st johnthe baptist,aldford & st …
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Diocese of ChesterMarch 2020Parish Newsletter
ST JOHNTHE BAPTIST,ALDFORD &ST MARYTHEVIRGIN, BRUERA
The end of February saw the start ofLent, with Pancake Day (ShroveTuesday) and Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday is a time to reflect onour mortality, and to remember that wewill all stand in the presence of God oneday to give an account of ourselves andof our lives.
Since we are all sinners, the thought ofbeing in the presence of God’s holyscrutiny may well fill us with dread.There is no deed, no thought, no secretthat God does not know. There isnowhere to hide from God.
And yet, AshWednesday, and the periodof Lent that follows, is not a time ofmorose fear. Yes, it is perhaps seriousand somber, but above all it is a time ofjoy.
It is a time to acknowledge that while weare weak and sinful, Jesus Christ isperfect and without sin. It is a time torecognise Jesus as the perfect sacrifice,that makes peace with God, on ourbehalf.
Lent gives us the chance to acknowledgethat, although we are sinners, God hasforgiven our sin through the life, deathand resurrection of Jesus Christ, if onlywe will accept him by faith with genuinerepentance.
At the Ash Wednesday service wereceived an ash cross, a sign that we aresinners, indeed, but also, and above all,a sign that we are sinners forgiven byfaith in Christ. God bless,
Karl
Enter into the joy of Lent!
A special congratulations to EthelCummins, who received the BritishEmpire Medal in this years honours list,
for “services to the community inAlford, Cheshire.” CongratulationsEthel, we are all so proud of you!
Congratulations Ethel!
We are very much looking forward tothe special Easter Messy Church! Thiswill take place on Sunday 5th April, from3:00 to 5:00 pm.We will start inAldfordVillage Hall for an hour of crafts andactivities, then move into the church forabout twenty minutes of singing, storyand games. After that we will go backinto the hall for a party tea.
Messy Church is always great fun andall primary school children, andyounger, are welcome.
We’d love to see you there!
Easter Messy Church
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Aldford CastleThe motte and bailey castle at Aldford isone of a group of early post-conquestmotte and baileys forming a defensivesystem, the aim of which was to curbWelsh raids on the rich farming areas ofCheshire.
Its earthworks are well preserved andsome say that the monument is the bestsurviving example of a Norman castle inCheshire. Additionally it is a rareexample in the county of a motte andbailey later modified in stone as a shellkeep castle.
The castle. site is strategically situatedfive hundred meters south of a crossingpoint of the River Dee that has been inuse since Roman times. The motte andbailey was constructed in about the mid12th century by Robert de Aldford whoheld the fee of Aldford under the Earlof Chester in the reign of King John.
It is most likely that the hall andchambers of the lord of the manor werearranged inside a curtain wall. Part of thecore of this wall of mortared rubble hasbeen exposed. Evidence of a chapel has
been excavated. A piscina is in theGrosvenor museum.
Certainly there are records of a cleric atthe castle in early times, so it is likely tobe the first place of worship in Aldford.Though priests were here mentioned atDomesday.
The motte is still surrounded for over halfits circuit by a substantial ditch. It wouldhave held water until some time in thenineteenth century.
The building of woodhouse farm in 1867and the laying out of the garden may haveled to the removal of the outer bank.
By the 18th century the castle had falleninto decay and passed to the Grosvenorfamily who made a landscape featureof the earthworks by planting trees,filling the motte and bailey ditch withwater, and constructing a cistern houseor bathhouse in the bailey ditch.
Many a child has enjoyed playtime on themotte and hidden in the hollow tree!
Ruth Clarke
Imagefrompixabay.com
Have you got what it takes to build anextraordinary scarecrow, on the theme ofcharacters from TV & Film, out out ofodd and ends?
If so why not enter the AldfordScarecrow Competition and have thechance of winning £25.
The scarecrow competition will takeplace in the weeks leading up to thevillage fair, and the winner will beannounced at the fair.
Keep an eye out fordetails of how to takepart.
Scarecrows willbe judged bymembers of thepublic, and again,everyone can take part inthis too.
More details will bepublished in due course.
Aldford Scarecrow Competition
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There is an old Jewish saying: God couldnot be everywhere, and therefore Hemade mothers.
Mother Church, Mother Earth, Mother ofthe Gods – our human mothers – all ofthem have been part of the celebration of‘Mothering Sunday’ – as the fourthSunday in Lent is affectionately known.It has been celebrated in the UK since atleast the 16th century.
In Roman times, great festivals were heldevery Spring to honour Cybele, Motherof all the Gods. Other pagan festivals inhonour of Mother Earth were alsocelebrated. With the arrival ofChristianity, the festival became onehonouring Mother Church.
During the Middle Ages, young peopleapprenticed to craftsmen or working as‘live-in’ servants were allowed only oneholiday a year on which to visit theirfamilies – which is how ‘MotheringSunday’ got its name. This special daybecame a day of family rejoicing, and theLenten fast was broken. In some placesthe day was called Simnel Day, becauseof the sweet cakes called simnel cakestraditionally eaten on that day.
In recent years the holiday has changedand in many ways now resembles theAmerican Mother’s Day, with familiesgoing out to Sunday lunch and generallymaking a fuss of their mother on the day.
From The Parish Pump
The Origins of Mothering Sunday
On the first day of spring, a person at theNorth Pole would see the sun skimmingacross the horizon, beginning six monthsof uninterrupted daylight. A person at theSouth Pole would see the sun skimmingacross the horizon, signalling the start ofsix months of darkness.
Spring almost always arrives on March20 or 21, but sometimes on the 19th. Thereason the equinoxes and solstices don’talways come on the same day is thatEarth doesn’t circle the sun in exactly
three hundred and sixty-five
The first spring flowers are typicallylilacs, irises, lilies, tulips, daffodils, anddandelions.
Honeybees are more likely to swarmduring the spring. They swarm as a wayto start new colonies from successfulones. Surprisingly, swarming honeybeesare very docile and the most friendly theywill ever be all year.https://www.factretriever.com/sprinfacts
Some interesting facts about Spring
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Children’s Page
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Children’s Page
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Puzzle Page
The following word puzzle is based on apassage from Matthew 4, where Jesus istempted by the devil. Can you find all thewords below? They can be up, down,diagonal or even reversed.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but byevery word that comes from the mouth ofGod.”
Matthew 4:4b
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ForYour Diary
Monday 2nd March, 7:30 PM, BingoJoin us at Aldford Village Hall for anevening of bingo, in aid of Rosebudsand Stooges.
Friday 6th March, 2:00-4:00 PM, Silverand Gold ClubJoin us for an afternoon of singing withTony and Sam.
Saturday 14th March, 7:00 PM,WhistJoin us at Aldford Village Hall for anevening of whist.
Wednesday 18th March 6:30 for 7:00 PMRosebuds & Stooges Annual Dinner
Friday 20th March, 2:00-4:00 PM, Silverand Gold ClubToday is the Silver and Gold trip out.
Sunday 22nd MarchMothering Sunday
Saturday 28th March, 7:00 PM,WhistJoin us at Aldford Village Hall for anevening of whist.
Monday 30th March, 7:30 PM, BingoJoin us at Aldford Village Hall for anevening of bingo, in aid of the AldfordVillage Hall.
Looking ahead to Lent and Easter!Sunday 5th April, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, Easter Messy Church
Thursday 9th April, 7:30 pm,MaundyThursday Service, St Mary’s, Bruera
Friday 10th April, 1:00 pm, PrayerWalk around Aldford
Friday 10th April, 2:00 pm, Easter Meditation, St John’s, Aldford
Sunday 12th April, 10:15 am, Easter Holy Communion, St John’s, Aldford
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Rector: Revd Julian Beauchamp,Waverton Tel: 01244 336668Associate Minister: Revd Karl Jones,Aldford Tel: 01244 620403
St John’s and St Mary’sWebsite:https://aldfordandbruerachurches.wordpress.com
St John’s,Aldford
First Sunday 10:15 AMHoly Communion (BCP)
Second Sunday 10:15 AMFamily Service
Third Sunday 10:15 AMHoly Communion
Fourth Sunday 10:15 AMHoly Communion
Fifth Sunday 10:15 AMMorning Worship
St Mary’s, Bruera
First Sunday 11:00 AMHoly Communion (Even months)Family Service (Odd months)
Second Sunday 6:30 PMHoly Communion
Third Sunday 6:30 PMEvensong
Fourth Sunday 6:30 PMHoly Communion (BCP)
Fifth Sunday 6:30 PMEvensong
Service Pattern
Lent Studies
This year's Lent Course Studies will takethe form of selected readings from JohnBunyan's Pilgrim's Progress - afascinating and grand allegory of theChristian life. The readings will form abasis for discussion, meditation andprayers. They will take place for fiveconsecutive weeks in two venues:
On Tuesdays at St.Peter's Church(starting Tuesday 3rd March at 11.30am) and the Parish Room (startingWednesday 4th March at 7.30pm:behind The Rectory, Green Lake Lane,Aldford). All welcome!
Jules Beauchamp
John Bunyanwas an English writer andPuritan preacher best remembered as theauthor of the Christian allegory ThePilgrim's Progress.
In addition to The Pilgrim's Progress,Bunyan wrote nearly sixty titles, manyof themexpandedsermons.
Bunyancame fromthe villageof Elstow,nearBedford.