COMPASS Newsletter of the Anglican Parish of Ellesmere

April 2015

April Services The Vicar writes

At Easter, the alleluias that were silenced at the

beginning of Lent, ring out once more amid flowers and

candles. As we celebrate the great festival of Easter, we

affirm God’s ever-creative, life-giving presence and

power.

In Jesus’ life we see how all human life is

intended to be: full of love, brave and free. In Jesus’

death we see the Son of God bear the weight of human

sin and suffering. In the resurrection of Jesus we see

God breaking through, conquering death and shattering

all our ideas about how the world works. And it

changes everything.

The world may look the same, we may be faced with

the same problems, the same fears, but all is changed. Violence and death are not the end. God has the last

word, and that word is love. God loves us whoever and

however we are. God does not turn from us when we do

our worst, and nail him to a cross. Instead God seeks us

out and calls us back. God says, “I forgive you. Come

home.”

Through the grace of God, undeserved, unearned and

unexpected, the new life of the risen Christ comes

among us to make us whole and new. We are set free to

forgive. We are set free to trust. We are set free to

serve. We are set free to bring the life-giving love of

Christ to others. The world is alive with new

possibilities, and infused with hope and joy. This is the

truth we dare to believe when we say Christ is Risen.

God bless you all. Lynne Horwood

Holy Week

Sunday 29 March Palm Sunday 9:20 am Eucharist at St John’s, Leeston 11:15 am Eucharist at St Mark’s, Sedgemere

Thursday 2 April Maundy Thursday 7:00 pm Eucharist and Foot Washing at St John’s,

Friday 3 April Good Friday 9:00 am Stations of the Cross at St James 10:00 am Combined Churches event commencing at Leeston Life Church

Sunday 5 April Easter Sunday 8:00 am Eucharist at St James, Southbridge 9:30 am Eucharist at St John’s, Leeston 11:15 am Eucharist at St Mary’s, Irwell 7:00 pm Eucharist at St Luke’s, Brookside

Sunday 12 April Easter 2 8:00 am Eucharist at St Mary’s, Irwell 9:30 am Eucharist at St John’s, Leeston

Sunday 19 April Easter 3 9:30 am Eucharist at St John’s, Leeston 11:00 am Eucharist and Harvest Festival at

Trinity Church, Dunsandel 5:00 pm Evening Prayer at St James’, ANZAC Commemoration

Sunday 26 April Easter 4 9:30 am All-age Eucharist at St John’s, Leeston 11: 15 am Harvest Festival at St Mary’s, Irwell

Every Wednesday 10:00 am. Holy Communion with Prayer for

Healing at St John’s, Leeston

Morning tea in the hall after Sunday and Wednesday morning Services

All Welcome

St James [1864-65]; St John’s ([1872]; St Mark’s [1882]; St Luke’s ]1881] St Mary’s [1895].

March Vestry Notes A draft Health and Safety Plan for parish events

was presented and discussed. This identifies poten-tial hazards and how they are to be dealt with.

The Vicar reported that attendances at services are well up since the new schedule began.

Betty Chamberlain is preparing a choir to sing at Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday at Leeston.

After Easter the Vicar will take her weekly day off on Mondays.

Kathryn Millar is convening a steering committee to oversee arrangements for the Parish Jubilee. All previous clergy have been invited.

The Vicarage Renovation project is making good progress. It is expected that work on the garage roof will be done as soon as there is a run of fine days. Kathryn Millar was thanked for her persever-ance, attention to detail and many days she has spent on this project.

A coin trail will be held on with proceeds going to the Anglican Missions Board Lenten Appeal

Around the Parish

St John’s, Leeston Services have been enjoyable, especially Mothering Sunday at which the children made and distributed posies. Many thanks to all who brought flowers and to the adults who lent a hand. The St John’s Committee has discussed church mainte-nance. Jenny Hercus trying to find someone to fix the broken lead light windows. Quotations are being sought for the guttering.

Trinity News We bid a sad farewell to Boys Brigade on Wednesday 25th March, which, due to lack of numbers is winding up. Our thanks go to Frank and Adele Morgan who have worked for many years running a very successful group. It is sad to see this come to an end. We hope the boys can find an alternative interest within the community. Cafe Church in March was hosted very ably by Shirley Barron. The theme of “Friends” created interesting and spirited conversations.

T U I T I O N English - Spelling - Maths

for 7 - 14 year-olds

Kip McGrath - Leeston Free assessment

Phone Sheelagh Wood

on 324-4038

PUBLISHING DETAILS

Next Compass deadline -

24 April Copy for Compass or Pew sheet to

ellesmere.anglican@xtra.co.nz or

jhorwood@xtra.co.nz

St James’, Southbridge A truly wonderful evening of worship and fellow-ship last Sunday for Harvest Festival with loads of perishables and non-perishables able to be delivered to the City Mission. Southbridge Sunday Suppers are going from strength to strength ...people just do not wish to go home. The hedge has been removed and the quickly sown grass is up and doing well. Visibility of the church is being addressed.

Ranger Scouts will help in July and in August Ranger Guides will polish and dust pre the Parish Jubilee. Southbridge community celebrates 150 years during Labour Weekend and planning is un-derway for an ecumenical service to be held on the Sunday morning. Bishop Victoria has given permission for the window offered by Mrs Lowery some years ago, and delayed because of post earthquake planning and other issues, to be made and installed.

Irwell The people are feeling that it’s like having an old friend returned. Numbers are good and it is also healthy to see Irwell folk still attending other services. All sat and had morning tea after the service on Sunday and no one wanted to go home. We are delighted to be having a service on Easter Sunday.

An Invitation Irwell’s Harvest Festival and AGM will

be held on Sunday, 26th April at 11:15 am.

After the Service, all parishioners are in-vited to attend a shared lunch at Marilyn

and Murray Stephens’ home to thank Margaret Talbot for the immense

contribution she has made to the parish and to the community, and for being an all

round fabulous person.

Help Wanted: We would like to

keep St John’s Church open during the Leeston fete of Saturday 11th April. Please speak to the Vicar or Shirley Everest if you are able to spare an hour to welcome visitors.

Check out the photos in

the gallery on our website

https://ellesmerenzanglicanparish.wordpress.com/

Harvest festival at St James’ Southbridge 2015.

Geoff Millar demonstrated the correct use of a

pitch fork and several parishioners shared

reflections on harvests past and present. The

following wise words come from John

Summers…

A Harvest Reflection

“Today’s celebration is about remembering, re-viving and giving thanks for the childlike sense of wonder and joy at sowing a seed or planting a tuber and watching it grow to maturity and har-vest. I recall son Liam as a little boy helping me to sow a plot with broad beans. Afterwards with the ground all looking as it did when we started he expressed amazement at what he knew would happen; the transformation of that plot from bare ground to beans taller than himself.” “Who here today has not experienced that singu-lar pleasure of digging a root of potatoes and seeing them exposed in all their voluptuous glory? I imagine high in the South American An-des some bowler hated man or matron experi-encing the same exquisite pleasure. If the crop is meager don't we hasten on to the next one – it’s bound to be better!” “This festival, this thanksgiving isn’t about ‘good I slaved my guts out for that box of stocks I sent to Dunedin so I deserve the four hundred and forty dollars I got for them’. No this is ‘thank God for this wonderful soil that gives bountifully season on season’. The husbandry of our land and plants is the practical side of our stewardship, but of equal importance is the cultivation (every day but especially today) of a joyful gratitude for the very “growth of the soil” from the huge Sequoidendron Giganteum that anchor this township on the Can-terbury plain to the parsley plants outside our back doors.”

Raspberries, Strawberries (fresh - frozen)

Cut flowers and Various Vegetables

JOHN and LORRAINE SUMMERS

Phone 324-2746

Central Canterbury

Appliance Services Ltd Selwyn Lake Road - RD3 - Leeston

Chris and Kate Bonifacio

Phone 329-5278

AN AUTHORISED FISHER & PAYKEL SERVICE CENTRE

Congratulations

To Chrisma Roberts , who has been selected as a member of the Archery Coaching

Institute of New Zealand National Development Team and is off to the

United States to compete in the Arizona Cup.

Our very best wishes go with you, Chrisma, and your family.

AGMs

Southbridge Thursday 9 April - Wine and nibbles will be served at 7:00 pm with

the meeting to follow at 7:30.

Leeston Sunday 12 April after the Service

Sedgemere Wednesday 15 April @ 3:15 pm @ Margaret Howson’s

Trinity Sunday 19 April after the service

Irwell Sunday 26 April after the service

PARISH AGM

Tuesday 28th April @ 7:30 pm St John’s Hall Reports Elections of People’s Warden and Lay Synod Representatives. Supper

Nomination forms available after Easter, at the back of churches or from the Vicar, 324 3801

Mens Group We don’t have one! And we’d like one!

Not a Bible Study Group or a prayer group,

but a group run by men for men to meet and enjoy

one another’s company,

perhaps every month or two

over breakfast, a BBQ or a drink.

To get this off the ground we need two men to be

facilitators.

Could you be one of them?

Parish Diary – April

Wednesday 1st Intermediate AAW

Thursday 2nd Maundy Thursday 8:00 Breakfast Cursillo 7:00 Eucharist and Footwashing at St John’s

Friday 3rd Good Friday 8:00 Stations of the Cross at St James,

Southbridge 10:00 Combined Churches beginning at Leeston

Life Church

Sunday 5th Easter Sunday 8:00 Eucharist at St James’ 9:30 Eucharist at St John’s 11:15 Eucharist at St Mary’s 7:00 Eucharist at St Luke’s

Tuesday 7th 7:30 St John’s Committee

Thursday 9th 7:00 St James’ AGM

Saturday 11th Leeston Fete

Sunday 12th Easter 2 8:00 Eucharist at St Mary’s 9:30 Eucharist at St John’s, AGM following

Tuesday 14th 7:30 Finance Meeting

Wednesday 15th 3:15 Sedgemere AGM

Sunday 19th Easter 3 9:30 Eucharist at St John’s 11:00 Harvest Festival & AGM at Trinity 5:00 Evening Prayer at St James’

Tuesday 21st 7:30 Vestry

Wednesday 22nd 7:30 Worship Committee

Thursday 23rd 7.30 Young Women’s Group

Sunday 26th Easter 4 9:30 All-age Eucharist at St John’s 11:15 Harvest Festival, AGM 7 Lunch at St Mary’s, Irwell, Tuesday 28th 7:30 Parish AGM at St John’s

Wednesday 29th Evening Cursillo Group

Thursday 30th 10:00 Daytime AAW

Every Wednesday 10:00am Eucharist and Prayer for Healing at St

John’s, Leeston 11:15am Study Group: 8th and 15th 7:30 pm Study Group: 8th and 15th

Fridays (in term time) 10:30 am Beat and Bounce at Sudeley Park, Irwell

Daytime AAW

Next meeting

30th April at 10 am

@

The End of the Line Cafe, Southbridge

All welcome

Enquiries to Rosaline Brown

Young Anglican Women

Thursday 23 April

@ 7.30pm

At the home of Sheelagh Wood

48 Woodville St, Leeston.

Parish Directory

Vicar Rev’d Lynne Horwood 324-3801 Vicar’s Warden Kathryn Millar 324-2511 People's Warden Shirley Everest 324-2841

Treasurer Lois McKay 324-3802 Pastoral Secretary Judith McDrury 324-2774 Sunday School Coordinator Rachael Carruthers 324-8324

Parish email address: ellesmere.anglican@xtra.co.nz Parish mailing address: PO Box 44, Leeston

Parish phone 324 3801

Beat ‘n’ Bounce

A pre-school music & dance session

followed by morning tea.

Held on Friday mornings of term time

at 10.30am, Sudeley Park, Irwell.

Gold coin donation

For more details contact

Leonie Knowler 329-1020

INTERMEDIATE AAW

Wednesday 1st April

Visit to the Community of the Sacred Name

as guests of Fendalton AAW at 2pm.

Phone Joan 324 2281

for further information

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME