Articles from the Parish News

June 2008

Previous issues:

May 2008

Contents:

Message from the Vicar

Songs of Praise - July 20th

The Ritz at HT

Shape

Quiz - Statues and Monuments

Parish Roundabout

Message from the Vicar

Dear friends

…halfway to Christmas…!

The birthday of St John the Baptist reminds us that it is halfway to Christmas – now there’s a sobering thought!

The whole story of the birth of John, Jesus’ cousin, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, is recorded in Luke 1. It is the most amazing story of wonder, doubt, mystery and faith: might I commend it to you to read again? It begins at his conception, when the angel tells Zechariah that Elizabeth is to bear a child, but Zechariah is so disbelieving that this will happen, that he is struck dumb. The angel continues to announce that “even before his birth John will be filled with the Holy Spirit”; and indeed the unborn John leaps in the womb when Mary, Jesus’ mother, tells Elizabeth the Good News that she is to bear a son: the first great ‘Alleluia’ in anticipation of the birth of the Messiah.

The story continues with John’s naming and circumcision at eight days old, according to Jewish law, and the release of his father’s tongue, as disbelief turned to faith, and he declares that the child shall be names John. All the people wondered “What then will this child become”, for indeed the hand of the Lord was with him’. This is followed by Zechariah’s prophecy, the Benedictus, which those who know the service of Matins, may know well… “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…” The story, and indeed first chapter of Luke concludes, “The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel”. A very succinct way indeed of describing his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood!

We celebrate this great birth, exactly six months before we celebrate the birth of Jesus, 24th June – half way to Christmas!

This year this feast has an extra special significance here at Holy Trinity, for it marks the birth of a new ministry here: that of Rev Elaine Dando, our new Assistant Priest. Elaine will be licensed by the Archdeacon of Northolt at 8pm on Tuesday 24th June, and we very much look forward to her joining our ministry team, and to her ministry amongst us. The service will celebrate and give thanks for our ministry team, with whom it is a great joy for me to minister: Ann, Margaret, Kevin and Thiago and those many other people who share in Christ’s ministry in this place. It will be a service of welcome for Elaine as she joins this lively and diverse team, and begins to share her priestly ministry with us. We look forward to her getting to know us, and our getting to know her! Elaine will be introducing herself in next month’s Parish Magazine. Please join us if you can for this service on 24th June and the usual Holy Trinity style reception that will follow!

With prayers and very best wishes as we journey together towards Christmas!

Your friend and Vicar

Richard
 

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Songs of Praise - July 20th

So the Fete is over, but the summer heralds a golf tournament, opera, holidays and lots of open air events. What better way to give thanks to God than for everyone in Northwood to join together in a lusty Songs of Praise at the London School of Theology at 3pm 20th July?

Last year was the first time the Churches Together in Northwood experimented with this event and it was a great afternoon, thanks especially to Douglas Cameron who presented it, encouraging those from every Church to tell us about their choice of hymn, and also the Yiewsley and West Drayton Brass Band which really entered into the spirit of the occasion.

There will be more to the occasion than singing. From 1pm we can gather with our friends for a picnic and hopefully meet new ones - that is if you bring your own picnic and something to sit on! But ice creams, tea, coffee and soft drinks will be available. This year we will try to compensate for the loss of the Fun Day by including a Bouncy Castle, use of the tennis courts and any outside game you choose to bring and enjoy until the 3pm start.

Finally, we need helpers. Please would you help with stewarding or serving refreshments. Also, Shirley Askew would be grateful for volunteers for a scratch choir which will meet to rehearse on the previous Friday evening at 7.30 at the Methodist Church. This will also secure you a parking place in LST instead of parking at the bottom of Green Lane. However parking on site is also available for those for whom walking with a collapsible chair is difficult.

If you can help, please phone me on 01923 824235.

Hazel Gammage
 

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The Ritz at HT

If you didn't get to go to The Ritz on April 26th, you missed something really special. The members of Shape and Seekers had gone to town - from candlelit tables graced by flowers and sparkles to a truly delicious three-course meal, most professionally served - - and not forgetting a wonderful welcome complete with special Brazilian cocktail and copious well-supplied and yummy appetizers. We were given the happiest evening, and a huge thank you is due for all the care and work that had so clearly gone into it.

It was an excellent means for supporting Kat, getting ready to go to help at Orphaids and for assuring her of our love and prayers - - and a wonderful way to "join up the dots" right across the congregation. I do hope that one of these days there can be another occasion for The Ritz at Holy Trinity!

Ann K

Thank You!

Another huge thank you to everyone who came and those who helped out to make the Ritz Dinner such a huge success. We managed to raise an incredible £700 total so thank you all so much for your support. In terms of planning for my Gap Year everything is running pretty smoothly at the moment and this donation is no doubt a great help with the financial worries we had. I will, of course, keep in touch while I'm away and let you all know of the work that’s being done over in Ecuador. If you want to find out more of what I'm doing while I'm away please feel free to speak to my parents, Conrad and Shanese, from the end of September when I leave. Thanks so much once again and I hope everyone had a great time too.

Kathryn Gempf
 

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Shape

The Ritz evening was organised and carried out by Shape and it was a great success, but what is Shape?

Basically, the whole of the older youth from Holy Trinity Church belong to Shape, here we join together to pray together, laugh together and seek a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

We do this by meeting together every week on a Sunday evening at each others’ houses. We also think about important qualities that Jesus had and that we must try to emulate.

We symbolise this through ‘taking bullets’. In this, we have a stone symbolising one of the qualities, for example, love, peace, hope, trust or generosity. Then, using this stone we can keep a particular quality that we wish to exercise in our consciousness by keeping that stone in a pocket. This way, we are constantly thinking about that quality and our actions reflect that, hopefully.

Each individual in Shape is assigned an angel. This angel looks after the member and calls them up regularly or they meet up in a coffee shop to see how they are getting on, so we all look after each other. The Shape leaders hold a role of responsibility, so they hold the role of an archangel, which means they are angels to each member, not an easy job I can assure you!

These special people are Anna, Thiago, Kat and Chris and it is thanks to them that Shape got started at all and they are still running it, and I’m glad that they are. Shape is a great and fun way to get to know God better and I am very thankful for this opportunity.

Alastair Cotterell - a member of Shape
 

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Quiz: Statues and Monuments

1. The Statue of Liberty : (a) What does it commemorate? (b) What nation gave it to the USA? (c) What is its official title? (d) What is held in her left hand?

2. The Monument (London) : (a) What does it commemorate? (b) What is significant about its height? (c) Who designed it and how was it used scientifically?

3. The Angel of Christian Charity (also officially known as 'The Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain') (a) By what name is it usually known? (b) Who and what does it commemorate? (c) Of what rare (at the time) metal is it made?

4. The Angel of the South : (a) Where is it? (b) What does it depict? (c) Of what is it made? (d) What might displace it and where?

5. Cleopatra's Needle (The Embankment) : (a) What connection does it have with Needles and Cleopatra? (b) What name is given to this type of monument? (c) What does it commemorate?

6. Nelson's Column : True or false : (a) Nelson has a patch over his RIGHT eye. (b) The column is shrinking. (c) A wily Scotsman sold the column to an unsuspecting American tourist. (d) Hitler planned to erect the column in Berlin. (e) A stuntman parachuted from the top to draw attention to China's occupation of Tibet.
Answers
 

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Parish Roundabout

Not to be outshone by his twin sister, Rob Clarke and wife Grazie are celebrating the birth of their daughter, Agatha May. A healthy 8lb 1oz, she was born at 5.31 am at Northwick Park Hospital. Very many congratulations to the parents, grandparents and the rest of the two families.

Sarah Archer has written to thank everyone at Holy Trinity for their generous gift to her and Steve for their wedding. She writes: ”It couldn’t be more appropriate for us because we’re sharing a one bedroom flat and there’s not much room for wedding presents! Poor Mum and Dad will be looking after them for a while I expect. I jettisoned most of my furniture when I left White City so we’ll certainly make good use of the voucher once we’re in a larger place.”

Congratulations to Andrew Newell who was elected as Churchwarden for the coming year at the Annual Meeting.

Thiago’s parents, Archbishop Mauricio and Sandra, will be with us from time to time until after the Lambeth Conference in July. Make sure they get plenty of opportunity to practice their English.

Our young athletes have continued their exceptional form. In the last month, Sky Draper has: run the fastest 1500m in the UK by a 12 year old; won the 3000m at the Watford 10k; won the Hillingdon Duathlon and the Hatch End triathlon. Lewis Hawkins has: won the Hillingdon duathlon; finished third in the same 3000m and triathlon; and Nicholas Hawkins, Katie Stronell and Thomas Stronell have started competing in triathlons while B J Oyekanmi has entered sprints and the long jump, winning a recent event.
 

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