The Mothers Union
Branch Leader: Jennifer Local

We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7.15pm

Happy New Year everyone.   I do hope you are all having or had a blessed and peaceful Christmas (depending on when you reads this).   I'm not too sure how peaceful our Christmas will be as we are going to Huddersfield to be with Jane and her family.   Paul and his family will come over from Doncaster to join us in Huddersfield on Boxing Day.   Three excited children will, no doubt, make plenty of noise.

I was unable to attend the Deanery Advent Service this year, which was held at Kirklevington Church on Friday, 7 th December, but the members who did attend said it was a very enjoyable service.   This year, for our Christmas outing, we went to The Haynes Arms where we all enjoyed a lovely Christmas meal.

We start the New Year's programme with our first meeting on Tuesday, 8 th January at 7.15 in the Church hall.   Our speaker will be Rev. John Ford from Stainton and he will be talking to us about "Chaplaincy for the Police".   I look forward to seeing you all in 2008.

Jennifer

The Archbishop of York cut up his dog collar on live television in protest over Robert Mugabe's rule of Zimbabwe.

Dr. Sentamu said he would refuse to wear the Anglican symbol of office until Mugabe was no longer in power. His demonstration follows Mugabe's controversial presence at the EU summit with African leaders in Lisbon.

Dr. Sentamu is a long-standing critic of Mugabe. Earlier this year he described him as "the worst kind of racist dictator" and called for him to be isolated with economic and sporting sanctions. The archbishop criticised African leaders who rallied round Mugabe and defended him as a freedom fighter who liberated his country from white rule.

Speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, Dr Sentamu took off his dog collar, saying: "As an Anglican this is what I wear to identify myself, that I'm a clergyman. He then took out a pair of scissors before snipping away at the dog collar, adding: "Do you know what Mugabe has done? He has taken people's identity and literally, if you don't mind, cut it to pieces. So, as far as I am concerned, from now on I am not going to wear a dog collar until Mugabe is gone."

The decision not to wear a dog collar means the archbishop will appear in public in a plain Church of England bishop's purple shirt. He will not wear the collar with ceremonial robes duing services, even on state occasions.   The archbishop said Mugabe had turned his country "from a bread basket into a basket case", with many shops empty of basic foods and only one in five citizens in a job. He added: "He has actually taken a country really into sheer chaos. He has been so brutal that, in the long run, the world has got to say, if the South African people and leaders won't do it, something has got to happen."

Dr Sentamu called on Christians to "pray, march and protest" over Zimbabwe as they did over apartheid in South Africa. He said: "As Christmas comes around, spare a pound for a child starving in Darfur and in Zimbabwe. "Let this money be collected so when the time comes, people can actually have their houses and their homes rebuilt."   

(Taken from The Daily Mail report)

REARRANGING THER CHURCH FURNITURE will take some time to get used to.   I still don't like using the pulpit but I'll give it a go for a while.   It will be better for Christenings and I think it looks a lot tidier but we get used to certain arrangements and this feels a bit strange now.   Since we no longer have a choir it seemed pointless to have the choirstalls at the front.   Our grateful thanks to Vic, Alwyne and Ina who refused to give up and kept on appearing in the choir remnant. Their voices will strengthen the congregational singing instead.

BROOKFIELD AND KADER STROLLING & WALKING GROUP

Brookfield and Kader Strolling and Walking Group has been formed to encourage more people in the community to enjoy the benefits of walking and at the same time explore the local greenbelt and countryside. The Group has been set up with the support of Community Service Volunteers (CSV) in   Middlesbrough. The strolls are all local, short and graded at introductory level; the walks are longer, may involve some modest hill walking and are graded at intermediate level. All are led by trained Walk Leaders.. For most people   increasing physical activity by walking will not pose any problem or hazard, but for a few it may be wise to seek medical advice before starting. We ask walkers to complete a simple Health Questionnaire before their first walk.

Register for all strolls and walks at St Clare's Church, Low Lane at 9.45am. Bring a drink and snack, walking boots/shoes, rainproof jacket.

A WALK FROM GRIBDALE AT NEW YEAR   Wednesday 2nd January    Walk Leaders Carolyn Dodds and Margaret Thornton.     After registration drive to Gribdale Car Park above Great Ayton village for a walk to Captain Cook's Monument, Lonsdale and Great Ayton Moor.     Wonderful scenery   About 6 miles, some climbing.

A STROLL UP THE AVENUE OF TREES   Wednesday 9 January 2008. Walk Leaders Pat and Jim Oakey.   A wonderful stroll along Blue Bell Beck, across Acklam Road, up the Avenue of Trees   to Acklam Hall before returning to St Clare's. Over 3 miles.

A WALK: SEATON CAREW AND THE NORTH GARE

Tuesday 15 January 2008. After registration drive to Seaton Carew. Walk leaders: Ernie Mullins and lan Johnston.

A walk along Seaton Sands to the North Gare Breakwater and Teesmouth National Nature Reserve. Fine views of the coastline. About 5 miles, no hills or mud but plenty of dunes!

A STROLL TO STAINTON AND NEW YEAR LUNCH
Wednesday 23 January 2008. Walk Leaders Roger Flay and   Margaret Thornton. A lovely stroll around the Lake and over to Stainton before returning to St Clare's for Blue Bell for
our New Year Lunch (must be booked with Pat Oakey in advance). About 3 miles,

A WALK TO CHERRY HILL AND BACK Wednesday 30            January 2008. Walk Leaders: Carolyn Dodds and Sylvia Jones. Walk from St. Clare's to Hemlington then field paths to Newby and Cherry Hill and coffee then return.   About 6 miles, could be mud.                           

Kath Power (Tel: 821846)

NEW SCHOOL TERMS

The Christmas Market which we held on 17th November was a really good effort and raised £900.   Many thanks to everyone who gave us things to sell or use and to those who gave their time and effort. You all contributed to the success of the day.   As always my grateful thanks to members of the social committee for their help and support throughout the year.  

Kath Edmond.

St. Clare's used our hall for their Christmas Fair on December 1st. They have expressed their gratitude for our allowing them to use our hall and for the support that you gave. I said that we were only too pleased to be able to share this facility.   They really need a bigger place even than this because their fair is quite a big event and lots of folk attend. Barclaycard sponsor their raffle, doubling whatever they raise and the total in the end was over £2,500. Well done to all concerned with both events.

Ash Wednesday is on 6 th February this year and Good Friday will be 21st March with Easter Sunday on 23rd.

Traditionally the schools were off on holiday for Easter but this will not happen this year.   The schools will break for the Easter Weekend, working on Maundy Thursday, having Good Friday and Easter Monday off because they are national holidays but going back on Easter Tuesday.   They will then break up on Friday 4th April and have two weeks off, going back on Monday 21st April.   This will be the pattern for the future.   Occasionally when Easter falls more conveniently, the school holiday will fall over Easter week. This will make the three terms even sized.  

I've never quite understood why Easter isn't a fixed date, say the first Sunday in April.   Though I must say I quite enjoyed working out the date of Easter using the magic numbers in the table in the Prayer Book.

Situations Vacant

We urgently need volunteers for the following:

1.   Church cleaning (one week in every six).   You could team up with a friend or friends to form a team

2.   A Christian Aid coordinator to replace Malcolm Tonge. It is mainly collecting the envelopes and putting them out to deliverers--we have a list of those who have done it in the past. Someone who is keen could also attend the Christian Aid meetings (not very often) on our behalf.

3.   Children's Society Secretary to replace Jean Lock who is finding it hard going. This is a lovely job for a wonderful society for someone who loves children.

4.   Someone who can darn a hole in the altar cloth where I have rubbed the edge bare.

100 Club Winners    November 2007

See Magazine

Very many thanks for the continued support of this fund-raising effort. I have been able to pass to the Church Treasurer just over £650 this year. Hopefully with the additional members, and more are always welcome, we may do even better this year.

Our collection at the end of November was our regular collection for CRISIS (at Christmas) the charity which helps the homeless on our streets and provides them with a meal and a small present on Christmas Day.  

On 30th December we will collect for Barnardos who we haven't supported for ages. They work with disadvantaged and vulnerable children and their families as well as fostering and adoption of 'difficult-to- place' children.

THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

18th to 25th January

Pray for the other Christian Churches each day..

Fri 18th           Roman Catholics

Sat 19th          Methodists

Sun 20th         Our neighbours at St. Clare's and the Salvation Army

Mon 21st         Baptists

Tue 22nd         Pentecostals and independent evangelicals

Wed 23rd        Salvationists and the Brethren

Thur 24th        URC, Congregationalists and Presbyterians

Fri 25th          The Unity of all Christians

Do please join us for our UNITED SERVICE FOR THE WEEK OF PRAYER t St. Margaret's on Sunday 20th January 6pm

Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is: for God's people to live together like brothers   Psalm 133

S.P.C.K. ARE NO MORE

I used the SPCK bookshop regularly when I was a student in York in the 1960's and occasionally ever since.   It is sad to have to report that it has closed and been taken over by an Eastern Orthodox group. It remains to be seen if they will continue to stock the sort of books and supplies we need. Martin Sheppard writes in the York Diocesan News...

When York's SPCK Bookshop was rebranded 'St . Stephen the Great' in November 2007 it ended sixty years of service to the Diocese of York by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, a society of the Church of England.

The shop was located in Stonegate from 1946 to 1987, and in Goodramgate since then, and has supplied a wide range of reading matter, gifts and church requisites to many clergy, parishes and parishioners across the York Diocese.

SPCK bookshops once numbered over 30 and were largely in English Cathedral cities. They ran as one arm of the Society which wasfounded in 1698 and still operates as a publishing house and (in partnership with Feed the Minds) mission agency.

Never financially secure, the bookshops have been hit in recent years by the growth in Internet book purchasing, and after a threat of complete closure SPCK transferred the remaining 23 shops in 2006 to the St . Stephen the Great Charitable Trust (SSG).

Founded in the United States in 2004, SSG aims to establish Eastern Orthodox congregations in the UK and to publish and distribute books and other items that bear witness to the Truth of Christ.

Initially SSG continued to use the SPCK shop name but this ended in November 2007, since when the York shop has traded as 'St Stephen the Great'. The former SPCK staff left during October and November.

SUCCESS AT LAST    

I met with the Chair of the Hospital Trust. Glenys Mariott,   together with the Chaplain, Malcolm Masterman, and the Trust publicity and buildings people.   They have agreed that it is right to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the hospital service in Middlesbrough in 2009.   The stained-glass window which depicts Sister Mary Jaques (The first Matron), Teresa Newcomen (The founder of the Sisterhood) and Sister Elizabeth (The second Matron) which was originally in North Ormesby Hospital) was installed in The South Cleveland Hospital above the North Entrance.   After pressure from me the hospital authorities removed it and were going to install it somewhere in the hospital.   They have had the glass inspected by the York Glaziers and found it will be too expensive to install, even behind a display case.  

Instead they are going to make a representation of the glass on a display which will include the story of the first hospital and this will be dedicated by The Bishop of Whitby on 7th March, 2009.   At last I have succeeded in getting some recognition for the sisters and their achievements.   I suspect getting Mayor Ray Mallon on my side was the clincher.   I am very pleased that at last Sister Mary will be honoured along with the other founders of our town.