trinity magazine - mar/apr 2014
DESCRIPTION
The bi monthly magazine of Holy Trinity Parish Church Sutton ColdfieldTRANSCRIPT
The magazine of Holy Trinity
Parish Church
Sutton Coldfield
Mar/Apr 2014
60p
Page
The last of winter.
Shepherd’s Pool Road
From the Editors ...
to
Trinity Quite a range of material this
�me, with news of our charity for
2014 (p16) and a tribute to a
former church member Stan
Newton (p20).
Regular columns are all here as
well as informa�on of forthcoming
events from concerts to the Fun
Run!
We hope that the relentless rain
and floods of recent weeks will
abate and that spring will bring
sun and new beginnings for those
affected, par�cularly in the South-
West.
Do join us for Holy Week and
Easter services (details in the
centre pages). Don’t forget—
we welcome your
contribu�ons! ...and have a very
blessed Easter.
Stella
3
Contents Page
The Rector writes 2
Through a glass darkly 3
2 sisters and a funeral 4
Managing the money 5
News from the Friends 8
Margaret’s memories—the PCC 9
Youth ma;ers 10
Great Midlands Fun Run 15
Cherished 16
Reading Corner 19
Tribute to Stan Newton 20
From the registers 22
Word Square (puzzle) 23
Trinity arrangements 24
Bible verse 24
Editors:
Stella 329 2101
Roger 308 1185
roger.smallwood@b�nternet.com
Louise 240 6366
Page
The Rector writes...
Two amaryllis plants
At Christmas 2012 Kristina's mother gave her a present: an
amaryllis plant. It sat on our kitchen table for months. At first
there was just a small shard of green poking through the top of the bulb. But that grew quickly, and before long we had several leaves; a little while
longer and we had a flower or two.
A few months passed. The flowers on the plant withered and died and
we wondered what to do with the amaryllis now. Let's be honest: to say it
was never my favourite plant would be an understatement, and I was more than ready to throw it out. But Kristina thought it was too impressive a plant
to suffer that fate.
So she researched what to do, and followed the instructions. The plant
was left in a dark place whilst the leaves died. They were cut away, and we
were left with what we'd started with: just the bulb.
The bulb sat around in that state for a couple of months, and then
some time in the weeks before Christmas 2013 we brought it back into the light and watered it. By now it wasn't just Kristina - I was interested too.
Was it dead? Or was life still hiding in there somewhere?
In January we noticed something. A small shard of
green was poking through the top of the bulb. And it is
now growing quickly ... flowers can't be far away. It seems that new life is possible!
I haven't quite told you everything. At Christmas 2012 Kristina's mother gave an amaryllis to her other daughter.
Just like ours it grew, it thrived. But midway through the
years when it came to the point where the flowers had died, she threw it out. She hadn't realised that the plant had a
future beyond just that one year. So whilst our amaryllis seems to be flourishing, hers has died.
People are much the same as these two amaryllis plants. They grow and flourish. Then things happen as life progresses, they are damaged by the
push and pull of living. But they can live and flourish again - if they receive
nurture, if they are treated well, if they are not cast aside on a human rubbish heap.
4
5
Thankfully, our creator is a gracious God who cares for every part of crea-
tion, and does all that (s)he can to nurture it, to care for it. Of course, God doesn't work alone: (s)he works through us. God needs us to love and care
for our fellow beings - all of them.
However 'withered' people might seem, there is still the chance to cut away
the dying leaves and await a new shard of green poking through the bulb of
their lives. At Easter we celebrate new life in Christ; through Lent we cut away the withered leaves to prepare for it.
John
Through a glass darkly—Resurrection and Resolution
I have never no�ced before how much emphasis is placed on resurrec�on in
the lec�onary in the weeks leading up to Easter. I suppose that this ought
not to be surprising, but when one reads these passages all in one go the
fact is certainly striking. I haven’t looked at readings for aCer Easter of
course but since they tell of the reac�on of the apostles and the early
church to the fact of the resurrec�on, the burden of the teaching for us will
be how we too should, and do, react.
I have recently been reading ‘The
Virginian’ by Owen Wister. I well
remember the television series
from many years ago based on
this book but did not know un�l
recently of its existence, though it
is widely recognised as the first of
the Western genre. One state-
ment which Wister put in the
mouth of the Virginian struck me
forcibly. He says ‘It is not praying
nor preaching that has ever caught me and made me ashamed of myself,
but one or two people I have knowed that never said a superior word to me.
They thought more o’ me than I deserved and that made me behave be;er
than I naturally wanted to’.
...con�nued overleaf
Page
6
Most of us have been privileged to meet Chris�ans like that – and Jesus
would have approved. Such people are the very opposite of the High Priests
and Pharisees who constantly disputed with him. These Chris�ans are living
out the resurrec�on. For we know that Jesus died and rose again for
everyone who will recognise and accept salva�on, so how can any human
being take a high posi�on and judge others, yet we do it.
I, for one, therefore have at last, in mid January, made a New Year’s
resolu�on:
to try and become a li;le more like those the Virginian admired, to expect
more and judge less and above all to love my fellow beings, for God loves
them and sent his son to die and rise for them.
Jean Schneider
Two sisters and a funeral
No, not 4 weddings….
This is a musical by Roger Jones, telling the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
We will be joining other churches to sing at St Chad’s on Palm Sunday (13th
April). There will be an aCernoon rehearsal and early evening ‘performance’.
The Cluster Youth Group will add moments of drama!
If you’d like to sing (any age!) or if teenage to join the youth effort, please give
the following informa�on in at the Trinity Centre.
Or email Stella Thebridge ([email protected]) if you are a singer or Susie
Walker ([email protected]) re the youth group.
Pre-booking is essen�al—thanks!
Your name____________________________Church_______________
Your telephone number or email address
_____________________________________________________
Voice part (SATB) [singers only]_________ Youth element ? YES / NO
7
Managing the money!
This is not an appeal for your money so it is safe
to read on……
Legal stuff
Each Parish Church in the Church of England is a legal en�ty for which all respon-
sibili�es fall to the Parochial Church Council (PCC). The key legal officers are the
Rector or Vicar who is an employee of the Diocese but as office holder has cer-
tain du�es, as are the Wardens (officially elected by anyone who lives in the par-
ish). PCC members are elected by members of the church who are registered on
the electoral roll.
From within the PCC are elected a PCC Secretary and Treasurer, who have spe-
cific responsibili�es. Surprisingly it is rare for these appointments to be contest-
ed at all!
The PCC has to comply with the law of the land, Charity law and ecclesias�cal
law which include Church Accoun�ng Regula�ons 2006 passed by General Syn-
od.
In recent years we were required to become a registered charity so we are also
required to follow the provisions of the Chari�es Act 2006. Fortunately the re-
quirements do not change frequently and when they do most of the changes do
not affect our parish, but a small Diocesan office team and even smaller Parish
team of one (me) have to be aware of rule changes and act accordingly.
The role
The job descrip�on is much the same as in any other en�ty:
• To record money paid out, ensuring that the expenditure has been author-
ised appropriately
• To ensure all money received is banked and accounted for
• To reconcile cash books to bank statements regularly.
Periodic financial reports need to be given to PCC and an annual set of accounts
has to be prepared for PCC, externally inspected and presented to the annual
parochial church mee�ng (APCM). There are a number of separate funds for
different purposes and it is important to allocate each item paid out or in to the
correct fund with the correct descrip�on.
...con�nued overleaf
Page
8
At the end of the year, decisions have to be made to allocate surpluses to other
funds, or to cover shorRalls from other funds. We also have to ensure that we have
enough money in accounts to pay the bills, and arrange funds accordingly.
HT Finance
We need monthly income to cover our costs, which is why we value planned giving,
and giC aid is enormously useful.
We have a general PCC account, a Trinity Centre account, and now a Friends of
Holy Trinity separate account. As well as giC aid, we operate a fees account for wed-
dings and funerals, a re-ordering account and investment accounts for legacies.
Fortunately I do not run all this; different people deal with individual accounts for
which I am most grateful.
Looking back over past magazines and AGM reports I see that appeals for more
money appear regularly with different levels of despera�on and frequency. It was
common for the collec�ons and even individual dona�ons to be listed for the previ-
ous month, whether in gra�tude or to embarrass or shame others into giving more,
(or both!) is not clear. For many years at Holy Trinity the Rector has asked annually
for us to review our giving in line with modern prac�ce around good stewardship.
There has been a general pressure on voluntary organisa�ons to improve govern-
ance and to act professionally in all areas; it is no longer acceptable for someone to
do a job badly “because they are nice, willing, have done it for years and we cannot
upset them”. We are blessed that in so many areas e.g. finance, health and safety,
IT, and Safeguarding, we have church members with exper�se who keep us up to
date and ensure our policies are appropriate and are followed. There is a cost to
this, in �me and effort of volunteers, and some�mes in having to buy in exper�se or
services. Funding bodies and the Charity commission accept that governance is
necessary and does cost money, so while chari�es are understandably keen to show
how much of dona�ons goes to the work of the charity and not administra�on, hav-
ing a nil administra�ve cost can suggest something is actually wrong.
Finally, if you feel it is �me to have a contested elec�on for the Treasurer’s role in
April, do stand for PCC elec�on at the APCM and offer yourself as a candidate.
Dave ThebridgeDave ThebridgeDave ThebridgeDave Thebridge
PCC Hon. Treasurer
9
Page
10
News from the Friends of Holy Trinity
Hot on the heels of the successful concert by Canoldir Male Voice
Choir, the Friends bring you their next concert, this �me on a week-
day evening.
The renowned Lichfield Cathedral Boy Choristers, under the direc�on
of Ben Lamb, will sing on
Tuesday 18th March at 7.30pm in church
This will be a wonderful opportunity to hear a
premier Cathedral choir within our own historic
church.
In fact, the Choir at Lichfield is just looking for-
ward to celebra�ng its 700th anniversary in 2015,
making its founding co-eval with the first phase of
the building of our church!
This adds to the appropriateness of the occasion
as part of the Friends’ inaugural concert season.
Do buy your �ckets in advance via the website or in person from the
Trinity Centre
Adult: £10 Under 18: £5
Secure website—click on the Friends logo on the site:
www.htsc.org.uk
Trinity Centre tel: 0121 321 1144
11
Margaret’s memories from the December 2013 PCC meeting
• Re-ordering: making a holy and welcoming space for tomor-
row – a report was received from Compton Fundraising consultants Ltd which set out their ‘recommendations, findings & way forward’.
• New organ – quotations were considered from two organ builders –
Phoenix Organs and Allen Organs. A decision was delayed pending en-
quiries into a further organ builder – Makins.
• Recommendations from Reflection Day Follow-up group –
these covered communication, Trinity Centre use and volunteering in gen-
eral. More news on this in the future.
• Charity for 2014 – this is to be ‘Cherished’, a local charity working
with young girls. Their aim is “to empower young girls to know that they are cherished, special and full of worth”. More info can be found at
www.yourcherished.co.uk (or see pages 16 and 17)
• Christmas Tree Festival – a surplus of between £1200 & £1400
was reported, to be split equally between Birmingham Foster Carers
(2013 charity) and Friends of Holy Trinity.
• Common Fund – it was noted that Holy Trinity’s contribution for
2014 would be £63,648
• Reports were received from the various committees, working groups
and interchurch committees.
• Plans for various services and social events were noted. Details
can be found elsewhere in this publication, on the website, on facebook
or in the weekly notices
Margaret Le Brocq – PCC Secretary
P.S. The next meeting of the PCC will be on 19th March.
The Annual Parochial Church meeting will be on April 6th, when we will be electing Churchwardens, PCC members and Deanery Synod represent-
atives.
Page
12
Youth Matters
As some of you are aware, over the last few months ‘they’ have been work-ing on the trees in our communal gardens at home. They are doing it very
slowly so methinks they will have to get their fingers out or birds will have taken up residence in some of the trees on the list for heavy prun-
ing/removal.
There is a certain entertainment value to watching the varying techniques employed to both get at trees and to do the work. The most interesting of
these is when a man is dispatched up the tree, branches sawn off, which are then carefully lowered to the ground. The last tree they tackled was
most exciting of all: up went the man, down came increasingly thick chunks
of tree until all that remained was a very thick but very tall trunk. A rope was attached to the top of this trunk, the other end of which was attached
to a lorry in the car park. It seemed clear they were intending to saw through the base of the tree and pull it down. I couldn’t believe this; the
tree was expected to land between two other trees and amongst other cars. Obviously the men didn’t
believe it would work either as I got a knock on the
window to ask who owned the cars!! When it tran-spired that the owners were not in so the cars were
going to have to stay put, shoulders were shrugged and man sets to base of tree with chainsaw.
He sawed and he sawed for some time and the
‘timber’ moment seemed near, but suddenly every-thing stopped and man got on the phone to his boss,
who duly pitched up and decided that this strategy was not going to work. So rope is detached from the lorry, all the cables and pulleys are sent back
up the trunk followed by the man and a lot more of the trunk has been taken down. There is still a tall trunk which remains half sawn through at the base
but that is how it has been left. We are waiting for the next instalment.
It made me think though. Firstly when the man is up the tree doing his Tar-zan bit, there is a time when he is not held by a rope; when he must cling to
the tree and move his rope to a lower branch. How scary is that?? Then, when the taller version of the tree was due to be felled, they had to get it
right or a lot of damage would be done. So, for us, there is only so much
control one can have as a human and always a point when one is reliant on faith and God’s grace. It can be scary but ultimately our security is in God
alone. Would we really want it any other way?
Susie Walker
13
Page
14
15
Page
16
17
The Great Midlands Fun Run – Sunday 1 June 2014
Run for runaways
We've raised over £2,000 by running for runaways in The Great Midlands
Fun Run over the last two years. Join our team and walk, jog or run the 8.5 miles around Sutton Park. Anyone can do it – all ages and abilities – and
you can even enter with your dog!
Sign up at www.greatmidlandsfunrun.com and start fundraising for The Children's Society with an online fundraising page. Please register asap as
places go very quickly once registration opens on 1 February 2014.
For further informa�on and to register visit www.greatmidlandsfunrun.com
For sponsor forms and t-shirts contact
Holy Trinity supports The Children’s Society every year at
Christmas time through the Christingle service and Christmas
collections.
This is just one of many charities congregation members
might like to support by entering the Fun Run!
Charity Registration No. 221124
Page
18
Cherished - our charity for 2014
Hannah Borg of Cherished recently spoke to the
congrega)on about the work she and her team
are doing.
Hannah began by explaining how Cherished
works with young girls, who have been iden�fied
as having self esteem issues, through the delivery
of a modular course based program.
Delivered over eight to twelve weeks the course
looks at friendships, personal confidence, rela�onships and aspira�ons
through ac�vi�es, discussion and media. Group sizes range between four to
eight par�cipants.
Once the course commences the girls are paired up with a mentor for one
to one support which provides an opportunity for them to look at some of
the issues in more depth.
Depending on the needs of the young girls the individual mentoring could
con�nue throughout their �me in secondary school, although more typically
it is between eight weeks to a year.
Cherished are also helping girls to prepare for secondary school by working
with primary year five and sixes looking at areas such as peer pressure.
In addi�on to the work in schools Cherished works with local youth groups
and churches and has recently been involved with St Johns in Walmley.
The need for young girls to look at self esteem and to talk about related is-
sues was iden�fied by Hannah as such a common problem while carrying
out her youth work studies that she felt inspired to do something about it.
“The media can be quite damaging towards the way young girls feel about
themselves, so actually highligh�ng it and talk with girls, bringing truth into
their lives is something I feel quite passionately about.” Hannah said.
19
The kind of issues she and her team have come across which affect the
girls that they work with varies and includes a background of parental
breakdown, things that have happened in their childhood, ea�ng disor-
ders, abuse or aspiring to be like celebri�es and feeling that they are not
good enough.
All the Cherished mentors work as volunteers and are trained through the
partner organisa�on The Gap Su;on Coldfield.
Regarding the future, Hannah explained how she would like to expand
Cherished outside of schools and to the community at large. “Thinking big-
ger, I’d like to get families involved, looking how we cherish our parents,
our children and family members.”
Cherished is doing some great work providing a safe environment for
young girls to address the issues that can be so damaging and Hannah’s
passion and drive is inspiring. If you would like to find out more about her
work visit the Cherished website or email [email protected]
A final word from Hannah, “The word cherished means to be held dear, to
be treasured, something precious. There is a lot of nega�ve media cover-
age about young people when actually, spending �me with so many dam-
aged young people, they just need to be listened to. Listening and com-
miYng yourself to a young person, that can transform them. The message
I would give about Cherished is that it is about ongoing commitment, see-
ing the best in a young girl, listening and suppor�ng them and giving them
hope.”
More info from: h;p://yourcherished.co.uk
This ar�cle from: h;p://su;oncoldfieldlocal.co.uk/cherished-mentoring-
support-for-young-girls/
As well as giving financial and prayer support through 2014, we hope to
help Hannah establish a “Blossom” support group in the Trinity Centre.
Page
20
21
Reading Corner
Why not borrow instead of buying?
As I am finalising this issue on Na�onal Libraries Day (you
never knew of such a thing??) I feel jus�fied in encouraging
general reading in this issue, and what be;er way to in-
crease the reading habit than by popping in to your local
library (especially now we have one again in Su;on) and trying something new.
You could of course also go to the new Library of Birmingham if you have not al-
ready been - well worth seeing, and probably the last major new city library that
is likely to be built in increasing �mes of austerity (I would love to be proved
wrong).
Most people have not been in a library for years. And if you
are ignorant about the bright welcoming spaces that these
now are, then you can also access a lot of services online
now. Most libraries lend e-books completely free of charge,
and renewal of books can be done online as can browsing
the catalogue and reserving a book.
The beauty of borrowing is that not only can you s�ll get the
bestsellers available in bookshops and online, you can get
the backlist when you find an author you like. Print runs are quite short these
days, so a book can oCen be difficult to buy aCer about two years. And you don’t
have to find yet more bookshelf space at home. Of course I’m no real adver�se-
ment for that—I buy books as well as borrowing….!
So whether it is Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring up the bodies, the later JK
Rowling novels, a Philippa Gregory TV �e-in (The White Queen) or Lomax’s book
“The railwayman”—now a film, the library can find all these for you—and loads of
informa�on books too. And there are a number of social groups associated with
libraries including reading groups and IT support groups.
So get stuck in. And if this looks like blatant adver�sing for libraries, well, it is—
use them before you lose them. And I work in Warwickshire, so by adver�sing
Birmingham Libraries I’m being very even-handed!
[I’d be;er add quickly that these views are my own, though of course they are
also the views of the editor on this occasion…]
Stella ThebridgeStella ThebridgeStella ThebridgeStella Thebridge
Page
22
Stan Newton—RIP
Stan served the Scouts and the church at Sutton Coldfield. He also taught at Plantsbrook School when it first opened under that name. He specifical-
ly asked for his funeral to be at our church.
We all remember Stan with great affection, and we all celebrate his life, both collectively and privately. Every one of us can recount the various ways in which Stan enriched our lives.
Here are snapshots of his life:
Way back in 1973, at our church in Sutton Coldfield, a disco was being or-ganised. It was a completely new venture and the community wondered if it would succeed. Someone said, “Ask Stan to help.” “Who is Stan?” we wondered. “Stan Newton—he’s a good Scouter.” And Stan duly ap-peared—perceptive, dynamic and methodical. At that disco a kaleidoscope of qualities emerged—he was courteous, calm, inspirational, friendly, opti-mistic, positive and encouraging. He was great!
The disco was an unprecedented success and the teenagers clamoured for a youth club. Stan offered his service and a thriving group met for several years on a Thursday evening. At these gatherings Stan was instigator, bas-tion, adviser, friend, disciplinarian—and fatherly.
Because of our similar interests, Stan and I soon became friends. He did everything wholeheartedly—Scouting, youth work, discussion groups, church events, building, constructing sheds, navvying, motor bikes and cars, lorries, engines1! He applied himself to them all with enthusiasm and commitment.
He would always help, but time-keeping was not his strong point.
My wife Pat and I asked him to be Best Man at our wedding in 1984. we told him the wedding would be ten o’clock when actually it was scheduled for 121
The day came. Ten o’clock, eleven, ten to twelve. At five to twelve I asked a friend if he could be Best Man just in case.
Twelve o’clock came and up the aisle came Pat. I was at the altar—where was Stan? The priest addressed me although the words came out wrong, not as at the rehearsal.
“I, Stan1 no I, Peter, take you Stan1 I Stan take you Pat1” Something went right because Pat and I processed back as husband and wife. And there at the back of church was a breathless person—a distinct shape, broad shoulders, moustache, spectacles and a huge grin1 Stan. Phew!
23
He was a late man, but he was the Best Man; and he delivered a cracking good speech.
After the honeymoon we discovered Stan had been late because, typically, he had been helping someone else and had forgotten I was getting married that day!
If any of us were asked “What makes Stan happy?” we would probably have said he was happiest when max-imising his talents for the benefit of others.
My parents were fond of him. Stan made a motor mechanic out of my Mum. He shared many discussions with Dad on theology and ethical issues. Dad described him as a ‘rough diamond’ which he took as a compliment and cher-ished. The emphasis was on the diamond—there was the roughness of hands used to hard labour and a life full of hard knocks, and through it all shone his uniqueness.
Stan was proud of his upbringing and extremely loyal to his parents. His early childhood was arduous at times, sometimes they lived in caravans close to building sites. He admitted these years shaped him and his brothers and pro-vided a determination which rewarded them richly in later life.
As a teacher of history, Stan inspired countless pupils, especially those with low self-esteem. There are many throughout the country who remember Mr Newton with affection—the unorthodox, eccentric, big-hearted teacher who provided such a firm foundation for so much of their present dignity.
A close friend in the police force came across pupils in the uniform of the school Stan was teaching at—The Yardleys. He asked if they knew Mr New-ton. The response was: “You don’t mess with Mr Newton, man. He don’t stand no nonsense. He’s safe. He learns us loads and loads. His lessons are bostin.”
Stan invested in people, and like all good investments the payback was al-ways more than 100%.
We all know the expression Jack of all trades. Well Stan merits a different term—Stan of all trades, and he was also master of many. Gifted academi-cally, supported by a strong family, motivated by his love of humanity, Stan embodied the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola “ to give and not to count the cost, to toil and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do thy will.”
This wonderful, wonderful person can be summed up in the following way:
Stan’s life is God’s gift to Stan. And what Stan did with his life is Stan’s gift to God. Peter Rose
Page
24
Baptisms
22 Dec 13 - Harriet Poppy Swinbourne Hale 05 Jan 14 - Oliver Green 26 Jan 14 - Grace Isabella Vaughan We welcome these children into God’s family
Funerals
19 Dec 13 - Valerie May Pritchard 19 Dec 13 - Martin Raymond Rigg 27 Dec 13 - Colin Thomas Woodhoods 07 Jan 14 - Ethel Cook 16 Jan 14 - Joyce May Turner 27 Jan 14 - Edna May Howes 29 Jan 14 - Vwodeck Stanley Newton 12 Feb 14 - Kathleen Tibbins May they rest in peace and may God comfort all
who mourn
FROM THE REGISTERS ...
Wedding
25 Jan 14: Daniel Lloyd & Rachael Gulab
We wish Daniel and Rachael every blessing in their new life together
Easter Light,
Easter Joy.
You bring the promise of sunlight, the resurgence of hope,
For in you all has been conquered, death and pain and doubt.
For you are
Easter Light,
Easter Joy.
Giles Harcourt
23
WORD SQUARE
V
C
U
T
I
L
I
E
S
How many words of two let-
ters or more can you make
from these letters? You
must always use the letter
in the centre of the grid
and only use each letter
once. No plurals or proper
nouns. There is one nine-
letter word and at least 15
smaller words.
Page
24
Trinity
Arrangements for 2014
The cost per issue is 60p, and an annual subscription £3-50.
If you are a casual reader who would like to subscribe regularly or advertise, or if you have any other queries relating to the magazine, please contact the Trinity Centre in the first instance on 321 1144 or [email protected]
Publication schedule
Cover date Copy deadline Publication date
May/June 30th March 13th April
July/Aug 8th June 22
nd June
Sept/Oct 10th Aug 24
th Aug
Nov/Dec 5th Oct 19
th Oct
Jan/Feb 2015 30th Nov 14
th Dec
Please submit material for the next issue by the deadline above to :
Louise Chubb 240 6366 [email protected]
Bible verse
Then Jesus told him [Thomas]: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20: 29
(New Revised Standard Version)
More from the Christmas Tree festival Dec 2013 -
Carols and Trees sing-along (above),
Page
“I am the resurrection and
the life”