NEWS AND VIEWS

VIEW FROM THE VICARAGE

Governments which are in power for a substantial period often bring about a ‘sea-change’ in the life of it’s society. This was true in the 1980s when the Thatcher administration brought us the ‘yuppy culture’ which it’s greed and selfishness.
Another ‘sea-change’ in British life has taken place in the last ten years as the present government seems to have been determined to undermine traditional Christian family values and to hinder the ability of the Church to promote those values for the good of the wider society (e.g. the promotion of homosexuality in schools; changes to marriage and adoption laws, so that the word ‘family’ can be made to mean whatever you want it to mean; sitting back and allowing local councils to rename Christmas festivities and schools to cancel nativity plays; reducing the budget of the Heritage Lottery Fund, which can help to preserve historical buildings such as churches, to pay for government short-comings; etc, etc).
At every turn it is becoming more and more difficult for the Christian voice to be heard as it is so often dismissed as judgemental and politically incorrect. I am often disappointed by the lack of response from our Church leaders. It has taken two ‘grateful immigrants,’ the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Rochester, to remind us of the need to be proud of our Christian heritage in Britain and to proclaim it’s values for our society.
Once a ‘sea-change’ has occurred it is almost impossible to put things back as they were and I fear that a future Conservative government will do little more than ’swim with the tide.’
These are indeed challenging times for the Church in general and for individual Christians. But we cannot give up. God has called us to work with Him for the extension of His Kingdom on earth.
Don’t just keep the Faith - spread it around.

CHILDREN’S BAPTISMAL ANNIVERSARIES AT ST.MARY’S
5th. On 4th. January - Harison Bennion
6th. On 5th. January - Hari Marcus Owen
4th. On 9th. January - Teleri Haf Thomas
4th. On 23rd. January - Finley Walter Mills
4th. On 30th. January - Harriet Eliza Cook

We will pray for these children at our service of the Family Eucharist at 10.30am on 25th. January and a candle will be lit for them.

A ‘TREE OF REMEMBRANCE’ SERVICE
was held at St. Mary’s Parish Church on SUNDAY, 30th. NOVEMBER at 3.00pm

Many thanks to all who gave donations totalling £1,388.72 in memory of their loved ones for the Tree of Remembrance in the grounds of St. Mary’s Parish Church which was switched on by members of our Sunday School at a special service on Advent Sunday afternoon.
Our departed loved ones remembered are;-

Gordon Appleton, Mary Appleton, Edgar Appleton , John Appleton, John Apsey, Walter Bach, Jennifer Bentley, Edward Graham Bevins, Leonard Bradford,David Brown, Grandad Brown, Tony Boylan, Phillip Boyton, Len Boyton, George Brotherwood, Geoffrey Chapman,
Martha Elizabeth Chapman, Jim Chapman, Emily Chapman, Rodger Chapman, Sam Chapman, Bunny Chapman, The Cotterill Family, Ann Davies,
Ron Dean, Holly Demack, Roy Dickerson, Michael Dickerson, Leonora Ellis, Thomas Ellis, Laura Elizabeth Ellis, Mark Evans, Peter Evans, Reg Evans, E. Morrice-Evans, Jack Espley, Ethel Espley,Tom Fagan, Edith Fagan,
Olga Fossick, John Ffoulkes, Wythen Ffoulkes, Donald Gill, Doris Gill,
Alf Gill, Florrie Gill, Michael Gill, Harry Goodwill, Alison Kay Griffiths,
Percy Gordon, Clara Gordon, Ernest Gordon, John Edward Griffiths,
Mair Harland, Robert Hayes, Geoff Haywood, Peter George Higgins,
Thelma Holmes, Vera Hughes, Richard Hughes, Marjorie Holland,
Bob Holland, Janet Horton, Ellen Hudson, Nigel James Hughes, Claire Jones, Elfed Jones, Alun Jones, Owen Jones, Bessie Jones, Owen Jones Jnr, Marjorie Jones, Alan Jones, Charles Jones, The Family of Glynne & Gillian Jones, John Jones, Leslie Victor Jones, Lorna Jones, Mildred Jones, Marina Jones, Phyllis Jones, William Jones, Robert Anthony Jones, William Ellis Jones, Jane Elizabeth Johnson, Kay Kilner, Mary Kermode, Bill Kermode, Sheila Mary Lewis, John Leigh, Mary Leigh, Baby Leigh, William Arthur Lloyd, Marjorie Lloyd, Vera Millar, William Mills, Irene Mills, Constance Mills, Ethel Munden, Robert Munden, Phyllis Elizabeth Matthews, Aelwyn Morgan, Tony Molloy, William Knox Myles, James,Neild, Hazel Neild, Alan Ogden, Mary Ogden, Douglas Pope, Reg Phillips, Jack Pierce, Sarah Price, Arthur Roberts, Caz Roberts, Eric Richards, Irene Richards, Glynne Roberts, Peter Roberts, Lawrence Roberts, Family & Friends of Gill & Mervyn Roberts, Gwynoro Roberts, Vera Roberts, Geoffrey Smith, Elsie Stoddart, Dave Samuels, Charles Simmonds, William Moses Solomon, Dave Todd, Ken Tomkins, Elsie Tomkins, Sid Thomas, Warren Titcombe, Donald Vaughan, Elizabeth Vaughan, Robert Owen Vaughan, Wilfred Waugh, Joseph Waugh, Freda Waugh, Gwilym Thomas Williams, Joyce Williams, Harland Woolley, Dorothy Wynne, Robert Williams, Flo Williams, Megan Williams, John Williams, Ronald Willmoth, Ella Willmoth.

ST. MARY’S SUNDAY SCHOOL:
The Sunday School meets in the Parish Church at the same time as the main morning service - 11.00am (except on the fourth Sunday when we meet at 10.30am ). This enables parents or grand-parents to bring their children with them to church and, in the case of young children, the parents or grand-parents can either stay with their children or join the service knowing that they are nearby if needed.
Further details about Sunday School can be obtained by contacting Mrs. Sara Davidson on 590050.

We have had a number of enquiries from parents of pre-school age children about Sunday School for their children. It would be difficult to serve the needs of such young children with the older ones every week but we are proposing to concentrate on the younger age group on the Family Eucharist Sunday at 10.30am. This would give the very young children a ‘taste’ of Sunday School and the older children will participate in the service by way of reading, serving, junior sidesmen duties, etc. Please contact Mrs. Sara Davidson on 590050 for details.

It’s fun to come to Sunday School
There’s lots of things to do.
We like to make and build things
And hear some stories too.
So why not come along soon,
It’s only for an hour.
We make new friends in God’s House
And sing about His power.

A MESSAGE FROM HOLLAND

Dear Vicar,
Searching for information about Rhuddlan (the tune!) I arrived on the website of St. Mary’s Church in Rhuddlan. You should know that in our church (Abbey Church, Loosduinen, Holland. 800 years old) we regularly celebrate song services, services with a lot of community singing.I always try to gather information as much as possible about the hymns we sing and that was the reason I came on your site. It might be interesting for you to know that we sing on Rhuddlan a Dutch lyric of Tom Naastepad with the title ‘Eens als de bazuinen klinken’. We also know the song ‘Judge eternal, throne in splendour’ but we sing that on the tune of Picardy. Dutch Christians are strange people!
Could you please send greetings from our parish to your congregation?
United in faith,
Henk Lemckert
Organist and choirmaster Abbey Church Loosduinen
(Loosduinen is near The Hague)

A MESSAGE FROM OUR BISHOP

Dear Friends in Christ,

FAIRTRADE - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

Fairtrade has really taken off in North Wales so congratulations to all who are supporting and promoting it so effectively! A difference is being made to so many lives.
Recently supermarkets have expanded their ranges of Fairtrade goods but have also noted that the demand is diminishing. The danger is that they may reduce the volume and range of Fairtrade goods stocked.
On behalf of the Flintshire Fairtrade Coalition we would ask each congregation and member to buy as many Fairtrade goods as possible in the supermarkets!
Thank you for you support for the Diocesan and Denominational attempts to achieve Fairtrade Status.

Yours sincerely
+ John St. Asaph
The Right Reverend John S Davies Bishop of St Asaph

'NEW' SIDE CHAPEL: The south-east corner of St. Mary's has been re-ordered and made into a side chapel for quiet prayer and some services. It was dedicated and the Holy Eucharist was celebrated there for the first time on Wednesday, 31st. March 2004.

FLOWER PEDESTAL DEDICATION: During the Family Eucharist at St. Mary’s Parish Church on 22nd. June2003 at 10.30am a new flower pedestal was dedicated in memory of the late Joan Pierce. This lovely gift has been very kindly given by her husband John and son Malcolm and the inscription on it matches one on another pedestal given to John’s church in Australia (Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Bokarina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland).

NEW ‘CHOIR’ AT ST. MARY’S : Worshippers at St. Mary’s Parish Church have recently enjoyed joining in with the choristers of Lincoln and Ripon Cathedrals during services. The ‘guest choirs’ are on CDs and are invaluable when there is no organist available to us.
This facility has been made possible through a recently installed CD Sound System which was dedicated in memory of the late Bert Rimmer.

CAR PARK EXTENSION: It has been very pleasing to see a steady increase in the numbers attending services at St. Mary's but it has brought with it parking problems. Work has now begun on extending the car park. Soon we hope to be able to accommodate twice as many cars.

*Our CarPark extension has been completed.

NEW STAINED GLASS WINDOW: Work has begun on a new stained glass window soon to be installed in St. Mary's. It is to celebrate the Parish Church's 700th. Anniversary and will depict a very familar Rhuddlan scene - the Parish Church, the Castle, the Bridge and the River Clwyd. The new window is being designed and made by Classical Glass of Glan Conwy and is the very kind gift of Mrs. Audrey Catherall (in memory of her late husband Bill)

OUR NEW WINDOW HAS NOW BEEN INSTALLED and was dedicated by the Archdeacon of St. Asaph during the 10.30am Family Eucharist service on Sunday, 24th. November 2002.CAR PARK EXTENSION: It has been very pleasing to see a steady increase in the numbers attending services at St. Mary's but it has brought with it parking problems. Work has now begun on extending the car park. Soon we hope to be able to accommodate twice as many cars.

NEW BAPTISTRY: We have recently moved the font to the south aisle in St. Mary's, so maintaining the symbolism of having it situated near the main door of the church (we first come into our Church life through the sacrament of Holy Baptism). This move also provides much better visibility for all members of the congregation and will enable us to develop the former baptistry for other uses. A new wall hanging for the baptistry has been very kindly presented to St. Mary's by Harry & Debbie Goodwill. It is made up of intricate goldwork on a midnight blue background and commemorates our 700th. Anniversary. The hanging has been made by Debbie and we thank her and Harry for their wonderful gesture.

E-mail:- info@stmarysrhuddlan.org.uk