radyr parish news · 6.00pm choir practice, christ church pat jones 2084 2813 7.30pm bell-ringing...

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Across 1 ‘Through [Christ] we have gained — by faith into this grace’ (Romans 5:2) (6) 4 Deprives of sight (Deuteronomy 16:19) (6) 8 The words of a hymn do this (mostly) (5) 9 Faithful allegiance (1 Chronicles 12:33) (7) 10 Belgium’s chief port (7) 11 Where John was baptizing ‘because there was plenty of water.’ (John 3:23) (5) 12 Imposing height (Psalm 48:2) (9) 17 Jesus’ tempter in the wilderness (Mark 1:13) (5) 19 Comes between Amos and Jonah (7) 21 ‘Your will be done — — as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10) (2,5) 22 Gale (Matthew 8:24) (5) 23 Axle, eh? (anag.) (6)

The Bible version used is the NIV. Answers will be published in the next edition.

24 ‘Out of the — I cry to you, O Lord.’ (Psalm 130:1) (6) Down 1 Popular Christian author and humorist, — Plass (6) 2 Transparent ice-like mineral (Revelation 4:6) (7) 3 Method of compelling surrender by surrounding target of attack.

(2 Chronicles 32:1) (5) 5 Expose (Isaiah 52:10) (3,4) 6 Lonny (anag.) (5)

7 Utterance (1 Timothy 1:15) (6) 9 Husband of Deborah, the prophetess (Judges 4:4) (9) 13 Burial service (Jeremiah 34:5) (7) 14 What Christ threatened to do to the lukewarm church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:16) (4,3) 15 ‘Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net — .’ (John 21:11) (6) 16 His response to Jesus’ decision to return to Judea was ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ (John 11:16) (6) 18 ‘There will be weeping and gnashing of — .’ (Matthew 8:12) (5) 20 Walkway between rows of pews in a church. (5)

Radyr Parish News Harvest 2014

Christ Church, Radyr St John’s Church, Danescourt

70p The font at St John’s Church, decorated for Harvest

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The Parish of Radyr www.parish.radyr.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1132144

The Reverend Canon Jenny Wigley (Rector) The Rectory, Rectory Close, Radyr CF15 8EW

2084 2417 [email protected]

Lay reader Lay minister for home communion Norman Clewer 2031 3373 Keena Baskerville 2056 9246

Churchwardens John Kiff 07710 172685 [email protected] Lorraine Rees 2055 4354 [email protected]

Subwardens for Christ Church Rubina Davison 2084 3442

Cathy Sloan 2084 2610

Subwardens for St John’s Church Mike Gill 2055 3209

Pauline Parry 2021 9214

Sunday and mid-week services

Christ Church, Radyr

Sunday 8.00am Holy Eucharist

11.00am Sung Eucharist and Sunday School

6.00pm Evening Prayer and Sermon (fourth Sunday of the month Eucharist, fifth Sunday of the month at St John’s)

Wednesday 9.30am Holy Eucharist

St John the Baptist, Danescourt

Sunday 9.15am Holy Eucharist and Sunday School (Family Eucharist first Sunday of the month)

6.00pm Seven Sacred Spaces worship (Fifth Sunday of the month)

Thursday 11.00am Holy Eucharist

Arrangements may be made with the Rector for baptisms,

weddings and the publication of banns of marriage. 23

Parish activities

Sunday 9.15am Sunday School, St John’s Church Anne Jones 2055 4749 11.00am Sunday School, Christ Church Julie Davies 2084 2923 6.00pm Whatever! Christ Church (first Sunday of month, term time)

Rector 2084 2417

Monday 2.00pm Mothers’ Union, New School Rooms (second Monday of month)

Nicky Webber 2084 3582 Tuesday 2.00pm Evergreens, Parish Hall Doreen Thomas 2055 5634 Wednesday 10.00am Parent & Toddler Group, Parish Hall (term-time) Donna Wilson 07703 179090

Thursday 9.30am Play and Pray, Parish Hall (term-time) Rector 2084 2417 6.00pm Choir Practice, Christ Church Pat Jones 2084 2813 7.30pm Bell-ringing Practice, Christ Church Trevor Lewis 2033 9449

Other useful contacts

PCC Secretary Chris Dale 2084 4464 PCC Treasurer Peter Umbleja 2084 3279 Building Committee Derek Bateman 2084 2339 Gift Aid Secretary Mike Birdsall 2084 2089 Safeguarding Officer James Homer-Boyd 2084 3335

Parish News Editor Lorraine Rees 2055 4354 [email protected] Parish News Distribution Secretaries Christ Church Alun & Deb Redwood-Knight 2055 1195 St John’s Church Malcolm May 2055 2352

Hall booking secretaries

New Schoolrooms, Radyr Nicky Webber 2084 3582 [email protected] Parish Hall, Danescourt Mike Gill 2055 3209 [email protected]

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Solution to the crossword in the last edition.

Continued from previous page

On Thursday evening, a grand evening was experienced by some 75 people and dancing went with a real swing, thanks to Keith Matthews' rhythmic renderings. Dr. Hanson proved to be a first class MC and kept up the hot pace throughout. Novelty and other prizes were profuse and added to one's expectations. The hour of midnight came all too soon to close one of the most successful nights of Festival Week.

Dates for your diary

Sunday 5th October Harvest celebrations, including Harvest Supper at Christ Church. Saturday 11th October Musical Bunch Harvest Concert St John’s 7pm

Sunday 2nd November All Saints Sunday

Monday 3rd November All Souls Day: united Parish service at Christ Church, 7pm to commemorate the faithful departed

Sunday 9th November Remembrance Sunday

Sunday 16th November Shoebox Sunday

Saturday 22nd November Get Ready for Christmas, 11am-2pm

Sunday 30th November Advent Sunday

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The Rector writes:

My dear friends We’re entering a Season of Promise in the Church’s year, stretching from our Harvest Festival through Remembrance Sunday, All Saints and All Souls and then on into Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. It’s perhaps easier to see the promise element in the later part of the season – the promise of the birth of the Saviour. But as we look forward to the months of October and November, the promise is there too. As the natural world around us dies off and prepares for winter, so the Church prepares us for the hope of new life. So please join us for these commemorations and celebrations, as we remember those who have gone before us, as we give thanks for those who lived lives with courage and love, for those whose stories we tell and whose memories we cherish. And as we do so, we give thanks for what the prayer book calls ‘The sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life’. A Season of Promise indeed.

Jenny Wigley Rector

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The Well-Stocked Kitchen A sacred painting by Joachim Beuckelaer

At this time of the year, churches up and down the land will be celebrating Harvest, and congregations will gather to give thanks for the good gifts of God’s creation. That abundance and fruitfulness are there in this sacred painting from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is called ‘The Well-Stocked Kitchen’ by Joachim Beuckelaer. He was born in Antwerp in 1533 and under the guidance of his uncle, learnt how to paint market and kitchen scenes. He then set up as an independent artist in his hometown. This painting was completed in 1566, just nine years before his early death at the age of 42. The canvas is dominated by a lavish display of food: vegetables and fruit, poultry and game, along with jugs, pots and pans. Two girls in the kitchen are busy preparing this food for what will be a great banquet. There is more than enough for a wonderful feast, and at Harvest we thank God for such profusion. But Harvest celebrations also remind us of two important truths present in this painting.

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From the archives The following is an extract from the parish leaflet of September 1951

RADYR'S FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN WEEK JULY 29th – AUGUST 4th 1951

Radyr's Festival of Britain celebrations began with a service in Christ Church. The Service was conducted by the Rector who preached a sermon on British Inheritance. Those present included the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, the Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan and Sir Lewis Lougher. On Tuesday July 31st Radyr School, Stanford School and Radyr Church Young People's Guild held an exhibition of Arts and Crafts and added to this was an equally interesting exhibition of old Parish Records and books. The exhibition was well attended and visitors pondered long over the Parish Records which dated from 1716 to the present day. Interesting also were the photographs of Christ Church under construction in 1909 and there were three photographs of the laying of the foundation stone in 1910 by the Earl of Plymouth. Other interesting exhibits were the Parish Silver Plate, given in 1784 by Oliver Robotham and also the old tree stump to which the original Radyr toll-chain was fixed. This was removed and mounted in 1899. In another section was a collection of very old and rare volumes dating from 1584 to 1784. These were nearly all first editions, including a large Welsh Bible of 1620, a History of Wales 1584, a book of Welsh Sermons 1608, a Bible Concordance 1730, which was the first Welsh book published in America and also some of the works of Theophilus Evans and William Williams, Pantycelyn, the great Welsh hymnologist. A small display of old coins was added to this section. Stanford School exhibits included two very well preserved caskets from the Great Exhibition of 1851. On Wednesday 1st August sports were held for children and adults. There was an interesting variety of races for both groups and a large number of children competed. The weather was brilliantly fine. Whatever may be said for or against Festival celebrations, it is certainly true that any function at any time which enlivens the village is always worth the time and labour of preparation. Continued overleaf

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Joined in Holy Matrimony

Andrew Pearce & Sarah Cooksley Michael Richards & Rhiannon Sharrem Christopher Williams & Laura David

Joined together as one

From the parish registers

The faithful departed

Kathleen Davies Janette Howell

Sadie James Evelyn Walsh Rita Wiseman

May they rest in peace

Holy Baptism

Sophia Lisa & Luca Justin Belle Alice Beatrice Evans

Bethan Marie Fishpool Max James Jenkins

Eiry Alys Jones Emily Victoria Morgan

Ffion Annie Smith Macey Ella Thomas

Born of water and of the spirit

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The first message is that a feast here often means a famine somewhere else, and at Harvest we focus on poverty and hunger in many parts of our world. Foodbanks remind us that financial problems have resulted in hungry mouths in our own communities. Here in this painting, behind the kitchen girls, we can see an old man who has come in from the street to share in the feast: a reminder that plenty close at hand can serve the needy elsewhere. The second message is that the food on display can feed the human body for 70, 80, even 90 years. But what about food for the soul? As we look beyond the lavish display of meat and vegetables, as we look beyond the kitchen girls and the old man, we see through the archway Jesus talking to Martha and Mary. The artist is saying to us that we should let the good things of creation lead us to the good things of redemption. The offer of daily bread that greets our eyes and can feed our stomachs, as we look at the foreground of the painting, can open up a vision of bread for all and living bread for the soul. At Harvest, we rejoice that God desires to share all these gifts with us. He invites us to feast on creation and to feast on redemption. The exuberance of food shown in the kitchen can lead us to the wonderful food of God’s grace in the life and teaching of Jesus. Beuckelaer is inviting us to look on these good tokens of God’s creation in the kitchen and give thanks: they are signs of the world in which God gives us material gifts for our well-being and happiness and to share with all around. But he is also inviting us to look on the things that God wants even more to give us. It is then that we can turn to Jesus and, like Martha and Mary, find nourishment for our souls as we feed on the living bread he offers us.

Rev Michael Burgess

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New Credit Union information point

in Radyr & Danescourt

Cardiff & Vale Credit Union is a local not-for-profit organisation with over 6,500 current members. The Credit Union has set ambitious targets to help more local people access their services in future. They aim to encourage the savings habit, and to offer affordable loans to keep people from falling into the hands of the pay-day lenders.

In partnership with Christ Church and St John’s, the Credit Union wants to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the services they offer. Information points have been set up in the foyers of both church halls - just pop in and take a leaflet.

Business Development Officer Rizwan Shams says: “Saving can be hard, especially in this day and age. There is a saying ‘every little helps’, so we must encourage ourselves to save at least a few pounds a week instead of spending that money on an expensive cup of coffee or a luxury item from the supermarket. This is a great opportunity to start saving or borrowing ethically, and to support the local community and economy”. If you would like more information:

call 029 2087 2373; visit www.cardiffcu.com or email [email protected]; ‘Like’ us on Facebook; call into the office at the Advice Hub in Marland House, Central

Square, Cardiff; see the information points at Christ Church and St John’s Church

Halls.

Parish Gift Day 2014

Sunday October 26th will be a Gift Day across the Parish. Look

out for your letter inviting you to give towards redecorating the

interiors of our two churches. You can read more about this

project in the article on page 19.

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Caring for our buildings

The Building Committee has been quite busy over the summer. A lot has been done at St John’s where the lobby and corridor of the Parish Hall have been redecorated, and colourful new coat hooks installed. The effect is most splendid. The quinquennial repair work has also been completed. A new ramp has been acquired for the inner step into St John’s and we are looking at ways of overcoming the outer step into the porch. And finally, there was a very effective working party on 8th July when major work was done in clearing both an overgrown grave adjacent to the church and around the yew tree. We are very grateful to those who gave their time to help. At Christ Church, Chris Dale has made and installed a most useful cupboard underneath the altar which enables the brassware to be locked away easily when the church is left open during the week. We have submitted an application for a faculty to remove one pew at the front of the south side of the nave. This will create a much more useable space. If the faculty is granted quickly, we might even have the work done before Christmas. We had an asbestos survey done on all our buildings (an insurance requirement), with pretty satisfactory results. We are now finding out how much it will cost to paint the interior of both churches; we suspect it will be quite expensive. It would be lovely to have our churches looking like new, so the parish will be seeking some help with the cost via a Gift Day on 26th October. We hope you will be able to give as generously as you can. Nick Hawkins Chairman, Building Committee 029 2084 2561 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Henry was one of life’s good people; gentle, kindly, grateful for everything he had (he used to say ‘grace’ before and after each meal), and eager to encourage all those whom he served. He was prodigiously productive, writing something like 50 books. The best known of these was a four volume exposition of the New Testament, which took him nearly 20 years.

His famous hymn draws upon two of Jesus’ parables: the story of the

wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and also the story of the seed

that grows unbeknown to the sower (Mark 4:26-29). Both are

parables drawn from agriculture; both are about the ultimate harvest

of our souls before God. During this lifetime, we properly give

thanks to God for our harvest of his gifts of creation, but we should

also reflect on what seed we are sowing in our lives, and what

harvest we may expect; as one day God will gather together only his

own for the eternal heavenly harvest.

The harvest comes The fields turn gold The grain is ripe. And, as of old The workers glean, And thresh, and grind They knead and bake And bread we find. Fruit of the grain A Holy token Of our Lamb of God His body broken.

The sun shines warm The grapes are ripened The fruit is picked For Vintner’s stipend.

The grapes are crushed Their juices stored And in due course, The wine is poured. Fruit of the vine A token, too Of the blood of Christ That was shed for you. Nigel Beeton

The Harvest Comes

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Our AGM and Afternoon Tea took place on Monday 14th July. August is usually a quiet month, so we decided to liven it up a bit by organising an outing to the Vale of Glamorgan. A few of our members came along and visited the Galilee Chapel at St Illtud’s Church, Llanwit Major, and also Llancarfan Church to see the wall paintings.

Angela Dart had been asked to make a pedestal flower arrangement for the Lady Chapel at Llandaff Cathedral to commemorate Mary Sumner Day on 9th August. Mary Sumner was the lady who founded our organisation in the second half of the 19th century. The flowers looked superb, as you can see in the photo. Two days later, several of us attended the monthly MU Diocesan Eucharist at Llandaff Cathedral, August being the month that Llandaff Deanery had responsibility for the service, followed by a very pleasant lunch at St Michael’s College.

Our first meeting of the new season took place on 8th September, which took the form of Eucharist then a members’ afternoon and bring-and-buy.

Future events:- Sunday 5th October Cake stall after the 11.00am service Monday 13th October How can we become more involved?

We would be delighted if you would like to join us at any of our future meetings. For further information, please contact Diane Page (2084 2176), myself (2084 3582) or any member.

Nicky Webber Branch Leader

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History was made at Llandaff Cathedral on 4th September when for the first time ever, a female Anglican bishop presided at the Eucharist. She is Bishop Geralyn Wolf, the retired Bishop of Rhode Island (a diocese in the Episcopal Church of the United States).

The service followed a conference with some 50 participants in St Michael’s College. Bp Geralyn was one of the keynote speakers, and we invited her to mark the coming into force of the Women Bishops’ Bill. This was passed at the Governing Body last September, although with only six dioceses in the Church in Wales, it is likely to be some time before we appoint a bishop who is a woman.

But we did manage equal numbers of male and female bishops at both the conference and the Eucharist! Archbishop Barry and the Bishop of St Asaph were there with Bp Geralyn; and Bp Gayle, the Bishop of Massachusetts joined us. She had come to the UK for her god-daughter’s wedding, though she had almost been refused entry at Heathrow. At least we gave her a warmer welcome when she crossed the border into Wales. She was full of encouragement:

“There will be starts and stops, times of disappointment and joy, those who are against and those very much in favour. But the Spirit behind you is greater than the path in front. God is in this moment and although we may not feel comfortable with it, God takes us to

uncomfortable places and leads us forward”.

Making history

Bp Geralyn

with Jenny

and some

of the

other event

organisers:

Revd Jan

Gould,

Archdeacon

Peggy and

Gaynor

Ford, a Lay

Reader

from St

Davids.

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Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest home!

All be safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin; God, our maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home!

We ourselves are God’s own field,

Fruit unto his praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown,

Unto joy or sorrow grown; First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear: Grant, O harvest Lord, that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be. This well-loved Harvest hymn was written by the Rev Henry Aldford DD, a Victorian clergyman who had been a fellow student at Trinity College, Cambridge with Alfred Tennyson, and whose transparent goodness and friendliness seem to have made him liked and appreciated wherever he went.

His ministry began as vicar of Wymeswold, a tiny village in Leicestershire with a badly-neglected church. Over 18 years, Henry rebuilt the faltering Christian community, faithfully visiting every person in his parish, and preaching his way through the Bible in sermons that were so clear that everyone could understand him. He then moved on to the incumbency of Quebec Chapel in London for four years, before moving to the Deanery of Canterbury in 1857, where he lived until his death in early 1871. Continued overleaf

The story behind … Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

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Christ Church Choir at Llandaff Cathedral

Members of Christ Church Choir took part in a Festival Eucharist organised by the South East Wales area of the Royal School of Church Music at Llandaff Cathedral on 19th July. We registered at 1.30pm and rehearsed from 2-4pm. David Ogden, our conductor from Bristol was extremely enthusiastic and an inspiration to us all. It is always a bonus if a small group is joined by many other groups with the same interest. We were around 90 people in total and made a fair amount of sound! After a short tea break we 'robed up' and proceeded to lead the Festival Eucharist at 5pm, where the celebrant was the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Dr Barry Morgan. We look forward eagerly to the next event planned by the Royal School of Church Music. Anne-Marie Phillips

Choir members with the Archbishop of Wales

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Speaking of Faith

An A to Z explaining the meaning of

some of the words used in church

High Altar A large church may have several altars. The term high altar refers to the main altar in the chancel. Other altars may be located on the sides of the nave or in separate chapels in the same building, as in the Lady Chapel at Christ Church. High Church A term used to describe those who have a high view of the church and tend towards Roman Catholic doctrines. ‘High Church’ and ‘Anglo-Catholic’ are often used interchangeably because of the emphasis they place on the traditions of the Church, and some of the rituals they observe, particularly when celebrating the Eucharist. Holy Spirit The third person of the Trinity. In the Old Testament, "spirit" was primarily used to express God's power in the world. In the New Testament, Jesus is called the Christ because he is the one anointed by the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit to Jesus' disciples after the crucifixion is associated with the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus in John 20:19-23 and with the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Hymns The singing of hymns is a prominent constituent of worship services in the Church in Wales. It is one feature of church life that draws the denominations together, for in their denominational hymnbooks they make free use of one another’s hymns. For example, in the most recent edition of the Baptist Hymnal, a present-day Anglican bishop is the third most-represented author. The first two are Charles Wesley, a Methodist, and Isaac Watts, a Congregationalist.

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Face to face….. with Trevor Lewis

Trevor Lewis has been worshipping at Christ Church since 1943, which means that this is a building that has know more Sundays with Trevor than without him! He was brought up in Llandaff North, where his father had a business, and he used to walk over to Christ Church with his uncle, Alfred Pritchard, who played the organ. Trevor would sit beside him during the services. The links with church led him to join the Scouts in Radyr. When he outgrew Scouts, he became a bell-ringer. And that’s something he would never grow out of. Trevor has been ringing in Christ Church for almost 65 years. He may have retired from work as a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University, but there’s no thought of his retiring from bell-ringing. Indeed, when asked what is its ‘appeal’ (pun definitely intended!), Trevor says simply “It’s the team work, and then the mental and physical challenge. You can continue to ring into very old age”. And he’s right - the oldest member in our tower is 86.

Radyr Bellringers- Trevor is on the left, and his wife Wendy is third from right. See

if you can spot the oldest (age 86) and youngest (age 13) members of the team.

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Christ Church Sunday School

Many of the children were rewarded for their excellent attendance (25+ weeks) in Sunday School at the end of term in July. Books were presented to: Angharad, Bethan, Bronwen, Cameron, Catrin, Daniel, Emily A, Emily W, Evan D, Evan W, Gwen, Gwilym, Jack, Joe, Lowri, Mollie, Nia, Patric, Rhys, Seren, Sophia, Sophie, Steffan, William and Dafydd, who received a special prize as the overall Best Attender - an amazing 42 weeks. Everyone enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch and playing games outside on the lawn. A lovely way to start the summer break. At Harvest Festival we would like to support communities living in poverty in South Sudan. Christian Aid and their local partner, the Hope Agency for Relief and Development (HARD) are enabling people to become self-reliant by having a secure home and making a living in their community. The children will be helping to lead worship and singing a Harvest Song, specially written & adapted for us by Louisa Fancourt. The Get Ready for Christmas event on November 22nd is not to be missed. The Sunday School will be running the toy stall and would be grateful for donations of good quality second-hand toys, games, children’s books and DVDs. Once again we will be supporting Operation Christmas Child by filling shoe boxes with gifts for children, who otherwise would not receive a gift at Christmas. The children will be singing a carol at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols as well as leading the worship and performing a drama Christmas Angels on Christmas Eve. We’d love you to come along and join in the fun learning about how much Jesus loves us. We meet every Sunday in term time at 11am for an hour: ages 18 months to 11 years (Youth Group for 11 years and over). Julie Davies 2084 2923

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St John’s Sunday School

Sunday School meets at 9.15am in St John's Church Hall during term time. The lessons include things for the children to make or do to keep things interesting and enjoyable. At the end of the lesson we join the congregation in church for the last part of the service and the children tell everyone what they have been doing. The first Sunday of each month is a Family Service, so there is no Sunday School and the children stay in church with their families. This service is shorter than usual and the sermons include items from Jenny's magic bag which make them much more interesting for the children. The new term started on September 14th. The family service on October 5th is Harvest Festival so it would be wonderful to see the children there. Come along and join us, the lessons are fun and we would love to see you. Anne Jones 2055 4749

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Trevor married Wendy at St John’s in 1950 and they have two daughters, each with two daughters of their own. Fortunately, Wendy shares Trevor’s love of the bells, though we wait to see if it’s been passed down the generations - the granddaughters aren’t tall enough yet to try their hand in the bell tower! The bells were first rung in Christ Church in 1910 and a peal (in which the bells are rung for 3 hours) has been rung to mark all major state occasions. Trevor remembers ringing for Winston Churchill’s funeral. But mostly, the team rings a quarter peal, which is less intrusive for the neighbours in Heol Isaf. I certainly appreciated that they did that to celebrate my induction here in 2006. Jenny Wigley PS Trevor and his team are always looking to welcome new members. Just come along to one of the practice nights, Thursdays at 7.30pm.

Fun Day Fun!

Our Medieval Family Fun Day took place on July 5th. The sun shone after days of rain. The children had great fun on the inflatable medieval castle and slide, enjoyed using the trebuchet and having their faces painted! Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the event such a success and helped us to raise £2,642 for parish funds.

We are now planning for our ‘Get Ready For Christmas’ event on Saturday November 22nd. Please contact me if you can help with the organisation, are willing to run a stall or are able to make or donate items to sell such as cakes, books and gifts.

Rubina Davison

2084 3442

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A Musical Harvest Bunch at St. John’s Saturday 11th October, 7pm

An evening of folk, classical and jazz songs and airs relating to

Harvest, performed by Steve Todd, Peter Cox, students and friends on various string instruments, keyboard and melodeon.

The programme will include tunes such as ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘John

Barleycorn’ sung to a well-known hymn tune— and possibly some Benny Hill.

Tickets £5.00 and £3.00 available from the wardens in both churches.

Christian Aid scales up emergency response to Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone

Christian Aid has responded to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone by targeting 3.8 million people across the country with potentially life-saving advice on how to avoid the deadly disease. The charity is working through five local partner organisations, including the Methodist Church Sierra Leone, and 800 community volunteers, reaching out to communities in 10 of the country’s 14 districts. It is using existing structures set up to deal with HIV.

The aim is to combat widespread community fear and distrust about the disease, as poor and remote communities don’t always believe the government. It is difficult to advise people not to touch family members who are ill, but instead to inform the Ministry of Health immediately. Another problem is that once a member of a family is diagnosed with Ebola, then the whole family is ostracised by the community.

The majority of churches in Sierra Leone are taking the outbreak very seriously and seeing it as part of their responsibility to support the Ministry of Health to enforce preventative education messages about the virus.

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Operation Christmas Child

Since 1990 Operation Christmas Child has been blessing children around the world with gift-filled shoeboxes wrapped and packed by children and adults in the UK. It's a campaign supported by thousands of schools, churches and other organizations between September and November each year. In fact it is now the UK's largest children's Christmas appeal.

The idea is simple. Children and adults wrap and pack shoeboxes with a range of gifts and take them to a convenient drop-off point. After processing for export purposes, they are sent overseas where local churches distribute them to children on the basis of need regardless of their background or religious beliefs. It is an unconditional gift of love.

As an example, last year victims of the Typhoon Halyan on the island of Bantayan in the Philippines were sent boxes. They provided a little ray of hope. Also 70,000 shoeboxes were airlifted from North Carolina to be distributed to Syrian refugee children who were experiencing the terror of war.

Since 1990 more than 113 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. Our parish has donated hundreds of boxes over the years— can you help us beat last year’s record total of 207? Information leaflets are available from Christ Church, St John's Church and myself. Also available from the same sources are official, colourful, flat-packed shoe boxes at 40p each, but if you wish to continue wrapping your own shoe box, that is fine.

Filled boxes may be taken to either church on Shoebox Sunday, November 16th, or delivered to me. It is vital they are delivered on time, as the collection date has already been arranged.

Please contact me if you have any queries.

Anne-Marie Phillips Ty Gwyn, Kings Road, Radyr. 2084 2526