JAN & FEB 2019

Free

2

Regular Sunday Service Schedule

Editor of 1 Voice: Clare Hicks, Trelowen, Lynstone, Bude EX23 0LR 01288 352726; clare.hicks@virgin.net

Copy date for March 2019 issue - by Friday 15 Feb please

8.00 am 9.30 am 11.15 am 6.00 pm

1 Stratton Stratton—Morning Worship

& Marhamchurch

Bude Haven

Launcells

2 Stratton & Bude Haven

Launcells

Marhamchurch

3

Bude Haven & Stratton

Launcells & Family Service Marhamchurch

Stratton

4

Stratton & Marhamchurch

Launcells & Family Service at

Bude Haven

Bude Haven

5 Benefice Eucharist Benefice Evensong

Please contact any of the following for information or enquiries about Anglican Church life in the Benefice:

Our Parish Priest: Father David Barnes,1 Lanvean, Cleavelands, Bude EX23 8AB Tel: 01288 352254 d.barnes645@btinternet.com

Our Churchwardens:

St Andrew’s, Stratton: Yvonne Bishop: 01288 352762 Simon Waring: 01288 321813

St Marwenne’s, Marhamchurch: Rob Corney: 01288 359754 Angela Grills: 01288 361247

St Michael’s, Bude Haven: Susan Cotton: 01288 352896

St Swithin’s, Launcells: Fiona Hargreaves: 01288 381165

Stratton Deanery website: www.strattondeanery.co.uk/

3

PARISH NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends

I write this letter on the run up to Christmas, looking forward with anticipation of all that the celebration of Christmas brings. The four-week period of Advent gives us a chance to prepare both spiritually and practically for the Christmas fes-tivities. The Christmas period is without a doubt short but not as short as the advertising in the shops suggest. In spite of Easter eggs being on sale the day after Boxing day, the Christ-mas season carries on right up to 6th January when we start the season of Epiphany.

The twelve days of Christmas stretch right through the New Year right up to Epiphany when we celebrate the revelation of who this Jesus is. The story of the Magi visiting the child Je-sus tells of men on a mission following a star, leading them to a new king. The gifts they brought point to who Jesus is; Gold for a King, Frankincense for a Priest and myrrh for a sacrifice. In the gifts that are offered we begin to discover the true na-ture of Jesus.

These series of revelations continue for four weeks until we reach the Feast of the presentation of Christ in the temple, commonly called Candlemas. (It’s a time when candles are blessed in the church). Here Christ, as a baby, is revealed by Simeon as “The Light of the World”:

“To be a light to lighten the Gentiles And to be the Glory of my people Israel”

One can only imagine what Mary and Joseph thought as they heard these words being said about their son Jesus, who was not yet six weeks old. They had survived encounters with an-gels, shepherds praising God and Wise men from the east bear-ing gifts. Whatever next!

So, as we prepare for all that God has in store for us in 2019 and beyond and for inevitable changes in all our churches, and indeed as

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St Marwenne’s House Group

The aim of the group is about growing in discipleship. It meets every Wednesday evening at Liz & Malcolm Wright’s home, from 7.30—9 pm. Contact them on 01288 361639, or Janet Ward on 01409 255759 for more details and directions.

This edition of One Voice has been kindly sponsored by

Byron Rowlands

as a thank you for all the support he has received following

Diane’s passing and during his illness

Thank you to everyone

we all ponder the extraordinary events taking place in the po-litical world, I suggest we remember some words from the po-em 'God knows' by Minnie Louise Haskins:

‘And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.’

Yours in Christ’s service

Fr. David

5

Dates for your DECEMBER Diary:

Thursday 13th - Christmas Tree Festival, St Michael’s (see p. 7 for Sunday 16th: details)

Sunday 16th: Nine Lessons & Carols, St Andrew’s 6 pm

Tuesday 18th: Stratton Primary School Christmas Concert, St Andrew’s 1.30 pm

Weds 19th: MU Prayer Group Meeting, 24 Bede Haven Close, 11 am

Saturday 22nd: Christmas Carols and Canapés, Cross Ways, New Road Stratton 7 pm (see p 22)

Monday 24th: Christingle Service, St Andrew’s 4 pm Crib Service, St Marwenne’s 4 pm Crib Service, St Michael’s 4 pm Dates for your JANUARY Diary:

Monday 7th: MU Branch Meeting: Seasonal Fun, Bude TIC 2—4 pm—see page 18 for details

Tuesday 8th: CBS Vespers and Benediction, St Michael’s 4 pm

Saturday 12th: LYCiG session, Falcon Hotel Bude 9.30—3.30

Weds 16th: MU Prayer Group Meeting, 24 Bed Haven Close 11 am

Thursday 24th: MU Corporate Communion—see page 18 for details Dates fro your FEBRUARY Diary:

Sunday 3rd: Deanery Candlemas Service, Poundstock Gildhouse 1.15 pm—see p 26 for details

Monday 4th: MU Branch Meeting: Workshop, St Michael’s 2.30 pm

Tuesday 5th: CBS Vespers and Benediction, St Michael’s 4 pm

Weds 20th: Messy Church, St Michael’s 10.30—12.30

Weds 20th: MU Prayer Group Meeting, 24 Bede Haven Close 11

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7

UPDATING ST SWITHIN’S KITCHEN & TOILET FACILITIES

Dear readers,

At St. Swithin’s church, Launcells we are planning to have a new toilet and to install a kitchen in the tower. We secured a faculty for the work earlier this year which means that we can now proceed with plans to bring mains water down from Barton cottage to the toilet, and tower. Also waste pipes down to a sewage system at the edge of the car park.

The current toilet is not good enough any more and we want to have a flushing loo with a basin with hot and cold running water. Those of you who have helped us in the kitchen at those events where we provide food will know that it is far from ideal and needs to be updated to comply with modern standards. We plan a mod-ern kitchen in the tower with sinks, cupboards, and work surfaces. A new ringing floor will be put up to form a ceiling in the kitchen.

The cost of all of this will come to roughly £35,000. We have so far secured £16,000 of grant funding and other funders have been approached. We want to raise more money from our friends and relatives including parishioners.

What if we don’t raise enough money? We will not be able to have fund raising events! Some people don’t like to use our current toilet and so don’t stay very long in church. Our present arrangements for providing food are not fit for pur-pose. If we can’t have fund raising events, then it is inevitable that St. Swithin’s will close.

Why should this matter to you? St. Swithin’s church is over 1000 years old. It is a part of Launcells’ heritage. Your children can be baptised here; you can get married here and when the time comes you can be buried here.

There are forms available in church for you to use to donate or pledge money for this important cause.

Please take a form and give whatever you can to save your church, or contact Lilian Quinn (01409 2537760 or Margaret Bond (01409 253776) for further information. Thank you.

Margaret Bond

8

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10

Each year, around this time, I begin to wish I owned a wheel-barrow. When all the Children’s Society collection boxes have been opened, I have to go to the bank to pay in all that accumulated cash. Believe you me, it is very, very heavy

and a wheelbarrow would be ideal for transporting it all.

This year, the band of loyal supporters, who keep collection boxes at home, have truly excelled themselves. The total I have banked so far is an amazing £386. There are still a few boxes yet to come in, so it’s going to top £400! That is by far the finest total in the decade. I applaud you all and thank you most sincerely.

I cannot stress too heavily how much the generosity of the box-holders means to the Children’s Society or over-play the amount of good it enables them to do for the most vulnerable children in this country. Last year more than 13,000 children and young people received support from the Children’s Society services.

Making provision for children with mental health problems is just one facet of the work they do. A sobering statistic is that an estimated 1 in 10 children in the UK have a diagnosable Mental Health problem. Worryingly, the Society’s research shows that around 30,000 children a year are turned away from specialist mental health care without further support. To begin to bridge that gap, the Society funds and runs therapeutic support, befriending, counselling and advice services right across the country for young people needing, but lacking, mental health support.

Closely linked with mental health problems in youngsters, Child Poverty is another area of profound concern. Problem debt is often involved and it leaves all family members stressed, anxious and depressed. Because no child should feel under threat in their own home, they are working to ensure that families are not suffering at the hands of debt collectors, loan sharks and bailiffs. Children living in families struggling with debt are five times more likely to become mentally ill than those in families who don’t have difficulty with debt. As well as actively campaigning to raise awareness of this, the Society is lobbying to bring about modifications to the benefits system that would help to end child poverty. Their publicity highlights the damaging effects it has on youngsters’ life chances. Campaigning is ongoing to make sure that children and young people living in poverty can be given the most basic resources they need - a warm home and sufficient meals to grow as other children do. Sadly, poverty is increasing in the UK for the first time in two decades, with more and more families struggling to get by.

On these and many more issues action needs to be taken right now and that is why donations from box holders are so vital. If you would like to help by having a home collec-tion box, please phone me (Susan Cotton) on 01288 352896.

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St. Swithin’s Church, Launcells wishes to thank Mole Valley

Farmers in Holsworthy, for their generous gift of a beautiful

Christmas tree. A big Christmas tree is always an important

part of our Christmas celebrations and we are very grateful.

News from Marhamchurch Tower

Marhamchurch ringers rang a quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles to celebrate the 70

th

anniversary of Charlie Taylor`s election to the Ancient Society of College Youths. This society

is the oldest ringing society in the world, established in 1643, and members must be nominated to join it. Charlie`s membership certificate is dated 27

th November 1947, and he received a

congratulatory letter from the secretary of the ASCY to mark the anniversary.

Charlie learned to ring at St Marwenne`s in 1944, once the war-time restrictions on the ringing of church bells was lifted. He was one of the pioneers of method ringing in this area and rang his first peal at Poughill in May 1947. He then was part of the band that rang the first peal at Marhamchurch in August 1947. He went on to ring more than 50 peals in Devon and Cornwall, as far away as Berry Pomeroy and, where he considered he rang his best peal, Down St Mary, but it is fitting that his final peal, in January 2010, was at St Marwenne`s for his 80

th birthday.

The ringers who rang the quarter peal on Thursday night (29th November) were delighted when Charlie was able to come to the tower and witness the start of the quarter peal, and the duty photographer was able to make a record of the event.

Rob Corney

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November and December at St Michael’s

At St Michael’s each month begins with two regular gatherings. On the first Monday the Mothers’ Union meets in the afternoon. The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament (CBS) holds its devotional service of Vespers and Benediction on the first Tuesday at 4.00 p.m. Both groups extend a standing invitation to you all to come along and see if their activities appeal to you. They would make you very welcome.

The Fund-Raising Committee decided to repeat their successful event held last November and organised another Quiz Evening at the Brendon Arms. This time Mr. Chris Nicholls was the Quizmaster and the topics his questions covered ranged from Local Knowledge to Christmas Carols. As before, crisply delicious fish and chips were served mid-way through, plus rich and squidgy chocolate brownies! The team named “The Thursday Girls” were the worthy winners and the event raised a healthy sum for church funds.

Bude Choral Society held their Autumn Concert in the church on Saturday 24th November. The presentation was entitled Faith, Hope and Peace. The programme was an impressive one and included ‘St Nicholas’ by Benjamin Britten and ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ by R. Vaughan Williams.

From Advent Sunday onwards the calendar steadily fills up, beginning with the Mothers’ Union Advent Carol Service. Our Christingle service is booked for December 9th and 2018 marks 50 years since the Children’s Society introduced Christingle Services into this country. We shall celebrate that. Once again St Petroc’s School and Bude Junior School will be bringing their choirs. This has become quite a tradition and it is lovely to have them with us each year. In the following week, after literally months of planning, the Christmas Tree Festival takes place. Many notable local businesses and organisations will be represented in the display of decorated trees. The venture is to culminate in the popular annual Service of Nine lessons and Carols, accompanied this year by Bude Metric Brass. After that we finally move on to the great event itself – the actual celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, with the Crib Service and Midnight Mass.

Susan Cotton, Churchwarden

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at St Michaels, Bude 10.30 - 12.30

on Wednesday 20th February 2019

Theme ‘Jesus, The Light of the World’

Come along and enjoy a fun session of hospitality, crafts, celebration and lunch for parents, grandparents and children of all ages to enjoy together

Donations are welcome but not compulsory

Notes from St Andrew’s

St Andrew’s Patronal Festival: Gift Day and the 6 lines of table tops with 30 boxes of books, carefully grouped in sections of interest, together with Christmas, Cakes and Jewellery stalls all made for considerable activity on a very blustery and wet day. Friendships were rekindled and the refreshment tables were often all filled with relaxing purchasers. Financially successful thanks to our many loyal supporters from Stratton and beyond, along with the stalwart stall holders and caterers who created a cheerful day for every-one. The delivering of 2,100 Gift Day invitations by our team of 30 helpers is a great effort and proved worthwhile.

Onward into 2019: Our church services will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future thanks to Fr. David, Revd. John Cotton and Revd. Canon Christopher Scott with the growing support from our Local Worship Lead-ers Sheila Waring and Val Barker. My very best wishes for 2019 to you all, and in gratitude for all the help, support and prayers received in 2018 by St Andrew’s.

The New Year will be full of challenges, not problems, and we will show off our enterprise with the help of all the churches in the northern end of the Deanery; ready for our new incumbent who, all being well, should be appointed during the year.

Ian Barker PCC secretary 01288 353435

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Tails from Stratton Tower

Ho! Nice to see you, especially in this weather. I don’t go out very far when it is wet and windy, although I do like to scamper among the fallen leaves to look for the odd nut that the wind might have blown down. It is nice to have something in

the cupboard at this time of year.

We had quite a good store for Christmas, the folk had a Book Fest with nibbles and they left us a good lot of crumbs. It was a really nice event. First they put planks all around the place across the benches and there was a lovely smell of wood. Then they covered them with lots and lots of books. We had a super time, every book smells different you know. The posh new ones smell of print, but the old ones are the best. You can guess where they have been kept - inside cars, wooden houses like the one at the top of church yard, or in kitchens. But we did not nibble. There was a table with lots of pretty, shiny things on that ladies wear round their necks and on their paws.

I think that there was a table of cakes, down at the front. It was empty the night before, but when they cleared everything away there were lots of crumbs on the floor. Squeak was interested in the long box they use to put bits of paper in. I told him to keep out or he would get whizzed around when they turned the handle. There were lots of nice things stood around the box, interesting bottles and a big cake. The cake was well wrapped up of course. Then there were lots of packets of little pictures. They had robins on and snow, all sorts of coloured things, and a mother with a baby. I think they are for folk to send to each other at Christmas.

I hope you had a good Christmas. We did. It was Squeak’s first one with us. It is nearly a year since he came to stay for a while, but he is still here and I hope he will stay. I am sure he enjoyed listening to all the little ones when they came with their school to tell their stories and sing. Their mums and dads came too to hear them. It was nice to have someone to watch all the things that happen at Christmas and to share my crumbs with. Now we are looking forward to Spring. I saw one of the ladies planting some little bulbs by the big door just before Christmas so I am looking forward to seeing what will come up. Hope to see you again soon. Bye for now Church Mouse

15

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EVERY WEDNESDAY: Meditation Group, St Andrew’s 10 am

St Marwenne’s House Group at Liz & Malcolm Wright’s 7.30—9 pm

St Marwenne’s News

May we wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year.

The lead up to Christmas started very well on Sunday 2nd December with the Christingle service. This was well attended despite inclement weath-er. As it was the 50th anniversary of The Children’s Society we had a guest singer, Tracey Harding, who sang the special hymn written for the occasion, also a Christingle Cake was made for the get together in the Bray afterwards.

Apart from no Christmas day service, all the other services were a true celebration of our Lord’s birth. Sadly I feel personally that the Bude Swim takes our congregation away, as last year there were two at the Christ-mas service.

With Brexit, and uncertain times ahead we need our faith even more, and be assured that our Clergy and PCC will do all they can to provide a prayerful and secure stability for us all. The bonds are being strength-ened between the local worship leaders throughout the Deanery, with regular meetings preceded by worship and prayer. All LWLs are welcome and if you would like to join us at our next meeting then please email me for dates etc at janetmwuk@gmail.com or ring on 01409 255759.

Strong bonds are being made with Marhamchurch School, with the Messy Church team holding a club every Friday in term time, and Rob Corney taking regular school assemblies.

The Church, Messy School, and the Bell ringers all put Trees into St Michael’s tree festival which was truly spectacular.

Our Family Service at 11.15am on Sun 20th of January will feature a talk by Bude Street Pastors.

Here’s looking forward to 2019 with joy and optimism in our hearts.

Janet Ward PCC Secretary

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Ringing for Remembrance As you will all know Sunday 11th November marked 100 years since the signing of the Armistice which brought an end to the First World War. It had been hoped that the bells would ring out across the country all at the same time to commemorate this, rather like they did 100 years ago. Unfortunately there are not enough bell ringers locally to be able to achieve this and so we decided to ring in each of the four local churches which have bells, over the course of the day. We started at Poughill, where we rang half muffled for the morning service, then some of us moved onto Marhamchurch at 11.30 am to ring again at the official na-tional time to mark the occasion. Later on in the day we rang at Stratton before their service of remembrance and we finished the day at 5.30 at Launcells where we rang our final peal and paid our respects to all who perished in that terrible conflict.

Well done to all those who took part and especially to those who man-aged all four towers and to those who supported us along the way.

Helen Barnes

Poughill Marhamchurch

Launcells Stratton

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NORTH KERNOW BENEFICE BRANCH MOTHERS’ UNION

Our Advent Carol Service was a pleasant mixture of friendship, worship, fun and food. The MU folk at St Swithin’s made us feel very much at home and we were pleased to welcome several non-members.

Supported by Roy Dinshaw’s masterful playing of the organ, we all joined in singing the familiar Advent hymns. These were interspersed with Gospel extracts from the early chapters of both Luke and Matthew, sensitively read by Sandy Cheshire. To help us dwell on the meaning of the readings, each was followed by a thoughtful commentary read by Si-mon Waring and then prayers led by Sheila Waring.

Next, there was a light-hearted interlude with more than a few furrowed brows: a quiz based on remembering the first line of a carol when given a unique pair of words appearing later in the verses. This turned out to be a whole lot harder than it sounds !

The afternoon finished with a splendid afternoon tea provided by Branch Leader, Susan Cotton, as a thank you for the support she receives from members, and others, in her Mothers’ Union role.

January – February Activities all most welcome

2:00 pm (to 4:00 pm) Monday 7th January please note early start

SEASONAL FUN with Bring-and-Share Tea

at Bude Tourist Information Centre

11:00 am Wednesday 16th January PRAYER GROUP

at 24 Bede Haven Close, Bude

9:30 am Thursday 24th January please note: change of Time and Day

CORPORATE COMMUNION followed by refreshments with the Congregation

at St Michael’s

2:30 pm Monday 4th February WORKSHOP SESSION

at St Michael’s

11:00 am Wednesday 20th February PRAYER GROUP

at 24 Bede Haven Close, Bude

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GREENFINGERS—in the garden in January & February

These are the two most difficult months for the gardener, mainly because the weather is not pre-dictable. On no account do any lawn or border jobs if the ground is frosted and definitely no cutting back. If you have a border of herbaceous perennials which you have not cut down already, it is best not to do any cutting back now as frost could damage freshly-cut stems. It will look a mess but insects and birds will still forage and nature will prepare itself for winter without any interference from us. Fallen leaves may be removed for the mulching sack, and that's about it. Tread on the lawn as little as possible if it is frosted or waterlogged.

It is very important to lag outside taps. Fleece covered with bubble wrap is ideal and can be tied to keep it in place. Greenfingers has found this preferable to the proprietary tap covers which never seemed to fit securely. Make sure that the hose is emptied if you leave it outside to avoid possible punctures.

If you have Snowdrops, these will be cheering you up, and there will be red berries all over the Cotoneaster and Holly, and if you don't have a Witch Hazel (Hamamelis), do consider buying one for next year, as it loves flowering in the winter. With luck, Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Pos-till' will be a fragrant delight even now.

As for vegetables, Greenfingers' raised beds will still be full of Kale and Chard and the Lettuce 'Winter Density' are perfect grown in trugs, with no slug damage at all.

So it is not all gloom and doom, and March will soon be here heralding SPRING!

And Winter, slumbering in the open air Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Why not lend your copy of this magazine to a neighbour or friend when you have finished with it?

20

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21

WEEKDAY SERVICES IN THE BENEFICE In the normal course of events, weekday services are:

Wednesdays at 8.45 am Morning Prayer, St Andrew’s, Stratton Wednesdays at 9.30 am Mass at St Andrew’s, Stratton Thursdays at 8.45 am Morning Prayer, St Michael’s, Bude Haven Thursdays at 9.30 am Quiet Mass, St Michael’s, Bude Haven

Going Out for

Sunday Lunch !

Are you on your own on Sundays and find the day rather long? Is lunch by

yourself rather a bore? Would you fancy to have lunch out with a few friends ? Then why not join us at one of the many hostelries or restaurants in the Bude area?

Several people at St. Michael’s have shown an interest in this idea and have suggested that we meet say once a month. The venues can be decided when we have an idea of numbers!

If you would like to join us please contact:

Sandra Huffer

Tel: 01288 355941 or email sandrahuffer32@outlook.com

DIOCESE OF TRURO, BODMIN ARCHDEACONRY Requests the pleasure of your company at Accompanied Ministry Development Days

for all the Parishes of Stratton Deanery

Saturday, 12 January 2019 at the Falcon Hotel, Bude Saturday, 16 March 2019 at the Falcon Hotel, Bude Saturday, 4 May 2019 at Otterham & St Juliot Hall Saturday, 8 June 2019 at Otterham & St Juliot Hall

*** 9.30 am—3.30 pm *** Lunch provided ***

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Mousey Mischief:

A story for St Michael’s Christingle Service 2018

Mr. Tonkin was a greengrocer – that means he had a shop that sold fruit and vegetables. It was not a large or smart looking shop; in fact, it was a bit on the scruffy side. The paint around the big windows was flaking off in places and the shop door creaked and rattled when you opened it. But once you got inside, it was like a

treasure chest full of colourful jewels. In this case, the jewels were all for eating not for wearing! Ruby red apples, golden yellow melons, emerald green cucumbers and pearly white cauliflowers, to name but a few. Mr. Tonkin’s shop always had plenty of customers, because everyone knew his fruit and vegetables were the best in the town and a whole lot cheaper than Sainsbury’s!

At the back of the shop was a door that led through to a small kitchen, where Mr. Ton-kin brewed his cups of tea and ate his dinner-time snack. The kitchen was a bit tatty too, with droopy curtains at the window, washing up waiting to be done beside the sink and rather a lot of crumbs on the floor. It was Mr. Tonkin’s routine to leave his clearing away and cleaning up until Saturday afternoons, just before he closed the shop for the weekend.

Longer ago, Mr Tonkin’s big tabby cat had lived in the shop, but now that he was get-ting old, the cat preferred to live with Mrs Tonkin, at home in comfort, peace and quiet. That is how, totally unknown to Mr. Tonkin, a little family of four mice realised that it was quite safe to make their home in that rather grubby kitchen. They moved in sneak-ily one warm summer night and they didn’t mind the messiness at all. In fact, those fallen crumbs were a real treat to them. Sometimes they found bits of cheese from Mr T’s sandwiches too, or a small puddle of soup in the bottom of an unwashed bowl. But best of all, once the closed sign had been hung up and the creaky-rattly door had been locked for the night, they could scuttle through from the kitchen and explore the shop. In there they could help themselves to the grapes and the blueberries, nibble little bites off the ends of the parsnips or even work together to roll a whole plum out to their nest behind the cooker!

As the evenings grew dark earlier and the weather got chillier, the mice noticed that some interestingly different things were arriving in the shop – crinkly walnuts, long brown brazil nuts and little round hazel nuts were displayed in wooden boxes. They had hard shells which were quite a job for the mice to gnaw through, but the delicious nuts inside made it very much worth the effort.

Every evening the two young mice, Marty and Mandy, would go climbing and clambering

23

up and along the shelves to see what other different things had arrived. “Don’t get into any of the boxes”, the Father mouse warned them. “Your Uncle Reggie got into a box of burger buns outside the grocer’s once. It got picked up and put in the back of a van and we never saw him again. So, stay out of the boxes!” “Yes, Pa,” the pair of young mice said, and they did as they were told – until one December evening when they noticed three big cartons, stacked one on top of the other, beside the door; boxes that smelt too tempting for mischievous Marty Mouse to resist.

The lovely smell was because the boxes were full of oranges. They looked easy to get into because they had those oval openings for people to put their fingers through to lift them up. Marty tried the bottom box, but the oranges inside were too tightly packed for him to squeeze in beside them. So, he scrabbled his way up to the middle box and tried to get into that one. He could almost do it, but some of the oranges were wrapped in blue tissue paper which had got stuck to the cardboard round most of the opening. Feeling a bit disappointed Marty gathered his courage for the climb to the top box. Once up there he discovered with glee that it was only partly full! Nothing there to pre-vent a slender young mouse getting inside. So, in he nipped, with not a thought in his tiny furry head about his father’s solemn warning…

Marty nibbled his way through the shiny peel of the orange in the nearest corner and had his first taste of the sweet, sticky juice! He almost thought he’d gone to heaven, it was so delicious. He nibbled and licked and slurped and guzzled until he couldn’t swallow another drop. Then he curled himself up in a piece of the blue tissue paper and fell fast asleep.

Mr. Tonkin’s first customers the next morning were two ladies from the church up on the hill. Mr Tonkin greeted them saying, “Your Christingle oranges are all packed up and ready, Ladies. I’ll help you carry them to your car.” With that the ladies lifted a box each and Mr. Tonkin took the third. The sudden jolting woke little Marty with an al-mighty fright and, before he knew what was happening, the box he was in was plonked into the boot of a car and the lid came down with a deafening wallop. Poor Marty, if only he’d done as he was told… If only he’d remembered what his Pa had said about the terrible fate of his Uncle Reggie…

Cowering in the darkness, in the corner amongst the oranges, Marty was very, very

scared. Because that box wasn’t full, the oranges kept rolling around as the car went

around corners, bumping Marty about from every direction, but at last it all stopped.

Daylight flooded in as the boot was opened and, one by one, the boxes were hoisted

out and carried along. They were taken into a big grey building where lots more people

were waiting. How was Marty going to get out of this predicament? How could he

escape from the box without being seen by all the people?

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While he was puzzling over all that, he heard the sticky tape across the top of the box being ripped off. Up went the covers and he saw a little girl’s face peering down at him. “I’m done for now”, thought Marty, “She’ll scream and that will be the end of me, for sure”, and his whiskers trembled with fear. But Marty was wrong, completely and won-derfully wrong. That little girl had a pet mouse of her own at home and when she saw Marty she just said, “Oh, you little dear” and carefully picked him up.

Knowing how unreasonable grown up ladies can be about mice, she quickly popped him into her coat pocket. Then she calmly gathered an armful of oranges and took them to the table where the Christingle making was to be done. On her way back to collect a second batch, she stopped and pretended to re-tie the laces on her trainers. I say ‘pretended’ because what she really did was to take Marty gently out of her pocket and set him free! Yes, he was free, secretly helped by a kind little girl, who smiled as she watched him scurry away. “Goodbye little stow-away,” she said, “You’ll have to be our church mouse now.”

For the rest of the morning Marty kept himself hidden behind a sort of cushion for kneeling on, under one of the seats. The people chatted and laughed as they worked. They had red ribbons, shiny foil, white candles, little sharp sticks, plus lots of raisins and piles upon piles of sweets! The morning ticked by as the people worked and then it all went quiet; the lights were switched off as the ladies and the kind little girl went away. Marty had been rescued and he’d got a new home. Looking at the splendid array of Christingles on the table, he could see he wasn’t going to starve in this new place.

He hoped there might be at least one other mouse around so that he wouldn’t be lone-

ly, but however you looked at it, he knew he’d been a very lucky little mouse indeed.

Mischievous Marty had become the church mouse and a very interesting life it was

going to be. If you’d like to know just how interesting, you can read about his adven-

tures with the friend he met, called Squeak, in the parish magazine every month.

Susan Cotton

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Sunday Service Schedule for February 2019 for the North Kernow Benefice:

Bude Haven, Launcells, Marhamchurch and Stratton

Sunday 3rd: Candlemas

8.00 am: Mass (Stratton) 9.30 am: Holy Communion (Marhamchurch) 9.30 am: Morning Worship (Stratton) 11.15 am: Mass (Bude Haven) 1.15 pm: Deanery Candlemas Service

(Poundstock) 6.00 pm: Evensong (Launcells)

Sunday 10th: 4th before Lent

9.30 am: Mass (Bude Haven) 9.30 am: Mass (Stratton) 11.15 am: Holy Communion (Launcells) 6.00 pm: Evensong (Marhamchurch)

Sunday 17th: 3rd before Lent

To be announced Sunday 24th: 2nd before Lent

To be announced

IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY PEW SHEET ~ SERVICES MAY CHANGE AND THOSE TBA WILL APPEAR

IN THE PEW SHEET

FOR ALL JANUARY SERVICES PLEASE SEE BACK COVER

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Sunday Service Schedule for January 2019 for the North Kernow Benefice:

Bude Haven, Launcells, Marhamchurch and Stratton

For February Services please see inside back cover Sunday 6th: Feast of the Epiphany

8.00 am: Mass (Stratton) 9.30 am: Holy Communion (Marhamchurch) 9.30 am: Morning Worship (Stratton) 11.15 am: Mass (Bude Haven) 6.00 pm: Evensong (Launcells)

Sunday 13th: Baptism of Christ; Epiphany 2

9.30 am: Mass (Bude Haven) 9.30 am: Mass (Stratton) 11.15 am: Holy Communion (Launcells) 6.00 pm: Evensong (Marhamchurch)

Sunday 20th: Epiphany 3

9.30 am: Mass (Bude Haven) 9.30 am: Mass (Stratton) 11.15 am: Family Service (Marhamchurch) 11.15 am: Holy Communion (Launcells) 6.00 pm: Evensong (Stratton)

Sunday 27th: Epiphany 4

9.30 am: Mass (Stratton) 9.30 am: Holy Communion (Marhamchurch) 11.15 am: Family Eucharist (Bude Haven) 11.15 am: Holy Communion (Launcells)

IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE CHECK WEEKLY PEW SHEET ~ SERVICES MAY CHANGE

WEEKDAY SERVICES IN THE BENEFICE In the normal course of events, weekday services are:

Wednesdays at 8.45 am Morning Prayer, St Andrew’s, Stratton Wednesdays at 9.30 am Mass at St Andrew’s, Stratton Thursdays at 8.45 am Morning Prayer, St Michael’s, Bude Haven Thursdays at 9.30 am Quiet Mass, St Michael’s, Bude Haven