From the Rector - Looking forward…

August is the holiday month, when so many people take time off to relax, take a step back from the usual routine and forget about it all.  Whether your plans include a holiday or not, I hope there is time, and good weather, to relax and enjoy yourself. 

Often, though, holidays can be times when we attempt to get far away from the normal routine, just to find that it has a knack of coming with us.  Some people avoid this by throwing themselves into as much activity as possible, while others read books, watch films or have large family gatherings to keep them occupied.  This year I have tried to do all my planning before I go, so I can arrive at my holiday destination and relax (well, we’ll see!).  I want to tell you about part of the planning we’ve been doing.

Firstly the PCC working group have been revisiting the church’s Mission statement.  We have worked hard on finding a form of words that most accurately describes both who we are and what we are striving to be.  This statement will be taken to the PCC in September.  If it is approved, it will be the self expression that informs all our work from here.  Furthermore, the group will make further recommendations to the PCC about how the parish is managed.  The aim is to provide a structure that encourages people to greater discipleship.  Alongside this, we plan to launch our autumn programme at a special service on 9^th September.  We will call this ‘Back in the swing of things’ Sunday, and we shall advertise the service to all the local schools and to other organisations.  It will be a chance for people to see what we do and see how they can get involved.  It’s a good Sunday to bring a friend with you.

All this planning reminds me of the sermon my father gave in June (to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood) in which he quoted from the vision of The Revd. Dick Sheppard, which he preached to just 14 people in 1914 on the occasion of his induction as Vicar of St Martin’s in the fields, Trafalgar Square, London.  He said:

“I saw it full of people, dropping in at all hours of day.  It was never dark – tired bits of humanity swept in.  And I said to them as they passed: ‘Where are you going?’  And they said only one thing; ‘This is our home.  This is where we are going to learn the love of Jesus Christ.  This is the altar of our Lord, where all our peace lies.’  And day by day they told me that the dear Lord’s Supper was there at his altar waiting to be given.  They said to me two words only, one was ‘home’ and the other was ‘love’.

It’s a very moving vision, isn’t it, and eloquently put?  The gist of this inclusive vision, centred on the Eucharist and inviting all people, is very much at the heart of my vision for St Faith’s.  I believe we have made St Faith’s a much warmer and open place, but there is plenty more to do.  With your prayers and support we can bring our vision to life.

Have a good summer,                                                                                                                           David

Lord Bishops of Portsmouth

When I wrote in April about the “Great Fire Blitz”, I referred to the moving address at the graveside by the then Lord Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Frank Partridge, at the funeral of the civilian victims in Kingston Cemetery on 17 January 1941.  Subsequently, I was saddened to discover that he, himself, died of natural causes just nine months later on 1 October 1941.  So I thought I would find out more about him and in my research I learnt something of both his predecessor and his successor.  Please do not worry!  I am not going to give you a potted history of all the Bishops but these are of interest because they were the first three Lord Bishops of Portsmouth.  If I may digress, when I started as PCC Secretary, my wonderful predecessor, Audrey Currie, was (and still is) enormously helpful.  She told me that if I wrote to a bishop, then I started with “Dear Bishop”.  However, because the Bishop of Portsmouth sat in the House of Lords (not all bishops do), his title was Lord Bishop and the letter should start “My Lord Bishop”.

Our narrative starts on 25 May 1927 when the following announcement was made:  “The King has been graciously pleased to approve the appointment of  the Venerable Ernest Neville Lovett, CBE, MA, Archdeacon and Vicar of Portsmouth, Honorary Canon of Winchester and Chaplain to his Majesty the King, to be Bishop of the new Diocese of Portsmouth.”  The new Bishop was enthroned on 4 October 1927.  He had been associated with the ecclesiastical district which is the See of Portsmouth for many years and had held appointments in the Diocese of Winchester since 1898.  He was married in 1894 to Evelyn Brock and this lead to an unusual occurrence because when he became Lord Bishop, his brother-in-law was Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, Admiral Sir Osmond Brock.  He remained Bishop of Portsmouth for almost nine years.  On 25 February 1936, 10 Downing Street announced that a translation was to be made to the Bishopric of Salisbury, on the death of Dr Donaldson, and the first Lord Bishop of Portsmouth left, to be enthroned in Salisbury Cathedral in the second week of May, 1936.

A few days after the announcement of the translation, the appointment of Canon Frank Partridge, Archdeacon of Oakham and Canon of Peterborough, to be the Lord Bishop of Portsmouth, was approved by his Majesty the King.  He had held a number of important posts in the Church of England prior to this appointment.  He had been Secretary of the Press and Publications Board from 1923 to 1933, Financial Secretary of the National Assembly from 1921 to 1934, Secretary of the Central Church Fund from 1918 to 1934 and Secretary of the Legal Board of the Church Assembly from 1924 to 1933.  The new Bishop was consecrated at St Paul’s Cathedral on 25 June and his enthronement took place a month later at the Cathedral of Portsmouth.  The Lord Mayor, Alderman W J Avens (who was a leading Free Churchman), the Recorder, Mr R F Bayford,KC, and the Corporation attended in state, proceeding from the Museum (which was the old Town Hall) in High Street, in procession to the Cathedral.  The Lord Bishop did much good work in Portsmouth but is perhaps best remembered for his remarkable Christian leadership during the first two years of the war, when the city endured such heavy bombing.  His words at the graveside in Kingston Cemetery when the victims of the January raid were buried are a fitting epitaph to a fine man: “Within the sound of our southern sea with a happy thought of the victory they have won and the mark of honour set upon them, we proudly leave their bodies in this hallowed place and think of them as Citizens in the City of God.”  An impressive service attended by a congregation drawn from all over Portsmouth took place in the Cathedral on 4 October and was followed by the Lord Bishop’s interment at East Meon.

Seldom has a bishop had such a colourful curriculum vitae (cv) as the Right Reverend William Louis Anderson, Bishop Suffragan of Croydon, who was nominated by the King to be the third Lord Bishop of Portsmouth.  He was 49 years old and had seemed destined in his youth for a career in the fighting services.  Astonishingly, during the First World War he served in the Royal Navy, the Army and, finally, the Royal Flying Corp, where he won the DFC for gallantry in 1917 at the age of 24.  After the war, he studied at Ridley Hall, Cambridge where he gained an M.A. degree in 1920.  He was ordained that same year and became Chaplain of Caius College and Curate of Holy Trinity, Cambridge.  The new Bishop was enthroned at Portsmouth Cathedral on 11 April 1942 in the presence of a congregation which represented civic heads, dignitaries, service chiefs and included representatives from every parish in the diocese.  It was a most impressive service, with the enthronement conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.  He served the Diocese for the next seven-and-a-half years with distinction and was loved and respected by the citizens of Portsmouth.  He left on 30 June 1949 to be Bishop of Salisbury.  I am sure he was also speaking for his two predecessors, when he said on his departure that it had been an honour to bear the name of the “Senior Naval Port”.                                                                                                               Roger Bryant

Farewell from Fr Charles

As my title curacy draws to a close it seems odd to think that Annie and I arrived in Havant four years ago almost to the day.  So much has happened in that time, including, of course, the addition of Rufus to the family.

But it was four years ago in 2003 that, near the completion of my training in Oxford, Annie and I drove down to attend St Faith’s for the first time.  We received a warm welcome at the Parish Eucharist and met Fr David for the first time; after the service we met David Williams - with whom I would be ordained - too.  In that warm welcome and as I participated in the Eucharist I felt at home here - and indeed that is how we have felt ever since.

The same can be said of 1 Churchfields.  Our flat at St Stephen’s House had been very cosy but it was now rather nice to have some more space.  It was lovely to come to such a light, airy and spacious house and have such lovely neighbours as Vicki and her family next door.

And so after four or five years preparation - discerning my call to priesthood in London, testing it at Holy Spirit, Southsea and then training for it in Oxford - I began ordained life in the Parish of St Faith, Havant with St Nicholas, Langstone.  I have to say though, that even with the wonderful support I had there was still a degree of nerves mixed with the excitement as I began my ordained ministry.  I certainly remember feeling pretty vulnerable the first time I walked down the street or went into a shop wearing a dog-collar - there is certainly no hiding who you are or what you believe.  Would I be challenged or ridiculed and how would I respond if I was?  To wear your faith so obviously is a very interesting experience and a useful reminder of how easy it can be to deny it.

But with Fr David’s guidance and advice David and I began to settle into parish life and I felt very much confirmed in my calling.  They say that once a Deacon always a Deacon and this is - and in my view should be - the case.  The priest is called first and foremost to a life of service and the basis of this is the Diaconate.

The first year passed and I left with all those to be priested for the Isle of Wight for the pre-ordination retreat.  We returned to the Cathedral to be ordained as priests by Bishop Kenneth and, later that day, I celebrated my First Mass.  It was certainly a day that I will never forget.  Having felt called to priesthood there is something particularly special about presiding for the first time, especially when the church is filled with your family and friends.

The role of Priest varies from that of Deacon and, as such, there are many more new experiences to be had: presiding at the various different weekday services, preparing couples for marriage and officiating at their wedding, going to other churches and running services there come immediately to mind.

It would be hard to paraphrase four years except to say that as I continued on learning and experiencing more all the time I realised one thing particularly: that I loved it and that no two days were ever the same.  It is a privilege to  be invited into - and to play a part in - the most poignant and important aspects of people’s lives, celebrating with them at Baptisms and Weddings, mourning with them at Funerals; to be involved with people of all ages, be it as a Governor at Fairfield, with the Young Believers, as acting chaplain to 2327 (Havant) ATC Squadron or through visiting the housebound or nursing homes - especially Southlands - and meeting both residents and carers; and, of course, working with members of other churches in the area.  I have travelled about to preside and preach in other parishes and have helped out at Christ Church, Portsdown and St Alban’s, West Leigh, all opportunities to meet many people and make many friends across the Deanery.  I also could not let the opportunity pass without saying what a joy it was to play a part in the leadership of the annual Walsingham Pilgrimage - always a chance for fellowship and fun as well as prayer and reflection.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, Rufus was born in the middle of it.  He first came to church a baby and now enjoys exchanging the peace and handing in the envelope for collection at the offertory!  He is a wonderful character.

So, while we are excited about our move to the Alford Group of Parishes in Lincoln Diocese there is a sadness about leaving Havant.  But as I have said to many people it is a little like growing up - sooner or later one must make one’s own way.  So, let me finish with a word of thanks, especially to Annie for her continued love and support and to Fr David for his guidance and advice but also to all of you for giving me such a great start to ordained life.

God Bless,                                                                                                                                     Fr Charles

Farewell from Annie

As Charles comes to the end of his title curacy it is interesting to look back on four years of great variety.  How things have changed since we first arrived four years ago!

It was lovely to join the worshipping community of St Faith’s and begin to play a part in the life of the church - although it was a little odd to start with seeing Charles up at the front in the sanctuary.  I very much enjoyed getting to know people in those early days, baking cakes for parish events and, of course, returning to Walsingham on the pilgrimage.

It was wonderful to watch Charles grow in experience and see him preside at the Altar for the first time on the evening of his ordination to the Priesthood.  But this was an exciting time for another reason too because by then I was already pregnant with Rufus.  He was born the following February and when he arrived I knew that life would never be the same again.  He first came to church as a tiny baby only a few weeks after he was born and has been a regular member of the congregation ever since.  We still remember the joyful occasion of his baptism during the Parish Eucharist

Rufus has grown to love St Faith’s and considers it a home from home.  He is always excited about the prospect of coming and doesn’t confine his attendance to the Parish Eucharist.  He comes along when Charles locks up the church and, for a while, was a regular at the Prayer-Book Eucharist on a Thursday morning too.

He loves the music, the beautiful windows and generally being part of the church community: the sharing of the peace, the offertory and receiving a blessing being particular high points.  He has enjoyed his time in the crèche and has made many friends both there and in the wider church community and beyond!  I say this because Rufus has been going to Havant Nursery in Church House for a while now and has enjoyed that thoroughly as well.

St Faith’s will always be special to us.  It is where Charles began his ordained ministry and where Rufus first went to church.  Thank you all for making our time here so enjoyable.

With every blessing,                                                                                                                                                                    Annie

The King’s Squad

Last month I referred to the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth passing out the King’s Squad and I mentioned that Lt Col Peter Thomas could enlighten us.  Peter has generously given me a splendid booklet entitled “A Short History of the Royal Marines” from which the following information has been taken: On the occasion of his visit to the 4^th Battalion in March, 1918, preparing at Deal for their raid on Zeebrugge on St George’s Day 1918, HM King George V also visited the Depot and witnessed recruit training.  He was much impressed with what he saw and on completion directed that the senior squad of recruits under training should be designated “The King’s Squad”.  As a mark of distinction it is customary for members of the Squad to wear a white lanyard on the left shoulder of their blue uniform and to wear the chinstrap of their cap down below their chin.  At one time one of the highlights of the Royal Tournament was a drill display by the King’s Squad of the Royal Marines.  This was regularly performed up until 1959, but since then these displays have only been performed in 1980 and 1990.  Today the senior recruit troop at the Commando Training Centre RM, Lympstone is titled “The King’s Squad”.  Soon after his visit to Deal, HM The King further directed that the best recruit in the King’s Squad should be awarded “The King’s Badge”, “provided he reaches the required standard”.  The senior recruit receives his badge from the Inspecting Officer at the Squad’s passing out parade.  The badge, which consists of the Cypher of King George V (GvR) within a laurel wreath, is worn at the top of the left sleeve.  It is worn throughout his service, in all orders of dress no matter what rank he later attains.                                                                                                                                                                      Roger Bryant

Departure of Fr David Williams

Fr David Williams joined St. Faith’s as a non-stipendiary assistant curate on 28 June 2003 and was ordained to the Priesthood on 27 June 2004 by Bishop Kenneth at Portsmouth Cathedral.  David’s last service was on 24 June 2007 and he is moving to the “West Country” before seeking a new appointment.  David was presented with a Sarah Butterfield print of St. Faith’s, a bottle of wine, a cheque, and Ally Wilson made him a “good luck” cake.

 

Visit to the Holy Land – Part 2 of 4

A good nights sleep and off we go again, first stop Cana, to see the church called the Wedding Church built over what is thought to be the bridegroom’s house, it was early when we visited and there were several couples renewing their marriage vows.  After this we made our way to Nazareth, the roads were very narrow in the town and we walked from the site of Mary's well to the Church of the Annunciation, which is built over the location of the village of Jesus' day.  At this time Nazareth was very small; about 200-400 people mostly they lived in cave like dwellings and the remains of one of these is below the church.  The present church was only completed in the 1960's and is the largest basilica in the middle east, like many other churches that we visited it is on two levels the lower level was where the remains of the cave was and then the upper level (ground level) was a more modern church with the most amazing painting behind the altar.  When it was built they asked many countries to send a piece of artwork that represented Mary, they are outside in the courtyard and inside the modem part of the church, it is amazing how different they are - England's is near the altar so we couldn't get to see it.

Onto the mini­bus for the Nazareth Village this was really good and gave us an idea of how things would have been and looked at the time of Jesus.  An open space where evidence was found of a vineyard from the time and with results of archaeological research the village has been reproduced showing village life as it would have been.  There are 14 hills around the Nazareth area, and so terraces are cut into the slopes with layers of chalk and soil for drainage.  The winding pathways climbed up, there were olive trees, yellow flowers - these were mustard seed, poppies and yellow daisy flowers like chrysanthemums, donkeys and goats grazing, we saw the synagogue, weaver’s house and the carpenter’s house and as we left we were given a little lantern to remind us of the light of the world.

Next stop Sepphoris, which is just a short way around the lake from Nazareth and is a first century Roman town.  Nazareth was so small there would not have been enough work for Joseph, and from the original translation Joseph would have been a craftsman not just a carpenter, he would have worked with both stone and wood and most certainly would have worked here with Jesus alongside him.  It is very high up so there are wonderful views there are lots of mosaics here, a quite famous one known as the Mona Lisa of Galilee.  The Roman road through the town remains pretty much as when built they are large stones laid at an angle so that the wheels of the carts wouldn't catch, there are marks left in the stone from the hundreds of wheels using this road.  Back to the hotel where we become very English and all have a well earned cuppa!

Saturday morning we leave Tiberius and head towards Jerusalem, driving down the Jordan Valley road it runs alongside the river Jordan and the border with Jordan.  In the time of Jesus this would have been either a three or five day walk, mostly the five-day walk was what was used, although longer it was a safer route.  Along the roadside today we saw palms as well as fields of citrus fruits and mangos.  

Our first stop was a town called Beit Shean (Bet She’ an), there was something on this site from 4,000BC; from these city walls the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons.  The remains are magnificent and were only discovered in the 1980's, the Roman city was 2-3 century, then in the 6-7 century the Muslims came and made some changes and then in 749AD an earthquake destroyed quite a bit.  It was a very grand place with two main streets with all the usual plus shops, baths, theatre, the street was open and the walkway on either side had pillars on the roads edge and then this was under cover so that the people could keep out of the sun.  

Back onto the mini bus for Jericho, the landscape has changed and there are hills and mountains all around - no green here, mostly stone.  We took a cable car up to the Mount of Temptation, I didn't like the ride too much but it didn't take long, the cable car was a millennium project.  It was a popular destination for families taking a picnic, they were mostly Palestinians from a West Bank village, there were wonderful views up there everything looked light coloured except the area of Jericho which looked like an oasis in the desert, the Spring of Elisha provided the water.  

Back down again and a short trip to the sycamore/fig tree said to be the one that Zacchaeus climbed to get a view of Jesus, he was the tax collector that Jesus asked to stay at the house of.  George is letting us shop we are off to a pottery outlet; lunch provided one of those falafel things I'm getting very adventurous!  

Back onto the mini bus we travel through the Judean Wilderness on the old Jerusalem to Jericho road this was the road that Jesus would often have travelled, we saw the fence and then the wall marking the borders, at the West Bank we went through various checkpoints Israeli and Palestinian.  We stopped to view St. George's monastery perched in the rocks, we walked up the hill careful not to slip on the stones we were very high there was no grass.  A viaduct was put in to serve the monastery and you could easily follow the water by seeing the lovely green against the quite light coloured background.  It was quiet but very windy, the wind was warm and it seemed as I sat there on top on the world with my eyes closed that sometimes just for a moment the wind stopped and everything was quite still.  I could easily imagine Jesus walking there being tempted by the devil.  Bedouin shepherds lived in this whole area and we saw several places where they had set up home, they usually keep goats and sheep and when the animals have eaten all the food they move on to a new area.  As we travel on the mini bus George is a mine of information about all things around us and where we are about to visit and he told us of a Jewish man sending his son to Jerusalem to further his education but when he comes back he has become a Christian, the father didn't know what to do and went to the Rabbi to seek advice, the Rabbi explains that the same thing happened when he sent his son to Jerusalem and says that they should both pray to God.  God answers, "The same thing happened when I sent my son" - well it made me laugh!                            Sandra Haggan

Part 3 will appear in next month’s “Faith Matters”

 

Dear God:

So far today, I’ve done all right,

I haven’t gossiped, lost my temper,

Been greedy or grumpy, been nasty,

Selfish or overindulgent.

I’m very thankful for that.

 

But, in a few minutes, God,

I’m going to get out of bed.

And from then on, I’m probably

Going to need a lot more help.

Amen

 

Church Shop

The Church Shop took £2,400-13 during the May-June session, making a total of £6,749-74 so far this year.  Thank you to all who made this possible, especially to many ladies who did more than their fair share of hours in the shop.  This was due to shortage of helpers, so if anyone, male or female, has a spare hour or two we would be delighted to see them.  The shop re-opens on 28^th August until 21^st September.  Last session of the year opens on 22^nd October until 16^th November.

 Sheila Warlow

 

Historic Churches Bike Ride and Walk

Sponsorship forms for this event on Saturday 8^th September are now available from Audrey Currie.  It is held annually on the second Saturday in September and this year it clashes with the Town Fair.

 

Archbishop of York

In a service for Churchwardens in York Minster, Archbishop Sentamu asked if they were radiators or drainpipes.  He said they would say they are radiators (vicars are drainpipes!)  I wonder did he include Rectors with Vicars.                                                                                                    Sheilah Legg

The Prime of Lifers - St Albans

On Friday, 1^st June fifteen women from St Albans and St Faith’s went on a weekend Retreat to the Priory of Our Lady at Sayers Common in West Sussex.  It is on the A23 just south of the Hickstead Horse Show Jumping ground.  The weather forecast was for a showery weekend with Saturday being the best day but in fact we had dry, sunny weather throughout.  Sandra drove Valentine, Jennie and Sheilah L. from St Faith’s and after a short service in St Albans followed by lunch in Angmering we had a walk along Worthing sea front where we saw the water saving garden on the beach devised by Southern Water.  We arrived at the Priory about 4pm.

The weekend was a seminar called "Spot the Difference" and was based on four concepts: a love, a joy, a concern and a faith that shows.  We were split into small groups to discuss separately each one over the weekend.  We gave our considered replies to various scenarios commonly encountered both within and outside the Church but related to each concept.  Several of us, in pairs, planned and presided over short morning and evening prayers.  On Saturday evening we had a party, playing games amidst much merriment and a few drinks - not all alcoholic!

The rooms and the food, which was good and wholesome, were simple but no more than was needed, and many rooms had gorgeous views of the South Downs.  We were also able to enjoy lovely grounds covering several acres.

Before lunch on Sunday we worked to draw together the threads of our weekend discussions and organise an hour long church service for the afternoon, then after tea and cake, we said our farewells and arrived home about 5pm.

Sadly, this is a never to be repeated weekend at the Convent as the nuns are now getting too old and few in number and the Convent is up for sale.

Why "The Prime of Lifers?”  The group began at St Albans when some ladies decided they needed to bridge the gap between Child Benefits and Pensions. They have been going strong for ten years now but many Retreats insist on a minimum number so they decided to invite other churches to join them.

It was a worthwhile and thought provoking weekend which many hope to repeat next year but not, of course, at Sayers Common.

Sheilah Legg