Saint Mary the Virgin, Maulden
Contents:
Welcome
WORSHIP:
Sunday Mornings; Occasional
Offices; Special Services; Serving Team
ADMINISTRATION: Churchwardens; PCC Secretary;
FABRIC:
Hall Committee; Holy Dusters
YOUTH:
Sunday School; Tots and Teddies;
S.M.A.S.H.; S.A.S.;
MUSIC:
Director of Music;
EVANGELISM:
Evangelism Committee; Men’s Breakfast; Scouts; Welcome Packs; Church Open Days;
Website
PASTORAL:
Pastoral Care Team; Prayer Team
DISCIPLESHIP:
Bible Study Groups; Sat Chat; Daily Bible Verse; Pub Theology; Bookstall;
Food and Fellowship
SOCIAL:
Sewing Group
CHARITIES:
Traidcraft;
THE WIDER CHURCH:
The Deanery; The Diocese
THE VISION
Welcome
Welcome
once again to the Annual report to parishioners from the Parochial Church
Council of St. Mary the Virgin, Maulden. 2008 was once again a busy year which
saw areas of growth and the strengthening of some of our groups. The second
half of the year proved particularly interesting as it contained my sabbatical
and saw the small group meetings which discussed the Vision. I believe that
both of these events have placed the church in a very strong position for 2009.
On
behalf of the PCC I would like to thank all of you who help to maintain all the
various elements of our church family life. Without your time, talents and
money we would be unable to continue with our varied church family life.
Thank you once again for all that you do as part of our church family.
PCC Members 2008:
Jessica Miller, Churchwarden
Phil Bonner, Churchwarden
Jan Ayee
Tim Chamen
Sheila Dellar
Jon Denman
Brenda Martin
Michael Richardson
Gordon Spoor
Margaret Stratton
John Stratton
Brian Winterson
Joyce Bonner, Deanery Synod.
Janet Warner, Deanery Synod.
John Bagworth, Reader and
Deanery Synod.
Roger Marriot, Reader.
Sunday Mornings; Occasional Offices; Special Services; Serving Team
Sunday Mornings
One
of the central elements of church life is the coming together of the faithful
in prayer, praise and worship. It is always a joy to step out of the vestry on
a Sunday Morning to see the church family gather together. Our rotation of
services continued as usual during 2008 with a family service on the first
Sunday of the month and a Sung Eucharist on other Sundays. Fifth Sundays bring
a bit of variety to our services.
The
numbers attending worship in 2008 showed much more fluctuation from week to
week than in previous years. This is partly due to the very active church
family who are often on holiday or visiting relatives. Weather conditions,
especially in the winter, are of course also a factor. However, even taking all
of this into account I believe that a challenge for all in 2009 must be to
attend worship as a church family more regularly. A church full of expectant Christians
prepared for a special time of praise and worship is a key aim for every Sunday.
Special
thanks this year to all those who helped to lead the worship during my
sabbatical.
Occasional
Offices
One
of the great strengths of being a parish church is that people still naturally
come to us in times of happiness and sadness. The ministry of offering occasional
offices is an important and special one for a parish church such as ours.
The
church welcomed seventeen children and two adults into the Christian faith
through baptism in 2008. It is particularly encouraging to see wedding couples returning
to Maulden for the baptism of their first child.
Newspapers
in 2008 were declaring that couples no longer wanted to be married in church.
Maulden proved them wrong with eleven couples being joined in marriage during
2008.
As
a church we are also here for those who mourn. 2008 saw fewer funerals and
burials of cremated remains than usual. However, of the eleven funerals that
took place a large number of them were well known church and village people.
There was also an increase in the number of services for babies.
Prayer
plays an important part in the ministry of the occasional office and I
encourage you all to use your pew sheet to remember in your prayers those who
attend the church for the occasional offices.
Special
services
Continuing
from 2007, the fifth Sunday of any month is now used to offer a different style
of liturgy from our regular services. In
2008 we used Liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, Taize, the Orthodox church
and liturgy inspired by John Bunyan. Due to popular demand the church now
offers the occasional High Mass.
Serving
Team
We
continued to have a strong team of Servers throughout 2008 and we were pleased
that Abigail Jackson joined us.
It
is good to be able to report that, with very few exceptions, we are able to
provide a crucifer and two acolytes at every 9:30 service. Occasionally the
young people are committed to other activities and we fall back on two adults
to act as acolytes.
There are seven young people on the rota and five adults. The rate at which the teenagers are growing is easily recognised by the frequent need to change their albs for longer ones! It will not be long before they are leaving us for college and university so we need to keep bringing in new members to keep the team up to strength.
ADMINISTRATION
Churchwardens;
PCC Secretary;
* not included here
Churchwardens
There is an amazing range of activities at Saint Mary’s
Church, which continued to grow during 2008.
A glance at the calendar shows that there are church activities
practically every day of the year. Apart from the regular Sunday and weekday
services, we have Tots and Teddies and SMASH for mothers and young
children, Sundays at Six and Chill Out for older ones, the choir,
the children’s choir Jubilate, the bell-ringers, Open Sundays in
the summer and numerous social events throughout the year. We also have a
well-established programme of children’s holiday clubs, well attended by local
children who might otherwise have little contact with the church. By any
standards this is an active worshipping community. Yet we have not been
inward-looking. During 2008 new groups and teams evolved from the congregation
to co-ordinate our work in the broader parish, in the Church as a whole and in
mission at home and overseas. We have active and effective prayer and pastoral
teams, new teams for worship, evangelism and publicity, whilst our range of
social and fundraising events is breathtaking, each with its own co-ordinator.
In addition, we have maintained links with our friends and fellow Christians at
For many of our church repairs we are indebted to the Friends of Saint Mary’s, without whom we would find it very difficult to manage. The church building is in good condition. Our architect’s five-yearly report, known as the Quinquennial Inspection, is due in 2009 and we are confident it will show only minor matters needing urgent attention. Some challenges loom for the future, though; the churchyard walls need repair and the two large west windows may need re-glazing in the near future. This year the organ once again underwent major repairs: we are privileged to possess such a superb instrument but it seems to require expensive repairs every four years or so, apart from routine maintenance and tuning. We have now established a fund which should cover organ costs, provided it is topped up from time to time by holding special events. We are most grateful to all those who donated to this fund.
Towards the end of 2008 we obtained approval from the
Diocesan authorities to go ahead with a replacement for the altar in the St
Alban chapel. The old altar was knocked together from scrap timber in the 1970s
as a temporary measure and its frontal was rotting and threadbare. We had the opportunity just before Christmas
to acquire a beautiful light-oak altar, free of charge, from a church in
In 2008 we were all deeply saddened by the death of our Tower Captain, Colin Mann, after a whole lifetime of service to St Mary’s Church and its bells. Over the church’s long history, few can have done so much or been regarded with such warmth.
Finally, we wish to record our gratitude to Richard and his family. At a time when the Church of England in this diocese is desperately short of clergy, we are fortunate indeed to have a Rector - and his wife and family - who are so energetic and active, yet so human and approachable. Thank you. Thank you, also, to all the worshippers at this church and all who support us financially or in other ways. May we long continue in unity, to carry forward the work of Christ in this village and to show God’s grace in all our lives.
Jessica Miller and Philip Bonner
PCC
Secretary
Since the last report, 11 meetings
of the PCC have been held, plus its annual party in December which took place
at the new Rectory.
Six members will be standing down this year; thus we are looking for fourteen nominations to bring us up to full strength. In these circumstances you are earnestly requested to consider if you could spare a couple of hours each month and so make a contribution to the running of the parish.
Thanks are again due to Phil Bonner for looking after our finances so well. He does this in addition to the many calls on his time as Churchwarden and we are indeed most indebted to him.
As reported last year, the various sub-committees work well and their contributions are most appreciated. The Friends of St. Mary's assist us financially in the upkeep of the church and their support in this is most appreciated.
As also reported last year, a quotation for servicing the organ of £5,500 was received and an organ fund was duly set up to cover this expense. In the event, damage to the organ was less than expected and the final account amounted to £2,500; thus £2,500 still remains in the organ fund to cover future expenses.
The PCC again thank all those working behind the scenes, without whom life would indeed be a great deal more tedious for us all and it would be very difficult to maintain the current high standards.
Sheila Dellar
FABRIC
Hall Committee; Holy Dusters
Hall
Committee
The
committee has worked hard this year to keep the Hall and its fittings in good
condition.
Our
cleaner, Sue Lack, resigned in the spring and we were fortunate in having
several applications for the post. Rachel Williams, who lives in the village,
was appointed and as she works with the pre-school she is able to fit in her
cleaning hours around lettings. She has been very helpful in the matter of
issuing keys to hirers.
Several
small repairs were carried out over the year and a new projection screen
fitted. Grant Penniston serviced the heaters, carrying out a small repair on
the one in the foyer. He also fitted a new immersion heater. As part of the
planned refurbishment, new water heaters were fitted to the toilet sinks and
new seats fitted in the ladies toilets. We are very grateful to Brain Winterson
for redecorating the disabled toilet.
Weekday
lettings are at a good level and generating a useful income; nevertheless there
is still scope for further use by church groups. The lettings policy has been
revised to clarify how priorities are decided. Church organisations are asked
to book through Liz Summerfield as it cannot be assumed that the hall will be
free, even on Festival Sundays. Once a booking has been made it will be
honoured. The committee has publicised the need to book loans of crockery and
glasses to prevent these being taken from the hall when needed by a hirer.
The
pre-school committee and staff have been very helpful this year and we continue
to work well with their personnel. Each holiday they review their equipment and
tidy their storage areas. A problem with the drain in the middle of the car
park was very quickly resolved.
Holy Dusters
Throughout
2008 “Holy Dusters” continued to clean the church every last Thursday of the
month. Several times there were only three Dusters and we did our best to cover
the main areas of the church. When more Dusters were available we were able to
do the areas such as the porch and Choir vestry or to give extra attention to
the chancel and nave. We continue to recruit and were much heartened in
February of 2009 when an extra four people turned up and we were able to clean
all areas in the space of one hour.
Sunday
School; Tots and
Teddies; S.M.A.S.H.; S.A.S.;
Sunday
School
This year, although regular numbers have been low we have
had the pleasure of several visiting grandchildren boosting our numbers during
various holidays.
Marjorie has continued to adapt the Family Communion
readings each month into meaningful presentations, which we very much
appreciate.
Our year started with a study on the Lord’s Prayer over
several weeks which had some really useful thought provoking question and
answer sessions.
Next we looked at why Jesus loves us and how we could do
things because of his love.
As always, Mothering Sunday cards were made and given out to
all our Church Mums and so that the Dads weren’t left out, we made up prayers
for their service.
Easter Banners were produced with the help of the
We spent four weeks doing activities and investigating Noah
and the Flood, which produced a lovely display for the Church Hall.
Patricia, our Action Aid child, is always in our thoughts,
so we let her know about our fund raising at Maulden Fair and sent her some
paper, pens, etc. in a new school bag and drew her some pictures about life in
Maulden.
A couple of weeks were used to look at how Jesus recruited
his disciples and how we can all become Fishers of Men.
After a break for the summer holidays, continuing on our theme,
we found out a bit more about who the disciples were.
Harvest rushed up on us (as always) and our gifts were
given, closely followed by our Shoe Box gifts which, together with the school’s,
we delivered to the local collection centre, co-ordinated by Marjorie: thank
you.
On Remembrance Sunday we made tissue pictures of Poppy
fields to place on our war memorial in church.
After a very good ‘Bright Lights Party’ we expanded our knowledge
of Gideon for a couple of weeks.
Finally, we were again into the Pre Christmas run up and we
helped to make ‘Christingles’ at the Leaches: our thanks to them for their help
and support. Banners were created to depict ‘Royal Night, Holy Night and Starry
Night’ and the Nativity play adapted by Hannah was super: thank you.
If ever you fancy being a child again come and join us for a
morning and see what the ‘
With our thanks to everyone who helps and supports us in our
work.
Janet Warner and Emma
Jackson
Our
under fives and carers continue to meet regularly during the year for their own
act of worship. The worship is designed especially for this age group and no
one minds if the congregation don’t always behave in the manner their carers
would want them to!
Not
only is Tots and Teddies an act of worship but it also offers a chance for the
carers to chat and build up friendships while the children play. Please feel
free to pop in and join in the fun and introduce yourself to another member of
our church family.
S.M.A.S.H.
We
now have a dedicated group of 5-9 year olds who attend our ‘non-Sunday Sunday
School’ on a Tuesday after school.
The
group explore the Christian faith using both bought in and home made material.
We have a select few but those who attend are very keen and very regular in
their attendance.
Our
oldest members of the church continue to go from strength to strength with the
addition of new members this year. S.A.S. or ‘Sundays at Six’ offers a chance
for the youth members of the church to have their own space and time to be
together. Sessions usually begin with a game followed by group work that splits
the young people into age ranges. Subjects tackled are many and often the young
members come up with big questions and often big answers. We should be
particular proud of our 9-14 year olds as they are all involved in at least one
other activity which supports the worship and running of the church. Due to my
sabbatical the older 14+ group continued to meet as S.A.S. in 2008 but will
launch into their own programme in 2009.
The
At
Easter, ‘Landlubbers’ was run and in the summer ‘Champions Challenge’.
Landlubbers
saw us learning about Paul’s letter to the Phillipians. A treasure map was
found and clues led us to discover more about Paul (or do I mean Saul?). Pirate
costumes were the order of the day and we couldn’t let the week go by with out
our infamous water games, disguised as cannon ball target practice.
In
the Summer we took our theme from the Olympics which were being held. The games
for each day were centred around the children improving their score in five
activities. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded at the end of the week
to those who showed most improvement. We learnt about Jesus from Luke’s Gospel
and that Jesus is our guide for our life.
As
always with holiday clubs a lot of craft and games takes place; the holiday
club song is sung and there is prayer and finding out more about Jesus.
Special
thanks go to our youth members at Church who help out with the drama, running
activities and organising the technology when it goes wrong!!
We
all have great fun at Holiday Clubs and they are a great way of showing people
in our village that being a Christian is great fun and not boring.
Jo Winslade
MUSIC
Director of
Music;
Firstly, I wish to report how grateful I
am to the members of the choir for all their singing, their attendance during
2008 and their effort and the part they play in leading worship week by week.
They sang at the Sunday Holy Communion Services, Family Services, Harvest
Festival Evensong, the Advent Carol Service, the service of Nine Lessons and
Carols, Christmas Midnight Service, Maundy Thursday, Easter Sunday Evensong,
Songs of Praise at the ‘Made in Maulden’ weekend and at ten weddings. They also
sang on the occasions of Bishops Christopher Herbert and Bishop Leslie Walker’s
visits to the church.
The Advent Carol Service included
traditional carols for the choir, Jubilate and congregation. Jubilate members
sang the carol ‘Like a candle flame’ while adult items included ‘
Again, as in past years, the Service of
Nine Lessons and Carols was outstanding. The first unaccompanied verse of the
first carol ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ was sung beautifully by Abigail
Jackson. Jubilate sang the carol ‘Come, come, come to the manger’ and joined in
all the other well known carols. Carols sung by the choir included ‘The Lord at
first did Adam make’, ‘Bethlehem Down’ and ‘See him lying on a bed of straw’.
There are thirteen senior choristers.
in addition to which three other adult singers joined in singing at the carol
services. It is hoped that in due time some of the members of Jubilate will
join the adult choir.
Apart from the month of August the
‘Music Notes from the Organ loft’ detailing the organ music played on Sundays
have been produced for each Sunday. These continue to be greatly appreciated by
members of the congregation and choir.
Over 200 individual pieces of organ
music have been played during the last twelve months, none of which, apart from
six, were repeated during the year.
I gave an Organ Recital on 18 October
2008 in aid of the Organ Appeal fund. The programme included ‘England’s Glory’
by Nigel Ogden, an organ arrangement of Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, the chorale
prelude ‘Nun singet und seid froh’ by J.S. Bach, ‘The blue bell of Scotland’
and the ‘Spitfire Prelude’ by William Walton.
Many thanks to all those who
contributed to the Organ Appeal Fund. I also wish to place on record my thanks
to the choir and especially to John Bagworth for dealing with the filing of
music, for Jill Mather for working on cataloguing the choral music and to Sue
Winterson for caring for the robes. My thanks also go to Gordon Spoor for
playing the organ in my absence.
Brian
Winterson
Our year began in the usual way by ringing the Old Year out and the New Year in. We have rung for all the services needing bells throughout the year and we have welcomed another ringer to the tower who lives in Ampthill.
A lot of our members have attended the various district meetings held each month during the year and the Christmas District Dinner and Social and the District's Annual Dinner held in April. We also held our own annual dinner at 'The George' in February.
Many weddings were rung for during the year and, as last year, we did not need a lot of help from neighbouring towers as we usually can arrange a band from our own ringers.
We have not had a lot of visiting ringers this year; two groups came from the
We joined the district outing in April to Hertfordshire and the
We continue to have our weekly practice on Wednesday evenings, when we often welcome visitors. We also visit Silsoe and Flitwick practice nights most weeks.
We thank the Rector and the PCC for their support and we will continue to keep the bells ringing and calling the people of Maulden to worship at St. Mary's.
Mary
Mann
No
report for the Bell Ringers would be complete without a tribute to the Maulden
tower Captain who passed away at the end of 2008.
Colin
David Mann 3 November 1933 to 26 October 2008:
Colin
spent his early years in Maulden attending the village school and the church,
firstly as a choir boy and then later, after his voice broke, as a ringer.
Colin became tower captain in Maulden in 1991, a post he held until his death.
Colin
was very keen to pass on his knowledge and enthusiasm for bell ringing. He
actively supported the opening of the tower whenever possible, whether the
occasion was for visiting ringers, open Sundays or an educational visit from
the school or local Scout groups. Colin was fantastic with young people. Even
some of the Scout leaders who brought their charges to visit the tower
commented on his easy nature and patience with the children and young people.
He
taught many people to handle a bell and would always encourage any visitor to
the tower to ‘have a go’ in the hope that at the least it would be a memorable
experience and hopefully lead to another tower recruit. One of the last to be
offered this opportunity was Bishop Leslie Walker from
Colin
was a much loved and great friend to many ringers in the Bedfordshire area and
beyond. His death following a short illness on the 26 October brought great
sadness to all of us. The high regard in which he was held was evident at the
Service of Thanksgiving for his life on the 6 November at St Mary’s Maulden as
the Church was full with close on 150 people attending. The Reverend Richard
Winslade, conducted the service and gave a very emotional sermon. Many of the
congregation were ringers and before the service a representative band of the
Biggleswade District of the Bedfordshire Association rang touches of Grandsire
and Stedman Triples.
The
cortège left the church to the closing bars of the Finale of Saint-Saens Organ
Symphony and a further touch of Grandsire Triples rung by Colin’s close
friends. The family left to attend the Cremation at Bedford Crematorium and
ringing continued until they returned some hour and a half later. Well over 50
ringers took part in the open ringing, from rounds to surprise major; the final
touch was a course of Superlative Surprise Major, that being one of the
favourite methods to which Colin enjoyed listening.
Donations
were invited in lieu of flowers and the sum of £1,160 was shared between The
Friends of St Mary’s Maulden and the Biggleswade District Belfry Repair Fund.
Several
peals and quarter peals have been rung in Colin’s memory and these include one
rung on his beloved Maulden bells, during the ringing of which his ashes were
interred at the foot of the tower.
Colin,
your earthly touch has been called home and you now join that band in the
nearer presence of God. May you rest in peace.
Jubilate
The
Junior Choir at St Mary’s continues to meet during term time for rehearsals on
Mondays. The choir has continued to attract new singers who continue to follow
the ‘Voice for Life’ programme from the Royal School of Church Music.
We
were pleased to award White Ribbons to two members and Light Blue Ribbons to
two members. All are now progressing through to the next award and we hope that
five members will go on to gain their Dean’s award in 2009.
The choir continues to join the main choir at major festivals, including Easter and Harvest Evensong, the Advent Carol Service (where Naomi sang a solo) and at the ‘Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols’ when Abigail sang the solo verse to ‘Once in Royal David’s City.’ Jubilate also join the main choir in singing at weddings during the year.
Our
concert in July is becoming a regular event. This year the singing included
excerpts from ‘The Sound of Music’ as well as choir items plus the playing of
solo items on instruments the members are learning. The choir also sang at Made
in Maulden, the Senior Citizens parties at Easter and Christmas and at the
Christmas Bazaar.
New
members are always welcome or if you wish to come and hear us rehearing on
Monday evenings from 5.00pm you will be most welcome.
Jo Winslade and Lyn Rowswell
EVANGELISM
Evangelism
Committee; Men’s
Breakfast; Scouts; Church Open
Days; Welcome Packs; Website
Evangelism
Committee
The
committee has continued this year to assist the PCC in finding news ways of spreading
God’s love and growing the church family. Phil Bonner,
We
have been keen to draw those families involved with baptisms more closely into
the church family. The baptism packs devised last year were completed. Each
pack contains a personal invitation to Tots and Teddies, as well as other
information about church activities for children and families. Following each
baptism, a pack is delivered by one of the Tots and Teddies mums, provided the
family is sufficiently local. The policy and practice of baptisms in St. Mary’s
were reviewed by the PCC and the committee assisted with this, collating the
PCC’s views. We have proposed a system of a “friend” for each baptism family;
in the future, a member of the congregation will be asked to come to the
meetings with the Rector, attend the baptism service, look after the family at
the “welcome”, answer any questions of a practical nature and ensure the family
is invited to future events. Leaflets have also been prepared about baptisms at
St. Mary’s for inclusion in the Welcome Packs etc.
We
have been equally keen to ensure that wedding couples feel fully part of the
church family. Each couple now receives an anniversary card and an invitation
to attend church on the Sunday nearest the anniversary of their wedding, when
their marriage will be remembered. In the future, each couple will be sent a
special invitation to attend church to hear their banns read. The committee has
researched the practice in other churches of looking after wedding couples.
Leaflets have been prepared about marriages at St. Mary’s for inclusion in the
Welcome Packs etc.
A
database of baptisms and marriages held at St. Mary’s has been prepared so that
personal invitations can easily be sent out for appropriate church events.
The
committee was involved in helping to organise the meetings on the future
direction of the church and the vision; in particular the Strategic Plan was
updated prior to the meetings.
The
committee made the proposal of, and helped to organise, the “Welcome Back
Richard Sunday”; the personal invitations were devised and delivered. It was
great to see so many in church on that Sunday.
In
the past the committee has played a somewhat uncertain role in publicising
church services and events. This role has now been passed to the Publicity
Committee with some suggestions from the Evangelism Committee.
Jon Denman
Men’s
Breakfast
There were 11 Men’s Breakfasts held in 2008 plus, as in previous
years, one gathering in The George.
The year saw six different speakers cover the following topics:
The peace of God
What do Christians believe?
Jesus the man
The Old Testament Prophets
Puritans and the Reformation
Faith: what does it mean?
Forgiveness
What is Prayer and does it work?
Science and the Bible
Christianity and war
The wise sayings of Solomon.
By any measure, these subjects are wide
ranging, entertaining and thought provoking. That people are willing to bring
such topics to the table for general discussion we are grateful, as indeed we
are to all who join in the postprandial debate.
In particular, we must thank that most
able of chefs, the Rev Richard Winslade, whose culinary skills keep us coming
back for more. This year, during Richard’s sabbatical, Keith Barry capably took
charge of the galley, helped by sous-chef John Bagworth; our grateful thanks go
to them.
The
group which foregathers for Men’s Breakfasts is not a closed niche. Indeed, our
numbers vary each month (although the average is around 14 attendees) and it is
often the case that just as some people are otherwise engaged, so others are
free to join us. Thus, many more than 14 mouths have sampled the well-cooked
fare over the year and heard words of challenge and inspiration. In fact, we
were even joined in August by Bishop Leslie Walker from the Anglican Diocese of
Mpumalanga in
We
are always glad to see new faces and only have two rules: (i) you have to be
male and (ii) you have to be a good trencher!!
Almost
as an aside to our continuing programme of education, information and
entertainment, we were able to donate £420 to the church, a fine achievement of
which I am proud.
John Stratton
Scouts
The
church continues to have a good working relationship with the local Scouts and
Guides. Many of our young church members and adults are involved in Scouting
and Guiding locally and the local Guide company meets in our Church Hall.
The
church was very heavily involved in helping the local Scout group work towards
their Group Faith Badge. Activities included several visits to the church and
churchyard, a panel of churchgoers interviewed by the Scout troop, the building
of a wildlife hotel in the churchyard and a wedding service. The wedding
service is of particular note. Members of the Scout Group and their parents
gathered at the church where the bride, groom and all the bridal party were
played by Scouts and the Rector played by another Scout with connections to the
Rector. The
Richard
continues with his appointment within the Scout Association and this year had
the privilege of preaching at
Welcome
packs
From the
launch of the Welcome Packs in May 2005 until the end of December 2008, well
over 100 homes in Maulden have been visited. Without exception the Welcome
Packs have been very well received and have raised the profile of the church,
with each newcomer having a warm welcome.
The
Evangelism Committee has responsibility for the preparation and distribution of
the packs and Committee members are regularly reviewing the leaflets, updating
and adding to them. Each pack now contains 34 separate leaflets as well as a
complimentary parish magazine. The packs give information regarding a wide
range of activities in the village, both church and non-church related.
I
am most grateful to members of the church for drawing my attention to new
arrivals in the village. Posters advertising the packs have also led to several
enquiries.
My
thanks go to members of the Evangelism Committee for their enormous help and,
in particular, to Jenny Tucker for taking charge and delivering packs when I
was away during the early part of the year. Many thanks also to Rosemary
Franklin for delivering copies of the magazine to me each month.
If
you have any suggestions for additional information for inclusion in the packs
or know of new arrivals in the village, please do let me know. I rely on your
eyes and ears to make certain that as many newcomers as possible are visited.
Jon
Denman
Church Open
Days
St
Mary’s is open from 3pm to 5pm every Sunday from May to September inclusive. We
have now completed our ninth year and it is widely known that we are open.
Local people often call in with their friends and relatives and we also see
people from further afield. We welcome our visitors and offer them tea and
cakes, with items of church memorabilia and other items available for purchase.
We also offer the facility to do brass rubbings but this is not often taken up.
In
2008, 189 adults and 40 children visited the church. This was slightly fewer
than the previous year, probably due to the wet summer putting people off their
Sunday outings. On the other hand, our
income of £202.03 through selling teas and other items was up compared with
2007. However, our main interest is to encourage people to come into our
church; to give them a warm welcome and to let them feel the tranquillity and
peace of a place which they can come back to at any time, whether in joy or in
sorrow.
Opening
our church would not be possible without the contribution of our helpers from
the congregation, who not only open the doors to our visitors but also bake
cakes and provide the teas - thank you all again!
We
look forward to a good summer and lots of visitors in 2009!
Jan Ayee
Website www.stmarysmaulden.org
After
all the work undertaken last year getting the website properly established,
activities in 2008 mostly centred around the following areas:
Diary of events – this is updated as frequently as possible but I did have great difficulty in obtaining full or accurate information to include in this important page. For most events I had to try and cajole a variety of people to ascertain details and scour the Maulden Magazine and weekly pew sheets to learn about most special services and social events. Improved communications have been promised for 2009 and I hope these come to fruition because the diary page should be an excellent vehicle for trumpeting the dynamic range of worship and other activities happening at St Mary’s
Sermons – the sermon pages are the next most frequently updated pages and I remain indebted to John Stratton for diligently recording the sermons and making them available for publication on the site. Hitherto, when John had been on holiday or absent from a particular service, no alternative recording source was available, leading to large gaps in the portfolio of sermons on the site. However, it is hoped this situation will be overcome in the future by the loan of another digital recorder
Photographs of recent events – after the initial enthusiasm last year to provide me with photographs of all that was happening at St Mary’s to add to the website, trying to obtain photographs for events in 2008 proved very much more difficult. It is vitally important to demonstrate to the village and the wider community that we are a fully functioning, vibrant and outward looking church and there is no better way of reflecting this than by letting people see photographs of all that we do. Such pictures really tell the story of our church family and our fellowship together and, without a proper record both to tell our story and for posterity, we could quite wrongly be perceived as lacklustre in some areas. Whilst I have tried to take photographs to add to the site, I cannot possibly attend every single event and therefore have to rely on others to help build up that visual record. I thank those who helped in this regard in 2008 and make this plea to everybody: whenever there is an event in 2009, think “photographs” and “website”
Size of images and general website maintenance – I was conscious that some of the images appearing on the site were far too large to be seen whole on a computer screen. Accordingly, in the course of 2008, I reviewed every picture on the site and reduced the largest ones down to a manageable size. Whilst undertaking this exercise, I also rectified a few errors and blind links which had crept in and deleted some of the pages and documents which had become obsolete.
At
the series of meetings with members of the congregation held towards the end of
2008, a number of positive suggestions were mooted as to how the website might
be further enhanced and I would be very happy to try and incorporate whatever
proposals are agreed as a result of this consultation exercise.
Finally,
I am pleased to confirm that the domain name and hosting package have been
renewed for 2009 at no cost to the church.
Kevin Sims
PASTORAL
Pastoral Care team; Prayer Team
Pastoral
Care team
The
Pastoral Care Team continues to reach out to people who need a bit of help or
just simple contact. The team arranges visits to people in their homes; mainly
to elderly people who find it difficult to get out and about, who appreciate a
bit of company now and then or who are ill, housebound or in need of any kind.
We
also have four tea afternoons each year, which are very popular and successful,
with approximately 40 senior citizens attending each one; transport is provided
if required. We start with a sherry and then follow this with sandwiches,
sausage rolls and cakes. Then comes the entertainment; a general sing along
often preceded by a short performance by Jubilate and Geoff, with Pat at the
piano.
The
Easter Tea was the first event in 2008, with an Easter Bonnet competition for
those who wished to participate. Everyone went home with an Easter egg.
Kathleen and Gordon Spoor let us use their lovely garden for the Garden Party;
erecting the tents and gazebos was hard work but very worthwhile as the party
was enjoyed by all who came, despite the strong wind! Our Autumn Tea was
another happy event and we had an extra treat for everyone: a gift of some
produce from the Harvest Festival. Finally, the Christmas Tea was festive and
jolly, set off by Christmas table arrangements, crackers, mince pies etc and
lots of raffle prizes.
The
raffles continue to be very popular, thanks to the people who generously donate
prizes. The income funds the teas and a surplus of £100 was donated to Church
funds at the end of the year.
We
continue to receive plenty of help with the parties (which are of course great
fun) and the visits - a most important activity - are also very enjoyable and
rewarding and are much appreciated by those who are housebound or who cannot
get about very easily. As always, if
anyone is interested in joining the team please speak to Jan, Carol or Richard.
Thank
you again to all of the team and to all the helpers for their work in 2008.
Jan Ayee
Prayer Team
The
team has been asked to pray for 63 people and their families since the last
APCM report.
The
prayer box in the church has been used on 4 occasions.
Sadly,
there have been a number of deaths including Gayle Williams, a friend, who has
stayed with us and attended Saint Mary’s during her visit; she was executed by
the Taliban in
Also,
a local man who was killed through a traffic accident.
We
thank God that a number of people we have prayed for have recovered or improved
and we have been thanked on a number of occasions for our prayers.
Non-Christians
and people of other faiths are surprised and grateful when we offer to pray for
them or their family members.
The
requests for prayers have come from Church members, village families and from
overseas.
I
would like to remind the PCC that we are here for everybody and if you know
family and friends who need prayers please contact me. Prayer requests are kept
confidential within the team.
John Stratton
DISCIPLESHIP
Bible Study Groups; Sat Chat; Pub Theology; Bookstall; Food and Fellowship
Bible Study
Groups
10 Brownshill
We
are a small group meeting at 8pm every Thursday, when we enjoy not only
exploring the Bible but the accompanying refreshments!
2008
proved to be nothing short of exciting, as we investigated the books of Jonah,
Joel and Amos, before moving on to looking at the early Christian community as
described in various parts of the Bible.
For
us, Jonah was the surprise. We mostly remembered him for the whale but had not
appreciated that he was being disobedient to God’s instructions. God sent Jonah
to
Our
whole approach to unpacking the Bible is with a light touch; we do not get
involved in heavy theological debate and always try to apply the messages we
uncover to our own situations. We would enjoy more members to help us in our
travels through this rich treasurehouse of God’s revelation.
John Stratton
Corner House,
At
the start of the year we completed our study of David, King of Israel and
looked at the life of his son Solomon. His name is associated with three books:
Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. We considered their place in the
culture of the time and discussed whether they had any significance for us
today.
During Lent we joined with
others on the Lent course looking at the Lord's Prayer and finding deep
significance and truth behind its simple phrases.
After that we turned to the New Testament and read
Before Christmas we had a short advent course for the
first time. ‘Tough Talk: the hard sayings of Jesus’, took us through some
challenging moments when Jesus had been teaching. This really made us think
about how we live as Christians.
We meet every Thursday afternoon
during term time and have coffee, make friends, discuss contemporary life as
well as exploring the Bible and praying for each other. Come and join us one
day; we should love to see you.
Jessica Miller
The
format for Sat Chat has developed over the year. The aim is to provide an
informal meal with a discussion to which anyone of any age is most welcome; it
is particularly suitable for families. We meet on the last Saturday in the
month at 6pm in the Church Hall.
We
now have a simple bring and share supper, with each person or family providing
enough food and drink for themselves but with a view to sharing. When the food
is shared round it is amazing how well balanced meals emerge without any prior
planning. The hassle of cooking in the church hall or the delay and expense of
a take-away are avoided. For a few weeks we met in the George but this turned
out to be rather expensive.
The
idea is to discuss moral or religious topics; anything can be covered so long
as it is neither too theological nor flippant. All those attending are
encouraged to come with one or more topics (ideally expressed as a question)
written on a card in no more than a couple of sentences. Often it might be a
matter covered in a recent newspaper article and we try to ensure that some of
the questions are relevant to children. The cards are placed in a pot and read
out in turn. The matters raised have been very wide ranging; anything from
“Would you die for your faith?” to “Do you agree with carrying identity cards?”
have been covered. We normally spend about 5 to 10 minutes on each topic.
It
is a chance to enjoy an informal meal with and stretch your mind in a very
relaxed way. Average attendance has been about 15 but we love to see more
joining us.
Jon Denman
The
daily Bible verses are sent out to 64 people by e-mail, this being an increase
of three over the 2007 number. The recipients were not only in the
Sadly,
the Taliban in a drive-by shooting murdered Gayle in
Additionally,
the verses are used in the Pew leaflets and a number of people receiving the
verses forward them to their friends.
We
receive regular feedback from people who are amazed at just how the verses
relate to their personal situations.
If
you would like to receive a daily Bible verse or know someone who would, then
please contact me.
John Stratton
Pub
Theology
I have been disappointed by the seemingly less than lukewarm
response to the arrival in Maulden of Pub Theology. Aside from two or three
notable exceptions, members of our church family appear unwilling (or unable: I
am mindful of other
commitments) to spend just an hour a month getting more deeply involved in the Scriptures
in this forum.
In both January and February I spent time, as usual,
researching and preparing notes for the Pub Theology sessions, only to find
myself at the appointed times in meetings of one. Accordingly, it was decided
to suspend Pub Theology for a while.
An opportunity to revive it came with the introduction of
the new style “Sat Chat”. It was agreed that “lighter” issues would be
discussed at the latter forum, with Pub Theology taking on some of the meatier
aspects. As a result, three changes were introduced to Pub Theology:
the
meetings were moved from their former slot of the first Tuesday in each
month to the third Monday in each month
a
rotation system was introduced, whereby different people lead each session
the subject matter was changed from looking at the readings for the following Sunday to looking at a section or theme from Scripture chosen by the particular leader.
This system appears to have worked well since Pub Theology
restarted in September. Topics covered have included the differing accounts of
the call of the Disciples, aspects of the Gospel of Luke, the third letter of
John and the Christmas narratives.
However, the number of people from St Mary’s church family
who come along can still be counted easily on the fingers of one hand. Indeed,
sometimes we are equally matched in numbers by members from another nearby
Anglican church. Whilst it is a joy to embrace these individuals from outside
our own fold, it does somewhat put the visibility of
members of St Mary’s church to shame.
Kevin Sims
Positioned
at the back of the church, the bookstall is available to everyone coming to St
Mary's. There is a selection of Christian books for adults and children, which
are changed on a regular basis introducing new books and seasonal topics. Books
can also be ordered.
Food and
Fellowship
Food
and Fellowship resumed once again for a wholesome meal followed by a guest
speaker for the three remaining months of the year, October, November and
December.
As
always a variety of speakers and
subjects were covered. the Rev Jay Macleod talked about his work with the
Diocese of St Albans as Inter Faith Adviser, the Rev Simon Elman spoke about
his work with the Messianic Jews and Jon Denman about his experiences of
Travelling with World with God after his recent cruise. Conversations during
the meal were once again lively and the talks given by each speaker were well
received.
Thanks
go to those who helped to co-ordinate the evenings by booking speakers, organising
food, room layout etc.
SOCIAL
Sewing Group
Sewing
Group
Maulden
Sewing Group continued to meet every Wednesday afternoon in term time and
through the summer holidays. Members enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, the time
to pursue their chosen craft and lively conversation.
In
May we exhibited many beautiful, hand made pieces of embroidery and knitting in
St Mary's 'Made in Maulden' exhibition and it was lovely to see just how many
artistic and talented people we have in this parish.
In
September we visited Burghley House and, at Christmas, 28 members enjoyed lunch
at the Flying Horse Inn. I hasten to add that the current, lengthy
refurbishment of the inn has nothing to do with our visit!
The
members have made the Sewing Group what it is today. It is the members who help
to run the sessions in my absence, to prepare the room, to make the tea and to
help with organising events. It is the members who make Wednesday afternoons
the 'Happy Hour' in the middle of the week.
In
June 2009 we shall be celebrating our seventh birthday, which seems like a very
good reason to have more cake! If you like cake and you enjoy a needlecraft
bring your needles and come and join us.
Jacqueline
Banks
CHARITIES
Traidcraft
As
part of our support for ethical trading, St Mary's has had a monthly stall
selling Traidcraft goods. This was open after the 8 o'clock and 9.30 services
on Sunday morning and at the Christmas bazaar. Many people also bought cards
and craft items from the Christmas catalogue, where there was a range of
unusual, high quality gifts.
Buying
fair trade goods means that the farmers or craftsmen receive a fair price for
their work giving them enough money to support their families and develop basic
community projects.
Prebend Street Day Centre
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
of mine you did it for me.” (Matthew
25:40).
This
has been a very successful year for Saint Mary’s and
In
2008 we delivered over 140 bin liners of clothes, including bedding, curtains,
footwear and toiletries etc. In particular, the harvest festival response was
very generous; it took two car loads to deliver all the donations.
Our
reaction to the centre’s urgent request for large men’s shoes produced, in a
very short space of time, seven pairs. The team at
Although
a registered charity, the Prebend Street Day Centre receives little official
support, so our efforts make a great deal of difference. People ask me what
will they accept and the answer is “everything”! On the very rare occasions
they cannot use an item, they then pass
it on to the King’s Arms Yard Night Centre. Nothing is wasted.
Your
continued support does make a big difference to local people who do not have a
home or who cannot work.
John Stratton
THE WIDER
CHURCH
The Deanery; The Diocese
The Deanery
Christina
Rees addressed the first meeting of the year on the subject of “Women and the Episcopacy”.
This was due to be debated later at General Synod. She was an excellent speaker
and took us through the historic roles of women in the church. She pointed out
that secular society has had a great influence on the roles women were allowed
to take. In the early church, women’s roles were reduced because Roman society
mocked and scorned an organisation which gave women managerial power; nowadays
secular society mocks and scorns the Church for the reverse situation.
The second meeting of the year was the start of a new Triennium, and so it was mainly a business meeting at which new officers and committees were elected and reports received from representatives on Diocesan committees and General Synod.
In
October Reverend David Powell retired from the post of Rural Dean and we
celebrated communion at Ampthill. This was followed by a presentation to David
from the Deanery and refreshments were served.
The
Pastoral Committee worked hard to produce a Deanery Review, which was presented
to the Diocesan Committee in February this year. We are expecting to reduce the
number of clergy in the Deanery over the next seven years from 8.5 to 6. This
is because the Church has insufficient numbers of new ordinands coming forward
to provide priests for every benefice. This reduction will be achieved by
creating new parish groupings when a priest retires or leaves the area and will
have an inevitable impact on the life of all our churches.
The Diocese
The
focus has tended to be on biking but sponsorship can also be gained by hikers
and by helpers such as those who meet and greet participants on the day. Bikers
and hikers choose their own routes and distances, the important thing being to
obtain people to sponsor you for whatever you plan to do. There is no minimum -
or maximum - distance and, if you can’t do it on the usual day, you can do it
when it suits you better.
I
do recommend that you take part this year. How you do it, how far you go and
how much sponsorship you raise are up to you; the more important thing is to
join in. It is always great fun, it is in a good cause and it is good for you!
THE VISION
Vision
Statement
St Mary’s Church exists to be a shining
beacon of welcome in this village:
Ø
To bring every
person to the love of Jesus Christ, regardless of age or background
Ø
To help every
person develop his/her personal Christian ministry
Ø
To provide a
wide range of worship and wholesome social activity for everyone
Ø
To show a
perfect example of love, tolerance, warmth, commitment and generosity in our
dealings with each other, with the local community and the wider world.
With this vision in five years…..
St. Mary’s church will be full of men, women and children of all
ages and from all backgrounds who have experienced, or who are seeking to
experience, the love, peace and joy of having Jesus Christ in their lives and
who wish to hear the word of God. The Church will be, and be recognised as
being, a place where people come together in unity to care for and to support
each other and those throughout Maulden and the wider world.
Vision for Growth 2006 to 2011
The Four
Strands:
Worship;
Caring;
Discipleship;
Evangelism
Five Year Goals:
Worship
To double the number of people who attend services
each week.
Caring
To make St. Mary’s the centre for caring for those in
need in the Parish; particularly the elderly, the bereaved and the sick.
Discipleship
To enable all members of the church family to grow in
the knowledge and love of God and to “live” the Vision.
Evangelism
To make every household in Maulden aware of the purpose for which St. Mary’s exists and what is available for them there.