St James The Great
Old Milverton, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Foodbank Donations
At the moment, the foodbank is short of tinned vegetarian meals, long life milk, long life fruit juice, small jars of coffee, cup soups, shaving foam or gel, razors, baby wipes and nappies sizes 4,5,6 & 7, but any donations are always welcome.
VE Day 80th Anniversary Celebration:
A Village Get-together Everyone is welcome to come along to the Village Hall on Saturday 10th May, between 4pm and 6pm. Prosecco will be provided – if you would like something different to drink please bring it with you. This is a bring and share event: if you are able to bring a plate of food to share with others, that would be much appreciated.
ORGAN RECITAL by John Wilderspin Saturday 10th May at 7.00pm
at St Peter’s Church Wellesbourne Tickets £8 on the door, including refreshments (children free)
Our new Bishop of Coventry
Bishop Sophie will be formally installed as the Bishop of Coventry on Saturday 7th June at 2pm at Coventry Cathedral.
St James has a few reserved seats for this occasion – if anyone would like to go, please speak to Sue.
Readers, Intercessors and Stewards – Geoff will be putting together the next rota very soon. If you are aware of any dates between May and August when you know you are not available, it would be really helpful if you could let him know as soon as possible. If you would like to join the rota in any capacity, speak to Jane or Michael.
Churchyard Clearing
The dates for churchyard clearing this year are:
- Saturday 14th June
- Saturday 16th August
- Saturday 18th October
- Saturday 13th December (leaf clearance)
Please put all these dates in your diaries and come along and help if you are able between 10.00am and 12.30pm (bring your own tools).
Churchyard mowing is now underway – may I remind those of you with graves in the churchyard that we ask you to have only one pot or container on each grave, to make life a little easier for our wonderful team of mowers, who have to move them (and put them back) each time.
We may move excess pots onto the stone slabs by the war memorial and little memorial statues or crosses will be put in church for safe-keeping until you can collect them.
Thought for the month:
Time to stop and stare
Friday 4th April was a beautiful sunny day. I put together some lunch, sunglasses and hat, and drove over to Birmingham for the very first day of the cricket season. The roads were busy as always but as I parked at the ground and walk up the steps into the stands everything quietened down and the outside world took a step back.
By an hour into play I was sitting in a fairly empty ground (County matches rarely attract more than the members) so there was plenty of space around me. There was the usual, gentle buzz of conversation – a couple of chaps behind me were gently grumbling about field placings – but other than that I was far enough away from folk not to be able to hear any details, and I gradually managed to slow down and switch off from the ‘stuff’ that tends to occupy my mind when I’m around home or church.
I found myself reflecting on what it is that pulls me back here year after year. Yes, it’s partly because I love the game (for those of you who want to know, by lunchtime we had the opposition three wickets down – should have been four in my opinion) but also I came to the conclusion that it’s somewhere that gives me space to ‘breathe’; by which I mean slow down and be in the moment, rather than being tuned in to the jobs list.
I suspect that for many folk, our churchyard serves a similar purpose; somewhere to pause, however briefly, and take stock of life. So often we walk up the path to the church door and are aware of people sitting quietly on one of the benches and we know from the number of people who have engaged with our Prayer Stations over the past two years that it is a place of stillness and peace for many, even if not specifically a place where they might meet God.
You will see that there are Prayer Stations out in the churchyard once again – they will be there until the end of the month. I encourage you to go and engage with them: they won’t demand much of your time and I doubt they will stretch any of you theologically but they might encourage you also to stop for a moment and find that God is just a little more consciously present with you for that precious space of time in our busy world.
And, in the same way as I take the sense of space and peace with me each time I leave Edgbaston and head back into daily life with its phone messages and emails, as we leave our church and its beautiful surroundings, we know that we take the peace of God with us.
With love, Sue x
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.
At the end of this month it will be Ascension Day (29th May).
This poem is something I used as part of a confirmation class, so many years ago that I have lost all knowledge of its authorship. As folk who worship ‘up the hill’ at St James, I hope it might speak to you as it speaks to me.
Come up the hill.
Outside the bustle of the town,
Where you can choose – look up or look down.
We are apart now – on the hill.
Come up the hill.
I taught you there,
Broke bread to share.
We walked and laughed there – on a hill.
Come up the hill.
I prayed there for you.
Learned what to do.
I went apart there – on a hill.
Come up the hill.
We met with glory,
Learned the full story.
You knelt there – on a hill.
Come up the hill.
Where the empty cross lies
Under the dark skies,
Cut off there – on a hill
Come up the hill.
Like angels sang at my birth,
Glory in heaven, peace on earth,
Together though parted – on the hill.
May the sun bring you new energy by day
May the moon softly restore you by night
May the rain wash away your worries
May the breeze blow new strength into your being
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.
Apache Blessing
Clergy
Revd. William Smith 316475 wms.smith@btinternet.com
Revd. Sue Fairhurst 735254 sue@fairhursts.me.uk
Churchwardens
Michael Rayner 831522
Jane Marshall 831680
Website & email
www.stjamesoldmilverton.co.uk churchwardenstjames@outlook.co
Parish News
Ali Foster © 2013