The Benefice of St. Bartholomew

Talk - 'Peking to Paris' - 22nd June 2019

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Written by Michael Hockney

Peking to Paris

In a 1934 Rolls-Royce
An illustrated 10,000 mile adventure story

by Sir John Stuttard

Saturday 22nd June 2019

at
New Remembrance Hall, Charlton, SP7 0PL
6.00 for 6.45pm

In 1907, an adventurous group of motoring enthusiasts set off on the first race from Peking to Paris, and what an adventure it was, driving through many countries, some of which had barely seen a motor car.

In 1997, a new group met at Brooklands, and determined to repeat the run. This talk follows John Stuttard’s progress in a 1934 Rolls Royce painted in FT pink, among an assortment of other cars, all of which had to be over 30 years old.

Some way through the race, the organisers decided that the modern roads were just a little too tame, so they toughened up the rules. Just a bit.

See and hear John’s entertaining account of how it all happened.

Tickets, £10 (£5 for those in full time education) to include canapes;
available from Jane, tel: 01747 828279, and Elizabeth, tel: 01747 828201

Bar and Fine Wine Raffle

In aid of St Andrew’s Church Development Appeal

** NEW ** Weekday Services in the Benefice

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Written by The Rev'd Richard Warhurst

There is going to be a change to the format of weekday services starting on Tuesday 23rd April 2019. Our desire is to have two public weekday services in each church. There will be one service of morning prayer and one Eucharist. Full details are shown below.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Note: after Donhead St Andrew church re-opens, the services currently being held in Donhead St Andrew Rectory will take place in the church.

Please do come and join us at these services - all are most welcome.

From the Rector - June 2019

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Written by The Rev'd Richard Warhurst

Dear Friends,

On June 16th we celebrate Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is primarily an experience; it is the way we experience God in our lives. But we have turned it into a matter of faith: an idea to be understood. And then we get frustrated when we can’t understand the Trinity and so we defend ourselves, we defend our faith by declaring it a mystery beyond understanding. Yet, of course, the Trinity is a mystery but not because it is a complicated doctrine! It’s a mystery because the Trinity is an Event of Love - and Love is a mystery. We can’t describe Love. We can only experience it; and so it is with the Trinity too.

There are many torturous metaphors to try to ‘understand’ the Trinity: the notion of a Shamrock - 3 leaves joined in one stem, water - existing as ice, steam and liquid, an apple - made of peel, flesh and core, or St. Augustine's analogy of God the lover, Jesus the beloved and the Holy Spirit who is the love that binds them together; three all who are love, all participating in love.

All of these analogies are good as far as they go. But they are all attempts to rationalise what is beyond rationality: they are all attempts to logically examine what is beyond logic. The experience of love is not hallmarked by rationality. The experience of love is not logical.

This month, Anna and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary and in the words of the old Preface to the marriage service 'man and woman become one flesh' and 'they begin a new life together in the community'. I believe that the Holy Trinity is a perfect model on which to base our relationships with each other. We assert that the Trinity is co-equal. The three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all equal to each other and yet fulfil different roles.

The Trinity exists together three persons with distinct functions and yet the one God. It is to this ideal we are called in all our relationships. To build a community of love where all are welcomed and respected and thought of as an intimate part of our family and related to ourselves and each other.

The distinctiveness of the three Persons lies in the relationships that relate them to one another. Just as relationships remain vital to the very life of the Trinity, so are they in our life of faith.

It is crucial that we know that Jesus is with us always, until the end of the world. And we encounter that saving, transforming presence as we embrace it in the person of our neighbour.

So this month, Trinity Sunday calls us to an experience of love - but one that stirs us into action: obedience to God’s commandments, which has an outworking in love towards him but. just as importantly, love towards others too.

There is nothing passive about love. As believers, we are constantly being re-made in the image of God and called to mirror that into the world through our words and actions and loving service. As we practice the presence of God in our lives, so we will become more concerned for the well-being of others and seek to serve them to the best of our ability.

My prayer is that we will journey on together to become mirrors in the world of the grace, compassion, love and hospitality of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Richard

Prayer Cycle and Prayer of the Month - June 2019

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Written by The Rev'd June Lane

There are many of our people who need prayer at this time. Just keep letting us know of your needs. Contact Julia (tel: 01747 829166), The Rev’d June (tel: 01747 828427), Theresa (tel: 01747 829188), or The Rev’d Richard (tel: 01747 830174).

Prayer of the Month

This Prayer of Gilbert Shaw was written nearly 100 years ago and yet it still speaks of today's problems and fears. I hope it helps someone this month:

Lord, give us the grace to hold to you when all is weariness and fear and sin abounds within, without
when love itself is tested by the doubt...
that love is false, or dead within the soul, when every act brings new confusion, new distress,
new opportunities, new misunderstandings, and every thought new accusation.
O Lord, give us grace that we may know
that in the darkness pressing round
it is the mist of sin that hides your face,
that you are there,
and you do know we love you still
and our dependence and endurance in your will
is still our gift of love. Amen.