Reflections Blog

 

 

DECEMBER  2020 and                  JANUARY  2021

 

 

Pax   

    

Price:  40p.                                                            

The Parish Magazine for the Benefice of St. Ippolyts with Great and Little Wymondley

VICAR

The Reverend Ginni Dear, The Vicarage, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                   01462-237032

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CHURCHWARDENS

St. Ippolyts

Michael Hooper, Hillrise, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                                           01462-457350

Jane Veasey, Gosmore Cross, Newlands Lane, Gosmore SG4 9BD                                        01462-434254

Great Wymondley

Cherry Carter, 2 Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7HA                                               01438-724919

Little Wymondley

Mike Allardyce, 81 Whitney Drive, Stevenage SG1 4BL                                                        07967-831968

David Palmer, 198 Cleveland Way, Great Ashby, SG1 6BY                                                   01438-367912

Visit our website - www.stippolytschurch.org.uk

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CHALLENGING TIMES

Well, here we are in the final month of the year - and what a strange one it has been!  I’m not going to labour too much on the obvious - we all know that 2020 has been one long, revolting round of Covid - and I think we will also most likely agree that it’s a wearisome subject right now.  We still can’t plan anything in certainty, nobody knows when it will get better, and the 2020 Christmas stocking filler of choice is likely to be that elusive luxury - loo roll!!

It hasn’t all been awful though, I know many of us have found much to be grateful for and that being forced to do things differently has opened our eyes to many new possibilities.  For me, the thing I have missed most is the face to face contact with people.  Most of the church services are live-streamed (even when we are allowed to have a reduced congregation) so I am constantly seeing my own face in the lens of my mobile phone camera.  Then there are the Zoom meetings, video calls and so on, all requiring me to be in front of the camera.  I think it’s fair to say that I am sick of the sight of myself!!!  I long for the time when I can knock on someone’s door 

and go in for a cup of tea and a chat or be able to give someone a hug if they need one.

One positive side though is that I have been forced to look at the way I work and rather than just continuing with ‘the things we’ve always done’, I’ve had to think about how I can make our ministry and presence as a church in this community sustainable in the long term, regardless of whether we are in Covid restrictions or

not.  Certainly, our increased online presence has effectively doubled our congregations.  We are managing to connect with far more people online than we ever did through Sunday services alone.  It is exciting to realise that people really are interested in the Christian faith; they really do want to connect with us as a church......

they are just a little overwhelmed sometimes about our Sunday services and are more comfortable taking things at their own pace.  I’m sure there will continue to be a place for both ‘physical’ and online services going forward.

On a personal level, I have also had time to think about what sustains me in my ministry and also what drains me.  Without doubt, it’s you, the real people, who sustain me.  But one of the things that really drain me is the paperwork, especially having to write reports or articles so I have decided that the time has come for me to take some action and do something to change things for the better.

I’m going to be honest and trust that you will understand.  You are all really kind about my articles in PAX, telling me you enjoy them and commenting on how well I write them - thank you!  However, I struggle hugely every month to produce them and I spend an inordinate amount of time staring at the computer screen trying to get the words out of my head and onto paper.  I am always late submitting them - very late!  Clare, your Editor, is very gracious but I know she finds it frustrating.  The fact that I struggle to write them and that I cause Clare difficulties in doing so makes me feel bad, then because I feel bad I criticise myself for not being better at ‘such

a simple thing’ and feel worse.......and - well, you can see the vicious circle!  Something has to change.  It was last month when, for the second time this year I procrastinated for so long that I actually failed to produce an article, that I took a step back and assessed the situation.  Why on earth was I doing this to myself every month?  A miserable Vicar is no good to anyone!

And so, I have decided to take the pressure off myself and not commit to writing a PAX article in 2021 in the hope that I can break the negativity.  I have asked our dear friend the Reverend Paul Lanham to do them for me.  He says that they are the easiest thing in the world for him (and they are always good!) and that he would be delighted to play such a regular part in the life of our parish.  He is often early with his contributions too so Clare will have far less stress as deadlines loom, especially as I’m hoping we will be able to go back ‘into print’ soon - and I won’t have to beat myself up any more!  Of course, should I suddenly have a ‘light bulb’ moment and produce something unexpectedly then I’m sure it can be added in alongside Reverend Paul’s as a ‘bonus article’!!  So, I thank you for your understanding and I hope that I’ll be able to contribute to PAX regularly again in the future.

Finally, as the year draws to a close and Christmas is almost upon us, I pray that we will all get to spend this most precious of times with our family and friends.  Please do check the St. Ippolyts Church website, our Facebook page, or sign up for regular emails if you don’t already get them, in order to find out when and where our Christmas services are as we won’t know before this issue is completed.

Please know that you are always in my thoughts and prayers and I wish you and those you love a very Happy Christmas and joyful New Year.

Much love - Ginni

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HERE AND THERE

SERVICES IN THE BENEFICE

We are unable to make plans for our Christmas services until after the current lockdown has ended and 

we have been given new instructions for the Christmas period.  Please check the St. Ippolyts Church website,

our Facebook page or sign up with Ginni for her regular emails in order to find out when and where our

Christmas services are to be held.  You can contact her on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01462-237032.

                                                                                                                                                Clare Larsen

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PAX 2021

As mentioned by Ginni I am hoping to have the February 2021 issue of Pax printed and distributed as before.

However it might have to be a slimmed down version until our various events and group meetings can be resumed.

Please note that the deadline remains the 15^th of the month so if you have information which you would like to be included please post or email it to me in good time.  Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone Hitchin 453541

or post to 24 Ninesprings Way, Hitchin SG4 9NN.

                                                                                                                                                Clare Larsen

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NEWS FROM THE WYMONDLEYS

ST. MARY’S LITTLE WYMONDLEY

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on Saturday 31^st October.  This was a first for our church meeting via Zoom, the dawn of a new era maybe.  I am very pleased to report that Mike Allardyce and David Palmer remain as our Churchwardens.  All members of the P.C.C. have agreed to continue, Angie Tether remains as Treasurer, I as Secretary, and we are pleased to welcome Peter Steele to join our team.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

A special event we mark every year to remember the fallen and the sacrifices they made.  This year we were

in lockdown restrictions but still managed to have a very moving and meaningful service.  We all met outside the church door;  it was good to see so many people there from youngsters to the more mature of us.  Robert Howard came and kindly read the poem he had written, a gentleman from St. Ippolyts sounded the last post,

the sun shone for those glorious ten minutes we were allowed and everyone remarked how lovely it was.

AUTUMN JOY

One of the things I missed most while we were between dogs was walking.  I still went out occasionally, but 

it is not the same, and I gained a few lockdown pounds, but now, oh, it is so wonderful to be out every morning. Tony and I say morning prayers and as soon as Lola hears the final blessing and Amen, she’s up at the door ready to go.  Every day is special but at this time of the year, it is glorious with all the autumn colours, the sun is low in the sky and as it rises the picture is ever changing.  We are lucky to live with this beauty on our doorstep; we can walk across the stubble fields, we don’t see another soul, occasionally we hear the sound of a distant car or aircraft, but nothing else to distract us.

We walk for about forty minutes and cover about a couple of miles, this dog is built for walking!  My waistline has shrunk, we come back with a good appetite for breakfast, and relaxed and set up for the day ahead, well for Lola that’s a post breakfast nap, which shouldn’t be confused with her pre-lunch nap.  Me, I head to the garden.

                                                                                                                                            Rosemary Stratton

 

 

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WYMONDLEY PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting of Wymondley Parish Council, and the first of 2021, is on Monday 11^th January starting at 7.45pm.  As before this will take place remotely using Zoom.  Information on how to join the meeting is given

in the relevant agenda, which will be available approximately 5 working days before the meeting on the Parish Council page of the Parish Council's website, https://wymondleypc.org.uk/ or via the link on Wymondley Parish Council's Facebook page.

Sharon Long

Clerk to Wymondley Parish Council

Phone:  07733 853263

E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  www.wymondleypc.org.uk

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ST. MARY’S GREAT WYMONDLEY

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

Many in the community made poppies to decorate this splendid cross on the Village Green and hung.

poppies on the Lychgate and Church Porch for Remembrance Sunday and Poppy Day.  Howell Davies

took the Remembrance Sunday service at the Lychgate which is the Great Wymondley War Memorial.

A poppy wreath was hung there where the names of the five young men from Great Wymondley who died serving their country during the First World War are written on the high cross beam.  Doug Richardson

led the service at the Lychgate on Wednesday 11^th November with the two minutes silence and finished 

the service around the Poppy Cross on The Green.

CHURCH MARMALADE AND JAM

 

 

 

 

There is a large selection of jams and jellies for sale in the Church Porch although marmalade stock is

getting rather low and there will not be any more until January when the Seville oranges are available.  

These make very good Christmas presents to be put in a Christmas bag or box.  There will also be a small 

selection of chutney available in December.

I give warning that there will be a small price increase in the New Year.  At the moment the jars are

£2.80 each but will go up to £3 in January.  Very many people already kindly give £3 as it is a more 

convenient sum for such a worthwhile cause.  Although Derek and I grow or are given most of the fruit,

we do have to buy in Seville oranges, lemons, strawberries and apricots, sugar, apple pectin, wax discs and labels.  Everything has gone up in price and post Brexit this may well continue. 

Christmas greetings to everyone for a happy and peaceful Christmas with a better year to come in 2021. 

                                                                                                                          Cherry Carter

 

 

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WYMONDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Looking back over this unforgettable year we realise how precious is 'normal' and suddenly life was no longer our 'normal'.  Things changed overnight as planes stopped flying, stores closed, work places shut down and the sports stadiums and theatres were silent and there was uncertainty about the future because of Covid-19.  We had to stay home and not do the 'normal' things.  But one thing we did discover is that we can experience peace and hope in challenging and anxious times, because we are assured that in the midst of it all God is in control. As we read in Isaiah 'So do not fear, for I am with you;  do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand'.  And in the midst of the second lockdown we have now learned that there is a vaccine soon to be available.  The first century certainly had its challenges and struggles for Mary and Joseph as they were living in Roman occupied Judea.  The journey to Bethlehem would in itself be a challenge, but they had to do it and in the midst of problems, danger and in an unknown place and after an unwanted journey Mary gave birth to the Saviour of the World.  The most amazing and wonderful news that had ever been.  And what was the message of the Angel?  'Don't be afraid.....'  In a struggling world there were suddenly ‘Good tidings of great joy’ and this amazing news was for all people, including those caught up with the worldwide pandemic in 2020, because a Saviour has been born to us.

This Christmas will be different but we will decorate the Chapel and there will be window displays in the village and although we won't have a Carol Service and mince pies in the Chapel we will be having a Carol Service on Zoom and hopefully in the Chapel too with a screen and restrictions where places would have to be booked in advance.  Our Zoom services since March have been a great blessing and our 'congregation' has grown through the year.  A warm welcome to all who wish to join us on Sundays from your homes.

Dial in at 10.30am. for a 10.45am. start on 01314-601196 or 02030-512874.  Use the link https/zoom.us/j8675752874 or download the Zoom app. and join using meeting ID 86775752874.  Any problems phone 07531-081621.

Prayer has been an important part of our year and we are sure that many join with us from home as we pray

on Tuesdays at 7.30pm. for our community, our friends and families, for the Queen, the Country and the Government;  for the Covid situation and the new vaccine, for the NHS and for all who are suffering from ill health or bereavement and for those other things you want to bring to God.

First Tuesday still happens on Zoom when there is a chance to meet for 'coffee and chat' and the next one is

on Tuesday 1^st December.  For the link details please phone Will Andrews on 01438-228232.

Bible Study on Zoom on Wednesdays at 7.30pm. (weekly) and on Fridays at 11.00am. (fortnightly) on the

same link as the Sunday services.

Sundays in December (10.45am):

6^th        Revd. Jane Robson                                                      13^th      Jeff Potter (London City Mission)

20^th      Craig and Joanna Bacon (Carol Service )                     27^th      Judith Nugent

......and in January:

3^rd        The Deacons                                                                10^th      Adrian Bagg

17^th      Dr. Barry Funnell                                                        24^th      Father Tom O'Brien (Pulpit Exchange)

31^st      Revd. Janet Graham

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas and God's Blessing in 2021.

'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit.'                                                                                  Romans 15: 13.

Marjorie McCarley  (01438-727050)

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NEWS FROM ST. IPPOLYTS

ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting takes place on Monday 11^th January at 7.30pm. on Zoom.  There will not be a meeting

in December.  Copies of the Agenda and Approved Minutes are displayed in the council notice boards and

on website http://www.stippolyts-parishcouncil.org.uk.  There is always an Agenda item for Public Participation where residents can ask questions and raise issues.  Please contact clerk on 01462-421409 or 

mail to:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your questions if you would like to join this meeting.

                                                                                                                                                      Pam Skeggs

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH HALL

At the time of writing due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the Government’s National restrictions the Parish

Hall is closed again up to and including Wednesday 2^nd December.  Trustees hope to welcome back users soon. For enquiries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit our website http://www.stippolyts-hall.co.uk,

or Facebook.

                                                                                                                                                      Pam Skeggs

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A THANK YOU

We would like to thank Ginni for arranging our virtual church services and the occasional café that have been much appreciated.  Thanks also to Howell and Paul and the organists.

   Pam and Ray Skeggs

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CRIB FESTIVAL 2020

Just a quick reminder that our Virtual Nativity Crib Festival opens its doors on Tuesday 1st December.  You can find us on https://www.facebook.com/nativitycribfestival. Many thanks to everyone who has already taken part and sent me photos and words for their cribs - there is still time to do so!!!  (Could I have landscape photos please!) As you know the Crib Festival is the main fund raising event for the church this year so if you would be willing to make a donation either follow the link https://givealittle.co/campaigns/39e3be7b-f996-4027-89da-30adba86d5af?fbclid=IwAR05Lc3hC3uZIrpQ23wRjHA652xyx-qnnw3m-QEp5TsBwsSvLDdvVFxBhCA or send a cheque to Michael Hooper, Hillrise, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE.                                                                                              Many thanks - BarbaraThomas   ******************* LINK TO HOPE SHOE BOX APPEAL I am sure that many of you will have seen my article last month about the Link to Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal.  At the time of writing I said that we already had some completed shoeboxes ready to go.  You may remember that, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, Link to Hope had widened their appeal this year from just completed shoeboxes to, in addition, offering to pack a shoebox on your behalf, accepting donations of items to be used in shoeboxes, or to accepting a donation of money instead. As a result of this the number of completed shoeboxes that we sent this year was greatly reduced (eight in total), BUT in addition we also sent four large bags of donated items, as well as a not inconsiderable sum of money.  (All of this in addition to what I am sure many of you may have already done on-line direct with the charity itself). Whilst overall at our local centre the number of boxes was a little down in number, the lady in charge expressed her delight at the magnificent response in the current circumstances.  She also sent us these pictures of the boxes being loaded up (including ours) for their journey to Worthing.                  So, once again, thank you to all of you who took part; but for anyone who did miss the deadline, I am sure that you could still make a difference by making a donation on the Link to Hope website. Happy Christmas. Arthur Sibun PS. For any of you who may want to spread the cost of doing your shoebox over the year next year AND stay ahead of the game, Link to Hope have issued the following chart to help you.  Good luck. Arthur Sibun

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100 CLUB

The winners for NOVEMBER were:

No. 31             Margaret Dines            £20

No. 163           Fitz Larsen                   £15

No. 18                         Gillian Russell             £10

                                                                                                                                                Shelagh Cox

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DEADLINE

Material for the FEBRUARY issue of Pax should reach Clare Larsen, 24 Ninesprings Way, Hitchin SG4 9NN (tel. 01462-453541 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Friday 15^th January 2021, please.  Or given to Rosemary Stratton by Tuesday 12^th January.

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Sermon 15.11.20

Matt. xxv.  Trade with this until I come back

         'It's not fair'.  I can't recollect this cry going around the vicarage all those years ago when the girls were growing up but if so then ours must have been the only house in the world where it didn't. It's the warcry of the frustrated child who can't get their own way, the cry of a teenage girl who is torn between childhood and adulthood, a teenage boy who has been left out of the first team.. It's also the cry of many an older person when looking at some aspect of their lives, crying out to a world that seems cruel. 

         Life is not fair, fact. It never has been, ever since primitive man walked this earth.  Some are born with great gifts that give them the potential for wealth, a high position in life, power; others are born to be unemployed all their lives because they lack the qualities to have such skills. One person is born a prince in a palace, another to a girl in a refugee camp or in the poorest part of the world. One is born incredibly healthy, another is born physically or mentally disabled. One is born handsome or beautiful, another is disfigured. One lives to be over a hundred in perfect health, another dies young of a chronic condition. Add your own examples, these are only the ones that come immediately to mind. It's not fair.

         Some people blame God for this, they want the world to be equal, people to start life on a level playing field. Countless people must have looked at themselves and looked around them and thought 'Why me?'. Why didn't God give me the skills to be like X or Y? Or even more sinisterly, 'Why am I disabled when my neighbour is perfectly healthy?'.The parable that forms today's Gospel raises so many questions that you could preach a dozen sermons about it and still not cover the issues raised by it. But today there can only be one!

         Life's not fair. In this parable of the talents Christ bypasses this issue and accepts it as a fact. To one servant the nobleman lends ten talents, to another five, to another one, each according to their ability, perhaps their position in his service. There is no debate about fairness, about whether they should all have the same amount; each has a different amount. Then he goes off and he trusts them to use the money responsibly in his service. It's not theirs, it remains his; it's a loan not a gift. 

Then when he comes back there is the reckoning. The first has made a huge profit. Brilliant, his faith in him has been justified. The next servant has also made a huge profit, he too will be rewarded. Then he comes to the third. The third has looked at the others. He hasn't had the same amount as the other two and he has sulked. So he has just put the money in a safe place and done nothing with it – here, have it back, it's yours. And understandably the nobleman is furious. He may only have had a little but he could have at least done the best he could with it. He is lazy, ungrateful. He at least had something even if it was only a little. Instead he has thrown the equivalent of a child's tantrum, thrown his toys out of the pram; he is utterly useless.

         And the root of it all? The third servant is negative. He has looked backwards at what others have rather than honestly at what he has.

So this parable is not strictly about the inequality of the world; it takes this for granted. It is about two things. One is the fact that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God. The other is about how we use those gifts, to what end. In other words, it's about being positive and forward looking, not negative and backwards looking. 

Now if you read the more modern translations of the Gospels they try and translate this word 'talents' into contemporary monetary terms – pounds or euros or dollars, depending on which part of the world you live in.  The trouble is that the value of an ancient talent changes in relation to contemporary currency as the years go on and these translations soon go out of date. So I prefer to see the word for what it is. God you see has given us talents, opportunities. Yes I know you can talk about genetics and families and all the rest of it. But all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God, and God has given these gifts, these situations to be used in His service, not our own alone. 

Now this does not mean that we should spend our entire lives and all our efforts serving him to the exclusion of all else – after all He has also given us families to care for and be a part of. But what it means is that our lives, our talents are not for our own use alone. 

         So this parable is a call to serve Him according to what we can do according to the skills and talents that we have. Some are greater than others and yet those with smaller talents can achieve incredible things. 

When I was a very young curate I used to visit a home for those with cerebral palsy to talk to the residents and take prayers. I shall never forget a girl called Mary who like me was in her 20's. She could barely speak, she could not use her hands, yet she was deeply religious in spite of her catastrophic disabilities. She would type letters to me using her toes, sitting on the floor – and she could see into my mind as we talked. She has been an eternal inspiration to me and was a great help in the first two very difficult years of my ministry. 

Perhaps you know people like that, who have risen above the situation in which they find themselves by using what few talents they might seem to have and achieving great things with them. 

God needs us to use our talents, our skills in His service and not exclusively for our own ends. And he needs the skills of all of us, working together in His service, not just those who are most gifted or can do the most or have the greatest opportunities. So in a sense this parable foreshadows that picture that St Paul painted of the Church as the Body of Christ, with people seeing themselves as a part of something much greater, the whole Body of Christ, serving Him faithfully together. Not looking negatively at what others can do but rather at what they can do. Whether our gifts are greater or smaller, God needs them – small as well as big.

         And there is no point in thinking about achievements because that too is negative. We simply do not know what we are achieving, the effects of what we are doing. I may have told this story before but many years ago I was taking a course of confirmation classes in a parish in Manchester where I was working at the time. There was a teenage boy who just sat and never said a word in three months of weekly sessions. I wondered if it had all gone in one ear and out the other, whether he had been bored stiff all the time. After the confirmation his mother told me that he had never enjoyed anything so much in his entire life. We make a great mistake in looking for results, or thinking about results. 

What God wants from us is what the nobleman wanted from his servants – faithfulness. Faithfulness to Him, faithfulness in our use of those gifts which He has given to us. Faithfulness regardless of what we can or cannot do – because everything is important in His service. 

There is a saying, 'Without God we cannot, without us God will not'. 

We are God's servants, God's children, doing his work on earth in His strength and using the gifts which he has given us. He calls us to be faithful. Not to look negatively at what we can't do but positively at what we can do – and then to get on with it.

Pax    NOVEMBER 2020 Price: 40p.

 

The Parish Magazine for the Benefice of St. Ippolyts with Great and Little Wymondley

 

VICAR

The Reverend Ginni Dear, The Vicarage, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE 01462-237032 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CHURCHWARDENS

St. Ippolyts

Michael Hooper, Hillrise, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE 01462-457350

Jane Veasey, Gosmore Cross, Newlands Lane, Gosmore SG4 9BD 01462-434254

Great Wymondley

Cherry Carter, 2 Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7HA 01438-724919

Little Wymondley

Mike Allardyce, 81 Whitney Drive, Stevenage SG1 4BL 07967-831968

David Palmer, 198 Cleveland Way, Great Ashby, SG1 6BY 01438-367912 Visit our website - www.stippolytschurch.org.uk

 

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SERVICES FOR NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER

8.00am. Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) St. Ippolyts

9.15am. Holy Communion (Common Worship) Great Wymondley

SUNDAY 8th NOVEMBER -REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

10.30am. Act of Remembrance St Ippolyts

10.45am. Act of Remembrance Great Wymondley

12.30pm. Act of Remembrance Little Wymondley

SUNDAY 15th NOVEMBER

9.15am. Holy Communion (Common Worship) Little Wymondley

SUNDAY 22nd NOVEMBER

9.15am. Holy Communion (Common Worship) St. Ippolyts

SUNDAY 29th NOVEMBER

9.15am. Holy Communion (Common Worship) To be confirmed (See St. Ippolyts Website or Facebook)

All 9.15am. services are also live-streamed to Facebook.

Monday - Thursday - live on Facebook Morning Prayer at 9.00am. Evening Prayer at 6.00pm.

MONDAY 2nd NOVEMBER

7.00pm. All Souls Day Service (ticket only) St. Ippolyts 

 

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HERE AND THERE WYMONDLEY PARISH COUNCIL

The next Council Meeting will take place on Monday 30th November starting at 7.45pm. It will be the last one for this year. Information on how to join the meeting is given on the agenda, which is available approximately 5 working days before the meeting on the Parish Council page of the Parish Council's website https://wymondleypc.org.uk/ Sharon Long Clerk to Wymondley Parish Council Phone: 07733-853263 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.wymondleypc.org.uk

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LINK TO HOPE SHOEBOX APPEAL

Thank you to all of you who have been involved with this year’s appeal. At the time of writing we have already received some completed shoeboxes which will be forwarded to Link to Hope. Thank you to those who have already completed boxes, to those who are currently working on one and to those of you who may have donated items or money directly to the charity. Just a reminder that this year, if you are doing a shoebox that you would like us to return for you, we will need it to be back with Christine and Arthur Sibun (tel. 01462-459145) by Monday 2nd November at the very latest in order to get it to the centre in time. (If getting it to us is a problem, just give us a ring in good time and we will try and collect it from you, if that would help). Despite these very strange times in which we find ourselves, it is so good that we are still able to help others in such a practical way. Thank you all. Arthur Sibun .

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NEWS FROM THE WYMONDLEYS ST. MARY’S LITTLE WYMONDLEY A NEW FRIEND

We have always kept dogs, having eight at one time but slowly reducing to a more manageable one. We try to help rescue dogs now and our last dear lady left us over a year ago. We felt ready to start again just as lockdown was introduced, so our search was a difficult one, but at last we found an ideal candidate and set off early one morning, a three hour trip to Stoke on Trent to a rescue kennel. Within an hour we were happy with our choice and back down the M6 to bring her to a new home. It is always a difficult time the first few months, you are never sure what the dog’s history is and what they are used too, so we were both prepared to dedicate time and patience to settling her in, but we never imagined what a task it was going to be. Within twenty four hours of having her we were rushing her to the vets; she was very poorly and the first week she spent more time in veterinary hospital than she did with us. Poor dog didn’t know where she was, and we have had to be patient in winning her trust and love, but I’m pleased to say we are on the right track now. She has turned out to be quite a character and she goes by the name of Lola (a Rottweiler). She has taken over the best settee, loves getting out in the garden and has discovered the mole. She frantically digs enormous holes in hot pursuit, to no avail, but it keeps her amused. We go out for some lovely walks every day, and I give thanks to the Lord for letting us find her. I don’t think she has ever seen a squirrel or a deer before, the first time she spotted one I came the closest I have ever been to becoming airborne, so now I have learnt to be ready to apply the brakes. She has an amazing tail, when she is happy it is up and over her back, like a flag, a good sign and it helps us find her in the garden. Last month we took her to church. She soon made friends with everyone, especially the church warden who had a pocketful of dog treats. Reverend Ginni gave her a blessing, so she is well and truly part of the family now and we love her dearly. Rosemary Stratton

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ST. MARY’S GREAT WYMONDLEY AUTUMN

Autumn is here although we don't seem to have had very much of that Indian Summer which is always such a treat. The trees are beginning to glow with autumnal colours and squirrels are everywhere storing nuts for the winter. The hedgerows are laden with hips and haws. Will this be a sign that the winter will be harsh? There are so many gardening jobs to do before the weather gets really cold. Pots to get put away in the greenhouse, baskets and containers to plant up with winter bedding and bulbs to plant. Apples and quinces are picked and quince jam and jelly are made.

COMMUNITY GARDEN

The Garden Working Weekend went really well with a great many helpers throughout the day clearing the ground that Digger Dave was working on with his machine dragging out dead undergrowth and brambles. Wood chip paths were laid, vegetable and flowering plants set and wooden seats constructed.

BATS

A few evenings ago I was locking up the church at twilight and as it was a fairly warm evening the Churchyard had dozens of our bats swooping around the building.

There must have been insects out in the warm air for them to hunt. We have, according to the Bat Survey we had done when the tower was restored, three kinds of bats, Pipistrelle, Long Eared and a third that they were not sure of. They are roosting above the purlin in the nave and rearing their young. I like bats though they do make a mess on surfaces in the church and the floor is often littered with butterfly wings which they leave after eating the bodies. We see a lot of them in the summer in the churchyard, over The Green and in our gardens. I was surprised though to see them so late in the year. The strange thing was that I could not see in the gloaming exactly where they were flying back in to the church. They seemed to fly into the wall, window or west door and vanish. It was rather like Platform 9¾ at King's Cross when Harry was going to Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter books. I know there are gaps around the doors and broken glass in some of the windows as well as the louvres and slit windows in the tower but flying into stone walls and solid doors was most uncanny. I put the key in the inner door one morning to unlock the door and managed to push a Pipistrelle bat out of the keyhole the other side and on to the floor. It did not seem hurt so I picked it up with a gardening glove that was in my pocket and put it on the seat in the porch in a dark corner half under an empty flower pot to recover. I went back a few hours later and it had gone so it must have been all right.

SLOE GIN

Now is almost the time to make Sloe Gin. Sloes are the fruit of Blackthorn and distinguishable from bullace or wild plum by the thorns. They are best after they have been frosted or you can freeze them for 24 hours and then use. The frost helps break down the skin.

Recipe

450g. sloe berries

450g. caster sugar

70cl. gin (a cheap bottle is fine) A large jar sterilised.

I use a kilner jar. Wash and prick the sloes all over with a darning needle or a cocktail stick. Add the sloes, sugar and gin to the jar and seal. Turn the jar every day for the first week or so to dissolve the sugar and colour the gin evenly. Keep for at least 3 months. When it is ready strain through muslin in a sieve then pour into a clean sealable bottle.

I make damson gin as well which is really delicious. Both are excellent for sore throats, coughs and colds.

CHRISTMAS

Plans are being made for celebrating Advent and Christmas in the village.   

Sunday 8th November

There will be a short Act of Remembrance at the Lychgate starting at 10.45am. There will be a collection split between The British Legion Poppy Appeal and St. Mary's Church.

Wednesday 11th November

There will be a short Act of Remembrance at the Lychgate starting at 10.45am. There will be a collection for The British Legion Poppy Appeal. Cherry Carter

 

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WYMONDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

In this pandemic climate, we get daily updates on how the Coronavirus is affecting our world, our country and our location and how we need to observe certain guidelines in order to help prevent the spread of the virus. As I listened to one of the broadcasts by the PM and his team the words which I kept hearing were 'if everyone complies' and 'if we do this together'. When we were in the midst of a world war the country felt united in the purpose of winning the war as we were exhorted to work together with a united effort. This is surely as important as ever and winning the war against Covid is a 'together' issue and requires a united effort. I was reminded recently of Admiral Nelson's words before the battle of Trafalgar in October 1805: 'England expects that every man will do his duty'.

In this present isolated world, 'together' is a lovely word. There are still things we can do together, like prayer for example. When the Church was born we read in Acts that 'they were all together in one place.......' and all the believers were one in heart and mind and the Church grew and miracles happened. It is always exciting to read the Book of Acts and the series we have had on Sundays on 'The Holy Spirit’ has indeed been a great blessing and we thank our preachers for bringing us God's word on Zoom. There are still two Sundays left in November to complete the series on the 1st and the 22nd to which we look forward.

We have been very thankful for Zoom and just a reminder of how to use the link - Dial in at 10.30am. for a 10.45am. start on 0131-460-1196 or 0203-051-2874. Use the linkhttps//zoom.us/j8675752648 or download the zoom app. and join using meeting ID 8675752648. Any problems phone 07531-08162.

On the first Tuesday we meet for 'coffee and chat' with Will and Lynne Andrews and the next one will be on Tuesday 3rd November from 10.30am. Contact Will for link details on 01438-228232.

On Tuesday evenings we pray 'together' from our homes at 7.30pm. without zoom. So please join us from your home as we pray for our community, our families, and the country and the government, the Covid situation and for all who are suffering from illness, bereavement or extreme poverty. We pray for our Queen and her family and for all those things you wish to bring to God. On Wednesdays at 7.30pm. we have a chance to dial in to zoom again to join 'Christianity Explored' which explores the best news you could ever hear from Mark's Gospel. Zoom on the link as above for the Sunday Service.

Sundays in November:

1st    Dr. Barry Funnell 8th Doug Richardson (Remembrance Service)

15th  Will Andrews (Good News)

22nd Margaret Edmonds 2

9th   Sir Les Ebdon (Advent). He is coming ! "Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care." Psalm 95: 6,7. Marjorie McCarley (01438-727050).

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NEWS FROM ST. IPPOLYTS ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING

In the coming year we are very keen to keep floodlighting the church, so it shines out in the village. The LED floodlights that are installed give an exceptionally good light with a greater consistency of colour. So, we would like to continue the lighting sponsorship that so many people have done over the past years. The cost is still £15 per week and we have 52 weeks to fill. You may sponsor as many weeks as you like. You may wish this to be in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a birthday, a wedding or anniversary, etc. With the church only being open for services the usual process will be difficult to do. I therefore plan to keep the list at home, but if there is a service and we are present, we will take the board to church. Cheques please, if possible, made payable to ‘St. Ippolyts Church’, as it makes it easier to track who has paid. If you wish, you can book weeks as Anonymous. I can be contacted on 01462-432445, at 6 Ransom Close, Hitchin (please call us if you plan to visit) or at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’. Below is a 2021 calendar with the week-numbers on the left-hand side. Here’s hoping that we can fill the list up quickly. Thank you very much for your support. Roger Cox

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THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY

Very many thanks to the small number of boxholders who continue their generous support of The Children’s Society by contributing to a home box. The total amount donated this year was £184.50. Well done to you all! Diane Blundell

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting which takes place on Monday 16th November at 7.30pm. will be on Zoom. Copies of the Agenda and Approved Minutes are displayed in the council notice boards and on the website: http://www.stippolyts-parishcouncil.org.uk. There is always an Agenda item for Public Participation where residents can ask questions and raise issues. Please contact clerk on 01462-421409 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your questions if you would like to join this meeting. Pam Skeggs

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH HALL

We have welcomed some more user groups back and two new groups. For enquiries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our website or Facebook page. Pam Skeggs

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HITCHIN SOCIETY

The Hitchin Society was founded in 1962 by local residents concerned about the loss of fine, historic buildings in Hitchin. In 2000, a Civic Award scheme started and in 2004 it became the local organiser of Heritage Open Days, a highly successful, Europe-wide scheme. In 2002, the Society became a Registered Charity, with the defined area of benefit Hitchin, and the neighbouring civil parishes of Ickleford and St. Ippolyts. The fiftieth anniversary of the Society was marked in 2012 by the presentation of a bench to the town that is situated on the grass near the river, a lovely spot to sit. Talks on a possible merger were held with other societies but this was impossible so the committee considered it had no alternative but to recommend winding-up the society. This was put to the membership and the society was finally closed at the end of September. The remaining funds have been given to our Hitchin British Schools Trust and the archives to HALS. Pam Skeggs

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HARVEST 2020

With the school understandably not collecting for harvest this year all donations that were given were taken to The Haven where they were very gratefully received. As a result, we were unable to send out boxes of goodies to local residents. The Friends decided that this wouldn't do, especially this year when so many people are lonely and need a little cheering up, so we baked a few cakes and took them round to those on the list. Everyone was thrilled to receive an unexpected cake and even more pleased to have a jolly good natter with the deliverer. We are planning to do the same thing at Christmas, so if you know of someone that we need to add to our list please let Franie know. Telephone 01462-233488. Barbara Thomas

 

 

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ST. IPPOLYTS VIRTUAL NATIVITY CRIB FESTIVAL

Sadly, we have decided that we are unable to hold the Nativity Crib Festival in the church this year, our ancient church with its narrow aisles and social distancing just don’t mix. However, we have decided to have a go at a Virtual Crib Festival. The plan is that we will upload at least one photo of a crib plus a few words about it every day from 1st – 24th December (so it will be a sort of Advent Calendar as well!). We are hoping that everyone will be able to join in posting photos of their cribs together with a few words about what makes it special to its owner. It will be great to see the Cribs in their positions at home and fascinating to see how far it will spread (we know there are ex St. Ippolyts people in Australia and New Zealand!) As the Crib Festival is a big fund raiser for us we will also include a link to our Give a Little page - givealittle.co/campaigns/39e3be7b-f996-4027-89da-30adba86d5af and, hopefully, people will be generous in giving to help us to maintain our beautiful, but expensive, church. So, keep an eye open for us from the beginning of December on www.facebook.com/nativitycribfestival. Please join in and share as far as you can. If you have a crib it would be great if you could email me a photo of it in its position in your home together with a couple of sentences about what makes it special to you. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Barbara Thomas

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100 CLUB

The winners for OCTOBER were: No. 157 Jan Hawkins £20 No. 20 Frank Harding £15 No. 90 Amelia Cowlishaw £10 Shelagh Cox

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DEADLINE

The next Pax will be a double issue covering DECEMBER and JANUARY. Material should reach Clare Larsen, 24 Ninesprings Way, Hitchin SG4 9NN (tel. 01462-453541 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Sunday 15th November, please. Or given to Rosemary Stratton by Thursday 12th November.  *************************************************************************************************

ST. IPPOLYTS VIRTUAL NATIVITY CRIB FESTIVAL Sadly, we have decided that we are unable to hold the Nativity Crib Festival in the church this year, our ancient church with its narrow aisles and social distancing just don’t mix. However, we have decided to have a go at a Virtual Crib Festival. The plan is that we will upload at least one photo of a crib plus a few words about it every day from 1st – 24th December (so it will be a sort of Advent Calendar as well!). We are hoping that everyone will be able to join in posting photos of their cribs together with a few words about what makes it special to its owner. It will be great to see the Cribs in their positions at home and fascinating to see how far it will spread (we know there are ex St. Ippolyts people in Australia and New Zealand!) As the Crib Festival is a big fund raiser for us we will also include a link to our Give a Little page - givealittle.co/campaigns/39e3be7b-f996-4027-89da-30adba86d5af and, hopefully, people will be generous in giving to help us to maintain our beautiful, but expensive, church. So, keep an eye open for us from the beginning of December on www.facebook.com/nativitycribfestival. Please join in and share as far as you can. If you have a crib it would be great if you could email me a photo of it in its position in your home together with a couple of sentences about what makes it special to you. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Barbara Thomas

HARVEST 2020 With the school understandably not collecting for harvest this year all donations that were given were taken to The Haven where they were very gratefully received. As a result, we were unable to send out boxes of goodies to local residents. The Friends decided that this wouldn't do, especially this year when so many people are lonely and need a little cheering up, so we baked a few cakes and took them round to those on the list. Everyone was thrilled to receive an unexpected cake and even more pleased to have a jolly good natter with the deliverer. We are planning to do the same thing at Christmas, so if you know of someone that we need to add to our list please let Franie know. Telephone 01462-233488. Barbara Thomas

THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY Very many thanks to the small number of boxholders who continue their generous support of The Children’s Society by contributing to a home box. The total amount donated this year was £184.50. Well done to you all! Diane Blundell

ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING In the coming year we are very keen to keep floodlighting the church, so it shines out in the village. The LED floodlights that are installed give an exceptionally good light with a greater consistency of colour. So, we would like to continue the lighting sponsorship that so many people have done over the past years. The cost is still £15 per week and we have 52 weeks to fill. You may sponsor as many weeks as you like. You may wish this to be in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a birthday, a wedding or anniversary, etc. With the church only being open for services the usual process will be difficult to do. I therefore plan to keep the list at home, but if there is a service and we are present, we will take the board to church. Cheques please, if possible, made payable to ‘St. Ippolyts Church’, as it makes it easier to track who has paid. If you wish, you can book weeks as Anonymous. I can be contacted on 01462-432445, at 6 Ransom Close, Hitchin (please call us if you plan to visit) or at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’. Below is a 2021 calendar with the week-numbers on the left-hand side. Here’s hoping that we can fill the list up quickly. Thank you very much for your support.

Roger Cox

LINK TO HOPE SHOEBOX APPEAL

Thank you to all of you who have been involved with this year’s appeal.  At the time of writing we have already received some completed shoeboxes which will be forwarded to Link to Hope. 

Thank you to those who have already completed boxes, to those who are currently working on one and to those of you who may have donated items or money directly to the charity.

Just a reminder that this year, if you are doing a shoebox that you would like us to return for you, we will need it to be back with Christine and Arthur Sibun (tel. 01462-459145) by Monday 2^nd November at the very latest in order to get it to the centre in time.  (If getting it to us is a problem, just give us a ring in good time and we will try and collect it from you, if that would help).

Despite these very strange times in which we find ourselves, it is so good that we are still able to help others in such a practical way.  Thank you all.

                                                                                                                                    

Hymn 1

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

Pride of man and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God's power,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.

God's great goodness aye endureth,
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th' Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.

Hymn 2

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

Hymn 3

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
           

 Here I am, Lord.  Is it I, Lord?

            I have heard you calling in the night.
            I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
            I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?

            Here I am, Lord. ......

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?

            Here I am, Lord. .....

.

Is there a ‘creative writer’ out there in St. Ippolyts who would be interested in sending in a regular piece for 

Pax about anything happening in the village which might be of general interest?  None of our regular groups are meeting at the moment so there is a space which could be filled.  Please email me - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

                                                                                                                                                    Clare Larsen

Our delayed Annual Parishioners Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting of the Parish of St. Ippolyts were held on Zoom on Wednesday 16^th September.

 

Our PCC for the coming year will be made

up of the following people:

The Reverend Ginni Dear - Vicar

Jane Veasey - Churchwarden

Michael Hooper - Churchwarden and Treasurer

Roger Cox - Secretary

Shelagh Cox

Howell Davies - Reader

Clare Reid

Jenny Sheach - Safeguarding Officer

Anne Steel

Frances Williams

Hitchin Priory Rotary Club will be planting 3000 purple crocus corms in the grounds of St. Ippolyts Church

on Saturday 24^th October at 10:00am.  Money raised from the purchase of these crocuses will be used to protect children and help rid the world of polio.  Please help us to support this important project by donating through Hitchin Priory Rotary Club website at hitchinprioryrotaryclub.org.

          Michael Hooper

We will be celebrating our Harvest Festival on Sunday 11^th October.  If anyone would like to donate some dry goods please leave your donation in a box in the church porch on Friday 9^th October.  The porch will be open from 9.30am. - 4.30pm.  Alternatively bring your box to the service on Sunday 11^th October.  All donations will be taken to the Homeless Shelter in Hitchin.  Thank you very much.

                                                                                                                  

Jane Veasey and Frances Williams

 As you will have seen in last month’s PAX, we are once again supporting the Link to Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal. In these times, this is a project that has become even more vital than it was before. To quote from a recent communication I received from Link to Hope: ‘These are very challenging times we are all going through at the moment. No-one could have predicted what was going to happen. In order to keep ourselves sane, as a charity we have chosen to focus on those families who, after a terrible year, will be even more pleased and grateful to receive a shoebox. Presently in Eastern Europe they are going through some very tough times. Imagine how we would feel in this same situation without heat, wood, food or medicine to ease the burden.’ This year Link to Hope have come up with four different ways that we can help: 1. Fill a shoebox in the usual way. 2. They will fill a shoebox on your behalf. 3. Donate money directly to their appeal. 4. Donate items for shoeboxes in bulk. If you can possibly help in any of the above ways, that would be fantastic. For full details of how to do this see last month’s PAX (or ring Christine and Arthur Sibun on 01462-459145 for more information). And remember, if you would like us to return your completed shoebox along with ours, can you please ensure that it will be with Christine and Arthur well before Monday 2nd November? (Or just give us a ring before that date and we will pick it up from you).

Thank you in anticipation. Arthur Sibun

Pax                        OCTOBER  2020

Price:  40p.

 

The Parish Magazine for the Benefice of St. Ippolyts with Great and Little Wymondley

VICAR

 

The Reverend Ginni Dear, The Vicarage, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                   01462-237032

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

CHURCHWARDENS

St. Ippolyts

Michael Hooper, Hillrise, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                                           01462-457350

Jane Veasey, Gosmore Cross, Newlands Lane, Gosmore SG4 9BD                                        01462-434254

 

Great Wymondley

Cherry Carter, 2 Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7HA                                               01438-724919

Paul Harding, The Old Rectory, Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7ES                                    01438-729219

Little Wymondley

Mike Allardyce, 81 Whitney Drive, Stevenage SG1 4BL                                                        07967-831968

David Palmer, 198 Cleveland Way, Great Ashby, SG1 6BY                                                   01438-367912

Visit our website - www.stippolytschurch.org.uk

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AUTUMN COMES

For some reason autumn seems to evoke some of the most evocative words and music in all culture.  As an ardent record collector I can never tire of Richard Strauss' ‘Four Last Songs’, written near the end of his life 

and one of the few modern works that I can wallow in for pure pleasure over and over again.  Likewise there 

is one particular poem that I love;  it was written by Lawrence Binyon, the poet who wrote 'They shall not 

grow old as we that are left grow old'.  It begins with the line 'Now is the time for the burning of the leaves' 

and it captures the atmosphere of a season where the nights draw in, the temperature drops, and all the colour 

of the summer becomes a distant memory.  All we are left with is trees like skeletons and the unhappy thought that things will get worse before they get better.  So we prepare ourselves by having festivals of fire and for families before the really hard months that are January and February.

It's been a strange old summer, with the spectre of Covid-19 hanging over everything.  When I last wrote this column in July everything was very uncertain; nothing has changed since then.  The situation as I write this 

in mid-September may be completely different from how it will be when you read it, so making predictions about anything is a waste of space and possibly a display of ignorance.  But perhaps Binyon's nostalgic poem expresses something of the sadness and uncertainty that we feel now that autumn is setting in.  I can't help seeing a bitter unintentional irony in one of the lines;  as he looks back he remarks 'The world that was ours 

is a world that is ours no more'. 

But having looked back with such nostalgia he looks forward with hope.  'They will come again, the leaf and

the flower, to arise from squalor of rottenness into the old splendour, And magical scents to a wandering memory bring.....Nothing is certain, only the certain spring'.  The message of the cycle of the seasons is that before resurrection there must be death, and death leads to resurrection.  The two go together and are inseparable.  Winter leads to spring, and the earth revives.

That is the message of Christianity.  Death leads to rebirth, re-creation.  The cycle of the seasons reflects the 

way that God works, recreating, giving new life even after death.  But there is something much deeper than 

this.  Just as the cycle of the seasons never changes, so God never changes.  We live in times when it can be almost alarming to read the newspapers or watch the news.  As we enter the darkest months we are uncertain about the future in a way that we have not experienced since the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Second World War.  But we can be certain of one thing.  It is that God never changes.  He will never stop loving, never stop caring, never leave us.  And we can use those very familiar words from a very familiar hymn as a prayer, no matter what level of faith we have.  'Change and decay in all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide 

with me'.

         With very best wishes, Paul Lanham

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SERVICES FOR OCTOBER

SUNDAY 4^th OCTOBER

8.00am.          Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)                                    St. Ippolyts

9.15am.          Parish Praise                                                                            Great Wymondley

No online service today

 

SUNDAY 11^th OCTOBER - HARVEST FESTIVAL

9.15am.          Holy Communion                                                                   St. Ippolyts

SUNDAY 18^th OCTOBER

9.15am.          Holy Communion (Common Worship)                                   Little Wymondley

SUNDAY 25^th OCTOBER

9.15am.          Holy Communion (Common Worship)                                   St. Ippolyts

All 9.15am. services are also live-streamed to Facebook with the exception of Sunday 4^th October.

Monday - Thursday - live on Facebook

Morning Prayer at 9.00am.

Evening Prayer at 6.00pm.

 

TUESDAY 13^th OCTOBER

6.30pm.          Great Wymondley APCM via Zoom                       email Ginni for an access code

 

MONDAY 2^nd NOVEMBER

7.00pm.                      All Souls Service                                                        St. Ippolyts

Booking Essential - email Ginni for a ticket. 

 

3.

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HERE AND THERE

LINK TO HOPE - 2020 SHOEBOX APPEAL

As you will have seen in last month’s PAX, we are once again supporting the Link to Hope Christmas

Shoebox Appeal.  In these times, this is a project that has become even more vital than it was before. 

To quote from a recent communication I received from Link to Hope:

‘These are very challenging times we are all going through at the moment.  No-one could

 have predicted what was going to happen.  In order to keep ourselves sane, as a charity we

 have chosen to focus on those families who, after a terrible year, will be even more pleased

 and grateful to receive a shoebox.  Presently in Eastern Europe they are going through some

 very tough times.  Imagine how we would feel in this same situation without heat, wood, food

 or medicine to ease the burden.’

This year Link to Hope have come up with four different ways that we can help:

1. Fill a shoebox in the usual way.
2. They will fill a shoebox on your behalf.
3. Donate money directly to their appeal.
4. Donate items for shoeboxes in bulk.

If you can possibly help in any of the above ways, that would be fantastic.  For full details of how to do this see last month’s PAX (or ring Christine and Arthur Sibun on 01462-459145 for more information).  And remember, if you would like us to return your completed shoebox along with ours, can you please ensure that it will be with Christine and Arthur well beforeMonday 2^nd November?  (Or just give us a ring before that date and we will pick it up from you).

Thank you in anticipation                       Arthur Sibun

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NEWS FROM THE WYMONDLEYS

ST. MARY’S LITTLE WYMONDLEY

Reverend Ginni led the Harvest Thanksgiving celebration last month while we hummed along to ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’.  Harvest around us seemed a little late this year;  the field of barley next to us wasn’t cut until well into September.  I was anxiously waiting for it to be cut so that I could finally have a bonfire to get rid of hedge clippings and tree pruning.  It is quite therapeutic sitting round a fire and clearing the garden ready for the next season.

Autumn came right on cue.  Monday 21^st  September was hot and sunny and the next day, some much needed rain and cooler weather.  It has been a good summer, the garden did very well, full of colour and scent.  Our garden starts off in spring, mainly blue, Forget-Me-Nots and Bluebells.  It gradually turns pink with Cosmos, Lilies, Roses, and Fuchsia’s and as soon as I see the yellow of Sunflowers and Calendula, I know that autumn is not far away.

With all the extra time available because of Covid restrictions, we have painted fences, sheds, garden ornaments and anything else that doesn’t move, so it is all looking very spic and span.  The lawns are looking really lush and green, our mole is still in residence, doing lots of test digs around the edges, but has thankfully not ventured any further, our new rescue dog is on his case, she has a very good nose, perhaps he can sense her and is having second thoughts.

Our pair of Pigeons decided that the nest location I chose for them wasn’t suitable and kept going back into our alcove, we felt it was unfair to keep evicting them, so we conceded and they have now built the nest and she is sitting.  He looks at me every morning as if to say, ‘we won, don’t disturb the missus, this is our space’.

Having lost all my lovely tulip bulbs which I potted up last year to a mouse (or mice), I have bought some more, planted them up and they are under lock and key in my summer house.  The mice are not going to have a feast at my expense this year!

I mentioned our new dog; she is lovely but has been quite poorly since we brought her home.  We have spent a lot of our waking hours at the vets, but she is on the mend now and proving to be a great character.  She loves her walks and I am pleased to take her out each day.

                                                                                                                                         Rosemary Stratton5.

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ST. MARY’S GREAT WYMONDLEY

SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN

This took place on Sunday 6^th September with lovely sunny weather.  The congregation brought folding chairs and sat on the grass in the morning sunshine.  Becky Ullah told everyone about the plans for the Community Garden as we looked out on to the progress that has already been made in clearing the overgrown site.  Apples shone red on the tree and tomatoes glinted in the sunlight.  Afterwards people chatted while socially distancing and enjoyed delicious apple cakes kindly made by Josie Gilbert.

JAM AND MARMALADE

Sales of preserves continue with further production only stalled by lack of jam jars!  Returned jars and lids are always very welcome.  At the latest count there will be 35 varieties of jam and marmalade by the time the quinces are ripe and have been made into jam and jelly.  The jams and marmalade for sale are displayed on shelves in the church porch which is open every day.

BIKE ‘N HIKE

Nicky and Josie Gilbert gallantly cycled for Great Wymondley Church in the Beds. and Herts. Historic Churches Trust Bike’n Hike event.  They visited 25 churches to raise money which will be shared between the church in Great Wymondley and the Trust.  It was a rather different event this year as the churches were not open because of Covid-19 with no one there to time and initial the sponsor sheets.  Thank you to everyone who sponsored them.

COMMUNITY ORCHARD

The long grass and wild flowers around the trees has now been cut and raked off by a team of volunteers.  This important annual task will make sure that the fertility of the soil is not increased thus encouraging more wild flowers amongst the trees. 

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING - Tuesday 13^th October

The annual meeting will take place on Tuesday 13^th October at 6.00pm. using Zoom.  If you would like to take part email me and I will send you the Zoom links - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

                                                                                                                                                Cherry Carter

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WYMONDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

The sunny days of golden September have cheered many hearts in times when there are increased Covid problems.  Now we can hardly believe October is here.  Recently we have had various household items which have gone wrong and so we've needed to make some phone calls.  Perhaps you too have experienced some of the difficulties in trying to speak to an actual person!  We hear an automated voice giving a long detailed account of how we needn't phone but could try another way.  Then there is another long wait and the invitation to press 1, 2, 3, 4 and more and wait again, and you still haven't talked to a person yet.  You then are told that you are 17th or 38th in the queue and you wait.....  These things also happen with medical phone calls of which we have had many.

But what a blessing it is not at all like that when we speak to God.  We know He is ready and waiting for our call and we have His full attention from the moment we call out to Him.  We read in Isaiah 'Before they ask, I will answer:  while they are still speaking, I will hear.' and in Psalm 55 'I call to my God and the Lord saved me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out and He has heard my voice'.  Even when we can't actually put our prayer into words God hears our heart and He know us so intimately because even 'the very hairs of our head are numbered.'  In these days we miss the personal touch, and although modern technology has been good in so many ways, we miss the contact of human connection.

This all makes prayer even more vital and it was once called 'The Christian's vital breath'.  God knows all about us and what is going on in our lives.  We read in Psalm 135, 'You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord'.

Thankfully the Covid Pandemic can't stop churches working and we have been blessed to have services and other meetings on line as well as Bible studies and children's activities.

We haven't actually met for ‘It's Monday’ since March but we look forward to the day when we can.  Even though we can't meet in the hall to do crafts, plant bulbs, do music and movement, quizzes, share holiday memories and meals etc., we can keep in touch, have a chat, a phone call or a socially distanced 

cup of tea.  For those who take Daily Bread we have all got our September/November books.

Christianity Explored - This is open to all who would like to tune in on a Wednesday evening from 7.30pm.  An informal look at the scriptures and discover more about Jesus and the Christian life.  You can tune in to the same

link as the Sunday services.

First Tuesday also happens on zoom on 6^th October - coffee and discussion from 10.30am. on line.  To connect with this phone 01438-228232.  Make your own coffee!

On Sundays we have started a new series on The Holy Spirit to which we look forward.  We welcome all who wish to join us.  Tune in at 10.30am. for a 10.45am. start on 0131-460-1196 or 0203-051-2874.  Use the link https/zoom.us/j8675752648 or download the zoom app and join using meeting ID 8675752648.  Any problems phone 07531-08162.  This link can also be used for Christianity Explored on Wednesday and the Friday morning Bible Study which is held every fortnight.  On Tuesday evenings we pray together without zoom, so join us as we pray for our community, our families, our country, the NHS with the increased Covid cases, for our Government, the Queen and for all suffering from illness or bereavement here and abroad.

Sundays in October:

4^th        Tim Wells (Harvest)                            11^th      Bryan Field

18^th      Tim Wells                                            25^th      Kieran Murphy.

Sending love from all at the Chapel.

'The Lord gives strength to His people;  the Lord blesses His people with peace'          Psalm 29:11

                                                                                                                         Marjorie McCarley 01438-27050

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*****************************************************************************************************NEWS FROM ST. IPPOLYTS

HARVEST FESTIVAL

We will be celebrating our Harvest Festival on Sunday 11^th October.  If anyone would like to donate some dry goods please leave your donation in a box in the church porch on Friday 9^th October.  The porch will be open from 9.30am. - 4.30pm.  Alternatively bring your box to the service on Sunday 11^th October.  All donations will be taken to the Homeless Shelter in Hitchin.  Thank you very much.

                                                                                                                  Jane Veasey and Frances Williams

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PURPLE FOR POLIO ERADICATION

Hitchin Priory Rotary Club will be planting 3000 purple crocus corms in the grounds of St. Ippolyts Church

on Saturday 24^th October at 10:00am.  Money raised from the purchase of these crocuses will be used to protect children and help rid the world of polio.  Please help us to support this important project by donating through Hitchin Priory Rotary Club website at hitchinprioryrotaryclub.org.

          Michael Hooper

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting which takes place on Monday 12^th October at 7.30pm. will be on Zoom.  Copies of the Agenda and Approved Minutes are displayed in the council notice boards and on website http://www.stippolyts-parishcouncil.org.uk.  There is always an Agenda item for Public Participation 

where residents can ask questions and raise issues.

Please contact clerk on 01462-421409 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your questions

if you would like to join this meeting.

Please look out for our Annual magazine that will be delivered and also available on our website. 

                                                                                                                                                     Pam Skeggs

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH HALL

The Trustees were very pleased to be able to reopen the main hall during the week commencing Monday

7^th September as planned.  We welcomed two user groups back with other groups planning to return.  Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus we have cancelled the Christmas Fair. 

Enquiries to Booking Secretary Sam Kelly on 01462-423291 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit

website www.stippolyts-hall.co.uk.

                                                                                                                                                     Pam Skeggs

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ANNUAL CHURCH MEETINGS

Our delayed Annual Parishioners Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting of the Parish of

St. Ippolyts were held on Zoom on Wednesday 16^th September.  Our PCC for the coming year will be made

up of the following people:

The Reverend Ginni Dear - Vicar

Jane Veasey - Churchwarden

Michael Hooper - Churchwarden and Treasurer

Roger Cox - Secretary

Shelagh Cox

Howell Davies - Reader

Clare Reid

Jenny Sheach - Safeguarding Officer

Anne Steel

Frances Williams

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ST. IPPOLYTS

Funerals and Burials                        18^th August:                 Cyril Charles Andrews

                                                27^th August:                 Thomas William James Piggott

Funerals at the Crematorium                      20^th August:                 Daphne Patricia Lewis

                                                            1^st September:              Joyce Edgar

                                                            17^th September:                        Joyce Margaret Smith

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100 CLUB

The winners for SEPTEMBER were:

No. 170           Molly Weiss                £20

No. 24             Frank Harding             £15

No. 143           Sarah Holloway           £10

                                                                                                                                                    Shelagh Cox

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COULD THIS BE YOU?

Is there a ‘creative writer’ out there in St. Ippolyts who would be interested in sending in a regular piece for 

Pax about anything happening in the village, which might be of general interest?  None of our regular groups are meeting at the moment so there is a space which could be filled.  Please email me - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

                                                                                                                                                    Clare Larsen

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DEADLINE

Material for the NOVEMBER issue of Pax should reach Clare Larsen, 24 Ninesprings Way, Hitchin SG4 9NN (tel. 01462-453541 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Thursday 15^th October, please.  Or given to Rosemary Stratton by Monday 12^thOctober.

9.

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LINK TO HOPE 2020 SHOEBOX APPEAL

As many of you know, in previous years we have supported Link to Hope by filling shoeboxes with items for families or elderly folk in Eastern Europe.  Despite the extreme necessity for such a scheme, I had been wondering if it would happen at all this year in view of these strange times in which we find ourselves.  However, I have now been contacted by both the charity themselves and the area organiser to assure me that

the appeal will be happening once again this year.

To make life a little easier in the current circumstances, the charity have made some changes and are now offering four different ways to support them:

1. Fill a shoebox in the usual way and return it to them.
2. For a donation of around £20 they can fill a shoebox for you, put in a card (if you would like one),

wrap the box and send you a photograph of the finished box.

1. Donate money directly to the appeal.
2. Donate items in bulk (i.e. more than one or two) from the list on their leaflet for them to use in shoeboxes.

Obviously, with the situation as it is, we are not able to leave boxes, leaflets and goodies out in church for you to collect and use as we have done in previous years.  So, if you would like to support the appeal, could you please download and print a leaflet from the Link to Hope website (if you are able) and then choose one of the options above.  Should you not be able to download a leaflet we will have a few hard copies available (or we could email one to you if you prefer).  We also have our usual supply of empty shoeboxes available so, if you are really stuck, let us know and we will get one to you.

All filled boxes have to be returned before Friday 6^th November.  Christine and I will be filling a number of boxes ourselves as usual and will be aiming to take them to the area organiser at the beginning of that week.  (i.e. around Monday 2^ndNovember).  If you decide to fill a box and would like us to take it for you, please could you get it to us or let us know well before that date.  Thank you.  (Our telephone number is 01462-459145.  Please contact us if you need any further help or information).

Your response in previous years has always been amazing.  Please support us once again in these difficult times if you possibly can.  It really does make a huge difference.

Arthur Sibun

Pax         SEPTEMBER  2020

Price:  40p.

 

The Parish Magazine for the Benefice of St. Ippolyts with Great and Little Wymondley

VICAR

The Reverend Ginni Dear, The Vicarage, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                   01462-237032

Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

CHURCHWARDENS

St. Ippolyts

Michael Hooper, Hillrise, Stevenage Road, St. Ippolyts SG4 7PE                                           01462-457350

Jane Veasey, Gosmore Cross, Newlands Lane, Gosmore SG4 9BD                                        01462-434254

 

Great Wymondley

Cherry Carter, 2 Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7HA                                               01438-724919

Paul Harding, The Old Rectory, Church Green, Great Wymondley SG4 7ES                                    01438-729219

Little Wymondley

Mike Allardyce, 81 Whitney Drive, Stevenage SG1 4BL                                                        07967-831968

David Palmer, 198 Cleveland Way, Great Ashby, SG1 6BY                                                   01438-367912

Visit our website - www.stippolytschurch.org.uk

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SERVICES FOR SEPTEMBER

Our services for September are as follows:

SUNDAY 6^th SEPTEMBER

8.00am.          Holy Communion (BCP)                                St. Ippolyts

9.15am.          Harvest Service                                                Great Wymondley

(See Facebook for venue as it could be in the Community Gardens)

SUNDAY 13^th SEPTEMBER

9.15am.          Holy Communion (Common Worship)           St. Ippolyts

SUNDAY 20^th SEPTEMBER

9.15am.          Holy Communion (Common Worship)           Little Wymondley

SUNDAY 27^th SEPTEMBER

9.15am.          Holy Communion (Common Worship)           St. Ippolyts

All 9.15am. services are also live-streamed to Facebook.

Monday - Thursday - live on Facebook

9.00am.          Morning Prayer

6.00pm.          Evening Prayer

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HERE AND THERE

HORSE BLESSING SERVICE

On Sunday 16^th August at 3.00pm. the Horse Blessing Service was held at St. Ippolyts Church.  Despite the weather forecast which predicted rain and storms during the afternoon and the inevitable downpour and subsequent claps of thunder, Reverend Ginni gallantly stood in front of 20 horses and their riders to hold one

of the best services we have seen.  There were numerous spectators holding their umbrellas, suitably distanced

to watch a completely drenched Ginni welcome everyone and then proceed to hold the service.  After the Lord's Prayer had been said, Ginni who was not wearing a coat but as usual was wearing her cheerful smile and as always her buoyant nature, proceeded to bless each horse in turn not forgetting to offer a carrot.

We are very grateful to everyone who attended the service and who were not deterred by weather.  The horses and riders were a welcome sight and the spectators raised a wonderful £280 with their kind and generous donations.  This will be shared between the two local Riding for the Disabled Groups which support children from local special needs schools as well as youngsters who have been excluded from senior school.

Thank you to Ginni and to everyone who attended.

             Joan Pinkstone

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LINK TO HOPE 2020 SHOEBOX APPEAL

As many of you know, in previous years we have supported Link to Hope by filling shoeboxes with items for families or elderly folk in Eastern Europe.  Despite the extreme necessity for such a scheme, I had been wondering if it would happen at all this year in view of these strange times in which we find ourselves.  However, I have now been contacted by both the charity themselves and the area organiser to assure me that

the appeal will be happening once again this year.

To make life a little easier in the current circumstances, the charity have made some changes and are now offering four different ways to support them:

1. Fill a shoebox in the usual way and return it to them.
2. For a donation of around £20 they can fill a shoebox for you, put in a card (if you would like one),

wrap the box and send you a photograph of the finished box.

1. Donate money directly to the appeal.
2. Donate items in bulk (i.e. more than one or two) from the list on their leaflet for them to use in shoeboxes.

Obviously, with the situation as it is, we are not able to leave boxes, leaflets and goodies out in church for you to collect and use as we have done in previous years.  So, if you would like to support the appeal, could you please download and print a leaflet from the Link to Hope website (if you are able) and then choose one of the options above.  Should you not be able to download a leaflet we will have a few hard copies available (or we could email one to you if you prefer).  We also have our usual supply of empty shoeboxes available so, if you are really stuck, let us know and we will get one to you.

All filled boxes have to be returned before Friday 6^th November.  Christine and I will be filling a number of boxes ourselves as usual and will be aiming to take them to the area organiser at the beginning of that week.  (i.e. around Monday 2^ndNovember).  If you decide to fill a box and would like us to take it for you, please could you get it to us or let us know well before that date.  Thank you.  (Our telephone number is 01462-459145.  Please contact us if you need any further help or information).

Your response in previous years has always been amazing.  Please support us once again in these difficult times if you possibly can.  It really does make a huge difference.

Arthur Sibun

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NEWS FROM THE WYMONDLEYS

ST. MARY’S LITTLE WYMONDLEY

WE’RE BACK !

It’s a delight to have the church open for worship again, after all these months;  we have been able to enjoy two services.  Socially distanced, sanitised, masked, no singing, but just good to see everyone.  Reverend Ginni is doing a wonderful job live streaming the services to Facebook, where she has a growing congregation.  She is quite a star in front of the camera, and I understand she has many followers in Little Wymondley, so welcome to all our new congregation.  When these restrictions can be lifted, it would be lovely to meet you all in church.

BACK TO THE GARDEN

We have a mole! at least one, if not with wife and kids and extended family.  We noticed some finely turned soil along the outside of the fence, quite a building project, on a par with the M1, with little air holes every so often.  He has come under the main gate, worked his way round the edge of the lawn, where he has paused, probably to consult his plans.  Every morning I expect to see numerous mole hills dotted across the lawn, but maybe he is having second thoughts, wrong soil, dog, cats, or perhaps he thinks our neighbour’s garden offers more, I won’t be offended.  Our lawn is not a bowling green but I am quite fond of it as it is.

We have a little alcove in the garden which is sheltered and gets the afternoon sun;  we grow hops and a passionflower over the pergola, which gives us some shade.  A few weeks ago a pair of pigeons decided they would build a nest directly over where I sit, every morning there would be a pile of twigs on my chair where they had failed to secure them on a precarious narrow beam.  We usually have a few nests in the garden which we are quite happy about, but we didn’t fancy sharing our evenings with a family a few feet above our heads.  Every morning I would pick all the twigs and push them into a neighbouring shrub, then I noticed they were recycling the same material, so I pushed it back further and virtually built them a nest myself.  This went on for some days, but they finally gave up and have used my construction so we are all happy.

                                                                                                                                          Rosemary Stratton

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ST. MARY’S GREAT WYMONDLEY

 

Another two months have passed with strange weather indeed.  Scorching hot for several days, torrential rain and really strong winds.  We have been so lucky though with fine weather on the whole during the Lockdown, making the confinement and daily exercise much easier and more pleasant.  I am not sure how it will be in the winter when it is cold and will get dark so much earlier.  Already the days are shortening and it is still August! The swifts have gone back to Africa and we miss them so much.  There seemed to be eleven here this year and they were such a joy to watch.  We used to sit up in the Churchyard in the evening watching them and could see them going up under the apse roof to feed their young.  We look forward to them returning next year.  Apples are ripening on the trees and the wasps are in their 'sweet' phase of diet feeding on fallen fruit and trying to get into the beehives.

 

 

The Churchyard wild life areas have been strimmed and raked off with hopefully flower seeds fallen and set for next year.  There has been an amazing number of butterflies, moths and insects of all sorts within it not to mention the field voles who nest in holes there.  A good source of food for the tawny owls that fly daily over the churchyard and the occasional barn owl who has been seen. Scabious, ladies bedstraw and harebells were growing amongst the graves for the first time for very many years, a result of having the cut grass area slightly longer.

At the beginning of August we had the first service since the Lockdown began.  As it was fine weather we had it in the Churchyard and welcomed our friends from the village and other churches in the Benefice.  It was live streamed too on Facebook.  We hope the first Sunday in October will be fine too so that we can have the service outside again.

 

 

                                                                                                                                              Cherry Carter

 

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WYMONDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

This has been one of the strangest years we have ever known, hasn't it.  As we have all been faced with this worldwide Pandemic, we have had advice from many sources about how to keep well and safe, how to avoid infection, what to do, where to go and the Government has given us regular bulletins to keep us informed and have generously given out financial help to businesses and the like as well as allowing us cheaper meals out in August.  We have been constantly reminded how important is physical health and indeed mental health too.  We take great care to ensure that we eat properly, take vitamins and where possible make sure we exercise, because we want to keep our bodies healthy.  The Bible also encourages us in these things but it goes even deeper as it reminds us that every human being is body, mind and spirit and there are clear instructions as to how to keep spiritually healthy, God's Word is concerned with the whole person and the book of Proverbs has plenty of advice.  In Chapter 4 we read "pay attention to what I say - turn your ear to my words.  Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your hearts for they are life to those who find them and health to one's whole body."  We love to feel healthy and if we have been ill what a blessing it is to feel better.  But spiritual health is even more special and has to be 'tops' for us.  We can have a new zest in life which will come to us as we 'feed on God's word, the Bible’ and we can feel His life giving touch bringing us spiritual health.  This is emphasised in the Book of Isaiah as we read:  "Do you not know, have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom; He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall.  But those who hope (or wait upon) the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint."

During these unforgettable weeks we, like many other churches have found that the modern technology, especially Zoom, has been most helpful as we have used it in Sunday services, Bible studies, Church meetings and children's work and even a Quiz too!  Of course we have missed enormously actually meeting together in the usual way but we have enjoyed seeing each other 'on screen' and being able to talk to each other too.  The weekly 'It's Monday' Group has had its first and only break since it began 18 and a half years ago.  But we keep in touch with folk and look forward to a celebration and a new programme when the time is right. Congratulations to Una on her 90th birthday in August.

We pray for all who are poorly at this time and all who are mourning and missing loved ones.  We pray regularly every Tuesday in our homes for all in need in our land and overseas.  We don't have our coffee and discussion at the Orange Tree on the first Tuesday but we have been having these on Zoom with Will and Lynne Andrews.  This year has reminded us of the joy of friends and families and neighbours.

We are thankful that all our booked speakers have joined us on Zoom and the speakers in September are as follows: 

6^th         Rev. Phil Jackson                               13^th        Hannah Dengate

20^th       Clive Bacon                                        27^th        Adrian Brixey

We will give advance warning when we are back in the Chapel again.

Meanwhile dial in at 10.30am for a 10.45am start on 0131-4601196 or 020-0512874.  Use the link https//zoom.us/j8675752648 or download the zoom app. and join using meeting ID 8675752648.

Any problems phone 07531-08162 Craig Bacon, our Host will be glad to help.

"Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love."

   Marjorie McCarley  (01438-727050)

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NEWS FROM ST. IPPOLYTS

ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting which takes place on Monday 14^th September at 7.30pm. will be on Zoom.  Copies of the Agenda and Approved Minutes are displayed in the council notice boards and on website www.stippolyts-parishcouncil.org.uk.  There is always an Agenda item for Public Participation where residents can ask questions and raise issues.  Please contact clerk on 01462-421409 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your questions if you would like to join this meeting.

                                                                                                                                                      Pam Skeggs

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ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH HALL

The Trustees have been looking at ways to re-open the hall safely.  We emailed a questionnaire to User Groups to complete and return and a good response was received.  We have carried out a risk assessment, prepared various necessary documents and notices etc.  We have a management meeting on Thursday 3^rd September on Zoom and also invited user group representatives to join.  Brilliant news - the hall will re-open w/c Monday

7^th September but recognise that required limitations may mean not all users will be able to return immediately. http://www.stippolyts-hall.co.uk.

                                                                                                                                                      Pam Skeggs

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ANNUAL CHURCH MEETINGS - ST. IPPOLYTS

The delayed “Annual Parishioners Meeting” (to elect churchwardens) and “The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of the Parish of St. Ippolyts” will be held in St. Ippolyts Church at 6.00pm. on Wednesday 16^th September 2020.  The meeting will commence with Reverend Ginni’s Live Streamed 10 minute Evening Prayer. Everyone is welcome to attend but only those on the St. Ippolyts Church Electoral Roll may vote at the second meeting.  We are hoping that we can hold the meeting outside the Church but should this not be appropriate

due to inclement weather we will retire to the Church.

The meeting is the Church’s AGM and there will be a review of 2019 with reports from the Reverend Ginni, Our Safeguarding Officer, Churchwardens, Treasurer, and St. Ippolyts School, as well as the appointment of officers, sidesmen and independent financial examiners.  To make the evening ‘go with a flow’ we hope that there will be wine, soft drinks and nibbles available but this will depend upon any coronavirus restrictions.

The Church Electoral Roll is closed 15 days before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and this means Wednesday 1^stSeptember 2020.  If you would like to be included on the Church Electoral Roll then forms can be obtained from the Church Electoral Roll Officer, Alan Hinks H.452429, or a Churchwarden, Michael Hooper H.457350 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Jane Veasey H.434254.

We are looking for new members of our Parochial Church Council.  If you are interested in playing a key role

in the future of our church please consider putting yourself forward for election, it is not a particularly onerous task!  Those wishing to be elected can put their names on the election list at the back of the church or contact one of the Churchwardens on the contact details above.  In addition we are still seeking a treasurer to take over from Michael.  If you feel you could spare the time to play an important role in the life of our church please consider taking on this task.

      Michael Hooper - Churchwarden

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100 CLUB

The winners for JULY were:

No. 24             Frank Harding             £20

No. 127           Jenny Morrell              £15

No. 93             Poppy Cowlishaw        £10

And the winners for AUGUST were:

No. 162           Jennifer Veasey            £20

No. 57             Carolyn Marsh                        £15

No. 64             Carolyn Marsh                        £10

                                                                                                                                                     Shelagh Cox

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DEADLINE

Material for the OCTOBER issue of Pax should reach Clare Larsen, 24 Ninesprings Way, Hitchin SG4 9NN (tel. 01462-453541 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Tuesday 15^th September, please.  Or given to Rosemary Stratton by Saturday 12^thSeptember.

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