Bishop Kenneth’s Retirement

As you know, Bishop Kenneth will retire this September after 14 years as Bishop of Portsmouth.

 Bishop Kenneth has a great love for this diocese and many people in our churches have deeply appreciated his ministry.  People from a number of churches have suggested that individuals and parishes/benefices might like to contribute to a joint leaving gift.  In response, I have made arrangements to enable contributions to be received centrally.

Any contributions towards a joint gift will need to reach the diocesan office by 14 August 2009, with a view to a presentation at Bishop Kenneth’s final farewell service at the cathedral on Saturday 12 September.

Please make cheques payable to Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Finance accompanied by clear instructions that the money is intended for Bishop Kenneth’s leaving collection.  I hope this is helpful.  Every good wish.

Wendy Kennedy Diocesan Secretary

(A collection for Bishop Kenneth’s leaving gift will be taken on Sunday 9 August at the 9.30am service)

Pilgrimage to Walsingham 2009 – Part 1

We started at crack of dawn on Friday 17^th April 2009; about 44 pilgrims got up to prepare for the pilgrimage.  We had to meet the pilgrims from St Alban’s, St Clare's, St Faith’s and St George’s, Waterlooville, so we got to St Alban’s Church at about 7.30am and went into the church for a blessing of the pilgrimage.  Father Paul, who is in a wheelchair, conducted the service with Father Mike and then we all got our baggage and ourselves and one dog aboard the coach.  Because I had Innes, who is a big dog, we sat near the back just by the emergency door and he was able to lie on the carpet in the middle.  From then the conversation really rippled up and down the coach.  We drove through a shower of rain that had threatened us, through Petersfield and up through Guildford.  At 11 o'clock we stopped at a service station for comfort stations and a cup of tea or coffee and we found a place for Innes.  Then we travelled on towards the Dartford tunnel.  Everyone was very happy and conversation flowed freely.  Sandra was sitting next to me.  I think she was reading but the lady behind me from St George’s was very, very talkative and described the scenery to me and we had some quite interesting discussions.

The bottles of wine started to flow, rosé and white whichever you chose and there were sweets and nice things to eat.  Most people had decided not to bring a packed lunch but to find something to eat in Ely.  The coach stopped outside Ely Cathedral and we all scattered to pubs and café's where we could find some lunch.  Little groups of us had a very enjoyable lunchtime.  The coach left again just after 2pm and drove through the Norfolk countryside.  As we got towards Walsingham there is a very long hymn which tells the story of Walsingham.  Lady Richeldis, whose husband was a Crusader at the time of Edward the Confessor, was left on her own to look after the estate.  She spent a lot of her time in contemplation and saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, who instructed her to build a replica of the house in Nazareth where the Angel Gabriel visited her to tell her about the birth of Jesus.  She built the replica house and a spring rose up and filled a well.  As in the water of Lourdes, the well was reputed to have healing properties and pilgrims came from all over Europe.  Unfortunately, Henry VIII when he destroyed the monasteries also pulled down the Abbey Church and the Shrine Church at Walsingham.  It wasn't until the 1920s, when a priest was led to revive it and re-dig the well and the same water and same spring were found.  So a new house was built nearby, like the house in Nazareth and the Shrine Church built around it and gradually the pilgrimage centre, which is really quite big, was formed.

It was my fourth visit, because I visited Walsingham in the 1980s when Phyllis's Church, St Faith's North Dulwich, where Father Lindsay was the vicar there, encouraged us to go to Walsingham and told us what a wonderful place it was.  Three times I visited it when Phyllis was living in Camberwell and that was her church so it wasn't new for me.  Of course when we arrived at Walsingham, we knew that Bishop Lindsay, as he now is, has become the administrator.  I am so glad that he has, as I know how much it meant to him when he encouraged us to go.

We arrived at about 4pm and deposited our luggage on the pavement and went for our first visit to the Holy House to say our prayers.  After that we went into the Green Room collecting all our luggage and were told the different houses.  I was in St Joseph's which is not really appropriate for someone with sensory handicap because everything was down low but I managed to make the best of it.  Innes very soon learnt exactly where it was.  Afterwards we had a meeting in one of the other houses and then we went and said Mass before dinner in the Barn Chapel. That was with just the churches from St Faith's, St Alban's, St Clare and St George's.  After the evening meal Bishop Lindsay came and spoke to us and Val said that I had met him and he came over and immediately said “Oh St Faith's, North Dulwich”.  After supper we'd been provided with sheets on which to write intercession prayers for the sick, for the state of the world and those who had died and I thought of Phyllis and Ray and Heather who died last November.  I also thought of several people that I know in this area.  Afterwards we went back to the Holy House and Father Paul, who is absolutely wonderful and does everything from his wheelchair, took that service and read all the prayers for us.  After that Sandra and I found a place in Walsingham to take Innes for his late run and then we made our way – a little group of us - to the Black Lion and had a very pleasant and jolly evening, all chatting over a drink.  We had to be back by 11pm or we would be shut out.  So Innes had another run on our way back to bed tired after our long day.

Judy Glenister (Transcribed by Rosemary Thomas)

(Part 2 will appear next month)

Chicago Experience – Part 2

(Jeremy, Claire, Harriet and Eleanor’s Chicago experience continues)

Day 6 – Thursday 9 April, 2009

The Toole family are up and about reasonably early, by which time life is in full swing for the Gibbons’.  David has work to do at the church and Susan is making sure that Elise and Sophia are ready and off to school.

Claire, Susan, Harriet and Eleanor take a day trip to the shops leaving Buddy and I home alone.  I listen to some music via the iPod docking station (Susan has ‘Weekend in Monaco’ by The Rippingtons, so I indulge myself a little).

At about 1pm David and I go off for a 5-mile run in the heat of the Barrington sun.  They say only mad dogs and Englishmen do this, and here we have cast iron proof!  This is a road run, however we soon find out why it’s called Barrington Hills, as the roads around here take many little undulations that do ultimately take their toll on the thigh muscles.  It’s a good, steady run and we cover it in about 40 mins.

After the run we freshen up, take lunch and have a good old natter.  Sophia and Elise are both home by about 3:30pm, and everyone else is back shortly afterwards in time for us all to attend the Maundy Thursday service.  The service is followed by the most delicious meal and is attended by the majority of the congregation.  It is a pleasure to spend time with these lovely people for whom fellowship is clearly an integral part of the overall worship experience.  St Marks is a fabulous yet demanding challenge for David and Susan.  I believe the very genuine Christian nature of the congregation here lifts the weight of that challenge a little.  There is a real love for what David, Susan, Elise and Sophia have brought to this church community, and this is constantly apparent in what we see and hear from the people of St Marks.

The day ends with more of Susan’s magnificent G & T’s in the sitting room.  Friends Ned and Jo – a delightful couple and very relaxing company, join us.  

Day 7 – Friday 10 April, 2009

Good Friday morning and I check over one of the Gibbons’ cars.  It’s a manual drive and I’ll be using it later, so I take it for a twenty-minute spin in the church car park.  I have to shift gear with my right hand.  This takes some getting used to, however I do master it after a while.

The girls watch some TV and David delivers a 12-noon service.  David is busy through the afternoon, so the rest of us take a trip to Des Plaines and enjoy lunch in the 1,000^th McDonalds ever built.  It’s just across the Road from the first one ever built, so we take quite a few photos.  The sun is out but it’s actually freezing!

After lunch we take a trip to the very pretty town of Long Grove.  There are little shops selling exquisite gifts, delicious chocolates, wind chimes and even one offering the opportunity to sample some fine olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  It’s all very picturesque.  There’s an Irish theme store and even a couple of places selling English product such as Cadbury’s chocolate!

We get back in time for the Good Friday service that evening.  It’s a very moving service reflecting the Passion beautifully.

Susan prepares a lovely salmon dinner and Jill, a lovely lady whose company we enjoy enormously, joins us.  It’s a perfect end to the day and it is hard to believe we are approaching the half way point of our visit.

Day 8 – Saturday 11 April, 2009

Easter Saturday and David is up early and off to deliver an 8:30am service.  He returns at about 9:30am and just half an hour later we are pounding the roads of Barrington Hills on another 5-mile run.  The weather is very hot however it’s a good run.  40 minutes later we return to join everyone else for a late breakfast of eggs, pancakes, potatoes, sausage, bacon and doughnuts. 

After breakfast the girls all go to the shops and then on to the cinema at Deer Park to see the new Hannah Montana movie.  Whilst the girls enjoy the film, Susan and Claire do a little shopping.  David and I have remained at home, but not for long as we take Buddy for a good walk at the Dog Park and then stop off at a Starbucks before a reunion with the girls.  We are all back at the house by 4:30pm.

Knowing we are 6 hours behind GMT, football scores are a priority on our return.  David is a little shocked to find that Pompey have only managed a 2-2 draw with West Brom, whilst I’m more upbeat about United’s 2-1 win over Sunderland which keeps them tracking well for a third premier league title in succession.

Early evening and we all attend the 6:30pm Easter Saturday service.  Jeremy and Claire deliver well received readings of the Creation, and the Israelites deliverance from Egypt.  After the service the congregation enjoys some delicious cakes in celebration of the Easter period.

The girls are late to bed, and David, Susan, Claire and I enjoy a delicious curry prepared by Susan.  This is followed by a swift nightcap (I think it was one of those generous Susan Gibbons G&T’s again!) before we retire with thoughts in our minds of an Easter Day to come.

Day 9 – Sunday 12 April, 2009

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re all up and about by 7:30am.  The girls do an Easter egg hunt, searching for various Easter chocolate and sweet items as hidden around the house by Susan the previous night.  Susan has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that the girls have an exciting awakening this morning, and the smiles on their faces make it all worthwhile.  The Easter Baskets that Susan has made are truly delightful.

We all attend the 9am service and David delivers an excellent sermon and includes a very funny story that has everyone rolling in the aisles!  After the service we all return to the house, except for David who has the 11am to deliver.  He arrives back at about 12:30pm and we all have some sandwiches for lunch.

After lunch it’s a trip to the Dog Park for a brisk walk and, of course, a good blast for Buddy.  Today however Buddy steps out of the limelight a little and makes way for another member of the dog park fraternity, Snickers.  Snickers is a dog on a mission…with an owner who is clearly unaware of what this mission is!  Snickers main contribution of the day is to steal, and successfully burst the ball we brought along for Buddy.  He then proceeds to spend a good 30 minutes of his time with us before we are finally able to steer him back in the direction of his owner.  Then we run away and hide!

When we get back home its Manhattan’s all round for the adults before we venture outside for an energetic game of rounder’s in the garden.  Dinner that evening is a magnificent meal of roast lamb with all the trimmings, washed down with some excellent red wine.

The evening is an opportunity to chill, although I really must point out that the Gibbons have done very little chilling in the last 10 days due to their intense and greatly appreciated quest to ensure that we are comfortable and enjoying our long break of a lifetime.  We are having a magnificent time and cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.                                                                            

(To be continued)

Life on the Nile – Part 3

Towards the end of the morning, Abu Simbel appeared ahead of us in the distance.  Most visitors arrive by coach or plane, and have to come to it from the back.  We had the stupendous view getting bigger and bigger, and sailed right up to the shore before moving round to moor in a creek beside the site.  The main temple is for Ramses II (of course) and has four colossal 69-foot statues of him seated in front of the entrance.  There is a so-called Small temple alongside (large by any other standard) which is, unusually, dedicated to his ‘Great Royal’ wife Nefertari (there were over a hundred others), and even has two 33-foot high statues of her with four more of Ramses.  Beside these are many smaller statues of some of Ramses’ numerous wives and children, but they are so overpowered by the king and queen that you hardly notice them at first.

Here we caught up with the crowds for the first time.  The majority of visitors come by coach in convoy from Aswan with a police escort, and then drive back again after a few hours.  By visiting after lunch, we missed the largest crowds, who had already left, but there were still plenty of people staying on.  The temples have a succession of rooms getting smaller as you go into the hill.  The final sanctuary is so carefully aligned that at dawn on Ramses’ birthday and coronation day, exactly six months apart, the sun’s rays shine all the way into it and light up the statues of Ramses and two of the three gods.  They are connected with Ra, the sun god.  The third is Ptah, who was associated with the afterlife, and so he stays in the dark.

Mohammed was not allowed to escort us in the temples, so he gave us a talk on what to expect, and left us to visit at our own pace.  There is an incredible amount to see, but we emerged eventually, and went back through the gardens behind the artificial hills to get back to the ship.  But we hadn’t been warned of the particularly aggressive Nubian market just outside the gate.  This was our first real encounter with the Egyptian ‘hard sell’ on this trip.  Things seem to have changed.  Previously, if you said ‘No’, the seller would reduce the price, and could never understand that you didn’t want his item even as a gift.  This year, the technique was often to quote a very high price, and if you said ‘No’, they added something else for the same price.  Not a good sales method and it spoiled what had been a lovely visit.

After dinner, we went back for the Sound and Light show.  Because so many visitors come to Abu Simbel, they run a different commentary on the loudspeakers at each performance, and provide headphones for the other languages.  As a result, most of the audience continue chatting through the show.  In any case, the commentary doesn’t come up to the standard of the magnificent temple illuminations.

We were a few days too early to see dawn strike right into the temple, but some of our group went back to see it light up the facade.  There was an impressive sunrise over the lake seen from the ship.  Then we boarded our luxury coach – no mere minibus, even though we were only nine – for the long and dull drive through the desert back to Aswan.  We were joined by two armed policemen, and travelled in convoy with a dozen other coaches.  The government is taking no chances with terrorist threats to tourists.  We stopped at the High Dam again to drive over it, and see how it had been built into the valley.  And of course we could see Kalabsha again, just to the south.

Then we drove into town to join our second ship, the Hameez.  If we had come straight to it, we should have said it was a very good ship, but we didn’t find it quite up to the standard of the Prince Abbas.  The nine of us joined halfway through a standard Nile cruise of some thirty other British passengers, who had already visited half the sites on the way up from Luxor.  But as I said, we were a hard-working group.  There was just time for lunch and we set off for Philae.  This temple was just above the first dam, so for some fifty years of the 20^th century, it was regularly half-submerged for the six months of the flood season.  The High Dam threatened to drown it completely, so the entire temple complex was cut up and moved to another higher island within sight of the original.  Being so close to Aswan, it is a very popular excursion, especially on a Friday (the Egyptian weekend) in the school holidays.  Dozens of small boats ferry visitors from the Nile shore, but there is in fact plenty of room on the island.

The temple itself is most impressive.  Built only about 250BC, ‘new’ by Egyptian standards, it looked much the same as the Ramses temples we had seen the previous day.  There are several other buildings on the island, including one built by the Roman Emperor Trajan about 100AD, but still basically in the same style.  After taking the boat back to our coach, we thought we had had a long day, but there was one more item before we finished: a visit to a perfume shop.  Frances and I had gone through that on a previous visit, so we resisted the salesgirls’ approaches.  And finally back to the Hamees for dinner.

Next morning we were offered an optional sail on the Nile to the Botanic Gardens on Kitchener Island.  Frances opted out, but the rest of us embarked on a felucca sailing boat, and were blown gently upstream for half an hour, with the boat flying a Manchester United flag, and a Liverpool scarf stitched to the sail.  There was time for a pleasant walk round the gardens, but Mohammed miscalculated our return, and only allowed twenty minutes to sail back into the wind.  It soon became clear we should be late for the Hamees’ departure, and we flagged down a passing motorboat to give us a tow.  Even then there wasn’t time to go back to the landing stage: we sailed right up to the Hamees and climbed on board from the roof of our felucca.

Alan Hakim

(The final part of Alan & Frances’ journey will be in next month’s magazine)

J. Source – What’s That?-It’s Your Local Christian Bookshop!

If you call in to J. Source upstairs at The Meridian Centre you will see a wide selection of greetings cards, including birthday, new baby, baptism, thank you, thinking of you, wedding, anniversaries, confirm­ation, get well, sympathy, Easter & blank cards at very reasonable prices.

There is a good selection of Bibles, children’s, youth and adult books, including Bible cases, children’s picture books, Sunday School material, activity and puzzle books; there are books about doctrine and theology, biography, prayer, the family, the church and its resources, devotional and Bible reading notes.

There are posters, bookmarks, note lets, journals, stickers, pencils, jewellery, calendars, wrapping paper, gift bags and gift vouchers.

You can buy CDs of contemporary worship music, both vocal and instrumental; DVDs for adults and children; there are photocopying and faxing facilities; specific orders can be taken and books of stamps are also on sale.

Most cards are accepted in payment for £5 and over and there is a 10% discount for purchases of £50 and over and on all materials to be used in church.

Currently staffed by volunteers from five different churches in the Havant area, they are open from 10 – 4, Monday to Saturday, but only until 1.00 pm. on Wednesdays.

Browsers are welcome and the shop can be found at the top of the stairs. There is an ‘up’ escalator and lifts are available from the car park.

69/73 First Floor, The Meridian Centre, Havant Telephone: 023 9249 8998