24

Coffee Mornings in church 2020 10am—12noon

March 7th—Rainbows

April 4th— Little Church & Junior Church

May 2nd—Mothers’ Union

June 6th—16th Brownies

July 4th—Little Church & Junior Church

August—No Coffee Morning

September—No Coffee Morning

October 3rd—Guides

November 7th—37th Brownies

December 12th—PCC—Decorating church for Christmas. Mulled wine & mince tarts.

&

cafè@max

Every Monday café@max will be open from 10.30am until 1pm.

The Parish Magazine of

St Maxentius, Bradshaw

Within the Turton Moorland Team Ministry

March 2020

50p

2

St. Maxentius Church, Bradshaw, Bolton

within the Turton Moorland Team Ministry.

CLERGY: Team Rector: Rev. Canon Peter Reiss Tel: Bolton 853854 Vicar: Rev. Jan Ainsworth Tel: Bolton 304240 CHURCHWARDENS:

Joyce Armstrong Tel: Bolton 413055 Jan Bennett Tel: Bolton 244477 DEPUTY WARDENS:

Bryan Goodall David Haslam Margaret Heaton Tom Heaton Tracy Lawton Ruth Scorah Don Taylor P.C.C. SECRETARY:

Carol Carr Sunday Services:

9.30am Family Communion 11.00am Holy Communion (Occasional Services as announced) Little Church:

For 0-5 year olds in the Vestry during the 9.30am service Junior Church:

9.15am in the Scout Hut and transferring to Church to join in the end of the service Holy Baptism:

Second Sunday in the month at 12.15pm after prior arrangement through the Team Office—Tel: Bolton 303325 office hours are -Thursday & Friday 12pm—3pm email: turtonteamoffice@gmail.com (emails are checked regularly out of office hours)

In case of sickness please notify the Clergy or Wardens without delay.

23

PARISH ORGANISATIONS

16th Rainbows—Mandy Tidy 01204 307670 or Emma Barlow 01706 228059 meet Tuesday 6pm—7pm in school—term time only. 16th Brownies—Emma Barlow 01706 228059 meet Thursday 6.30pm—8pm in school—term time only. 37th Brownies—Nicola Waring 01204 306280 meet Monday 6.15pm—7.45pm in school, term time only. Guides–Tracey Hamer 01204 304325 meet Monday 7pm—9pm in the Stable, Term time only. Beavers—Alison Ackers 07596 715334 meet Thursday 6pm– 7pm in the Scout Hut. Cubs—Heather Colley 01204 435135 meet Wednesday 7pm—8.30pm in the Scout Hut. Scouts—Craig Ackers 07912 320446 meet Friday 7.30pm—9.30pm in the Scout Hut. Junior Church— Andrew Cox 07825 321451 meet 9.15am in the Scout Hut. TYC— Jo Haslam 07872 993104 meetings as announced Turtonyouthchurch@gmail.com Choir—Arthur Greaves 01204 527302 practice every Thursday 7pm in the Vestry. Mothers’ Union—Edna Bowers 01942 587409 meet second and fourth Tuesdays in the day School. Safeguarding Officer—Jan Bennett 01204 244477 Day School—Head Teacher—Clare Bennett 01204 333106 Flowers in church—Tracy Lawton 07803 208323 or 01204 595717 Magazine Editor—Joyce Armstrong—joycea@hotmail.co.uk 01204 413055 Church Website: https://stmaxentiuschurch.co.uk

22

ACROSS: 1, Planet. 4, Rugged. 7, True. 8, Augustus. 9, Attitude. 13, Bed. 16, Participation. 17, War. 19, Hillside. 24, Baldhead. 25, Bede. 26, Census. 27, Arisen. DOWN: 1, Path. 2, Adulterer. 3, Tract. 4, Rigid. 5, Gust. 6, Exude. 10, Irish. 11, Uriel. 12, Esau’s. 13, Blindness. 14, Deny. 15, Spew. 18, Awake. 20, Ideas. 21, Lydia. 22, Odes. 23, Lean.

Easter Egg Raffle …. Coming soon.

As usual we will be having our Easter Egg Raffle on Easter Day. Please bring all donations of eggs (the chocolate variety) to church over the new few weeks.

Thank you And of course there will be the Great Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Day!

3

Letter from the Vicar…

Our aim is through worship, commitment and sharing, to bring others to a greater love and understanding of God.

Dear Friends

We’ve a lot going on at St Maxentius this Lent, giving us plenty to help focus on this time of thinking and praying about ourselves and the world.

We’re using the Church of England’s resource: Live Lent: Care for God’s Creation.

There is something for every day in Lent to read, reflect on and pray about, as well as a practical action. They’re based on the story of creation told in the book of Genesis so caring for creation is the theme that runs through it all. With the daily reminders that all is not well with the planet the actions are designed to help us to make a difference for good.

For example week 2 focuses on Water and alongside the readings are sugges-tions for getting rid of kitchen and bathroom products that leach harmful chemicals into the water systems.

Our Lent appeal this year ties into this week 2’s focus. We’re supporting WaterAid, which we’ve helped before. WaterAid is on the frontline of work to enable everyone anywhere in the world to have clean water and effective san-itation systems. There are a number of ways to support WaterAid, ranging from our usual bucket collection at each service to Jars of Change (put a coin in the jar every time you go the toilet!). Pick up a leaflet and make your choice.

We’ll also be taking time to think about see how the Live Lent Care for Crea-tion is going for us. Every Monday evening we’ll hold a discussion group based around the challenges and readings. We’ll share how its going and what we’re learning and praying about.

You can pick up a leaflet in church at any of our services or go online and sign up for an email alert each day.

The old ways of keeping Lent – prayer, fasting and alms giving – are all in-cluded in our practice at St Maxentius. And if you don’t want to join in any of these you always have the opportunity to make your own discipline. Let us know what you’re doing and what difference it’s made to your spiritual life.

Lent is like a spiritual spring clean, giving us 40 days to be more mindful of our habits and expectations and the way they have an impact beyond our-selves. It’s good for us to take up something and keep it up for 40 days, what-ever it is. The secular world will no doubt pick up giving up alcohol or meat or chocolate as the main idea of Lent.

As Christians however we know it’s not just about enabling us feel smug or pleased with ourselves. It’s about becoming more conscious of our relationship with God. Any of the disciplines we take up is for us a sign of our commitment to God and to using Lent to become more like he intends us to be.

See what you can do for Lent – and then we’ll be ready to keep Easter as the great celebration.

With every blessing,

Jan

4

From Our Team Rector…… March 25th is a date we don’t take much notice of these days, but we used to.

March 25th is 9 months before Christmas Day, and it is celebrated as the day of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel coming to Mary; the conception of Je-sus by the Holy Spirit, in Mary – hence Lady Day, short for Our Lady’s Day. It used to be seen as the first day of the year for many things, and it was a Quarter Day when taxes and debts would be due; we still have some relic of this in our tax year, but when the calendar changed and 11 days were re-moved in 1752, people who owed money said they still had 11 days to pay, and so the Tax year now runs to April 5th not March 25th.

In that year the debts were not cancelled but they were delayed a bit. Within some traditions of the church not only was March 25th the day of the Annunciation, the day that celebrated the very beginning of Jesus’ mortal life, but it was also the date of the crucifixion, the day of the ending of Jesus mor-tal life. On the same day of the year – Jesus both starts and ends his earthly life. Mary is there on both days. And it is appropriate that we think of the debts we might owe to God – it’s a metaphor, and not the only metaphor or image around salvation, but it is an important one. God has given us so much, the world we live in given over to humans to tend and care, manage and enjoy, but a world we have not treated with care, nor managed for future generations (as we are exploring in our Lent Course). God has given us free-will and freedom to live and too often we have lived as if we are our own masters and mistresses. God has given us love and the ability to love and receive love, but again – too often – we have loved self rather than others, or sadly (and for complex reasons) loved neither self nor others.

And God has offered us new life, eternal life, a sure hope, a deep peace. The cost of sin and our enmity and damage to others and to the world, was God’s own life. In the words of St Paul, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. And even then, too often, we don’t think that is really worth too much, too important. When a debt is paid off it is paid and it is finished. We recog-nise these words “It is finished” as Jesus’ words on the Cross. The one who came into the world (on December 25th) completed his rescue mission (on March 25th). Incarnation and Salvation together. The debt is paid, not hanging over us. We do not have to live our life constantly trying to repay a debt, al-ways fearing we may have it called in or increased for a further misdemean-our, like a suspended sentence. A parallel image is of a parent paying off a bill for a child, or even a rich person buying a slave’s freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. The debts are paid, the chains unlocked, and the home restored – freely given, fully paid. Amazing Grace!

This Lent, and especially this “Lady Day”, and this Good Friday, let us pause and consider the debt we owe, and the debt God has paid, which gives us freedom. And in doing so, let us rejoice that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

It is good to pause a while, each year, and reflect on the coming of God into the world, the giving of God for the world, and the call of God for those of us in his world. God did not have to do it, but without God, we are without hope in this world and in this life.

Peter

21

Calendar

Sunday 1st—Lent 1- Jesus is tempted in the wilderness 9.30am Family Communion

11am Holy Communion (said)

Monday 2nd and every Monday café@max 10am—1.30pm

Lent Group 1—7pm

Saturday 7th Coffee Morning 10am—11pm on reordering the church 11am—12pm Community Consultation on reordering the church

Sunday 8th—Lent 2 –God so loved the world 10am Youth Service: church consultation

12.15pm Baptisms

Monday 9th—Lent Group 2—7pm

Tuesday 10th Mothers’ Union 7.30pm in school— Speaker George Skinner “Evacuees in Belmont”

Saturday14th TYC at St. Andrews, Bromley Cross

Sunday15th— Lent 3 -Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well 9.30am Family Communion

11am Holy Communion (said)

Monday 16th—Lent Group 3—7pm

Tuesday 17th PCC 7.30pm

Sunday 22nd—Mothering Sunday 10am Youth Service

12pm Baptism

Monday 23rd—Lent Group 4—7pm

Tuesday 24th Mothers’ Union—Lady Day Service in Church 7-30pm

Sunday 29th—Lent 5 -Thanks for mothers – and mother church 9.30am Family Communion

11am Holy Communion (said) 1pm Shining Stars—fun for under 5’s and their carers

Monday 30th—Lent Group 5—7pm

Saturday April 4th 10am—12pm Coffee Morning hosted by the Rainbows

For all Holy Week and Easter Services please see page 6

20

Parish Registers

Holy Baptism 9th February Matthew and Charlotte Shenton

From our Book of Remembrance

1st Roland Isherwood

4th Annie Fletcher Sutcliffe

Edna Maycraft

8th Susanna Humphreys

14th Douglas Robert Anderton

16th Alice Thompson

19th Robert Goff Pearce

21st Gertrud Erna Parton

22nd Andrew John Ketchen

23rd Herbert E Shuttleworth

29th Walter Greenhalgh

Book of Remembrance

If you would like the name of a loved one to be included in the Book of Remembrance, please have a word with one of the Wardens.

Fabric Fund

People may wish to give a donation to this fund in memory of a loved one or on the occasion of a baptism, marriage or some other special event to help with

the upkeep of our beautiful Church building.

5

Turton Moorland Team Ministry

Christ Church, Walmsley and St Andrew’s, Bromley Cross; St Anne’s, Turton and St James’, Edgworth; St Maxentius, Bradshaw; St Peter’s, Belmont

Team Lent Course All churches are following the Church of England’s Lent Campaign

for 2020 ‘LiveLent – Care for God’s Creation’

Christ Church: Thursday 5, 12, 19, 26 March, 2 April at 1pm

St Anne’s: Wednesday 4, 11, 18, 25 March, 1 April at 10.45am St Maxentius: Monday 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 March at 7pm St Peter’s: Thursday 5, 12, 19 and 26 March, 2 April at 7pm

You are very welcome to join any of the services or groups, whichever is best suited for you.

Retirement news… On Sunday 26th January an announcement was made in church regarding Jan’s decision to retire.

Whilst we are sad that Jan will be leaving us and are grateful for all the hard work she has done for us during the last 5 years, we hope that she and Michael will be very happy and enjoy a slower pace of life!

Jan’s last service will be on St. Maxentius Day so let’s all hope that we have repeat of last year’s lovely weather to give them a lovely send off with some good food and a glass or two of something sparkly.

The Wardens.

6

Turton Moorland Team Ministry

Services 2020 Services at St Maxentius will be led by the

Bishop of Manchester, Rt Revd David Walker Please join us for any of these services. There are shared services

led by the Team Clergy, as well as services in each parish on Good Friday and Easter Sunday

Palm Sunday 5 April Normal service times

in all Churches

Mon 6 April 7.00pm - Reflection & Eucha-rist at Christ Church (Team) Tues 7 April 10.00am to 12 noon – Holy Week Club for children at St Maxentius (Team) 7.00pm - Reflection & Eucharist at Christ Church (Team) Wed 8 April 7.00pm - Reflection & Eucharist at Christ Church (Team)

Maundy Thursday 9 April

7.30pm - Service led by Bishop David at St Maxentius (Team)

Good Friday 10 April 10.00am - Christ Church 10.00am - St Anne’s 10.00am - St Maxentius 10.30am - St Peter’s 10.00 - 11.30am Holy Week Club for chil-dren at St Maxentius (Team) Holy Saturday, 11 April 6.30pm - Lighting of the Easter Fire at Christ Church (Team)

Easter Day Sunday 12 April 9.30am - Christ Church 10.00am - St Maxentius 10.30am - St Peter’s 11.00am - St Anne’s 11.00am - St Andrew’s

The churches and clergy of the Turton Moorland Team

Ministry wish you a very blessed Easter.

19

C R O S S W O R D

Answers on page 22

Across 1 The earth is one (6) 4 ‘On a hill far away stood an old — c ross’ (6) 7 ‘I am the — vine and my Father is the gardener’ (John 15:1) (4) 8 The Caesar who was Roman Emperor at t he time of Jesus’ birth(Luke 2:1) (8) 9 ‘Your — should be the same as that of Christ Jesus’(Philippians 2:5) (8) 13 Jesus said that no one would put a light ed lamp under this(Luke 8:16) (3) 16 Involvement (1 Corinthians 10:16) (13) 17 Armed conflict (2 Chronicles 15:19) (3) 19 Where the Gaderene pigs were feeding (Mark 5:11) (8) 24 What jeering youths called Elisha on the road to Bethel (2 Kings 2:23) (8) 25 The Venerable — , eighth-century Jar row ecclesiastical scholar (4) 26 8 Across issued a decree that this should take place (Luke 2:1) (6) 27 Come into prominence (Deuteronomy 13:13) (6) Down 1 Where some of the seed scattered by the sower fell (Matthew 13:4) (4) 2 Sexually immoral person whom God will

judge (Hebrews 13:4) (9) 3 Gospel leaflet (5) 4 Physical state of the boy brought to Jesus for healing (Mark 9:18) 5 Tugs (anag.) (4) 6 To put forth (5) 10 Nationality associated with St Patrick (5) 11 Leader of the descendants of Kohath (1 Chronicles 15:5) (5) 12 ‘After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping — heel’ (Genesis 25:26) (5) 13 At Dothan the Lord struck the Arame ans with — at Elisha’srequest (2 Kings 6:18) (9) 14 ‘Peter, before the cock crows today,

you will — three times that you know me’ (Luke22:34) (4)

15 Spit out (Psalm 59:7) (4) 18 ‘When I — , I am still with you’ (Psalm 139:18) (5) 20 Concepts (Acts 17:20) (5) 21 Thyatira’s dealer in purple cloth (Acts 16:14) (5) 22 Does (anag.) (4) 23 The second set of seven cows in Phar aoh’s dream were this (Genesis 41:19) (4)

18

JOHN FRANCIS

Menswear

Clothes from the best English & Continental designers plus full Gents and Boys formal hire services for weddings and other social occasions.

We believe this years collection is our finest ever Suits, jackets and waistcoats have all been carefully selected from Europe's best design-ers. We have extensive ranges of black tie evening wear through to morning suits for weddings. All can be complimented with our own

range of exclusive accessories. We are a family run business so consequently the level of service is personal and unrivalled.

129/131 Lea Gate,

Bradshaw, Bolton

BL2 4BQ

Tel/Fax:01204 305922

email: admin@john-francis.com

LOUISE RAMSAY

M. Ch, S.R. Ch.

STATE REGISTERED PODIATRIST

11 Longsight, Harwood,

Bolton BL2 3H

T: 01204 308908

Magazine

deadline…..

If you have anything you

would like to put in the mag-

azine please make sure that

I receive it by the 15th of

the month for insertion in

the following months maga-

zine.

You can either speak to me

at church or email it to—

joycea@hotmail.co.uk

or give me a ring on 413055.

Thank you,

7

RETHINKING CHURCH

We love our church building. It has warmth (when the heating has been on for long enough!) and beauty. It’s small enough for everyone to feel part of whatever is going on. We can fill it with song and every-one can see what’s happening,

BUT we are limited in how the building can be used especially for ac-tivities beyond worship. We don’t have a kitchen and we have to trek outside for the toilets! Our Junior Church has to meet in the Scout Hut, which isn’t suitable, and Little Church has to squeeze into the vestry after the choir has gone into church.

As our numbers of families increase we really need to have space for the children in the same building as the rest of the congregation. That’s one driver for us: how can we reshape our building to make spaces for Junior Church and Little Church to be with us on Sunday morning - their own space for activities before they join us at commun-ion?

In times past the church was the only community building in a village, and everything happened there. We’d like to be able to offer space for our community today, so if we had meeting rooms they could be avail-able for all sorts of events and activities. What would you like to see taking place each week?

For any of this we need proper kitchen facilities - at the moment we only have a microwave and kettle! - and indoor toilets. Moving the food preparation from the vestry would mean it could return to its primary purpose of robing and administration.

So how can we make this happen?

We’re holding a Community Consultation on 7 March at the Coffee Morning. At 11 am we’ll have a short presentation to outline the issues then there’ll be opportunity for a general discussion. We hope to hear ideas for everyone present including the children, so we get a good sense of what we should be working towards.

This is your invitation to be present.

If you can’t get there on 7 March there’ll be an opportunity in the ser-vice on 8 March, and you can also email us at the Team Office. (turtonteamoffice@gmail.com)

We look forward to hearing from you!

St Maxentius Church Council Reordering Working Party

8

The Red Lion in Hawkshaw was the venue for our annual meal where thirty ladies enjoyed an excellent lunch. On February 11th following communion we held the A G M and I would like to thank Jan for chairing the meeting and many thanks to the Of-ficers and Committee for the work they do for the Branch and for be-ing willing to serve for another year. Two special services take place this month, Mothering Sunday and La-dy Day Service. March is usually quite a busy month but this year it seems busier than ever so please do keep an eye on your diaries and programmes. Diary Dates: Tues. March 10th - In school 7-30pm Speaker George Skinner “Evacuees in Belmont”.

Wed. March 18th—Spring Deanery Meeting at St. Augustine’s

Sun. March 22nd—Mothering Sunday Service

Tues. March 24th—Lady Day Service in Church 7-30

Lord we pray for mothers everywhere, and specially for all mothers and their children

who are victims of war, abuse, and natural disasters. We pray in Jesus name.

Amen

Edna

17

John GREEN—Ex NORWEB

APPLIANCE REPAIRS

Repairs to all makes of Washing Machines, Tumble Dryers & Dishwashers

Tel: 01204 302768 or 07801 387122

‘Your local community family owned and run funeral home’ It is a privilege to care for those dearly departed, and nothing comes more natural to

us than caring for those that are bereaved. You can trust Mike Oglesby and his family to walk alongside you

Offering all the services of a traditional and modern funeral directors, whilst ensuring complete transparency on funeral costs with our online estimate calculator. Doing our bit for the community, we also support and assist local initiatives within

116a Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, BL7 9BQ

01204 308 945 www.oglesbysfuneraldirectors.co.uk

16

FINESTYLE WINDOWS

For Style and Elegance

Bradshaw Brow, Bradshaw, Bolton BL2 3EZ Tel: 01204 592252 Fax: 01204 592330

Established 1961

Manufacturers and installers of High Quality UPVC Windows, Doors and

Computer designed Conservatories.

9

This month in Junior Church we have been learning about two Old Testament stories. First was Joseph and his coat of many colours and his life in Egypt, then the children heard the story of baby Moses hid-den in the bulrushes. The children enjoyed making some wonderful crafts to go along with the stories. Our story on Candlemas was when the baby Jesus was presented at the temple. We learned why he was taken there after 40 days and how we celebrate this event in Church through Candlemas. We then had a short break for half term where all the adult leaders could have a rest (although it has given us some time to plan for the forthcoming Lent and Easter activities!! If you would like to know more about what we get up to at the Scout Hut, or if you were thinking of helping out, please let one of us know.

Your Junior Church team

10

Change lives with clean water

We all need clean water to survive, yet 1 in 10 of us are without. We’re

facing a global water crisis. Together we'll change that. We all need clean water to we'll change that.

Together, we can make the basic human rights of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere. People like us have helped to reach over 27 million people with clean water around the world, but we can’t stop until everyone, everywhere has access.

Will you give something up for Lent and donate the money you save?

We will have buckets at the back of church after each service during

Lent or you can take a leaflet from the back of church and fill a Jar of Change at home.

A Date for your diary

Friday 27th March

6.30pm onwards

at Bradshaw Cricket Club

A Family Games Evening

Quiz by David and Wendy

Lots of games for the children.

More details soon.

15

PATERSONS SOLICITORS

Husband and Wife Family Practice.

Specialists in Clinical Negligence,

Personal Injury Litigation, Wills, Probate,

Lasting Powers of Attorney

and Court of Protection.

Glenfield House, 1 Longsight, Harwood, Bolton BL2 3HS

Please call Kay Hall-Paterson on 0800 0461 888

to arrange an appointment or home visit

or send an email to: khp@patersonssolicitors.com

14

11

The Nursing Association August 1911—

There was a good number at the Annual Meeting, there was a fa-vourable report and the amount collected and contributed was the same as last year. We very much regret that due to ill-health Mr Joseph Hamer has been obliged to resign his position as joint sec-retary with Mr John Allen, Mr Al-len has kindly undertaken to act as secretary alone. We were prepared for Nurse Pick-les’ resignation; she has served us splendidly for over fifteen years. At times her work has been very hard, but she has gone through it bravely and cheerfully, Nurse Pickles smiling face has be-come a saying among us. Nurse Pickles will retire at the end of the year.

The Mothers’ -

A series of very happy and, and may we hope, helpful gatherings of Mothers’ have been held. The members of our Mothers’ Union came to see their president at the vicarage, in sections, a little while ago for short individual chats. The Summer Quarterly Meeting was held on Wednesday evening July 12th, in the vicarage garden, on a most splendid beautiful evening. Mrs Judson was not very well and not able to do more than give the practical counsels she had pre-pared for making the home life healthy and at its best. The moth-ers walked and lingered about the garden until dusk. There was a quiet charm about the evening that will linger in our minds.

The third occasion when the mothers’ met this time for enjoyment together and with the children in the open air, was on the Day School Field Day, Wednesday 26th July. We have had many happy meetings but we all agree there was never a hap-pier one than this. The weather was perfect, two or three small showers lasting only for two to three minutes were pleasant ra-ther than otherwise. The chil-dren’s races were great fun, nut not more than the mothers’ races especially the heap of mothers who gathered upon one another when one missed her footing, and all struggles up again, double and bursting with fun. It was jolly.

The Day School Field Day —

The occasion for the day used to be the breaking up for the sum-mer holiday. Now the time of the holiday has changed, but no time is so suited as the week before the School Festival, when the children and the schools are so much in our thoughts and happy memories. Our own innocent childhood and the sweetness and love of a child’s life have a happy influence on us all. All passed off well, there was not a dull moment from beginning to end. The chil-dren sang some delightful little songs when they were collected for tea. We then drew together at about 8.30pm and sang the Na-tional Anthem and thanked all those who had helped to make the day such a happy one.

Voice from the past, from our Magazine in 1910…

12

Each year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, countries around the world cel-ebrate Mothering Sunday. This typi-cally involves lavishing Mums with gifts and attention and celebrating the women who have nurtured us throughout our lives. But with the day becoming increas-ingly commercialised, how many peo-ple are aware of its very different origins? Here are some of the traditions that have shaped Mothering Sunday into the celebration recognised today: The journey to the Mother Church In the 16th century, Mothering Sun-day was less about mothers and more about church. Back then, peo-ple would make a journey to their ‘mother’ church once a year. This might have been their home church, their nearest cathedral or a major parish church in a bigger town. The service which took place at the ‘mother’ church symbolised the coming together of families. This would represent a significant jour-ney for many, before the days of Uber or taxis. A day off to visit Mother Another tradition was to allow those working in the fields on wealthy farms and estates in England to have the day off on the fourth Sun-day of Lent to visit their mothers and possibly go to church too. This was a variation on the theme of vis-

iting the 'mother' church and was a move towards a more family fo-cussed occasion. Before the days of cars and roads, family get-togethers were far more rare, (and facetime was still a long way off). In some ways this tradi-tion is still alive today as grown up children often visit their parents on mothering Sunday. Traditions today This Sunday, churches around the country will be sharing their own traditions, celebrating and giving thanks to the huge impact mothers have on each of our lives. The main service on Mothering Sunday in churches across the country is cen-tral to the life of the church. The church recognises that the day may be difficult for some people and so it is common place for services to include prayers for those who don’t find the day particularly easy. Families across the country will be preparing little presents and cards and in some churches flowers are blessed and handed out during the main service. Families come together to have lunch, or children make breakfast in bed for their mothers, leaving all the mess to be cleared up later! It’s all about showing appreciation and many make a huge effort to make their mother feel special.

13