October thoughts on autumn
Dear Friends
How do you feel about Autumn? For some of us it is a time of celebration, looking back on some holiday time, enjoying days of blue skies and sunshine. Our Ukrainian family staying with us love walking along the footpaths here in the Vale, and we have had several expeditions to Twyford country park, coming home with blackberries to turn into jam or to add to all the apples that grow on the trees in our garden. Yesterday I helped some friends to make bottles of apple juice to see them through the winter; the sun was shining on the boxes of apples making them glow like jewels, crimson, gold and streaks of green against the bright blue boxes on the grass. It was a glorious Autumn day and we had a brilliant time.
But I also know that for many of us, Autumn is a difficult time -beset with worries about the coming winter, with rising costs for food and heating. As the days grow shorter, the air feels colder and the sun disappears behind thick grey cloud for days on end. How will we get through this? How will we manage it all?
One of the (many) things I love about life in our area is the way that all our villages have such strong identities and also that so many of you really value that sense of belonging to a community. By and large, neighbours know each other, keeping an eye on each other and helping when help is needed in some way. You support village events by volunteering or simply turning up to them- and in so many other ways that enable us to feel that we are not alone and don’t have to cope by ourselves. There are times when we come together to celebrate -like the vicarage garden party, Offenham Wakes week with the sports & Maypole dancing, Bretforton Show, the Cleeve cricket match or the Plum pick, and the recent N& M Littletons treasure trail - to name but a few. There are times when we come together to lighten a work load – like the churchyard gardening volunteers who meet each Wednesday morning in Badsey. And there are other times when we come together with family and friends for support when something has happened, to grieve & to remember someone whom we have lost. We do these things together in good times and in bad times, when we are really happy or deep in sadness, remembering that we are not alone.
The Bible tells us exactly the same thing – that God is with us all the time. “Do not be afraid; I am with you always.” That promise, those words, are said over and over again in different ways all through from beginning to end – and said to different people in very different circumstances and through the centuries. God is with us always, as the group Siskin Green sings – “ whether we are climbing up the mountain or living in the valley, God is with us in the glory and in the grey” God is right there with us when we sit in the sunshine or feel weighed down with sadness and worries - like the kind neighbour knocking at the door offering help and company. All we need to do is to open the door….
God bless you,
Rev. Jo Fielding
September Preparing for Harvest
It is September 1950 and I am stood by the school gate with my classmates awaiting a very important arrival, which we could hear coming but not yet see. Suddenly, around the corner, it appeared belching smoke and steam - a traction engine towing the threshing machine, a baler, and the workman’s mess vehicle, amongst other items.
The excitement was intense, but more so to the local farmers for whom the arrival of the threshing contractor on the farm was a greatly anticipated event. It would be a time when all the hard work of the previous months would be rewarded; in fact, it would be a time of great celebration.
Today, there are very few threshing contractors because the majority of farmers have their own combine harvester, which with only a one-man operation can carry out a complete harvest in a fraction of the time. What a difference 70 years can make!
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we read, “For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never stop.” We plant the seed, then by faith we wait, and then finally we harvest and enjoy the fruit.
During the next few weeks there will be much harvesting taking place on our village farms, which should bring a time of rejoicing and thanks that, once again, God has helped us to accomplish that which He has always promised: a harvest to feed us, even if the weather has not been the best.
Watch out for the Harvest Festival celebration in your local church and go along to join in giving thanks that once again, “The harvest has been safely gathered in”.
Rev. Ralph Bolland
Retired Priest
August…..Summer.
Well, I wish someone would tell the weather that it’s summer! As I write it is the 2nd week of Wimbledon and it seems that the outside courts are permanently covered! I do hope we get some good weather whilst the children are off school. Very often the weather only improves when the autumn term starts!
For many people August is holiday time – and sunshine makes all the difference. It’s important that we take time to recharge our batteries. Even Jesus felt the need to do that. He often went away from the crowds, sometimes with his disciples, sometimes on his own, to think, to pray and to rest. I belong to a group of people who meet every 2 months and our January meeting is always a silent retreat at Holland House in Cropthorne. We gather for coffee at 10.00am and after that we go into silence. Space just to sit and read, or to walk and pray. We don’t speak until our evening meal at 6.30pm, and then we make up for the silence by catching up with each other’s news! I really value that time. No agenda just being present in the moment. We don’t all have that opportunity, although Holland House has a monthly Garden Quiet Day. The next one is on 22nd August. If you would like a day away, take a look at their website.
If you have a holiday planned in August I hope the weather is kind and that you enjoy some rest and relaxation. If you haven’t got anything booked, please try to take some time for yourself, even if it’s just a walk in the beautiful countryside which we are fortunate to have on our doorstep. Taking time out is important for our physical and mental health. I wish you a good (sunny!) summer and pray that you will find time to relax.
Every blessing
Canon Susan Renshaw
Retired priest
Canon Susan Renshaw
JULY 2024
Dear Friends,
How do you feel about change? Are you a big fan of new tech, ahead of the curve with wireless chargers and a phone with a folding screen – or do you find much-needed security in a world changing far more quickly than is comfortable, by doing things care-fully in a time honoured way, with tried and trusted tools and methods?
My son is definitely Team Tech, but I am way behind, trailing reluctantly in his wake. I still listen to CDs sometimes, and I finally made it onto Twitter just in time to see everyone departing for other platforms (where IS everyone?). But I do try to recognise when change needs to happen, especially when I can see that new ways of doing things can help us do a job better, or will bring a fresh viewpoint. We stopped holding Evensong services here in the Vale quite a while before I arrived (in November last year), as very few people wanted to come to them anymore.
But we are holding our first ‘Forest Church’ in a couple of weeks, where we will gather in one of the churchyards, hoping - or ra-ther, expecting - to find some much-needed peace among the trees, flowers and birdsong. We will take time to feel the grass be-neath our feet, the sunshine on our faces, and allow the sights and sounds around us to help us breathe freely, or just to sit quietly and peacefully in God’s presence and with each other. (If you would like to come to a session, please get in touch and I can send you details.)
I am also a fan of new (or new-ish) technology when it can solve a current problem that stops us doing the things that we want to continue doing. So, in our Sunday morning services (we still have these most weeks in at least two of our churches in the Vale) or any other services (weddings, funerals, baptisms) we often still want to sing - and while our hymns and songs are drawn from old and new material, we sometimes can’t get an organist.
While we would love to be able to sing along to “live” music (and if you play a keyboard, or anything else we could sing with, we would love to hear from you!) – we are able to use Bluetooth speakers and playlists on phones to enable the music to shake the aisles.
I also really love seeing “old” ideas worked out in new ways, with people bringing their own creativity and ideas to church events and special services throughout the year. We have had some really beautiful poems or other texts read alongside the Bible read-ings in baptisms, weddings and memorial services. Last week I watched as a bride came walking down the aisle towards me, accompanied not only by her dad – but also her (beautifully-behaved) dog who sat carefully between bride and groom, avoiding the dress and flowers, all the way through to the end.
In our changing world, where so many people struggle to get through a day, what are the things (habits, technology, people) that help make your life just that bit easier, or enable you to rise to a particular challenge? And where are the places - or the people - that you can turn to when you need some peace, where you can feel welcomed, listened to, and where in turn your voice can be heard and your gifts can be recognised?
I hope that anyone could find a reassuring welcome at any of our services or our midweek events, regardless of whether we are using any technology or none, whether we are inside or outside, formal in the pews or relaxing with a coffee on a bench outside in the sunshine. All are welcome in this place.
God bless you,
Rev. Jo Fielding revjo.eastvale@gmail.com 07561823135
JUNE 2024
During the year there are special days announced in the media. Some are more serious than others, and the month of June is no exception. Special days in June include World Bicycle Day on the 3rd, D-Day on the 6th, World Juggling Day on the 15th, the Summer Solstice and Take Your Dog to Work Day on the 21st, Pineapple Day on the 27th and International Mud Day on the 29th!
I have no idea who dreams some of these special days up, but we take more notice of some dates than others, depending on our interests.
The church is no different to other organisations - we have many special days throughout the year. During June, our hangings in the church will be green as we are in the time period called ‘Ordinary Time’, but on any Saints’ Day our altar frontal and other hangings are changed to red, to notify us that it is a special day.
We have a few Saints’ Days in June: St Barnabas Day is the 11th, the birthday of John the Baptist is the 24th and the 29th is the Festival of both St Peter and St Paul. On that date in 67 AD, St Peter and St Paul were martyred in Rome during the persecutions ordered by the Emperor Nero against the Christians, and often these two stalwarts of our Christian faith are shown in church windows and statues. Peter can be seen holding the Keys of the Kingdom in his hands, while Paul brandishes the sword of martyrdom like a weapon for battle.
So, are our Saints’ days as important to us as any other day? In our busy lives, have we time to stop and reflect on what day it is? I find it quite useful to be reminded of what day it is; there are days I must remember like wedding anniversaries and birthdays, so if I am reminded that there is a reason for me to stop and think about what day it is
(or whose day it is), that can’t be bad.
I’m not sure I would take a lot of time thinking about International Mud Day, but because of my faith I would take a lot of time thinking about St Peter and St Paul, and how their lives have impacted mine. I wonder, after you have read this piece, which day you would stop and think about? I do hope that whatever day it is, you pause long enough for it to have some meaning and maybe even change your outlook for that day.
Here’s to Happy Reflective Days in June!
Margaret Pye - LLM within The Benefice of East Vale and Avon Villages
May 2024
Dear Friends,
This magazine gets delivered to you in May, but is printed a couple of weeks before – which means that all
contributions have to be written before that. So I am writing this just after Easter.
We returned from a holiday in Spain a couple of days ago, so my head is still full of the amazing places we saw, the delicious food we ate, the sounds of the language, and the sights that we saw as we travelled on the trains, in the restaurants, and the different attractions we visited - I even recall the conversations that we had throughout the week. Despite some weeks of regular practice on Duolingo beforehand, my Spanish could not exactly be described as fluent, but I enjoyed reading menus and street signs and anything else that I saw on the way. One of the things I noticed was the instruction esperar, which anyone who has learned a Romance language will know means both “wait” and “hope”. In English, we use completely different words for these two things. But, of course, we can see that “waiting” and “hoping” are related once you stop to think about it – because why would you bother waiting for something if you didn’t have hope that it was actually going to happen?
We have been waiting and hoping for spring, waiting and hoping for warmer and drier weather, and waiting and hoping for longer and lighter days all through the winter. All through the 40 days of Lent, and especially in the days from Good Friday until the Sunday morning, the Church waited for Easter and the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We waited - not in despair - but in hope and expectation. What are the things that you hope for? Is there some change or shift in your own circumstances (or in someone else’s life that you are waiting for) that you hope will happen? So often, waiting and hoping is all that gets us through bad patches. Jesus talked quite often to his friends about the importance of waiting in hope and expectation for God to act – “ Look for the Kingdom of God which is closer than your own hand” – but the Bible also makes it clear that it is also up to us to take action, in hope, that God is here and is involved with our lives.
We have to jump in and help be the change that we want to see to make the world a kinder, better place - that is one way of loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. But we don’t do that work by ourselves; instead, we can reach out and help each other in the knowledge and in the hope that God IS here, is present among us and continues to call us into a knowledge of His love for each of us, day after day, week after week, throughout all the seasons of our years.
God bless you, Rev. Jo Fielding
Revjo.eastvale@gmail.com