NewsLink
6 March — 19 March 2022
Dear friends
I am sure we are all deeply shocked at what is happening in Ukraine. It’s Shrove Tuesday as I write.
I’ve just made my pancake batter and am pondering on what to say at our Ash Wednesday service
tomorrow; the start of Lent, a season of repentance, of reflection, a time to examine our faith and the
outworking of it in our lives and on our actions.
The Archbishop of Canterbury recently spoke these words on Radio Two’s Pause for Thought:
• Kyiv is a European city, the 17th largest.
• It’s a popular destination for stag dos and hen parties. Only 2 1/2 hours from London.
• There’s great shopping.
• It’s packed with culture and history.
Last Thursday, Russia started bombing it. Over the weekend there was fighting in the streets.
Putin is invading Ukraine. He doesn’t want it part of Europe. He opposes the freedoms we
cherish, like the right to travel, to vote, to choose how we are governed.
We are always frightened by news of conflict in the world. This is more frightening, because it’s
happening in Europe, on our doorstep. The peace we established in Europe – and have largely
kept – since 1945, and the hope of greater freedom in Eastern Europe following the fall of the
Berlin Wall, has been shattered by Putin’s barbarous and illegal invasion.
How should we respond? Well, here’s three things all of us can do –
1. Be prepared to make sacrifices ourselves. Sanctions on Russia will also affect us. We have to
be ready to pay that price.
2. Offer generous humanitarian aid. Just think for a moment what it’s like to be a young family
living in the middle of Kyiv at the moment, sheltering from bombs in metro stations, fearing for
the future. We must offer help.
3. Be ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees into our country. And, make it easier for them to
come.
And, for me, there’s a fourth. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I will be praying. Yes, for an end to the
madness of war and a withdrawal of Russian forces; but also, because we people of faith believe
prayer changes things, beginning with ourselves. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, ‘Your kingdom
come’, Lord, not the kingdoms of the world. ‘Your will be done’, not the will of despots and tyrants.
STOP PRESS
I am delighted to announce that Bishop Andrew will be coming
to our Maundy Thursday evening service at St Nicholas. We look
forward to welcoming him and hearing from him during this very
moving service.
Prayer helps us to see things differently; changes our perspective; helps us love our neighbour –
our neighbours in Ukraine and Russia; strengthens our resolve. Because Jesus doesn’t just ask us
to be peace lovers – that’s relatively easy. He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” By doing
these three things – maybe all four – we can begin to support Ukraine. We can begin to make
peace.
Continued on page 3
Upcoming Services
Sunday, 6th March – First Sunday of Lent
10.00am Benefice Service with Holy Communion at St Nicholas, Winsley
Sunday, 13th March – Second Sunday of Lent
10.00am Holy Communion at St James, South Wraxall, joint with Monkton Farleigh
10.00am Refresh at Winsley Church Hall
10.30am Holy Communion at Christ Church, BoA
3.00pm Forest Church at St Nicholas, Winsley
Sunday, 20th March – Third Sunday of Lent
10.00am Holy Communion at St James, South Wraxall
10.00am Holy Communion at St Peter’s, Monkton Farleigh
10.00am Holy Communion at St Nicholas, Winsley
10.30am Refresh at Christ Church, Bradford on Avon
Sunday, 27th March – Fourth Sunday of Lent and Mothering Sunday
10.00am Holy Communion at St James, South Wraxall, joint with Monkton Farleigh
10.00am Informal/Together in Worship at St Nicholas, Winsley
10.30am Holy Communion at Christ Church, Bradford on Avon
Sunday, 3rd April – Fifth Sunday of Lent
10.00am Benefice Service with Holy Communion at St Peter’s, Monkton Farleigh
Wednesday, 6th April
10.30am Holy Communion at Christ Church, Bradford on Avon
Sunday, 10th April – Palm Sunday
10.00am Holy Communion at St James, South Wraxall, joint with Monkton Farleigh
10.00am Refresh at Winsley Church Hall
10.30am Holy Communion at Christ Church, BoA
Events and Notices
Ministry Team:
Rector Rev Ann Keating
Rev.ann.keating@btinternet.com (722230)
Rev Tessa Mann (309374)
LLM: Rachel Pound (862223)
Benefice Office:
Caroline Brydon (865046),
nboabenefice@gmail.com
Website www.nboachurches.co.uk
Church Wardens:
Winsley: Roy Ludlow (868779) Linds Batson (720069)
Christ Church: vacant, Contact Rev Ann
Keating
South Wraxall: Dave Wyper (865384)
Valentine Thornhill (862552)
Monkton Farleigh: Vacant. Contact Rachel Exley PCC Secretary (851485)
Lay Pastoral Assistants:
Stephen Pike (782537),Denise Davies
(863678)
Gill Fairhurst (867560),Daphne Cox
(868224)
Elizabeth Bush (866624),James Middleton
(920564)
Children’s and Families Worker:
Zoe Yeomans – zyeomans3@gmail.com
The next edition of NewsLink wlll be on the 20th
March Please email any relevant contributions to
Caroline at nboabenefice@gmail.com by Tuesday,
15th March latest. You can read the full version on our
website www.nboachurches.co.uk
If you would like an electronic version of NewsLink or
require a hard copy, please email or leave a message
for Caroline at the Benefice office on 01225 865046.
There are three more pages in this issue, page 1 is
continued on page 3 which also has a schedule for
Holy Week. Reminders of our Lent courses are listed
on page 5.
Forest Church
‘Signs of Spring’ will be held on
Sunday, March 13th in the churchyard of St Nicholas, Winsley at 3pm
till 4pm. Do join us for some outside
activities and bring an empty plastic
water bottle if you have one and a rug
to sit on. All welcome!
Mothering Sunday
See our website under Children and Families for how
Sunbeams are treating their mums to afternoon tea!
Continued from page 1
I think the Archbishop of Canterbury’s words say it all. We are left with the challenge ‘How are
we going to respond during Lent this year?’ My prayer for you is that this be a Holy Lent,
undergirded by prayer, compassion, love and sacrifice.
Micah 6:8b
…what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
The following are proposed for Holy Week:
Holy Monday
Compline (Night prayer) at Christ Church 8.00 pm
Holy Tuesday
Compline at St Peter’s Monkton Farleigh 8.00 pm
Images and Poetry for Holy Week, St Nicholas Church Winsley 7.15 pm
Holy Wednesday
Compline at St James, South Wraxall 8.00 pm
Taize music for meditation, St Nicholas Church, Winsley 8.00 pm
Maundy Thursday
Holy Communion at St Nicholas, Winsley with foot and hand washing followed by night time vigil.
(Bishop Andrew will be with us for this service) 8.00 pm
Good Friday
Walk of Witness with Churches Together leaving Westbury Gardens at 11.00 am
ending at Christ Church and joining in with the Children’s Activity Club worship
The final Hour
2.00 pm at Christ Church
2.00 pm at St James, South Wraxall combined with St Peter’s, Monkton Farleigh
2.00 pm at St Nicholas, Winsley
Many Blessings
Ann, Rector
Images and Supporting Poetry for Holy Week
As part of our Holy Week focus, you are invited to join us for an evening on Tuesday 12th April
at 7.15pm at St Nicholas, Winsley where Bob
Williams will be offering a discourse best
described as part illustrated talk, part meditation,
as appropriate to the occasion. We shall be
engaging with the rich vein of works, all relating to
the Easter Story, held in the prestigious
Methodist Modern Art Collection. A number of
these images featured in the ‘Paintings, Poems
and Prayers’ resource originally prepared for
Easter 2020 and still available on our Benefice
website.
Bob is a former trustee of the MMAC and he will
be joined by a local, Bath artist whose work we
shall be featuring and who is also well acquainted
with the treasures of the Collection. The evening
will conclude with a short Q&A and hopefully, the
opportunity to take the conversation further over a
cup of coffee.
Ceri Richards The Supper at Emmaus,
Watercolour 1958. All images from the Collection ©TMCP
Mission Accomplished!
Hello Space Adventure Families! Just to say a huge thank you to all the children and their
families who came to Space Adventure Holiday club. We had a fabulous morning making edible
rockets, launching balloon rockets, playing space games and creating amazing marbled mobiles
and more. We hope everyone had fun – we think they did! Thank you for the kind donations too.
Here are a few photos from the day. More photos are on our website under Children and
Families. Time to say Mission accomplished! Ann and Zoe
The Winsley Fabric Committee
…is looking for new members to join us to help look after the Church and its environs and the
Church Hall. We meet 4 times a year and one of the important areas is organising the churchyard clear up which happens twice a year, Bob Williams has indicated that this Spring will be the
last he organises before he takes a well earned rest after many decades of service so we are
looking for someone to take on that task.
There are some exciting projects in hand including tidying up the area closest to the adjacent
houses into a woodland walk, and a quiet area where people can come and contemplate in
quietness. We’ll need some team members to take this potential three year funded project
forward. If you are interested please contact the Fabric Committee Chairman, John Baxter on
01225 863072 or email him at jbmab40@btinternet.com
Bradford on Avon Town Council – Donations to aid Ukrainian Refugees
Bradford on Avon Town Council is standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. To aid those
in need the Town Council is asking for donations from generous residents, specifically:
Sanitary products (nappies, sanitary towels, wet wipes),
Children’s products (baby food, baby bottles, formula milk, children’s clothes and sterilising equipment)
Survival equipment (sleeping bags, fleeces, coats, thermals, cooking equipment such
as butane stoves and hot plates, water filters, reusable bottles)
Non-perishable provisions (canned food, instant food, coffee and tea bags)
Basic medical supplies (paracetamol, ibuprofen, bandages, alcohol wipes and
sanitising equipment)
More specialist medical supplies (saline water, syringes, central lines, tourniquets,
slings)
Donations will then be transported to one of the hubs in southeast Poland to be distributed by
Ukrainian volunteers. Cllr Sam Blackwell said: “We have been thinking of ways to help the
desperate situation in Ukraine with the number of refugees, internally-displaced people and
injured civilians and military personnel rising rapidly. “There is an urgent need for key items both
among Ukrainian refugees taking shelter in neighbouring countries and the population within the
country.”
All donations should be delivered to the Town Council offices at St Margaret’s Hall by 11th
March to leave for Poland on March 14th. Please note that our office hours are 9am to 4.30pm
Monday to Friday. For more information, please call us on 01225 864240 or email the Town
Council at office@bradfordonavontowncouncil.gov.uk All donations will be greatly appreciated.
Press Release
A Reminder of the Lent Courses Available:
Opportunities at St Nicholas for Prayer during Lent
During Lent we will be creating space in St Nicholas for regular private and corporate prayer as
follows: Starting on Monday 7th March at 10.30am, there will be a weekly prayer time in the
church lasting for one hour and led by a member of the congregation. Primarily, this will be to
pray for our local community and will include a time of worship and thankfulness. The sessions
may also touch on other issues for example the current world situation. The final session will be
on Monday 4th April. Please drop in to these sessions for whatever time you have available.
Any queries, please contact Penny on 723284 or email penny@thepierces.me
Penny Pierce
Monkton Farleigh Lent Group
Tuesday afternoons from 2.30pm for about an hour at my house in Monkton Farleigh. There will
be 6 sessions starting on 1st March. We will be looking at ‘Women of Holy Week’ by Paula
Gooder. I have some copies here.
All are welcome for tea, biscuits and a chat, whether regular church goers or not. Please call me,
Di Dobson on 07884 321238 or email me for my address at: di.dobson@btinternet.com if you
would like to come along. Many thanks. Di Dobson
Avon Park Village Lent Group
I shall be leading a Lent Group each Tuesday during Lent (8th;15th; 22nd; 29th March 5th April)
at 3pm in the Community Room. We shall be using Paula Gooder’s Lent book, ‘ Women Of Holy
Week’. All are welcome. If you have any queries please contact me – Paul Batson on Tel.
720069.
Paul Batson
Our Benefice Lent Course on Zoom
Revd Paul Batson, Revd Tessa Mann and I will be exploring Women of Holy Week by Paula
Gooder on Wednesdays from 9th March to 6th April. Bring your lunch, relax in front of your PC,
iPad or phone, and join us for reflection and discussion from 12.00 – 13.00. If you want to join in,
just contact Caroline in the office with your email address and you will be sent an invitation. Help
is available if you haven’t used Zoom before.
Revd Ann
Lent resources from the Church of England
Live Lent: Embracing Justice is the theme for Lent 2022. It invites us to examine our own
lives, to see the world more deeply and to pray for justice. There are editions for adults and
children and the adult’s edition offers a daily Bible reading, a short reflection and a prayer, as
well as a practical challenge for each day of Lent. Copies will be in your churches in time for
Lent, so do pick up a copy.
Here is the link for seven weekly devotionals with reflections and prayers from the Bishop of
Sherborne, the Bishop of Ramsbury and more:
https://www.salisbury.anglican.org/worship/renewing-hope-journeying-together-through-lent/
LentDevotionals20222.pdf