4 November 2007 Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost

TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

4^th November 2007

Graphics and cartoons appear only in the printed version

GIVING THE BIRD

A First War Digger, on leave in London, who passed General Birdwood in the street neglected to salute. Birdwood, so the story goes, hurried after him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Do you know who I am?" "Not a flamin’ clue," said the soldier. "I am General Birdwood." The soldier looked at him for a while then said: "Then why don't you wear your feathers on your backside like any other bird would?"

TRAVELLERS TALES (28)

(Andrew Neaum in the year 2000)

We left Happisbugh on the Norfolk coast before 6.30am on yet another beautiful morning. Great churches loomed up above heavily foliaged trees in the early morning, summer-hazy sun and bright blazes of scarlet poppies jazzed up the green verges of the lanes. We headed back along country lanes as far as Fakenham and then found ourselves once more on the main road to Kingslyn, so full of great lorries and so we couldn’t get much above 50 miles an hour until Sleaford. There we stopped and had breakfast in, of all places, a Tesco car park, filled the car and put some air in one tyre. We then headed for the A1, which these days is more or less a motorway, and so after Newark we made cracking good speed, seventy miles an hour almost all the way to Mirfield, with a few swaps of motorway successfully accomplished.

The Community of the Resurrection

We arrived at the Community of the Resurrection’s mother house in Mirfield far earlier than we were expected, at about half past eleven, and so Fr Nicolas Stebbing, whom we were visiting there, was in a Chapter Meeting and couldn’t be got hold of until about half past twelve.

The Community of the Resurrection is an Anglican Community of monks that was founded at Oxford in 1892 by the great Anglican theologian and bishop Charles Gore. In 1839 the Community moved to Radley in Berkshire and then five years later to Mirfield in Yorkshire. The Community, because of the high academic achievements of its members, certainly in days gone by, and also because of the greater freedom sometimes allowed to its members, has been considered by some to be the closest Community in Anglicanism to the Roman Catholic Church’s Jesuits. One of the original aims of the Community was to adapt the religious life to the changed circumstances of the modern age. At the beginning of its life most of the members of the Community continued to combine with communal life the scholarly, educational and evangelistic work in which they had been engaged before profession; but with growing numbers the Community began to develop work of its own, notably the foundation of the College of the Resurrection for the training of ordinands, and also missionary and educational work in Southern Africa. In the Rhodesia of my youth they ran one of the greatest of Anglican mission stations in the lovely eastern highlands at a place called Penalonga.

Fr Nicolas Stebbing

Fr Nicolas Stebbing was a contemporary of mine at the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in the 1960's and was ordained priest with me in Harare Cathedral in 1975. We became good friends as priests together in Rhodesia where, after a turbulent curacy, he eventually became a mission priest on the mission on which I had grown up. He lived there in a hut, subsisting on African food as an African until increasing terrorism flushed him out. He would hitch hike down to stay with us in our first parish in Gatooma, bare footed and white cassocked, to enjoy a little more civilized living in our company. An eccentric and free spirit, his decision to join the Community and so put himself under rule and discipline must have cost him a great deal, and the fact that he has stuck it out, with many a struggle I am sure, makes him a most remarkable man.

Renewing an old acquaintance

We decided to have our lunch and then to wait for him to be free to see us. It seemed silly to have come so far and with so much effort only to miss seeing him. So after a cup of tea, served to us by very friendly kitchen staff in the bright sunlight of the front lawn of the most impressive and large Community House, we went back to the car, parked it under a huge horse chestnut tree in the grounds and ate lunch. We then sat on the lawn in the shade waiting for Mike (his Community name is Fr Nicolas, his baptism name, by which I knew him as a student, is Michael) to appear. It had been so warm for the whole week we were in England that I hadn’t once worn a jersey. At about 12.30 Fr Nicolas duly appeared in black cassock, grey scapular and sandals. He limped across to greet us, on his gammy leg, looking, I suppose, a little older, but hardly different. The soles of his sandalled feet, as they always were, were still as cracked as an African peasant’s, his voice still slightly quavery. He seemed genuinely pleased that we had made the effort to come and see him and after greetings we went in with him to the huge Community chapel to say the midday office.

Looking the place over

The Community members sit for services in the choir area of the chapel, as is traditional. The choir is separated by a screen from the nave, though very much an open screen and we sat in the nave with one other person. The Office was said and sung in a slow and measured fashion, the chapel wonderfully resonant. There were about twenty five members of the Community present, three or four of them young. We had seen one ancient old codger being led out by a nurse to sit in the sun, as we sat waiting earlier, obviously he was long past participating in public worship. I think there are several others like him. There are about a dozen little altars, with or without proper chapels, within the main chapel, and the main chapel itself is light, white and very lovely inside.

Reminiscing

Afterwards Michael did without his lunch, he says they are very well fed, and we sat outside with a tray of tea and talked about Rhodesia, and old friends like Robert Mercer, who is also a member of the Community and who, for a time, was Bishop of Matabeleland, he now runs a traditionalist Anglican Communion in Canada). Mike visits Zimbabwe often and despairs of most of the bishops there for their incompetence and worse. He despairs too of Mugabe and his government, though when we were in Rhodesia during the war of independence, Mike, always a radical, was an ardent supporter of Mugabe, which we were not. We refrained from saying “We told you so”! When on his annual visit to Zimbabwe Mike bases himself in a country area at Gokwe, where there is an African priest who has formed a mixed, male and female Com-munity, with all sorts of agricultural schemes that seem actually to work, and who conducts what is by African standards a not too bizarre healing ministry. Mike, Rhodesian born, spends any holiday time he has in Zimbabwe or in Roumania, two countries notable, he maintains, for real religion, poor people and corrupt governments. An irresistible combination, not least because poor people know best how to enjoy themselves and are astonishingly generous. What is more they even eat sadza (ground maize) as a staple in Roumania as they do in Zimbabwe, though of the yellow not white variety. Still a radical in his own unique way, it would appear that Mike is something of a maverick in the Community. He is not an altogether happy man, the community is as much a prison as a home to him I suspect, though he probably needs the Community, given the sort of person he is, for they lead a more structured and ordered life than I had imagined.

Community life

Mike teaches Greek in the theological college, in a noisy and undisciplined fashion that usually bears good results, he maintains, though last year, for the first time, sixty percent of his pupils had failed. They had lots of charm that beguiled him, he said, they were as thick as bricks beneath the charm. Other than this he is kept busy with Community jobs having been infirmarium, that is, in charge of the infirmary, for about eleven years. He has now taken on the role of Community sacristan. He does seem to wangle plenty of time for courses and meetings in various parts of Britain and abroad. I mentioned our son David’s desire to garden somewhere such as the Community for a year in payment for board and lodging and he said that he thought that this could easily be arranged. They employ two yokels as assistant gardeners, the chief gardener being one of the brethren. So David is due to go over there in the middle of this year (2000).

A lovely place

Mike showed us over the Community house, the refectory, the kitchen, the chapel and what is probably the best sacristy in the world. It contains no less than twelve vestment chests of many drawers, back to back, six a side, each with its own lamp, vessels, linen, missals, preparatory prayers etc. You can imagine the good old days with a priest before each of the twelve chests, vesting up for Mass every morning, muttering their prayers as they did so and then processing in to church to twelve different altars to say Mass simultaneously, surely the only authentic form of con-celebration! He showed us some lovely vestments too, of particular interest to Margaret. We then walked round the extensive and rather lovely grounds. I had imagined Mirfield to be a stinking, dismal, crowded suburb of stinking, miserable, crowded Leeds. In fact it is still a distinct town or city and certainly on a bright and sunny day it is not at all unpleasant. From the grounds of the Community you can look out over fields and woods, so the countryside is not far away. We viewed a cricket pitch where the students are sometimes thrashed by visiting church teams. The theological college, though in the same grounds, is of course a completely different and separate set of buildings. It has, for the first time in its history, a principal who is not a member of the Community. The Community graveyard was lovely too, with a walled calvary garden and all the graves marked by identical, wooden crosses with a sort of peaked little roof over each cross, and inscribed with the name and dates of each buried Community member. James Woodrow. an eccentric old Community priest with whom I worked at Harare Cathedral for three years, is not there, for he is buried in South Africa, but his name is on the board in the Chapel. There seems to be a productive vegetable garden as well as a lovely rose garden.

The genuine Christian article

After about a three hour stop we wished Mike farewell and headed home. He is the genuine Christian article, someone most heartening to visit, outrageous, funny, irreverent, not quite at peace with himself, but authentic.

Home

From then on the day was all dull travel. We made good speed for as long as the motorway lasted, that is to beyond Scotch Corner, and even afterwards on the A68, through very beautiful Northumberland, until at last we again hit double lane highway at the Edinburgh bypass. We were held up for half an hour by a traffic jam caused by an accident just before the Forth Bridge, but were still home by a quarter to nine. (to be continued)

GRIEF SUPPORT

The St Augustine’s Grief Support Group: “Moving On” meets on Tuesday 13^th at 7.30pm in the Narthex. All are welcome.

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE

The very fine and moving film “Amazing Grace” about William Wilberforce’s battle to end slavery is to be shown in the Church on Thursday the 15^th of November at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

MORNING TEA

There is a Morning Tea in aid of School Chaplaincy at the Church of Christ (105 Corio Street) on Nov 22^nd at 10.00 am. $5.00.

MUSIC MATTERS

We have just started practising music for the Christmas Carol Service. Sopranos and Altos who would like to join us are most welcome. We meet on Thursdays at 5.30pm.

NO BIBLE STUDY

There is no Bible Study on November 8^th.

WORLD CHOIR

See the Notice Board if you are interested in joining the “Festa Nova World Choir” Rehearsals begin on the 13^th November.

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Stall Holders and Cash Change

Stallholders and the organisers of other activities should collect change from the Church Treasurer, Norm Mitchelmore, on Friday evening next, that is at the Working Bee which commences at 5.00pm. If you cannot collect then, the Treasurer suggests you collect it from the Office after the 10.00am Wednesday Eucharist.

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The remaining Flyers

Some magnificent work has gone into the delivering of Flyers. There are still a few areas not covered, those of us still mercifully ambulant please volunteer once more. The Flyers and little maps are available in the Narthex for collection.

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The Free Open Air Concert

This occurs from 1.30 to 3.30pm. Victoria Heenan from our choir will be joining the artists already advertised as well as Ray Tattersall accompanied by Audrey Keeley. Simon Kuehnapfel will be singing and hopes to persuade his grandfather Bill to perform a generation-bridge duet.

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The Tally

Proceeds and profits from the Parish fair will not be announced until Sunday 18^th as the money this year will not be counted on the day of the event. This will enable most of those who usually spend the day counting cash to work on stalls, mix with others and enjoy the fair, though we will still have folk collecting stall money throughout the day of course.

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Raffle Books

Have you returned yours? Please do so.

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Cheese Bar

At the Cheese Bar in the Hall there will be Children’s Cheese Snack Packs at the bargain price of $2.00. Other local cheeses will be available. So the ideal day will begin with BBQ breakfast, and go on to include sampled cheeses, Devonshire Teas, tasted wines, a very fine luncheon in the Food Hall, Macedonian and Cake Stall nibbles, lollies, fruit salad all followed by hear felt repentance at Church the next Day, ameliorated enormously the following Sunday by the announcement of a huge profit.

CHRISTMAS CAKES

Those truly devastated by drought face bills and mortgages almost beyond comprehension and assistance to alleviate such devastation is beyond almost anyone’s capacity. However we can show that we care and are thinking of such folk. Your Parish Councillors considered this at their last meeting and decided that a Christmas Cake delivered personally by the clergy to the drought affected on our roll to show our care and thoughts might be a worthwhile gesture. Would anyone prepared to make a decent cake put their name on the list in the narthex and if there are enough we will go ahead and give more details.

TEA WITH HYACINTH

The Parish of Wangaratta West are organising a fund raiser for Anglicare to continue the work being done with the drought and bushfire affected communities in our region. It is to be a "Keeping Up Appearances" High Tea (as distinct from a candle-lit supper) with Mrs Hyacinth Bouquet and company, including Onslow and Daisy etc, all played by the Wangaratta Players. on Sunday,11th November at 2.00pm, ( the day after our Fair!) Heather Pearson will be attending and wonders if others would like to join her in making up a table. The cost is $10.00 per person. Speak to Heather: 58211983.

MISSION BOXES

Mission boxes are now due to be returned to the office, any donations also gratefully received. Nola Brewer

CHARITY CARD SHOP

Please note that the card shop is now open and our own Anglicare Cards are on sale there. Please give this your support: Scotts Hall, Fryers Street 10am-4pm

TUTORING ENGLISH

After the 10.30am Service on Sunday the 18^th of November Deborah Lucky will address all who are interested on the Voluntary Tutor Program, to do with teaching refugees English.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Nov 9^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arise 255/Video Scavenger Hunt

Nov 10^th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parish Fair & Garden Party

Nov 13^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Grief Support “Moving On”

Nov 17^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding 3.00pm

Nov 17^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding 5.00pm

Nov 23^rd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arise 255/Aqua-moves

Nov 24^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding 2.00pm

Nov 24^th. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding 3.30pm

Dec 1^st. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wedding 2.00pm

Dec 8^th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arise 255/Youth Service Covenant Players

Dec 8^th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wedding 4.00pm

REQUESTS FOR PRAYER

At the beginning of each month this list is cleared and ALL names need putting down again on the list in the narthex and signed in. No names should be listed without a person’s permission.

Liam Bognar, Nicky Cavill, John Green, Frank Harder, Sylvia Kennedy, Denise McKellar, John Moore, Margaret Neaum, Reg Oxenford, Jan Riches, Robyn Stone, Peter & Eva Swindells, Glenda, Alexandra & Charles, David & Judith, Roslyn, Maureen. Myra.

Anniversary of death

Ken Watts, Annie Hamilton 4^th, Charles Goven-Smith, Elsie Steen, Robert Cole 5^th, Jessie Mitchelmore, William Elliott 6^th, Doreen Hamer 7^th, Valerie Church 8^th, Verna Green 9^th.

Duties for 4^th November 2007

Vigil Eucharist at 6pm 3^rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 8.45 St. Luke’s Dookie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anne Russell

Celebrant 10.45 St. Mary’s Katandra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anne Russell

Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Margaret Neaum, Heather Carlyon

Readers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny Pleming, Maureen Cormican

Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volunteer, Michelle, Beth

Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny, Bethany, Sophie

Intercessors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Heenan, Nancy Noonan

Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Margaret Neaum & Heather Fitzgerald

Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Evans, Bev Condon

Welcoming 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bev Ralph, Joy Campbell

Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hilder Lidgard, Jenny Moran

Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bev Ralph, Max Ralph

Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte Brewer, John Pleming

Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat Griffin

Welcome Tbl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.30 Heather Carlyon,10.30Dorothy Cook

Mowing 3^rd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Norm Mitchelmore, Michael Egan

Duties for 11^th November 2007

Vigil Eucharist at 6pm 10^th Nov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gail Bryce

Celebrant 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 8.45 St. Luke’s Dookie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Neaum

Celebrant 10.45 St. Mary’s Katandra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gail Bryce

Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian Bryce, Pat Griffin

Readers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan McCann, Jenny Moran

Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volunteer, Michelle, Beth

Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Lear, Tom, Jack Lear

Intercessors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat Griffin, Children

Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian Bryce, Carole Henderson

Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maureen Cormican, Christine Evans

Welcoming 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heather Nichols, Joyce Cavill

Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte Brewer

Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Mitchelmore, Joe Pearson

Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alan Akers, Nola Brewer

Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gwyn Cowland

Mowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adrian Evans

Welcoming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.30Val Rose 10.30 Roz Dunlop

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

Mon 5^th November Rector’s Day off

7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel