ÉVÉNEMENTS The Newsletter of the Anglican Chaplaincy of Aude Midi-Pyrenees

www.churchinmidipa.org www.issuu.com/churchinmidipa

AUTUMN 2015 EDITION

From the Chaplain “At last!” I hear you cry! Here is the Autumn Edi on of our Newsle er ‐ or ‘Evénements’ in French. 

Here in the “Season of mists and mellow frui ulness!” is your latest edi on of news and views from around the Chaplaincy of Midi‐Pyrenees and Aude.  

The summer has been long and ho er than some years with Gulf Stream si ng on top of the UK whilst pulling up the warmer air from the African con nent in our direc on. I know that some found the heat a bit more than challenging this year with one or two needing medical a en on, so I hope that now the cooler days are here you have managed to find your equilibrium once again?  

These balmy autumn days are such a bonus and serve to let us gently into winter. The cycle of life con nues with the dying back of lush summer foliage and flowers as all surplus energy is saved up in trees and plants for the dead cold of winter. We know only too well that the cycle will con nue into the New Year and eventually spring will come when everything will start to burst into life.  

The Chris an life goes through a cycle, something we were reminded of recently when we held a Day Workshop at NDA in Toulouse for all Congrega onal Worship Leaders as part of their ongoing training. Our religion is grounded in the life, death and resurrec on of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We find this pa ern in our life as Chris ans  me and  me again and the posi ve message is that there is always a ‘resurrec on’, that burs ng from the tomb, into new life and abundance.  

September sees the return of scholars to their lessons and the star ng up of lots of ac vi es, some old, some new. And our Church life springs back into ac on with mee ngs and planning for the Christmas Season and beyond. On Advent Sunday we begin a New Church Year as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, both in the celebra on of Christmas, and in fulfillment of his promise to come again! There is always New Life – even in the Newsle er – so be posi ve in your outlook and read on! 

On Sunday 4th October the Revd. June Hutchinson and I will be a ending the Consecra on of the new Bishop of Cahors, Monseigneur Laurent Camiade. We are honoured to be have been given an invita on to this service at the Cathedral. Mgr. Camiade 

succeeds Mgr. Turini as Bishop and comes from his post as Vicar General of the neighbouring Diocese of Agen.  

At 48 years of age he will be the youngest bishop in France. In the press he has been called a ‘man of the people’ and a ‘country person’ so he should fit well into the very rural diocese of Cahors. As June and I represent the Anglican Chaplaincy at the consecra on we will pray that our ecumenical links will con nue to grow, and that all churches in this part of France will work together for the spreading of God’s Kingdom by preaching the Good News of the Gospel faithfully and diligently.  

In the Chaplaincy,  our Mission Planning is going well with Alet‐les‐Bains, Toulouse and Terre Rouge now having completed their own ‘enrichment’ days. It is important that we all work together and have a real sense of purpose. We need to know where we are going and the kind of services and ac vi es we are planning to involve as many people as possible.  

There are so many good ini a ves going on at the present me connec ng people with God and seeking a way to share 

the Good News. The Harvest ini a ve to serve the immigrants in Calais by dona ng bedding and clothing as winter approaches is just one such excellent idea put into prac ce. I am sure there will be more about this in the following pages.  

The immigra on crisis being experienced at the present moment in Europe is one thing we all need to pray for every day: that Governments and Aid Agencies work together for the physical and spiritual relief of these people in their despera on to find a life that is worth living. If only… a phrase we hear regularly and almost too casually... needs to be turned into ‘Lord, we can‐do’!  

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, […] but even if you say to this mountain, “Be li ed up and thrown into the sea”, it will be done. Ma hew 21.21 

Canon Andrew Hawken 

Événements contains articles and news provided by the various worship communities within our Chaplaincy as well as additional material provided by church news services. We try to publish all material that we receive If you would like to submit news or other material for

publication in Niddside News, please e-mail it to newsletter@churchinmidipa.org

We can also accept photographs, preferably in .JPG format.

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DATE ALET-LES-BAINS BRENS CAHORS TOULOUSE

Sunday 29

November 11H00

ADVENT CAROLS

Tuesday 1

December

Wednesday 9

December

19H00 CAROL SERVICE

MAZAMET

Sunday 13

December

15H30 9 LESSONS AND

CAROLS BETAILLE

10H30 HOLY COMMUNION

WITH NATIVITY PLAY

Monday 14

December

19H00 9 LESSONS AND

CAROLS BLAGNAC

Wednesday 16

December

19H00 CAROL SERVICE

19H00 9 LESSONS AND

CAROLS GOURDON

Sunday 20

December

10H00 9 LESSONS AND

CAROLS CAHORS

VAYRAC

10H30 HOLY COMMUNION

AND CAROL SERVICE

15H30 BILINGUAL CAROL

SERVICE BETAILLE

CHRISTMAS EVE

19H30 CHRISTMAS EVE

HOLY COMMUNION

16H00 CHRISTINGLE AND HOLY COMMUNION

CHRISTMAS DAY

10H30 CHRISTMAS HOLY

COMMUNION

11H00 CHRISTMAS HOLY

COMMUNION

10H00 CHRISTMAS HOLY

COMMUNION

Friday 11

December

19H00 9 LESSONS AND

CAROLS PRAYSSAC

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERVICES IN THE

CHAPLAINCY

As usual, we are holding special services for Christmas around our Chaplaincy. Below is a summary of what is being organised in our various centres. More details are available on the Chaplaincy website

One night as Christmas approached, some friends decided to go carol singing. A man answered the door of one house, and gasped as they launched into the opening lines of the first carol. Within half a minute, he looked stricken. Soon tears were welling up in his eyes. The carollers sang and sang, and the

man looked more and moved by what he heard. At last the carollers stopped, and one ventured: “I understand – you are sad because our singing reminds you of your happy childhood Christmas days.” The man looked at her with misery in his eyes. “No,” he whispered back. “It’s just that I am a musician!”

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5 FACTS ABOUT AN AVERAGE WEEK IN THE WORKING LIFE OF OUR CHAPLAIN

It is a tired joke that clergy only work one day each week for a couple of hours when they lead worship. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

At our last Chaplaincy Council, we discussed how we could help Andrew make better use of his working time, As part of the discussion, Andrew asked us 5 questions, to which not everyone knew all the answers.

We have shared them with you below, as it might help parishioners to better understand how busy one person can be when ministering to an area approximately the size of Wales

Here are the questions:

1. Does the Chaplain have a regular scheduled day off each week, and what day is it ?

2. Does the Chaplain vary his day off when ministerial duties require it ?

3. How many days’ annual leave does the Chaplain receive ?

4. On average, how many kilometres does the Chaplain drive each week as part of his work ?

5. On average, how many hours does the Chaplain work each week ?

The answers are at the bottom of this page and some of them may surprise you. The Chaplaincy Council all agreed that we need to work to avoid overloading Andrew, so please remember that when you ask him for something in addition to his normal work, this is the workload that you are further increasing.

The answers to our quiz:

1. Andrew normally takes Thursday off, but 2. is willing to vary his day off if required. 3. He gets around 30 days’ annual leave each year. 4. On average, he drives 875km each week and works 52 hours each week.

MAJOR FAITH EXHIBITION IN LONDON THIS WINTER

If you are visiting London this winter, you might like to consider visiting a fascinating exhibition at the British Museum entitled “Egypt After The Pharaohs”, which looks at the period of 1,200 years of Christian, Islamic and Jewish faith in Egypt after the pharaohs.

The exhibition will argue that the transitions, from a society worshipping many gods to a society devoted to one God, shaped the modern world we know today.

Three founding texts of the three religions will be displayed at the exhibition.

The 10th Century Hebrew Gaster Bible is being loaned by the British Library along with an early copy of the Qu’ran provided by the Bodleian Library in Oxford

The undoubted star of the exhibition, however, will be the Codex Sinaiticus—one of the British Library’s greatest treasures.

The Codex Sinaiticus is considered to be one of the most important books in the world. It dates back to the 4th century AD. Handwritten in Greek, not long after the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great, it contains the earliest complete manuscript of the New Testament.

Apart from the British Library, pages from the Codex ae still held by the Leipzig University Library, the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg, and the Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt, where it remained until the 19th century when it was ‘acquired’ from the Monastery by an agent of the Czar.

The Codex was bought in 1933 by Britain from the Soviet government of Joseph Stalin, who was desperate to raise cash for his second five-year plan. Remarkably, more than half the £100,000 cost was raised by public subscription.

Experts now believe the Codex was the work of four scribes, known as A, B1, B2 and D (the existence of a C has now been disproved by modern scholars). The codex was the prototype for every subsequent Christian Bible.

Egypt After The Pharaohs is at the British Museum 29 October-7 February, and is supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

Admission is free to Members of the British Musuem and to children under 16. The ticket price is £10 for all other visitors.

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TRAINING DAY IN TOULOUSE

On 19 September, a group of 15 Clergy, Lay Readers and Congregational Worship Leaders came to Toulouse to receive a day’s training from Diocesan Trainer the Rev Elaine Labourel, who travelled down from Paris to join us.

Elaine started the day by introducing us to the history and major components of the liturgy which we use every week in our worship. She explained the ‘rules’ of what a service should contain, and how services should be led. We also spent time looking at the purpose and significance of prayer in worship. This was expanded on further later on in the day when Elaine explained how the Collect — the prayer which changes each week — is constructed and taught us to write our own Collect prayers when required.

At noon, we came together to celebrate Holy Communion before sharing an excellent lunch arranged by Andrew.

After lunch came a slightly more nerve-racking exercise. We had all been asked to prepare a reading from a selection of Bible passages and prayers which are frequently used in services. We were now invited to present these, reading from the lectern in the Church, while being video-ed ! After each ‘volunteer’ had taken a turn to read, they were invited to look at how they had delivered their reading on-camera and also receive feedback from their fellow-

attendees.

Some people also accepted the challenge which occurs from time to time when involved in leading worship — namely to present a reading or lead a prayer with no notice. This proved more daunting, but a very useful exercise to undertake in ‘safe’ conditions.

The day ended with the saying of Evening Prayer, followed tea, coffee and some delicious cake before travelling home.

Everyone who could attend agreed that this was a very valuable opportunity to come together to share experiences and knowledge, and also draw on Elaine’s considerable knowledge and expertise. We are grateful to Andrew for organising it, and to the Chaplaincy for providing the finance to make it possible.

For those who could not attend, training notes are being circulated.

We hope that another such training day can be arranged in the future.

A Saint for when you are down in the mouth…. The 5th of November is the Saint’s Day for Saint Kea, an early Christian monk who left his wealthy home in Glastonbury to minister in Devon and Cornwall. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Saint Kea is the saint you should pray to when you are suffering from toothache. (Please note there is no St.Ikea for DIY!)

The Meaning Chocolate Company has announced its intention to fund a baby clinic in Kenya and support overseas farmers by donating £15,000 from sales of its Real Advent Calendar this Christmas.

The Calendar contains a booklet which tells the true Advent story, as well as 24 Fairtrade chocolates, each in a small window with a line from the Christmas Story behind each one.

The Church in Toulouse has a limited supply of these in stock and it is also possible to purchase them directly from The Meaningful Chocolate Company’s website at www.realadvent.co.uk .

Spokesman David Marshall said that “By buying this Advent calendar children, parents and Godparents can share the Christmas story throughout December “.

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HARVEST IN THE CHAPLAINCY

Around the Chaplaincy, this is the time of Harvest Festivals and services of thanksgiving.

We have received two photographs from recent services. Our first photograph shows the the beautifully decorated altar at Valence. The second s shows heaped with gifts to be sent to the refugees sheltering at Calais.

Our second photograph shows the Toulouse Girl Guides with the gofts to be presented to Secours Catholique to be distributed to people in need around Toulouse.

Both the Guides and the Scouts joined in the service at Toulouse, assisting with our readings and leading us in our prayers, as well as presenting the harvest gifts during the service.

We followed our service with an excellent Harvest Bring’n’Share Lunch.

But Mum, why do we have to plough the fields and scatter when we get everything from

Carrefour ?

All in the month of November

It was:

300 years ago:- on 24 Nov 1715 (until 9 Feb 1716) that the River Thames in London froze over and a frost fair was held.

200 years ago:- on 24th Nov 1815 that Grace Darling was born. She famously rescued survivors of a shipwreck off Northumberland in 1838. She and her father used a rowing boat as the sea was too rough for a lifeboat.

150 years ago:- on 26th Nov 1865 that Lewis Carroll’s novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ was published.

90 years ago:- on 13th Nov 1925 that the world’s first exhibition of Surrealist art opened at Galerie Pierre in Paris.

80 years ago:- on 6th Nov 1935 that Britain’s Hawker Hurricane fighter plane made its first flight. It played a major role in WW2, especially during the Battle of Britain.

75 years ago:- on 14th Nov 1940 that the German Luftwaffe bombers virtually destroyed the city of Coventry, including the medieval cathedral.

40 years ago:- on 3rd Nov 1975 that Britain’s first North Sea oil pipeline was officially opened.

25 years ago:- on 12th Nov 1990 that British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee published a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.

10 years ago: on 22nd Nov 2005 that Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany.

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Our congregation in Vayrac have generously hand-knitted the figures for a Christmas crib - all to the same scale, and have then manufactured a folding stable, equipped with twinkling lights to accommodate them.

This is now being raffled for Church funds, with tickets being sold in all of our worship centres at €5 each.

Being made of wool, although these are not toys, they are safe for little hands to touch.

The draw for the raffle will take place on Tuesday 1st December at Vayrac after their Communion and Carol Service, and we will arrange to despatch this lovely set to you as quickly as possible.

We are grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to create this lovely set.

THE VAYRAC RAFFLE THIS BEAUTIFUL HANDCRAFTED CRIB COULD BE YOURS

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NEWS FROM CAHORS Cahors Summer Picnic — 14 June

We were due to hold our usual Summer Picnic chez Mel and Christiane Fancy – but this time were unlucky with the weather – thanks to all who buckled down and transferred the whole event indoors at Terre Rouge. We took the opportunity to surprise June Hutchinson with a gift on her ‘special’ birthday.

Bryn Cross Memorial Golf Day at Ratelle —7 July

Another tradition was continued with the Golf Day chez Margaret Cross, which as usual went very well: there were 15 to 20 golfers, David and Gill Heyworth arranged a great raffle, there was an excellent lunch and refreshments, and 1,100 Euros were raised for charity. Margaret says she is looking forward to hosting again next year – an astonishing claim considering the amount of work involved!

Hymns and Pimms — 30 August

We are always looking for ways to persuade non-regular churchgoers to get to know us, and hopefully like what they see enough to come to church again. Janet Varty had the idea for a ‘Hymns and Pimms’ afternoon service at the end of August, well-known hymns followed by finger foods and Pimms drinks. Thanks to in particular Janet’s efforts, the event went very well, with xx people at the service including a good number of first-timers, some of whom who we hope will turn into several-timers!

Book Sale and Gourmet Lunch chez Jane and Peter Scott — 12/13 September

Peter sums up this amazing weekend as follows:

“The Cahors congregation pulled together and ably delivered a successful fundraising weekend on 12/13 September, and although the weather was mixed, the phenomenal corporate effort was blistering.

Having appealed for books during the months before the event, almost 5,000 appeared on the day, from far and wide. On the Saturday, these were put up for sale at Peter and Jane Scott's house near Cahors. The ladies of the congregation led by Dorrie Norris, Geraldine Boyd, and Jane Scott produced scone mountains, tea lakes and pyramids of home-made jam in an effort to

refresh the book-buying public. Between them and the sales of books and brocante, over 500 euros were raised in support of the wider Chaplaincy and the charities we support.

On the Sunday, after church, a five course gourmet lunch was offered at the Scotts' , where 35 guests tucked into Fois Gras Parfait, Slow Cooked Venison and various other gastro delights. The meal was cooked and served by teams from the congregation under the watchful eye of Maitre D', the inscrutable Ray Boyd. Raising around 1,100 euros, sincere thanks are due to all who donated food and wines, their time and efforts to make the occasion the success it undoubtedly was.

The venison had come in the form of 2 whole carcasses, won by Jane Scott at the Lavercantiere Chasse Dinner in February. Our contact there, Peter Hutchinson, has been tasked with rigging next year's raffle, so we can offer another congregational meal. While any prize will be acceptable, he's been told a carcass of wild Boar would top the wish-list.

The final total for the weekend was almost €1,800 Well done everyone!

All Saints and All Souls Service — 1 November

Five years ago at Terre Rouge in Cahors, the Anglican Church held a very special service for the first time – the All Saints and All Souls Service. This coincided with our French Catholic friends’ celebration of la Toussaint when the dead are remembered all over France by the placing of chrysanthemums on family graves.

During the service, the names of loved ones will be read out. Every name is represented by a white rose to symbolise peace. These white roses are then placed in a large container holding a single red rose to symbolise the love of Christ. After the service, relatives and friends are invited to take the white roses to be kept and dried as a memoire. The names are listed in a booklet given out at the service. Members and friends of the church are also able to remember their loved ones by completing a named slip with a prayer request which will be laid on the altar during the service. If any of you would like to have their own loved one commemorated in this way, please contact Gill Heyworth on 05 65 21 47 99 or gill.heyworth@orange.fr.

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Remembrance Sunday — 8 November

“Remembering is not only recalling the events of war, it is also Re-Membering and that means putting our lives back into order with God and our fellow beings”. These words bring into focus the reasons why we continue to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in two world wars and in many conflicts since. Please join us on Remembrance Sunday at 10.00am at Terre Rouge.

Advent and Christmas

Advent Sunday, which falls on 29th November this year, marks the beginning of the Church Year. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Anglican Church here in the Lot will be holding four Carol Services before Christmas – throughout the area of Cahors, north, east and west – hopefully somewhere for everyone to celebrate the joy of Christmas. These are all listed on page 2. There is also an Ecumenical Service at Sacre Coeur, Cahors on Sunday 6th December at 15h00 where all the churches get together for a carol service. Please put these dates in your diary now!

Most of the Carol Services have carols and readings in French and English, they follow the traditional 9 Lessons and Carols format and everyone is welcome – there is wine and mince pies afterwards – a delightful way to spend an afternoon or an evening. The dates and venues are as follows – Remember to wrap up warmly – church buildings can be chilly places, but the welcome will be as warm as toast. If you need a lift or want to go with someone, please contact us through our website – under “contact us”.

Chaplaincy Christmas Cards A message from Robin Johnston in Brens: Every year since 2006 my late wife Elise made Christmas cards for sale for Chaplaincy funds. They usually raised quite a lot every year, between €1,000 and €1,500.

Since she's not here anymore, she obviously cannot make new cards. However, she left behind a wealth of source material and the designs for all the cards since 2006. After discussions with June and our congregation, we have chosen some designs for 2015

The cards are usually printed by our grandson Trevor in Edinburgh (for very little) and they are now available for sale.

The cards are €1 each, including envelope and are now available for sale.

A FEW UNFORTUNATE HEADLINES

Red tape holds up new bridge

Juvenile Court to try shooting defendant

Cold wave linked to temperatures

Something went wrong in crash, experts say

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NEWS FROM ALET-LES-BAINS On 2 August, our Anglican congregation joined with their Roman Catholic counterparts to celebrate an ecumenical service of communion in the ruins of the ancient cathedral.

At the beginning of the service, a Status of the Virgin Mary was processed, along with a model of the ancient cathedral and its abbey from the modern church to the old high altar.

After a wonderful service, conducted in blazing sunshine, the two congregations shared a vin d’honneur in the ruins.

A LITTLE GOSPEL MAGIC AT OUR OPEN-AIR SERVICE

At the end of August, Bob and Deborah Carr generously threw open their home to Alet congregation to host an open-air service.

The service was a little different, as we welcomed Gospel Magicians Monsieur and Madame Magique - aka Clive and Linda Billenness, who used a series of Gospel Magic ‘tricks’ to illustrate the readings for the day - including the re-telling of the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments, with only 54 playing cards (Jokers included).

After our worship, we joined together to enjoy a bring - and - share picnic in the gardens while basking in the warm sunshine.

Our thanks to everyone who contributed to make this a wonderful service.

SSSHHH…. A Sunday school teacher asked her children: “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One little girl replied helpfully: “Because people are sleeping.”

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OTHER NEWS FROM TOULOUSE

AU REVOIR REBECCA With the start of the new University Year, it was time to say ‘au revoir’ to Rebecca Silverthorn as she left Toulouse to begin her studies at the University of Cardiff.

We wish Rebecca, and all students heading to colleges, an elightening and successful year.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES

The Christmas season in Toulouse always heralds the welcome return of Panto Season.

As the company, based at the theatre in Pibrac is currently preparing for the first performance of its production of Oliver!, initial rehearsals have already started for an unusual version of Puss in Boots - based in the Wild West.

Tickets for performances between 23 and 30 January 2016 are available now on the Secret Panto Society’s website

www.secretpantosociety.com

24th December - Christingle Service

As we did last year, we will hold a Family Christingle Service at 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve, this year including Holy Communion led by Canon Andrew Hawken.

If you are in Toulouse this Christmas, do please come and join us for this joyous preparation for the Feast of Christmas.

AND FINALLY - “BADVENT” CALENDARS

What is the worst Advent Calendar that you have seen ?

Last year, some of the worst ones identified by the website Ship Of Fools included:

* EMP Heavy Metal: Sitting with a crushed skull beneath his foot, Santa offers the devil's horns hand sign. Time to be bad for badness sake.

* Star Wars: 'Darth Vader' Santa invites you to join him on the dark side but it has nothing to do with the colour of the chocolate. Plenty of people asked Jesus 'Who's your daddy?' but, as far as tradition has it, Darth Vader wasn't one of them.

* Barbie: With a different fashion accessory behind every window – necklaces, bangles, earrings, purses and clutches – Jesus must now wish he'd been born a girl.

* Ciate Mini Manor 24-piece Nail Polish Collection: To think, Mary could have whiled away the hours on the back of that donkey, glamming up a bit for Bethlehem.

* And finally - Ann Summers: Trust dear Ms Summers to imagine Christmas without clothes.

As you look in the shops this December, why not see which is the worst example of a non-religious Advent Calendar that you can find ?