Deeping St James Parish Church Magazine
Photographs of some parish events are available in our Photograph Album elsewhere on the site
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From the Vicar
The Season
Lent, Holy Week and Easter this year are almost (one day short!) the earliest they can be. We celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the Temple ("Candlemas") on Sunday 3rd February and then Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, 6th February, and I would urge everyone to come to church on Ash Wednesday evening and use the Eucharist of penitence to get their Lent discipline off to an effective start. The service starts at 7.30pm and includes the (optional) imposition of ashes as sign of penitence.
The programme of simple lunches with the proceeds going to help the world's hungry has already been posted in the five participating churches and starts at St Guthlac's, Market Deeping (The Green School) on 9th February at noon. The Churches Together study course has been advertised since before Christmas and details of when and where the groups will be meeting should be available shortly if they are not already published.
The Palm Sunday procession (16th March) this year begins on the green in Churchgate and the Easter Day morning service will be at 9am again this year. Full details of the Holy Week and Easter programme, of course, will be in next month's magazine.
Lent is not an end in itself: the period of special discipline is intended to be a preparation for Easter. In order to appreciate fully the victory that Christ has won for us in his death and resurrection we make ourselves aware of our fallibility by an extra effort of discipline, whether by giving something up or taking something on or simply trying harder to carry out our normal resolutions to worship, study, give or serve. This year it involves a rather swift turn-round from Christmas and Epiphany, but it will be well worth it when Easter comes!
Readings for February
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.
3rd February, Presentation of Christ in the Temple
- Morning: Malachi 3: 1-5; Hebrews 2: 14-end; Luke 2: 22-40
- 18:00: Haggai 2: 1-9; John 2: 18-22
6th February, Ash Wednesday:
- 19:30: Isaiah 58: 1-12; 2 Corinthians 5: 20b - 6: 10; John 8: 1-11
10th February, 1st Sunday of Lent:
- Morning: Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7; Romans 5: 12-19 (08:00 only); Matthew 4: 1-11
- 18:00: Deuteronomy 6: 4-9, 16-end; Luke 15: 1-10
17th February, 2nd Sunday of Lent:
- Morning: Genesis 12: 1-4a; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3: 1-17
24th February, 3rd Sunday of Lent:
- Morning: Exodus 17: 1-7; Romans 5: 1-11; John 4: 5-42
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
Notices
If you buy "Yorkshire Tea" would you kindly save the coupons and give them to Margaret Flegg.
WANTED!
Hamper (empty or full!), large basket, or similar!
Plans are well in hand for the Rose and Sweet Pea Show Raffle, and final details about the prizes are in the process of being made. We like to offer a hamper of some description (eg Fairtrade, Luxury Fruit Basket etc) which we assemble, so if anyone has a suitable recepticle - new or nearly new - which they could let me have I would be most grateful. Also, the cash prize has proved very popular so if you have a contact whose business would be willing to contribute, please let me know. Many thanks,
Alison (345890)
Lent Study Group
For details of Lent Study Groups, please see noticeboards in church - they will also be posted on this website as soon as we have the information
Lent Lunches
A simple soup, bread and cheese lunch with proceeds going to the world's hungry. All will be held at noon on Saturdays.
- 9th February The Green School, Market Deeping
- 16th February Roman Catholic Church, Hereward Way
- 23rd February The Open Door Centre, Spalding Road
- 1st March Deepings Methodist Church, DSJ
- 8th March Priory Church Hall, DSJ
MISSION MATTERS
A word of thanks on behalf of the Mission Committee for the good response to the Appeal for Clothing for the Homeless. It was greatly appreciated by all. Please keep up the good work, especially during the cold winter months.
The needs remain the same, for example: warm blankets, sleeping bags, duvets. Warm clothing especially for men including shoes etc. Also please remember the box at the back of church for tinned food, you will find there waiting to receive your gifts.
Contact 01778 348110 if you need things collected.
Thank you.
Our own International TV star??
You may have wondered why a camera crew was filming part of a service back in November. Well now, I will tell you about it!
I took part in a Swedish educational documentary about growing up as a twelve year old in England. A camera team of two ladies are visiting each of the twenty-seven EU countries. Lotta and Lisa filmed me in my everyday life at school and at home.
The activities filmed at school included boarding and an evening at school, a drama club, rugby and some academic lessons. Over the weekend they filmed me at a go-cart racing party, in my garden, on a bike ride with Ben Hitchborne and they also did a few interviews, one lasting over two and a half hours!
On Sunday they decided to come to Church with me and my family, filming me helping in Sunday school and in Church. Many thanks to everyone for their patience!
The experience was fantastic and I almost miss being followed by the camera! We hope to receive a copy of the documentary soon and maybe I can show it to the Sunday school.
Jacob Boswall
A Little Shuffling About
The concept of deaneries does not really affect many of us much of the time. The clergy meet in deanery chapters for fellowship and mutual support, and this year we shall include elections to the deanery synod in our forthcoming annual meeting - the synod is the council which decides deanery policy, particularly the Mission Area Plan which deploys resources, including the stipendiary ministers, across the deanery. Our deanery is Aveland and Ness with Stamford and it stretches from Stamford and Deeping St James in the south to Billingborough in the north and is one of the larger deaneries in Lincoln Diocese. We are entitled to elect three lay representatives to the synod - the clergy are automatically members and so you have a total of five representatives.
It has been felt for a while that the deanery is the wrong shape to work effectively and the Mission Area Plan has been very difficult to devise and to implement, so the synod this month will be looking at the possibility of an experimental comprehensive boundary alteration which would see a much smaller deanery based closely around Stamford. The Deepings would, under the suggestion being considered, be placed in Elloe West deanery, with Spalding and Crowland; Bourne and Morton would go into Beltisloe deanery with Edenham, Corby Glen etc and Billingborough into Lafford, with Sleaford. It is important that the decision is made soon whether to try this idea, so that the new representatives who are elected this year would go straight into their new synods at their first meetings in June, so that they are present for the correct elections of officers etc at their synods. There is therefore only a short time for consultation and if you have any views, or any questions so that you may develop your views, then please speak to your clergy or lay representatives - see the directory in the middle of this magazine - and ensure that they know your view before the synod meets on 25th February.
Mark WarrickNews from Explorers, Climbers and Scramblers
Our New Year began with some exciting stories about God's work in the lives of Daniel and Esther, and the example they give us to follow. Daniel shows us that we can pray at any time, in any situation, and the story of Esther reminds us that we should turn to God for protection. Reminders of the message were reinforced in our customary fashion - in the kitchen! Climbers and Scramblers iced some magnificent lion face cookies, complete with mane and whiskers, whilst Explorers concentrated on decorating crown biscuits.
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.
Building for Freedom in Nepal
We often hear of mission or charitable work abroad but it is not often we have the opportunity to send off a member of our own church to go and do work in places far away. Amanda Flindall, a regular member of our 10am congregation who brings her own children and those she fosters along to church with her, is making plans to go and work for a brief time in Nepal this October. It will be an adventure for her and will help the local people both in practical ways and in making friends across a huge cultural divide. Here Amanda explains what she is doing.
In October I will be travelling to Nepal for a house building challenge. The event has been organised by Action Aid and I will flying out with a group of around 20 people. We will be working in North West of Nepal in Bardi: One of the poorest areas of the country. We will be helping the Kamaiya people; freed former bonded labourers, to build houses in their communities. In July 2000 the Nepalese Government ended the practice of bonded labour which for generations had affected the lives of the Kamaiya people. They had been forced to serve their masters to pay back loans taken out by their ancestors and as the debts, clouded by time, became incalculable simply carried on serving as labourers from generation to generation. The initial euphoria of freedom however quickly faded as the freed Kamaiyas found themselves without shelter or the means to make a living.
We will be living under canvas for a week and it is likely there will be no mains electricity or running water. No house building experience is necessary on this challenge but lots of enthusiasm and a desire to help is essential, this sums up my position nicely! Our working day starts early and finishes around 17:00-18:00. My tasks may include digging foundations, clearing land, mixing concrete or mortar, laying bricks or blocks, helping to install window or door frames, painting or plastering. As a group we will be working alongside the local people, under the direction of an Action Aid construction supervisor and skilled local craftsmen. It should be an interesting week, Amanda Flindall.
Amanda has to raise funds for this trip, half to cover her own expenses and half towards the building materials needed. If you would like to contribute or have fund-raising ideas, she would be glad to hear from you. Our children's groups are taking a real interest in what she is doing. You can read all about it at http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/AFlindall which includes a link to the website created by her daughter Emily to help with the fundraising.
It is all very exciting and we look forward to hearing all about it when she returns in the autumn.
Mark Warrick
COOKING WITH MARGARET
CINNAMON APPLE PANCAKES
Pancake
- 4oz Plain flour,
- ¼ level tsp Salt,
- 1 Egg,
- ½ pint Milk,
Butter for frying. (Should make 8)
Filling.
- 4oz fresh Breadcrumbs,
- 3oz Butter,
- Grated rind and juice of 1 Lemon,
- 1½ lb Cooking Apples peeled & sliced,
- 2oz Caster Sugar,
- 1 level tsp Ground Cinnamon,
- Icing sugar.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the egg. Beat with a wooden spoon, adding the milk gradually until incorporated. To make the pancake heat a little butter in a 7 inch heavy based frying pan until very hot, running it round to coat the sides of the pan, pour off any surplus.
Ladle in a little batter, rotating the pan at the same time until enough batter is added to give a thin coating. Cook until the pancake begins to curl at the edges, revealing a golden brown colour underneath. Ease a palette knife under the centre and flip over.
Fry other side until golden brown then turn onto a warm plate and cover. Continue cooking until all the batter is used adding a little butter to the pan each time.
Fry the breadcrumbs in 2oz butter until golden, stirring. Place the remaining butter, lemon rind and juice, apples sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cover and cook to a purée then add the breadcrumbs. Divide the mixture between the pancakes and roll up. Place in a ovenproof dish cover with foil and heat in the oven at 180°C, 350°F, gas 4 for about 25 minutes.
Serve dusted with sifted icing sugar.
Registers for December 2007
Baptism: We welcome into the Lord's family:
- 2nd Libby Grace Shelbourn 11 Allen Close, Deeping St James
Funerals: We commend to God's keeping
- 8th The ashes of Irene Delve were interred with her husband's in the churchyard
- 10th The ashes of Jon Thorpe were interred in the cemetery
This is only an extract from some of our magazine. Residents of Deeping St James can subscribe to the printed version.