THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

Christmas is on its way!

We started heading towards Christmas a couple of weeks ago - with two well attended Advent services (Stickland and Clenston) to prepare the way. This week we have had the start of Milton Abbas' Christmas tree festival - the family carol service had a very enjoyable version of the Twelve days of Christmas performed by the Drama group ( Look out for a giraffe if you are visiting!).

Whitechurch had a very festive carol service with the Scouts and Cubs performing 'Away in a Manger' with real confidence. The church looked wonderful by candlelight and scented with the beautiful flowers from Chris and Sarah-Jayne's wedding the day before.

On Monday morning Dunbury Academy, (Whitechurch base) squeezed into St Mary's Stickland, to sing carols to all the Coffee Potters and give a Christmas card to all who were there.

There is still lots more to enjoy in the benefice before we reach the big day - do check out all that is happening. There's nothing better than celebrating with others and raising the church roofs with our voices!

Top Ten Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests

Top Ten Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests

This is certainly worth a read! (Click on the link to read more.)We want to see our churches grow but are we really doing everything we can to welcome people? It's so easy to stop seeing 'our' church with fresh eyes because it feels so very comfortable. This comfort could be mistaken for complacency and we could be, in fact, shutting our church doors to others.

Bishop's Thought

Bishop of Sherborne

By Dr Graham Kings, Bishop of Sherborne

Deep conversations sometimes happen in unusual circumstances. Over drinks recently, a lawyer asked me quietly about innocent suffering. How can a God of love and power allow it?
I said that there is no satisfying answer this side of heaven, but that there are hints and signposts in the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. By now we were moving through to dinner and there was little time to elaborate.
I mentioned that a lot depends on our view of God.
If we see him as sitting on the edge of the universe, peering down on us and twiddling his thumbs, then there is little hope of hints and signposts. But if we allow the heart of Christmas and Easter to shape our view of God, then things change perspective. He was intrigued.
Over coffee, we continued. At Christmas, Christians believe that God became a vulnerable baby. He was nearly killed by Herod’s troops, but escaped to Egypt.
Our view of God should encompass God himself becoming vulnerable to innocent suffering.
Some say: ‘If God made the world with all this suffering, then he should clear it up and pay for it.’ In reply, we may only point towards the cross: ‘We believe that indeed is the heart of Good Friday.’
It is the linking of the messages of Christmas and Easter which opens up imaginations. Who was it who was born and died? One baby among many? One man among many?
If Jesus was - and indeed is - God as a real human being, then God himself has experienced innocent suffering. We discussed these ideas and agreed to meet again.
May God expand our imaginations this Advent and Christmastide.

Advent -take time, slow down, open up

Pews News 7th December

Dear Reader,

This time of year is known in the Christian church as ‘Advent’. Advent is derived from the Latin word "Adventus" which means "arrival". . I wonder what Advent means to you? Is it the countdown for getting everything ready for Christmas Day? The list seems to on and on: the turkey, the cards, the pudding, the cake, the presents...!  

Or is Advent about something else? I am drawn to thinking about it as a period of time where we can look for the small but perceptible presence of God in our lives - and in the world. If we don't do that, then what is Christmas all about? It will be about that list of things - and when Christmas Day is over, we will be clearing away the debris and being glad that it is all finished for another year - and nothing else will have changed either.

Christmas isn't supposed to be like that. For Christmas to be different, we have to do Advent differently. Advent draws us to the present moment, to a still, yet active commitment to the life we live now. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a vulnerable baby who depended totally on others for his survival. Are you prepared to depend on Him in your life?

  Alan

The General Synod 2014

Our prayers should be for everyone in Iraq and Syria!

Last week, I attended the General Synod of the C of E for the final part of the Women Bishops saga. Thank goodness that is behind us! Although I sometimes ask myself what I am doing in that impressive chamber in Church House, it is times like Tuesday morning that make it all worthwhile.

 
I listened to a panel discussion about Iraq and Syria between an imam (the first time a Muslim had ever addressed Synod), a bishop from the Coptic Church (Egypt based), an Anglican aid worker and the Bishop of Leeds who has recently been pushing our Government to do more for Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Although I spent nearly 10 years working in the Middle East, such discussions just reinforce the complexities of the region. To share just a few learnings:

-          The Islamic world is as shocked as we are about what is going on with IS

-          Whereas Christians were the target of IS, now the Sunni Moslem communities are experiencing the same atrocities. If someone refuses to join IS, they are beheaded or even worse, their children are killed.

-          Christian and Islamic leaders are working together for peace.

 
It was so encouraging to see leaders of the Coptic Church and Islam sharing a platform for peace and it was equally encouraging to see our own Archbishop and an Islamic leader clearly working together. The message was clear: mutual respect and love will be the basis peace in those countries and the wider Middle East.

 On Friday, I was equally encouraged to listen to Canon Andrew White (‘the vicar of Baghdad’) speaking in Wareham. He has spent years working for reconciliation in Iraq and is now based in Israel and working for reconciliation between Jew and Palestinian. Although he shared a number of shocking stories about the plight of both Christian and Moslem, there are two key messages I took away:

-          As Christians, we should not be taking sides but should be praying for all parties, for peace and reconciliation.

-          A quote from Henry Longfellow: our enemy is the person whose story we have never heard.

According to Andrew White, this quote underpins all successful reconciliation. Indeed, we all have a story that probably drives our own behaviour.

 
I finished the week feeling that there is hope for the Middle East and that as we move into Advent, this is the time to share our real hope. Let’s continue to pray for peace and reconciliation, and expect it!

Ian Bromilow

 

Christmas Tree Festival at Milton Abbas

 

As the Christmas Tree Festival in St James Church last year was so successful, we are pleased to announce that we will be holding another event this year beginning Saturday 13 December and continuing through until 6 January 2015. The theme this year is'Peace'. You are asked to choose a poem or song about peace and display it with your tree.

 

On Saturday 13 at 5.00pm there will be a Family Carol Service followed by mulled wine and mince pies. We do hope you will be able to join us.

 

It is a great chance for sponsors to show the theme in an imaginative and festive way and be a part of a unique mixture of heritage, community expression and fun. During the festival and throughout the Christmas period, the public will be invited to wander through the forest of decorated trees and soak up the festive atmosphere.

 

 

Families, individuals and organisations are invited to support this sparkling event by providing a tree in the Church either artificial or real and decorating it in keeping with this year's theme of 'peace' together with an appropriate poem or song. There will be a charge of £5.00 to cover the cost of the extra electricity used during that period. Please contact Unity on 01258 880240 or unityjoy4@aol.com  for further information.

 

Warm wishes

Unity-Joy

unityjoy4@aol.com 

 

Blaze!

 “Blaze, Spirit, Blaze!”  Co-operation is a wonderful example of the Christian gospel in practice and that is what we are exploring in our cross-Benefice teenage group, who have chosen for themselves the name “Blaze”.  The group consists of about 14 young people form the Winterborne Valley and the Redpost benefices and we have one member from Bere Regis too.  We meet once a month, alternating the venue between the two Benefices.  A good quantity of cake or pizza is consumed as we engage in conversation, Bible study and creative activity.

 The four subjects the group has chosen for discussion this Autumn have been:- 'friendship', 'the nature of God', 'sacrifice' and 'love is..........'.  Discussion is lively, imaginative, challenging and thought provoking.  e.g. from session1 “if you want a friend then learn to smile”, “if you want a friend then first be a good friend.”  Session 2  “if all human beings are made in the image of God then God exhibits both male and female characteristics”,  “if God is continually creating then creation continues to change”. Session 3 “if the 'just war' principle justifies war on the basis of defence, then why do defenders usually end up as aggressors?” “our generation will continue to commemorate Remembrance Sunday because human beings will continue to engage in warfare.  

 

We wait to see what our fourth session produces!  You can see some of the creative work produced by 'Blaze' as it is to be displayed in our churches.  See it and be challenged!

Rev'd Caroline

Christmas Services in the Winterborne Valley and Milton Abbas Benefice

Christmas Services in the Winterborne Valley and Milton Abbas Benefice

Carol Services

Sunday 7^th December, 10.30 am - St Nicholas, Winterborne Clenston                                  

Advent Carol Service  - Start your preparations for Christmas here!

Thursday 11^th December, 6pm – St Mary’s, Winterborne Whitechurch

The Dunbury Church of England Academy Carol Service.

Saturday 13^th December, 5pm – St James, Milton Abbas – Family Carol Service

          Come and sing carols surrounded by all the illuminated Christmas Trees 

Sunday 14^th December, 6pm – St Mary’s, Winterborne Whitechurch –

A Community Carol Service for everyone!

Tuesday 16^th December, 6pm – St Mary’s, Winterborne Stickland - 

            A Dickensian Carol Service

Sunday 21^st December, 6pm – Milton Abbey – The Abbey Carol Service

            A traditional carol service in a magnificent setting.

Monday 22^nd December, 6pm – St Andrew’s, Winterborne Houghton –

            A community carol service followed by mulled wine (don’t

        forget your Christmas Jumper)  

Christmas Eve Wednesday 24^th December,

10.30am – St Mary’s, Winterborne Whitechurch –

           The Christmas Party Crib Service – an interactive nativity for the young, the very                            

                 young and the young at heart. Have some fun telling the Christmas story together!  

4pm – St Mary’s, Winterborne Stickland –

           The Christingle Crib Service – Family friendly service to celebrate the coming of the

                 Light of the world.

6pm – St Catherine's Chapel, Milton Abbey Woods –

             Early Christmas Communion by Candlelight.

11.30pm - St Mary’s, Winterborne Stickland –

             Midnight Holy Communion – Greeting the Christmas Morning together.

Christmas Day Thursday 25^th December,

9.30am – St Mary’s, Turnworth –

             Holy Communion – Celebrate the birth of Jesus together.

10.30am – St Mary’s, Winterborne Whitechurch –

           Morning Worship – a short family friendly service to celebrate    Christmas together.

                  (No Holy Communion)

11am – St James, Milton Abbas -

             Holy Communion – Celebrate the birth of Jesus together.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year

Well deserved recognition!

 

St James Church, Milton Abbas, features at the launch of a new national awards ceremony
The Christian Funders Forum (CFF) held its first ever Christian social action Awards Ceremony on 12 November at Lambeth Palace, residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.  The Awards celebrated the transforming projects that churches and Christian organisations have implemented to serve their communities around the UK and abroad.
The Christian Funders Forum is a group of executives and trustees of grant-making foundations who meet regularly to assess examples of best practice which they have discovered.  They include the Andrews Charitable Trust, Christian Initiative Trust, the Cinnamon Network, The Jerusalem Trust, The Joseph Rank Trust, and the Laing Family Trusts. 
The Joseph Rank Trust nominated three projects from a list of ninety for the category of best adaptation across the UK of a church building to meet the needs of church and community.  St James Church, Milton Abbas, Dorset, was nominated and (together with Freshwater Methodist Church, Isle of Wight,) became runner-up to Sharpe Memorial, Parkhead, Glasgow – an exciting new building project which facilitates the feeding, clothing and education of those in need in the east end of Glasgow.
Colin Rank, chairman of The Joseph Rank Trust, announced that the Trust's decision to nominate St James Church had been made because it was a role model on how to cope with the complexity of providing new community facilities within an important historic church.  The Trust had supported the project and wished to encourage others to go and see what had been done.
Matt Bird, founder of the Cinnamon Network, opened the ceremony in the Guard Room of the Palace, welcoming over 100 guests at the inauguration of this new way of working together to support excellence in Christian mission.  His prayer set the scene for some really exciting projects – half-a- dozen of which received an impressive engraved glass Award plaque.  Apart from Sharpe (passionate about God, passionate about people); there was Make Lunch (providing meals and more during the holidays for those who depend of free school meals); Willowfield Parish Church Belfast (meeting community needs); Longdon Community Church Preston (Inside Out - meeting the needs of the world); Youthscape Luton (work with self harming youngsters); and Way Forward, a Mustard Seed project spearheaded by Steve Rawlings (prison mission).
It was brought to our attention that only 50% of churches have a toilet.   Churches lacking basic facilities are likely to be used for no more than an hour at a time (short services and short meetings).  There are Christian funding organisations keen to help encourage new initiatives.  We spread the gospel by the way we care for those around us.  We need to seize the opportunities!
For further information please contact Tom Roberts on 01258 880313 / mail@tra.uk.com

Archbishop Justin's address to General Synod, November 2014

It must be Christmas!

The first of several Christmas Fairs and Coffee Mornings around the Benefice took place in the Parish Rooms at Winterborne Whitechurch on Saturday. It looks like it was a very busy morning! Well done to all those who were involved in the planning, setting up and running of such  successful morning. 

The Parish Rooms are really proving to be an asset for the St Mary's and the Whitechurch community.

 

 





A Plea!

 

Christmas food list:

Any tinned meats

Mince pies & custards

Christmas cakes (small to medium please)

Christmas puddings (small to medium please)

Biscuits – we are happy to receive boxes of biscuits but actually packets of biscuits are better to distribute

Children’s selection boxes

Chocolates – again we are happy to receive boxes but we can distribute them better if we receive small to medium boxes or single bars.

Any snacks and nibbles

And lastly for the children  Christmas crackers!   

 

Subject: plea
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2014

Dear all

I came across an unsettling situation the other day which I’ve been carrying around with me all week and I thought that I would share it with you. 

I drive past a house every day and it presents itself as a neat little home, well-tended and looked after by its owners.  Nothing wrong with that except one morning I see that the front door has been bashed in.  Later on during the week somebody tells me that the person within had a visit from the Bailiff and that they had carted away many items of value leaving the householder on the doorstep distraught.  How fragile are some people’s lives.

I’ve passed this house for many years and never once thought that this might happen. You see it happening on the telly and the given impression is that it’s only in the big cities.  We’re far removed from it and therefore it doesn’t concern us.  It’s certainly not within our community!!  But, the reality is that it is here in our community that people are experiencing difficulties and for some the ultimate reality is the bailiff will come calling.  For many of us we will only ever get to see this type of situation if it unfolds in front of us.

Debt, a sum of money that is owed or due (owing money, in arrears, behind with payments, late with payments, overdue with payments, overdrawn; ) is becoming one of the biggest issues facing the 21^st century, we’re bombarded with information to buy, buy, buy, and for some this temptation is just too great.  We then add to the mix Christmas.  It is possibly one of the most painful times for families who are on a low income.  Every family wants to have a really lovely Christmas with presents under the tree for the children and food on the table.  If you are on a low income this is something very difficult to achieve and can in some cases result in debt trying to achieve it.

Many people who come to the Foodbank are working zero hours contracts, they don’t know from day to day if they have work.  One man we have works 4 different part time jobs to keep his family going, during the year he lost one of these jobs so he had to rely on the Foodbank until he could find another part time job to replace it.  People are made redundant, they might get an unexpected bill which they cannot afford, they get sick; many companies don’t have a sickness policy which means you first have to self-certify before Statutory Sick Pay can kick in.  This all takes time and when you don’t have much in the cupboard for some it’s just simply too long. Then food prices start to rise!

Do you know that statistics say that there are over 13 million people in the UK are living below the poverty line and that 330,000+ are children!!!!

To try alleviate some of the worry and debt that some people will face over the Christmas period we would like to offer a lovely Christmas food parcel. The parcel will have the normal food items that go out during the year but we would like to put in a few surprises, a Christmas cracker or two for the family boxes, a Christmas cake, some mince pies, or perhaps some nuts and cheesy treats etc.  Some of the items that we thought would be nice to have are listed below.  If you feel in your heart that you would like to give a item on the list please put your donations into any of the Foodbank collection bins in the Co-op, Morrisons or Tesco’s.  The local churches also have collection bins.  If however you would like to personally drop off your donation, please pop into to see at the Foodbank.  We are open on a Tuesday and Thursday from 10 – 12 o’clock.

I look forward to seeing you and thank you.

Gail Del-Pinto

 

We Will Remember Them

Both St Mary's Church, Winterborne Whitechurch and St Mary's Winterborne Stickland were full for the Remembrance Day services. It was great to have so many Cubs and Scouts helping us to remember the price of war.
 









Wreaths were laid and the names of the fallen, recorded on our war memorials, were read out. The traffic stopped as two minutes silence was held.

               We will remember them.

The Inquisitive Mind of a Child

Author Unknown

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today.
The poppies, child, are flowers of love
For the men who marched away.
But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because, my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child.
The blood that our soldiers shed.
The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief,
For the men who never came back.
But why, Mummy, are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child,
For the world is forgetting again.

Breakfast in the church!

 

St Mary's Church in Winterborne Stickland is certainly showing a way forward for small rural churches. Far from being left behind, the church members have had the vision for the church to provide a warm and useable space beyond Sunday services - not just for the popular Monday Coffee Pot - but for other small group meetings. The church has lost none of its spiritual dimension with the removal or repositioning of a few of the pews. It remains a very special place of worship but it has a modern kitchen and open spaces for chairs and tables or play space for children.

Alan, our Rector, tested out the latest arrangements by hosting the deanery clergy chapter breakfast meeting in the church this week. This begins by joining together with a communion service and this is followed by a breakfast meeting. So St Mary's proved an excellent venue.

The new kitchen is sited behind the organ and a space has been created by moving some of the pews. There is still room to add chairs for a larger congregation if they are needed. 

The new kitchen has already proved its worth for the Monday morning Coffee Potters - who raised much of the funding for the project.











The new space at the back of the church will be so useful - and it looked very attractive this morning
 . Perhaps other small groups in the village will see the church as an attractive place to meet during the week. We will have to wait and see!

 I hope there was a well satisfied chapter this morning!

Archbishop's speech at the Parliamentary Press Gallery lunch

Archbishop's speech at the Parliamentary Press Gallery lunch

Shifting the focus - Halloween

 How do you, as a Christian, respond to Halloween? Here at the rectory, we like to think that we can subvert the conventions of Halloween. Rather than avoiding and demonising all Halloween activities (which now, unfortunately, seem to be part of British culture) we need to use it as a way to engage with others. There is an interesting webpage that discusses 10 ways Christians can engage with Halloween. Click on the link to read more.
Alan and I have been carving our Christian Pumpkin to light on the 31st October. We have used a variety of techniques and none of them would pass health and safety checks (- Alan managed to stain his pumpkin red).
So here are our efforts - why don't you have a go and spread some Light on the world!

 

Link to Hope

Well done St James Church, Milton Abbas - after a very successful coffee morning yesterday, over 50 boxes were filled for Link to Hope ( you can read about this charity by clicking on this link). The coffee morning drew in many people from Milton Abbas and surrounding villages to help pack the boxes. It was a very busy morning in the South Aisle!

Lyfe and walking with God

The upper Home Group at Milton Abbas are following a Lyfe Course at the moment. Lyfe (click here to link to website) provides small group sessions 'to help people discover a deeper life with God. Lyfe helps people to grow holistically and to experience a transforming relationship with God through Scripture and spiritual practices that have inspired and sustained Christians throughout the centuries.'
We are a small group and the conversation flows easily. The challenges that are suggested each session are challenging! They certainly make us think about how we live our lives.

Alan keeps up to date with their resources and this was the latest letter to think about:-

Walking with God

Bookshops are filled with biographies of famous people telling us about their amazing lives.

Looking at some of the books available, there seems to be little regard for how long you’ve lived. Apparently, you can tell your life story and still be in your thirties!

I love Enoch’s life story, recorded in Genesis: ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.’ That’s it! We don’t know anything else about his life. What a great way to be remembered.

This phrase is used of other people too – Abraham, Noah, Moses are all said to have ‘walked with God’. I think that walking with God involves a habitual, continual life of love and obedience to God.

Dallas Willard states: ‘We need to become the kind of people who routinely and easily walk in the goodness and power of Jesus our Master.’ This is where the Bible and spiritual practices are so helpful: they help us to stay connected and awake to the presence of God wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

Keep on walking!

Rob Hare
Lyfe Resources &Bible Engagement manager.

Giving Thanks and Breaking Bread at Milton Abbas

 

 

 

                      before                                                                                   after


It was a lovely evening  with the  harvest festival followed by supper at St James, Milton Abbas, attracting a good number of people. The readings included Matthew 14:13 -21- The feeding of the 5000 and I think the ladies felt they had fed a similar number of people by the end of the evening. Many people stayed and sat down together to share a superb 'come and share' supper - far more than was originally expected. It was a great opportunity to give thanks for food, friends and fellowship!