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SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM YOUR CHURCHWARDENS We wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and a peaceful New Year and take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their help and support during 2011. Every Blessing, Norma and Chris
PRAYER FOCUS
Locum Priest: Rev Roger Wikeley Tel: 02 96 25 81 44 Churchwardens: Norma Parker (Tel: 02 97 75 42 37) e-mail: normajaneparker@rocketmail.com Chris Wilson (Tel: 02 97 72 19 29) e-mail: wilson.christopher@orange.fr Local Contacts: Huelgoat: Carole Turner (Tel: 02 98 78 24 68) e-mail: carole.turner@orange.fr Ploërmel: The Churchwardens (details above). Rostrenen: Robin and Laura Hillman (Tel: 02 97 51 74 26) e-mail:kermoran@wanadoo.fr
SERVICES DECEMBER 2011 Ploërmel (14 Rue Général Dubreton) (There is normally a shared lunch after each service.) 4th Second of Advent 11.00am Eucharist 11th Third of Advent 11.00am Prayer and Praise 18th Fourth of Advent 11.00am Eucharist and at 3.00pm Carols by candlelight 25th Christmas Day 11.00am Eucharist
Rostrenen (La Chapelle du Collège de Campostal.) 11th Third of Advent 10.30am Eucharist 25th Christmas Day 10.30am Eucharist
Huelgoat (Parish Church in the town centre.) 11th Third of Advent 16.30pm Eucharist 18th Fourth of Advent 16.30pm Christmas Eucharist
For further information contact the Churchwardens or local contacts.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY/FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Carol Services Locarn: Saturday 10th December at 3.00pm in the local church Redon: Thursday 15th December at 6.30pm, in the Chapel of the Lycée St Sauveur, Redon. Huelgoat: Saturday 17th December at 2.30pm in the parish church. Ploërmel: Sunday 18th December at 3.00pm, at 14 Rue Général Dubreton. Callac: Sunday 1st January 2012, more information in next Newsletter.. Alpha Course Alpha is a course about the Christian faith and is taking place in 7000 churches across Britain and lasts 12 weeks. It covers topics such as: Does God heal today? How does God guide us? Why and How should I tell others? It is open to anyone, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey- or if you know nothing about Christianity, and is very thought provoking, Bible based and answering many of the questions of life. We have been running this course in France for 7 years (nearly 2 years in Brittany) in our home, and if you would like to come, or to bring along a friend, please ring us or email us. Chris and Liz Barge, tel: 02 97 72 45 33, or e-mail lizzieandchris@wanadoo.fr Ploërmel - Friday 9th December Christmas Social A Christmas play will be presented before supper. The cost is as usual set at 5 Euros, and please bring your own drinks. Please let us know if you would like to come, so we can cater for the right numbers, by contacting Elaine, tel 02 97 72 19 29 or e-mail Elaine.wilson@orange.fr.
Home Group and Fellowship Meetings – December Huelgoat - To learn more about the group contact Carole Turner, tel: 02 98 78 24 68 or e-mail: Rostrenen - The next meeting is on Friday December 2nd starting at 2.30pm, at the Salle Paroissiale, Rostrenen. Refreshments will follow the DVD and study on ‘Love, Joy, Peace and everything in between’. For further information please contact Laura or Robin tel 02 97 51 74 26. Redon Area - For confirmation of the date of the next meeting or for further information please contact Joy Morin on 02 99 71 12 30 or Maureen Wilson on 02 99 08 21 94. Ploërmel - Meetings are held on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month, at the home of Liz and Chris Barge, commencing at 3.00pm with tea and cake. For further information please contact Chris & Liz on 02 97 72 45 33 or e-mail lizzieandchris@wanadoo.fr. Bannalec There is a fellowship meeting for English speakers which normally take place at the Chapel at David and Rebecca Pugh’s on Tuesday evenings at 5.00pm. For further information please contact Rebecca or David on 02 98 35 46 59
La Source A meeting is to take place at the home of Chris & Liz Barge on Tuesday 29th November to discuss the future direction of La Source. Penny Murray is to reduce the amount of time she spends manning La Source and our grateful thanks go to her for her many years of involvement in helping to run La Source. It is hoped that fresh ideas will rejuvenate the aims and direction of this source of outreach for Christ Church so if you are interested in getting involved please come along. For further information please contact Chris Wilson.
Locum News Our grateful thanks go to the Rev’d David Ineson for the time he has spent with us as our Locum as he heads back to his home in Yorkshire at the end of November. A new Locum will be joining us on 8th December and we look forward to meeting with the Rev’d Roger Wikeley travelling from his home on the other side of the Pennines in Lancashire.
OTHER NEWS AND MATTERS
Rostrenen News On October 22nd a successful Quiz Evening was held. Our congratulations go to the winning team – Who Needs Google. The team not only collected the prize for winning the quiz, but also the most original team name. Most of us were more surprised at what we didn’t know rather than what we did know! However we all had a lot of fun and the evening was rounded off with a bring and share supper. Our grateful thanks go to Trish and Paul Westwood who organised the quiz and supplied the prizes. There was a lot of work and organisation involved for them but thanks to everybody’s generosity €105 was sent to Les Mains Ouvertes. The following day was our joint service with our Catholic friends at Mael Carhaix. We were made very welcome and it was a joy to worship together. The service was a little difficult to follow for those people who find French difficult and this will need to be addressed before we meet together again. The next fellowship meeting is Friday December 2nd when we will continue with the DVD and discussion entitled, “Love, Joy, Peace and everything in between”. This will start at 2.30pm and be followed, as usual, with refreshments.
Update from Scarborough As our friends of Rostrenen congregation know, Ann and I travelled to England in October to visit family and friends whilst attending the wedding of our youngest nephew, Matthew. The wedding took place in York and we therefore seized the opportunity to travel to Scarborough so that we could visit David and Audrey Clark at their flat. We brought greetings from David's many friends in the area including Abbé Hubert Forget from Callac. David was in great form as always, although saddened by the fact that Audrey now needs full time care, which means that she is resident in a nearby nursing home (about 5 minutes away). David visits Audrey regularly and they are still able converse in French on occasion. The journey between the two homes will be easier because David has ordered an electric buggy which will also enable him to go down to the beach. David invited us to lunch with him, after which we were delighted to see Hazel and Martin Door who called to see David that afternoon. It was good to meet up again and exchange news. John and Ann Waterhouse.
A Prayer. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer" Matthew 21 v.22 The congregation at Christ Church is so spread out, that it is difficult to meet to pray regularly, for the life of the church and especially to pray for the choice of the future Chaplain. Quite a number of us are remembering to pray each week, wherever we are and whenever we can, that in every part of the selection process and the appointment, God's will may be done, so that Christ Church receives the right person. We also remember all those who are leading the church and the services, especially through this interregnum. If you, too, think that prayer is as important as we do, why not join us. We will send you a short email reminder each week, and together we can lift up our church to Him in prayer. Contact Chris and Liz Barge tel 02 97 72 45 33 or e-mail lizzieandchris@wanadoo.fr
Summary of the Main Points made at a CCB Council Meeting on 17th November 2011
Some Lighter Moments. Tinsellitis I’ve got a bad attack of Tinsellitis – I get it round about this time each year When autumn’s gold gives way to Winter’s silver And Christmas decorations reappear. Every other street becomes a Grotto – Bright houses line each chilly avenue, Festooned with twinkling lights which hang in tendrils Like cobwebs sparkling with the morning dew.
My seasonal attack of Tinsellitis Gives chance to savour Advent’s varied fun; While Christmas music serenades my shopping It’s so enjoyable to get it done! But as I stroll the shops in search of presents With which to cheer my friends and family, I find I’m jostled, pushed and even sworn at – This really isn’t how it’s meant to be. I wonder if the crowd of harassed shoppers Have any notion what they’re doing there, If any of them know the truth of Christmas And – more than that – do any of them care?
But even that can’t cure my Tinsellitis – I try my best to spread it where I go, To show that there’s a better side of Christmas That isn’t just for spending and for show. The story is well-known and much repeated Of the baby sleeping in a cattle stall; But were it not for Jesus in that stable There wouldn’t be a Christmas Day at all! The birth-gifts He received seem rather paltry Comparing them to gifts some people buy; It seems to be the cost that’s all-important, They forget the underlying reason why. The music of the carols goes unheeded, Words fall on deaf and unresponsive ears, But the beauty and the magic of the season Still remain for anyone who wants to hear.
So I will revel in my Tinsellitis, The lights the decorations and the fuss, And sing my carols to that little baby – The Son of God who came as one of us.
MUM’S ADVENT ‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring, just Mum, with a grouse. “Who’s got the sellotape? Come on – own up! There’s a great heap of presents I’ve still to wrap up. Where are the labels - does nobody care? Thank goodness that Christmas comes just once each year. The milkman needs paying, the paperboy too, I just don’t need this hassle when there’s so much to do!”
‘Twas two days before Christmas and Mum’s getting cross, But no-one seems bothered, so why make a fuss? The children are watching old films on TV, Relaxed on the sofa – laid back as could be. They ask, in the adverts, for something to eat, But Mum, baking mince-pies, says, through gritted teeth: “Am I really the only one with jobs to do? The way I feel now I would welcome the ‘flu!”
One day before Christmas, and all through the house Goes Mum with the vacuum, the polish, the mousse. The furniture sparkles, the whole place looks swell And the kitchen’s redolent of Christmassy smells. The turkey is ready, awaiting its stuffing – What’s everyone else doing? Zilch. Zero. Nothing. And Mum’s had enough, but her smile says the lot: “If I ain’t got it now, it ain’t going to be got!”
‘Twas the hour before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, Just Mum in the kitchen, one thought in her head Now the others have given up and long gone to bed. She creeps in the lounge, switches on the TV, And sits in her armchair, relaxed as could be. Midnight Mass is just starting, the choir leads in With carols and singing, and peace falls within. She raises her glass with a smile of good cheer And joins in the carols – the Christ-Child is here.
An East End villain had a brother in the firm with him, who died. He went to his local Vicar and asked if he would hold a funeral service for his brother, and offered him £50,000 if he would say that his brother was a saint. The vicar thought for a moment and then accepted the offer. But once he was back in his study and had time to reflect on his decision, he was full of regret, repentance and remorse before God. How could he now fulfil his word and yet hold on to his integrity as well as the money? On the day of the funeral the vicar spoke of the deceased: "He was a rogue, a thief, a cheat and a liar," he said, "but compared with his brother he was a Saint”
There was once a very rough Church meeting. Strong opinions were expressed and sharp disagreements surfaced. The next day one of the church members felt bad about the whole meeting, and asked the Pastor if he had slept well after the meeting had ended. He replied, "I slept like a baby." "Did you really?" said the church member. "Yes", I woke up every hour crying!"
A sides-man was taking the collection at a fashionable church and waited patiently as a visitor fumbled in his pockets. The visitor finally said," I'm sorry, I don't seem to have any small chanqe." "That's quite all right, sir, it isn't your small change that we want.
Recipe for a happy marriage. The wife should love her husband a little and understand him a lot. The husband should love his wife and never try to understand her at all
Four businessmen, pillars of their local church, were chatting after dinner one evening. The conversation turned to the subject of honesty and each agreed to reveal their secret weaknesses to one another. First: When I am away from home, I sometimes visit dubious nightclubs. Second: Although people think I am teetotal, I sometimes have a drink on the sly. Third: No-one knows this but I have a gambling problem, always going to betting shops. Fourth: You're not going to like this but I'm a dreadful gossip.
Prayers Suggestion. There are times when we find it difficult to pray our own prayers and need a structured prayer pattern to help us. I wonder if you are aware that Common Worship offers such a structure in the form of Prayer During the Day. It gives you prayers, psalm and readings, and suggested headings for private prayer, for each day of the week. To find this go to Common Worship on the web and click on Prayer During the Day. I hope that you might find this helpful. with prayerfull good wishes. David Ineson.
And finally… I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord. Psalm 27 v 13/14. This just about sums up the message of Advent. It is a season of waiting in hope for the reality of God to be revealed. Revealed in his Word made flesh at Christmas, and revealed finally and indisputably in the second coming. I guess that we can relate to Christmas quite easily, we all have some experience of babies and the hope and the joy that they bring. But Jesus coming again in a majesty which cannot be denied, bringing justice and peace, is a concept with which we all struggle. However it is a theme strongly represented in Jesus teaching and we cannot ignore it even though we may want to do so. The fact is that love, if it is to be anything other than sentimentality, must include justice. God's love demands justice. Micah speaks of this when he says: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”. Jesus is constantly asking for just dealing between human beings. The return of Jesus “in great power and glory” will reveal Gods judgement and establish justice in a way that no one will be able to ignore. But says Jesus no one knows when this will happen only the Father. So forget about forecasting the end of the world and just keep awake to the possibility, aware that it can happen at any time. The world can end for us as individuals at any moment, we are fragile creatures vulnerable to illness and accident, and collectively the same is true. It is not something we wish to contemplate but it is something we need to take account of as we wait for the Lord. This is all rather daunting and tests our ideas about heaven being a good thing. The gospel suggests that we should look forward to this day. It is a day of hope. Jesus tells us “When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” Lk 21 v28. Fine in theory but tough in practice. Whilst we wait we are committed to Kingdom ethics. Holy living arising from a profound sense that we live in the presence of God and we are called to be faithful stewards of his gifts. Advent is a time to review that stewardship. We need to be realistic, but in hope not in desperation. Julian of Norwich wrote: “I understood that the Lord looks on his servant with pity and not with blame. In God's sight we do not fall; in our sight we do not stand. As I see it both of these are true. But the deeper insight belongs to God.” David Ineson
Newsletter Contributions: for the January issue, please e-mail your contributions to Chris Wilson at wilson.christopher@orange.fr, the deadline is Monday 19th December 2011.
Any views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of Christ Church Brittany but those of the individual contributor.
CHAPLAINCY OF CHRIST CHURCH BRITTANY PART OF THE DIOCESE IN EUROPE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND)
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