasion by Lighting the Spire and using the form which can be obtained from the printed Priory News or in Church.

ADVANCE NOTICE

Wedding Celebration

A wedding is one of life's great moments, a time of celebration and joy involving family and friends. While we cannot have the day itself all over again we can all join together in God's presence to thank Him for the gift of marriage, to share in our memories, and for those who are husband and wife, to recall the vows they have made to one another.

Everyone is invited to this celebration on Sunday 24th September at 3pm which begins with the Thanksgiving Service in Church. The bells will be ringing and the music will include a selection of wedding favourites.

Refreshments, (including a wedding cake!) will be served afterwards in the Church Hall. Bring your wedding photographs to share with us all!

News from Explorers, Climbers and Scramblers

Our July module, 'Following Jesus', introduced the children to the Ethiopian tax official who relied on Philip to interpret some verses from the Scriptures for him, and Cornelius - who featured in a story which taught us that Jesus is for everyone.

The last Sunday School Session of the academic year kept to our tradition of making Knicker-bocker glories and also neatly finished the 'Following Jesus' theme. We looked at story of the call of Matthew and thought that Knicker-bocker glories could well have been on the menu at the feast which followed Matthew's positive response to the invitation to follow Jesus!

Following its successful launch last year we again held a St James's Workshop on the Sunday nearest to St James's Day. Pilgrims to the shrine of the Church's Patron Saint, St. James, in Northern Spain are presented with a scallop shell as a sign of their achievement, so several activities were based on this symbol of St James, including a 'treasure hunt' in the Vicarage Garden for ten hidden scallop shells. The children enjoyed baking and decorating biscuits which reflected various symbols and shapes connected with The Camino - a famous pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela where St James is now buried. The children shared the biscuits with members of the congregation who attended the lunchtime barbecue and the challenge was to relate the particular shape (scallop shell, pine tree, angel, butterfly, star, sun, rabbit, sheep and cockerel) with either The Camino or any legends which are associated with it!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who are involved in the planning and running of our Sunday morning sessions, including those members of the congregation who pray for us and who are so generous with their support when we appeal for sticky bits, mini-eggs, shiny paper, pretty buttons etc. Have a lovely summer.

Explorers (7 - 11), Climbers (5 - 7) and Scramblers (under 5) are on holiday now but will meet again on Sunday 11th September at 9.50am in the Church Hall. New members are always welcome. Please contact Andrea (Climbers and Scramblers) on 344926 or Alison (Explorers) on 345890 for more details.

The Camino de Santiago

The 'Camino de Santiago'or 'Way of St James' is a network of pilgrims' footpaths that lead eventually to Santiago de Compostela, one of the three holy cities of Christendom along with Rome and Jerusalem.

St James the Apostle, although he died in Israel, preached extensively in Spain, and is the patron saint of that country. History relates that Queen Lupa of Galicia was rather taken aback when two Palastinians turned up one day in about 60 AD, claiming to have the saint's body and requesting permission to bury it. Unsure of what to do she sent the men to the Roman governor who immediately imprisoned them. However, when the men returned to her unharmed, after being freed by an angel, she was suitably impressed and allowed them to bury the body in a small tomb near the village of Compostela.

These events were forgotten for the next 750 years until in 813 a shepherd, guided by a vision and a rainbow, discovered the remains and claimed them as those of St James. The Moors had invaded much of Spain and soon stories of the return of St James the Moor-Slayer, who had returned to help his followers in war, abounded. By the 11th century hordes of pilgrims were walking from their homes all over Europe to pay homage to the saint but the route which begins at Le Puys and runs through Pamplona, Burgos, Leon and Ponferrada before reaching Compostela is the classic Camino route.

Many stories and legends have grown up over the years and one example happened in Santo Domingo in the 15th Century. A young pilgrim was wrongly hanged for theft and his parents, after praying to St James, released his body from the noose and were astonished to find him alive. When they went to tell the judge of the miracle they found him eating his lunch of hen and cockerel. In disbelief the judge said 'your son is as alive as these birds on my plate' at which the birds sprouted feathers and began to run around the room! This story is still taken seriously in Santo Domino and a cockerel and a hen are given pride of place in the church there.

COOKING WITH MARGARET

Chicken, Avocado & Orange Salad

• 2 Chicken breasts, cooked, skinned & diced.
• 1 large Avocado, peeled, stoned & diced.
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice,
• 2 Oranges, peeled & diced.
• 1 head of Chicory.
• Watercress to garnish.

Dressing.

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise,
• 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
• ½ tablespoon vinegar
• a little black pepper.

Toss diced avocado in the lemon juice. Blend together all the dressing ingredients. Gently fold the chicken and avocado into the dressing.
Arrange chicory leaves around the edge of a serving plate. Place orange slices over chicory and pile chicken mixture into the centre. Garnish with watercress.

Registers for June 2006

HOLY BAPTISM

We welcome to the Lord's family:

• 18th Erin Mai Pullan 21 Fraser Close

MARRIAGE

We congratulate:

• 3rd Justyn Philip Alan Lambert and Anna Victoria Leahey
• 17th James Robert Linwood Dallas and Joanne Ruth Parson

FUNERALS

We commend to God's keeping:

• 9th Joyce Margaret Knowles(67)
• 19th Patricia Fanny Pywell (68)
• 19th Louis Reginald Jones (87)