Reflections Blog

FRIENDS OF ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH

HARVEST

Thank you to everyone for your generous harvest donations.  St. Ippolyts Church looked and smelled wonderful with an assortment of both fresh produce and a variety of groceries.

We are very grateful to Friends who were available on Monday morning to clear and pack the produce into boxes and to St. Ippolyts School children who also came into the church to prepare food gift boxes and write a friendly note to accompany their gift.  These were delivered to our own friends in St. Ippolyts for different reasons.  We wanted to give them a harvest present, to say we are thinking of them.  The main bulk of the groceries was taken to the Homeless Shelter in Hitchin and was very gratefully received.  The remaining boxes were delivered to the Food Bank in Letchworth.

Both the Homeless Shelter and the Food Bank are always grateful to receive groceries throughout the year and we are reminded of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Dairy Date:

We will be decorating the church for Christmas on Saturday 21^st December from 9.30am.  This will include the flowers.  Please come and help if you can.  Further details will be in December Pax.

                                         Frances Williams, Carol Scott and Joan Pinkstone 

ST. IPPOLYTS PARISH HALL  Charity number 1072025

Christmas Fair

Come along on Saturday 23^rd November from 2.00pm. to 4.30pm.  There will be lots of stalls.  Father Christmas will be visiting to see the children in his lovely grotto.  Light refreshments available.  Last chance to buy raffle tickets before the draw at about 4.15pm.  Raffle tickets are priced 50p. each.  1st Prize Christmas Hamper, 2nd Prize Shellfish Platter for 2 by Colchester Oyster Fishery, 3rd Prize Sunday Lunch for 2 (including wine) at The Bridge Street Bistro, 4th Prize Cut and Blow Dry at Hair by Jane, 5th Prize A free MOT at The Car Agents, Queen Street, plus various other prizes!  Everybody is most welcome.

Raffle tickets are available to purchase from St. Ippolyts Stores, user groups and trustees if you cannot come to the Fair.

Diary dates:

Management Meeting - Tuesday 21^st January 2020 at 7.30pm.

22^ndAnnual General Meeting - Tuesday 24^th March 2020 at 7.30pm.

Management Meetings in June and September to be arranged.

www.stippolyts-hall.co.uk

www.facebook.com.stippolytsparishhall

                                                                                            Pam Skeggs

ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING SPONSORSHIP - 2020

The church installed the floodlights for the Millennium celebrations 20 years ago with the aid of a grant from the Floodlighting Trust.  They were first illuminated at Christmas 1999 and they have been used every night since.  We had been facing increasing costs in maintaining the lights and after a lamp was found damaged we decided to replace them all with LED’s.  This has been done this year and they will keep a consistent colour and light intensity.  I hope many of you will have noticed a general improvement.

We are therefore continuing our annual sponsorship which costs £15 per week and we have 52 weeks to fill.  The sign-up list is at the back of church. You may sponsor as many weeks as you wish and you may wish this to be in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a birthday, a wedding, or anniversary etc.

Please help to fill the list in and sign up early.  Cheques please if possible, made payable to ‘St. Ippolyts Church’, as this makes it easier to track who has paid.  If you wish your sponsorship to be anonymous, please write ‘anonymous’ in the name space and put your donation in an envelope just stating the week(s).  Please pass all monies to Roger Cox.

                                                                                                Roger Cox

LINK TO HOPE SHOE BOX APPEAL

Over the past few weeks we have been kept busy topping up the supply of leaflets and empty shoeboxes in each of our churches.  At the time of writing we have already had a few completed boxes returned.  (And this is the point where we must contain our excitement as the deadline draws near and we wait patiently to see what arrives).

‘Thank yous’ are in order for so many people:  to those who have already completed boxes, to those who are currently working on one and to those of you who have once again generously donated items to go inside them.  Thank you all.

Just a reminder that this year we will need all of the boxes returned to church or to Christine and Arthur Sibun (tel. 01462-459145) by Sunday 3^rd November at the very latest in order to get them to the centre in time.

                                                                                          Arthur Sibun

FURTHER ADVENTURES WITH MY MUM !

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone!  It seems only a short while ago I was talking about my holidays and now we are almost in November ......and the ‘C’ word, which I am forbidden to mention before 

1^st December, is fast approaching!!  

It was good to have the chance to catch up with many of you over the summer months at various fêtes and events and I was amused to learn that my escapades with my mother seem to have caught your attention.  I have been asked several times when the next instalment is coming, and so, bowing to popular demand, here it is.....

My mum had been struggling to live well where she was in Enfield and whilst she enjoyed her stays every 5 weeks or so at The Vicarage, it was only for a few days at a time because she had to sleep in a chair in my office (she can’t do stairs) and anyone who has ever been into my office will appreciate that it’s more ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ than Travelodge!!  

She decided that she would have a couple of weeks respite care in assisted living accommodation in Stevenage....and she loved it.  So much so in fact that she announced, just two weeks prior to my fortnight’s holiday, that she was going to move into a flat there......immediately!!!  Now your first reaction might be ‘wow, brave decision, go for it!’  Except......the said flat was empty....no carpets, dodgy paint job, etc., etc.......and guess who was tasked with sorting it?!!  That would be me then!!

My daughters took up the challenge of painting the flat….‘no problem’ they said, despite having never picked up a paint brush since leaving primary school, ‘we’ll pop over Saturday and do it’.  Oh how I laughed!  Let’s just say that it was one of life’s learning curves for them both and they have acquired a new appreciation for their mother’s decorating skills!  To be fair, they did a very good job but it took a ‘little’ longer than they expected and neither of them has any desire to meet with a paint brush again!

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I got the flat carpeted, coerced friends to collect my mum’s furniture, put up curtain rails, suffered several visits to Dunelm to both collect AND return items, and spent hours assembling flat-packed furniture (it was a CRUEL person who designed those!!) and did my best to smile sweetly and encouragingly as my mum offered ‘suggestions’!!  Oh and did I mention that I also worked, walked the dog, etc., etc.!!  

The evening of my holiday came and we had done it, she was in!!  We pulled up outside with my new car stuffed to the roof with the last of her belongings when she looked at me and said ‘phew, I’m exhausted, how on earth are we going to unload all this?’!!!  Given that there were only two of us in the car and one uses a mobility scooter, it took all my willpower to resist the urge to state the obvious - rudely!!!

Fortunately, my holiday restored my sanity and sense of humour although my darling mum continues to test both on a regular basis!  We are now settling into a new way of life with her living so much closer and I’m very proud of her for having the courage to make such a big change at her time of life.  It will take some getting used to for both of us and I have already noticed that I have a tendency to revert to ‘petulant child’ in her presence but I am working on improving that!!

So there you have it!  I’m sure we will have more adventures in the months to come but right now, I’m rather hoping for a bit of respite myself!!

With love Ginni

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NATIVITY CRIB FESTIVAL

Saturday 30^th November and Sunday 1^st December - 11.00am. - 5.00pm.

Once again we are holding our fabulous Nativity Crib Festival and once again we are looking for offers of help!

Do you have a crib we could borrow?

Do you attend a group or event where you could hand out flyers?

If so please contact Barbara.  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01462-421647.

Could you help on the weekend?  We have slots from 11.00am. - 1.00pm., 1.00pm. - 3.00pm. and 3.00pm. - 5.00pm. on both days.

Could you make a cake?  We are looking for iced versions (they look so much more tempting) of the following:- Chocolate, Lemon, Coffee, Carrot and Ginger, preferably 8" round!!

If so keep your eyes open in church for sign-up sheets or contact Mary Hooper.  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01462-457350.

                                                                                    Barbara Thomas

QUIZ NIGHT - Saturday 26^th October at 7.30pm.

We are all set for another Quiz Night in St. Ippolyts Parish Hall.  Join us for an evening of fun and an opportunity to tax your brains.  Make up a team of 6 to 8 friends or family and enjoy a Ploughman’s Supper washed down with wine, beer or soft drinks from the bar.  Doors open at 7.00pm. for a prompt 7.30pm. start.  Tickets now on sale from 

Jane Veasey (H.434254) or Mary Hooper (H.457350) at £10 per person. 

                                                                                             Mary Hooper

FRIENDS OF ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH

Harvest Festival

We will be celebrating our Harvest Festival on Sunday 

6^th October.  It is essential that we have plenty of help to pack up the harvest gifts which will be taken to the Homeless Shelter in Grove Road, the Food Bank in Letchworth and a number of people who live in the parish.  Please come to the church from 9.30am. till 11.00am. on Monday 7^th October and lend a hand with this important task.  Don’t leave it to the ‘faithful few’!

Diary Date:

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 15^th January 2020 at 10.30am. for 11.00am. at Thistley House, Gosmore, home of Anne Steel.

                                   Frances Williams, Carol Scott and Joan Pinkstone

NEWS FROM ST. IPPOLYTS

OUR TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND - 14^th to 23^rd May 2019

There were 20 in our group and our leaders were Venerable Paul and Canon Liz Hughes and Tony Boon.  The trip was advertised in Pax Magazine 6 months earlier and we decided to go.  We all met at 6.30am. at Luton Airport for the Easy Jet flight to Tel Aviv where a coach met us for the 2 hour drive to Jerusalem.  Our hotel, The Golden Walls Hotel, was just by the Golden Gate into the old City.  Both old and new are bustling, noisy, chaotic and very busy and we walked everywhere in the city;  through the narrow busy Souks to the Wailing Wall, along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Manger Square.  Oh so busy!

Next day we drove to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane and looking over the old cemeteries to the panoramic view of the walled city, we could hardly believe we were there!  Another day we went to Masada, a Roman Fortress built by Herod the Great and then on to the Dead Sea and a chance to float…...Frank tried it! 

On Sunday at 6.00am. we walked through the Souks to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a more peaceful walk around the church.  The trip encompassed all the different aspects of the area, geographical, historical, political and especially the religious areas.  We crossed into Palestinian territory where we celebrated Eucharist at The Fields of the Shepherds, in Bethlehem.  A truly emotional experience, except for the electric fences and walls surrounding us.

Next day we travelled through the Judean Wilderness to Jericho and to the banks of the River Jordan where we renewed our Baptismal Vows and had Eucharist.  Then on to the Ron Beach Hotel by the Sea of Galilee for the rest of our trip, visiting Nazareth, Mount Tabor and The Basilica of the Annunciation and the area of Jesus’ ministry.  On the way back to the airport we stopped at the remains of the Roman city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great with a magnificent Amphitheatre and Circus.  The trip was very uplifting tinged with sad sights of the walls and electric fences, cutting off the Palestinians from selected areas.  Certainly a trip we will never forget. 

Sheila and Frank Harding

THE JUBILATE! CHOIR

The JUBILATE! Choir, directed by John Edwards, will be performing a concert of carols and Christmas music on the afternoon of Sunday 8^th December at 2.30pm. in St. Ippolyts Church.  Tickets can be purchased on the door for £6.00 which will include teatime refreshments following the concert.

                                                                                         Mary Hooper

WYMONDLEY GARDEN CLUB

On Monday 14^th October at 7.30pm. Michael Hooper will be giving one of his interesting talks, and this time the subject is Uganda.

On Wednesday 2^nd October from 2.00pm. we meet up for our Craft afternoon. 

Both meetings are held in Wymondley Chapel Hall, and entry is £2.50 including refreshments.

      Lynda Garner

CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX APPEAL

You will have seen from the note in last month’s PAX that our three churches are once again supporting Link to Hope in sending Christmas shoeboxes to Romania, Moldova, the Ukraine and Bulgaria.  As previously, you can choose to fill a box for either a family or for an elderly person.  To take part you will need an instruction leaflet and an empty shoebox - both of which are available in all three churches.  Then, just follow the step by step instructions on the leaflet.

We do already have a number of items that you may want to put into your shoebox.  These are available for you to help yourself to free of charge, and we will have them at most of the 9.15am. services at St. Ippolyts.  (If you want to

check and/or need more help, then ring Christine and Arthur Sibun on 01462-459145).

You will see from the front of the leaflet that all boxes must be at a collection centre before Tuesday 5^th November.  As we will be using a different centre this year, in order to achieve this, all boxes must be wrapped and returned to church (or direct to Christine and Arthur) by Sunday 3^rd November at the very latest.  (The end of October would be even better).

One or two people have commented that:  ‘it can’t be shoebox time already can it’?  By way of an answer to that, one local centre received a consignment of 40 finished boxes in July.  Perhaps just a tad early?

Thank you for all of your help.

                                                                                             Arthur Sibun

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STRENGTHENING UNITY

It may be odd to admit this in deepest Hertfordshire but I am an enthusiastic follower of Gloucester Rugby Club - the Cherry and Whites. Scarcely a fan since I was last at Kingsholm in 1956, but as one who was brought up and then married in Gloucester (to a Gloucester girl of course) the club has always had a special place in my affections.  So when Bedford played Gloucester and won in 1988 I was so horrified that I realised that no matter how long we lived in this part of the world we would always be Gloucestrians (you can take the couple out of Gloucester but you can't take Gloucester out of the couple).  Even after 40 years in this area we get a warm feeling when we cross the county boundary heading west near Chipping Norton.

Rugby is to Gloucester what soccer is to Manchester or Liverpool.  Ironically I played the game at school and absolutely hated it, giving it up at the earliest opportunity in favour of cross country running (what's the point of running around in the cold and wet while someone puts a muddy hand in your face or removes your legs from under you?).  Nevertheless I love watching it on television and throughout October I shall be glued to the World Cup in Japan as time allows.  Less hyped than the soccer one, but hopefully just as exciting as the cricket one with the same result.  I mention this because events like this have an important place in the world as a force for good.

One Rugby World Cup had as its theme tune a song called 'World in Union'.  This is something that is desperately needed these days.  Much has been made over the past century (and throughout history) about disunity;  history is one long saga since before records began of conflict between races and nations.  As I write this in early September there are endless divisions over Brexit and there is unease between ourselves and the rest of Europe.  There are continual tensions in the Middle East, over Kashmir, and in other places as well.  Over and beyond this, racial and religious tensions simmer beneath the surface and emerge horribly from time to time.  World sporting events are times when representatives of nations can get together and recognise that they are part of a common humanity, that the things that unite are far greater than those that divide.  They are times for unity rather than division.  This is very badly needed in the 21^st century.

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The Christian Church was born into a divided world, one that was far more divided even than it is today.  Apart from racial and cultural differences there was a huge class divide between freemen and slaves that today seems utterly abhorrent.  Christ died for everyone, regardless of their race, creed, colour and social status.  He spoke of being lifted up on the cross to draw everyone to Himself, and I see those arms outstretched on the cross as enfolding everyone.  This remains the same today and the world must recognise its unity and work towards strengthening that unity.  If global sporting events like the Rugby World Cup can be small steps along that road then whether we enjoy the game or not they are worthwhile.

           Happy Watching!  Paul (Lanham) 

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