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Parish News
www.htboa.org
Benefice of Bradford on Avon Holy Trinity, Westwood and Wingfield
In this issue… Christian Aid Week 12-18 May Treasurer Geoff talks budgets
& brainwaves Plus Jill Wright explores the MU’s response to modern slavery and human trafficking
May 2019
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DIRECTORY FOR HOLY TRINITY
Rector The Revd Canon Joanna Abecassis, 18A Woolley St, BoA BA15 1AF [email protected] Tel: 864444 Associate Priest The Revd Dr Ali Green, 36 Budbury Close, BoA BA15 1QG [email protected] Tel: 0785 547 0069
Churchwarden David Milne, 37 Palairet Close, BA15 1UT Tel: 864341 Churchwardens’ Tony Bruun, [email protected] Tel: 790291, Team Vernon Burchell, [email protected] Tel: 862782 June Harrison, [email protected] Tel: 863745
Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton [email protected]
Admin Assistant Aylene Clack [email protected] Retired Clergy Canon David Driscoll, The Revd Alun Glyn-Jones, Canon Peter Hardman, The Revd Jim Hill, The Ven Ian Stanes, The Revd Karl Wiggins. Director of Music Martin Cooke [email protected] Tel 01985 248866 Times of Services Holy Trinity (Check Bulletins and notices or Church website) Sundays 8am Eucharist (Traditional language) 9.30am Eucharist (coffee afterwards) 2nd Sundays 9.30am ‘In the Round’ (coffee afterwards) 6pm Eucharist for Healing & Wholeness or Evensong, Compline Weekday Eucharist 10am Wednesdays 12 noon Fridays (Traditional language) with lunch out afterwards Daily Morning and Evening Prayer at 8.30am and 5.30pm (except Sunday and Tuesday) Times of Meetings mainly music 10.30am, Tuesdays Choir Practice 6.15pm, Thursdays Mothers’ Union 2.30pm, usually 3rd Wednesday of every month Saxon Club 2.30pm –4pm every Tuesday except August Bell Practice 7.30–9pm 2nd and 4th Mondays Benefice website www.htboa.org Weekly Bulletin Notices to Sally Palmer-Walton not later than Wednesday for the following Sunday please.
Please see the bulletin or visit www.htboa.org for more details on service times and locations.
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HOLY TRINITY
DIARY FOR MAY 2019
2 Thursday 10.45am – 12 noon
‘Trio Paradis and Friends’ Coffee Concert
8pm Contemplative Hour St Mary Tory
5 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Sung Eucharist
6pm Compline
7 Tuesday 2.30pm Saxon Club
1 10 Friday 12 noon Marriage of Luke Carter and Chloe Powell
NB No 12 noon Eucharist today
7.30pm Bradford Choral concert
12 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – Christian Aid Sunday
9.30am ‘In the Round’
6pm Eucharist for Healing and Wholeness
14 Tuesday 2.30pm Saxon Club
15 Wednesday 2.30pm Mothers’ Union Meeting
16 Thursday 11am-1pm Trinity Café
18 Saturday 7.30pm Cantamus Concert
19 SUNDAY THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Sung Eucharist
4pm Messy Church
20-26 May – Dementia Awareness Week
21 Tuesday 2.30pm Saxon Club
24 Friday NB No 12 noon Eucharist today
12.30pm ‘Forget me Not’ Dementia Friendly Service
25 Saturday 10am–4pm
‘Party in the Park’ for Dementia Awareness Week
Westbury Gardens
26 SUNDAY THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Sung Eucharist
2.30pm Holy Baptism of Arianwen Rose Jones
6pm Evensong
28 Tuesday 2.30pm Saxon Club
30 Thursday 7.30pm ASCENSION DAY - Sung Eucharist
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WESTWOOD & WINGFIELD
DIARY FOR MAY 2019
WEEKLY GROUPS Mondays at 7.00 pm (fortnightly) “Fuzzy Faith”. (For venue please telephone Alan Knight on 01225 860991). Tuesday 10.30am mainly music (a group for young children school term only) Holy Trinity.
FROM THE REGISTERS
Funerals
David Mervyn Allison (Semington) 29 March Valerie Grace Morton 10 April John Edward Burgess 11 April (Haycombe followed by Thanksgiving Service at Holy Trinity) Nancy Thelma Webb (Semington) 16 April
Benjamin Freddie Clark 14 March
Baptisms
Marriages
Angus Ferraro and April Ancell 13 March
5 SUNDAY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Morning Prayer Wingfield
11.15am Family Service Westwood
12 SUNDAY THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – Christian Aid Sunday
9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield
11.15am Holy Communion Westwood
19 SUNDAY THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Family Service Wingfield
11.15am Mattins (BCP) Westwood
20 Monday 2.30pm Home Communion at the Greens, 68 Magdalen Lane
26 SUNDAY THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
9.30am Holy Communion Wingfield
11.15am Holy Communion Westwood
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E astertide is a time of great rejoicing - colour and Alleluias abound.
And so, whilst it would be easy to throw Passiontide out the
window behind us and focus on a gospel full of light and joy, we are reminded of Jesus’ particular love for, and call to serve, the poor, the
vulnerable, the outcast. And we remember the way in which he entered
Jerusalem, the holy city, on a colt, and in which he washed the disciples’ feet, ‘loving them to the end’. And how he said to them: ‘So if I, your Lord
and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s
feet’. And a quite remarkable event happened in Rome precisely one week before Maundy Thursday.
At an ecumenical retreat for the political and religious leaders of the deeply troubled and war-torn South Sudan, Pope Francis suddenly broke
off from the prepared text – and he said, asking from his heart with his
deepest sentiments: “To the three of you who have signed the peace agreement, I ask you as a brother: stay in peace”. And then he got up,
knelt down on the floor, and kissed the feet of the three opposing
leaders… What a powerful moment? How must they have felt? People were shocked. And inevitably, deeply humbled. I find it quite amazing
and the timing deeply poignant. And apparently one of them was
reluctant… And so at Holy Trinity we do seek to focus on the vulnerable, the poor and needy and disabled of our world, as well as those within
our own community.
We are passionate about, and deeply committed to, our privileged status
as an Eco and a Fairtrade Church, and proud to have Jane Jones as our
Benefice Eco Church Representative. In this we serve our local community, through supporting Climate Friendly Bradford, walking when we can,
caring for the environment and its wildlife (eg Swift Boxes now in Holy
Trinity and Westwood Towers), using only Fairtrade and ec0-friendly products, and in supporting our local trader ‘Christine’ in her quest for a
sustainable world (and in turn she is very generous towards us). But we are
also supporting the incredibly powerful global threat of climate change, and so pray and care for the most needy and most vulnerable of God’s
children who live in those parts which suffer first-hand the devastating
effects of drought, flooding and cyclone.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! For Each One of Us
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Closer to home, I f0r one am thrilled and
delighted that our monthly community venture, Trinity Café, has been so
welcomed, is so successful and, what’s
more, is such fun! And we are all very grateful to the committed team of helpers
who have developed around it. Living with
old age and loneliness can bring little joy, especially when dementia – in any
of its many manifestations – plays
its part as well. Working closely with our amazing partners, the
‘Transforming Care for Older
People’ (TCOP) branch of our Health Centre, and ‘Alzheimer’s
Support’, we hope to offer love,
care, a good time and, most especially, understanding. And to
this end we are fully supporting
the Alzheimer’s Society national Dementia Action Week, 20-26 May, taking place locally under the auspices of Bradford on Avon Dementia
Action Alliance, with which I am closely involved. There’s a programme of
events in the town and, for the first time ever, we shall be holding a traditional and dementia friendly ‘Forget Me Not Service’ in church on
Friday, 24 May at 12.30pm, and we shall also be supporting the action-
packed ‘Party in the Park’ in Westbury Gardens on Saturday, 25 May. Alleluia!
With my love and prayers and every blessing
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TRANSFORMING GIFTS
T he Salisbury Sudan Medical
Link has recently received an
anonymous gift of £10,000 and a bequest of £5,000 and the teams
wants to say a huge Thank You to
the givers. Robin Sadler, Medical Advisor to
the Link said: "These gifts have
transformed the finances and the committee wish to express their
sincere gratitude. This means we
will be able to increase the number in training.
"The three year course fees for
one student are just over £3,000 and we like to offer something
for the living expenses as well.
The committee of five are incredi-bly grateful for these donations
and want to stress that no gift
is too small."
The Medical Link has been sup-
porting health care in South Sudan for over 25 years. Last year, visits
were made to numerous nurse,
midwife and laboratory technician training schools. It is currently
training twelve students in these
specialties. As well as training, the Link supplies medicines to the
Episcopal Church of South Sudan
clinics. The medicines used to be imported from Uganda but as the
security situation across the
country improves, pharmacies are opening in Juba. For security
reasons, the medicines still need
to be delivered by air to guarantee safe arrival. Meanwhile, prayers
are asked for after Sudanese riot
police fired tear gas at protesters in Khartoum in April.
O ver 900 reports of potential modern slavery in hand car washes have been recorded through a C of E sponsored app that is being
championed by Salisbury Diocese Mothers Union.
Diocesan MU President Rosie Stiven said: "Evidence shows that the Safe Car Wash App can help in tracing the perpetrators and in protecting
the vulnerable." The app allows drivers to respond to a checklist of key
factors that may suggest modern slavery or labour exploitation in hand car washes. Between June and December 2018 there were 2,271
completed entries using the app, with 41 per cent, or 930 reports, where
users were told there was a likelihood of modern slavery at the hand car wash. They were then asked to call the Modern Slavery Helpline, and their
findings were shared in real time with police and the Gangmasters’ and
Labour Abuse Authority.
ANTI-SLAVERY APP
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S outh-west based veterans’
charity Alabaré are offering
brave participants the opportunity to participate in fundraising events
commemorating the 75th anniver-
sary of the D-Day landings. On Sunday 16 June, the charity
will be hosting a skydive at Old
Sarum Airfield near Salisbury, with all funds raised from the event
going towards their Homes for
Veterans service. Amongst those scheduled to participate are Chief
Constable of Wiltshire Police Kier
Pritchard and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.
On Tuesday 30 July at
Rendcomb Airfield, Gloucester-shire there will be an opportunity
to wing-walk. Participants will fly
TAKING TO THE SKIES
I f you are in the church when
visiting children arrive, PLEASE
show them the Church Trails, which are on the Welcome desk, with
pencils, in acrylic boxes.
The Church Trail was done by members of Bath Evening Arts
Society for children and adults
to learn more about Holy Trinity Church. Margaret Holden
CHILDREN’S TRAILS
in historic 1940s Boeing Stearman biplanes at speeds up to 150mph.
Laura Knight, Alabaré’s
Community Engagement Officer says, "These events promise to be
thrilling fundraisers that help to
provide much needed funding for our Homes for Veterans services.
The participants who are taking on
the challenge will help to make a real difference to the lives of ex-
service personnel who have fallen
on difficult times."
T housands of native British trees are being planted close to the ancient
woodland at Inwoods, between Bradford on Avon and the Limpley Stoke Valley, bordering Warleigh Woods.
There are already 143 acre of ancient woodland at Inwoods. Contractors
have coppiced part of the woods and installed deer fencing around the new forestry plantation near the A363 Bath Road. Last year, councillors
approved two applications to excavate a lake and create a wildlife area.
NATIVE TREES RETURN
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P lans are gathering pace for our
new-look Street market on
Saturday, 6 July. There will be the usual array of
church and commercial stalls – tak-
ing advantage this year of the cool and dry (not to mention comfort,
flexibility and beauty) of the church
building, together with all the po-tential of the churchyard. And – of
course - the kitchen, complete with
water (boiling and cold), a fridge and cooking and warming facili-
ties, oh the luxury, the joy!… We’re
really grateful to Judy Shaw for taking on responsibility for the re-
freshments. And a big thank you to
Judith for all those years of beauti-fully co-ordinated and yummy
food and drink. This year there will be on-site ringing and tower tours
and, in the afternoon, we shall be
entertained by the amazing ‘Ramshackle Orchestra’!
So if you haven’t yet saved the
date, please do - and start plan-ning / growing / collecting - and
pass all your offers and ideas onto
the HTSM Team!
John Cox (Commercial Stalls)
[email protected] , Mervyn Harris (Church Stalls)
[email protected] , and
Maria Muller (PR) [email protected] – and
thank you and welcome, Maria!
Joanna
‘NEW LOOK’ STREET MARKET
F orty-two Friends and guests assembled for the annual team quiz, with seven teams of six all eager to show their worth. The
atmosphere was tense as quizzing began and it was clear the final
scores were going to be close. In spite of some confusion when the quiz-master asked the wrong questions, the teams still managed to get the cor-
rect answers. The final winners were the Friends team, headed by David &
Lindsay Driscoll. They received gold medals plus a bottle of wine each. Thanks to everyone for attending, for those who helped with setting up
and clearing away, to Chris Hodge for running a very successful raffle and
to those who donated raffle prizes. Also, to Station Place for providing excellent fish ‘n’ chips and to Vic Holden and friend for collecting them.
The evening resulted in raising £234 for the Friends, which will go towards
the renovation of the church gates and some of the stained-glass windows in due course.
Mike & Jenny Fuller (Friends Secretaries)
SUPER SUPPER QUIZ
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SOUND THE TRUMPET
H oly Trinity’s Palm Sunday procession was joined this year by the
strains of a solo trumpet. Music group member Jemima from West-
wood led us in the hymn “All Glory Laud and Honour” as priest, servers, choir and congregation processed from the Saxon church to the south door of Holy
Trinity before the Eucharist…
…and on Easter Day, worshippers around the Benefice were greeted
with a visual feast of stunning floral decorations, many of them at
Westwood and Wingfield provided from villagers’ gardens.
Top Left: Fritillaries and grape hyacinths at Wingfield
Top Right: Wisteria and lilac at Westwood Top centre and bottom left: Beautiful displays in Holy Trinity
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You can contact the editorial team on: [email protected] The June issue copy deadline is Friday, 17 May 2019.
Crossword Answers: ACROSS: 1, Baby. 3, Stimulus. 8, Liar. 9, Forsaken. 11, Episcopacy. 14, Eagles. 15, Clergy. 17, Strengthen. 20, Holiness. 21, Obed. 22, Bethesda. 23, Stay. DOWN: 1, Believer. 2, Beatings. 4, Troops. 5, Musicology. 6, Like. 7, Sent. 10, Acceptance. 12, Prohibit. 13, Dying day. 16, Sensed. 18, Ahab. 19, Blot.
CONCERTS IN HOLY TRINITY IN MAY
SILVER SWAN - SATURDAY, 18 MAY
O rlando Gibbons’ stunning madrigal The Silver Swan
inspired the title for Cantamus’ spring concert with
choral music based on a theme of birds and flowers. Conducted by Mike Daniels the concert starts at 7.30pm.
An extra treat is in store with a piano trio performed by Trefoil:
Steven Hollas, Piano, Moira Alabaster, Violin and Xander Baker, ‘Cello. Tickets cost £10/£5 students and under 18s
from Wiltshire Music Centre www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk
BEETHOVEN MASS IN C - SATURDAY, 11 MAY
O n Saturday, 11 May at 7.30pm, Bradford on Avon
Choral Society will be performing Beethoven's Mass in C plus other works by Haydn, Schubert and Mozart.
They are delighted to welcome Neil Moore as the soloist
for Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Tickets: £18 (half price for children & students) from choir members, Ex Libris and
on the door.
SHINE ON - SATURDAY, 25 MAY
C ome and join Songways choir for a concert of vibrant music on Saturday, 25 May at 5pm. Entry is free and
there will be a retiring collection.
Directed by Jane Harris the choir will present effervescent songs & thrilling harmonies from America,
South Africa, Russia, Bulgaria & Scotland, plus a Celtic Song Trio
by Jane Harris & Julie Tonkin (from BoA). More info www.songways.co.uk
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Ways to Worship: Morning and Evening Prayer
W e continue our series on the variety of ways in
our benefice that we
come together to worship. We hear in The Acts of the
Apostles that St Peter and John the
Evangelist – and no doubt many followers of Jesus - visited the
Temple for afternoon prayers.
Since the days of the Apostles who followed their Jewish prayer
tradition, Christians have gathered
at set times of day to pray together. The practice passed
down the centuries, and as
monasteries were founded, specified hours and liturgical
formats began to develop.
In common with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches
and other denominations, we
continue that ancient practice today, keeping the tradition of the
daily offices, when we follow the
set round of psalms, Bible readings and prayers.
Morning prayer at Holy Trinity
begins at 8.30am daily, and even-ing prayer at 5.30pm, except for
Tuesdays and Sundays (check the
weekly bulletin for exceptions). The seasons inform the regular
rhythm of the offices. At Christ-
mastide I unlock the small north door and light the altar candles and
a votive candle in the half-light of
sunrise, which barely illuminates the east window; through Lent the
light gains strength, and from
Pentecost through to Creationtide the chancel is bathed in light and
the stained glass glows richly
Ribbons: Bright-
ly coloured rib-
bons mark the
seasons, collects
and psalms in
the Prayer Book
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as we gather together in front of
the high altar. The Prayer Book may seem a bit
daunting at first, but with a little
practice it becomes pretty straight-forward, with coloured ribbons
marking the seasons, collects,
psalms and any Festivals such as saints’ days and events in the life of
Jesus. An accompanying booklet,
the Lectionary, lists the Bible readings for the day – often follow-
ing a particular story or epistle over
a week or so. At morning prayer we recite
the Benedictus (the words of
Zechariah, Luke 1:68-79) and at evening prayer the Magnificat
(spoken by the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Luke 1: 46-55). We also say our own prayers for the benefice
(including those who are poorly
and for the deceased), for the diocese and for the wider world,
especially those suffering in any
current disasters or crises. There is something special about
the regularity and seasonal nature
of the daily office that provides an anchor for the week, and offers
that discipline of prayer which
nurtures our spiritual lives. If you haven’t tried it, do feel free to
come along, whether just once,
occasionally or on a more regular basis, perhaps once a week.
When: Morning prayer begins at 8.30am daily and Evening Prayer at 5.30pm - except on Tuesdays and Sundays. Who is it for: Quiet, gentle and reflective, Morning and Evening prayer is better suited to older teens and adults - although all are welcome. Length: 30 minutes Crèche: No crèche Facilities: 4 modern loos, always warm - central heating
MORNING & EVENING PRAYER
Everyone is welcome to join
us, and if you’re not familiar with the prayer book and its coloured
ribbons, someone will be on hand
to help. Ali Green
Altar: Books ready for Morning Prayer
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Budgets and Brainwaves
O ur champion ginger-cake baker HT Treasurer Geoff
Jones turns to the day
job: Holy Trinity Finances... This is the time of year when
we’ve been reviewing the financial
position for the past year and pre-senting the accounts to the APCM,
and so also clarifying the budget
for 2019. And if we look at the year that’s just gone, unfortunately but
not surprisingly, there is a shortfall
of income against expenditure; and therefore once again you are
having to rely on reserves
(including legacies) to balance the books. I say ‘not surprisingly’, as
our forecast for 2018 was showing
a deficit and this has now become a reality. But looking at the budget
for 2019, the situation only gets
worse with another deficit predict-ed for the current financial year…
The Annual Report for 2018 has
all the details, but the purpose in writing now is to highlight the
financial position the Church is in,
and look at some ideas to rectify this position. The main issue that
we see is that your current level of
income is remaining static, but expenditure is increasing. I can as-
sure you that everything possible is
being done to keep expenditure as tight as possible but, as we are all
aware, costs such as gas, electricity
etc continue to rise. The task there-
fore is to look at ways of increasing the level of income generated.
All suggestions would be most
welcome, and the PCC has agreed that greater emphasis and coordi-
nation needs to be placed on fund-
raising activities, not least as so many of you already give with
great generosity. The funds raised
would then be utilised to cover the revenue shortage, which in turn
would prevent you from having to
rely on ever-diminishing reserves to bolster income.
‘Fun’draising Group And so it would be really good to
be able to set up a small Fundrais-
ing Group who could organise and oversee a programme of events
that would raise additional funding
and reduce the income deficit currently seen. And it would enable
us all to have some fun too! There
are some good ideas already afloat, but we do need some more,
and we do need those key people
in place. Your support in this matter is urgently needed in order
to protect the financial wellbeing
of your Church. And so anybody who might be interested in joining
this group, please do contact either
Joanna or myself. Geoff Jones, PCC Treasurer
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Pr
ayer
Pa
ths
H ave you wondered why
Impatiens, that favourite
summer annual, is so called? I learnt that it is because the
seed capsules are dehiscent: they
suddenly explode, scattering seeds far and wide, seeming to lose their
patience and act impetuously!
Like Busy Lizzies we too can lose our patience and even
“blow up” suddenly
when provoked. But St Paul lists patience,
or longsuffering, as
one of the fruit of the Spirit. It’s somewhere
on the opposite end
of the spectrum to what Paul calls
“flaring tempers” (2 Corinthians
12:20, The Message). By contrast, Paul writes, “Love is
patient; love is kind; love is not
envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own
way; it is not irritable or
resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the
truth”. We might ask ourselves,
“Am I motivated by love, respect, patience and compassion, or
(perhaps on a bad day) am I
motivated by resentment, contempt, intolerance and
hardness of heart?” Characters in
Scripture illustrate how God is
“gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and great in mercy” (Psalms 145:8) – and how
we are called to follow God’s
example. Jonah had difficulty over God’s patience and willingness to
forgive the "big sinners" of his day.
He had to learn the hard way that God is merciful, gracious, ready to
forgive, abounding
in steadfast love, and very, very
patient. Job is
an example of patience. He
endured the loss
of his belongings, his children, his
health and his
wife’s support. But he took it patiently. He knew God had control
over his situation and his suffering.
He had the patience to wait for God’s plan: “Though he slay me, I
will hope in him” (Job 13:15).
In our fast-moving world patience is an unfashionable, under
-valued virtue. Yet as Christians,
we’re called upon to wait upon God and be longsuffering with each
other. “Therefore, as God’s chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience” (Colossians 3:12). Ali Green
Prayer Paths: Fruit of the Spirit - Patience
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O n Thursday, 13 June Holy Trinity Church will be available all day for
anyone who wants some “Soul Space”. You are welcome to take a little time out and pop in for as long as you want, whether that’s just a few
minutes or a couple of hours. You’ll be under no pressure to do or say any-
thing other than enjoy the peace and follow your own journey into the still-ness. If you’d like someone to speak confidentially with you, pray with you or
give a blessing, then there will be someone on hand to help.
Would you appreciate some time and space to be quiet? To sit and reflect?
To be thankful for someone special in your life?
To hold in your thoughts someone you’re concerned about? To offer a prayer for the problems of the world?
Soul Space is for everyone, whether you’re a churchgoer or not. People
of faith and of no faith are equally welcome. And age is no barrier. There will be a children’s corner, with books and a craft table, and adults will find
prayers, poems, candles and other resources to help them enter into their
quiet time in the sacred space offered by Holy Trinity. If you’re at work most of the day, why not drop in with a packed lunch
and have a short time of “Soul Space” away from the day job? There will
be a café style eating area and drinks available. The church will be open from 8.30am, when a traditional form of morning prayer will be said, and
evening prayer will mark the end of the day at 5.30pm. On each hour,
someone will say aloud a very short prayer. For the rest of the day, the church will remain in peace and stillness, to allow individual “Soul Space”
for everyone who enters.
Soul Space
SOUL SPACE
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Christian Aid Week 12—18 May
D id you know that Sierra
Leone is the most danger-ous place to be a mum?
Ten women die from giving birth
there every day. This Christian Aid week the focus is on helping
mothers and babies in Sierra Leone
by making birth safer. This is done through working with a local
partner and local communities to
build more health clinics, provide nurses and health training and
improve hygiene.
Last month we were privileged to welcome Joanna Tom-Kargo to
Holy Trinity for an evening event.
Joanna spoke passionately about her work on maternal health in
Sierra Leone. For her it was much more than just
the provision of health facilities or
improving hygiene and involved men and women working together
in communities to help and
empower women for the good of all. We enjoyed hearing about the
exercise where all members of a
family, men, women and children, produced diaries of the amount of
housework they did in a week. This
was to ease the physical burden facing many pregnant women
which may lead to difficult births. It
was then good to see a photo of the village Imam doing the house-
hold washing.
Confidence
Joanna also told us how women
are encouraged to gain confidence to get involved in decision making,
beginning at a village level and
gradually getting involved higher up. Her great triumph was that the
first woman from the district has
now been elected to Parliament, enabling her to influence decisions
at a national level.
Another inspiring story shared at the event was about a Christian
Aid supporter, Beryl who had an
operation on her eye. She awoke in hospital to see an African nurse
holding her hand. That moment
Passionate: Joanna Tom-Kargo speaks
about her work on maternal health
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inspired her to give a gift in her will to healthcare in Africa. This legacy
has been used to help many
women and babies in Sierra Leone. Money raised in Christian Aid
week could help women and
babies in Sierra Leone, Burundi and South Sudan and many more
communities round the world not
only with health but with many other problems arising from
poverty. As usual we are organising
a house-to-house collection and really need more help as many
roads in Bradford on Avon have not
been covered in recent years. To make this easier we shall have
envelopes available in the church
and would encourage you to take just a few to put through doors.
If you are unable to go round to
collect them, there are also now delivery-only envelopes where you
can put a return address (which
need not be yours). Please speak to Judith Holland or myself if you
would like to help with collecting.
Lindsay Driscoll
C ome and join Holy Trinity’s informal In The Round ser-
vice, 9.30am on Sunday, 12 May. We’ll be marking the start of
Christian Aid Week with Christian Aid news from around the world, plus music from our talented music group and refreshments after the service.
CHRISTIAN AID SERVICE
SUDAN AWARENESS DAY
O n Saturday, 11 May Bradford
on Avon Deanery Kadugli Link
is organising a Sudan Awareness Day. The day will be held in St Katharine’s
Church in Holt starting with coffee at
9.30am and finishing at 3pm. The day is free to attend with a
retiring collection. The three
speakers will cover all the latest news about Sudan and our Deanery
link with the Kadugli Diocese
and plans for the future. Please bring a packed lunch, and drinks
are available.
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Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
M ore than 200 years after the official end of the
slave trade there are
still an estimated 40.8 million men, women and children trapped in
slavery and 13,000 are in the UK.
The fastest-growing business in the world, it surpasses the drugs
trade and is second only to the
arms trade.
A Global Crime
Human trafficking is the move-ment of people by means of force,
fraud or deception, with the aim
of exploiting them. Trapped by unrealistic promises of new life
and removed into a situation they
cannot leave, a person is in slavery when they are forced to work for,
or serve, another without any
freedom to stop. It may be sexual exploitation, forced labour in
agriculture or homes, organ har-
vesting, car-washing or children for adoption. Lies, abuse, control and
violence are hallmarks of slavery.
Criminals see it as an opportunity to make large amounts of money;
victims and their families are
powerless and threatened, often moved across continents to areas
where they have no language to
speak to locals. This global problem enmeshes
countries all over the world. Its
victims are around us as we live our 'normal' lives. Prostitution,
car washes, nail bars and fruit-
gathering may subject workers to violence, lack of money and
sordid conditions.
On The Alert
The Church of England has set up
The Clewer Initiative, currently working for three years to produce
strategies to detect instances of
modern slavery in communities, to advise on practical responses and
to help provide victim support
and care. Dioceses are meeting with agencies. Mothers' Union is
involved and Rosie Stiven, the
Diocesan President, provided our branch with paperwork advising us
how to spot signs of slavery and
who to contact. But do nothing yourself as you might alert the
exploiter, risking the slave and
yourself! The Clewer Initiative wants to raise awareness at a local
level in individual parishes. That's
why this article has been written! A charity called Unseen was set
up in Bristol in 2008 to work with
victims. They have a helpline for victims to contact and they
respond to information, working
with the police and National Government. Survivors are provid-
ed with a safe house (one in Bath),
23
education, medical help and on-going support. They also train
and advise professionals to identify
and support potential victims. They campaign and lobby
legislative bodies.
Julius
Aged 15 and from a family with
nine children, Julius met a man in his village in West Africa. The
man was dressed in a smart suit
and looked prosperous. The man approached and said, “I have
several businesses in the UK and
am looking for the best people like you to come and work for me. I will
pay your flights and accommoda-
tion and you will make good mon-ey. Now tell me, how does a new
life in London sound to you?”
Needless to say Julius jumped at the opportunity and within months
was on a flight. The atmosphere
changed as soon as he landed. He was bundled into a car and taken
to a house by people he had never
seen before. His situation rapidly got worse. He was told he owed
the businessman £10,000 to pay
for the journey to London and he must work to pay this off. He was
woken at 5am each morning to
labour on a building site. At night he worked in a takeaway and slept
on the floor. His debt increased as
the gangmasters penalised him for trumped-up rule-infringements.
They beat him and kept him locked
in. The police raided the takeaway and he was taken to a safe house,
thin, withdrawn and suffering from
post-traumatic stress. He was helped back to health by proper
food, medical attention and a
course covering financial advice, access to welfare benefits and
training in plumbing. Finally he
was able to have his own life as a survivor on the road to recovery.
In the UK many children who
have been brought up in care are moved into bed and breakfast
accommodation and are particular-
ly vulnerable to such criminals. It is our individual duty to be aware
of this pernicious crime going on
amongst us. Jill Wright
24
Sabeel Wave of Prayer
E ach Thursday at noon a small group gathers in the
Saxon Church to take part in
the Sabeel Wave of Prayer Ministry. Prayers are sent weekly to local
and international friends of Sabeel
covering regional concerns, which we use as part of Sabeel’s network
of supporters. As Sabeel says,
“This wave of prayer washes over the world.”
The Sabeel Liberation Theology
Center is based in Jerusalem. Founded by Canon Naim Ateek,
previously on the staff of St
George’s Ca-thedral, Jeru-
salem, it is an
ecumenical grassroots
movement
among Pal-estinian
Christians. It
encourages Christians to become ‘Friends of
Sabeel’, working for justice and
standing in solidarity with the Pal-estinian people. The Friends of Sa-
beel (UK) recently merged with
Kairos Britain to become Sabeel-Kairos. Kairos is an Ancient Greek
word meaning the right critical or
opportune moment. The desire for a just and peaceful
resolution for both Palestinians
and Israelis is summed up in the
concluding prayer we say each week, composed by Father Cha-
cour: “Pray not for Arab nor Jew,
for Palestinians and Israelis. Pray rather for ourselves, that we may
not divide them in our prayers, but
keep them both together in our hearts.”
In our local group we are aware
that the prayers often seem like a litany of the wrongs experienced
by Palestinians. The news is fre-
quently quite shocking and we are left dispirited, wondering what we
can do. Current
events aren’t at all hopeful, with Prime
Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu promis-ing to annex Jewish
settlements in the
occupied West Bank if he is re-elected af-
ter their general
election. Hamas, in control of Ga-za, do not appear at all interested
in trying to negotiate, instead
sending rockets into Israel with the inevitable retaliation. However
there are plenty of Israelis and Pal-
estinians who take a different line, working and praying to end a con-
flict that has lasted over 70 years!
As a group we would like to find out more about groups and their
25
projects where Israelis and Pales-
tinians join together to work for a
just peace. We warmly invite you to join us
for our Thursday
prayers at the Saxon Church.
We usually gather
about 11.50am and finish shortly
after noon. Don’t
worry if you cannot join us every Thursday, but just come along
when you can. If you would like a
copy of the prayers, why not join the email list of people who receive
them each week. Simply contact
Judith Hammond
([email protected]). Either way you will be contrib-
uting to the global
Wave of Prayer, and in addition, you will
undoubtedly learn
a lot about the situation which will
inform both your
own personal prayers and the weekly prayers at Sunday services
in Bradford-on-Avon Churches
Together (BACT). David Driscoll
T his extract comes from Parish News, May 1996, when Muriel Freeborn
was editor. It was written by Alan Sturmey, who found a story about an ancestor when he leafed through “Hoare’s Modern Wiltshire”,
published in 1843…
I checked the index and was pleased to see references to Sturmeys in Volume 5 – Salisbury. I was not quite so happy to find the reason why
Henry entered the records. Taken from the Mortival Register of the year
1316, I read: “Henry Sturmey, having broken into the episcopal park at Ramsbury,
was visited with the following sentence: Henry Sturmey shall walk before
the procession in our church of Sarum, on Ascension Day and Whitsunday, in his tunic, without a hood, in sandals, and carrying each day a lighted
torch of one pound weight. The procession being concluded, he shall then
receive from the locum tenens of the Dean, a flagellation piously and de-voutly, and immediately afterwards shall offer one of the said wax torches,
on Ascension Day at the High altar, and the other on Whitsunday at the
tomb of Simon, formerly Bishop of Sarum, of happy memory, remaining the until they are consumed”.
Muriel’s Archives
As Sabeel says,
“This wave of prayer
washes over the
world”
26
Ride for Equality: The cyclists and supporters at Whitehall in London
27
On the Way: Rob’s Story
T his year we are featuring stories about journeys. Tony
Bruun heard this testimony
in person from Rob, who has given permission for us to share it.
My name is Rob Smith and I live
near Andover with my wife Debbie, three sons and two dogs. I'm
a bricklayer by trade and run a
building business. If you don’t believe in miracles, read on with
an open mind; if you do believe,
read on, and thank God for what he is able to do in our lives!
Hedonistic Times My father was also a builder, and I
was one of four children. When I
was about six or seven my mum walked out and never came back
and we were all brought up by
Dad. At school we had the weekly humiliating experience when
dinner money was being handed
over of having to say “the welfare pay for me”. A horrible time. And
at home, Dad was just not coping
and he was drinking and womanis-ing. My lifestyle was hedonistic,
fuelled by drugs and alcohol and
getting into fighting, finally at the age of 16 making a court appear-
ance. My younger brother's behav-
iour was even worse; he received a four year care order from 14 to 18
years of age.
Life was so tough at home that
in my teens I used to stay at my
girlfriend’s during the week and go to school from there. But I hated
school, especially exam time, and
would regularly be in trouble for not turning up. When I left school I
got an apprenticeship as a bricklay-
er, and then decided to travel and work abroad. In 1986 I travelled to
Los Angeles, California, where I
stayed for three years working on jobs in the Beverly Hills area, San
Diego and Hawaii. At one point I
shared an apartment with an English friend whose sister,
Debbie, asked if she could come
out to LA to stay for a while. Well, it was love at first sight! Deb and I
couldn’t decide where to call
home: was it to be USA or the UK? We flipped a coin and decided to
return to the UK.
Looking for Work
So now I was back in Andover and
looking for work. I had put my name on the housing list and had
the chance to purchase a home
through the shared ownership scheme. To do this I needed to earn
some real money as rates of pay
in the UK were poor in the brick-laying trade, and jobs few and far
between, and interest rates were
at 15%! A work opportunity came
28
up in Germany with an older brick-
layer, Mick, so I borrowed some
money from my family to cover the travel expenses.
To Germany Towards the end of a long train
journey, a German lady asked what
we were doing travelling to such a small town. We explained, and she
asked where we were staying that
night. We replied that we were not booked in anywhere so she insisted
on driving us to a succession of ho-
tels, but we explained we had very little money, and we'd be quite
happy just sleeping under a hedge
until we were able to start work and earn some money. This very
kind lady, Anne-Marie, took us
back to her home where she fed us and put us up for the night.
Mick and I began to earn very good money, found a flat above a
Greek restaurant, and I was able to
send savings back home to Debbie. Over the next three years I would
come back to Andover from
Christmas until March, and again in August. Without a telephone in the
flat, Debbie and I kept in touch by a
simple routine. Every Friday even-ing I would eat in the Greek restau-
rant and at 8pm she would call the
restaurant and we would catch up on all the news. On one visit back
home we talked about getting
married – but Debbie was divorced and at that time many church
ministers frowned on such a
request. We were faced with a bit of a challenge to say the least…
The story continues next month!
29
30
A fter the glorious February
weather, most of March
was very disappointing, generally cool and dull until the 23rd
when we then experienced a superb
week of warm, sunny, calm, dry days, and the butterflies loved it.
The table at the bottom of the page
gives a comparison between species reported in March this year & 2018,
indicating just how remarkable
March was. The additional species reported
since February all emerged from
their over-wintered chrysalis stages exceptionally early due to
the fine weather. However, only
one, the Duke of Burgundy (what a superb name for a little butterfly!)
achieved an earliest ever Wiltshire
record, appearing on 28 March. This date equals the national
record set in 2002 in Hampshire
and beats the previous Wiltshire
date of 8 April 2011 by 12 days!
This is a rare, vulnerable and
very local butterfly and Wiltshire supports most of the remaining
colonies in England, many on the
MoD ranges on Salisbury Plain. The other surprise was the
Large Tortoiseshell seen at the
WWT reserve at Jones’s Mill near Pewsey on 24th. This species is
considered to be extinct in Britain
as a breeding resident, those re-ported being immigrants from the
continent. The previous Wiltshire
record was on 10 May 2011 in Green Lane Wood near Trow-
bridge. So, a continuing exception-
al and unexpected start to 2019 and hopefully a taste of things to
come although April has so far
been disappointingly cool and dull. Mike Fuller
Wiltshire Butterfly Recorder
9th April 2019
Wiltshire Butterflies: March 2019
SPECIES 2019 2018 SPECIES 2019 2018
Brimstone 304 c.40 Red Admiral 11 6
Large White 4 0 Painted Lady 1 0
Small White 18 0 Small Tortoiseshell 81 15
Green-veined White 5 0 Large Tortoiseshell 1 0
Orange-tip 20 0 Peacock 163 1
Green Hairstreak 2 0 Comma 108 4
Holly Blue 12 0 Speckled Wood 8 0
Duke of Burgundy 1 0 TOTAL 739 66
31
Your Letters
SECRET GARDENS
B radford on Avon’s Secret Gardens will be open Sunday, 26 May and Sunday, 30 June 2-6pm. Tickets cost £6 per person and accompanied
children get in free. You can buy your tickets from Made in Bradford
(card & cash) and Westbury Gardens (cash). Well-behaved dogs on short leads are welcome at garden owners’
discretion. Delicious teas and cakes will be available, supporting Save the
Children Fund (26 May) and Arts Together (30 June). Profits go to local good causes that improve the appearance of the town. If you would like to
apply for a grant send applications to [email protected]
describing the good cause. Participating garden owners will select the good cause by vote. Good Luck, it might be your lucky day!
Annette Seekings
D ear Congregation of Holy Trinity, thank you so much
for your donation of food
amounting 12.65 kg which you collected for the Hub during the past
year. This is very much appreciated.
As you know The Hub runs entirely on a voluntary basis and could
not function without generous
donations like yours. We thought you would be
interested to know that in the last
year the total number of adults helped was 716 and the number of
children 356. In total, over 500 food
parcels were issued. This included over 60 Christmas boxes and
hampers to schools for children
during the school holidays. The total amount of food donated
during the past year was an
impressive 8
metric tonnes, but there have
been times during the year when
specific items have been in short supply. So, ongoing donations are
always needed, as is support both
financially and practically. Do feel free to join us at our
monthly fundraising coffee
mornings, held on the second Fri-day of each month between 10am
and 12 noon to find out more
about what we are doing and to enjoy a cup of coffee and home-
made cakes. Thank you again for
supporting the Hub. Avril Clarke
THANKS FROM THE HUB
32
J ulian of Norwich (c 1342 –
c 1417) spent the greater part of her life as an anchoress, a
female hermit. Her actual name is
unknown but she has always been called Julian as her anchorite cell
was situated next to St Julian’s
Church in Norwich. In 1373, on 8 May, the day she is
remembered in our church calen-
dar, Julian had a life-changing reli-gious experience. This was the first
of sixteen visions, which she called
‘shewings,’ when she experienced a deep sense of God’s love. Julian
spent the next twenty years of her
life meditating on her reflec-
tions and
wrote them down in
‘Revelations of
Divine Love’, which still remains a spiritual classic.
Also, during this period, Julian
became an anchoress, and it was not long before her reputation
grew as a spiritual authority. Over
about 25 years, in her cell, attend-ed by a maid who provided food,
clean clothing, parchment and ink,
she devoted herself to prayer and contemplation, to counselling
those who came to her anchorage
window seeking spiritual direction, and to writing.
For Julian, Divine love became the meaning of her life and her
message to the world. She realized
that “as truly as God is our father, as truly is God our mother.” By
giving birth to humankind in blood
and water on the cross and by nurturing and inspiring us through-
out our lives, Mother Christ is the
paradigm for all earthly mothers, caregivers, advisors, teachers,
and volunteers; for all those who
dedicate their lives to the works of mercy and social service.
During Julian’s lifetime, England
endured the terrible experience of the Black Death.
About 30% of the
population around Norwich
died as a result
of the plague and there was considerable social
unrest following the Peasants’
Revolt in 1381. Julian’s writings are very relevant to us in our present
uncertainties. So to end with an-
other favourite piece from her writ-ings: “But Jesus, who in this vision
informed me of all that is needed
by me, answered with these words and said: ‘It was necessary that
there should be sin; but all shall be
well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
David Driscoll
Saint for the Season: Julian of Norwich
“All shall be well, and all
shall be well, and all manner
of thing shall be well.”
33
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Westwood
Churchwardens: Paul Slade
PCC Secretary Jill Ross
The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield
Churchwarden:
David Robinson
[email protected] PCC Secretary
Vacant
For Prayer and Reflection
May
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Our parliamentary democracy
The world climate change crisis Dementia Awareness Week
34
Quick Crossword The Bible version is the NIV
Clues across 1 Infant (Luke 2:12) (4) 3 Luis must (anag.) (8) 8 What Jesus called the devil (John 8:44) (4) 9 ‘My God, my God, why have you — me?’ (Matthew 27:46) (8) 11 Anglican form of church government (10) 14 ‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like — ’ (Isaiah 40:31) (6) 15 Ministers of religion (6) 17 Make stronger (1 Thessalonians 3:13) (10) 20 Devoutness (1 Timothy 2:2) (8) 21 The father of Jesse (Ruth 4:22) (4) 22 Pool where Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years (John 5:2) (8) 23 ‘[Jesus] said to them, “ — here and keep watch”’ (Mark 14:34) (4)
Source: Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon
Solutions on page 12
Clues down 1 Follower of Christ (Acts 16:1) (8) 2 One of the punishments endured by Paul (2 Corinthians 6:5) (8) 4 Soldiers (Exodus 14:9) (6) 5 Scholarly study of melody, harmony and rhythm (10) 6 ‘I am God, and there is none — me’ (Isaiah 46:9) (4) 7 ‘And how can they preach unless they are — ?’ (Romans 10:15) (4) 10 Favourable reception (1 Timothy 1:15) (10) 12 Hip orbit (anag.) (8) 13 End of life (Isaiah 22:14) (5,3) 16 ‘About midnight the sailors — they were approaching land’ (Acts 27:27) (6) 18 He married Jezebel (1 Kings 16:30–31) (4) 19 ‘According to your great compassion — out my transgressions’ (Psalm 51:1) (4)
35
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Officers
The Revd Canon Joanna Abecassis, Chair
The Rev Dr Ali Green (Associate Priest)
David Milne (Churchwarden), Vice Chair
Members
* Deanery Synod representative
The Standing Committee
Chair, Churchwarden, Associate Priest and Treasurer
Churchwardens Emeriti
Jeremy Lavis, Mike Fuller, Anne Carter, Tony Haffenden, Joan Finch, Trevor Ford,
Judith Holland
The Pastoral Care Team
Joanna, Judy Bruun, Anne Carter, Joan Finch, Marlene Haffenden, Tony Haffenden,
Heather Knight, Sue Lavis and Geneviève Roberts.
The Friends of Holy Trinity Church
Chairman: John Cox, Secretaries: Mike and Jenny Fuller, Treasurer: Judith Burchell
Committee: Michael Cottle, Chris Hodge, Alison Craddock, Anne Willis
Ex officio: Revd Canon Joanna Abecassis and David Milne
Bradford Group Ministry
This is a longstanding body which now comprises the two benefices of North
Bradford on Avon and Villages and our own. We look forward to establishing a
much closer bond, and the Group clergy meet regularly.
Deirdre Garrett
Geoff Jones (Treasurer - co-opted)
Jeremy Lavis*
Anna Melluish
Tony Bruun
36
OTHER OFFICERS AND ORGANIZERS PCC Secretary PCC Treasurer Geoff Jones 862981 Benefice Administrator Sally Palmer-Walton [email protected] Benefice Admin Assistant Aylene Clack [email protected] Benefice Eco Church Rep. Jane Jones 862981 Bellringers Sarah Quintin 869469 Coffee on Sunday Joan Finch 863878 Director of Music Martin Cooke 01985 248866 [email protected] Electoral Roll Officer Alan Knight 860991 Flowers c/o Sally [email protected] Food Bank Heather and Alan Knight 860991 mainly music Marlene Haffenden 864412 [email protected] Mothers’ Union Jill Wright 287786 Saxon Club David Driscoll 865314 Saxon Church and St Mary Tory Trustees: Chairman Anna Tanfield (all bookings) 863819 Secretary Anne Carter 862146 Treasurer Jeremy Lavis 863600 Sidespersons Churchwardens Stewardship Secretary Benefice Office Street Market: Community Stalls John Cox 864270 Communications Maria Muller [email protected] Church Stalls Mervyn Harris 863440
Parish Representatives on other organisations: Bradford Group Council: The Churchwardens Children’s Society: Liz Forbes Christian Aid: Judith Holland Deanery Synod: Jeremy Lavis BoA Churches Together: c/o The Revd Canon Joanna Abecassis St Laurence School: The Revd Canon Joanna Abecassis and Lindsay Driscoll (Foundation Governors)
Printed at the Parish Office, 18A Woolley Street, Bradford on Avon. Parish News also appears (in colour) on the Holy Trinity web site: www.htboa.org. Previous issues of the magazine can also be found in the magazine archive on the church web site.