The Herald 50p - February - The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin ...
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50p
The
Herald
February
2021
The parishes of St Margaret Downham
St Mary the Virgin Ramsden Bellhouse and
St Peter South Hanningfield
Ministry Team
Rector (currently vacant)
For general enquiries please phone or text 07485 039204 or email
info@downhamchurch.org.uk and a member of the ministry team will contact you
Associate Priests
The Revd Jean Andrews
3 Sewards End, Wickford SS12 9PB
Tel: 01268 733817 email: jean@rjandrews.me.uk
The Revd Mirand Seaman
Copt Hall, High Street, Stock CM4 9BA
Tel: 01277 841921 email: mirandaseaman@icloud.com
Curate
The Revd Suzy Edmundson
19 Westering, Bicknacre, Chelmsford CM3 4ND
Tel: 01245 224181 email: suzy.edumundson@btinternet.com
Churchwardens
St Margaret Downham
Lee Baxter 30 Louvaine Avenue, Wickford SS12 0DP
Tel: 01268 734266 email: leebaxter123@hotmail.com
Michael Roome 1 Broome Close, Billericay CM11 1SX
Tel: 07770 795388 email: mikeannroome@msn.com
Joan Griggs 8 Warren Road, Wickford SS11 8NE
(Assistant warden) Tel: 01268 763924 email: griggs242@btinternet.com
St Mary the Virgin Ramsden Bellhouse
Beryl Clements 8 Duffield Road, Great Baddow, Chelmsford CM2 9RY
Tel: 01245 601298 email: randbclements@blueyonder.co.uk
Derek Hayden Laurel Cottage, 7 The Grove, Billericay CM11 1AU
Tel: 01277 656211 email: derek.hayden@hotmail.co.uk
St Peter South Hanningfield
Derek Greasley 67 Park Lane, Ramsden Heath M11 1NL
Tel: 01268 711092 email: gdgreasley@lineone.net
Melissa Clark Poplars Farm, Warren Road, Rettendon Common CM3 8DG
Tel: 07807 177464 email: melissa_clark@gmx.com
Contents
Coronavirus news 2
A message from the Revd Jean 2
From the Ministry Team 3
Ash Wednesday; mourning our sins 5
News from St Margaret’s Downham 6
Lockdown at Downham School 8
News from Downham Village Hall 9
News from St Mary’s Ramsden Bellhouse 9
News from Ramsden Heath Social Club 9
News from Ramsden Heath Horticultural Society 10
News from Ramsden Heath Luncheon Club 10
News from St Peter’s, South Hanningfield 11
South Hanningfield Parish Council News 14
South Hanningfield Village Hall 15
What’s on where and when 16
Do me a favor? 16
How to handle temptation 17
Puzzle corner 18
Children’s pages 20
Smile lines 32
Contacting The Herald 33
The Herald is published monthly by Downham Parochial Church Council
on behalf of the churches in Downham, Ramsden Bellhouse and South
Hanningfield. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of
Downham PCC.
The Herald is on sale in St Margaret’s, St Mary’s and St Peter’s at 50p per
copy. Alternatively you may purchase an annual subscription for £5.00. If
you wish The Herald to be delivered to you please contact Robert Andrews
on 01268 733817 or email distribution.theherald@downhamchurch.org.uk
1
Coronavirus news
Because of the Christmas holiday shut-down the January edition of The
Herald had to be printed a week earlier than normal. Little did we know
then how things would develop so quickly. We were all looking forward to
a brief respite from restrictions over the Christmas period when we could
visit a limited number of our friends and family. I’m not certain that we had
even heard of new variant Covid-19 then. During the week commencing
14 December it became clear that the infection rates were spiralling out of
control again and by Saturday 19 December we were in Tier 4 of lockdown,
with planned Christmas visits cancelled. Unlike the March lockdown churches
were allowed to continue services, but there was a strong caveat that people
should remain at home. Basildon had one of the highest rates of infection
in the country, with surrounding boroughs not far behind. The clergy and
churchwardens received advice from the acting Bishop of Chelmsford
that they should consider closing churches, therefore we took the difficult
decision to abandon the Christmas services in our three churches. Of course
January took us into even tighter lockdown therefore our churches will remain
closed for public worship for the foreseeable future. We are promised that
vaccination will help us back to some form of normality, but at the time of
writing the government experts are suggesting that restrictions may continue
until May.
We were able to produce a recorded service of nine lessons and carols during
the period between the end of the November lockdown and the introduction of
Tier 4, but we were unable to offer other online services during the Christmas
period because the Revd Jean was quite unwell. She is still undergoing a
series of tests to try and ascertain the underlying cause of these intermittent
bouts of illness, but it is likely that she will be out of action for several weeks to
come. We are grateful to Melissa Clark, churchwarden of St Peter’s who has
agreed to produce online services each week until the Revd Jean feels able to
resume her duties.
Some of you may have received the January edition of The Herald rather
late because one of our regular distributors contracted Covid-19 just before
Christmas and was hospitalised. We are pleased to say that she is now on
the road to recovery.
A message from the Revd Jean
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and good wishes. The hospital is now
taking my problems more seriously and hopefully they will be able to find a
solution in the near future.
2
From the Ministry Team
As I’m sure you’re all aware, we celebrate St Valentine’s Day on 14 February,
but who was St Valentine and why do we celebrate him? Here are some
interesting facts you may not know:
• The St Valentine who inspired the holiday may have been two
different men.
Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St Valentine is known
to be a real person who died around AD 270. However, his true identity was
questioned as early as AD 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who referred to the martyr
and his acts as “being known only to God.” One account from the 1400s
describes Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the
emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed. A different account
claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II on
the outskirts of Rome. Because of the similarities of these accounts, it is
thought they may refer to the same person. Enough confusion surrounds the
true identity of St Valentine that the Catholic Church discontinued liturgical
veneration of him in 1969, though his name remains on its list of officially
recognized saints.
• In all, there are about a dozen St Valentines, plus a Pope.
The saint we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is known officially as St Valentine
of Rome in order to differentiate him from the dozen or so other Valentines
on the list. Because “Valentinus”—from the Latin word for worthy, strong or
powerful—was a popular moniker between the second and eighth centuries
AD, several martyrs over the centuries have carried this name. The official
Roman Catholic roster of saints shows about a dozen who were named
Valentine or some variation thereof. The most recently beatified Valentine is
St Valentine Berrio-Ochoa, a Spaniard of the Dominican order who travelled to
Vietnam, where he served as bishop until his beheading in 1861. Pope John
Paul II canonized Berrio-Ochoa in 1988. There was even a Pope Valentine,
though little is known about him except that he served a mere 40 days around
AD 827.
• Valentine is the patron saint of bee-keepers and epilepsy, among
many other things.
Saints are certainly expected to keep busy in the afterlife. Their holy duties
include interceding in earthly affairs and entertaining petitions from living
souls. In this respect, St Valentine has wide-ranging spiritual responsibilities.
People call on him to watch over the lives of lovers, of course, but also for
interventions regarding bee-keeping and epilepsy, as well as the plague,
fainting and travelling. As you might expect, he is also the patron saint of
engaged couples and happy marriages.
3
• You can find Valentine’s skull in Rome. The flower-adorned skull of St Valentine is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. In the early 1800s, the excavation of a catacomb near Rome yielded skeletal remains and other relics now associated with St Valentine. As is customary, these bits and pieces of the late saint’s body have subsequently been distributed to reliquaries around the world. You’ll find other bits of St Valentine’s skeleton on display in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England and France. • English poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented Valentine’s Day. The medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer often took liberties with history, placing his poetic characters into fictitious historical contexts that he represented as real. No record exists of romantic celebrations on Valentine’s Day prior to a poem Chaucer wrote around 1375. In his work “Parliament of Foules” he links a tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St Valentine’s feast day – an association that didn’t exist until after his poem received widespread attention. The poem refers to 14 February as the day birds (and humans) come together to find a mate. When Chaucer wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate,” he may have invented the holiday we know today. • You can celebrate Valentine’s Day several times a year. Because of the abundance of St Valentines on the Roman Catholic roster, you can choose to celebrate the saint multiple times each year. Besides 14 February, you might decide to celebrate St Valentine of Viterbo on 3 November. Or maybe you want to get a jump on the traditional Valentine celebration by feting St Valentine of Raetia on 7 January. Women might choose to honour the only female St Valentine (Valentina), a virgin martyred in Palestine on 25 July, AD 308. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially celebrates St Valentine twice, once as an elder of the church on 6 July and once as a martyr on 30 July. • Our modern take By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings and today we typically celebrate with cards, chocolates and flowers - indeed Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas in the number of greetings cards sold. Today it is not an entirely secular day as it is marked in various Christian denominations; 4
it has, for example, the rank of ‘commemoration’ in the calendar of saints in
the Anglican Communion. In addition, the feast day of Saint Valentine is also
given in the calendar of saints of the Lutheran Church. So whatever you are
doing enjoy the day!
Every blessing
Miranda
Ash Wednesday; mourning our sins
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday which this year falls on 17 February. But
why ‘Ash’ Wednesday? The reason has to do with getting things right
between you and God, and the tradition goes right back to the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites often sinned. When they finally came to
their senses, and saw their evil ways as God saw them, they could do nothing
but repent in sorrow. They mourned for the damage and evil they had done.
As part of this repentance, they covered their heads with ashes. For the
Israelites, putting ashes on your head, and even rending your clothes, was an
outward sign of their heart-felt repentance and acknowledgement of sin. (See
Genesis 18:27; 2 Samuel 13:19; Job 2:8, 30:19; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26;
Jonah 3:6)
In the very early Christian Church, the yearly ‘class’ of penitents had ashes
sprinkled over them at the beginning of Lent. They were turning to God for the
first time, and mourning their sins. But soon many other Christians wanted to
take part in the custom, and to do so at the very start of Lent. They heeded
Joel’s call to ‘rend your hearts and not your garments’ (Joel 2:12-19). Ash
Wednesday became known as either the ‘beginning of the fast’ or ‘the day of
the ashes’.
The collect for the day goes back to the Prayer Book, and it stresses the
penitential character of the day. It encourages us with the reminder of the
readiness of God to forgive us and to renew us.
The Bible readings are often Joel 2:1-2, 12–18, Matthew 6: 1-6,16 – 21 and
Paul’s moving catalogue of suffering, “as having nothing and yet possessing
everything.” (2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10)
The actual custom of ‘ashing’ was abolished at the Reformation, though the
old name for the day remained. Today, throughout the Church of England,
receiving the mark of ashes on one’s forehead is optional. Certainly, the mark
of ashes on the forehead reminds people of their mortality: “Remember that
you are dust and to dust you will return...” (Genesis 3:19)
The late medieval custom was to burn the branches used on Palm Sunday in
5
the previous year to create the ashes.
The Collect for Ash Wednesday is:
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make
in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and
acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of
all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ your
Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Sadly this year we will be unable to hold our normal service with ashing at
St Margaret’s on Ash Wednesday. If you still have a palm cross from last year
you may wish to burn it on 17 February and sprinkle the ash created on your
head.
News from St Margaret’s Downham
Services
Last month we wrote about proposed changes to our service times starting in
February. Unfortunately, we have since been overtaken by stricter lockdown
measures and we have had to cancel services in church for the time being.
Some of you may be aware that during our Sunday morning service on
13 December a member of our congregation started to feel unwell and on
the Monday she tested positive for Covid-19. Test and Trace decided that
because of the precautions taken in the church there was no need for any
others who were there to self-isolate, but later that week two other members of
the congregation also started to feel unwell and subsequently tested positive
for Covid-19. Fortunately they are all recovering now and we wish them a
speedy recovery.
You will read on page 2 the changes we have had to make to our services
because of Covid lockdown and the Revd Jean’s illness. We are indebted to
Melissa Clark, churchwarden of St Peter’s who has agreed to produce online
services each week. It is likely that the services will be at 10.00am each
Sunday morning. We will continue to send Zoom invitations to those who
normally attend and also publish a recording of the service on our Facebook
page. If you have not joined one of our Zoom services before and would like
to be included, please email info@downhamchurch.org.uk and we will send
you the necessary link.
6Charity donations
When we conduct a wedding or funeral in the church, we ask for a verger’s
fee for those who open and prepare the church, direct the visitors and control
the car park. Usually, it is the churchwardens who undertake these duties,
and they choose not to take the money personally, but to keep it to meet minor
discretionary payments that may arise. With the church closed for much of the
year this fund has built up and they decided to make charitable donations on
behalf of the church over Christmas.
The following photograph shows churchwardens Lee and Mike presenting
Christmas food to the Wickford Food Bank.
Vandalism
We often get unwelcome visitors at night in the church car park and find it
littered with used takeaway food cartons, “hippy crack” canisters and worse.
In an attempt to deter these activities, last autumn we installed floodlights on
the dovecote that now light the car park from dusk until the early hours of the
morning. Unfortunately, on 10 January we found that “visitors” had been doing
“wheelies” on the grass and ended up demolishing one of the bollards, leaving
part of their car behind. We are grateful to the parish council who have
contacted Chelmsford police on our behalf and they have promised to include
Castledon Road in their regular night time patrols.
7Damage in the car park
Lockdown at Downham School
As you may be aware, Downham Primary School had to close its doors
before Christmas and move to ‘remote learning’ due to members of the school
community being in contact with and becoming poorly with Covid-19.
Thankfully, we are now looking forward to 2021 - complete with the challenges
it brings; namely technology! Like other schools in the country, Downham are
currently teaching ‘remotely’. Staff, children and parents have all had a steep
learning curve on how to teach and learn online.
Everyone has shown a great growth mindset and tremendous amounts of
perseverance; one of the weekly themes for our assemblies. Slide shows of
what ‘lockdown life’ is like at Downham can be found on our website:
www.downhamschool.org
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their kindness
and support during these difficult times and look forward to being able to
8spend more time out in the community later this year.
Take care. Stay safe.
News from Downham Village Hall
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the Village Hall remains closed for the
foreseeable future. Inevitably our AGM has had to be cancelled and hopefully
we will hold it later in the year.
Our web site is at www.downhamvillagehall-essex.co.uk and Covid-19
requirements and restrictions are posted therein. Our Bookings Secretary,
Viv Fawkes, is available to discuss future bookings and can be contacted on
07732 709926 or by email at contact@downhamvillagehall-essex.co.uk
News from St Mary’s Ramsden Bellhouse
World Day of Prayer
The World Day of Prayer service usually takes place on the first Friday in
March. This year it has been prepared by the women of Vanuatu (East of
Australia). The conference that we usually have in October was cancelled
and instead was held on Zoom in January. I didn’t find it very helpful as there
wasn’t much to report. They hadn’t been able to record the music because
of Covid-19, hopefully they are going to sort that out. Because of this we will
not be having the service in March (probably we wouldn’t be able to anyway)
but hopefully later on in the year it may be possible to have the service. They
said at the Zoom meeting please have your service if at all possible as the
collection they receive at these services help a lot of charities.
So watch this space!
Incidentally the service next year has been prepared by us, England, Wales &
N Ireland.
Hopefully things will go as planned next year.
Stay safe
Beryl
News from Ramsden Heath Social Club
The club is still unable to make any plans for the future due to the continuing
restrictions caused by the Covid-19 virus.
However, we have continued to take part in on-line quizzes over the last
few Friday evenings and these have proved good fun with up to 25 teams
or individuals taking part. Although the quiz only takes about 20 minutes
9on Friday evenings, it is good fun and we have had a variety of questions.
Anyone who would like to take part should contact one of the Daves on one of
the numbers below.
Finally, let’s hope for normality to break out very soon, probably in the spring
of 2021.
Stay safe
Dave Quinney – 01268 710238 or Dave Charlton – 01268 711678
Richard Jerrom
Secretary
News from Ramsden Heath Horticultural Society
By the time you read this January will be almost over and we will be one
month nearer to the end of lockdown; everybody having the Covid-19 vaccine
and hopes of life returning to normal.
February should be the time when the Society holds its Annual General
Meeting and sets out the programme for the coming year. We would be
looking forward to interesting speakers, our Spring Show, when the hall is
filled with lovely Spring colours, and the May plant sale. Sadly, it is likely that
none of these will happen this year.
But Mother Nature is not affected by Covid-19, so our Unity Cup daffodils will
be starting to sprout and maybe even flower, things like snowdrops, bluebells
and Spring shrubs will soon start to come back to life and we can get out into
our gardens and allotments once more.
The Committee are still working to keep the Society alive by discussing ideas
and projects, one of which is to revive our Recipe Book, which was published
in 2011 and is still used by many of our members. We have many new
members in the Society now who will, undoubtedly, have lots of recipes they
might like to share. Details of this project have been sent to all members and
we await lots of exciting recipes.
In the meantime, keep busy, keep well and keep safe.
News from Ramsden Heath Luncheon Club
Our regular Luncheon Club meetings are sadly still unable to take place, but
with the Covid-19 vaccine being rolled out and many of our members having
had their first jab, we can hopefully look forward to resuming again some time
this year.
With the kind help and support of our Parish Council we were able to give
10each one of our diners a Christmas Hamper, filled with lots of Christmas
One of the Christmas hampers
goodies. Unfortunately ,we have been unable to continue providing desserts
through January, but will be starting up again at the beginning of February.
Barbara Stanton
News from St Peter’s, South Hanningfield
In January’s edition of The Herald, written when we were in Lockdown 2, I said
we planned to have our usual Christmas Eve Midnight Communion, but guess
what, it didn’t happen. We were out of lockdown, but the news of rapidly
rising Covid-19 cases made us think again The ‘Zoom’-ed Nine Lessons and
11Carols, in which we had participated, would have to do. Since then, of course, we have gone into Lockdown 3, from the first week in January ‘until half- term’ – which term wasn’t specified. Covid-19 cases and deaths continued to rise but – is this 2021’s Good News? – may now be levelling off. Meanwhile, St Peter’s is following the rules agreed by the Government and the leaders of all the mainstream faiths (although some only under protest). There are no services open to the public, but St Peter’s has been used as a studio for Zoom-ed services. Covid struck locally just before Christmas, dividing the generations at Bifrons, for example, and claiming both the Ramsden Heath Stantons. None was hospitalised, but recovery for the older persons has been slow, with enduring fatigue. We wish them all well, remembering them in our prayers, and also any others who haven’t come to our attention. Derek Greasley Churchwarden A View from the Pew Bearing in mind what is said at the bottom of p.1 in the boxed section: The cover of my newspaper’s weekend magazine of 9 January was: ‘Can the Church of England survive Covid?’, illustrated by a virus poised over a church in idyllic countryside (even better than St Peter’s). Inside: ‘Can The Church Get Its Flock Back?’, by Harry Mount. He helps to look after a church in Pembrokeshire, and his co-writer Quentin Letts has been on the PCC of a Herefordshire church. When the first lockdown ended, Mr Letts was anticipating a return to normality, not a blizzard of regulations from the church authorities: “forbid this, rope off that, sterilize, sanitize, squirt, sanitize, kill the mood with temporal regulations.” All this, just for private prayer. “This is the edict of rapacious risk managers, power-proud form-fillers who draw their wages from our alms.” Looking for some consolation following his sister’s death, he quit. Most churches, especially country ones, are comparatively vast buildings compared to homes, and under-occupied even when used for services. “Covid-19 could have offered normality, which is what people crave, yet they joined secular officialdom and made everything a crisis”. The article points out that on Remembrance Sunday at Lincoln, the Services’ veterans, many aged 90 or more, were made to stand outside in the cold and the rain instead of being accommodated as usual in the warm, safe, socially-distanced cathedral. It continues by pointing out the restrictions on weddings and funerals do not allow people to rejoice or mourn sufficiently, and the economic effect on churches from lack of congregations and on community outreach through church events. Offsetting these perceptions, the article gives three examples where clergy and congregations are doing things differently, one 12
of which has adopted our solution: one Zoomed service for several parishes.
The other two examples are unrepresentative in many ways: one continues to
run its own brewery and an apiary; the other acts as the parish food-bank and
Zoom service provider, both in east Inner London with incumbents. Compare
and contrast these high density area, albeit with many children below the
poverty line, each with at least one incumbent, with our parishes. For the first
time, St Peter’s has had to stop giving towards the Parish Share scheme to
help pay for the diocese’s clergy because our income in 2020 shrank so much.
Derek Greasley
Not the News from St Peter’s
In December 2020 there were suggestions that the number of bishops might
be greatly reduced, so before that occurs (if ever), I would like to welcome the
announcement that the Rt Revd Guli Francis-Dehqani, Suffragan Bishop of
Loughborough in the Diocese of Leicester, has been appointed to be Bishop
of Chelmsford, succeeding the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell. While the town
of Loughborough and its surrounding villages are about equal in size and
population to the City of Chelmsford, there is no Leicestershire equivalent to
East London, although Loughborough itself has a very diverse population. I
worked at a chemical firm there 1959-63, and it was like the United Nations
(only more productive). Let us hope that the new bishop has the chance to be
enthroned and visit our group of parishes before the bishopric is abolished.
Last month I wrote about the desserts emanating from the Lunch Club’s
Chef-d’Oeuvre at periodic intervals. These ceased at Christmas because of
you-know-what, but it is expected to be only a temporary measure. However
at the Festive Season the sous-chefs had a different mission, to hand out
Christmas ‘hampers’ to house-constrained Lunch Club members. Inside each
was a dozen or so items, some eatable, others a puzzle: a Christmas cracker
for one? Try pulling the other leg! I’m saving mine until I (legally) encounter
another single and we can both pull together (I feel a boating song in the
air). The hamper wasn’t quite like the wicker ones one normally receives
with F & M on the side, but they were greatly appreciated. Can I offer thanks,
to the Parish Council and those who bought the good(ie)s and packed the
hampers, on behalf of all the recipients, for such a nice surprise. Barbara S’s
motto? ‘A pud(ding) in time of plague goes down nicely’ Hear,hear! You can
all put your copy of Kennedy’s Latin Primer back in the attic now.
I was privileged to be able to start the New Year well and truly jabbed,
courtesy of an efficient outfit at the Nevedon Centre. I was apprehensive, but
Reader: “I never felt a thing!” It was all over in 20 minutes, and I left, saying,
“I’ll see you in three weeks”. Half-an-hour later that was wrong: BoJo and Co
13changed it to three months. I now have my new appointment, and hope that
my readers will be jabbed when they get the opportunity, for all our sakes.
Derek Greasley
South Hanningfield Parish Council News
I would advise you that I am still working from home until further notice. You
can contact me on: 07985 430365, email: shpc1@hotmail.com or via
www.shpc.gov.uk If you would like to speak to one of your Ward Councillors,
the details are:
Downham
Michael Thomason (CHAIRMAN) 07956 534739
Gillian Bonnett 07843 278777
Bob Marsello 07887 563189
Ramsden Heath
Kevin Black (VICE-CHAIRMAN) 07738 782089
Roy Whitehead 07850 922925
Neil Mitchell 07958 533257
Peter Huntington 07969 197320
Susan Walker 01268 710249
Bob Burgess 07769 261761
Tina Coveley 07736 072530
South Hanningfield
Roger Vickers 07789 985000
Geraldine Vallis 07946 410765
There is not much to report. The Parish Council are still actively working and
dealing with day to day matters and our Grounds Staff are keeping the Parish
looking neat and tidy.
Our group of Volunteers are still available if anyone needs any medication or
shopping collected.
Please stay safe everyone.
Julie Moule
Clerk to
South Hanningfield Parish Council
14South Hanningfield Village Hall
Regular Activities
South Hanningfield Village Hall Coffee Morning
Second Wednesday of each month at 10.30am -12.30pm
Although we planned to recommence in September unfortunately we
have now had to cancel this event until further notice.
Please check with the listed contacts to find out whether the following events
will take place
South Hanningfield Womens Institute
Second Wednesday of each month at 2.00 - 4.00pm
contact Linda on 01245 400511 or just come along.
Reservoir Rebels Womens Institute
Second Wednesday of each month at 7.30 - 10.00pm
contact Sally-Anne on 07709 227721
Upholstery Class
Friday morning 9.30am to 1.00pm
contact Fiona on 01621 776586 or 07887 507208
Dance Trix
Adult Tap Dancing
Monday evening 6.00 - 6.45pm
Children’s Ballet, Tap, Modern & Jazz for over 3yr olds
Saturday morning 11.00am to 1.00pm
Contact Katie on 07734 866345 - First class free
If you would like to book the South Hanningfield Village Hall for any events
you might have, then please call our booking secretary Debbie Esler on 07396
546050
A letter to the editor
Please pass on my thanks and congratulations to everyone who took part
in the Nine Lessons and Carols video service. It was lovely to hear those
familiar readings and carols, beautifully sung by our choir. Thank you all for
your contributions.
Let us hope and pray that this time next year we will all be taking part in
Church.
God bless
Barbara Stanton
15What’s on where and when
We are not publishing our usual What’s on where and when this month
because under the present lockdown restrictions there will be no public
worship in any of our three churches during February.
If you wish to join one of the weekly online Zoom services please email
the parish office info@downhamchurch.org.uk and we will send you the
appropriate link. Zoom services will continue to be recorded and published on
Facebook.
Do me a favor?
This article is a timely reminder about internet scams. It describes what
is often known as the “bogus boss” email. Unfortunately our benefice has
been targeted recently, with several members of our congregations receiving
emails supposedly from the Rev Jean. They can usually be identified by
the language used and the spelling. The email in itself is usually quite safe
to open, but if you respond you are likely to be asked to make some sort of
financial transaction.
I just had an email from a clergyman, saying, “Hi” and asking me to do him “a
favor”. I replied to say yes, of course. I then began to wonder why he had not
said what sort of favour it was, and why he was asking me.
I decided to telephone him and find why he had not explained. His wife
answered and said: “Is it about the fake email?” I could tell from her tone of
voice that I was not the first caller.
This was a scam of some sort and probably the favour was to send money.
The same day someone else in the same parish had their accounts hacked.
The email addresses used were correct, but if had looked carefully I would
have noticed he would not spell “favour” like that and not say “hi”.
This all makes me quite cross, because these scammers are playing on
church members’ kindness. A friend of mine also got the email and was upset
that someone else was in trouble. We need to be aware of the risks and look
out for messages of any kind which seem strange.
Criminals target churches and pretend to send emails from people in authority
such as clergy, churchwardens or treasurers. They prey on our credulity and
charity.
What should we do?
If you get a telephone call or email you and you are not sure if it is genuine,
16use another form of communication to check.
It is a crime, so report it to the authorities. If it is connected to a church, tell
your diocese or governing body.
The scammers must have got these addresses from somewhere. How easy
would it be to get a list of the names and addresses of your minister, leaders
and treasurer?
Lastly, carry on being generous and kind. These scammers should not stop
us.
How to handle temptation
As we enter the season of Lent on 17 February let us reflect on how we
handle temptation.
“I can resist everything but temptation” (Oscar Wilde). During Lent we
remember Jesus’ experience in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), when ‘He
was led by the Spirit... to be tempted by the devil.’. Temptation is a test of
obedience, whether we do things our way or God’s way. After 40 days of
fasting Jesus was tired, hungry and vulnerable. Like Him, the Devil will attack
us at our most vulnerable moments, especially during this pandemic.
The first temptation was to turn stones into bread: Jesus’ ministry was not
about meeting His own needs, but being nourished by God’s Word. ‘We do
not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’
(Deuteronomy 8:3). Like Jesus, we are called to make God our priority and
trust Him completely.
The second temptation was to put God to the test: Jumping off the Temple
pinnacle would have been a dramatic way for Jesus to gain popularity, but this
is not God’s way! ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ (Deuteronomy
6:16). We too need to learn this lesson!
The third temptation was to worship Satan: Finally, the devil took Jesus
to a mountain to offer Him worldly power. In contrast, His calling as Messiah
was marked by suffering and honouring God. ‘Worship the Lord your God, and
serve Him only’ (Deuteronomy 6:13). This is often our experience in living for
God.
Jesus stands with us in our temptations. As we claim the promises of
Scripture, we will find strength in the power of the Spirit and the victory of the
Cross.
‘If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be
depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest!’ (Corrie Ten Boom).
17Puzzle corner
Across
8 Interrogated (Acts 12:19) (5-8)
9 ‘Burn it in a wood fire on the — heap’ (Leviticus 4:12) (3)
10 Tobit, Judith, Baruch and the books of Esdras and the Maccabees are
part of it (9)
11 Science fiction (abbrev.) (3-2)
13 Clay pit (anag.) (7)
16 Went to (John 4:46) (7)
19 ‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to — your
bodies as living sacrifices’ (Romans 12:1) (5)
1822 David’s plea to God concerning those referred to in 14 Down: ‘On — —
let them escape’ (Psalm 56:7) (2,7)
24 Royal Automobile Club (1,1,1) 25 How the book of Ezekiel refers to God
more than 200 times (Ezekiel 2:4) (9,4)
Down
1 Seas (Proverbs 8:24) (6)
2 One of the sons of Eli the priest, killed in battle by the Philistines
(1 Samuel 4:11) (6)
3 Specialist in the study of the Muslim religion (8)
4 ‘Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but — him as if he were your
father’ (1 Timothy 5:1) (6)
5 One of Esau’s grandsons (Genesis 36:11) (4)
6 Taking a chance (colloq.) (2,4)
7 God’s instructions to the Israelites concerning grain offerings: ‘ — salt to
— your offerings’ (Leviticus 2:13) (3,3)
12 Confederation of British Industry (1,1,1)
14 ‘All day long they twist my words; they are always — to harm me’
(Psalm 56:5) (8)
15 The crowd’s reaction to Jesus bringing back to life a widow’s son in Nain
(Luke 7:16) (3)
16 Disappear (Psalm 104:35) (6)
17 How Jeremiah was likely to
die if he wasn’t rescued from
the cistern where he was
imprisoned (Jeremiah 38:9) (6)
18 What the prophets do to a wall,
with whitewash
(Ezekiel 13:10, RSV) (4,2)
20 Made by a plough
(Job 39:10) (6)
21 Noah was relieved when the
flood waters continued to —
(Genesis 8:5) (6)
23 Jesus gave the Twelve the
power and authority to do this to
diseases (Luke 9:1) (4)
Answers on page 33
19Children’s pages 20
21
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27䄀爀攀 礀漀甀 氀漀漀欀椀渀最 昀漀爀 愀 䴀愀椀搀
琀漀 搀漀 琀栀攀 挀氀攀愀渀椀渀最 漀爀 椀爀漀渀椀渀最
礀漀甀 搀漀渀ᤠ琀 栀愀瘀攀 琀椀洀攀 昀漀爀㼀
刀攀氀愀砀 愀渀搀 氀攀琀 䴀愀椀搀 椀渀 䔀猀猀攀砀 琀愀欀攀 挀愀爀攀
漀昀 愀氀氀 礀漀甀爀 栀漀甀猀攀栀漀氀搀 挀栀漀爀攀猀⸀
䰀攀愀瘀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 栀漀洀攀 最氀攀愀洀椀渀最 愀渀搀 礀漀甀爀 挀氀漀琀栀攀猀
椀爀漀渀攀搀 愀渀搀 爀攀愀搀礀 琀漀 眀攀愀爀⸀
匀愀洀攀 搀攀搀椀挀愀琀攀搀 洀愀椀搀 攀愀挀栀 眀攀攀欀⸀
䌀漀洀瀀攀琀椀琀椀瘀攀 栀漀甀爀氀礀 爀愀琀攀⸀
䌀愀氀氀 漀爀 攀洀愀椀氀 琀漀搀愀礀 昀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀 漀爀 琀漀 戀漀漀欀
䔀洀愀椀氀㨀 椀渀昀漀䀀洀愀椀搀椀渀攀猀猀攀砀⸀挀漀洀
䌀愀氀氀 甀猀 漀渀 ㈀㜀㜀 㠀 ㈀㈀ ㈀
眀眀眀⸀洀愀椀搀椀渀攀猀猀攀砀⸀挀漀洀
䐀漀洀攀猀琀椀挀 挀氀攀愀渀椀渀最 愀渀搀 椀爀漀渀椀渀最 ⴀ 洀愀欀椀渀最 氀椀昀攀 攀愀猀椀攀爀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀
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31
Smile lines
Hymns for seasoned citizens
• The Old Rugged Face
• Precious Lord, Take My Hand, And Help Me Up
• It is Well With My Soul, But My Knees Hurt
• Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing
• Amazing Grace, Considering My Age
• Just a Slower Walk With Thee
• Count Your Many Birthdays, Name Them One by One
• Go Tell It On The Mountain, But Speak Up
• Give Me That Old Timers’ Religion
• Blessed Insurance
• Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah, I’ve Forgotten Where I Parked
Miscellaneous observations on modern life
• As any member of a church committee will tell you, after all is said
and done, there’s a lot more said than done.
• I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people
die of natural causes.
• If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
• Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes
from bad judgment.
• A closed mouth gathers no foot.
• I really don’t mind getting older, but my body is taking it badly.
• I thought getting old would take longer.
• Cleaning is just putting stuff in less obvious places.
Chain vicars
If you are unhappy with our vicar, simply have our churchwarden send a copy
of this letter to six other churches who are also tired of their vicar.
Then bundle up our vicar and send him to the church on the top of the list
in the letter. Within a week you will receive 16,435 vicars and one of them
should be all right!
Have faith in this chain letter for vicars. Do not break the chain. One church
did – and got their old vicar back!
(If only it were that simple we might have a new Rector by now!)
32Contacting The Herald
Contributions to the March edition
Copy for the next edition of The Herald should be sent by email to Robert
Andrews at theherald@downhamchurch.org.uk by Friday 19 February.
Please send files in .doc, .docx or .rtf format. Because we wish to maintain
a common house style please keep any formatting to an absolute minimum
and do not embed photographs or other artwork. If you wish to include
photographs or other artwork they should be sent separately in .jpeg or .pdf
format. If you are unable to use email or are unsure about file types please
telephone Robert on 01268 733817, but be aware that the telephone line has
BT Call Guardian installed to deter nuisance callers, therefore you may have
to announce your name and press the # key in order to be put through.
Advertising in The Herald
All general enquiries about advertising should be addressed to Mike Roome
on 07770 795388 or email advert.theherald@downhamchurch.org.uk
Advertising rates are currently:
Full page £100 for 12 insertions
Half page £60 for 12 insertions
Quarter page £40 for 12 insertions
We will accept one off or limited run insertions on a pro rata basis
If you have existing artwork your advertisements should be emailed to
advert.theherald@downhamchurch.org.uk preferably in .jpeg or .pdf format.
If you wish us to produce artwork for you this can be arranged for a small one-
off fee.
Answers to the Crossword puzzle
ACROSS: 8, Cross-examined. 9, Ash. 10, Apocrypha. 11, Sci-fi.
13, Typical. 16, Visited. 19, Offer. 22, No account. 24, RAC. 25,
Sovereign Lord.
DOWN: 1, Oceans. 2, Hophni. 3, Islamist. 4, Exhort. 5, Omar. 6, On
spec. 7, Add all. 12, CBI. 14, Plotting. 15, Awe. 16, Vanish. 17, Starve.
18, Daub it. 20, Furrow. 21, Recede. 23, Cure.
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Email: scarterandson@gmail.com www.scarterandson.co.ukYou can also read
