TRINITY SUNDAY
11th June 2006
Graphics and cartoons appear only in the printed version
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
For today let’s pause
At my first groping after the First Cause,
Which led me to acknowledge (groping still)
That if what once was called primeval slime
(In current jargon, pre-biotic soup)
Evolved in course of eons to a group
Playing Beethoven, it needed more than time
And chance, it needed a creative will
To foster that emergence, and express
Amoeba in A Minor. Martyn Skinner
Religious belief clearly works for a lot of people; it gives them a sense of purpose and meaning, and that helps generate optimism and hope which helps sustain them through very difficult circumstances. All of these are, of course, generalisations and there are many, many exceptions. But it seems to me that religion can bring out the very best (as well as the very worst) in people. Most of the most impressive people I’ve met have been people of faith: I find it hard to think of agnostics or atheists with the comparable combination of characteristics - patience, generosity, humility, wisdom, sense of delight - which defines holiness for me. I’m not saying they don’t exist but as far as I can remember I haven’t come across them.
Madeline Bunting “The Guardian”
SHEPPARTONIAN EXPERTISE
Some years ago, in the days of the little lamented Jeff Kennet , members of the Ferrari racing team resident in Melbourne for the Grand Prix, were hit by a virus that laid low almost all of the city. Fortunately the drivers were alright, but the whole pit crew were confined to bed. So they were forced to search far and wide for replacements and one of the team remembered having a drink with a policeman from Shepparton who had told him how some of the young blokes from this notable rural city could take off a car’s tyre within six seconds, using only one spanner and a pair of pliers. So they hired some Shepparton yobbos. However, there proved to be a problem. The Shepparton boys not only changed the tyres in six seconds, but twelve seconds later the car was resprayed and sold to the Maclaren team.
APPREHENDING THE DIVINE
Andrew Neaum
One of the many reasons I remain a fairly traditional, high church Anglican is the importance that this tradition places upon “sacramentalism”, that is, upon God perceived to be apprehendable in the ordinary, in the bread and wine of daily experience.
God, in my life, has never suspended natural law in order to dazzle or devastate me with crudely blatant miracles. Rather he has infused nature and its laws with his presence and beauty so wonderfully that when I am vouchsafed a glimpse of this presence and beauty in the ordinary, I am filled with unutterable joy and strengthened in faith. All art and music and literature, as understood and appreciated by the likes of me, exists to point to the divine in the everyday, to open windows into heaven, to grant glimpses of God and purpose and meaning.
This is why my Prayer Desk contains not only the Bible and the Prayer Book, but Bach’s Cantata librettos, books of poetry and of lovely prose and so on.... One of the reasons I have so enjoyed the book by Michael Mayne that I mentioned last week and have now finished, is because he too is a thorough going sacramentalist of the sort I talk of. Speaking of sacramental moments he says: “What such beguiling and unshakable experiences suggest is a kind of momentary lifting of the veil between a seen and an unseen world, sudden moments of illumination which are gratuitous and unsought for, when things seem transfigured. But they are glimpses of a destination that we shall never know fully until we reach it. The poet Ruth Pitter” he continues, “describes her life-long aim: ‘To capture and to express some of the secret meanings that haunt life and language.... the silent music.... the hints of echoes and messages of which everything is full” So she can write of one such moment:
All was as it had ever been -
the worn familiar book
the oak behind the hawthorn seen,
the misty woodlands look:
The starling perched upon the tree
with his long tress of straw -
when suddenly heaven blazed on me,
and suddenly I saw:
was all as it would ever be,
in bliss to great to tell;
for ever safe, for ever free,
all bright with miracle.”
The poet R S Thomas is often so profound and bleak I can hardly grasp what he is meaning, but I love him for the moments when I can. A favourite is the following which talks in a different way of what Ruth Pitter does:
The Bright Field
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the pearl
of great price, the one field that had
the treasure in it. I realize now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
DROUGHT
The drought seemed to be getting worse and worse. There was no feed on the properties and even less on the long paddock. The drought got worse. A sympathetic tourist asked a farmer , “do you think it’ll rain?” “Hope so,” said the farmer, peering sadly at the sky. “Not so much for my sake as for the boys’. I’ve seen it rain.”
WALLACE STEVENS
Rationalists, wearing square hats,
Think, in square rooms,
Looking at the floor;
Looking at the ceiling.
They confine themselves
To right-angled triangles.
If they tried rhomboids,
Cones, waving lines, ellipses -
As, for example, the ellipse of the half-moon-
Rationalists would wear sombreros.
UNFASHIONABLE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It is not true ... that addicts cannot give up without the help of an apparatus of medical and paramedical care. Thousands of American servicemen returning from Vietnam, where they had addicted themselves to heroin, gave up on their return home without any assistance whatsoever. And in China, millions of Chinese addicts gave up with only minimal help: Mao Tse-Tung’s credible offer to shoot them if they did not. There is thus no question that Mao was the greatest drug-addiction therapist in history.
Substitution of one drug for another is at best equivocal as a means of treating drug addicts. No doubt if you gave every burglar $10 million, each would burgle far less in the future; but this treatment of the disease of burglary would scarcely discourage burglary as a social, or rather antisocial, phenomenon. And the fact that there would be a dose- response relationship between the amount of money given to burglars and the number of burglaries they subsequently committed does not establish burglary as a real disease or money as a real treatment for it.
........as a society, we are always on the lookout for a category of victims upon whom to expend our virtuous, which is to say conspicuous, compassion. Contrary to the orthodoxy, drug addiction is a matter of morals, which is why threats such as Mao’s, and experiences such as religious conversion, are so often effective in “curing” addicts.Theodore Dalrymple Wall Street Journal May 25
PALTRY POULTRY WISDOM
A pair of pedants got into an argument as to whether or not it is more correct to say, “The hen is sitting” or “The hen is setting.” They decided to ask a farmer, Fred Petschack, which is more correct. Fred scratched his head for a minute and then answered: “What you ask doesn’t concern me a bit. What I want to know is, when a hen cackles is she laying or lying?”
CONGRATULATIONS
Birthdays
Lesley Kenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12th June
Eileen Quaife. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15th June
Jackie Phillips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15th June
TIDYING UP
Next Sunday, after the 10.30am Eucharist we would like to meet up with those involved in the visitation of folk on the Children’s Church Roll just to ensure that any information gathered is applied to the roll and not lost. Even if all your visits were not completed and your information sparse or non existent, please either attend or let us know!
PASTORAL CARE & WARDENS MEETINGS
There is a Pastoral Care Meeting on Tuesday at 5.00pm and a Wardens’ Meeting on Wednesday at 11.30am, both in the Library.
BAPTISM PREPARATION
There is a Baptism Preparation Session in the Narthex on Tuesday evening at 7.30pm and today, at the 10.30am Eucharist, we hope to have some folk considering baptism to introduce to the congregation and to a congregational sponsor. This is part of our attempt to improve our care for and preparation of those who come seeking baptism.
CONFIRMATION
We are gathering the names of those interested in being prepared for confirmation. Do not leave it too late. A great privilege.
SOIREE
There is a list in the Narthex for the names of those with the effrontery, panache, courage and gall to present an item or two at the Soiree on July 28th. Musical items are likely to be needed especially.
MIDDAY REFLECTIONS
There are busy folk in town who might like to take time off in the middle of the day to have a time of quiet and guided reflection in the peaceful environs of St Augustine’s once a week. There are also folk about who have never been confirmed who might welcome a non-eucharistic act of worship or reflection once a week. With this in mind we will soon be holding a short and quiet lunchtime “reflection”, using a little music, sometimes, or paintings and readings and prayers and ending with a cup of good coffee and something good but light to eat. We hope that some of our regular worshippers will find this a blessing as well. More news later, but if you like the sound of it, have a word with your clergy.
EMERGENCY FOOD
A normal bag of emergency food at this time of year contains the following, and it is these items that we need donations of: Long Life milk, 2 minute noodles, tinned soup ( beef & Veg or Chicken & veg, minestrone or tomato), small packets of sweet biscuits, tea bags, coffee, sugar, tinned fruit, Kraft cheddar cheese (off the shelf), small packets of cereal, vegemite or peanut butter, tinned sausages & veg, or beef & vegetables, baked beans or spaghetti or tinned meat sauce (Bolognaise).
Many thanks to those who donate so regularly to this worthy cause.
BIBLE STUDIES
We begin two Bible Studies this month. The first will be led by Ian Bryce on Tuesdays starting at 7.30pm beginning on the 20th of June. They will involve a careful consideration of a New Testament book. Please put you name on the list in the Narthex if you would like to participate. The second will be led by the clergy and will consider the forthcoming Sunday’s Gospel, so helping participants the better to appreciate it when Sunday arrives. These will be held on Wednesdays at 11.30am starting on the 21st of June.
FLOWER POTS PLEASE
Wanted: Empty flower pots for striking cuttings for the Fete. Contact Mike Egan, phone: 58212078
AFTERNOON GUILD AND RECIPES
The Afternoon Guild are in the process of compiling a Recipe Book to print for sale as a fund raiser. Please leave tried and favourite recipes at the office for either Val or Pat. Thank You. Note the next meeting is the 27th of June not the 20th!!!!
EVENING GUILD
This month’s Evening Guild meeting will be held on Thursday 22nd of June at 1.00pm, not on the 15th as it would normally be. This is to fit in with the preparations for the Garage sale which is on June 23rd and 24th. We need saleable articles for it, so delve into those cupboards once again please. For information, or pick-ups: Margaret Kidman 58251962, Elaine McMullen 58219404, Betty Bush 58211558
IMPORTANT DIARY DATES
June 14th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Warden’s meeting
June 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grammar School Thanksgiving Service
June 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bible Study 7.30pm
June 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reflections of the Gospel 11.30am
June 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parish Council
June 22nd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evening Guild
June 22nd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parish Fair Meeting 4.30pm
Jun 23rd & 24th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evening Guild Garage Sale
June 27th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Afternoon Guild
July 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Soiree
Jul 30th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“Out Reach” publication day
Aug 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Men’s Breakfast 8.00 Eucharist, Breakfast 8.30
Aug 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth Event
Aug 25th -15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rector’s Holiday
Sept. 1st.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seasonal Garden Working Bee
Sept 6th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .South African Visitor to talk
Oct 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pet Service 5.30pm
Oct 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Out Reach” publication day
Oct 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding
Oct 23 - 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clergy Conference
Oct 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wedding
Oct 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Men’s Breakfast 8.00 Eucharist, Breakfast 8.30
Oct 29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Confirmation
Nov 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth Event
Nov 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding
Nov 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Church Fair
Nov 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding
Dec 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seasonal Garden Working Bee
Duties for 11th June 2006
Celebrant 6.30pm Sat 10th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum
Celebrant 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum
Celebrant 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gail Bryce
Celebrant Dookie 8.45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gail Bryce
Celebrant Katandra 10.45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum
Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joan Harder, Bev Condon
Readers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lionel Waterson, Nancy Fennell
Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth, Michelle
Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny & Volunteers
Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Margaret Neaum, Carole Henderson
Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Pleming, Ian Bryce
Intercessors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heather Fitzgerald, Children
Welcoming 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eileen Quaife, Joyce Cavill
Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte Brewer, Nola Brewer
Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joy Campbell, Trevor Batey
Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte Brewer, Nola Brewer
Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heather Pearson
Mowing 9th or 10th May. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .None this week
Duties for 18th June 2006
Celebrant 6.30 Saturday 17th June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum
Celebrant 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gail Bryce
Celebrant 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum
Celebrant Dookie 8.45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Neaum
Celebrant Katandra 10.45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gail Bryce
Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Mitchelmore, Victoria Heenan
Readers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bev Condon Liz Booth
Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beth, Michelle
Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan, Polly, Henry
Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian Bryce, John Griffin
Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bev Condon, Carole Henderson
Intercessors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Carlyon, Maureen Cormican
Welcoming 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gwen Betson, Shirley Dean
Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Steen, Hilder Lidgard
Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gwyn Cowland, Merv Cowland
Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alan Akers, Adrian Evans
Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Val Rose
Mowing 16th or 17th June. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kay McGregor, Merv Cowland
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
David Burrow, Nan Cowan, Hamish Fisher, Brian Loxley, Bob McKellar, Denise McKellar, Judy McGuire, Marvin Mould, Leon Myer, Margaret Noble, Jan Riches, Marj Watts, Barry Wood, Glenda, Liam, Andrew, Barbara, Brian, Jason, Jenny, Joan, John, Kerry, Leah, Lilian, Raelene, Renee, Shannon, Stewart, Tania, Zoe & Zac.
Rest in peace:
Jack Shacklock
Anniversary of Death:
Lawrence Jones, Harold Merigan, Jovan, Maria, Bogoja, Blaguna 11th, Len Robertson, Ella Davis, Leo Kenna, Olive Emery 13th, Betty Norman 17th.
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
Monday 12th June
The Rector’s Day Off / Public Holiday
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
Tuesday 13th June St. Barnabas
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
10.30am Playgroup
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
5.00pm Pastoral Care - Library
7.30pm Baptism Preparation - Library
Wednesday 14th June Basil of Caesarea
7.45am Mattins only - Lady Chapel
8.45am Nursing Home Round
10.00am Eucharist- St Augustine’s
11.30am Wardens meeting
1.30pm Rehearsal - Grammar School
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
7.30pm Grammar School Service
Thursday 15th June Corpus Christi
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
11.00am Eucharist - Harmony House
5.30pm Choir Practice
Friday 16th June
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
11.00am Eucharist - Ave Maria
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
Saturday 17th June
Associate Priest’s Day Off
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
6.30pm Vigil Eucharist - Lady Chapel
2nd Sunday after Pentecost 18th June
8.30am Sung Eucharist - St Augustine’s
8.45am Eucharist - St Luke’s Dookie
10.30am Eucharist- St Augustine’s
10.45am Eucharist - St Mary’s Katandra
12.15pm Grave Blessing - Shepparton Cemetery
5.30pm Evening Prayer