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Calendar for January 2001

Services in Kingscote

Services in Horsley

• The Taize Worship group meets in the Lady Chapel on Thursday 4th January. Worship commences at 7.30 pm . The service will be extended to allow a period of meditation to be included. All welcome.
• Thank you to all who sent me cards and good wishes over the Christmas period. They were very much appreciated. John Newcombe.
• The next PCC meeting will be on Monday 22nd January at 8.00 pm in the Village Hall.
• Other notices for Kingscote and Bagpath can be seen on the www.UKVillages.com website (the link for the noticeboard appears on the left hand side a few seconds after you click here). You can also post your own notices on the noticeboard.

Diocesan Internet News Site www.glosdioc.org.uk

The Vicar's Letter

Dear All,

The festival of Christmas is over for another year and we prepare to enter January. I confess I have always disliked the first two months of the year. The days are short, the nights are long, the weather is generally dismal - although in recent years there seems to have been very little difference between summer and winter - and there is no festival to look forward to at the end of February.

I remember when I was a child during the winter, particularly when there was snow, there was often an wounded bird found in the garden. I can still recall vividly my mother holding such a little creature in her hands with its tiny heart pounding furiously against her palms as she carried it into the house. She set it down gently on a table and put a saucer with some water and breadcrumbs under its beak. But it stood there, eyes protruding, petrified with terror, ignoring my mothers offering. It probably didn?t help that we stood gazing in fascination at our new found feathered friend. We tiptoed around the room, speaking in whispers. Later that night I went into the room to find that the little bird was dead, its body lying stiffly on the table and its beak open. The contents of the saucer remained untouched. I realize now that it probably died more from fright than from its injuries.

I think there is something of a parable in this childhood experience of mine. The world is full of wounded birds, individuals scarred by ?the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune?. People need to be treated with great gentleness and sensitivity. All of us have scars of one kind or another. We can all be easily upset and hurt by even relatively slight setbacks in our lives. There is a wounded bird in each of us and in spite of our brave faces and bragging banter, our backs are invariably labelled ?Fragile - Handle with care?. Strong men cry like babies when struck by even reversible setbacks like redundancy, bankruptcy or failing to get an expected promotion. Wives have cradled them in their arms and soothed their tears as their mothers did when they were children wakened by nightmares or beaten by bullies in school playgrounds. We are all vulnerable. Our touchiness seems to grow with the years. Who has not been confronted at sometime or other by a friend asking "What did you mean by that remark ?". A totally innocent comment had been misinterpreted, causing pain. And occasionally we have all been victims of similar experiences, fretting for hours over unintended insinuations. We have thin skins which bleed easily.

At Christmas we remembered that Christ chose the most vulnerable state, that of a new-born baby, to begin his mission on earth. That mission has been perfectly described by St. Peter: "He went about doing good". Those of us who wish to follow him would do well to begin by being more sensitive to others. Perhaps this is something we can reflect on as we begin afresh a new year. An awareness of our own vulnerability should sensitise us to the vulnerable spots in others. Above all it should make us more caring and protective of "the least of Christ?s brethren", the most vulnerable in our society.

With every blessing for the New Year,

I have pinned up a new list of dates for 2001 on the notice board just inside the church door, if anyone would like to mark up their diaries well in advance. I try to keep to the same weeks each year, but, if you find you cannot manage the dates allocated by me, please feel free to change with someone else on the list or telephone me and I will arrange to swap you around with another arranger.

The flowers last for a long time in the cool church and those people down for one week only may be able to ?extend? the life of the previous persons arrangement, with their consent.

I would like to say thank you to everyone on the list, and hope that you all enjoy doing your ?own thing?. The congregation very much enjoys the results of your particular style and choice of flowers and foliage. They add a beautiful freshness to the Church.

Jan 7th and 14th - Mrs C Hatherell

Jan 21st and 28th - Mrs S Padden

Feb 4th and 11th - Mrs J Bateman

Sunday Club

All children from the parish are welcome to join us on Sunday 7th January for the first Sunday club in 2001. Meet in the Village Hall at 11 am. (Under 3?s welcome with accompanying adult).

Janet Davies and Elin Tattersall

Altar Guild

We would like to thank the kind gentleman who brought along Christmas wrapping paper complete with gift tags to sell at our coffee morning on 25th November. Sales went very well, so once more many thanks. There will be no meeting in January as we are having a break.

Vida Sutton

Grumbolds Ash Group

On December 5th we had a delicious Christmas meal at the Rose and Crown, Nympsfield. The choice of food was very varied and tasty.

Our next event will be a trip to Wotton-under-Edge Town Hall to see the pantomine "Old King Cole". The date for this is Thursday 11th January and transport should be arranged with Jane Bateman.

Vida Sutton

Village Hall

The Village Hall Committee met on Wednesday 6th December. In the course of this meeting it was agreed that every effort would be made to increase usage of the Hall in 2001. To this end the Committee agreed that it would fund the purchase of a table tennis table and investigate the possibility of installing a miniature pool table, both initiatives being geared to encourage the children (and adults!) to use the Hall on a regular basis.

In addition it was agreed that the Committee would host three Events in the coming year. Please note the dates in your 2001 diaries:

Quiz Night - Saturday 3rd February, 7.00 pm

Music Evening - date to be decided in April

Village Fete - Saturday 7th July

Village Hall Committee

Giving at Christmas

Thank you to those who braved the rain to sing carols on Wednesday 20th December, collecting money for the Toybox Charity, and thank you to those who gave generously. The sum of £45.27 was raised.

Sunday school collections for the year 2000 totalled £22.95 and this has also been sent to the Toybox Charity. Some of the children in Sunday school gave each other money instead of a Christmas present in December, and the money was then donated to a charity of the recipient?s choice. Some of the charities selected were Oxfam, Toybox and Christian Aid?s Christingle charity. This thoughtful action has raised over £40. Thank you children for thinking of others in need at Christmas time.

Janet Davies and Elin Tattersall

Mobile Library

The mobile library will be by The Walled Garden from 9.40 am to 9.55 am on Thursdays January 11th and 25th.

Waste Recycling

The boxes will be emptied as follows:

Newington and Bagpath - Mondays 8th and 22nd January.

Kingscote - Tuesdays 9th and 23rd January.

February Forerunner

Contributions please by 20th January to Harry Tubbs, 3 The Walled Garden, Tel. 860 194, Email

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Parish Directory as of December 2000

Vicar:	Reverend John Newcombe	See paper version of Forerunner
Churchwardens:	Robert Whitworth Harry Tubbs	See paper version of Forerunner 3 The Walled Garden, Tel: 860 194
Hon.Sec.PCC:	Georgina Harford	See paper version of Forerunner
Hon.Treas.PCC:	Jane Nichols	See paper version of Forerunner
Members of PCC:	The Churchwardens The Hon.Secretary The Hon. Treasurer Sue Bradley-Jones Joan Wagner Elin Tattersall Philip Kendell Kay Brightley
Members of Altar Guild:	Gill James (Treasurer) V. Sutton P. Lloyd P. Sage I. Shorey J. Bateman J. Spash J. Wagner
Sunday Club:	Elin Tattersall Janet Davies
Editor of Forerunner:	Harry Tubbs	3 The Walled Garden Kingscote, GL8 8YP, Tel: 860 194
Printer of Forerunner:	Geoffrey Higgins	See paper version of Forerunner
Lay Representatives to Deanery Synod:	Juliet Ellis Philip Kendell
Covenants:	Robert Whitworth	See paper version of Forerunner
Envelopes:	Jane Nichols	See paper version of Forerunner
Church Flowers and Brasses:	The Altar Guild
Church Flowers Rota:	Jo Spash	See paper version of Forerunner
Organist:	Rosemary Sims	See paper version of Forerunner
Sidesmen & Sideswomen:	The Churchwardens Sue Bradley-Jones Kay Brightley
Village Hall:	Chairman: Richard Dalziel Bookings: Angela Wooldridge	See paper version of Forerunner See paper version of Forerunner
Royal British Legion:	Gordon Bateman	See paper version of Forerunner
Parish Council Chairman:	Richard Gale	See paper version of Forerunner
Parish Council Clerk:	Bob Smith	See paper version of Forerunner

The Forerunner is published by the P.C.C. who are usually most willing to accept copy from village groups and individuals. However, please note that the opinions and views expressed by the contributors within the Forerunner are not necessarily those of the Church, P.C.C. or Editor.

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