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Following the Government’s lifting of Covid-19 restrictions there is no longer any need to book to attend services in the Benefice.

The Service at St Michael’s will be filmed and available to watch online on Sunday afternoon.

Here is the link to watch the service together with any of our pre-recorded services:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS6_E8D47JK0aDFP89UvBrQ

CANALSIDE NEWS SUNDAY 15th AUGUST 2021

THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

AND THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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The Collect (a special prayer for this Sunday) Almighty God, who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chose her to be the mother of your only Son: grant that we who are redeemed by his blood may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Post Communion Prayer God most high, whose handmaid bore the Word made flesh: we thank you that in this sacrament of our redemption you visit us with your Holy Spirit and overshadow us by your power; strengthen us to walk with Mary the joyful path of obedience and so to bring forth the fruits of holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Epistle: Galatians 4.4-7 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

The Gospel: Luke 1.46-55 46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

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47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!

48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.

54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.

55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

This Week’s Reflection by Joy

This Sunday marks the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known in Anglo-Catholic circles as the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary, a commemoration of the day on which many believe the Virgin Mary’s body was assumed into heaven without going through a physical death. In scripture there is no mention of the death of Mary or what happened to her in her later years. For me, given that Jesus her son and the Son of God endured a physical death before being taken up into heaven, it would seem likely that Mary also had a physical death, but that is not a point I wish to pursue any further.

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Here in this Benefice, we have Whaddon Church dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin and our diocesan Cathedral is also dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, you may think about the veneration of Mary, she is an important figure in scripture, the mother of Jesus, known in Greek as the ‘theotokos’ or God-bearer, and she is more than worthy of our attention.

I am sure the words we have just heard from the gospel, Mary’s song of praise, the Magnificat, from the Latin for the opening words of the song (My Soul does magnify the Lord), are familiar to most of us; but have you ever stopped to wonder at this hymn of praise from the lips of a young woman, little more than a child (most women of her time were pledged to be married in their early teens) who had just had the most terrifying encounter with an angel? The sheer fact that this young woman had the courage to say “Yes” to the extraordinary declaration that she had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God is in itself amazing, for the penalty for a woman having a child out of wedlock was at best public shame, or to be sold into slavery, but more likely to have been stoned to death, and Mary would have known this! But then to go on and sing these words of praise that echo Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel, show us that in Mary we have not only a young girl of great courage and obedience, but one of piety and knowledge of scripture.

So, lets us think again of the words of praise that she sings. For having praised God as the holy and mighty one, and as her saviour, she recounts some of the things he has done in words that echo the psalms and Torah. Feeding the hungry and helping those who are downtrodden, exalting the humble, this is good news indeed. These are words of revolution, a revolution that is God’s salvation and mercy. But what of those who are wealthy and powerful, (and in the eyes of the world, that means most of us in the west), for God will scatter the proud, bring down those in authority, and send the rich away empty-handed, overturning societal order. For us there is judgement, unless we can turn our eyes away from our power and position, our wealth and accomplishments and direct our

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awe towards God, and humble ourselves before him and do the good works he has prepared for us to do, then we too may enjoy God’s salvation and mercy not just for our spiritual selves but for our physical bodies too. God created a world that provides for us all, and we each have a obligation to use our position, our wealth, our lives responsibly in a way that honours and respects all of God’s creation, not just our fellow human beings but every aspect of his creation in this beautiful planet he has given us.

Recent extreme weather events: record temperatures in Canada and even our own country; wildfires in Greece and California; flooding and loss of lives in Europe, China and Russia; the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes year on year, together with this week’s IPCC report into climate change has highlighted the urgency of action that is required to arrest the damage that humans have inflicted on God’s creation. Although much of that action needs to take place on a governmental level, we too have our responsibility as a church and as individuals to consider every impact we have on our environment, if we are to reduce or at least halt the impact of climate change not just on our own lives and those of our children and grandchildren, but on the lives of those in countries more vulnerable than ours. One home group is already studying the York course ‘Caring for Creation,’ but this cannot be the ‘sum total’ of all we do as a church. John has already spoken about the need to consider our churches impact on our environment, with the aim of seeking to be an eco-church, with all that that involves. If you would like to be part of a group studying ‘Caring in Creation’ or a group helping us to become an eco-church, then please speak to John or me.

For God is indeed scattering the proud, overturning those in authority and sending the rich away empty-handed! Are we ready to humble ourselves, acknowledge our shame and do what we can to bring about

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a revolution in our way of thinking about climate change, in our way of thinking about our brothers and sisters? For only in that way might we enjoy the salvation and mercy of God and take our true place in God’s kingdom as his adopted children, no longer slaves to the values of our present age, but co-heirs with Christ as children of God.

But even as we rejoice in becoming co-heirs with Christ, let us return for a moment to that terrified young vulnerable woman, who had the courage to say a ‘Yes’ to God that changed her life, and has caused her name to be remembered and praised for evermore. Outside Salisbury Cathedral is the arresting statue of a woman by Elisabeth Frink called ‘Walking Madonna’ who is depicted as moving with great purpose away from the Cathedral towards the city. She has her back to the Cathedral dedicated to her memory as strides forward, her face no longer that of a young woman, but one who has witnessed in full trials of watching her children grow, and the horror of her firstborn’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection and now she has an urgent message for the entire world, as she reminds us of the salvation and mercy of God, words that she sung as a young girl repeated with even greater urgency as a mature woman.

I wonder when we are feeling at our most vulnerable, could we come out with such beautiful words of praise and thanksgiving?

Are we ready to say our own ‘Yes’ to God, in whatever he is calling us to do?

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Benefice Day on Exploring Prayer: Saturday 25th September On Saturday 25th September we will be holding a Benefice Prayer Day at Steeple Ashton Methodist Church from 10am-3pm. The day will be led by Canon Roger Morgan who will also preach in the Benefice on the Sunday. Roger is a is an experienced parish missioner who has helped many Churches develop their prayer life and other aspects of their ministry. I would be very pleased if you would make this day a priority. I sense that exploring prayer together is key as we discern God’s plans for our future ministry. Please book via Michael in the office. Many thanks John

Marmalade Update Last week we reported that Jeannette had raised £1,300 from the sale

of her homemade marmalade. We stand corrected as in fact she has

sold over £1,500 worth for various charities including our churches and

for Dorothy House. Well done Jeannette and THANKYOU.

Photo Calendar: Hilperton & Staverton through the Seasons Last week we launched a new fundraiser – a calendar of photos taken in

the Parish through the seasons of the year. We would like you to enter

photographs that you have taken in the past or specifically for the

calendar. The entries will be independently judged to select 13 shots (1

for each month and 1 for the cover) to be included in a 2022 Calendar

which will then be sold to raise funds for our churches. We are looking

for seasonal photos without people in them unless they are

unrecognisable in the distance. The entry fee for each photo is £3.

Digital photos would be ideal as they can be entered by email or by

phone. But if you don’t have access to digital cameras/phones please

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don’t let that put you off – just let us know

and arrangements can be made for your

entry. As the winning photos will be

enlarged for the calendar higher

resolution photos would be best and in

landscape format please. Please send

your entries to Michael by no later

than Midnight on Thursday 30th September

2021. Further details to follow.

Saturday 11th September: A Cream Tea Afternoon Hilperton and Staverton Churches are planning a Cream Tea Afternoon

at St Mary Magdalen’s in Horse Road on Saturday 11th September from

2-4pm. This will tie up with this year’s Ride ‘n’ Stride event. Hopefully

the weather will behave itself and enable us to sit outside but if not we

can always move things indoors. If you could help by providing scones

and/or cakes that would be wonderful. All we need you to do at this

stage is to let Michael know how you could help and we can start

drawing up a list. More details to follow.

Other fundraising in Hilperton and Staverton John’s sponsored walk along the canal towpath : 26/27 October

Quiz Night at St Mary Magdalen’s : date to be decided

Coffee Morning at St Mary Magdalen’s: date to be decided

100 Club Results Congratulations to our recent Draw winners :

July: Doris Lock of Florence Court £20

August: Pam Harris of Raleigh Court £20

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Winnie Morris As many of you know Winnie passed away in the Spring of last year

during the first pandemic lockdown. Next Sunday (22nd August) a

Service of Celebration for her life will be held at St Michael’s at 3pm. If

you knew Winnie and would like to attend the service you will be very

welcome.

Advance Notice of a change to Service start times Please note that with effect from 26th September for a trial period lasting to the end of January, Sunday services at St Michael’s and St Mary Magdalen’s in Hilperton will start at 10.30am. This is to enable John to lead the 9.15 Semington service as well as a Hilperton service when needed and also to enable him and members of the ministry team to lead a monthly Breakfast@9 Service which has been requested by Staverton School which will be open to all. Please pray for all those who are working on the introduction of this new initiative at the school.

Friendship Group Friendship Group, an informal gathering on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 2.30 – 4.00 at St Mary Magdalen’s, will restart on Thursday 9th September. This is an opportunity to play board games, bring your knitting, crochet, colouring or other activity or just chat over a cuppa. Everyone is welcome. Contact Anne Rees on 764365 if you need a lift.

Fundraising for our Sudan and South Sudan link Dioceses

❖ Cream Tea in Steeple Ashton, opposite the Village Hall in Church Street, on Saturday 21 August at 14:00

❖ The Medical Link Garden Party on Sunday 5 September from 14:00 – 17:00 in the South Canonry in Salisbury

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Prayer Requests It is important that we pray for all those who seek our support, especially at this time. Please let Michael know of anyone who particularly needs our prayers. Do ensure that you have their permission.

• We pray for all those who mourn but particularly at this time for the families of Elizabeth Duggan (widow of Stuart Duggan) John Taylor, Frank Alford, Karen Rycraft (nee Duck) and Noel Pizzey.

• Please pray for all those taking summer breaks at the moment that this time will provide relaxation, refreshment and peaceful contemplation.

• Please pray for the Dean of Salisbury and all those involved in the appointment of the 79th Bishop of Salisbury.

• Let us thank God for the continuation of the vaccination programme and the ray of hope it brings to all our lives.

This week we pray for.. Amelia-Lily and family

Andrew Margetts Barbara & David

Beryl Curtis Beryl Strange Colin Jackson

Collette Miyagawa David Daniels David Franklin

Deanna and Family Doreen

Doris and Arthur Walker Elizabeth

Hannah, Ash & Oliver Iris and Paddy Webb

Jacqui Fudge James Vincent

Jess Humphries Judy Meats Lilly & Phil

Margaret Hulbert Michael & Clem Mike Aldridge

Ottie Pat & Stan Thompson

Pauline Burbidge Phyl Brown Rosa Light

Sam Tucker Sophia & Family

Winnie Curtis

St Mary the Virgin

Whaddon

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• We pray for all the staff, pupils, parents and governors of our three schools that they may have a peaceful, blessed and safe summer break.

• Please pray for all those grieving at this time around the World for all those who have died from the Coronavirus.

• Lord we bring before you all those suffering from the effects of Coronavirus in any way and thank you for the NHS, scientists, health professionals, politicians and key workers working so hard to help us through the crisis.

Foodbanks Update TROWBRIDGE STOREHOUSE:

Many thanks to Bill Stubbs who continues to collect donated items from the porches of St Michael’s and St Mary’s in Hilperton each Tuesday & Thursday morning & takes them directly to Storehouse where they are gratefully received. Stock is very low at the moment, everyday items are needed. If you prefer you can make a financial donation so that Storehouse can order supplies from the supermarkets. EVERY donation makes a difference. If you would like to support Trowbridge Storehouse regularly or give a one off donation, please follow the link below and select storehouse. https://westwiltsvineyard.churchsuite.co.uk/donate/fund/zk54op3a On Wednesdays Storehouse provide a Soup Kitchen from 1-2pm “Come on down for smiles and food to fill hungry tummies”

MELKSHAM FOODBANK: is particularly requesting UHT milk, biscuits, tinned soup, tinned meat of any kind, tinned potatoes, instant mash, tinned veg eg carrots, peas, beans, chickpeas this week. Items for the Melksham Foodbank can be left in the porch at St George’s Church, in most local supermarkets and at the Somerset Arms. Please continue to support the work of both our local foodbanks.

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Find details on our Facebook page & our website: www.canalsidebenefice.org.uk BENEFICE CONTACTS:

Rector: Rev John Rees 01225 764365 canalsiderector@gmail.com Curate: Rev Joy Albone 07931638524 canalsidecurate@gmail.com Office: Michael Gamble 07795400262 canalsideoffice@gmail.com

Date / Time Event details Location

Tu

17th 0930 Hilperton/Staverton Morning Prayer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88326941179

Online

W 18th 1000 Midweek Communion St Michael’s

Th

19th 0900

Semington Morning Prayer https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84008141990

Online

1000 1130

Private Prayer St Michael’s

Sa

21st

1100 Interment of ashes: John and Bernice Crucefix

St Michael’s

1300 Wedding: Nicholas Arroyo and Hannah Ryan

St Mary the Virgin, Whaddon

Su

22nd 1145

Baptism: Lara Isobel Miszta

St Michael’s

1500 A Service of Celebration: Remembering the life of Winnie Morris

St Michael’s

BENEFICE DIARY AUGUST