Church News for the Benefice of Spire Hill
Purse Caundle, Stalbridge,
Stock with Kings Stag, and Stourton Caundle
part of the ‘Pilgrims in the Vale’
Parishes
Stalbridge Church of England Primary School
Glimpses in the Past of Purse Caundle
Kings Stag Churches’ Coffee Morning
Events and Information for May
A
reflection by Roger Roberts, senior pastor of International Baptist Church in
Brussels.
Nine days
after the Ascension of Jesus, and 49 days after his crucifixion, the Jews were
doing what they always did this time of year, preparing for the Feast of
Ingathering, or Harvest. It was held 50
days after the Passover, and with it, life in Israel looked set to return to
normal, with Jesus well on the way to becoming just a memory.
So no one
paid any attention to a small group of Jesus’ disciples who had gathered in a
house in Jerusalem. There were only
about 120 of them, and they were quiet and kept to themselves. The Jews, if they thought about it at all,
would have assumed they were still grieving their lost leader. But the disciples, far from grieving Jesus’
death, were eagerly awaiting for him to send them a present. Though they did not understand exactly what
it might be.
All they
knew was that Jesus was alive, and that before he had ascended to heaven, he
had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait there together for “the gift my
father has promised” (Acts 1.4). He had
said: “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on
high.” (Luke 24.49)
These
disciples, though they did not know it then, were already acting as the future
church – the ecclesia, which literally means ‘called-out ones’. For those disciples stuck together, together
they waited for God’s blessing.
As with
them, so with us today: even though each conversion is intensely personal, we
are not converted to be alone in our faith.
Far from it! We are not saved to
solitude, but to a life in the fellowship of the Church. Jesus has ordained that his followers,
TOGETHER, be his family on earth, his witness to the world.
But it has
never been a family built on likeness – the believers in the house that day
came from very different backgrounds – from right-wing conservatives (Matthew)
to radical left-wing zealots (Simon).
There were some straightforward fishermen and even women, for good
measure. From the day of its birth,
Jesus’ family would include all kinds of people who would find their unity in
him.
The first
thing the disciples did was to get down to the business of praying. They did not try and unite themselves by
long discussions with each other. It
was the “joining together constantly in prayer” (verse 14) that brought them
together.
The 19th
Century London pastor FB Meyer expressed well what awaited those disciples “The
task that awaited that little group was one of unparalleled difficulty. They were to disciple all nations, speaking
different languages, scattered over the vast Roman Empire, which extended from
the Atlantic to the Far East. They were
to substitute Christianity for paganism, as the foundation of a new type of
civilization. In fact, humanly speaking
and without exaggeration, it depended on that tiny group of unknown and
ordinary men and women, whether the Incarnation and Death, the Resurrection and
Ascension, of the Son of God would obtain the audience and acceptance of
mankind.”
Today the
Christian Church faces the same challenge – of making Christ known. We can do “business as usual” in our
strength and by our resources. But
great manifestations of God’s saving, healing and restoring power come only as
God’s people “stay for the Spirit” and “wait for the gift” as Jesus commanded
(Luke 24.49; Acts 1.4).
Each of us
would do well to “ask, seek and knock” for God’s fullness day by day, if we are
to enjoy his full anointing of power on our lives and ministry. We all ‘leak’, and need the continual
in-filling that comes from abiding, persistent prayer.
It was out
of the context of prayer that this incipient church in Jerusalem was preparing
for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. For God’s fullness in our lives and
awakening in our church today we must believe that he is able and willing to
fulfil his highest purpose for us. He
wants to give us his “good gifts,” namely, his Holy Spirit in fullness.
That day
in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit arrived in all his fullness, Peter stood up
and preached the first ever Christian sermon to the astonished Jews in the
city. So - the Jesus their rulers had
crucified at Passover was not dead after all!
That Jesus WAS the Messiah, and he was alive! 3,000 were converted that same day. In the power of the Spirit, the Church was born – and growing
fast!
Hello everyone, another month gone – and very quickly
too. We have been on holiday for two
weeks and returned to a freshly decorated hall and a nearly finished outside
learning area for our reception class.
We’ve drained the swimming pool ready for painting, refilling and
heating! We hope to have cycle racks
shortly so that children can cycle to school.
Oh yes I nearly forgot – Year 4 Squirrels class have put up a squirrel
feeder outside their classroom. I don’t
know if they have had any visitors yet.
I always enjoy the summer term best of all. Lots of outside activities, children eating
their lunch on the field and school trips.
Year 6 have a residential week away in June near Swanage where they will
climb, abseil, raftbuild, canoe, shoot arrows and hopefully sleep well. Year 5, Reception and Year 1 are going to
Gore Farm to build shelters, feed animals and get muddy. Year 4 go to Montacute House to be Tudors
for a day and Year 3 go to Sherborne Castle.
Year 2 are undecided as yet. I
overheard Miss Wright, Year 2’s teacher, talking about sky diving but perhaps
that was just her own weekend activity.
I hope to be invited on some of these – a day out of the office hurrah!
There are some important, but not quite so fun, things to
get done this term too. Years 2 and 6
have their SATs and other years will have tests too to help in our assessment
of the children’s ability and attainment.
Every child will have a report written for them – a time consuming job
for teachers, so spare a thought for them as they toil into their summer
evenings.
Best wishes,
Michael Allen
School Worship in Stalbridge Parish Church is at 9.10am on
Thursday 8th, and 22nd May. All are welcome.
The Club evenings in May are 2nd May at 5pm
starting at Stalbridge Parish Church for a Treasure Hunt and on 16th
May for a Games evening, both evenings are 5pm-7pm. Subscription is £1.
Group members will be walking 6 miles on Wednesday 28th
May, leaving Stalbridge Parish Church at 10am.
We will be exploring high downs, manor houses, lakes and beautiful views
around Cerne Abbas and Minterne Magna.
Friends are welcome.
On 30th May, there is the annual Orienteering
Challenge. 5pm onwards. Leave from
Stalbridge Parish Church. Subscription
is £1.
St Mary’s Youth Group is open to young people who join in or
intend to join the worship life of the parish churches of Purse Caundle,
Stalbridge, Stock with Kings Stag, and Stourton Caundle.
Meetings will be held on Wednesday 7th and 21st
May, both at the Congregational Church Hall, Station Road, Stalbridge at
2.30pm.
This will be held between 11th and 17th
May. Christian Aid Week is seven
amazing days of fundraising, campaigning and worship. It unites 300,000 people in the UK's biggest house-to-house
collection. It inspires hundreds of
events, brings together thousands of churches and reaches millions of people
with messages about poverty.
And most importantly, it helps people in poor communities around the world change their lives. www.christianaid.org.uk
by Ronald Knight
27th May 1199 (Ascension Day), King John came to
the throne. Between 1204-1214 he is
known to have hunted quite regularly in the Blackmore Vale and Gillingham Royal
Forest. Amongst the places often
visited were Sherborne, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton and Gillingham, and thus
doubtless he and his hunting party would at times have passed through Purse
Caundle (or whatever it was then called).
You are welcome to the Methodist and Church of England joint
coffee morning on Saturday 24th May from 10.30am at Kings Stag
Church of England Memorial Chapel. All
the usual stalls raising funds for the two local churches.
Worship at the Methodist Chapel in Kings Stag is on 11th
and 25th May, both at 6pm. You
will be welcome to join in the worship.
…is on Monday 2nd – Friday 6th June.
· The
2008 pilgrimage will aim to address existing church members on the
principles and methods of mission for our churches in our area.
· On
each of those days there will be a pilgrim walk ending up in one of the five
Pilgrim Benefices. Details of the walks
will be published nearer the time, but anyone is welcome to join in with any or
all of these journeys.
· The
journey will end at:
Monday 2nd June – Marnhull
Tuesday 3rd June – Okeford
Benefice
Wednesday 4th June – Spire
Hill
Thursday 5th June –
Hazelbury Bryan and the Hillside Parishes
Friday 6th June –
Sturminster Newton
We ask everyone to keep clear the evening which involves
their own benefice. (If you cannot come
to the evening in your own benefice, please feel free to attend another.)
· In
each benefice the meeting will include:
- a simple meal
- an engaging presentation on the mission of the
church in our area
- an act of worship
So, on
Wednesday 4th June, there will be a walk leaving from Stalbridge
Parish Church at 5pm, walking to Stourton Caundle village hall for a light
supper at 7pm, followed by the presentation and ending with a short act of
worship. If you’d like to help with
preparing the supper, please speak to Jane Colville (362287) or Gill Sanders
(362934).
Pilgrimage
2008 will be a preparation for June 2009 when we shall seek to present the
Christian Gospel to a wider audience.
Please hold in your prayers all
involved in these activities.
1 Ascension
Day
7am Worship of tower roof of
Stalbridge Church, followed by a light breakfast
William Ridding’s Pastoral Day in
Stalbridge
7pm Benefice Holy Communion with
hymns at Purse Caundle
2 Philip
and James, Apostles—transferred from 1st May
5pm St Mary’s Youth Group Treasure
Hunt
6 10am
William Ridding’s Pastoral Day in Belchalwell, Ibberton and Woolland
7.30pm Pilgrim Forum at Stalbridge
Parish Church
7 10.30am
William Ridding joins Rural Theology Association training day at Hilfield
Friary
1.30pm Years 2 and 4 of Stalbridge
C of E Primary School visiting Stalbridge Parish Church
2.30pm Stalbridge Sisterhood meets
at the Congregational Church, Station Road, Stalbridge
8 9.10am
Stalbridge Church of England Primary School attends worship in Stalbridge
Parish Church
10am William Ridding’s Pastoral Day
in Mappowder
7.30pm Stalbridge Parochial Church
Council meets
7.30pm Stourton Caundle Parochial
Church Council meets
9 William
Ridding’s Pastoral Day in Stalbridge, to include at
10am Church surgery at Stalbridge Community Office
1.15pm Year 3 of Stalbridge C of E
Primary School visiting Stalbridge Parish Church
11 Pentecost
Start of Christian Aid Week [until 17th
May]
12 William Ridding’s Pastoral Day in
Stalbridge, to include at 10.15am Holy Communion at Stalbridge Close. All
welcome.
7.40pm Stalbridge Worship Planning
Group at Widworthy, Drews Lane, Stalbridge
13 10am William Ridding’s Pastoral Day
in Purse Caundle
4pm Governors of Stalbridge C of E
Primary School meet
14 Matthias the Apostle
15 10am William Ridding’s Pastoral Day
in Kings Stag
16 10am William Ridding’s Pastoral Day
in Fifehead Neville
5pm St Mary's Youth Group Games
Evening
17 9am William Ridding meets with the
authorised ministers of Hazelbury Bryan and the Hillside Parishes
2pm Holy Baptism of Ruby Laws at
Stalbridge Parish Church
18 Trinity Sunday
2pm Holy Baptism of Jackie David
Wood and Lucy Janet Henwood at Stalbridge Parish Church
19 10.45am William Ridding leads act of
collective worship at Okeford Fitzpaine Church of England Primary School
20 9am Pilgrim clergy on day’s walk
6.15pm Stalbridge Beavers in
Stalbridge Parish Church
21 2.30pm Stalbridge Sisterhood meets at
the Congregational Church, Station Road, Stalbridge
22 Day of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion
9.10am Stalbridge Church of
England Primary School attends worship in Stalbridge Parish Church
10am William Ridding’s Pastoral
Day in Hazelbury Bryan, including at 1.15pm act of collective worship at
Hazelbury Bryan County Primary School
7.30pm Churchwardens of Spire Hill
meet with the rector
24 10.30am Kings Stag Church of England
and Methodist Coffee Morning at Kings Stag Church of England Memorial Chapel
27 11am William Ridding’s Pastoral Day
in Stourton Caundle
28 10am St Mary’s Youth Group Walk
30 10am Holy Communion at Knightstone
Court, Stalbridge
11am Holy Communion at The Old
Rectory, Stalbridge
5pm St Mary’s Youth Group
Orienteering Challenge
31 The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to
Elizabeth
On 31st
May, the Church recalls the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. The celebration of the feast first occurred
at a Franciscan Order General Chapter in 1263, but quickly spread throughout
Europe.
Mary – the
virgin mother of Jesus. For centuries
the eastern and western churches have considered her pre-eminent among all the
saints.
In the
gospels, Mary makes her first appearance as a teenager. Nothing is known of her childhood, and what
we do know of her is found mostly in Matthew 1 – 2 and in Luke 1 – 2. If you read both accounts, you’ll notice
that Luke’s account seems to give the story from Mary’s standpoint, whereas
Matthew concentrates more on Joseph’s side of things. In both accounts the virginal conception of Christ is clearly
stated. Mary’s quiet devotion to God
and her acceptance of his will shine forth.
After
Jesus is born, Mary fades into the background, and makes few appearances: when
the family visits Jerusalem and she loses her son on the way home; when she
urges him to help the wedding party in Cana with its wine problem; and when
Jesus gives her into the keeping of the beloved disciple when he is dying on
the cross. Mary’s last appearance is
in Acts chapter one, just before Pentecost.
Mary
obviously joined the early Church, but her role was never one of teaching and
preaching, and indeed she remained so much in the background that nothing more
about her is known for certain. Both
Ephesus and Jerusalem have claimed to be the place of her death.
Mary,
chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, one who is both God and Man, holds a
unique place in the history of mankind.
Down the centuries that have followed, the Church has paid special
honour to Mary – and well deserved it is.
“All generations shall call me blessed…”