Reflections Blog

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CHRISTIAN AID WEEK - 13^th- 19^thMay

Marcelin's story

Marcelin lost his home and livelihood when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti in September 2016.  ‘I lost pigs, goats, everything in the house.  I have nothing left,’ he says.  He now lives in an old concrete shower block, a tiny space he shares with his teenage daughters.  There are no windows or doors, and the only furniture is a single bed that the girls sleep on.

Marcelin has shown incredible resilience in the face of such hardships and is working hard to raise his children alone.  Will you Stand Together with your global neighbour Marcelin and give a donationto help build a disaster-proof home in Haiti?

Every day he gets up at dawn to work the land but he’s struggling to support his family.  The changing weather frequently destroys the food he grows and his family often go hungry.  He can no longer afford to send all his children to school and is unable to save any money for a new home.

So, this Christian Aid Week, will you build hope in Haiti?

We know how to make it happen - of the 700 houses we built after the 2010 earthquake, just one needed to be repaired after Hurricane Matthew.  But we’re relying on the kindness of people like you to be able to do more, and reach more of our global neighbours in their hour of need.

Once again I will be organising a door to door envelope collection in St. Ippolyts so please keep an eye open for the red envelope and a knock at the door.

  Barbara Thomas

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ST. IPPOLYTS OPEN GARDENS - Sunday 24^thJune

Can you help us?

Open your garden- a couple more gardens would be lovely.  If you live on Waterdell Lane, Mill Road, Mill Lane from Mill Road to the High Street, Gosmore High Street, Maydencroft Lane, The Crescent, Townsend Place or Orchard Close and have a garden you would like to share please contact me.

Grow us some plants- We will be having a plant sale so if you are sowing seeds or dividing plants please grow a few more for us if you are able to.

Advertising- Could you put up posters in a local village or give flyers out at the groups that you attend?  If so please contact me.

Help on the day- we will need people to sell programmes, make tea and coffee, sell cakes and man the car parks.  If you could spare a couple of hours on the day please contact Mary Hooper on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01462-457350 or look out for sign-up sheets at the back of the church.

Cakes!!- We can't have Open Gardens without beautiful, homemade cakes.

Could you be a friend?- One of our garden openers would very much like to have some company and reassurance as she welcomes visitors to her garden, if you could spare some time contact me.

Finally- put the date in your diary and come along to visit our beautiful gardens (and perhaps bring a friend or two!)

           Barbara Thomas - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01462-421647

FRIENDS OF ST. IPPOLYTS CHURCH

A very big thank you to Friends of St. Ippolyts Church for the time you have given during Lent making and serving the delicious selection of home-made soups.  We have all looked forward to our usual delicious soups and no one has been disappointed with the wonderful flavours.  We really appreciate the variety given each year and the funds raised all go towards USPG and the Motor Neurone Disease Association both of which are excellent causes.

Thank you also for the beautiful flowers and arrangements in the church to help us celebrate Easter.

Friends will be holding their next meeting at the home of Joan Pinkstone, Little Almshoe House, on Tuesday 11^thSeptember at 10.30am. for an 11.00am. start.

                                          Frances Williams, Carol Scott and Joan Pinkstone

THE GLOBAL WAVE OF PRAYER

From Thursday 10^thMay - Ascension Day to Sunday 20^thMay - Pentecost.  Praying for the ten days from Ascension Day to Pentecost is traditional, recalling the actions of the disciples following Jesus’ ascension. Two prayers are the focus of attention this year: “Thy Kingdom Come,” and “Come Holy Spirit”.  Go to www.thykingdomcome.globalfor further information and to sign up to ‘Pledge to Pray’.

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED 

It’s not too late to join our Christianity Explored course which is being held at The Croft in Great Wymondley.  The dates for May are Mondays 14^thand 21^ststarting at 7.30pm. and finishing at 9.30pm.

The course has a website which gives a good feel for the style of the teaching at www.christianityexplored.org.  If you would like more information or to sign up, please contact Doug Richardson on 01438-354081, 07590-498267 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

                                                                                  Doug Richardson

SUNDAY 20^thMAY - PENTECOST

Bishop Michael of Hertford will be coming to take our 9.15am. service at St. Ippolyts and our 11.00am. service at Little Wymondley on Sunday 20^thMay - Pentecost.  Don’t miss this opportunity to come and hear what he has to say to us.

                                                                                                Ginni

TRUST, FAITH AND PATIENCE

I hope by the time everyone reads the May edition of Pax spring will really have arrived and we can put behind us the long torrid winter that we have suffered.  I sit writing this whilst Ginni is on her Easter break in Cornwall and I am tempted to choose Noah and his Ark as my theme but through the rain and gloom I do see glimmers of new growth appearing, so as tempted as I am, as always, towards boats I will resist and focus on the wonder of the new growth of spring.

As we scatter our seeds and hope for a good harvest in the months to come from our gardens, I am reminded of the parable of the sower in chapter 4 of Mark’s Gospel.  This seems to me to speak to us of what we are trying to do within our churches.  In St. Ippolyts with the increasing development of the links with the school children;  in the activities in the church and chapel in Little Wymondley;  in Great Wymondley as we seek new ways to welcome people into our church family through the work we are doing to repair, repaint and brighten the interior and through the physical flexibility we hope to create so enabling us to offer wider activities.

The parable teaches us about patience and trust, having sowed the seed, you have to rely on the soil, sun and water to help produce results.  Just as in the parable some of the seeds we sow will fall on rocky ground, others amongst thorns but with trust, patience and faith we can be rewarded with a rich harvest within our gardens as well as within our churches and communities.

Our family has endured much over the past year and we have experienced the gradual rewards of trust, faith and patience as Jackie recovers, as well as new growth with a lively grandson.  This was all made possible by the nurturing of family, friends, church and community that are the essence of the teaching in this parable.  All of which we thank God for and are forever grateful.

Little Wymondley parish has been studying the parables in their Lent group at Pat Fry’s house.  Whilst we are talking of Mark’s Gospel another opportunity where seeds of potential growth will be sown will be over the next few weeks on Monday evenings at The Croft in Great Wymondley.  We will be exploring the meaning of life through a greater understanding of Mark’s Gospel in our “Christianity Explored” study group led by Doug Richardson.

The seeds are planted in our hearts and are nurtured into life.  As with all things when we tackle the challenges in our gardens, in our lives and in our churches, we must trust God to make it happen.

               Best wishes for springtime - Paul Harding

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11:00 a.m. Holy Communion this Wednesday 25th April is CANCELLED

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This next Sunday 22nd April we welcome Revd Don Dowling who will leading us in worship at the 09:15 Holy Communion Service.

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TREASURER TO ST. IPPOLYTS PCC

St. Ippolyts PCC is still seeking someone to replace its

current Treasurer when she retires at the APCM in April. The task is an important one but not especially onerous.  Please consider whether you

or someone you know might be willing to take on this essential and worthwhile role.  For further information please contact me on H.457350, Jane Veasey on H.434254 or speak to any member of the PCC.

                                                                                      Michael Hooper

“The Annual Parishioners Meeting” (to elect churchwardens) and “The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of the Parish of St. Ippolyts” will be held in St. Ippolyts Parish Hall at 7.45pm. on Thursday 26^thApril.  Everyone is welcome to attend but only those on the St. Ippolyts Church Electoral Roll may vote at the second meeting.

The meeting is the Church’s AGM and there will be a review of 2017 with reports from the Churchwardens, our 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’ there will be wine, soft drinks and nibbles available.

The Church Electoral Roll is closed 15 days before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and this means Wednesday 11^thApril 2018.  Please check on the roll, which is in a file at the rear of the church, to see that you are registered and your details are correct.  If you are not on the roll and wish to be, there are forms available at the back of church, which should then be handed to Michael Hooper, our Electoral Roll Officer, or Jane Veasey the other Churchwarden.

                                                                                         Michael Hooper

On the fifth Sunday this month, 29^thApril at 11.00am.

we are delighted to welcome back The Reverend Ian Tattum to St. Mary’s, so

do come along to hear how he is getting on.  Ian was our Priest in Charge in 2001, after being at St. Ippolyts; we then became a united Benefice.  When he left he went on to a church in Wimbledon, where he still is today.

                                                                                    Rosemary Stratton

Paul Harding and Doug Richardson are going to run a Christianity Explored course in Great Wymondley.  We aim to have two sessions a month during April, May and June starting on Monday 16^thApril.

The course is basically a Bible Study in Mark’s gospel with a video talk and a discussion time using the course booklet.  It is arranged so that participants can be as involved in the discussion as much or as little as they are comfortable with.

We will start at 7.30pm. and finish at 9.30pm. at The Croft.

The course has a website which gives a good feel for the style of the teaching at www.christianityexplored.org.  If you would like more information or to sign up, please contact Doug Richardson on

01438-354081, 07590-498267 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

                                    Doug Richardson

How do you know when you’re old?  Is it when policemen suddenly start to look far too young?  Or when you catch yourself saying ‘they didn’t have those in my day’?  Perhaps it’s when your 21 year old daughter looks blank when you ask her if she has checked the oil in her car recently or shakes her head and leaves the room when you and your best friend start singing the theme tunes to your favourite childhood TV programmes?  

I’ve definitely passed all those milestones - and several more too - but I think I have noticed my age more since the arrival of my first grandson, Edward.  It isn’t that having a grandchild makes me feel older per se, but more that my reactions to the trappings of modern parenthood have me shaking my head in the same way that I remember my grandparents did when I first had my own children.

For starters, there’s the ‘pram’ - I mean, have you seen them these days?!!!  They are like something out of Star Wars!  Gone are the days when it took you half an hour to simply get the pram through the front door because it was so big and bulky.  These new-fangled things swivel on a sixpence (not that we have THEM anymore!), can easily be packed into the car boot, have more accessories than you could possibly use and require a mortgage just to buy one!! Mind you, I did provide some entertainment in the car park the other day when it took me twenty minutes and no end of muttering to actually get the flaming thing assembled!

Then there are the other things that the modern baby could not possibly survive without - disposable nappies (ok, definitely better than terries!), dummies that are attached to their bibs (which incidentally are now often triangular), baby swings which rock automatically, swaddle blankets, electric bottle warmers (haven’t they heard of Pyrex jugs and hot water!), baby bean bags (what’s wrong with a pillow!), sleep monitors.....and so on and so on!

But the one thing that actually had me open-mouthed in disbelief was the.....‘eating device’!  This is a small plastic handle with a mesh bag on the end.  Apparently, the idea is that you put a piece of apple in the mesh bag and the baby can chew on the apple without the risk of bits breaking off and choking him!!  I honestly don’t know whether this is a genius idea or whether the world has gone mad!!

Old or not, I am definitely enjoying being a grandma.  Seeing little Edward’s face light up when he sees me makes me realise afresh that it is the simple things in life that are often the most important, something that is all too easy to forget when I allow myself to get worked up over trivial things.

I’m looking forward to watching Edward grow and explore this wonderful world that we live in and I am sure that he will show me many more things that I have forgotten about in my busy-ness, simple pleasures that no amount of money can buy.

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

       With love, Ginni xx

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