Harvest 2012

Parish magazine for Holy Trinity, St Johns

Curbridge, St Johns Hailey, and St Marys
Wi tney Way
2
What might this little thing be?
It is interesting that each week as we recite the Creed we begin
by affirming our belief in God the Father as creator of heaven
and earth. And yet I wonder how many of us reflect on this in
our lives?
We are now entering into the time of Harvest and this is
perhaps the time in the churchs year when we are able to
reflect a little more on God as creator and on the gift of
creation. As Psalm 24 reminds us, the earth is the Lords and
all that is in it. It also offers us an opportunity to think about
our task as stewards of Gods creation. As I write this, I am
mindful that in our prayers at Morning Prayer today (which is
said for the parish each day at 9am in St Marys) we had the
following prayer:
Open our minds to the ways that we are destroying the
gifts of the earth;
bless again the land and water, and all of the life that
sustains us.
Harvest provides a good opportunity for us to reflect on the
gift of the earth and on how good creation is (Genesis 1.31).
Lady Julian of Norwich (1342c.1416) put it this way in one of
her Revelations of the Lord:
He showed me a little thing the size of a hazelnut in the
palm of my hand, and it was as round as a ball. I looked
with the eye of my understanding and thought, What
might this little thing be? and it was answered, This is all
that is made. And I marvelled how it might last for
methought that it might have fallen to nought for very lit-
tleness, and it was answered, It lasts and ever shall last for
that God loves it. So I understood that all thing hath the
being by the love of God.
Within the parish there are a number of people engaging with
current environmental issues and if youd like to become a part
of this do have a word with me. There is also a big project be-
ginning at St Johns Hailey where we are developing the church-
yard to reflect these concerns.
3
Statue of Lady Julian of
Norwich, Norwich
Cathedral. (Poliphilo)
4
Lots include... a week in an apartment in Turkey ... VIP tour of Wychwood
Brewery for 12 ... game of golf and meal for four ... tickets to local
attractions ... Signed England football shirt ... home-cooked dinners for six
delivered to your home ... singing tuition ... meals in local restaurants and
pubs ... yoga classes ... Olympic 50p coins signed by the designer ...
health and beauty treatments ... gardening ... ironing ... sewing repairs ...
years supply of cakes ... paintings by local artists ... hampers, books,
plants, wine ...
Catalogue being updated until the night, see online at:
http://witneyparish.org.uk/noticeboard/promises.html
Proxy bid forms in catalogue, or available from churches, to be returned by 11 October
Perhaps Harvest can offer to you a new chance to reflect on
the gift of creation. You might like to find a small thing like Lady
Julian and reflect What might this little thing be? and explore
how Gods love holds all of creation. This can be a good place
to start because the first step we need is to rediscover the gift of
awe that sense of the immensity of creation.
God of unchangeable power, when you fashioned the
world, the morning stars sang together and the host of
heaven shouted for joy: Open our souls to the wonders
of creation and teach us to manage faithfully the riches
of this good earth, to the honour of your glorious name;
through Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
TW
Holy Trinity, 7pm Friday 12 October
raising money for Holy Trinity Church
5
Meet and Eat
5.30pm, Sunday 21 October,
High Street Methodist Church
This is an opportunity for people from different churches across
to eat a simple meal together and to get acquainted. Participants
are invited to suggest concerns about which they feet passionate,
with the topics attracting the most interest being discussed in
small groups.
Previous topics have included the provision of leisure
facilities for young people in Witney, the proposed legislation on
homosexual marriage and its impact on society and the church,
a proposal to establish an ecumenical resource centre in Witney,
and our care of the environment.
For further information, contact your representative on
Churches Together: ie Sally Down, Tim Partridge, Rosemary
Peirce or Yvonne Townsend.
Prayer Boiler
The date for the next prayer boiler here in the parish will be
2425 November, 12 noon to 12 noon, as we celebrate the Feast
of Christ the King.
Prayer Boilers are part of the 24/7 Prayer movement. They
originated in Reading and the name was at first given as a
temporary nickname. However it stuck. And it is very appro-
priate because of the atmosphere of prayer which develops over
the time. Its a bit like a modern day tiny (and contemporary)
version of the laboratory of the Spirit which the desert ascetics
spoke of in the early centuries of the Church.
The feedback from those who took part in the last one was
fantastic. It was amazing. So peaceful and quiet, the time flew
by. One hour is too short, you need at least two. The
atmosphere was electric. Before I knew it, it was five minutes
until the next person arrived, Id only just started.
Do come and share in this as it is a great way of deepening
and renewing our prayer lives.
6
Prayers, Please!
St Paul reminded the church in Corinth When one part of the
Body of Christ suffers, we all suffer. It is estimated that there
are at least 250 million Christians suffering some form of perse-
cution today, ranging from intimidation and harassment through
to imprisonment, torture and martyrdom. It is my privilege, with
my small charity HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust) to work
with some of our persecuted brothers and sisters, visiting them
regularly. They include inspirational partners in Burma the hill
tribes of Chin State and the jungles of Karen and Karenni states;
in the war-devastated little nation of Timor Leste; Armenians in
the almost unheard-of little land of Nagorno Karabakh, resisting
attempted ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan; and northern Uganda,
afflicted for twenty years by the notorious rebel army incongru-
ously called the Lords Resistance Army.
But for Witney Way, I have been asked to focus on the plight
of our brothers and sisters currently suffering immense perse-
cution and oppression in Sudan, South Sudan and Nigeria.
Therefore, I will offer a brief background and then invite you to
travel with me in imagination on our most recent visits, to wit-
ness the suffering of the people and to return, as we always
do, inspired by the courage, faith and miracles of grace we en-
counter on these frontlines of faith and freedom.
Sudan and South Sudan
The Sudanese people have suffered from civil war for most of the
time since independence a war which escalated in 1989 when an
Islamist regime took power by military coup and immediately de-
clared explicitly military jihad (holy war) against its own people
in South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains, with ruthless military
offensives against Christian communities as well as many Muslims
and traditional believers. Two million people perished, four million
were displaced and tens of thousands taken into slavery during
that horrendous war, which lasted until a peace agreement was
signed in 2005. I visited the war-afflicted areas 30 times to witness
first-hand the carnage and devastation. Then the government in
Khartoum attacked the peoples of Darfur in a war which led to
the indictment of Khartoums President Al-Bashir by the Inter-
national Criminal Court.
Cover photograph:
The Anglican Bishop of
Bauchi Diocese, Bauchi
State, northern Nigeria
with his church, June
2011
The peace agreement gave the people of the South a right to
a referendum and independence, which was celebrated with tu-
multuous joy on 9 July last year, when the new nation of The
Republic of South Sudan was born, with full independence from
The Republic of Sudan, to the north. But it was a time of The
Glory and the Grey. Even as the celebrations were taking place
in Juba, Khartoum was bombing its own people in the Nuba
Mountains and Blue Nile and locations across the border in
South Sudan aerial bombardment which has continued to the
present day. Half-a-million people have had to flee their homes
to hide from the bombs in caves infested with deadly snakes in
the Nuba Mountains or forests in Blue Nile; another quarter of
a million have fled to camps in South Sudan which are desper-
ately short of essential supplies. And tens of thousands of
Southerners have been driven out of the Republic of Sudan by
Al-Bashirs commitment to turn his new nation into a unified
Arabic, Islamic State. These people, driven from their homes
with only such possessions as they could carry, are trying to sur-
vive in makeshift camps in war-devastated South Sudan.
Join us in April as we visit these people suffering displace-
ment, destitution and desolation in four camps on the borders
of Sudan and South Sudan and see the heart-wrenching realities
behind the appalling statistics. Those who have fled aerial bom-
bardment in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile have had to walk
for days, sometimes two weeks, without adequate food or water.
They include small children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Some died on the arduous route. They arrive exhausted, hungry
and often ill, but in the already overcrowded camps there is an
acute shortage of food, clean water and medical care, and the
new arrivals have to erect flimsy shelters which will never with-
stand the torrential downpours of the imminent rainy season.
The rainy season arrives, wreaking havoc. Reports from the
camps tell of people living in quagmires, rife with malaria and
other diseases; and some camps are now under water. Waterlogged
roads make access for essential supplies impossible. The humani-
tarian crisis we witnessed in April has become a catastrophe.
And to make their misery even more acute, these people feel
ignored by the rest of the world. They asked us again and again:
The West went to help in Libya. The scale of our suffering is
much greater. Why does no-one help us? One young Muslim
7
Above: Home in a
camp in South Sudan for
Southerners expelled
from their home in
Khartoum.
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8
mother hugged me and told me, through her tears: We have lost
everything and everyone. You are my mother.
But wherever we went, Christian communities would meet
for worship singing hymns and psalms in the wilderness of
exile with radiant joy. But the suffering is also real and they yearn
for our prayers. We return, heartbroken but also inspired and
humbled by the indomitable faith of our brothers and sisters,
singing through the pain.
Nigeria
Much of Nigeria is peaceful and prosperous. But Christians in
the twelve northern states which have adopted Sharia law often
face systematic discrimination and episodic attacks. Plateau State
in Central Nigeria is not a Sharia state but Christian communities
there have suffered numerous attacks over many years. The toll
of martyrs in Nigeria in recent years numbers several thousand
and hundreds of churches have been destroyed.
This year, persecution has escalated with attacks by the self-
avowed Islamist organisation, Boko Haram, which has declared
its intention to drive all Christians out of northern Nigeria. Many
targets have been attacked secular as well as religious. But the
most systematic assaults have been perpetrated by suicide
bombers driving into churches during Sunday morning worship.
Please come with us in June this year as we visit some of the
affected locations, to obtain first-hand evidence and to show our
deep sympathy for those suffering from these horrendous expe-
riences. On the Sunday morning when we were in Jos, the capital
of Plateau State, the atmosphere was one of siege: around every
church the roads were barricaded with huge boulders and con-
crete-filled containers; during the service, young men were con-
stantly on patrol. This is a dangerous assignment: a few months
ago, four members of the Boys Brigade, on duty at the entrance
to St Finnbars Roman Catholic Church, stopped a car. It was
driven by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives, blow-
ing the four boys to smithereens and killing many worshippers
in the church forecourt. But, characteristically, that very evening
the congregation returned to the scene of bloodshed and wor-
shipped in their bomb-damaged church.
Whenever we visit the church under persecution, we return
humbled by the resilience of our brothers and sisters who con-
9
tinue to worship even in the ruins of their destroyed churches.
As a tribute to their faith, courage and miracles of grace, I re-
cently co-authored a book The Very Stones Cry Out: The Persecuted
Church: Pain, Passion and Praise. The idea was born walking through
the rubble of one of countless destroyed churches which I have
visited, with burnt bricks, splintered glass and charred wood of
crosses and crucifixes. It seemed imperative to record the in-
domitable faith of those who continue to worship even in the
ruins; and when we meet those who have suffered the pain of
the loss of their loved ones, their livelihoods and their places of
worship, we never hear words of hatred or a desire for revenge.
Each chapter testifies to the inspirational reality: churches are
destroyed but the Church lives; the Church grows under per-
secution and the Church loves.
In Nigeria, one familys tes-
timony speaks for all. The An-
glican archbishop of the
Diocese of Jos, Ben Kwashi,
and his wife Gloria have faced
death many times. One terrify-
ing evening, when their children
were still young, they had to flee
their home after it was set on
fire by militants. They just es-
caped the flames, carrying their
children. On another occasion,
militants went to their home in
Jos, to kill Archbishop Ben. He
was away, so they beat one of his sons and tortured Gloria in un-
speakable ways with broken glass and splintered wood, and tram-
pled her so brutally that she lost her sight. (Her sight has since
been restored with surgery in the USA.) Archbishop Ben naturally
returned home immediately and sent an e-mail:
I have now been home for 24 hours and had time to think
and pray and I had a laugh! Because I remembered when I was
a little boy, my mother used to pray so hard that I would grow
up as a Christian. Now, when churches in Nigeria get into trou-
ble, churches in the West pray for us and it is good for
Churches in the West to pray, so perhaps we should get into trou-
ble more often. Then he became serious, continuing: I have just
Suicide bombers car in
recent attack on church
in Jos, Plateau State
... when we meet
those who have
suffered the pain of
the loss of their loved
ones, their livelihoods
and their places of
worship, we never
hear words of hatred
or a desire for
revenge.
10
returned from the hospital and my
beloved Gloria was able to sit to re-
ceive Holy Communion. We had a
wonderful time of prayer and worship
together and we praised God that He
had found us worthy to suffer for His
Kingdom. And we also prayed that all
of Glorias pain, humiliation and an-
guish would be used for His Kingdom,
His Glory and the strengthening of
His Church.
Since that terrible ordeal, militants
have returned again to kill Archbishop Ben: he was home and
thought death was inevitable. But after the militants took him
outside to execute him, they changed their minds, taking him
back indoors to kill him in front of his family. At the last mo-
ment, they changed their minds again, saying they would not
slaughter him this time. They ransacked the home and left.
In spite of these ordeals, Archbishop Ben and Gloria con-
tinue their ministry and, when we visit St Lukes Cathedral for
worship, we find such joy more joy than in many a comfortable
church in the West. This is why we are humbled and inspired.
But we are also challenged!
First, the priority request from the persecuted church is always
for Prayer. But I often attend churches here in Britain without hear-
ing any prayers for the persecuted church in Nigeria or Sudan or
anywhere else where persecution is intense, such as North Korea.
Secondly, even when we do remember to pray for our broth-
ers and sisters under persecution, we need to remember that
Prayer without deeds is dead, as love without action is dead.
What should we be DOING for the persecuted church?
Thirdly, Archbishop Kwashi challenged us with these words:
If we have a faith worth living for, it is a faith worth dying for.
Dont YOU compromise the faith WE are living and dying for.
I fear that, in many ways, we are compromising that faith.
Let us pray that we will be worthy of the sacrifice so many
of our brothers and sisters are paying for our faith.
Caroline (Baroness) Cox
CEO HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust)
For more about the work of HART visit www.hart-org.uk
Above: Trinity Anglican
Church, Jos, Plateau
State.
Below: Destroyed
noticeboard from the
church.
11
Going For Gold
CTiW Holiday Club 2012
The Going for Gold Holiday Club followed the theme of the
Olympic Games and was greatly enjoyed by the ninety-eight
children and forty-four leaders. The young people led morning
worship with great sensitivity, commitment and skill; drawing
everyone together in prayer. The daily drama, facts and quizzes
centred on Jesus call to follow Him the forming of a team;
Peter walks on water the challenges that being part of a team
brings; and finally never giving up keep running the race to
the finishing line (2 Timothy 4:68).
The children were split into ten groups, which became teams,
adopting a country, creating flags and team chants which were
the highlight for many children as they developed team rivalry
(Greece and Germany particularly had great fun!) and
performing various activities and tasks.
The children enthused at the end of the holiday club making
comments ranging from It was the best club ever! to Could we
come for longer?! The holiday club was an encouragement to
all; adults commented on the depth of friendships that had been
established; the joy of working with other churches and the
effect on them spiritually as a variety of worship styles were used
during Morning Prayer.
Added to all this, the weather was simply amazing. Children
were asking if they could stay in the church or return to the
church from Henry Box where it was cool.
We are planning another holiday club for next year so if you
dont want to miss out on this extremely positive experience
please put these dates in your diary now, and have a word with
me and I will make sure you receive all the relevant information:
Monday 29 JulyThursday 1 August 2013
(setting up from 25 July and clearing away on 2 August)
Finally, I would like to say many thanks to all those people
who contributed behind the scenes, whether it was in the col-
lecting of the materials, dying wool, providing cakes and biscuits,
photocopying and of course to all those that gave their time.
Sue Spankie
12
Where is she going?
Whats set off this
journey? Is she in
trouble?
The door opens
Sermon for St Marys Feast, 9 September 2012, St Marys:
Micah 5: 114, Romans 8: 1830, Luke 1: 3947
There is a young woman alone in the hills. Shes walking fast, as
fast as you can in the hill country, on foot. Shes carrying very
little, as far as you can see. But thats just what you can see.
Its the beginning of a story, isnt it? Imagine it as a film. This
is scrubby hill country, rocks, goats, a few houses clinging on.
You can see the camera panning across it. A big wide shot. Lots
of sky. No people. And then a figure, very small, somewhere in
the middle distance. And the camera begins to let you focus on
the figure. A slight figure, easy to miss against the rocks and the
scrub. Shes clambering up the path, dropping out of sight as the
path crosses the summit, lost, seen again across the next valley.
Now you can see her more clearly. You can see that this is a
woman, a young woman. Nobody seems to be with her. Shes
dressed for travel but shes not carrying much a cloak, maybe,
a bag. Shes heading purposefully for something. Or is it away
from something? What is the story? Where is she going? Whats
set off this journey? Is she in trouble? Is someone ahead of her
who needs her, or someone behind her she doesnt need? There
is some kind of purpose in this, as though she would go on
walking all day.
There, thats the opening scene. Thats how Id film this
mornings Gospel; Id spend a great deal of time on the opening
sentence. In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a
Judean town in the hill country. Somethings happening.
Somethings started it what? and this woman is part of it
who is she? and what is more, there is something about her,
this young woman, that we dont know just from watching her
travel through the hill country, up and down, day and dusk, until
a house comes into the picture, a straggle of houses, a village.
And we see her in a street a mud street with the village dogs
looking curious but too bored to bark; and she stops at one of
the houses. And, as shes standing there outside, perhaps
irresolute, perhaps catching her breath its the first time weve
seen her at all hesitant the door opens.
The door opens.
13
Thats what we know about her, this young
woman: that the door opens. Not from my opening
scene, but from Luke: from the rest of the first
chapter of Lukes Gospel. We know about her
meeting, earlier, with the messenger; that God asked
something, and she said yes. The opening of a door.
We know about the silence in the house where shes
going, where Zechariah is dumb, unable to speak. We
can take this mornings other readings and put them
alongside this. In Micah the prophet is talking about
a promise, a door opening on peace and a new
kingdom; he is talking to a people under attack. They
are besieged. In the Letter to the Romans Paul is
talking, again, about the whole creation looking for-
ward to a revelation, a new creation. In between these,
between this siege and this revelation, a door opens.
Siege is perhaps the default state of anything who
owns anything. To own is to be owned. People will
want to come and get what you have. Shut the gates
and defend the city. It is the same for the ones outside,
the attackers. To want to own is to be owned. Besiege
the city. In our houses and gardens, in political groups,
in wars within countries and between countries, in our
minds and what we call the pressures of the world on
our minds: in all these there is a siege, a relentless
game of lose and take. Not give and take, because
there is no give. You can lose. You can take. Game is
not the word for it. System, a ruthless system of
immense power and grip. It will take. You will lose.
Between that machine, that nexus of possession and violence,
and the vision of a new creation, the whole earth craning its neck
to see the children of God: what happens? What is powerful
enough to bring down the machine? In a way, nothing. The
machine is still there and every day we turn the handles and feed
more of ourselves into it. The proud and the mighty are still
there, the hungry are still hungry. It is no good to build a bigger,
more powerful machine to defeat a powerful machine; it will only
take over. Thats not whats happened.
All that has happened is that a door has opened. It is
welcoming. It is vulnerable. It is surrender. It welcomes us home.
Haupttafel des
Altarretabels zum Leben
Marias, Fra Angelico,
15th century.
14
It opens the way to something new.
The young woman, Mary, whom we left in the
trodden-mud street in the village; she has opened a
door to God. She is as vulnerable and as powerless as
she well can be; in her world, she is virtually nothing.
So is Elizabeth, who opens the door to her. But here
there is welcome. Elizabeth welcomes her; the unborn
child John kicks in welcome; the silent Zechariah breaks
his silence, later, when John is born. This is blessing.
Elizabeth blesses Mary, and her unborn child, and her-
self, she who believed that there would be a fulfilment
of what was spoken to her by the Lord. They have
nothing. No power. They dont possess. They give and
are given. They bless. They recognise, and are recog-
nised, as holy. They recognise the possibility of God.
What does it mean to lift the siege, step out of the
losing game, open the door to God?
It means change. It means that we can no longer
be the people we were. We are not, with the whole
creation, looking forward to see the people we were,
but the people we may become in God if we open the
door. It means having nothing, possessing nothing yet
having everything. It means letting go, but not losing.
It means doing this all the time, returning to this all
the time, because for most of us, when we arent
looking, the door swings shut.
Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth:
We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be
made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God
and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; per-
secuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
We saw a young woman in the hills, walking with a purpose,
carrying little, but there was something about her we could not
see also carrying in the body the life of Jesus. We open the
door to her today, and bless her.
EJT
15
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16
St Johns, Hailey
In Hailey we are trying to imagine our churchyard in the spring
with snowdrops and bluebells and later on with wildflowers in
the summer! To this end, we are preparing the ground to plant
some wildflower seeds in the Spring and inviting people to bring
snowdrop and bluebell bulbs to the Harvest service on 7
October. We hope this will provide some colour and variety and
enhance the churchyard for all those who use it
On Saturday 13 October, we will have our churchyard
clearup when we hope to plant the bulbs and then in the
evening we will be holding our Harvest Supper in the village hall,
always a great event!
Clare Musson
Sea Songs and Shanties Concert
including songs for the audience
St Marys Church, Witney, 7pm Saturday 20 October
Bar available
Tickets 6 (children 3) from:
Greenway Antiques, Corn Street, Music Stand, High Street,
St Andrews Bookshop, High Street, and on the door
Proceeds to St Marys Church
17
18
Phil Platt, DCC
I moved to Witney 24 years ago along with my family, Ann
and daughters Erica, Gillian and Georgina, to take up the
post of curator in the County Museum Service. Since ar-
riving we have worshipped at Holy Trinity. I have become
a member of Holy Trinitys charities and outreach team,
an organiser for Christian Aid,
and since retiring, treasurer of
both The Witney Street Pastors
and Churches Together in Wit-
ney. I have recently been elected
to Deanery Synod, PCC, and
Holy Trinitys DCC. I obviously
have great trouble saying no!
Chris Jones,
PCC Treasurer
My family have
worshipped at St
Marys since
1987, but now
that my children
have left home
and my wife, Sarah, ministers at Leafield,
Finstock and Ramsden there is just me
left. I have been Treasurer of the PCC
for what feels like a lifetime. In my spare
time (!) I am Director of Training for a
construction company based in Hemel
Hempstead. I also enjoy watching all
sports, particularly rugby and cricket,
cooking and walking.
Helen Meyrick,
Deanery Synod representative
I came to Witney aged 21 as a relatively
new Christian. In Witney, I have been a
bellringer, joint PCC Secretary, joint ed-
itor/producer of 50 editions of Witney
Way, a Foundation Governor at the Batt
School, served on social and worship
committees, run bookstalls from our
first Parish
Charity Fayre
onwards, and
been a spare
c h o r i s t e r ,
verger and fair-
ground link at
Witney Feast.
Meet the Parochial Church Council
18
Alison Spicer, secretary
Im a member of St Marys
Choir and act as PCC secre-
tary. In my spare time from
teaching I run a Brownie unit
and am also Division Com-
missioner for our local area
co-ordinating all the Rain-
bow, Brownie and Guide
units and trying to find new
leaders (any offers?).
John Haskell, Hailey representative
I returned to the PCC in 2012 as a Hailey representa-
tive after a three-year gap I was previously a warden
at Hailey for five years.
Elpie Lewis, Churchwarden,
Safeguarding Rep, and Vice-
Chairman of the PCC
We now have four grandchil-
dren great fun, and we are
getting four pigs to add to the
Witheridge menagerie, so we
mustnt get them confused!
Kate Lockwood,
Holy Trinity representative
I teach at The Batt Cof E
School and have been an active
member of the church in Wit-
ney for over 23 years. Im Treas-
urer for Holy Trinity church; a
member of the DCC; and sing
in Holy Trinity choir. Parish wide, I am also Secretary of
the St Marys Appeal.
Jill Carter, Deputy
Warden, Holy Trinity
This is my second year as
a member of the PCC, a
role that comes with
deputy warden at Holy
Trinity. It has been at times
both illuminating and chal-
lenging, not least when
faced with a fire walk !
James Mills,
Churchwarden
Professional pew mover,
antiques optimist.
19
Jean Chittey, Deputy
Warden, Curbridge
Charles
Smith,
Deputy
Warden,
St Marys
Clare Musson,
Deputy Warden,
St Johns, Hailey
I have lived in Hailey for 20
yearsand we have brought
up our family here accom-
panied by dogs, a cat and
chickens. I work locally as a
chiropractor and feel very
lucky to live in such a beau-
tiful part of the country.
Clarke
Gr egor y,
DCC
20
Toby Wright,
Team Rector
Toby chairs the PCC as Team
Rector. He particularly enjoys
walking along beaches on the
North Norfolk coast.
Sally Wright,
Associate Priest
I currently spend most of
my time with our children,
though I love to read a
good book or sit in The
Fleece with a hot
chocolate if given the
chance.
Rosemary Peirce, Licensed Lay Minister
As a lay minister in the team, I
am a PCC member as of right;
it can be helpful to have par-
ticipated in the discussions
and decision-making that take
place behind the scenes, that
are a part of our commitment
to a living faith in action.
Jeff Hill, Team
Evangelist
Val Pole, Deputy
Warden, Curbridge
Elizabeth Thomson,
Team Vicar
David Exham,
Licensed Lay Minister
Tim Partridge,
Co-opted Member
Stu Vaughan, Deputy
Warden, St Marys
Baptisms and weddings
Christie Rose Stevens, Charlie John Rowe, Tobias Chapman,
Rupert Chapman, Max William Rapley Szucs, Evie Rose Brown
were all baptised at St Marys on 1 July.
Rupert Edward William Anstee was baptised at Hailey on 1 July.
Olly Eric OBrien was baptised at Holy Trinity on 8 July.
Daniel Harvey Lishman was baptised at Curbridge on 22 July.
Joshua James Peedell, Jack James Gidlow, Seth Albert Christopher
Merritt and Isla Florence Annie Guncar were all baptised at St Marys
on 12 August.
Lily Rose Shurey was baptised at Holy Trinity on 12 August.
Hannah Evelyn McGuiness was baptised at Hailey on 19 August.
Theo Jay Wilson was baptised at Curbridge on 26 August.
William Thomas Newton, Max Craig Aston, Belle Louise Aston,
George Harry Joseph Quigley and Isabelle Ruby Noon
were baptised at St Marys on 2 September.
Jack William Mitchell was baptised at St Marys on 9 September.
Holly Elizabeth Harris was baptised at Holy Trinity on 9 September.
Darcy Elizabeth Taylor was baptised at Hailey on 16 September.
Mason Blake Gardner was baptised at Curbridge on 23 September.
Matthew Pearson and Ruth Hollies were married at Hailey on 14 July.
Thomas West and Katie Stanley were married at St Marys on 21 July.
Peter Weller and Tracy Collett were married at Holy Trinity on 28 July.
Richard Cross and Frances Bunting were married at St Marys
on 4 August.
Marc Hyatt and Helen Monk were married at Hailey on 4 August.
Dale Jackson and Amy Wharton were married at St Marys on
18 August.
Ronald Tarry and Rachel Eagles were married at Holy Trinity
on 25 August.
Wayne Caffekey and Kerri Rafferty were married at Holy Trinity
on 25 August.
Richard Doyle and Lindsey Tew were married at St Marys
on 26 August.
Richard Ambrosini and Adiel McKinven were married at St Marys
on 1 September.
21
St Mary the Virgin, Church Green, Witney OX28 4AW
Holy Trinity, Wood Green, Witney OX28 1DN
St John the Baptist, Curbridge OX29 7NW
St John the Evangelist, Middletown, Hailey OX29 9UD
Team Rector Revd Toby Wright 704441
Toby-wright@btconnect.com
Team Vicar Revd Dr Elizabeth Thomson 834875
Associate Priest Revd Sally Wright 704441
Team Evangelist Captain Jeff Hill 358226
Churchwardens Elspeth Lewis 703070
James Mills
Deputy Churchwardens
Curbridge Val Pole and Jean Chittey
Hailey Clare Musson
Holy Trinity Jill Carter and Keith Jameson
St Marys Stu Vaughan and Charles Smith
Parish Office Michelle Bailey Wells 779492
& Gift Aid 9am12.30pm MondayFriday
St Marys, Church Green
wtparish@btinternet.com
Baptism Enquiries Esther Partridge 864926
Wedding EnquiriesRevd Dr Elizabeth Thomson 834875
Witney Way editor Ruth Sheppard 866127
WitneyWay@gmail.com
Copy date for next issue: 1 November.
Home and Hospital Visits
To arrange Communion for anyone who is unwell, please
contact 708582 (Hailey), or 771750 (Holy Trinity). For
Curbridge, St Marys or general enquiries, contact the Parish Of-
fice, or one of the clergy.
www.witneyparish.org.uk
Parish Contact Information
22
Witney Feast.
(Ian Meyrick)
These are the normal service times; please see website and the
weekly notice sheet for any changes or special events.
Sunday Services
Weekday Services
St Marys 8.00am Holy Communion
(Followed by breakfast on 4th Sunday)
10.45am Sung Eucharist
(With Junior Church)
Holy Trinity 10.45am Sung Eucharist
(Including Sunday School)
St Johns, 9.15am Holy Communion
Hailey (Occasionally Matins)
6.00pm Evensong
(First Sunday of the month)
St Johns, 9.15am Holy Communion
Curbridge
MondaySaturday
St Marys 9.00am Morning Prayer
MondayThursday, Saturday
St Marys 5.30pm Evening Prayer
Tuesday
Holy Trinity 10.30am Holy Communion
Wednesday
St Marys 11am Holy Communion
Thursday
St Johns, 10.00am Holy Communion
Hailey
23
Upcoming events
Auction of Promises, 7pm, 12 October, Holy Trinity (p.4)
Sea Songs and Shanties Concert, 7.30pm, 20 October, St
Marys (p.17)
Prayer Boiler, 2425 November (see p.5)
Parish Quiet Day, Monday 26 November 104.30pm
Quiet Day with the sisters at Freeland, a Franciscan Convent.
A day of peace, prayer and positivity! Do come and join us.
The theme will be pilgrimages and maps and it will be led by
Elizabeth. Limited places, please book through the parish
office.
Week of accompanied prayer, 28 June 2013
Ongoing Groups/Activities
Messy Church
46pm, Sunday 30 September and Sunday 2 December, St
Marys. Fun craft activites and games for children and their
parents with a Christian theme, ending with a hot tea.
Acorns Toddler Group
9.4511.45am and 12.45pm Thursdays, Holy Trinity (term time)
A welcoming toddler group for 05 year olds and their carers.
Art Group
9.30am12 noon, Monday, Winchester Room, St. Marys
X Group
Get-togethers for teens of the parish. Meetings on 14 Octo-
ber, 28 October, 11 November, 25 November, 9 December.
For more information contact Jeff Hill on 358226.
Xsite
68pm, 29 September, 24 November.
Praise party for 711 year olds. Change of venue to St Marys.
Holy Trinity House/Fellowship Groups
Groups meet fortnightly on Monday and Tuesday evening. For
Whats going on in the Parish?
24
information on the Monday group contact Malcolm Ryland-
Jones and for the Tuesday group contact Alan Gentry.
Book Circle
Third Tuesday of the month, 2.30pm, Winchester Room,
St Marys. Open to all. Contact Freda Nicholls on 772564.
Mothers Union
Second Wednesday of the month, 2pm, Winchester Room,
St Marys. Corporate Communion is held on the third
Wednesday of the month at 11am at St Marys.
Hailey Village Lunch
Third Wednesday of the month, Hailey Village Hall.
Parish Wives Group
Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7.45pm, Winchester Room,
St Marys.
Weekly Prayer Meeting
Wednesday prayer meeting praying for the church at the
home of Jeff and Julia Hill, 81 Burwell Meadow, 89pm.
Contemplative Prayer Group
Every Wednesday, 4.305.00pm, St Marys.
Thursday Walks
Informal weekly walks leaving from St Johns Hailey at 11am.
Contact Elspeth Lewis on 703070.
Parish Surgery
55.30pm, Thursdays, St Marys. An opportunity to have a
word with the parish clergy.
Acoustic Room
Third Thursday of the month, 7.30pm, Winchester
Room, St Marys. 3 on the door, free for performers. For
further information contact Colin or Jean Greenway
on 705026.
Faith with Spice
An opportunity for the men from the churches to get together,
7.45pm on 7 October and 25 November, at Shaan, Corn Street.
Contact Jeff Hill for further details.
Mens Football
6.30pm, 28 September at The Batt School.
25
Choir Practice: Holy Trinity
Wednesdays, 7.30pm.
Contact Paul Francis 01235 848215.
Choir Practice: St Marys
Sundays, 9.45am. Contact Francis Rumsey.
St Marys Junior Choir
All keen young singers welcome, for more details contact Sally
Rumsey, 779331.
Bell ringing at St Marys
Ringing on Sunday, 9.4510.45am. Practice night Tuesday,
7.309pm. Contact Wendy Wastie 07773 391886
Advent and Christmas Services
2 December Advent carol service Holy Trinity, 6.00 pm
7 December Mayors carol service St Marys, 7.00 pm
16 December Nativity service Holy Trinity, 10.45 am
Christingle St Marys, 3.00 pm
Christingle Hailey, 3.00 pm
Carol service Curbridge, 6.00 pm
23 December Carol service Holy Trinity, 6.00 pm
Carol service Hailey, 6.00 pm
24 December Crib service St Marys, 3.00 pm
Carol service St Marys, 6.00 pm
Midnight mass St Marys, 11.30pm
Midnight mass Holy Trinity, 11.30pm
Midnight mass Hailey, 11.30 pm
25 December Holy Communion St Marys, 8.00am
Sung Eucharist St Marys, 10.45am
Sung Eucharist Holy Trinity, 10.45am
Holy Communion Hailey, 9.15am
Holy Communion Curbridge, 9.15am
26 December Holy Communion St Marys, noon
26
Make sure your events
and ongoing activities are
listed here, email
WitneyWay@gmail.com,
or ring 866127.
27
Living in the end times
A short course on living well at the end of our life
and preparing well for our death
Two years ago I took up the post of Advisor for the Spiritual
Care of Older People for Oxford Diocese. This is a growing
area, and there is much being talked about and written in relation
to caring for older people with dementia, combating social iso-
lation, and perhaps even more importantly valuing the gifts
that older people bring to church life and the wider community,
and supporting their continuing faith development.
Yet something was niggling away at the back of my mind. It
was the question of what the New Testament actually has to say
to us about older people. So often we think we know what the
Bible says, but when we come to read it we find our assumptions
challenged. For me the challenge came from one of my
psychology students, who is not a Christian. She pointed out to
me that the Christian story has little to say to older people
because Jesus of Nazareth died violently as a young man, and
he left us no model of how to grow old and deal with declining
health and strength. That really made me think.
I went back to the New Testament and found that in many
places it is quite negative about the past, often indicating that the
old ways have reached their sell-by date: Jesus talks of old
wineskins (Mark 2:21, 22), talks of old yeast (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Its important that this negative attitude is to old outworn
traditions, not older people. Indeed Jesus was emphatic that aged
parents should always be provided for and treated with respect
(Matthew 15: 36). Nevertheless, its clear that Jesus expected his
followers, including older people, to be young at heart:
Nicodemus said to him, How can anyone be born after
having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the
mothers womb and be born? Jesus answered, Very truly,
I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without
being born of water and Spirit. John 3:45
Jesus came to usher in a new age, the coming age of the
Kingdom of God, and he wants his followers to look forward
and not back. Looking forward is more typical of the young,
and looking back is more characteristic of the old. How often
do we hear a young child say It was better when we used to
and how often do we hear an older person say Im so excited
I just cant wait? Not often, I guess. Yet we are told in the
Book of Acts that Gods kingdom is a place where the old do
not get trapped in nostalgia but where your young men shall
see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17).
Its a place where older people look forward with excited
anticipation.
So, I started to think about older people who dare to dream
and to look forward with joy, and I remembered that Luke tells
us about two of them in his Gospel: Simeon and Anna
(you may be interested to look at the stained glass windows
devoted to them in St. Marys). These older people just
couldnt wait to see Gods Kingdom, though it sounds as if
they had experienced a long period of waiting and daring to
dream before they finally got to hold the infant Jesus in their
arms.
But then I wondered, what about us here and now? What
do we have to look forward to in our last years of life? And I
realized that as we grow older we come closer and closer to a
threshold: our death. If we are Christians, we should believe
that beyond this threshold lies something infinitely better than
anything we have experienced in this life. We should believe
this, but if we are being honest many of us will admit that it is
really hard to know what to think and expect. We dont tend to
talk much about it in church and our wider society is not good
at talking about death and dying.
As Ive consulted with older people in Witney and beyond
I have become aware that an opportunity to talk about this
threshold would be welcome.We may look back over our lives
and wonder if we have made a good job of things; we may
have some memories or wisdom that we really want to pass on
to friends and family before it is too late; we may have a final
journey we feel we must make; we may feel a need to make our
peace with someone from whom we have become estranged.
We may finally get around to making a will, or setting aside
money for a funeral.
Also, we may have worries or concerns about what the end
will be like for us, and questions about whether it really is the
28
29
end or the beginning of something better. We may have hopes
of being reunited with loved ones after our death.
I am running a short course that aims to provide a safe and
pleasant space to discuss these issues. Each session will take
place from 3.00 until 4.30 pm on six Thursdays in September
and October. The first session will be on 20 September and the
last on 25 October. It will be held in the Winchester Room of
St Marys Church. The first hour of each session will involve
discussion, sometimes with the help of experts, listening to
music or poetry, and perhaps a chance to do some art work.
After a short Bible reflection and prayer of blessing we will
finish with tea and cake.
If you would like to come please let me know, as we may
have to limit places. You are likely to gain most benefit if you
attend all the sessions.
If you would like to know more please contact
Revd Dr Joanna Collicutt
Oxford Diocesan Advisor, Spiritual Care for Older People
(SCOP)
joanna.collicutt@oxford.anglican.org
Tel: 079583917898
Curbridge Church News
The Friends of Curbridge Church continue to work hard to
support our church building. There was a wonderful response to
their appeal to the village for donations to enable the
redecoration of the church and we hope this will take place later
this year. Volunteers have also put in a lot of work to clear the
base of the church walls and put gravel round. Some work is
being done on the trees in the churchyard too. They also had a
stall at the village fete recently.
We shall be having two evening services at 6pm; for Harvest
on 7 October, and Remembrance Sunday, 11 November.
The Friends of Curbridge Church are selling bone china
mugs featuring a picture of the church. They cost 6.50 each.
If anyone would like to be a Friend do contact me on 864926.
Tim Partridge
86 Ccru Srrccr, 1:ruc
0c. c1_ ;c6_c1
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30
31
A note from the organist
Paul Francis, organist at Holy Trinity, celebrated forty years of being
an organist this autumn, so we asked him how it all began...
I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up being involved
in the life of the church in some form or other. From an early
age, I was taken by my parents to our village church, All Saints
in Sutton Courtenay, where they were both sidesmen, and my
father was vice-chairman of the Parochial Church Council. Even
before that I had church connections as one of my godfathers
was the Revd. Professor Gordon Dunstan, a former vicar of the
village, who went on to become a canon at Westminster Abbey.
I was immediately struck by the ability of the organ to convey
such a diverse range of emotions in the way it can be played.
This, accompanied by a full SATB choir (including boy
choristers!) did an enormous amount to convey the meaning of
worship to me.
As soon as I was old enough to be admitted to the choir (at
the tender age of seven) I started singing at both morning and
evening prayer services the communion service was not at that
time the main service at All Saints. When it did start appearing,
it was once a month, accompanied by the Merbecke setting of
the service. The trebles were paid the princely sum of 5/- a
month, rising to 7/6d and then to 10/-. I was eventually fortu-
nate to be elected by the vicar, organist and my peers to be head
chorister and my monthly stipend increased to 12/6d much of
which was spent in the pub immediately next to the church!
Lemonade and crisps only, of course, in those days!
With so many boys in the choir, the weekly practice was
inevitably preceded by a game of football on the village green in
front of the church. What could have been a promising football
career was unfortunately curtailed, as I had to make a choice
between singing in the choir and Sunday morning football. With
such choices having to be made by the young males of the
village, it was not long before girls were admitted to the ranks
and as a result, several years later, I met Fiona when she was
singing with the sopranos.
Around the same time that I joined the choir, I was sent to a
lady called Jean Fry, who lived in Culham the next village for
piano lessons. She was a world-famous cellist, and having
struggled to get the basics of playing the piano across to me,
commented to my father that this boy will never play the piano.
Somewhat harsh, I thought, but she was primarily a cellist so
what did she know?!
Things improved somewhat when I began lessons with Violet
Maldram, who lived in my own village. She had two small
collie-type dogs, one of whom hated any form of music and
spent entire lessons whining and howling. At least I was told that
it was any form of music that had this effect on it hopefully it
wasnt just my playing!
The church had a profound influence on my taste in music and
I wanted to be able to play the organ. Fortunately by the time I
went to secondary school I had attained Grade 5 ABRSM piano,
which was the pre-requisite for taking organ lessons.
At Abingdon School there was a wonderful chapel with an
organ. I began to take lessons with the director of music,
Anthony Le Flemming, and his assistant, Bernard Hall Mancy,
and eventually took my turn as chapel organist. From the outset
I decided to enjoy playing this instrument and so while the lessons
continued, I did not put myself through the misery of taking
exams! As an aside, All Saints Choir and Abingdon School also
produced two outstanding and world-famous organists Gerard
Brooks and Simon Williams who were contemporaries of mine.
In 1970/71 the organ at Sutton Courtenay was moved and
rebuilt at the back of the church. While this opened up the front
of the church, it made accompanying the choir who remained
at the front something of a nightmare. However, we survived
and in 1972 I became organist of All Saints. The choir was
trained by music students from Culham College in the days
when it was a Church of England Teacher Training College.
I had known Jonathan Keen since 1982 and in the autumn of
2002 he happened to mention that Holy Trinity was looking for
someone to play the organ and train the choir. At the time I was
the organist at a village about 15 miles away from Witney, but as a
result of that chance conversation, plus the fact that I needed more
of a challenge, I applied for the post. I must have impressed the
interview panel verbally because as a group they never heard me
play the instrument! It was not the best time to commence at a
new church as my first service was Advent Sunday, closely followed
32
by the carol service and Christmas. The rest,
as they say, is history. Since then I have been
fortunate to have worked with a fabulous
group of people in the parish generally, and at
Holy Trinity in particular. Both the choir and
congregation have been a constant source of
support and encouragement for which I am
very grateful. I shall shortly be reaching my
fortieth anniversary of being an organist and
my love of the instrument has continued, and
in fact increased, over that period.
During that time I have been fortunate to
have been able to play in many different
churches throughout the UK and abroad.
There have been some interesting events that
have occurred. I once played for a wedding
in Bicester and was greeted by the soprano
soloist with a worried look on her face: The
organ is making some dreadful noises she said. I investigated,
removed the front panel of the instrument and found that a cat
had become stuck inside. I lifted it out and put it outside, thereby
averting what could have been a CATastrophe!
On another occasion I had travelled to Lincolnshire to play
for a wedding in a church in the middle of nowhere. Come the
time for the wedding to start there was no sign of the vicar. It
transpired that he had forgotten all about the service and was
watching television with his feet up. We eventually started the
service about an hour late.
Closer to home, I had been asked to play at St Marys for a
funeral service. On arrival I found Michelle and a lot of other
people outside the church. The lock on the door had become
faulty and the key wouldnt open it. Several phone calls later to
various people and we were no further on in gaining access to
the building. The funeral was moved at the very last minute to
the chapel at Tower Hill cemetery.
As far as music in church is concerned, I have a preference
for traditional choral music and particularly English church
music. Although I do like contemporary (but tuneful) organ
music, I have occasional lapses into such composers as Bach,
Buxtehude and Mendelssohn, and am a keen fan of 18th-century
33
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Tel: 01865 880837
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An independent family
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hve generations of experience, offering
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organ music for manuals. Similarly, I prefer the traditional
services of Evensong (especially full choral!) and sung Morning
Prayer (sadly virtually gone as far as congregational participation
is concerned). While the wording of Common Worship is
supposed to make the service more inclusive and more
understandable, I have noticed that one downside to changing
the format of, for example, the Lords Prayer is that it has actually
meant that people are now unsure of how it goes. Gone are the
days when almost everybody knew it by heart.
My faith has always been an important part of my life and I
see playing the organ, and getting the choir to sing at its best, as
a way to enhance the worship in a service not just for my own
benefit, but for the benefit of the whole congregation.
I am not someone who had to find faith or a belief, as I think
that I have always been lucky enough to have both. In my
younger days I did pray for a sign to indicate the existence of
God and while I didnt experience a blinding flash of light or
visions of Angels, I believe that God has demonstrated his
existence to me countless times and has always been there for
me as he is for us all.
According to Paul...
Most overplayed Christmas Carol? At the risk of offending peo-
ple, I would have to say While shepherds watched their flocks by
night. It is such a dull tune and even the descant is uninspiring.
Favourite Hymn? I think it has to be the four-part arrangement
of I, the Lord of sea and sky which we sing occasionally at Holy
Trinity. It is such an upbeat tune, great descant and meaningful
words.
Hymn that Id happily play again? This is very similar to the
above, but one hymn that I never tire of playing is Dear Lord and
Father of mankind.
Best organ ever played? Thats a difficult one to answer, but if I
had to pick one (well, three really) it would have to be Leeds Parish
Church (Harrison & Harrison essentially), St Andrew, Blagdon
(Walker) and Oxford Town Hall (Willis).
Best post-service pint of beer? Every post-service pint of beer
is a good one! Actually the post-choir practice ones are probably
the best because its a chance to socialise with the choir members,
have a good chat and plan our next musical event.
35
36
37
Witney Mothers Union
On 8 August, the day before Mary Sumner Day, members of the
branches making up the West Oxon Group: Ducklington, Min-
ster Lovell, Milton and Shipton Benefice and Witney Parish with
some Diocesan members, met in St Marys Church, Witney to
celebrate our Founder.
We began with a Eucharist service celebrated by Tim Partridge,
and MU member himself, and during the service he admitted two
new members, Stella Bowden and Carole Austin, who were warmly
welcomed by everyone present. Members took part in the service
by reading and assisting with the chalice at the administration.
After the service refreshments were served, and fellowship
time followed. MU literature was on sale and a wonderfully varied
Bring and Buy Stall for the Wheels Appeal did brisk trading,
raising about 50. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and many were
reluctant to go home afterwards.
On Wednesday 22 August at the 11am service we also admit-
ted Nathaniel Miles to Diocesan Membership of Mothers Union.
He works in Oxford so is unable to attend the Branch meetings,
but wants to support our work. This illustrates another way of
belonging to the MU, for as long as you are baptised in the name
of the Trinity, and support our work, through our Aims and Ob-
jectives, we welcome you. Attending meetings is not essential.
More details from Ann Platt 01993 773069 or Esther
Partridge 01993 864926. EP
Arrival in Heaven
I dreamt death came the other night,
And heavens gate swung wide
With kindly grace an angel came
And ushered me inside.
And there to my astonishment
Stood folks Id known on earth,
Some I had judged as quite unfit
Or of but little worth.
Indignant words rose to my lips,
But never were set free,
for every face showed stunned surprise
No-one expected me! (Anonymous)
38
School visits
Were always pleased to welcome school classes of any age who
want to visit one of the churches. They explore the buildings
and look at stained glass windows, crosses, kneelers and carvings,
and they like discovering things like all the little secret doors in
St Marys, or the church mouse in Holy Trinity. We pour water
into the font and talk about christenings, and we gather them
round the altar and talk about Jesus having supper with his
friends. We look at vestments and the different colours in the
church. They ask all sorts of questions (how old is the church?
how many bells are there? why is there an eagle there? is someone
really buried under that stone?) Often they send
us some of the pictures they draw of what they
liked in the church. These are some from
Tower Hill School.
39
Harvest Home
Give us this day our daily bread
What does harvest mean for you? Pumpkins and marrows on
church windowsills and along communion rails? Stacked sheaves
of corn, and corn dollies? Harvest suppers of bread and cheese
and mugs of ale?
Once again its Keats Season of mists and mellow fruitful-
ness. It conjures up Millets The Gleaners many other
painters tackled the same theme, but Millets is clearly the most
famous. It reminds us of evocative phrases we have known since
childhood, We plough the fields and scatter All is safely gath-
ered in Come ye thankful people come Fair waved the
golden corn in Canaans pleasant land. Praise God from
Whom all blessings flow. ... when they do. But when they dont?
Consider some of the statistics from a UN Report in January
2012:
One in seven of the worlds seven billion people are
undernourished one billion people. Thats 20 million
more than in 2000, despite some remarkable success sto-
ries; carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 38% in the
last ten years, heightening the risk of sea level rises, more
extreme weather, and increased human suffering.
Six million children die every year through avoidable
malnutrition; thats between 15,000 and 18,000 dying
every day.
It is estimated that by 2030, the population will be
eight billion; and because of increased affluence in some
parts of the world, we will need 50% more food, 45%
more energy, and 30% more water.
The answers are not easily achieved. For example, giving food
and water directly to the starving is an absolute necessity, but
giving food directly to the undernourished, in some countries,
can be counter-productive, forcing local farmers out of work
and forcing up prices. In some areas, the UN World Food
Programme is giving out cash instead of food, in order to sup-
port local production; or equipment for the needy to drill for
God which made
heaven and earth ..
.which giveth food to
the hungry.
(Psalm 146)
40
their own water, or seed, fertiliser and insecticides to improve
and increase local crops.
The fact is, there is sufficient food produced to feed
everyone, the problem is one of global imagination, logistics and
political will.
Despite all this, in 2011, 1.3 billion tons of food, about one
third of the global food production, was lost or wasted, at an
estimated cost of 28 billion. Loss and wastage occurs at all steps
in the food supply chain. In low-income countries most loss
occurs during production, while in developed countries much
food, about 100kg (220lb) per person per year, is wasted at the
consumption stage. In this country alone 3.6 million tonnes of
(household) food is thrown away every year; thats 18% of all
food purchases, or 27% for families with children; all of which
is completely avoidable with better shopping and storage. Much
of our waste food still ends up in land-fill sites, despite local
council waste food collections. This in turn creates additional
harmful greenhouse gasses.
A similar amount is wasted at the production and distribution
stage, and a further third is thrown away by supermarkets, shops
and restaurants, because of display, sell-by, use-by and best-
before dates, which instead of informing consumers, do nothing
but confuse them. Time was when we would scrape off the
mould and make soup, only discarding food when it smelled! But
times have changed, and we in the developed countries are now
a shamelessly throw-away, consumerist, built-in obsolescence
society.
But what can I do about it? I hear you ask. Well, quite a lot.
Get and keep yourself informed. Google: UN World Food
Programme, Foreign Aid, Food Waste, Malnutrition, Fair
trade ...
Google your Carbon Footprint
Support those charities which encourage sustainable self-
help
Give generously to emergency appeals
Seek out Fairtrade products in stores change the habits
of a lifetime
Check products for their country of origin, and the distance
they have travelled: transport adds to greenhouse gasses
41
Support local producers and farmers markets
Support local food banks and food parcels for local needy
people
Buy and eat less
Throw away less, and when you do, use the food-waste
collection
Organise or join an Austerity Lunch
Say grace, and thank God for your daily food
A Grace before Meals
Lord, Thank you for our daily bread,
And for clean water too.
We cant forget the underfed,
What is there we can do?
Howard Brayton
Training to be a Deacon
As many of you will know, I have now begun my training to be
a Deacon. It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to
undertake this training within the Parish of Witney.
I will be spending Monday evenings doing a course at Church
House, along with two Saturdays and a weekend residential each
term at Cuddesdon. During this time I will be looking at various
areas of Ministry. We are beginning this year looking at Mission;
which will be interesting especially after being part of the
Mission here in Witney. Whilst the course is primarily for
training there is the opportunity for me to take people
from the parish with me on a Monday evening. Over the
three years the course will cover nine areas of Ministry.
If you are interested in joining me for a term starting after
Christmas, please do have a word and I will let you know
the areas of study. It is free for all those who wish to at-
tend and you wont have to do the essays!
In the meantime I would like to thank you all for your
encouragement and support; I am very excited about
exploring various areas of ministry with the parish.
Sue Spankie
Introducing ... the editor!
Ive now edited Witney Way for two years, but recently realised
that quite a few in the parish are still not quite sure who I am!
So, rather belatedly, a quick introduction, and a photo so you can
now confidently waylay and chat to me after a service to share
your ideas for the magazine.
My husband and I moved to Witney from Oxford seven years
ago, but as I grew up in South Leigh (singing in the choir there
from age 7!), Im very familiar with the area. Im a freelance
editor and writer by profession, mainly working on military and
social history books. Currently I work part-time, fit-
ting it around my two sons, Ben, 4, who has just
started at The Batt School, and Jacob, who is one and
a mountaineer in the making. While I do sometimes
struggle to get us all to church on a Sunday morning,
my faith is very important to me, and I feel that edit-
ing Witney Way is one way I can contribute to the life
of the parish during this rather busy season of my
life! If I do get a spare few minutes I like to read or
sew, ideally while listening to Radio Four
Witney Way: Magazine for the Parish of Witney
Editor Ruth Sheppard Printed by LDI, New Yatt. Cover design by Myriam Bell Design.
All views expressed in this magazine are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor
or the Parish of Witney. The appearance of an advertisement in this magazine does not imply
endorsement of the advertiser or its products and services by the Parish of Witney, nor does it con-
stitute a recommendation. The Parish of Witney does not accept liability for any loss, injury or damage
arising out of goods or services sold through any advertisement in this newsletter. Any discount
offered to readers by any advertisement is done so entirely at the discretion of the advertiser.
Businesses wishing to advertise in this magazine should contact Ruth Sheppard, WitneyWay@gmail.com,
866127. The acceptance of an advert for inclusion is at the discretion of the editorial team.
Opposite clockwise from top: traditional
Gallopers service on the Leys, Sunday 9
September (Mark Hemsworth);
Model show at St Marys, a magnificant scale
model of the Noyces Golden Gallopers, on
show here for the first time for 14 years (Ian
Meyrick);
Toby Wright and the preacher, the Rt Revd
Graeme Knowles, chat to William
Wilson, who runs the fair and arranges for the
service to be held each year (IM);
Esther Partridge and Charles Smith on the
welcome table (IM);
congregation members at the service (MH).
42
43
Kind, Well-Mannered and Respectful
A dynamic independent day school for girls and boys
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inspired by our environment, paying attention to the
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ell-Mannered and Respectful Kind, Well-Mannered and Respectful ell-Mannered and Respectful
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rich, varied and broad education.
overall development of our pupils and providing a
inspired by our environment, paying attention to the
aged 4 to 18 two miles from Witney
dynamic independe AA dynamic independent day school for girls and boys
ell-Mannered and Respectful Kind, W
.cokethorpe.org.uk
rich, varied and broad education.
overall development of our pupils and providing a
inspired by our environment, paying attention to the
nurturi AA nurturing family . aged 4 to 18 two miles from Witney
dynamic independent day school for girls and boys
ell-Mannered and Respectful
overall development of our pupils and providing a
inspired by our environment, paying attention to the
nurturing family
dynamic independent day school for girls and boys
ell-Mannered and Respectful
44