ALL SAINTS' GOLESHILL VILLAGE NEWSLETTER No. &
$ January, 1971
The Rector's Letter
My dear Friends,
At the end of each year all finance and business houses have a
"stocktaking", and assess what has happened in the past year, how successful
or otherwise it has been. In the light of what's found plans can be made
for the new year.
What about us? What about the way we lived and behaved last year?.
It is a Christian duty that we should assess our "stewardship" of God's
Gifts during last year, and now in the new year make our plans for a new
start in our Christian Living.
"The Christian seeks to regulate the whole of his life according to the
will of God. His will, his law and his love are one: comprehensive and
self-consistent. There is no part of our lives that is outside his interest -
no part of which we can say: 'This does not concern God; this is my
private affair1. To regulate the whole of our lives according to his
will is thus not only the proper obedience of the creature to his Creator,
which we do not give and apart from him are not capable of givingj it is
also part of the response of gratitude and love to the unspeakable gift
of free redemption and to the Divine Love wherewith he first loved us.
The truth is that we have nothing to offer worthy of his acceptance but
ourselves and our love - and only that as redeemed in Christ and offered
in unity with his own perfect self-offering.
The stewardship of time, talents and money is only a part of this general
and elementary teaching! but that we are stewards, not owners, of this
world's good is made the more obvious by the practical considerations, that
we bring nothing into the world and take nothing out of it, and that the
powers of body and mind by the exercise of which we obtain temporary use
of worldly things are themselves the gift of God. Thus what the Christian
should be seeking in relation to his money is to know and do the will of
God in relation to the whole of it.
If, then, we are God's stewards, if nothing is ours and all is his, our
simple duty is to use all his goods as he would have us use them. This
implies an attitude to the use of money which is responsible and ought
perhaps to be austere, but which need not be either puritanical or
ascetical. The good things of this life were created for our enjoyment;
it is ungrateful, if not worse, to reject them as though we knew better
than God what is good for us. Innocent amusement, health-giving
recreation, the joys of literature, visual art and music - these things
are not excluded, they are given us by God for the enrichment of our
lives; but in so far as they involve the use of money (and not for that
reason only) they need to be set in due proportion to other things.
'Responsibility1 and 'proportion' are two of the key words. 'Priority'
is a third.
In general terms we may say that the use of the whole of our money should
reflect conscious and deliberate thought and careful judgement, with prayer
directed towards using what is not in truth our money, but God's, as God
himself would have us use it. It is out of this process that a decision
should emerge as to what we ought to give to the Church and to other 'pious
and-charitable uses'.
Thus the orderly management of personal income and its expenditure according
to plan, becomes a religious duty. For all who have a minimum of
competence in arithmetic, this means drawing up a weekly, monthly or annual
budget and expenditure. We all know that for a host of reasons good and
bad, such budgets rarely work out exactly (though we nay hope that as we
go through life they will become less inaccurate); but that is not the
point. There is all the difference in the world between drawing up a
budget conscientiously, in which what is given away comes first, and
honestly trying to make it work; and making no effort to plan or control
our expenditure and allowing giving to come last.
There are two reasons why what is given direct to the service of God
through his Church must come first. The first is the practical reason
that if it does not come first it will probably come last. The second
and fundamental reason is that by the dedication of a part the whole is
consecrated and brought before God for his blessing. This is a familiar
principle. It is by setting aside a few hours exclusively for the worship
of God that all tine is sanctified; it is by the consecration of some
bread that all bread is made sacred. If the first charge on our income
is that portion of it that is given direct to the work of his Church,
giving becomes an act of worship, the means whereby we ask God's blessing
upon the management of all our money affairs, and a sacramental means of
grace.
The Christian does not give -
RELUCTANTLY, because pressure is brought to bear on him;
EMOTIONALLY., because his feelings have been skilfully played upon;
TO MAKE HIMSELF FEEL GOOD, or to prove something to himself;
BUT
WITH DISCIPLINE, and after previous responsible thought about the
use of the whole of his income;
IN OBEDIENCE, in gratitude and in love.
And it is important that any Christian should realise that new and
unforeseen demands may be made upon him. Nevertheless the importance of
a true commitment of a substantial proportion of his resources, is paramount".
/ill this may be new to you; it may all be difficult for you to understand;
but I hope it will help you in your relationship with God and his
Church.
Yours sincerely,
Allan Campbell
Rector.
OBITUARY
With deep regret the deaths are recorded of two well-known Coleshill
characters, Mr. Albert Wingrove on the 18th December, and Mr. J.A. Jones
on the 23rd December.
For some years Mr. Wingrove was a sidesman at All Saints, he served
regularly at Evensong and was a willing worker at Church functions. A
keen gardener, he enjoyed considerable success for his exhibits at the
annual flower show and his advice upon such natters was greatly appreciated
by those who asked for it.
"Jimmy" Jones, as he was known, lived at the old Jubilee Cottages (now
renamed No. 10 Amber Cottages) for many years. For at least 20 years
he was employed by Darlingtons and as a genial plumber he was a welcome
visitor in times of trouble.
Mr. Wingrove leaves a widow, and Mr. Jones a widow, a son and daughter,
to whom we extend deepest sympathy.
COLLECTIONS
On Christmas Day the collection at the Crib amounted to £10.2.0d. and
this was divided equally between Shelter and Magila Hospital.
CAROL SINGING.
On behalf of all the Carol Singers I would like to thank everyone for
their generous donations and for their very welcome refreshments that we
received on a cold and miserable night.
We were able to collect £13.10.0d. in all and this has been sent to
the "Save the Children"Fund.
Loveday Pusey.
W.I.
The U.I. Bazaar on the 28th November proved extremely popular and
fully maintained its reputation for the high quality of its wares. In
consequence several stalls were quickly sold out, and a Christmas gift
stall was a welcome innovation. The nett result was a number of
satisfied customers and a nice little sum for the funds of the W.I.
which will enable them to carry on with their good work.
The Institute ended its year with a Christmas tea party preceded by
a one act play performed by its talented drama group under the direction
of Mrs. Elizabeth Harvey, the players being Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Post, Mrs.
Pusey, Mrs. Trench and Mrs. Schlatter. Everything was well done and
considerable effort had been put into the settings for the stage. Some
genius provided candles and lamps so that they were able to overcome the
lack of light due to the electricians' decision to work to rule.
In addition there were two amusing monologues well put across by
Mrs. K. Ware.
FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS.
The other evening I went to the Primary School1s Festival of Lessons
and Carols. I had expected the usual traditional music but I was
pleasantly surprised. The music teacher, Mrs. Griffiths, had taught the
children a selection of carols varying in date and the country from which
they originated. Perhaps the two I enjoyed most were the Austrian
Yodelling Carol and the American Indian Carol. In "See Amid.the Winter
Snow" Lynne Truett sang a solo verse, showing us what a lovely clear voice
she has. Most of the music was accompanied by the recorder groups -
they were most professional.
Lessons from the Old and New Testaments (the New English Bible) were
read by Shane Riley, a former pupil; Mr. G. T. Creber, a parent; Mr. D.
Powell-Price, a pro-churchwarden; the Reverend P.A.S. Harrington who
gave the Blessing at the end of the Service; Mr. L.VJ. Barker, the
Headmaster; Mrs. E. Stevens, Chairman of School Managers; and Stefan
Junger, Clare Creber and Lynne Truett, pupils.
The Church was packed full with parents and friends for the evening
and everyone commented on how much they enjoyed it. The children were
not many and yet their voices filled the building and left us all with
the real spirit of Christmas.
Lorna Pusey.
MIST DRIVE
Mr. George Pledge acted as M.C. at the Whist Drive on the llth
December - a jolly good M.G. he was. There were nine tables. There
were ample prizes for the Whist Drive and for the inevitable raffle, and
in that immortal but hackneyed phrase " a good time was enpyed by all".
Thanks are extended to the generous donors of the prizes for the raffle.
MAN MADE CAKE COMPETITION.
It was well worth while going to the "Red Lion" on Sunday, the 15th
December to see Mr. Ruperti as auctioneer after the prizes had been
announced for the man made cake competition, most impartially judged
by Mrs. J. Faux and "Reg" a culinary expert. "Entries were anonymous.
Doubtless Mr. Ruperti was inspired by the fact that he turned out to
be the winner. He started by saying that these wonderful cakes had
been-made by men who rarely went into the kitchen except for washing up
and followed this with an hour's entertainment in which the pluperfect
was varied with telling effect, leading up to "two gentlemen bidding
against each other - surely an auctioneer's dream come true".
The other winners were Mr. Greaves and Mr. Payne. The net result
of the competition and of the raffle was £33 for the spastics, a
result upon which the organiser, Mr. Mountier, is to be congratulated.
COLESHILL C. of E. PRIMARY SCHOOL.
Mrs. Stevens has received the following letter from the Department of
Education and Science in reply to the letter sent over the signatures of
70 electors to the Department in June, quoted in the August Newsletter:
"With reference to your letter of the 25th June 1970 in which you
and other signatories submitted objections to the proposal made by
Bucks Local Education Authority to change the character of the
above-named school so that it will provide for pupils mainly of
the ages 5-8. I am directed by the Secretary of State for
Education and Science to say that, after careful consideration of
all the circumstances, including the objections submitted by you,
she has to-day approved the proposal under Section 13 (4) of the
Education Act 1944-» as amended"
This means that in a little over two years, Goleshill School will
become an Infants School only, taking children from 5-8 years. There
is no possibility of Coleshill having a "Right Through School", and for
the sake of the School and the Village we must hope that the number
of pupils will increase as has happened in the past.
AN APPEAL FOR MORE CONSIDERATE DRIVING.
Several people are complaining about the thunder of motor cars and
motor bicycles in our village. The drivers can scarcely know the
trepidation which they inspire in passers-by, accentuated by narrow
roads. An appeal is made to them to moderate their speeds.
APOLOGIES
It is regretted that this Newsletter is late due to difficulties in
connection with production. The next number will go to press in time
to appear before Lent begins and notices for insertion therein should
reach the pro-churchwardens before the 10th February.
It will help if anyone with a knowledge of the Gestetner will
volunteer to assist with the duplicating. Mrs. Plumridge does the
typing. The pro-churchwardens will be happy to receive the names of
volunteers for the task which will take up about two hours each month.
ST. MARY'S C. of E. AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL
In the August number there was a paragraph about the decision to
enlarge St. Mary's School due to both normal expansion and also to take
children up to the age of 12 against 11 as at present. The Parish
cculd not find the 2$% cost (i.e. £10,000) for this work and so it
looked as though it would cease to be a church school.
A most generous offer has been received from the Oxford Diocesan
Council of Education to pay for all the additional work undertaken
because they consider St. Mary's to be a school of key importance to
the Church.
This has met with the warm approval of the school managers who from the
first have been unanimous that if at all possible the school should remain
with the Church.
MAGILA HOSPITAL - REPORT 1970
The Church has continued its grant of £20 towards the upkeep of the
Coleshill Cot in the motherless babies unit. Baby Grace, who occupied
the cot most of the year, has now returned to her father and her aunt.
Her place has been taken by a L4 months old baby boy by name Ngalawa.
His mother died of T.B. and the child was brought to the hospital in a
totally neglected condition, weighing only nine pounds. He was a little
skeleton on arrival but can now smile and stand. In addition to helping
in this way a Christmas gift of £10 was sent for presents for all the
children, this sum being raised by generous subscriptions and a donation
from the Mothers' Union. Other gifts of money have also been sent out
to help the general hospital. ' Sister Edith Frances is delighted with
the beautifully made blankets (11 in all) which she has received during
the year and which are used for premature babies when they come out of
the incubator.
Green Shield Stamps A record year thanks to much support and the
splendid help being given by the Sunday School children. 29 books have
been despatched (37,120 stamps) and these have helped to buy surgical
instruments, the latest purchase being dental forceps for a nurse visiting
villages where no medical help is available. There are several filled
books to be despatched in the New Year.
Stamps for Cancer Research Three large parcels of stamps have been
despatched to the Cancer Research Unit. Especially valuable are the
collections of foreign stamps and the special issues of English stamps.
Please save your Christmas stamps for this purpose.
M.W.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS. 1971
Thurs. Jan. 1^. Mobile Library Van, Coleshill
" " 14 W.I. Mrs. Barbara Rees - "Hanpden, the Verneys and
the Civil War"
" " 21 Mothers' Union, Coleshill.
" " 28 Mobile Library Van, Coleshill.
Fri. Feb. 26 Buffet Dance in aid of the Village Hall.
ST. MA.RY1 S PARISH CHURCH. AMER3HAM
Rector; The Revd. A. Campbell, M.A. (Cantab), Beaumont, Hervines Road,
Amersham (tel. 7135} or St. Mary's Parish Office, Church Street,
(tel. 4712)
Sunday Services: 8.00 a.m. HOLY COMMUNION
10.00 a.n. Children's Service
11.00 a.m. 3rd & 5th Sundays: ,,
HOLY COMMUNION (New Service) '*
2nd & 4th Sundays: Mattins
6.00 p.m. Sung Evensong. ,'~
i
N.B. - 1st Sunday: One morning Service only
at 10.00 a.m.
Every Wednesday: 10.00 a.m. HOLY COMMUNION
For an experimental period of six months starting on the 3rd January
there will be one service only on the morning of the first Sunday in each
month. . ,". '
This service will be a Holy Communion Service for families worshipping *•
together, i.e. father, mother and children.
It is hoped that parents will bring children up to the Altar Rail
with them.
ALL SAINTS' COLESHILL.
Sunday Services 9.00 a.m. HOLY COMMUNION
10.15 a.m. Sunday School.
St. Andrews Mission Church* Winchmore Hill.
•^
There is a celebration of Holy Communion on the second Sunday of each
month at 10.30 a.m.
Pro-Churchwardens: N.N. Nicholls (and Hon. Sec.) Orchard House (tel:6?34)
D.' Powell-Price, Coleshill Lodge (tel: 3949)
Treasurer: R.G. Stubbings, Springfield, Tower Road (tel: ,4738)
Assistant Hon. Sec: Miss Asher, Radnor Cottage, Magpie Lane (tel: 6866)
Published by All Saints' Church Committee.
