All Saints, Hérault: Priest-in-Charge's Report for 2014

All Saints, Hérault: Priest-in-Charge's Report for 2014

2014, our second year as a chaplaincy, was a year of steady growth and progress in our corporate life. The Chaplaincy Council's report details the many ways that we continue to grow and flourish as a church family. Unity in diversity has been one of our guiding principles and I hope we never forget that. I know that I keep on about it, but it's particularly important in our situation here, where we serve such a diverse community. God made us as we are, wonderfully, gloriously different from each other. Let's rejoice in those differences and learn from each other.

Another strong principle, that came from the original congregation before we were a full chaplaincy, was a high level of congregational participation in making decisions. We have tried in 2014 to bend the normal Church of England way of doing things into a more participative model. There is now an opportunity for meetings of the congregation every three months, instead of just at the AGM; the choice of charities we support was made after receiving suggestions at one of those meetings. It is, of course, also important that the Chaplaincy Council continues to be the body that runs the chaplaincy: after all that's what they are elected for and I thank all the members for their excellent work.

My thanks go to Richard for all his support during 2014. His accident in December was a shock to us all and our hearts go out to him, Carol and the family. I was very proud of the way that you all rallied round to support Richard and Carol both practically and emotionally.

As always I thank very much the team that has served us so well over the last year. Patricia and Nigel are truly excellent churchwardens, who take so much of the administrative load and deal tactfully with many a difficulty before it becomes
a problem. Thank you again Barbara for being a conscientious treasurer. Thank you Julie for your stint with the website and Andy for your excellent work there so far. Thank you Sally for your help with the website and publicity. Thank you Jenny for continuing to look after our safeguarding. Thank you Alison and Ros for your work on our events. Thank you music team for your thoughtful and time-consuming work on choosing our music. Thank you again, Julie, for representing us at Synod.

My final thanks are to Delia for making sure that I do those many things that I otherwise would have left undone; also for coming to Synod and for taking the Chaplaincy Council minutes so efficiently.

Congratulations to Julie Johnson on being approved by the Diocese in Europe for training as a Reader.

There is much to look forward to in 2015, a lot more of the same and some innovations too, such as the planned Maundy Thursday service with washing of feet and the contemporary worship service at Pentecost.


Roger Smith
Priest-in-Charge

February 2015

My SATNAV by Pam Ayres

Comment on Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It's a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast. At some services in the Anglican, Roman Catholic (and some other churches), worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin. The use of ashes, made by burning palm crosses from the previous Palm Sunday, is symbolic and reminds each churchgoer that:

Death comes to everyone

They should be sad for their sins

They must change themselves for the better

God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes

The Ash Wednesday service draws on the ancient Biblical traditions of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth, and fasting. Ashes are an ancient sign of penitence. From the middle ages it became the custom to begin Lent by being marked in ash with the sign of the cross. 

The real reason the French don’t get fat by TIMOTHY BOND.

Last month, I ate a strawberry. The taste exploded in my mouth as my throat was bathed in rich juices. The meat of the berry was soft and succulent. I was in France.

Last week, I ate another strawberry. There was a slight reddish flavour, which combatted the petroleum essence of the packaging. The meat of the berry was corky, dry and flavourless. I was in Canada. 

Much has been written about why French women aren’t obese (not always true any more, sadly, due to the influx of fast food) or why French men don’t have as many strokes. The theory is that it’s the red wine, which we regard as something mildly sinful. 

I say nonsense. It’s the food.

A famous French chef once said that we eat too much in North America because our food has so little taste – we eat more and more, he said, hoping to achieve satisfaction. This explains the huge platefuls I sometimes scarf down in Canadian restaurants. 

It also explains the much smaller portions in France, where the food totally satisfies your taste buds, and the longer time we spend eating each meal in France, as time passes happily between each small course. Is that why I always come home after a few months in France a couple of kilos lighter, despite the near-daily servings of dessert? 

Ice cream actually made of cream. Chocolate that is not just brown, but bursting with musky, dark flavour. French desserts – handmade tiny flavour bombs of delightful mixed textures – are so good. Not huge lumps of doughy pulp coated in sugar and grease like our cupcakes, which are all the rage these days. 

Why is so much of our “fresh” food so tasteless? Is it the week-long trek in a truck all the way from California? Is it the countless days sitting on loading docks at food terminals, warehouses and supermarkets? That’s part of it. 

But the big difference between our produce and the fresh food I buy in France is simple: Our varieties are selected and grown for shipping durability and visual marketing, whereas French fruits and vegetables are selected and grown for taste, taste, flavour and taste. 

Take tomatoes. Ours are bright red, perfect orbs of cellulose, holding as much water as possible to increase their weight. They look perfect. And now there’s a new marketing trick: They are strung together on their vines, which are also sold at $2.99 a pound. We take home our perfect-lookingtomatoes and slice off a bite: cellulose, water and seeds. No discernible taste. There’s a whole generation in our society that actually thinks these things are tomatoes! 

To be fair, we line up in late summer to buy field tomatoes that explode with flavour like my French strawberry. We get a couple of weeks of real taste, when we eat them every day. 

French tomatoes taste like our August tomatoes, but they’re available year-round. Their heirloom varieties taste even better. 

A few years ago, the French supermarkets tried marketing those bright red tennis balls on the vines, those things we know and try to love. They looked nice. People tried them – once – and never bought them again. You don’t see them much any more. 

In a desperate effort to satisfy us, the North American food industry strives to give us flavour, but in the cheapest way possible. So they give us salt, grease and sugar. And we gorge and gorge, hoping for something better, something real. 

There is one food that we do better in Canada: beef. French beef comes from the same strain of cattle that were used as draft animals, and it is tough. The meat is not marbled and it tends to be sinewy. They have invented good ways of cooking it; with a great sauce, it can be delicious. But it’s one mighty chew. 

There’s another reason why eating in France is better for you. Unlike us, the French eat their largest meal at midday. It is very important to them. They get two hours off work to eat properly. 

Parking is free for these two hours, because everyone must eat. French employers are obliged to provide their workers with a real meal each workday. So, they sit down and converse while they enjoy the meal. With co-workers, like with family. Maybe with a glass of wine, which doesn’t make them drunk or even tipsy, and costs less than a glass of Coke. 

In the evening, after finishing work at 7 p.m., they sit down en famille for a light supper – soup perhaps, or bread and cheese, a little ham, some great baguette, which is crispy and freshly baked just down the street a few minutes before the meal. 

Taste, flavour and enjoyment of food is central to the French way of life. It is not refuelling; it is the most important thing in the day. 

How I wish we could pull off a sea change in our food “industry.” We look so terrible waddling down the Champs-Élysées in April.

Contributed to The Globe and Mail, Canada Timothy Bond is a television director. He divides his time between Toronto and his 1,000-year-old house in the Loire Valley.

Link to original article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-real-reason-the-french-dont-get-fat/article18924862/

Positive thoughts from Pope Francis and Mahatma Gandhi

In a world filled with trouble and strife, it is a good thing to reflect on sayings from people of peace. Here are 10 thoughts provided by Pope Francis and Mahatma Gandhi to contemplate upon.

In an interview with the Argentine publication Viva, The Pope issued a list of 10 tips to be a happier person, based on his own life experiences.

1. "LIVE AND LET LIVE."

Believing that everyone should be guided by this principle, The Pope refers to not judging others and letting them continue with their lives in a way that best suits them.

2. "GIVE YOURSELF TO OTHERS."

"If you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid,” The Pope elaborates, highlighting the importance of devoting time to those in need.

3. "PROCEED CALMLY IN LIFE."

Pope Francis refers to a quote from the novel Don Segundo Sombra by an early 20th-century Argentine writer, Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the title character looks back on how he lived his life. The novelist writes that in one's youth, a person is "a rocky stream that runs over everything," but as one gets older, one becomes "a running river, quietly peaceful."

4. "WORK FOR PEACE."

“We are living in a time of many wars,” he says, and “the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive and dynamic."

5. "ENJOY LEISURE."

Highlighting that “consumerism has brought us anxiety”, he advises parents to set aside time to play with their children and make the most of their time together without distractions such as television.

6. "FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO CREATE DIGNIFIED JOBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE."

Speaking on the vulnerability of young people, Pope Francis recommends being creative with them and providing ample opportunities to ensure they stay on the right path.

7. "RESPECT AND TAKE CARE OF NATURE."

The Pope admits that environmental degradation “is one of the biggest challenges we have,” and encourages humanity to treat nature with the respect it deserves.

8. "LETTING GO OF NEGATIVE THINGS QUICKLY IS HEALTHY."

Pope Francis focuses on the need to stay positive when talking about other people.  

9. "DON’T PROSELYTIZE; RESPECT OTHERS’ BELIEFS."

Using our beliefs to inspire others and help them grow is something that The Pope strongly encourages in order to live and a happier and healthier life.  

10. "SUNDAYS SHOULD BE HOLIDAYS." The Pope stresses the importance of rest as a tool for reinvigoration and spending quality time with the family.

Here’s are 10 of Mahatma Gandhi thought-provoking quotes, that if enacted, would perhaps make for a better  world.

1. ON LIFE

"My life is my message."

 2. ON BEING A SOLDIER

“I regard myself as a soldier, though a soldier of peace.“

 3. ON FAITH IN HUMANITY

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

 4. ON NONVIOLENCE

“Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.”

 5. ON THE SEVEN SINS

“Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice."

 6. ON TRUTH

“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.”

7. ON THE "STILL SMALL VOICE"

“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me. And even though I have to face the prospect of being a minority of one, I humbly believe I have the courage to be in such a hopeless minority.”

8. ON LIBERTY

“I’m a lover of my own liberty, and so I would do nothing to restrict yours.”

9. ON FORGIVENESS

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

10. ON THE NATURE OF MAN

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."

Church of England cannot carry on as it is unless decline ‘urgently’ reversed – Welby and Sentamu

Church of England cannot carry on as it is unless decline ‘urgently’ reversed – Welby and Sentamu

Church of England should put faith in Facebook and Twitter to help reverse dwindling congregations, say Archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu.

The Church of England will no longer be able to carry on its current form unless the downward spiral its membership is reversed “as a matter of urgency”, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have warned.

It could face a dramatic shortage of priests within a decade as almost half of the current clergy retire, according to the Most Rev Justin Welby and Dr John Sentamu.

Meanwhile dwindling numbers in the pews will inevitably plunge the Church into a financial crisis as it grapples with the “burden” of maintaining thousands of historic buildings, they insisted.

But the two archbishops also called for the Church to invest more in building up its presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to get its message across online as part of a “major programme of renewal and reform”.

Their blunt assessment of the Church’s prospects came in a paper for members of its ruling General Synod, which meets in London next month, setting out the case for an overhaul of finances and organisation to turn its fortunes around.

Typical Sunday attendances have halved to just 800,000 in the last 40 years – although the Church has previously claimed the decline has been levelling off in recent years.

Income from donations in the offering plate has risen slightly in the last few years as declining congregations dig deeper.

The two archbishops gave their backing to a series of reports calling for administrative changes in the Church to be debated by the Synod next month but added: “Renewing and reforming aspects of our institutional life is a necessary but far from sufficient response to the challenges facing the Church of England.”

They went on: “The urgency of the challenge facing us is not in doubt.

“Attendance at Church of England services has declined at an average of one per cent per annum over recent decades and, in addition, the age profile of our membership has become significantly older than that of the population.

“Finances have been relatively stable, thanks to increased individual giving.

“This situation cannot, however, be expected to continue unless the decline in membership is reversed.

“The age profile of our clergy has also been increasing. Around 40 per cent of parish clergy are due to retire over the next decade or so.

“And while ordination rates have held up well over recent years they continue to be well below what would be needed to maintain current clergy numbers and meet diocesan ambitions.

“The burden of church buildings weighs heavily and reorganisation at parish level is complicated by current procedures.”

They said the Church’s current arrangements for deciding each diocese’s allotment of clergy and cash are increasingly viewed as out of date and widely ignored, adding: “There is no central investment in reaching out into the digital and social media world.

“If the Church of England is to return to growth, there is a compelling need to realign resources and work carefully to ensure that scarce funds are used to best effect.”

Last year The Rt Rev Christopher Goldsmith, the Bishop of St Germans, in the areas was facing a “death spiral” unless parishioners put more money in the offering plate.

Credits: Daily Telegraph article by By John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11340590/Church-of-England-cannot-carry-on-as-it-is-unless-decline-urgently-reversed-Welby-and-Sentamu.html

`Photograph: New Statesman

Cornwall, warned that the church in the areas was facing a “death spiral” unless parishioners put more money in the offering plate.

Lent - Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts: the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins. Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were "shriven" (absolved from their sins). In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them. When a person receives absolution for their sins, they are forgiven for them and released from the guilt and pain that they have caused them.

In the Catholic or Orthodox context, a priest pronounces the absolution. This tradition dates back over 1000 years. An Anglo-Saxon monk wrote, “In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him.”

A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.

Shrove Tuesday is commonly known as Pancake Day after the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day. It is a day of celebration as well as penitence, as it's the last day before Lent, and as Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up, so Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge by using up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent.

Historically, during Lent there were many foods that Christians would not eat. These included meat, fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods.So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday to use up the foods that wouldn't survive the forty days of Lent.

The need to eat up the fats gave rise to the French name Mardi Gras ('fat Tuesday'). Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday, as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

Pancake races are thought to have begun in 1445. It is remembered in the most famous of pancake races, which takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot pancake. She must toss it three times during the race.  The first woman to complete the course and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer and be kissed by him is the winner.

Other events in the UK include one at Westminster School in London, where the annual Pancake Grease is held. A verger from Westminster Abbey leads a procession of boys into the playground where the school cook tosses a huge pancake over a five-metre high bar. The boys then race to grab a portion of the pancake and the one who ends up with the largest piece receives a cash bonus from the Dean.

In Scarborough,Yorkshire, on Shrove Tuesday, everyone assembles on the promenade to skip. Long ropes are stretched across the road and there maybe be ten or more people skipping on one rope. The origins of this custom is not known but skipping was once a magical game, associated with the sowing and spouting of seeds which may have been played on barrows (burial mounds) during the Middle Ages.

Many towns throughout England used to hold traditional Shrove Tuesday football ('Mob Football" ) games dating back as far back as the 12th century. The practice mostly died out with the passing of the 1835 Highways Act which banned the playing of football on public highways, but a number of towns have managed to maintain the tradition to the present day including Alnwick inNorthumberland, Ashbourne inDerbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football Match), Atherstone in Warwickshire, Sedgefield (called the Ball Game) inCounty Durham and St Columb Major (called Hurling the Silver Ball) in Cornwall.