St. Luke Formby April 2021
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St. Luke Formby April 2021 Parish Magazine Price: £1.20 Cheaper by annual subscription Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of ETERNAL LIFE.” John 6:68 (NIV)
S h y i r a Tr u s t
Registered Charity Number 1118979
Patron: The Rt Revd Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool
Hon President: Prof Allan Hobson MBE
Supporting people in North West Rwanda, Africa
r e l i ev i n g p ov e r t y
a d v a nc i ng e d u c at i o n
p r e s e r v i n g a nd p r ot ec t i n g g o o d h e al t h
Mothers Union
Aim: To support MU members in serving their communities
Achieved:
• Members supported with bedding and kitchen utensils
• Training of 25 MU trainers from all over the Diocese.
• Successful Revolving Goat Loan project.
Challenges:
• To extend the MU support across Kivu diocese
• To work through the Gisenyi MU to help the most needy
parts of the diocese
Butaka Parish Church
Aim: To provide a church in Butaka
Achieved:
• Building completed
• Worshipping community in church
Challenges:
• Fund windows, doors and flooring
Groupe Scolaire Secondary School
• Continuing to support needy students in Shyira
Primary Schools
Aim:
• To support school ministry by providing equipment,
school materials and evangelistic outreach.
How YOU can help
See our website: http://www.shyiratrust.org.uk
Email us for further information: shyira-06@shyiratrust.org.uk
Donations may be sent to: Shyira Trust, Secretary: Ken Davies
53 Stapleton Road, Formby, Liverpool L37 2YT
Donate online: https://www.give.net/shyiratrust
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shyiratrust
Vicar – Rev. Dr. Matt Davis
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Vicarage
Dear Friends,
The signs of Spring are all around us. In our church graveyard we’ve seen snowdrops and
daffodils, and now the bluebells are starting to take over. It’s beautiful! On Sunday mornings
we’ve been leaving the doors of church open to let in fresh air and it’s also let in the sounds of
birdsong. When we’re walking outside we can feel the warmth appearing when the sun shines
on us. The smell of blossom is beginning to fill the air.
These things fill us with hope and delight. Spring is taking hold. The days are getting longer.
Nature is wakening up again. Summer is on its way.
The Bible shares this delight and encourages us to share it with each other. Song of Songs
2:11–13 says this:
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
The fig-tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.
In a few days’ time we’ll be celebrating Easter together—the day of greatest hope. In God’s
perfect planning, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Easter occurs during Spring or that the
empty tomb was discovered by women at sunrise. The hope of Easter is like nature coming
alive after the long winter sleep—but it is also so much more!
Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 15:20:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep.
Just as the first snowdrop gives us a sign of what is to come, so Jesus Christ’s resurrection
points to what is to come for those who trust in him. For Christians, the hope of life after death
is so certain, it will be just as if we have fallen asleep when we die. We will wake up again
when Jesus returns: ‘For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that
God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.’ (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
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Editor: Margaret Cooke (e-mail: macooke29@gmail.com)
Illustrator: Joan MacDonald
St. Luke's Web Site: http://www.stlukesformby.org.uk
St. Luke’s Facebook Page: facebook.com/StLukesChurchFormby
Page 1
What a wonderful hope Christians have. Death is not the end. New life will come when Jesus
returns and it will be more wonderful than even the best dawn or Spring because it won’t lead
to another dusk or Autumn.
With every blessing
Matt
DATES AND NOTES
SERVICES
The plan is to restart services in church on Palm Sunday (28th March) at both 8.30am and
10.00am. We’re still working out logistics of streaming and the kind of setup we will need, so
streaming will not begin immediately. The Zoom service will therefore continue for a month or
two, which will allow people not yet vaccinated to continue with the current set up for a bit
longer.
Services in church will have strict social distancing measures in place when they resume:
masks, sitting separately, no singing, etc. As restrictions are relaxed and guidance is
updated in the future, these changes will be reflected in our services.
Different people will feel differently depending upon their personal circumstances: some will
feel more comfortable and others more anxious about returning to services in person. We all
long for the day when we can meet without worry or restrictions, but please do not feel guilty
if you are not yet ready. Instead, please continue to access the Zoom service or sermon
recordings (via https://anchor.fm/stlukesformby or 01704 336689), and keep in touch with
each other on the phone.
MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
If you have been receiving paper copies and haven’t already paid, please could you do your
best to get a cheque for £10 (made out to St. Luke’s PCC) to Colin Cooke, 29 Stapleton Rd.,
Formby, L37 2YN. If you are delivering by hand, it’s the last house but one on the left before
Range High School. For a bank transfer, please ask us for details.
APCM ON ZOOM will be held on Tuesday 20th April at 7.30pm.
APOLOGY RE PHOTOS ON BACK COVER - The blanket pictured on the 3rd row down,
right hand side, was made by Barbara Weldrake – and it won her a prize from a knitting
magazine!
CHURCH REGISTER
Funerals
19th January, Mrs Joan Cunliffe
20th January, Mr Edward Brian Rimmer,
26th January, Mr Michael Lewis
4th February, Mr Ronald Patrick Murphy
3rd March, Mrs Ann Wood
4th March, Mrs June Cartwright
8th March, Mr Terence Birch
11th March, Mrs Dorothy Egerton
Page 2
BURIAL OF ASHES
12th January, Mrs Barbara Mullin
10th March, Mr Gordon Archer
GILBERT SCOTT LECTURES ON SCIENCE AND FAITH 2021
This year's Gilbert Scott Lectures on Science and Faith will take place online on Tuesday
evenings from 27th April - 1st June. You can find more details on the Diocesan website.
OTHER DATES IN APRIL
April 23rd – St. Georges Day
INDEX
Page 4 – Easter Activities for families
Pages 5+6 Revd Roy Baker - A Resurrection before the Resurrection
Page 7 – David Moore on St. George
Page 8 – Editor on Cherry Blossoms
Page 9 – Chris Mulford on Easter
Page 10 - Saints Alphège and Anselm
Page 11 - Allan Hobson on Ruhengeri “Cathedral” service in 2001
Page 12 – WHO’S WHO
Page 15 – April Events over the Centuries
Page 16 - Crossword
Page 17 – Wordsearch
Page 18 – Crossword Answers and Smile Lines
Page 21 – Brownies
Page 22 - God in the Arts – Caravaggio
Page 23 – Peak District national Park and Graham Greene
Page 24 – Mouse Makes – names of Jesus
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SMILE LINES - DIVINE INTERVENTION?
A little boy was playing outside with his mother’s broom in the garden. That night his mother
realised her broom was still missing and asked her son to go out and bring it in.
When the little boy confessed he was afraid of the dark, his mother tried to comfort him: 'The
Lord is out there too, don't be afraid.'
Hesitantly, the little boy opened the back door and peered out. He called softly: 'Lord, since
you're out there already, please will you pass me the broom?’
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th nd
This Holy Week from Sunday 28 March to Friday 2 of April, look out for Homes
of Hope, an Easter trail in our parish. With downloadable trails for children and
adults available (via our Facebook page or on request from the Vicarage), why not
go for a walk with a purpose and remember the events of the first Holy Week as
you visit the houses on the trail map and spot the themes in the windows or
gardens? There’ll be goody bags available from the Vicarage for those who
complete the trail. More details to be released in due course via the Bulletin and
our Facebook page. If you don’t receive the Bulletin or have access to Facebook,
please email revmattdavis@gmail.com for more details.
On Saturday 3rd April, we’re hosting an Easter Walkabout in the churchyard with
drama, crafts, and the chance to hear something of that first Holy Week. Aimed
at families with primary aged children, all are welcome. Booking is essential –
although this is a free event, owing to covid time slots are ticketed and limited
to 6 people in a household or bubble in line with government guidance. We’d
love you to join us! Book your tickets at: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/st-
lukes-church-formby You’ll need 1 ticket per household/bubble of 6 people.
Liz Davis
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MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS ON OUR CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE…
It is the person who most knows himself liable to fall that will be most ready to overlook any
offences from his fellow men. - Alexander Auld
Page 4
A RESURRECTION BEFORE THE RESURRECTION
As Easter begins, we hear about a funeral the like of which you and I have never been to!
Often at funerals you can sense that there is tension in the air. Hints given that all is not well
as people are brought together who may not have spoken to each other in years. It reminds
me of the text on a solicitor friend's desk which read, 'Where there's a will there's a relative.'
My lawyer daughter caps that by saying, 'Where there is no will, there are two relatives!'
So it’s a story about a funeral in St John's Gospel. It’s not so much about the deceased's last
will and testament and who he left his estate to but rather it’s about his best friend. Tension
was in the air with bad feeling between the mourners. It started with pent-up anger from family
members and ended up with bewildering joy. Wailing literally turned into cheering.
After Jesus had shut the door of the carpenter's shop we know of one family who loved him
and cared for him. They gave him a sense of home life and security. Now and then the veil is
lifted and we get wonderful little cameos of Jesus relaxing with this family. They lived at
Bethany - a suburb of Jerusalem. Two sisters Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, for
Jesus a home from home. Martha getting into a tizzy with her elbows bared for the kitchen fray
shouting at her sister for not helping when there are twelve more hungry mouths to feed. Mary
herself drawn into the circle at Jesus' feet. Lazarus described simply as Jesus' friend.
And then tragedy. Lazarus fell ill and a message was sent to Jesus who was safe from the
authorities beyond the Jordan. 'Your friend is ill.' He didn't come until two days after Lazarus
had died. He wasn't at the funeral. They buried Lazarus and the sisters' tearful anger was
directed towards 'the Friend' who had let them down. Jesus skirted the city and after three
days arrived at Bethany with his disciples. Then we get a life-like cameo of the two sisters
sitting in grief and anger. Mary, arms folded with her back to the door. She was not going to
greet the man who had let her down. Martha, tight lipped, went to the gate. Words were
exchanged, fingers wagged, feet were stamped. 'If you had been here, this would not have
happened.' Anger spills over in a torrent of words. Mary will still not come to the door.
See what Jesus does when confronted by such sorrow and anger. He doesn't wriggle and
squirm under Martha's gaze. No words of comfort are spoken, no platitudes, no preaching. He
simply looks into Martha's eyes and asks her, 'Do you believe your brother will rise from
Page 5
the dead?' He now takes charge. 'Get your sister.' The glowering Mary is called and tags on
behind. He leads them to the cemetery and has the stone rolled away from the entrance to the
tomb. Martha calls out, 'Don't, Lord. He has been in there three days. He stinks.' But Jesus
stands before the entrance and calls into the darkness, 'Lazarus, come out,' and he emerges
in his grave wrappings and is restored to his bewildered but joyful sisters. The funeral which
started out with one hell of a row ended up with one heaven of joy.
'I am the resurrection and the life. If a man has faith in me even though he die, he shall live.'
And Jesus looks into our eyes as he looked into Martha's eyes, when he said 'Do you believe
this?' And so he looks into the darkness of our death, into all the hopelessness and
meaninglessness of our sorrow and calls, 'Come out.' And we are restored to those who wait
for our coming in the Kingdom.
Gracious Father,
you gave up your Son
out of love for the world:
Lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,
that we may know eternal peace
through the shedding of our Saviour's blood,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Revd Roy Baker
with acknowledgment to the Oldie magazine
Lot’s wife
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. ‘The man named Lot was warned to take
his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.’
His son looked up, concerned. ‘What happened to the flea?’
Signs found outside churches....
* Free Trip to heaven. Details Inside!
* Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!
* * Come and work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But
the retirement benefits are out of this world.
Page 6
GEORGE – SOLDIER, MARTYR AND SAINT
On 16th July 2019, I was privileged to attend the summer concert given by the Southport
Orchestra. The programme was entitled “Proms on the Prom”, the venue being The Floral Hall
in Southport. Everyone enjoyed the varied music, but the highlight, undoubtedly, was the finale.
Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No.1 was rapturously greeted by the packed audience, and the
atmosphere enhanced by the vigorous waving of many flags. We were given a choice of flags:
the Union flag, the E.U. flag or the English flag, and I was very happy to choose the latter.
As I carried the flag home afterwards, it set my mind to thinking about where it came from. Why
that flag, described in simple heraldic terms as Argent, a cross gules. It seems to have appeared
first in the mid 14th century when Edward III gave St George a special position as a patron saint
of the Order of the Garter, and the insignia worn by members incorporates the red cross on a
white background as its centrepiece. It is said that Edward gave this position to St. George in
thanks for his supposed intervention at the battle of Crecy. It eventually became a fixed element
in the hoist of the Royal Standard. The first recorded use of St. George’s Cross as an English
maritime flag dates to 1545. Then in 1606 it was combined with the Scottish St. Andrew’s cross
to form the Union flag.
But what of St. George himself?
Research showed that the first
documented mention was by The
Venerable Bede who died in AD 735.
The will of Alfred the Great is said to refer
to the saint in a reference to the church
of Fordington, Dorset. There are
dedications of churches in many places
as far apart as Southwark and
Doncaster. Although St George’s
popularity as a warrior reached a peak at
the time of the crusades, the saint most
associated with England in the middle
ages was Edward the Confessor. St.
George seems to have risen to the position of primary patron saint of England during the English
Reformation, with the revised prayer book of 1552.
All this still doesn’t tell us about the man himself. About his position as a famous Christian figure
nothing is known for certain. One early possible source is Eusebius of Caesarea writing about
322 AD. He tells of a “man of the greatest distinction” who was put to death under the Roman
emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia (present day Palestine) on 23rd April 303AD but he gives no
further details. George is believed to have been born in Cappadocia in modern Turkey. His
parents were of Greek extraction and it is believed that his mother, at least, was a Christian. His
father Gerontius served in the Roman army, and George followed him in this profession and he
is said to have reached the position of Tribune. When Diocletian began the persecution of
Christians, George protested vehemently, even to the extent of tearing down the Emperor’s
declaration. It is at this point that George was tortured, and eventually beheaded. I do wonder if
Diocletian could grasp the depth of faith shown by his soldier. The Emperor’s wife certainly did.
She was so impressed that she became a Christian, but then suffered the same fate! George’s
body was taken to Lydda (now in Israel) where his mother had estates.
There are many fanciful tales attached to St. George, not least the slaying of a dragon. That story
first gained popularity in the 14th century. A princess was to be sacrificed to appease the local
beast, when along came George on his white charger. He killed the dragon and freed the
princess. Perhaps an allegorical tale, with the dragon representing Satan, and the princess the
Church.
Not so fanciful is the statement that George of Lydda was canonised by Pope Gelasius in 494
AD. He is quoted as saying ”He was one of those whose names are justly revered among men,
but whose acts are known only to God”.
Page 7
The feast day of St. George is April 23rd, but religious observance changes when it is too close
to Easter. In the Church of England calendar, when the day falls between Palm Sunday and
the second Sunday of Easter inclusively, it is moved to the Monday after the second Sunday
of Easter. For instance.in 2011 23rd April was Holy Saturday, so St. George’s Day was moved
to Monday May 2nd. No worries this year then.
The Royal Society of St George was founded in 1894, dedicated to promoting English culture,
including St. George’s Day. In fact a certain revival of St George as the patron saint of England
has been observed since the mid 1990’s. The flag is used often at sporting events, and is flown
by churches and local authorities. Moves have been made to promote St. George’s Day as a
public holiday. In 2011 a campaign began on this subject, but not enough signatures were
received on the e-petition website. The labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, promised to make St
George’s Day one of four new Bank Holidays in his party’s manifesto of 2017.
Whatever is or isn’t known about him, it is most likely that St. George was a Christian soldier,
and it might be more profitable to concentrate on his role as a man who witnessed to his faith
in the difficult setting of military service, and in the end was martyred for his faithfulness to
Christ.
David Moore
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CHERRY BLOSSOM
It was announced on the radio at the end of February
that several UK councils and the National Trust were
going to plant rings of cherry trees donated by a
Japanese firm. This is actually the continuation of a
project begun in 2019. There is a book entitled
“Cherry Ingram – The Englishman who saved
Japan’s blossoms” which explains the history of
flowering cherry trees in Japan, where cherry blossom
viewing had long been a fixed ritual and there is a special
word for it. The book also explains how nearly all
varieties bar one died out in Japanese towns and
cities early in the last century and how Collingwood
Ingram – who had brought many different cherry
trees from Japan to the UK - then took them back again towards the end of his life.
Ingram’s daughter-in-law had been a prisoner in a Japanese camp, and he took quite
some time to consider returning to Japan again after the war but eventually he did go
back there and renewed his links with local cherry blossom aficionados.
The book is written by a Japanese woman (Naoko Abe) married to an Englishman who hails
from Lymm in Cheshire. They now live in the south of England. She published the first edition
for the Japanese in 2016 and then the English edition with a lot more material in it 3 years
later. She does not hold back on her treatment of the horrors perpetrated by the Japanese in
the war and the way in which Emperor worship in preceding centuries had conditioned the
minds of her countrymen to put military victory above all else.
Interestingly, in a list of 20 places in the UK where cherry blossom can be viewed in the spring,
4 are in the north-west – Tatton Park, Lyme Park, Dunham Massey and Ness Gardens on the
Wirral.
Margaret Cooke
Page 8EASTER
What does Easter mean to you? Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, chocolate Easter
Eggs on Easter Sunday or just a long weekend to do as you please?
For Christians, Easter Day is one of the most
significant and exciting of days in the year. It is the
day when we celebrate Christ rising from the tomb.
This is why Christians are sometimes called the
Easter People, a description attributed to St
Augustine, because what happened on that first
Easter Day shapes the people we are and the way we
try to live our lives.
Take some time this Easter to dwell upon those
momentous events of some 2000 years ago. In the
Bible we read about the suffering of Christ before and
during His crucifixion. It is in that narrative that we are
faced with the grim reality of what happened. But of greater significance is the
knowledge that Jesus rose from the tomb and was seen by his contemporaries.
After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to many different people. At the empty tomb
outside Jerusalem, with strangers on the road to Emmaus, helping Thomas to set aside
his doubt.
It is truly amazing that He did it for us. For all that we have been and will be. When
we get things wrong, we are assured of new life when we turn to Him as we admit our
fault. At Christmas we celebrate Christ’s birth; at Easter we celebrate Christ’s
resurrection and our own re-birth with a promise that death is not the end.
So here we are in April with the gardens all around us bursting into life. The spring
bulbs are in flower. The yellow of the forsythia, the pink and white of the cherry
blossom and the emerging leaves on the deciduous trees and shrubs are all harbingers
of spring. It really does make us feel that new life is here as we become fired with
enthusiasm to get out and use the brighter days and lighter evenings to the full.
We have so much to do and so little time to do it. But take heart because each journey,
however long, begins with the first step. All those things which we have been putting
off will be accomplished if we just take that first step to do something about them.
There really is no time like the present, remembering that time is something we can’t
own and may only use. Happy Easter!
Chris Mulford
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MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS ON OUR CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE…
Those who say they will forgive but can’t forget, simply bury the hatchet but leave the
handle out for immediate use. - D L Moody
Page 919TH APRIL: ALPHEGE – THE ARCHBISHOP TAKEN CAPTIVE BY DANES
Alphege is the saint for anyone who refuses to let others suffer on their behalf.
His is a tale of courage and self-sacrifice, with some details that are still poignant, even down
1000 years of history.
Alphege began like many other leading churchmen of his time; born of a noble family, with a
good education, he decided to become a monk. Alphege joined the Benedictine Abbey at
Deerhurst in Gloucestershire, and then became a hermit at Bath, before becoming Abbot of
Bath. From there, he was appointed to be Bishop of Winchester, where he was loved for his
frugal lifestyle and great generosity towards others.
In 954 King Ethelred the Unready sent Alphege as a peace envoy to the Danes, seeking some
relief from the constant Viking raids against England. Alphege secured a time of peace, and in
1006 was made the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury.
But the Viking raids increased again, until the south of England was largely overrun. In 1012
they surrounded Canterbury, and with the help of a treacherous archdeacon, Elfmaer, captured
and imprisoned Alphege. A vast sum was demanded by his captors, so much that it would
have ruined the people of Canterbury. And so Alphege refused to be ransomed.
This infuriated the Danes, who wanted the gold of Canterbury, not the Archbishop. After seven
months of ill-treating him, one night they got very drunk and began pelting him with ox-bones
from their feast, until in a frenzy they hacked him to death with an axe.
Alphege was mourned as a national hero and venerated as a martyr; he had given his life in
order to protect his people from harm.
21ST APRIL: ANSELM, THE MAN WHO PROVED THERE IS A GOD
Anselm is a good saint to remember next time someone asks you to prove that there is a God.
His brilliant and original Proslogion, written 1077-8, sets out the ‘ontological’ proof for God’s
existence. Nearly ten centuries later, it is still studied by theological students as one of the
great philosophical ‘proofs’ of God’s existence.
Anselm was born at Aosta in 1033, the son of a spendthrift Lombard nobleman, whom Anselm
detested. In time he decided to become a Benedictine monk, and so joined Lanfranc’s famous
monastery at Bec (c. 1060). He became prior, then abbot. He was loved by his monks,
appreciated for his sensitivity and intuitiveness. He remained friends also with Lanfranc, who
had gone on to be Archbishop of Canterbury. After Lanfranc’s death, Anselm reluctantly
agreed to accept the job.
Archbishops did not have press offices in those days, but Anselm made his views on Church-
versus-King known all the same, and they did not please the king. William Rufus exiled him in
1097 and King Henry I exiled him in 1103. Anselm was utterly committed to what he saw as
the cause of God and the Church, and therefore had no time for temporal politics. Peace
between archbishop and monarch was not achieved until 1106.
Anselm spent the rest of his life in England. His theological stance of ‘Faith seeking
understanding’ and ‘the mind at faith’s service’ were the keys to his life and teaching.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH - The death of Christ was the most dreadful blow ever given
to the empire of darkness. - William Plumer
Page 10A CHURCH SERVICE, RWANDAN STYLE
How have you been passing the time
through lockdown? I know I should have
worked hard to sort out a couple of
decades of spent paperwork from my
office, but I found it much more interesting
to sort out some old video tapes and
photographs.
I have a collection of mini video tapes that
fit a now obsolete video camera and
thought I should find out what was on
them. Quite a lot were filmed on visits to
Rwanda and I came across one that could
be interesting as we prepare to resume services in church with a year of work to catch up. It
was August 2001 and ten members of St Luke’s were in Ruhengeri. The offices of Shyira
diocese had recently moved from the remote rural community of Shyira into the town. A quite
small church was at the time serving as a cathedral church.
It was was our second Sunday in Rwanda and we were going to a service in the cathedral. We
arrived at 9.20am to find choirs singing. The music gradually seemed to get more organised
and there was quite a lot of dancing, then at 9.45 the procession of clergy entered the building.
After the opening prayers there was more singing, and all through the service there was music,
singing and dance. Music came from a small band and from a keyboard.
At 10.30am there was a time of thanksgiving for the birth of a child that included the
presentation of gifts for the child. That was followed by a youth choir and a blessing of street
children. Ruhengeri had several hundred street children and some were welcomed into the
service and would be welcomed for lunch afterwards. Later we commented on how well they
were dressed and we were told that the church had provided them with clothes.
It was 11.00am when the baptism of two children commenced. The baptism was performed by
Bishop John and was something that we at St. Luke’s would recognise as it was carried out at
a font with water poured over the head of the babies. The Ladies’ choir then had their turn to
lead worship, after which I was invited to introduce our “team” to the congregation. We then
sang a hymn and at 11.47am Bishop John started to preach with interpreters sitting among
our group. Holy Communion followed with everyone receiving and at 1.06pm the service ended
with the clergy processing out of the cathedral.
The service was 3 hours and 21 minutes long. It was a committed act of worship with a variety
of component parts. Although it was much longer than a service in most UK Anglican churches
it didn’t feel long. I thought we could certainly learn from our Rwandan friends about faith and
worship.
Allan Hobson
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SMILE LINES
Revenge - A woman was found guilty in traffic court and when asked for her occupation she
said she was a schoolteacher. The judge rose from the bench. ‘Madam, I have waited years
for a schoolteacher to appear before this court.’ He then smiled with delight. ‘Now sit down at
that table and write “I will not run a red light” one hundred times.’
Observations on life - In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone
should have a dog to worship him and a cat to ignore him.
Page 11WHO’S WHO
Vicar Rev. Dr. Matt Davis
Readers Prof. Allan Hobson
Mrs Anne Dixon
Mrs Jean Watts
Readers emeritus Mr Colin Trollope
Mr Chris Mulford
Churchwardens Mr Peter Griffin
Mr Steve Ginn
Deputy Churchwardens Mrs Andrea Brown
Mr John McGibbon
Mrs Sheila Rodger
Treasurer Mr Hugh Dixon
Deputy Treasurer Mrs Gwyneth Croft
PCC Secretary Mrs Christine Payne
Electoral Roll Officer Mrs Jean Cox
Deanery Synod Representatives Mr James Patterson
Mrs Chris Payne
Mr Andrew Cox
Mr David Moore
Weekly Envelope Scheme Mrs Rachel Patterson
and Gift Aid
Legacy Officer Mr John McGibbon
Parish Hall Secretary Mr Steve Ginn
Meeting Room Secretary Mrs Gwyneth Croft
Newsletter Editor Mrs Irene Powell
Magazine Editor Mrs Margaret Cooke (Contributions to
Margaret by 10th of the month please
by e-mail if possible – see Page 1)
Assistant Editor Mr Ken Davies
Magazine Distribution Mr Colin Cooke
Magazine Adverts Mrs Margaret Cooke
Church and Churchyard Maintenance Mr Allan Worthington
Safeguarding Officer Mrs Joyce Eddlestone
Health & Safety Officer please see wardens
Woodland Workshop Co-ordinator Mr Peter Griffin
Cathedral Representative Mrs Elizabeth Lowe
Church Mission Society and Mrs June McGibbon
Mid-Africa Mission
Children’s Society Boxes Mrs Rachel Patterson
Page 12SMILE LINES
. What schoolchildren didn’t really mean to say in history exams:-
After they defeated Carthage, the Romans brutally salted the people and razored the city.
In the fourteenth century most Englishmen were perpendicular.
Kink Nebodresser lived in a hanging garden to please his Hutterite wife.
In the Middle Ages King Alfred conquered the Dames.
Queen Elizabeth was called the Virgil Queen because she knew Latin.
Egyptian mummies were able to live after life because of the arts and facts buried with them.
Julius Cesar was known for his great strength. He threw a bridge across the Rhine.
(from “Could Do Better” by Norman McGreevy)
Page 13To advertise in this
magazine
please contact
Margaret Cooke
Tel 01704 876325
PEST CONTROL
Wasps, mice, rats etc
Phone J. E. Alvey
01704 213025
Page 14ALL IN THE MONTH OF APRIL
It was:
1900 years ago, on 26th April 121, that Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome (161-180AD) and
Stoic philosopher (whose works are still read today), was born. He was the last of the rulers
known as the Five Good Emperors, and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative
peace and stability for the Roman Empire.
500 years ago, on 27th April 1521 that Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer who led the
first expedition to circumnavigate the earth, died at the hands of natives in the Philippines. He
was aged 41.
300 years ago, on 3rd April 1721 that Robert Walpole became the first British Prime Minister.
250 years ago, on 13th April 1771 that Richard Trevithick, British mining engineer and inventor
of the first steam locomotive, was born.
125 years ago, from 6th to 15th April 1896 that the first modern Summer Olympic Games were
held in Athens. The original Olympics were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius (I or
II) in either 393 or 426 AD.
95 years ago, on 21st April 1926 that Queen Elizabeth II was born in Mayfair, London. Elizabeth
Alexandra Mary Windsor was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father
became King on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, from which time
Elizabeth was the heir presumptive.
90 years ago, on 14th April 1931 that the first edition of the Highway Code was published in the
UK.
80 years ago, on 12th April 1941 that Bobby Moore, British footballer, was born. He was
Captain of the English team that won the 1966 World Cup and he died in 1993.
75 years ago, on 21st April 1946 that John Maynard Keynes, British economist, died. He was
the most influential economist of the 20th century, and his ideas formed the basis of Keynesian
economics.
70 years ago, on 17th April 1951 that the Peak District National Park was established. It was
Britain’s first national park.
60 years ago, on 11th April 1961 that Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann went on trial in
Jerusalem. He was convicted on 12th September and executed in June 1962.
50 years ago, on 6th April 1971 that Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer, died. He was one of
the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.
40 years ago, on 11th April 1981 that the Brixton riot took place in London. 5,000 youths
rampaged through the streets, attacking police officers and damaging buildings, looting shops
and setting cars alight.
30 years ago, on 3rd April 1991 that Graham Greene, novelist, short story writer, playwright
and journalist died. Author of Brighton Rock, Our Man in Havana and many more.
20 years ago, on 7th April 2001 that NASA launched its Mars Odyssey spacecraft to search for
evidence of life and volcanic activity on Mars. It went into orbit around Mars and remains
(contd. on Page 17)
Page 15CROSSWORD
Across
1 Relating to the whole universe (6)
4 The disciple who made the remark in 8 Across (John 20:24) (6)
8 ‘Unless I see the nail marks — — hands, I will not believe it’ (John 20:25) (2,3)
9 He urged King Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll containing Jeremiah’s message
(Jeremiah 36:25) (7)
10 Baptist minister and controversial founder of America’s Moral Majority, Jerry — (7)
11 ‘Look, here is — . Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ (Acts 8:36) (5)
12 Repossessed (Gen 14:16) (9)
17 Port from which Paul sailed on his last journey to Rome
(Acts 27:3–4) (5)
19 ‘Moses was not aware that his face was — because he had spoken with the Lord’ (Ex
34:29) (7)
21 Roonwit, C.S. Lewis’s half-man, half-horse (7)
22 Grill (Luke 24:42) (5)
23 ‘The lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the — apostles’ (Acts 1:26) (6)
24 ‘I was sick and you looked after me, I was in — and you came to visit me’ (Matthew
25:36) (6)
Down
1 Coastal rockfaces (Psalm 141:6) (6) 6 11 Across is certainly this (5)
2 Academic (1 Corinthians 1:20) (7) 7 He reps (anag.) (6)
3 Publish (Daniel 6:26) (5) 9 Liberator (Psalm 18:2) (9)
5 For example, the Crusades (4,3)
13 Man who asked the question in 11 Across was in charge of all her treasury (Acts 8:27) (7)
14 They must be ‘worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine’ (1 Timothy 3:8) (7)
15 The human mind or soul (6)
16 ‘O Lord, while precious children starve, the tools of war increase; their bread is — ’
(Graham Kendrick) (6)
18 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not — ’ (Matthew 11:17) (5)
20 Bared (anag.) (5)
Page 16EASTER WORDSEARCH
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! April brings us to Easter – the
crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - the triumphant highlight of the
Christian year. As St Paul pointed out, unless Jesus really did rise again, our faith is
useless, and we may as well forget any hope of heaven or eternal life.
passover Judas temple
bread Gethsemane curtain
wine trial
body crucifixion tomb
blood angel
betrayal soldiers stone
cross risen
Jerusalem nails gardener
Pilate vinegar Mary
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contd. from page 15
operational (though it will run out of propellant in 2025). It is the longest surviving continually
active spacecraft orbiting another planet. (It has successfully mapped the distribution of
water below the surface and discovered a vast amount of ice below the equatorial regions.)
(Now, of course Perseverance is on Mars gathering more information).
10 years ago, on 29th April 2011 that the wedding of Prince William and Catherine (Kate)
Middleton took place at Westminster Abbey in London. They were given the titles Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge.
Page 17EASTER FAITH IN ATHEIST RUSSIA
Three years after the Russian Revolution of 1917, a great anti-God rally was arranged in Kiev.
The powerful orator Bukharin was sent from Moscow, and for an hour he demolished the
Christian faith with argument, abuse and ridicule. At the end there was silence.
Then a man rose and asked to speak. He was a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He
went and stood next to Bukharin. Facing the people, he raised his arms and spoke just three
triumphant words: ‘Christ is risen!’
At once the entire assembly rose to their feet and gave the joyful response, ‘He is risen indeed!’
It was a devastating moment for an atheist politician, who had no answer to give to this ancient
Easter liturgy. He had not realised he was simply too late: how can you convince people that
God does not exist when they have already encountered Him?
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CROSSWORD ANSWERS
ACROSS: 1, Cosmic. 4, Thomas. 8, In his. 9, Delilah. 10, Falwell.
11, Water. 12, Recovered. 17, Sidon. 19, Radiant. 21, Centaur.
22, Broil. 23, Eleven. 24, Prison.
DOWN: 1, Cliffs. 2, Scholar. 3, Issue. 5, Holy war. 6, Moist.
7, Sphere. 9, Deliverer. 13, Candace. 14, Deacons. 15, Psyche.
16, Stolen. 18, Dance. 20, Debar.
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with acknowledgment to the Oldie magazine
WHAT SCHOOLCHILDREN DIDN’T REALLY MEAN TO SAY
Girls were typically sent to finishing school where the point was to finish them off.
A hostage is a lady who entertains visitors
We had a longer holiday than usual this year as the school was closed for altercations.
Page 18Caroline
CarolineSpeakman,
Speakman,Estate
EstatePlanning
PlanningConsultant
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If you would like some more information or some guidance, please feel free to have a
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Member of the Society of Willwriters
Find me on Facebook & Twitter or visit my
website: www.southportwills.com
Phone No: 07926 587776
Page 19Call Us Today on 07963 194969
info@karenashop.co.uk I www.karenashop.co.uk
22 - 24 Chapel Lane Formby L37 4DU
Page 204TH ST LUKE’S FORMBY BROWNIES
Online meetings have been held via Zoom
since last September. Last term the unit
completed a Feathers and Flamingo
challenge and the Innovate skills badge. They
completed craft activities for building a boat
(using cocktail sticks, sponges and haribo
jellies) and they also did quizzes and birds’
challenges with a checklist for what birds can
be found in your garden. I used a work around
for the Mouth of Truth and they really enjoyed this - creating their own design using a paper
plate. This term the Brownies will be completing the Mindfulness interest badge together
with learning some Spanish and doing Mother’s Day and Easter crafts.
Julie Maher (Pack Leader)
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SMILE LINES
The drums of Sumatra - A missionary went to Indonesia. Accompanied by a local guide, he
sought out a very remote clearing in the forest of Sumatra for building a church to reach the
people living there. Around dusk of the first day, he was sitting by the campfire with his guide
when in the distance, they heard tribal drums begin. As the minutes passed, the drums got
louder. The guide was uneasy. "I don't like the sound of those drums." Soon the dusk turned
to evening. The drums get louder, and closer. The guide now kept glancing around him. He
said again to the missionary, "I really don't like the sound of those drums." Then evening
turned to dead of night. The two men sat close to their fire, listening with dread. The drums
got louder and louder, until it was obvious that the drummers must be almost upon them. The
guide said again, "I really don't like the sound of those drums." Suddenly the drums stopped,
and a voice from the darkness cried out, "Hey man, he's not our regular drummer!"
with acknowledgment
to the Oldie magazine
Page 21GOD AND THE ARTS
Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest
I like the story of the
vestry noticeboard of a
church in Hampshire:
after a Holy Week
performance of Stainer’s
‘Crucifixion’, the
choirmaster wrote: ‘“The
Crucifixion” – well done,
everyone!’ Later that
day, someone had
added, ‘The Resurrection
– well done, God!’
For the two disciples
treading the road to
Emmaus, there was no
such sense of victory and
celebration. Their minds
and hearts were numb with the sense of loss and failure. They had seen their Lord tried and
crucified. As Luke recounts that walk in his Gospel, he shows how it began with absence and
loss, but journeyed to presence. It was a road that took the disciples from blindness and
despair to sight and insight. They talked over past events with the stranger who joined them,
and Luke uses ten different Greek words to describe that conversation – all stages in their
understanding. And when they share a meal with the stranger, who becomes the host, taking
the bread and giving thanks, then the understanding becomes vision and insight.
That meal is the theme of Caravaggio’s painting of 1601, ‘The Supper at Emmaus.’ Caravaggio
had a reputation for being a violent, irrational artist, given to bouts of anger and forced to spend
part of his life in exile in Naples and Sicily. His paintings as well as his lifestyle shocked and
provoked comment. This portrayal of Jesus with a plump, youthful face and his depiction of
the apostles as ordinary labourers upset the church authorities. But by giving Jesus a
beardless face, Caravaggio was trying to show Him in the new likeness of Resurrection – an
Easter image of our Lord. The light from that Easter Jesus fills the scene as the two disciples
look on, astonished and finally understanding.
When we read the Gospel, we are drawn into the scene. For Caravaggio the movement is the
other way: the scene reaches out to us from the canvas. Look at the outstretched hand of
Jesus, the elbow of one disciple and the left hand of the other: they are being projected into
our world. And that basket of fruit, full of apples and figs and grapes, symbols of the fall and
the eucharist: it is about to topple off the table and into our laps. It is an Easter encounter two
thousand years ago, reaching out to us through light and shade and the skill of the artist.
In many ways the Gospel story in Luke is of an ordinary encounter between travellers and a
stranger. But it is made extraordinary by the transforming power of the risen Lord, talking with
the disciples in the open air and then going inside for a meal. However, the doors are
not shut to us. For Caravaggio shows how that special moment of encounter for the
two disciples can reach out to enter our world. And he shows the hand of the risen
Lord beckoning us to step into that Easter world of sacrament and new life.
‘The Supper at Emmaus’ by Caravaggio now hangs in the National Gallery.
Page 22OUR FIRST EVER NATIONAL PARK
Seventy years ago, on 17th April 1951, the Peak District
National Park was established. It was Britain’s first
national park, and it was formed partly as a result of a
mass trespass on Kinder Scout – the highest point of the
park – just under 20 years earlier, which helped gain
open access to moorland that had previously been in
private hands and closed to walkers.
The precise effect and extent of the trespass, in which
Young Communists were prominent, is still widely
disputed by rambling associations.
The Peak District is mostly in Derbyshire, but includes
parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire
and Yorkshire. It is usually split into the higher Dark Peak
and the gentler White Peak, in the centre and south of
St. Anne’s Church, Baslow, in the the district. Altogether it covers 555 square miles: it is
Peak District reckoned that 20 million people live within an hour’s
journey of it.
It contains only one town – Bakewell – but several others, such as Buxton, are on the fringes.
It is now the fifth largest of the 13 national parks in England and Wales. The land within it is a
mixture of public and private ownership, and there are many planning restrictions imposed by
the national park authority to prevent inappropriate development.
REMEMBERING GRAHAM GREENE
Graham Greene – novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist – died 30 years ago, on
3rd April 1991, of leukaemia. He was 86. Widely recognised as an outstanding novelist, he was
the author of Brighton Rock, Our Man in Havana and many more.
His first name was actually Henry, and he was born at Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire,
where his father was a housemaster. His parents were first cousins, and the family included
the owners of the Greene King brewery. But he was not happy at school; as a result of bullying
and his depression; he received psychoanalysis after making several suicide attempts.
He started out as an atheist but converted to Roman Catholicism as a result of his relationship
with Vivien Dayrell-Browning, whom he married in 1927. He normally referred to himself as a
Catholic agnostic and objected strongly to being described as a Roman Catholic novelist,
though many of his novels had Catholic themes at their centre.
He was for a short time in his youth a member of the Communist Party; later he became a
journalist, travelled widely and was for a few years employed by MI6. He won many literary
prizes and in 1966 was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
(both articles by Tim Lenton – from the Parish Pump website)
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OBSERVATIONS ON LIFE
If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage
payments.
Page 23Page 24
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