The Parish of Keynsham magazine - April 2022
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The Parish of Keynsham magazine April 2022
SERVICES & ORGANISATIONS
St John the Baptist, Keynsham St Francis’, Warwick Road
Morning Service: 9.30am
Holy Communion: 8.30am every Sunday
1st Sunday: Eco Service
IN CHURCH @ 10.30 - in Church with choir 4th Sundays: Holy Communion
TOGETHER @ 10.30 - in Parish Hall Other Sundays: Morning Worship
Occasional Festival Services: 10.30am (Crèche area at back of church if needed)
Evening Services: as advertised
Evening Services - as advertised
Holy Baptism: In public worship by arrangement
Weekday Holy Communion: 11.00am Wednesdays
Choir Practice: Thursday: 7.00 - 8.00pm
Holy Baptism: In public worship / or Sunday 12.00 noon
(either by arrangement ) St John Ambulance: Wednesday: 6.00 - 9.00pm
Choir Practice: Friday 6.15 - 8.00pm -Junior Choir & Choir Club Brownies: Tues: 6.00pm
Adults 7.30 - 9.15pm Toddlers Group: Wed: 9.30-11.45am (term time)
Worship Band Practice: Wednesday 8.00pm
St Margaret’s, Queen Charlton
Bell-ringing Practice: Thursday 7.30 - 9.00pm 1st & 3rd Sundays: 10.30am - Holy Communion.
Mothers’ Union: 1st Wednesday - 7.45pm St Michael’s, Burnett
Wives Group: 3rd Wednesday - 7.45pm 2nd & 4th Sundays: Holy Communion (1662)
11.15am
Toddlers Group: Wednesday - 10.00am
3rd Sunday: Morning Worship: 11.15am
St John’s Pastoral Visiting:
Marcia Cohen T: 986 5687
MISSION PARTNERS:
TLM Mission partner: Bangladesh: Dr Ruth Butlin
CMS Mission Partners: Lebanon: Audrey & Colin Gibson.
CMS Prayer partner: Ruth Radley
Chipata South Parish, Zambia.
A number of groups meet regularly for Prayer, Bible Study and Discussion.
Ring the Parish Office (0117 986 3354) for details.
Arrangements for Banns and Marriages etc.
9.30 -10.30am on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays at the Parish Office
THE PARISH OF KEYNSHAM DIRECTORY
(www.keynshamparish.org.uk)
The Parish Office is now open to visitors from 10am-12noon
Mondays to Fridays. You can make contact by email
at office@keynshamparish.org.uk, by phone on 0117 986
3354, or in person during opening hours.
Office Manager: Judy Walker - Facilities Manager: Vanessa Body
Team Rector:
Rev’d. Dr Stephen M’Caw - Tel: 0117 986 4437
Team Vicar - St Francis:
Rev’d. Anika Gardiner - Tel:0117 985 3470
Missioner and Team Vicar - St John’s:
Rev’d. Mike Burke - Tel: 0117 909 9425
Curate - Keynsham Parish:
Rev’d Nigel Williams - Tel: 07850887498
Pioneer Missioner:
Trevor James - Tel: 07368 526997
Readers:
Rachel Hall, June Lowe, Rachel Shaw, Paul Thurlow
Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults:
Parish officer: Wendy Harwood - Tel: 0117 986 2323
Directors of Music / Choirmaster:
St John’s: vacant
St Francis: vacant
Tower Captain (Acting):
Edric Broom - Tel: 07890 364754
Parish Youth Worker:
Philippa Lovell - contact via the Parish Office
Parish Children and Families Worker:
Isobel Brown - contact via the Parish Office
Caretakers:
St John’s: - Steve Spiteri - contact via Parish Office
St Francis: - Jenny Minty and Katie Poynter
1
Ukrainian National Anthem
Shch ne vmeria Ukraina- Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished
Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom,
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine, and
we too brothers, we’ll live happily in our land.
We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.
2
April 2022
God in the Ordinary
The unbearably awful scenes and stories coming from Ukraine have shown us
what happens when the ordinary things of daily life are disrupted and
destroyed. Ordinary things like family meals, quiet bedtimes, taking a drink
with old friends and watching the world go by, planting seeds, making bread,
minding children. Perhaps we only truly value these things when they are
cruelly snatched away from us. And so our hearts are broken as we see this
happening to others, and imagine ourselves, our children, our parents, in their
places. I pray that by the time this article appears the rumble of war has grown
silent and the slow work of healing begun. And that ordinary Ukrainians can
put down their guns and pick up their tools once more.
God can speak to us through ordinary small things. Going ‘on retreat’ is not
everyone's idea of ordinary everyday life, but last month Graham and I stayed
at the Northumbria Community’s mother house on a farm near Alnwick. An
unspectacular place where people live to a quiet daily rhythm of prayer, work
and refreshment. I went there seeking space and God’s guidance and direction.
A song based on Jeremiah 6: 16 kept going
round my head. ‘Stand at the crossroads, and
look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the
good way lies; walk in it, and find rest for your
soul.’
I shared this with a community member. Looking
surprised she retrieved something from her bag.
‘ I felt God wanted me to give you this, though I
didn’t know why’ . It was the tile/coaster in the
photo. ‘Crossroads!’,. we both said.
3
I meditated on this generous, ordinary gift for some time. I saw that in
whichever direction you looked, there were bright and beautiful flowers, God’s
blessing in past, future, left and right. And the deep blue of the arms of the
cross was like water, flowing back and forth to the centre where I stood at the
crossroads. Living water, freely available, inexhaustible.
Later, we assembled in the damp square courtyard for midday prayer. It was a
chilly Northumbrian day, but looking up, the sky was clear blue. ‘Look up’, I
thought, ‘and remind yourself God’s mercy is as ever present as the sky.’ In the
middle of my square tile the flower opens out and reflects in sky blue the peace
and mystery of God.
I had been looking for a direction, a future path, but through these ordinary
objects and encounters, God was teaching me the fundamental lesson of His
presence in all things, in all directions, at every moment.
As we follow the Jesus story towards the inevitability of Good Friday, we are
reminded of His ordinariness. We imagine him tired, powerless, thirsty, alone.
We identify with Him in his humanness just as He too identifies with the
desperate people on TV. By suffering with us to the end He embodies the
inexhaustible love of God which penetrates the darkest places, staying with us
through everything. God doesn’t let us go, God shares in all our ordinary (and
extraordinary) moments so we can share in His new life.
I pray that this Easter the words ‘Alleluia! He is risen!’ will carry a personal and
ever deepening meaning for each of us.
Rachel Shaw
The Call
My blood so red
For thee was shed,
Come home again, come home again:
My own sweet heart, come home again!
You’ve gone astray
Out of your way,
Come home again, come home again!
Anonymous, 17th century
4
Holy Week and Easter Services in the Parish 2022
Palm Sunday 10th April
8.30am Holy Communion at St John
9.30am St Francis All-age service for Palm Sunday
10.30am Holy Communion for Palm Sunday at St John
10.30am Holy Communion for Palm Sunday in the Parish Hall
10.30am Holy Communion for Palm Sunday at St Margaret, Queen Charlton
11.15am Holy Communion at St Michael, Burnett
6.00pm Evensong at St John
Monday 11th April 7.00pm Compline at St John A short ½ hour service
Tuesday 12th April 7.00pm Compline at St John A short ½ hour service
Wednesday 13h April 11.00am Holy Communion Service at St John
7.00pm Compline at St John A short ½ hour service
Maundy Thursday 7.00pm Maundy Thursday Holy Communion Service at
St Margaret, Queen Charlton
7.30pm Maundy Thursday Holy Communion Service at
St Francis and optional prayer vigil until 9pm
7.30pm Maundy Thursday Holy Communion Service at
St John and optional prayer vigil until 9pm
Good Friday 15th April
10am Churches Together service at St John, concluding with a service of
witness at the Market Walk - clocktower
2-3pm Meditation Hour at St John
2-3pm Meditation Hour at St Francis
Saturday 16th April
10 – 11.30am Easter crafts and story at St Francis
Easter Day Sunday 17th April
5.45am Sunrise Service at St Frances Followed by simple breakfast
(Please book with Revd Anika Gardiner – contact details on news-sheet)
8.30am Easter Holy Communion at St John
9.30am All-age Easter Holy Communion at St Francis
10.30am All-age Easter Holy Communion at St John
10.30am Easter Holy Communion at St Margaret, Queen Charlton
11.15am Easter Holy Communion at St Michael, Burnett
5
6
17th April: EASTER, the most joyful day of the year
Easter is the most joyful day of the year for Christians. Christ has
died for our sins. We are forgiven. Christ has risen! We are
redeemed! We can look forward to an eternity in His joy!
Hallelujah!.
Why does the date move around so much?
Because the date of Passover moves around, and according to the
biblical account, Easter is tied to the Passover. Passover celebrates
the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, and it lasts for seven days, from
the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which equates to late
March or early April. Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first to use
the Hebrew lunar calendar to come up with firm dates for the first
Good Friday: Friday 7th April 30 AD or Friday 3rd April, 33 AD with
Easter Day falling two days later. Modern scholars continue to think
these two Fridays to be the most likely.
Most people will tell you that Easter falls on the first Sunday after
the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is broadly true.
But the precise calculations are complicated and involve something
called an ‘ecclesiastical full moon’, which is not the same as the
moon in the sky. The earliest possible date for Easter in the West is
22nd March, which last fell in 1818. The latest is 25th April, which last
happened in 1943.
Why the name, ‘Easter’?
In almost every European language, the festival’s name comes from
‘Pesach’, the Hebrew word for Passover. The Germanic word
‘Easter’, however, seems to come from Eostre, a Saxon fertility
goddess mentioned by the Venerable Bede. He thought that the
Saxons worshipped her in ‘Eostur month.
Finally, why Easter eggs?
On one hand, they are an ancient symbol of birth in most European
cultures. On the other hand, hens start laying regularly again each
Spring. Since eggs were forbidden during Lent, it’s easy to see how
decorating and eating them became a practical way to celebrate
Easter.
7
Maundy Money
Every year the Queen distributes silver coins at a special service on Maundy
Thursday. It is part of a tradition dating back many centuries, where the Royal
Family took part in ceremonies washing the feet of poor people and giving gifts.
The Royal Maundy Service itself began in 1662, when Charles II gave out coins.
The ones that the Queen gives out each year bear the portrait of Her
Majesty designed for her coronation in 1953, even though the image on
ordinary circulating coinage has since been changed four times.
According to the royal.uk website, the Queen decided early on in her reign that
Maundy money should not just be distributed to the people of London.
And so, for many years she has visited various cathedrals or abbeys to give
gifts to local people. Recipients of Maundy money are nominated by their
local dioceses for contributions to their local church and community.
During the service, the Queen distributes gifts according to the number of
years she has lived: for example, when she turned 80 she distributed 80
pence worth of Maundy money to 80 men and 80 women in recognition
for their contribution to community and to the church.
Last year, in 2021, the service was cancelled because of Covid. Instead, the
Maundy money was blessed at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, before
being posted to recipients alongside a letter from The Queen.
The Queen giving Maundy Money at Leicester Cathedral
8Handel’s Messiah
The original idea was not Handel’s, but his collaborator’s, Charles Jennens, a
passionate Christian who wanted to demonstrate that Jesus really was the
‘Christ’, or Messiah. This was being denied by Deists in the 18th Century, who
believed God created the world and then stayed distant from it.
Jennens combed the Old Testament for texts which anticipated God’s continuing
activity in the world, with the expectation of greater things to come: Comfort ye
my people; Every valley shall be exalted; And the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed … and so on. Then there were poignant passages anticipating suffering,
with deep significance for Christians: Behold the Lamb of God; He was despised;
Surely He hath borne our griefs.
Throughout the work, there is the strong sense that God is both omnipotent and
also intimately involved with the human race: How beautiful are the feet; the
kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ. The
Hallelujah Chorus, the best known of the work, concludes the second part of
‘Messiah’, before the focus shifts mainly to the New Testament and Christ’s
resurrection and triumph: The trumpet shall sound; Death where is thy sting; and
finally, Worthy is the Lamb.
Handel composed the music in 24 days, writing across the final manuscript, “To
the glory of God”. As he finished the Hallelujah Chorus, he said, “I did think I did
see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.”
The work caused a stir by being presented in concert halls, rather than churches
where some felt sacred works belonged. The first performance was in Dublin in
1742 and raised funds for charities. One of the soloists was Susanna Cibber, a
woman of questionable reputation, whose rendering of “He was despised” so
moved the Revd Patrick Delaney, that he cried out, “Woman, for this be all thy
sins forgiven thee”.
The Ven. John Barton
George Frederick Handel and Keynsham
There is a tradition that Handel had links to Keynsham which the late Elizabeth
White described in her excellent book on the History of the Church. Handel was
certainly a friend of the Duke of Chandos, who was a cousin of those great
benefactors of St. John’s, the Bridges family. He is said to have stayed at Chandos
Lodge, and played the church organ at St. John’s.
9There is also a claim that the tune “The Harmonious Blacksmith” was written in
Keynsham, inspired by the sound of the hammers in the brass mill.
Be that as it may, a tradition of Handel’s music survived in Keynsham. In 1751
Lady Caroline Bridges wrote in a letter “We were received in Keynsham with great
rejoicings------. The church is a very fine one for a country parish and what
surprised me excessively there is about 14 of the common people that sing in the
church all of Handel’s anthems and without any instruments just as I ever heard
them in my life and some of them with very fine voices.----"
The Messiah and the Foundling Hospital
Handel was a great supporter of the foundling hospital. He used the Messiah as a
fund-raiser, the ticket for the first performance in London is shown.
The caption reads:
Foundling Hospital. At the hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed
and deserted children in Lamb’s Conduit Fields…. There will be performed in the
chapel of the said hospital a Sacred Oratorio composed by George Frederick
Handel esq.
The gentlemen are desired to come without swords and the ladies without hoops.
10Saint of the Month
23rd April: St George
Who was He? St. George was the Saint of the English Army long before he was
Patron Saint of England. He may have been a soldier, but certainly not English.
Most likely he was a Greek officer in the Roman army under Diocletian. He refused
to abandon his faith during the Diocletian’s cull of Christians in the Roman army,
and was martyred at Lydda in Palestine about the year 300 AD, supposedly on
23rd April. His bones are said to be buried in the basilica there.
A host of dramatic stories proclaim his good deeds. The stories of his
interventions as a fighting saint and a protector of soldiers began in the middle
East, but his fame spread to the Western Roman Empire and he was canonized in
494. Over the years St George became the example of a Christian fighting-man, a
powerful helper against evil powers. He was the soldier-hero of the Middle Ages,
whose fame was brought back to England by the Crusaders. His Saint’s Day was
declared a holiday as far back as 1222, and was one of the few saints’ days not
abolished at the Reformation. Edward III put his new Order of the Garter under St.
George’s banner in 1348. His patronage is not exclusive to England; Ethiopia,
Georgia, Catalonia. Aragon and Moscow are amongst many who claim his
protection.
Where does the dragon come in? Dragon legends appear from the 11th century,
Jacobus de Voragine gave St George a handsome write-up in 13th century:
“One day, St George rode up to the heathen city of Sylene in Libya where he found
the citizens in great distress. A neighbouring dragon had forced them to surrender
two sheep each day for its dinner, and when the sheep gave out, two of their
children; and now they were about to sacrifice the King’s daughter, dressed as if
for her wedding. St George encountered the little party by a stagnant lake, where
the dragon lived, and persuaded the sobbing Princess to tell him why she was so
miserable. At that moment the dragon appeared, looking inexpressibly revolting.
St George charged forwards and drove his spear into the dragon’s gaping mouth.
To everyone’s amazement, he tumbled the monster over and over.
Then St George borrowed the Princess’s girdle, tied it round the dragon’s neck,
and persuaded her to lead it back to Sylene herself. The sight of her approaching
with the befuddled dragon on its makeshift lead emptied the town. When the
inhabitants timidly crept back, St George promised to behead the dragon if they
would all believe in Jesus Christ and be baptised. It was a most effective form of
evangelism, for everybody said ‘yes’ at once. So, 15,000 people were baptised,
and four carts were commissioned to remove the dragon’s body.”
St George became a symbol of the war against evil, and he is usually portrayed
trampling the dragon of sin under his horse’s hoofs.
11Obituary
Elizabeth White 1937-2022
With great sadness we record the death of Elizabeth
White, for many years a much-loved Keynsham
resident and notable local historian.
Elizabeth was born in Sheet, Hampshire, where her
love of local history began early, at age 11. She read
Medieval History at Bedford College followed by a
PGCE at Cambridge. She came to the West Country in
1960 to teach at Midsomer Norton Grammar School,
her last ten years of teaching were spent at Wellsway
School.
She moved to Keynsham in 1970 and soon became a
stalwart of the Keynsham and Saltford Local History
Society. Her research skills led to multiple
publications, and her teaching experience helped
with her many talks. Elizabeth served as both
Secretary and Chairman of the Society.
In 1971 Elizabeth joined St. John’s Church and soon
became a very active member of the congregation.
She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and
served on numerous committees. Inevitably her historical interests soon came to
the fore. She was a founder member of the Bridges Society (now called the
Friends of St. John’s) and served three times as chairman. She acted as a guide
to many tour parties visiting the church, including the Japanese visitors from
Pam Cooper’s church in Osaka. Perhaps her most lasting legacy to the church is
her excellent book “St. John the Baptist, Keynsham. A History of the Church”,
which arose from her training notes for potential church guides.
On one occasion, whilst Christine Prideaux was teaching her junior class about
life in Victorian times, Elizabeth took on the role of a strict Victorian
headmistress. She arrived dressed appropriately, (left in the picture) as all had
endeavoured to do. It was a great learning experience and much fun.
Elizabeth moved away to Pill in 2008, and became a member of Portishead
Choral Society. However her research skills were not dormant for long, she
helped Portbury Church in their successful bid to the Heritage Lottery fund for
assistance is setting up a Heritage Centre.
She is survived by her two daughters.
12manna
From the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells April 2022
A time of hope
A
fter two years of living
with a pandemic, churches
across Somerset are
preparing for what is
hoped to be a return to marking Holy
Week in a more usual way.
For the newly designated Taunton with us online.”
Minster, St Mary Magdalene, it will While a return to ‘normal’ is the
be the first it marks as a Minster, and hope, Tobie also recognises the
for its vicar, Tobie Osmond, it will positives from the changes wrought
be the first full Holy Week during by the pandemic. He says, “By
which he can welcome people to the sharing our services online we are
church in person since taking up the also able to reach out to people
post more than two years ago. not just in Taunton, but around the
He says, “I am sure I am not alone world. We regularly have people
in feeling that it will be good to join us from Zambia, our partner
have somewhat close to a ‘normal’ diocese, also Canada, South Africa
Holy Week, even though it won’t and Australia.”
be completely the same as prior to The church was formally
the pandemic. After various services designated as a Minister by Bishop
and activities throughout the week Ruth on Sunday, 13 March. She
we’ll be having a sunrise service on said, “This new designation comes
Easter Sunday at 6am, followed by when Taunton, like the rest of the
breakfast, and I am sure Easter eggs UK, is dealing with the challenge of
will feature in our service later in recovering from the Covid pandemic,
the morning. It will still be a hybrid but it is also a time of hope and
offering as there are some who still positivity for the future.”
feel unable to return to church, Find out what other churches are
which is completely understandable, doing at bathandwells.org.uk■
and it is important they can still join
13News in brief
News in brief
Prayers & support for Ukraine
Churches across Bath and Wells have
been praying for Ukraine and for peace.
Many are open for those who wish
to have a quiet moment of prayer or
to light a candle, others have been
holding prayer vigils. Locally church
communities are working closely
with aid agencies to raise money and
support those in need in Ukraine and Steeplejacks assess the damage
refugees from the conflict, including St View from the top
Mary's Bridgwater and St John's, Yeovil. Work is underway to repair the spire of
Bath Abbey showed a very visible sign St Thomas', Wells. The church hit the
of support, lighting up in blue and headlines when two and a half metres
yellow■ of the spire plus its two and a half
metre long weather vane came down
during Storm Eunice.
Revd Claire Towns saw the whole thing.
She said, "We were just really shocked
this happened, but equally feel very
thankful that nobody was hurt"■
Platinum celebrations
From 2 to 5 June this year we will of ideas and resources provided
celebrate Her Majesty, The Queen’s for communities, schools, churches
Platinum Jubilee. and youth organisations. A website
HOPE Together is working with celebrating the Queen's faith and
others to help churches mark the service focuses on six ways to mark
occasion and, in particular, to the occasion; celebrate, sing, gift,
celebrate the Queen’s 70 years of learn, service and invite. Find out
faith and service. There are a range more at theplatinumjubilee.com■
14Bishop’s Letter
Hope in turbulent world
I
write this on Ash Wednesday, a Easter? What might be the outcome
day when we begin a period of for Ukraine, Russia, ourselves?
reflection and penitence, and And yet that is the very heart of
remember our mortality. Those faith. We do not know what the
of us receiving the ash crosses on future holds but we do know the One
our foreheads today will hear these who holds us. The fact is that God so
words: ‘Remember that you are dust loved the world that when He sees
and to dust you shall return…’ us in our greatest need, at our most
We have been invited us to set this threatened, He comes to be with us.
Ash Wednesday aside to pray for To share the pain and give Himself
peace in Ukraine. It would be easy fully, even to the point of death.
for us to point the finger at those we And the story of Easter tells us that
hold responsible for such atrocity and death is not the end. That life is found
yet we need to recognise that all of through the death of the Saviour.
us carry responsibility for our own I don’t know what your experience
failures to live as peacemakers and of these last couple of years has
reconcilers. Not one of us is perfect been. I expect many of us carry the
and Lent offers us an opportunity scars of loss. Pain and death are not
for honest realism and a chance to things we can avoid. And neither did
repent and seek forgiveness. Christ. The hope He offers us is that
As you read this we will be they are not the end of the story but
approaching the end of Lent, and rather the beginning. Hope can be
Easter will be in sight. Much will ignited and life restored through the
have happened in the world since I faithful following in the footsteps of
wrote it. Two years ago, I was praying the One who loves us.
for the world caught up in the early It does not mean that all will be
throes of a pandemic. Who could wonderful. It won’t stop wars. But
have known that we would still be it does mean that hope, forgiveness
living with the virus and how much and new starts can be found as we
life would have changed? Today I am look to follow Christ’s example.
joining in the prayer and fasting for
countries at war. Where will we be
as we enter Holy week and approach
15Interview
A uniting faith
Andrew Avramenko, a curate at St Stephen's & St Mary's, Bath who
has Ukrainian connections, reflects on hope in challenging times.
underpasses and even in front of a
church while warning sirens sound.
Ukrainians are asking for prayers,
not just for themselves but also for
Russians, and have been deeply
touched and encouraged by them.
Is faith a support in challenging
times?
Andrew and his family at a rally for Faith is a very active thing that
Ukraine in Bath
strengthens us, unites us and calls
What's the Ukrainian connection? us to a better way, a peaceful way,
My father is Ukrainian. His parents out of this. It helps us to see people
survived the Holomodor, a forced as human rather than a label, even
famine in the 1930s by Stalin that our enemies. It unites us with
aimed to wipe out Ukrainian identity people around the world, bringing
- over 7 million died. They escaped us together in such a way that we
from Stalin's forces and from the couldn’t do in many other ways.
Nazis when my father was a young How does conflict affect your faith?
child. They travelled across Europe If anything it strengthens my faith. I
on foot before being welcomed as came to faith in part due to the last
refugees into the UK. I also have war in Europe, in Yugoslavia, and took
connections with both the Anglican aid to refugees. Although we may feel
and Orthodox Ukrainian churches. powerless, we do have the power to
Is faith important to Ukrainians? act; just as we have the power to do
Faith is very much part of the evil, we have the chance to do good
Ukrainian identity and their way and replace hate with love.
of living. On social media you can Read the full interview at:
see people praying and holding bathandwells.org.uk/a-uniting-faith
services in underground shelters, in
Follow us on
@BathWells bathandwells
churchofengland_somerset
16A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine
From The Methodist Church: www.methodist.org.uk/
Holy and Gracious God,
We pray for the people of the Ukraine and the
people of Russia;
for their countries and their leaders.
We pray for all those who are afraid; that your
everlasting arms hold them in this time of great
fear.
We pray for all those who have the power over life and death; that they
will choose for all people life, and life in all its fullness.
We pray for those who choose war; that they will remember that you
direct your people to turn our swords into ploughshares and seek for
peace.
We pray for leaders on the world stage; that they are inspired by the
wisdom and courage of Christ.
Above all, Lord, today we pray for peace for Ukraine.
And we ask this in the name of your blessed Son.
Lord have mercy. Amen
Persecution of Christians
Members of the Church of England General Synod unanimously backed
a motion of support for churches around the world, as a bishop warned
of the “monstrous evil” of the “wholesale denial” of freedom of religion or
belief in many countries.
360 million Christians – about one in seven around the world – face
persecution. The motion called for dioceses and parishes to pray and
offer practical help to those facing persecution because of their faith. It
also aims to rally support and raise awareness ahead of the global
summit on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London this summer.
The Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen, who carried out a review of
Persecution of Christians across the Globe for the Foreign Office in
2019, said the situation has deteriorated even in the last year. He said
“The wholesale denial of freedom of religion or belief in today’s world is a
great evil”. He highlighted the “disastrous fall” of Afghanistan to the
Taliban, “now making it the most dangerous country on earth to be a
Christian”, and the “outrageous murder” of Pastor William Siraj returning
home after Sunday service in Peshawar on 30th January.
17Rejoice in the Lord Alway!
Our spring concert is a celebration of the glory of church music,
with much-loved and less familiar anthems from the 16th to
20th centuries with brief historical and musical introductions.
Saturday 7 May at 7.30
Church of All Saints, Publow, BS39 4HP
Tickets: £15 (£6 for children and students)
Available through our website or on the door
www.chewvalleychoral.org.uk
CUSTOMERS WHO
CONSIDER OUR WAITERS
UNCIVIL SHOULD SEE THE
MANAGERESS
Sign in a Restaurant
18Beginning the celebrations
The St. John’s bellringing team started the Platinum Jubilee year by ringing
rounds and call changes on 5th February, the day before H.M. The Queen’s
accession.
The ringing team (left to right) are Jon Fry, Louise Tamblin, Anne Dowding, Chris
Jones,
Helen Ibbunson, Jane Betteridge, Edric Broom (Tower Captain) Liz Fearns,
George Colbourne and Jon Duerr
195th April is end of the tax year. You may want to reflect that…
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
A few more deductions, and your take-home pay isn’t going to be
enough to get you there.
A penny saved is a government oversight.
It should be easy for any government to please the people. All we want
is lower taxes and more spending.
The government not only has the bad habit of living beyond its income,
but also beyond ours.
The Spirit of England
Ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th
century, and it was called Wiff-waff! And there, I think, you have the
difference between us and the rest of the world. Other nations, the
French, looked at a dining table and saw an opportunity to have
dinner; we looked at it and saw an opportunity to play Wiff-waff.
– Boris Johnson
The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to
give them some idea of eternity.
– George Bernard Shaw
Advice to gardeners:
The easiest way to tell the difference between
young plants and weeds is to pull up everything.
If they come up again, they’re weeds. – Anon
20A Garden of Delight
Shafts of sunlight on woodland streams
Tumbling torrent that gaily gleams
Thrilling like our favourite dreams
Thrills of smell and sound and sight.
All our senses are conspiring
In this place of joy inspiring
Our imaginations firing
In a garden of delight.
Ordered beds, or sparkling fountains
Neatened lawns, or landscaped mountains
Golden rod, or lily plantains
Verdant hues, or colours bright;
And it’s truly hard to measure
Greater value, worth or treasure
Than the power and the pleasure
Of a garden of delight.
21A Selection of Special Days in April
10 April: Palm Sunday
14 April: Maundy Thursday
15 April: Good Friday
17 April: Easter Day
You can find information about these ideas online:
1 April: All Fools Day
2 April: World Autism Awareness Day
9 April: Unicorn Day – the mythical creature and symbol of
Scotland
18 April: World Heritage Day
22 April: World Earth Day
22 April: National Shakespeare Day
23 April: St George’s Day
25 April: Penguin Day
30 April: International Jazz Day
Your favourite music
Why do you like the music that you do? It may depend on your personality.
A recent study has found that agreeable people tend to favour mellow music such
as reggae, while neurotic people, struggling with suppressed anger and
frustration, tend to prefer intense styles such as grunge and metal.
The study spanned 50 countries, and despite differences in culture and language,
the researchers still found clear correlations between personality traits and
musical styles. Thus, people who are ‘open’ and ‘sophisticated’ will like jazz
supremos such as Miles Davis, while more extroverted types will tend towards
singers such as Ed Sheeran.
Dr David Greenberg, the University of Cambridge researcher who led the study,
says: “We were surprised at just how much these patterns between music and
personality replicated across the globe.” There was a clear pattern of personality
traits being matched to particular musical genres.
22Thus, the trait of agreeableness, characterised by sympathy and co-operation,
leads such people towards mellow music sung by artistes such as Bob Marley,
Marvin Gaye and Norah Jones. People who display the traits of ‘extroversion’
prefer the excitement of contemporary music styles such as electro, rap, and
pop, sung by artists like Beyonce and Justin Bieber. Then there are the
‘conscientious’ music lovers, with personality traits such as obedience and a
preference for order, who lean towards music defined as ‘unpretentious,’
which includes religious music and country styles.
People with ‘open’ personalities defined by their imagination and creativity,
prefer compositionally complex styles termed ‘sophisticated,’ which includes
jazz. Finally, neurotic
people tend to enjoy intense styles such as punk rock and the grunge of
Nirvarna, which perhaps ‘reflects their inner angst and frustration.’
The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
2324
Platinum Jubilee in Contact
We have still not received many contributions for the Platinum Jubilee issue of
Contact
There must be lots of people with memories or photographs of Royal occasions.
It will be a great joy if we can all share in our memories of the Queen’s eventful
70 years on the throne.
Please send your contribution to me at keynshamcontact@gmail.com, or send
or drop it in to the parish office. If you have memories to write about you can
either send a ready-to-print article, or if you prefer, just notes on the occasion
which can be edited in to an article suitable for fitting in to Contact.
Photographs can be emailed or sent to the parish office, with a few words about
the occasion.
I am looking forward to receiving a flood of your memories.
Kath McCarthy
April showers
The rain, though raining every day
upon the just and unjust fellow,
falls chiefly on the just,
because the unjust has the just’s umbrella!
With AGMs at church in mind…
A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do
nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.
25St John’s DCC meeting – 8th March 2022
Summary of the Meeting
Stephen M’Caw opened the meeting with a prayer for the people of Ukraine and was fol-
lowed by a short period of quiet.
Worship pattern after Easter. There was much discussion about the feedback and sug-
gestions made in the recent survey re options for the pattern of Sunday services in St
Johns. The majority of the meeting agreed that from Easter, for a trial period until the end of
July, services will be as follows: A Short Holy Communion at 7.45am. A Holy Communion
service with Choir at 9.15am and an Informal style service at 11.15am. All services to be
held in the Church.
Finance
• The DCC agreed to adopt the Accounts for 2021 for presentation at the AGM on Tues-
day 26th April
• The Treasurers reported that
• Although 2021 Hall and Church maintenance expenses were over budget the cost of
repairs to the Hall roof and Church clock and bells plus the new sound desk have mostly
been satisfied by grants and donations
• Although there is an element of Faith in the budget for 2022 (a deficit of £14,000) there
are reasons to be thankful. Finances are in a better position than at the same time last
year and a generous legacy has been received.
• It was agreed that money held on deposit with HSBC could be moved to a more ethical
CCLA account (Churches, Charities and Local Authorities)
Reports. The Pastoral Team report and the Mission report were noted with thanks. Nigel
Williams will be arranging Mission activities for St John’s for the 5th Sunday in May. There
will be no 5th Sunday mission activities in July as it falls within the school holidays but there
will be a combined 10.30am service instead.
Miscellaneous.
• It was noted that unfortunately there was no interest in or applications for the role of Mu-
sic director. The Task Group will meet again to formulate a definitive way forward.
• Keynsham Voice Advert – Tim Edwards was congratulated on the outcome of his con-
tact with Luke Hill of Probert Finance re no further use of the church image to advertise
the business
• The dates for the Church rebuilding ‘Save the date’ presentations on Wednesday 30th
March at 7.30pm and Saturday 2nd April at 10.00am and the dates for prayer breakfasts
on the second Saturday of April, May and June were noted.
AOB It was noted that
• The Sanctuary Foundation (www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk/ ) - John Wilkinson is will-
ing to act as the contact point for anyone who would like to register an interest or to
know more about the work of the Foundation which aims to support families who are
fleeing the Ukraine
• Covid update – It will be left to individuals to decide whether they wear a face mask or
receive the Holy Communion wafer and/or wine. The social distance cards marking the
pews are to be removed but the collection plate will not be passed around the congrega-
tion at this time.
These are not the official minutes Deborah Hall - St John’s DCC Secretary
26FARM DIARY
In the Field. In mid March at the time of writing, field work has started. The winter
wheat and winter oil seed rape have all had a dose of ammonium nitrate. The winter
bean crop, as a legume, fixes its own nitrogen and so has none applied. The other
two macro-elements required are phosphorous and potassium. These are not
applied out of the bag but from farm yard manure applications. This also increases
the organic matter level in the soil which is a long term aim. As regards nitrogen, the
fertiliser market is in flux with high gas prices causing havoc. Offers of fertiliser
prices and delivery dates are given and then disappear two days later. We have
bought one lorry load for next year’s crop at a price that is just over double the
norm. Instead of coming from the UK it will come from Egypt. Last year we did the
same and bought half our requirement at a price that was 80% more than normal.
Difficult times. Almost certainly we shall see reduced crop production in Britain and
that is on top of the reduced production from Ukraine and Russia. These two are
major exporters of wheat. The consequences of all this turbulence are unknown. In
addition to our normal soil sampling where a third or a quarter of the farm is
sampled every year, we have had a more detailed nutrient check done. This has
enabled us to reduce the nitrogen applied with some confidence; a result of the
farm yard manure applications. Crop sale prices are also rising and volatile but
typically twice the norm. With livestock, the price of pig meat is particularly low at
the moment.
Journalists. The Financial Times recently ran an article “Growth potential in the
natural capital of farmland.” This looked at an array of opportunities for British
farmland. It failed to mention its most important purpose: producing food. As a
natural store of carbon, agricultural land clearly has a key role to play in reaching the
nation’s zero target and the carbon market can offer important opportunities for
farmers and businesses to work together to offset emissions. This cannot be at the
expense of food production wrote the NFU in response to the article.
Goats. The cycle is in full swing again as kidding
progresses. The doelings (does that have not yet had a
kid) have been put out on a herbal ley to make room in
the sheds for extra pens for the does and kids. These
are isolated for the first few days after kidding. This is
primarily to encourage the bond between doe and kid
but also aids management. After about a week, the
doe and kids are loose housed with others.
Richard Graham
27Parish Register & Diary for April
BAPTISMS
Date Name Church
th
6 March 2022 Albie David Takle St John’s
6th March 2022 Willow Alice Letts St John’s
DEATHS
Date of Death Name Age
th
14 February 2022 Rachel Bishop 94
16th February 2022 Julie Matthews 56
th
19 February 2022 Christopher Face 91
DIARY
Date Time Activity / Event Venue
nd
2 9.30am Clergy Consultation Hour Parish Hall
nd
2 10am Church Building Presentation St John’s
rd
3 5pm Impact Club for 7-11 year olds Parish Hall
th
6 7.30pm Mother’s Union Parish Hall
th
8 1pm Blood Transfusion Service Parish Hall
th
9 8am Prayer Breakfast Parish Hall
th
10 6pm Choral Evensong St John’s
th
16 9.30am Who Let the Dads Out Parish Hall
th
16 9.30am Clergy Consultation Hour Parish Hall
th
16 10am Messy Church St Francis
th
20 7pm Wives Group Parish Hall
rd
23 9am Who Let the Dads Out St Francis
th
24 12pm Church Meal Parish Hall
th
26 7.30pm St John’s DCC AGM St John’s
th
26 7.45pm St Francis DCC APCM St Francis
th
29 1pm NHS Blood Transfusion Service Parish Hall
28Palm Sunday by Pietro-di-Giovanni-dAmbrogio
1 High Street, Keynsham,
Bristol BS31 1DP
Tel: 0117 986 3681
Fax: 0117 986 8220
www.daviesandway.com 911
CONTACT EDITORS
Kath McCarthy, Robert Cook
and Hero
e-mail: keynshamcontact@gmail.com
c/o Parish Office,
1 The Park, Keynsham
T: 0117 986 3354
Cover: Window at Bishop’s Palace Wells
Credit: International Travel NewsTown & Country
Roofing
Services
Slating, Tiling,
Carpentry,
Leadwork
Contact: Tony Burford
01761 413430,
0779 9235 555
anthony.burford262@btinternet.com
6 Millward Terrace,
Paulton,
Bristol BS39 7NP
902
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