Editor : The Rector, The Rev. J. H. Edinger.

Price 3d.

The Parish Magazire of St. John The Baptist's, Mershsm. Rector : THE REV. J. H. EDINGEE. m b . , The R C C ~ D N , E O W C ~ Road;

Tel.: Willesborough 438. Churchwardens : COL A. E. A. DOBSON. 0 . 8 . ~ . land Hcn. Scc.. P.C C.1

Mundy Manor: Tel.: ~ l d i n g t o i '353 MR. J. PILBEAW. Cmnbroohs.

Ron. Tress.. P.C.C.: MR. F. HOILE, " Byways." Bower Road; Tel : Willesborough 230.

Verger : MR. J. m n s a , Glebe Cottage. Kingsford Street: Tel.: ~iilesbarough 202.

The old year now sway is fled, rg The New Ywr it is entered: (~L ,

Then lcl us now cur sins doen-iread. c:; 3.; And joyfully all appear : 2.z

Let's merry be this day. i':;; An3 let us now bath sport and play : Hang grief, mst care away ! 3~;

G3d n:nd ycu a Ilapp?l N e w Ymr ! c.- b!:: e c:*

And now with New Ye'lr's gifts each friend xi- Unto each other they do send : ';-: (G;

God grant wc may all our lives amend. 1 i

And that the truth may appeir. 1 5 < ~

Now, like the snake, your skill k Cast off, of d l though1.s and sin. . -.- . And so the YFir hegin : 1;;

GCd rrnd u; a. happu N:lo Yesr ! 3' lP:om a Waits' Carol, aver 300 years old.

suns t o the tune of " Greensleevcs " I . -

ANN0 'OMIN1 1954 LET US MAKE 1954 TRVLY TIIE YEAR OF OUR LOR'D.

SO WILL IT BE A HAPPY NEW YE&I !

T IEE blue and go!.* Coronation frontsl, now given to the Church by Lord land Lady Brabournc. was used for the firs; time a t

Christmas. I t is a vcrv lovely thing. The sewing of i t tall hy hand) by Mrs. Edinger, helped by Mrs. Forster, t:ok many hours' work.

C 'RRISTMAS, both before and after, seems to get more of a rush of parties each year. The first one, as usual, was that of the

Women's Institute. Most noticeablv the men were in shnr:. -~ . -. . supply this year ! The number cf johi that they remember must be done on that evening is remarkable ! The play this year, a very good comedy, w3s a nightmare to the co-pro3ucers. Mrs. Beck and Mrs. I'urkin. as time and main the Darts had to be re-allncxled a s mom-

~~ - ~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~- ....... bers found it impossible to fulfil their promises t o take part in the play. The resull, undcr alch condilions of rehearsal, was extremely Creditable. The Mcrsham S:hool Party ~roduced an enormous qumtity of good food an3 good fun for the children. The presents this y p r . given to them by Father Christmas, were all books. The children tkoroughly enjoyed the conjuring show before their tea.

E hne *awing on the cover of the Friends of Mxshzm Church 'P pmnvhlet was &awn by Mr. Ayinin Sampson. Lhz son 01 the Rector of Bcnninzton and Biisington. About two Years ago he came and dren four s;etches of thc Church-01 the West Window, lhc South Porch the carved he ld on t2e Chanecl lruss beam, and one oi the chxub lac23 02 the a! tx r,:ils. Thcg will t e used in bhe Guide lo the CEurcll. when I call bring myself to set it rloivu in writing. I am most erat?iul Lo him for those dravings.

1 AM very Sorry that 1 forgot to give anv avaneed notice in the Ililgazin? Lhat the St. Edmund's Schooi. Cantcrbury, Choir

were hroldc2sMng oncc mwe in 1Czcember-they sang the weekly Evensoxg 2t 4 p.m. 011 VVednesd.%p. 9t!1 December. I have made preliminary arrangements for the Choir to c0.m~ to sing to us iissin in t!:e summzr of this year.

. ~~ ~~-~

!%ration of norticuitura- 1y competition will be oi ant in bloom.

IY , 1954

imcision of our Lord.

sir in +hn W.", v o n r 2 r m

XE Gardening Society Mceting, on Wednesday. 13th January, 'I. ~n the Village Hall, nfill be concern?,j r i t ,h the Care of Lawns. The spenker is cnc of the K2nt Fec I Societies' team of speakers. The month r three pursnips, or a pot of buIbs or pot-p:

CALENDAR-JANUAF

1.-Fridzy : New Ye3r's D8y. Thz CirCU 9.15 a.m., Holy Communion.

3 . S u n d a y (Christmas IIJ : First Sundz, ... ...- .. H:C.-Mothers' Union Corporation Communion, also 12 noon

5.-Tucsdzy : Mothers' Unim W'ivc of Prayer. Mersham Branch. 4 . 3 C 4 . 4 5 p.m., in Church.

6.-Wedilesday : The Epiphany (The Cominq of the Wise Men). 9.15 a.m.. H.C. Tlx traditional Christmas hcliday season ilsts until the evening a i the Epipha:ly. Twelfth Night.

10 .Sunday (Epiphany 1 1 : Plough Sunduy, when we ask for Go3's blessing- the work to be don? in frrnms an3 gardcns before th2 seed-soaing a t Rc~gationtide. Swv ic~s ,AS usual: Lower Mcrsham-9.30 a.m., H.C.

21.-Thursday : Mothers' Union Service (Parish Room), 2.45 p.m. 25.-Mondzy : The Conversion of St. Paul : 9.15 a.m., H.C. 28.-Thursday : Bible Reading F'eilowshlp (Parish Room), 2.45 p.m. 31.-Sundly (Epiphany IV): Scrvices as osual. Lower Mersham.

3 p.m. Evensong. I t was on 31st Januaiy. 1918, that I was institute? and inducted as Rector cf Mersham. Naturally, il is an anniversxy Sunday for myself personally, but I hope that olhers share tha t anniversary with me as we s t ~ r t out on another year together.

"THE BIBLE

SPEAKS TO-DAY."

S OME people may have wondered why we held a Bible Exhibition 111 th9 C h u r ~ h , tcwards the elld of 1953. The rcason was thaL

the British and Foreign Bible Society is now keeping its Third Jubilee. Thc Society nas foundcd early ill 1804. with the singlc P I I I ~ ~ O S C of circulating the Holy Scriptures nilhout m y note OY comment. The Sa:ioLy has ocver been itentifietl with any onc Chrislian Communion, nor with any party within or without the Church I t has sought l o serve all ihe servants of God and tn draw its support from ali.

This Sear, therefarc, sees the completion of I50 years' service to the Church all over the world by the Society. In celebrating this Third Jubilee hhe Society has set before i t three aims : 1. To awaken the imaginalioll of Christian people to t,hc wonder of Lhe Inct thzt thcse 150 gears have sczn the translation 01 the Bible in over la thousand languzgss. Tile Bible Society has published 818 of these t1~31lslalions and ot!lcr'slster r.o:iOLies hzve published the rcst. 2. TO share in a cm13aion launohed by the British Council of Churches, under the titlc "The Bible Spzaks To-dav." to try to TCStOre Llle Bihle to its true p l x c i2 Llle life of our own people and of the English-sp~aking aorld. 3. To seek to re-equip the Society for its future service. Althoug!~ some p%rL of the Scriptures now exists in the tongues of over four-fifths of the world's population, it is cst.im3l.ed thah there are Still about a thousand lznguages into which tine Bible has still to be translated. Through the combined cfioris of all the Bible Societies, the tolnl annuil circu!atian of the Bible, or parts of the Bible. is almost 21 million copks. In 1952 the British and Foreigll Biblc Society contlibuletl 5: rnillicn of thls Ldal. Msny OI thc translations of the Bbble cannot be sold a t the full price needed lo cov?r the cast 01 printing. That is why many parishes help the Society each y x r . Cur ouw plrish of Mersharn h'3s tor many years maie a gift to the Society. usunlly from tile Communioll OKertories. One form of printing which is very costly is the printing of the Biblc in Braille for hhe blind. A complete English Bible in Braille type costs 529 t~ produce: it fills Lhirty- nine volumes. which occupy a shclf lft . lcng Even wilh the help of a Government grant, ma t Bible costs $2 10s. for a blind person to bug, and the S0:iel.y musl find a further S2O to cover the cost of printins.

CAN YOU FTXID WHER.E THESE WORDS COME F%OM ? Titles of hlms or books Familiar Phrases

Green Paturcs. In tile twinkling of an cyc! IMy Bmiher Jonnthzn. Thc Land of Nod. The M ~ r k of Cain. EY tllr: Skill Of n l Y tPCtll, Thc! Fallen Idol. TO set one's tmth 011 eclg~. The Gnlges of Wrnth. Old wives' tnles. Gone with the Wind. T ~ c lovr of money is the root Thc S e v m Piilnrs or Wisdom 01 "11 wil. Viir ~ o d l r s . The powrrs that 11".

To play the fool.