Church Blog
News, Updates, Thoughts

On Tuesday we hosted a special service in Kintbury Church for the year six school leavers
and their parents and carers based on the Bible reading, ‘In the same way your light must
shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in
heaven’, Matthew 5:16

It was a poignant reminder of how quickly young people grow. Having only been in position
for 11 months I did not have the pleasure of meeting YR6 when they joined the school or
watching them mature, but I do have some lovely memories from previous schools where I
was very involved for seven years as a chair of governors. I had the privilege of working
closely with the head teachers and the young people. I recall the excited chatter and
differing level of focus of the reception children in their first few weeks of the autumn term,
through to noticing how by the end of YR 6 they had clearly outgrown junior school and
were ready for new challenges!

In preparation for their service the YR 6 were given a candle, and a drip protection disc to
decorate with the school value/s friendship, hope, or respect that was most important to
them. During the service the young people lined up down the aisle facing forward and
shared the flame from the pastoral candle down the two lines. As they did this there was
natural silence as they concentrated in lighting each other’s candle. It was lovely to see
young faces lit by the glow of their candle flame. A tangible hope, friendship, respect, love,
and joy that was being sent out into the world. As their flames were burning a special
blessing was said for them. All the year sixes were presented with their own Youth Bible from the Church

I am hoping to be able to spend more time in school as we have an assistant priest joining to
share ministry. We have booked a visit by both Inkpen and Kintbury school to their parish
church for an ‘Experience Church’ an interactive multi-sensory way to enable young people
to learn about how Christians worship and practice their faith today. It is designed so that it
supports the teaching of units in the RE curriculum which focus on places of worship, and
prayer and worship. Kintbury school is visiting St Mary’s on 31 st October and Inkpen school is visiting St Michaels on November 2nd . If you would like to support this in anyway please do let me know if you have not already.

Why is the link with our local schools important?

Church can provide…

• We have trained and passionate volunteers (lay and ordained) who can provide support, encouragement, and learning to young people in a committed fashion.
• Churches have congregations who are driven by their faith to give generously. This for example in the generous support for hampers for struggling families during Covid and the purchase of resources for the Christmas Experiences and Christingle services last year.
• The church can provide schools with opportunities for encouraging (we are looking at ways for YR6s to link with the coffee mornings and special mid-week events in church like our Scones and Songs.
• We can be advocates for schools. 
• By becoming positively involved with schools we can demonstrate that communities can have meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships even in the brokenness of today’s society. In our world of brokenness and fractured community, these partnerships can be a glimpse into the kingdom of God. 
   

 
And schools can have a positive impact on churches. 

• 
  Schools help churches to better understand the community and its challenges as they tend to be microcosms of the wider community. When we work with local staff, families, and children, we can learn more about our communities and seek ways that we can be more engaged in community development and building. 
• Schools can help deepen a church’s sense of mission. 
• While churches may not fully understand issues that arise from poverty, getting to know the challenges of families who struggle can help us have a clearer perception and grow our compassion and quest for justice on behalf of those who can’t advocate for themselves.

We are so fortunate to have two very good schools within the benefice. I hope that we can
continue to build on the positive links that we have with them. And I pray that the staff
particularly the two new head teachers Mrs Buck (Inkpen) and Mrs McDonald (Kintbury),
the young people and their families have a wonderful summer holiday. May the adults
return in September refreshed and inspired from their break, and the young people begin
the next school year keen to learn and grow in their new settings whether at Kintbury or at
secondary school. 

Love and prayers

Revd. Annette

We are hoping that you would help by saving small glass jars for the older children to
paint as candle holders (the younger children will have plastic pots and battery tea lights)
when they learn about stained glass windows at one of the six stations around the church.

Dear Friends

My father was employed as a spotter and checker for newspapers and government reports.  He would tell me how there would be several print runs of newspapers distributed through the night as spelling and grammatical errors were identified and corrected.  I am sure there were some readers who delighted in seeing how many mistakes they could pick up in the early versions. I can also remember working with a member of staff who would gleefully take his red pen and correct any notes or letters that were put up on the noticeboard in the staffroom. Nobody wants to make mistakes, but it can often be an inevitable result given people’s pace and workload.

Spellchecks and predictive texts are wonderful, but they can generate problems. I receive some very ‘interesting’ messages but which I can usually decipher from two friends who have very little sight who depend on voice to text programmes.  The fluidity of that means of communication is so important to them.    

And I am personally only too conscious how easy it is to make silly mistakes.  Our administrator says that when I send her anything she waits for the next version to appear when I come back to the item with fresh eyes and pick up some of the errors!  I certainly make more mistakes now that everything is typed rather than handwritten, and I have always found it so much easier to pick up other people’s mistakes than my own.

The first born of one of my friends is identifying as non-binary.  Their parents accept this decision but struggle to adjust to using the new pronouns so occasionally slip up.  These mistakes cause offence and distress to their child and partner who experience such slips as personal rejections.  It places a strain on communications between them and added stresses now at wider family gatherings when navigating discourse becomes so delicate.  It is so sad that they are no longer able to relax and are guarded in each other’s company.      

Clear communication is important but so is forgiveness and looking at the bigger picture. If we demand perfection, take offence, and criticise every mistake people make, then we generate stumbling blocks for everyone. I have seen the impact of receiving officious communications on people’s confidence.  It puts everyone on the defensive. Negative behaviours feed everyone's brain to be alert to potential attacks. It focuses on what's wrong and we are not our mistakes. We can learn and improve from them.

If you have made a mistake here are some tips on what you should do.

Name the offense and the offended. Own the offense. Empathize with the offended. Express regret for the offense. Ask for forgiveness and offer reassurance.

And if we have been offended by a mistake.

Accept apologies because God accepts us, flaws, and all.  There are many examples of people who showed remorse for their actions in the Bible. We should be gracious to those who offer apologies to us, no matter what their wrongs may be, whether it’s something small or something that hurts our feelings. We want others to accept our apologies, so we should be ready and open to listen to the apologies of others, regardless of how we feel in the moment. It’s all part of the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would want them to do unto you (Matthew 7:12).

Jesus gave the greatest example of forgiveness through His death.

Love and prayers

Rev Annette

A though for the day Passed on by Annette.

BBC Sounds, Thought of the day

Hachiko, on thought for the day.  We share our love of dogs and I know many others do in the benefice. It is such a lovely and relevant reflection.

The 4 th of July.

 Aha, you say – American Independence Day – fireworks and flag-waving. And of course, you are right. But closer to home, although a little further back in time (1623 rather than 1776), 04/07/2023 marks the 400 th anniversary of the death of the great English composer William Byrd. If you have switched on Radio 3 this week, you will not have been able to miss the occasion. I love early music, and particularly early sacred music, so I have been in my element. But the programmes marking his contribution to the world of music have also explored the impact of his contradictory life and turbulent historical setting on the music he created. He was born a protestant, sometime around 1540, during the reign of the young King Edward (also a protestant), learning to sing and studying music, probably in his home cathedral of Lincoln, possibly at the prestigious Chapel Royal in Windsor. He survived the Catholic reign of Mary Tudor, with its purges of protestants and Protestantism – then in an apparent spirit of contrariness became a Catholic at some point during the reign of her protestant half-sister Elizabeth. That was a risky move – with Catholicism now branded as treason and sedition, carrying penalties starting at a fine of a shilling a
go for every missed Sunday (Church of England) service and moving up the scale through
imprisonment to death by hanging, drawing and quartering for men or burning at the stake for women. It was Byrd’s music, and the queen’s appreciation of it, which saved him; although he was often fined, he was regularly pardoned and protected by Her Majesty from more severe punishment. He wrote liturgical music both for large, public Cathedral services, in English with full choirs and organ accompaniment, which he could publish with impunity – and very small-scale Latin Masses, for secret celebration in private houses. These are often for only 4 voices, and very short – the fewer the people involved and the quicker a service was finished, the better the chance of evading spies, discovery and being hauled off to the Tower. The two are appropriately different in style – the Latin being more ornate, and the English with the required plainness and emphasis on linguistic comprehensibility rather than polyphonic complexity. Listening during this week to the entwined music and history, the inseparable religion and politics, I have been struck by the fact that only 400 years ago, in this country, the Christian Church felt it was not only appropriate, but righteous, to murder people who chose to worship the same God in a different way. We look with horror at the persecutions we see in other parts of the world today, sometimes (not always) among people of faiths which are different from ours, but . . . So – we can listen to the music; we can ruminate on the history; we can watch the News; we can – and must – work and pray for peace.

We arrived just outside Cheddar with our caravan at the start of our holiday, oblivious to the fact
that not far away in Glastonbury campers were gathering for a weekend of music. After an easy journey down, we discovered a completely empty campsite, and it remained empty for the week. It
was utter bliss!
We have a self-contained unit with its own shower and loo so only require basic requirements of
electricity, water, and waste disposal. An empty site, in glorious weather, surrounded by amazing
scenery, and without two Labradors taking up much of the confined space! What a treat.
It was rather bizarre sitting in the caravan watching the music festival on TV in the middle of a field.
I am now too old now to think being in the centre of that enormous and emotionally heightened crowd would bring me any joy, let alone sleeping in a tent or using festival facilities!
In the book of Psalms, we find a beautiful passage that speaks to the power and significance of
music.
Psalm 150:3-5 says:
"Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!"
The word music is mentioned 8 times in the Bible but there are many references to singing,
instruments, and worship Music has the power to uplift our spirits, bring comfort to our souls, and
draw us closer to the divine.
There were several very poignant moments in the music festival but the two most memorable for me, were watching Lewis Capaldi struggling with his Tourette’s and losing his voice in front of a vast
Pyramid Stage. Then watching the crowd reacting with support, singing his songs for him, and being
understanding when he cut short his set. And Elton John’s set which demonstrated his incredible and
perceptive gift of music.
We can discover so much solace, joy, and connection through the beauty and power of music.
Seeing so many people crammed together, singing in unity, in peace and so happy I was a witness to that! Even from our self-contained unit we felt that power.
Thank you God for the gift of music.

A message from Annette. 

For those who heard my sermon last week the film that I was talking about was 'Freedom Writers' based on a 1999 book 'The Freedom Writers Diary' by Erin Gruwell and students who compiled the book out of real entries about their lives that they wrote in their English class at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach California. 

The book that I was talking about was, 'Darkest England and The Way Back' by Gary Bishop.
They are both challenging and very inspirational.

The Spread of Christianity

Last week at a gathering I was privileged to meet a young radiologist working in the Health
Service living in Newbury from Kerala, South India. She was a Christian in that largely Hindu
and Muslim country but she reminded me that the church in South India had early
beginnings and was started by the Apostle Thomas (him who said “I will not believe. …unless
I put my finger into the marks of the nails and my hand into his side” John 20: 25). Meeting
her was a reminder to me of how quickly Christianity spread after the resurrection.
This time of year, after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, the Sunday readings are concerned
with the spread of Christianity. Indeed, the Acts of the Apostles record some of the
preaching of the Apostles as told by Luke in the second volume of his work in the New
Testament. At the beginning of Acts, Jesus tells his disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes
upon them, they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the
world (Acts 1: 8). This is what happened: firstly, in Jerusalem and then, when the disciples
were persecuted, further afield in Judea, Samaria, Antioch (Acts 11: 19ff) and lastly in the
missionary journeys of Paul into Europe, eventually reaching Rome. Sometimes, as in Rome,
churches began not primarily through Apostolic missions (ie led by one of the Apostles) but
through ordinary Christians travelling on business, to relatives or just re-locating.
The Church also spread east to Syria, south into Africa via Ethiopia (Acts 8:26ff) and Egypt,
and north into the Roman Empire, eventually reaching Britain by the late third century. I
read recently that Christianity reached the court of the Emperor of China about the same
time as the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumberland, ruled by King Edwin, accepted
Christianity from Paulinus in 627AD.
However much Christianity spread historically throughout the world, Christianity does not
exist territorially but must live in the hearts and lives of men, women and children in every
generation. Indeed, as someone has said, the church is only ever about two generations
away from extinction. In other words, our faith must be handed on. The challenge for us
today is to take the same message of God’s grace and forgiveness to all, so that they may
know in truth the grace of God. May God grant us success in doing this in our own
communities!

When I was born mum and dad had a beloved boxer called Susan. I was only a toddler when she had a litter of puppies, mum told me later I would crawl into the bed and snuggle up alongside her puppies. I am still drawn to the friendly faces of Boxers. We always had a dog at home from a Corgi called Jane to cross breeds like Nikki and Rusty. 

It was not long after we were married that I persuaded Dave that we really needed a puppy. A rough collie called Gemma joined us. She was our baby. Totally spoilt but incredibly well trained; we could leave her sitting in the front garden watching the world pass by and we could trust her not to wander. She was frightened of cats and would try to leap into our arms if one came towards her. Her loyalty was incredible and she was amazingly gentle with our young family. I watched once as my son, experimenting as a baby, hit her nose with his wooden hammer. It must have hurt but she just shook her head, got up from where she was lying beside him, and moved away. 

We have had a number of dogs since then. Each with different personalities and loveable behavioural quirks that have brought us so much joy. They have given us so much love and made our home complete. 

We now have two exuberant Labradors, Daisy who is brown, rather laid back, extremely friendly but selectively deaf with commands.. not invitations, and Yukki who is white coated, slim, hyper active, slightly neurotic, incredibly attentive and easily trained. Yukki copes with fireworks but will squeeze under our tiny coffee table if it thunders and look out pathetically. Daisy sees nothing as a threat; she has very inflated self-esteem which protects her. 

I love my dogs. I learn much from watching the way that they deal with life. They live in the moment and provided their basic needs are met are very content. When Daisy’s girth grows from stealing treats from an open store cupboard, she does not feel any shame or self-loathing. But then she does not stop to anticipate the discomfort that follows an illicit binging session.

My dogs are resilient and deal well with changes in their circumstances. It is a good lesson. Life is a twisting, turning road and the more adaptable we are, the more easily we bend to allow life to work with us, not against us and the more content we can find ourselves. Pets, as long as they feel safe, nourished, and near you, can find peace. 

Studies have shown recently that living with an animal companion improves a person's physical health and well-being. Having a pet can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and release endorphins. Many people also believe that connecting with animals improves their spiritual health. Animals with their seemingly boundless capacity to offer spiritual qualities such as unconditional love, gratitude, patience, and joy.

Daisy and Yukki have overflowed with affection for us without testing our characters first. They are always happy, rain or shine unless they are ill. They hold no grudges whatsoever, no matter how they are treated. 

If God taught an animal to live that kind of life, how much more should we feel ashamed that even with the Holy Spirit we struggle to do those things? 

Love

Revd. Annette

Please send me stories of how you are blessed by the animals in your life.

There was gentle excitement in the senior Shannon household this week, and several WhatsApp videos received, as we charted our youngest granddaughters first steps; watching her develop in confidence from being firmly balanced when standing and crouching down, to those two wobbly steps into the delighted arms of her 3-year-old sister.  Her proud sister’s words said it all. “She’s done it”.

It was whilst I was staying with my daughter, during the final week and birth of her second baby, that I applied for the position in this benefice, along with several others.  I received an invite for interview from all four, but Walbury Beacon was the first interview and I accepted.

This year there have been so many changes for both my granddaughter and me.  She has changed and grown from a helpless, vulnerable, tiny, baby to a strong-willed toddler. She refuses to be fed insisting on doing that herself, she is a pro in getting people’s attention, whether face to face or on WhatsApp, she giggles loudly and very infectiously, but does not like car journeys raspberries. She has had to learn so much.

There has also been a lot of new learning for me as I settle into a new role in a new area of the county, and I have also had to learn to adapt.

I am conscious of actions that I used to do without any thought at all. I reflect on when I could flip my body into a handstand, cartwheel, or backflip, when I would run with ease (if never with enthusiasm) and would have been horrified if I had developed any aches and pains that restricted my actions.  I was determined in my 30s, fuelled I must confess by a few glasses of wine, to recreate that sense of freedom and produce a cartwheel.  It was not very successful; I nearly broke my wrist and certainly strained a muscle in my upper thigh! 

As a young adult, armed with a degree, having given birth to a couple of children, I thought I knew lots and was eager for change.  It is only as I look back with more years and hopefully more wisdom that I realise how much I am still learning, and sadly also recognise for me change no longer feels so easy. 

Perhaps our relationship with God is the same. 

I have just returned from a long journey or road trip from Kintbury to Marrakech with five others.

The journey by road was 3,500 miles with another 900 nautical miles from Portsmouth to Santander. The ferry-ride across the Bay of Biscay, with my Peugeot 207 on board, was calm and there were a few dolphins along the way accompanying the ship in places. I estimated we stayed in seventeen places along the route with special times in Salamanca, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, in the mountains of Aragon, Zaragoza and Pamplona.

Spain’s scenery was impressive, its history complicated and riveting, its roads wonderful and free of traffic, with twice the space of the UK and 2/3rds of the population. And then crossing the Straits of Gibraltar precipitated a dramatic change of culture: from Christian to Muslim, from Europe to Africa, from fixed prices to bartering, from shops to souks and from paella to tagines.

Standing on the mountains of Southern Spain looking across the Straits of Gibraltar to Africa was an unforgettable moment, what a difference a short stretch of water can make! Ahead of us was Tangier, Fes, Marrakech and Casablanca all fascinating in their ways. Beyond them the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara which we didn’t quite get to.

Life in a broader sense is like a journey and indeed our faith can also be construed as one. God’s people in the Old Testament journeyed from Egypt to Canaan, with forty years in the desert en route, and also from Palestine or Jerusalem to Babylon and back. These journeys helped shape, discipline and form their faith and their understanding of God and their calling. In the New Testament Jesus was frequently travelling by foot with his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem and in and out of Jerusalem. As they went, things happened to form the disciples as well. And in a memorable journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus drew near and talked to two disciples, revealing to them his resurrection and its meaning.

In any journey you need a destination, a map or satnav to get you there, a mode of transport, food along the way, a place to rest each night and companions to talk and reflect with. We might ask ourself the questions: where do we find those things in our faith-journey. What is the destination? How do we get there? What is the map or satnav? Who are our companions? What food do we need and where do we find rest? All questions to ponder and, in answering them, our own journeys may become enriching, joyful and fulfilling.

At this point in the Church’s year, we look back on the great festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost speaking as they do of incarnation, redemption, resurrection and the gift of the Spirit. Equipped with the reality of these events in our own lives, we travel on in what is called “ordinary time” and do those good works which have been prepared for us beforehand (Ephesians 2:9). Let’s make the most of the opportunities en route, and let’s travel further towards our destination.

Good travelling!