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Penwith Deanery News
Early APRIL edition
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| Link to view in web browser is at bottom of document Click for compressed PDF | | Welcome again to our latest edition of Penwith Deanery News. I trust that you had a reflective and blessed time over Easter. There have been some amazing events taking place across the deanery over this last few weeks. Opportunities for quiet reflection, interactive and contemplative services as well as community focussed activities. As we settle back into our usual rhythms of worship and discipleship, I look forward to getting out and about again, meeting folk and being encouraged through the wonderful ways in which you are serving God within your local communities. This edition includes a testimony from Geoff who serves as Church Warden at Gwinear and there are also a further few pictures from our second Saturday Cornish Celtic Way walk in March when even the rain paused in order for us to complete our pilgrimage section at Looe! If you have photos and thoughts on your own Easter events please send them to me for inclusion in future editions of PDN and please do send me your testimony, a word of encouragement or reflection upon a favourite hymn/song or Bible reading as these are marvellous tools in encouraging others and may just be what somebody else needs to hear! With every blessing, Sarah - penwithdeanery@gmail.com |
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| St Uny Lelant Heritage Centre cream teas are back! | |
| St Ives Benefice what’s on… | |
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To access the application form for the post of Deanery Childrens, Youth and Families worker please click on the link below…
Application Form |
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| If you want to find out more about Penwith Deanery please visit this video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYQxwY2LNZo | | Madron, Gulval & Heamoor beneficeare holding a… “Living with Loss” meetingApril 10 - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pmWe all face significant losses in our lives, whether it be a spouse, parent, family member, special friend, a significant relationship or beloved pet. This will be a chance to share a soup lunch, listen to a short reflection and opportunity to listen to and encourage each other on what can be a challenging journey. For further information, contact Revd Jo Thomas. josophie@aol.com |
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| Wild Church Easter Day egg hunt and celebration..A wintery Easter day didn’t put people off and we had great community turnout for the St John’s in the Fields, ‘Wild Church’ Easter Egg Hunt. After locating their eggs and gaining their chocolate prize, many from the community stayed to enjoy hot drinks, amazing cakes and to listen to Nick’s talk and the singing of songs as we all huddled closely under the tent. It was a joy to share the celebration of Easter Day -our Resurrection Sunday with our local community. | | | Poetry ReadingTremorran & the Angel, Botallack TR19 7QJfollowed by tea and cake in the gardenAnne Symons is a story teller, a ventriloquist, and shrewd observer of human behaviour. In this debut collection, she revisits familiar Biblical tales, but shifts the point of view to the often-silenced women, such as Noah’s wife or Moses’ sister. She takes us from those desert lands toward Zennor and Penlee, places of her early years, recreating the jagged Cornish coastline with skill and love. These finely crafted poems will continue to resonate beyond their reading. (Tamar Yoseloff)
Please let Annie know if you’d like to come along. email: missanniehenry@hotmail.com | | |
| Lenten Quiet time We are incredibly blessed to have so many people with creative and artistic gifting amongst us here in Penwith. I was privileged to recently accompany a group of ladies from St Buryan Church who visited Rev Annie Henry-Holland’s home at Botallack for a Lenten quiet morning.
Church Warden Fiona from St Buryan writes… A group of us have just spent a wonderful morning with the inspirational Revd Annie Henry-Holland at her home in Botallack. We were able to give ourselves time and space within the season of Lent. Time and space for reflection, absorbing the wonders of nature and our surroundings, time to read, time and space for thoughtful creativity and time to quietly pray, plus, of course, time for coffee and chat!
I totally concur with Fiona’s comments that Annie’s pioneering ministry touches so many people from all walks of life. Whether providing quiet days, soup and silence lunchtime sessions, friendship walks, poetry readings with cream teas, or jewellery making and creative clay sessions, her studio is a place of peaceful retreat.
Following on from the quiet lenten morning, a group of us from St Ives recently attended Annie’s studio together with others from St Buryan to experience one of her creative clay sessions which was an absolute joy to take part in. I would absolutely recommend trying one of her sessions even if it is something ‘new’. I promise that you will be so pleased that you gave it a go! Sarah | | Some first time creative clay attempts - great fun! |
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| Godrevy Benefice Men’s Breakfast | | | One of the Church Wardens at Gwinear in the Godrevy benefice, Geoff Webster has kindly offered his testimony to encourage us, he originally gave it at their Men’s Breakfast meeting in October 2022 and has kindly offered this written version for inclusion in PDN. Thank you Geoff for seeking to encourage us as you recall your journey of faith in Jesus. |
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Thank you for this opportunity to tell you a little about my life and Faith. I believe I recall our first breakfast was at Gwithian Hall on Saturday 14th October 2014, when Samuel shared his cooking skills with us and we hungrily enjoyed the experience. We then listened to a talk from him. Some eight years later and all of a sudden it’s my turn to address you!
Speaking off the cuff or thinking on my feet has never been a best practice of mine; I always worried about being asked an opinion in the classroom at school, on a training course, in any group situation. Very recently a preacher at Gwinear Church was talking about “thanking God” and asked the congregation what they thanked God for. Several folk offered perfectly correct and acceptable comments yet I couldn’t think of anything to say. The rest of that Sunday I just couldn’t stop thinking of all the things I did thank God for, both aloud and in my head, in fact several times and most hours of the day: from a good night’s sleep, a new day, a rainy or sunny day, my food, my family and friends and everything else done and achieved throughout my entire day.
A long time ago, I realised I was good at writing things down. At school I enjoyed and was good at writing essays. I remember my mother encouraging me. At college a colleague and I produced a monthly newsletter for the students’ union. Through working life writing reports, plans and client proposals came naturally and easy. In latter years I enjoyed writing walk reports for a local walking group.
I must have been about 11 years old when a teacher asked the class how to spell Mediterranean or it may have been Caribbean. I immediately put my hand up and got it wrong, and then smiled. The teacher wrapped me over the knuckles with a ruler for dismissing my wrong answer with a smile. So maybe that’s where a shyness at offering an opinion originated from.
I was born on Sunday 3rd November 1946 and duly baptised six weeks later on Sunday 15th December in Holy Trinity Church, Bickerstaffe, West Lancashire, where my maternal grandfather had installed their first electric lighting system. I guess my baptism was initiated and organised by my paternal grandmother who was strict Church of England. She had a large family bible in which some ancestor had written an unbecoming comment; she ripped the page out and threw the Bible into a trench in the road being dug by workmen. My mother retrieved it and I now have it at home.
I don’t recall any early schooling in Faith, nor any children’s books telling the Jesus story. I remember a bible with pictures and maps that I’d occasionally look at. I later developed a love of maps and thought about being a cartographer; I didn’t and today rely on my Ordnance Survey app.
I do remember kneeling to pray before going to bed and my parents must have taught me that. My earliest recollection of being introduced to church was Sunday school when I was around 8 years old and subsequently joining the church choir as a boy soprano. When my voice broke I sang alto and often tenor. I still have my school hymn book and the Red Carol Book we used in church.
My parents encouraged me to go to church although they didn’t. As a member of the choir this was twice on Sundays as well as life events and choir practise during the week. Being in the choir was the grounding in my Faith and I was confirmed in 1960, at the age of thirteen, by the then Archbishop of York, Michael Ramsay who a year later became Archbishop of Canterbury.
I continued in the choir throughout my teenage years until I was nineteen and at the same time enjoyed many outdoor pursuits including Scouts, becoming a Queen’s Scout and attending St George’s Chapel, Windsor when fifteen years old; cycling, sailing and many sports and athletics for my school – cross country running was a favourite. I also sang in my school choir and a Madrigal choir.
So time came to go to college and prepare for a career. Sadly church didn’t go with me. My Faith however rumbled and tumbled around for the next 44 years of my life, including visits to church on high days, holidays and many family and friends’ life events. College was in Blackpool. My work took me to jobs in London (3 times), Hull, Eastbourne, Dundee, Birmingham and Preston. Finally I settled the last 25 years of work in Warwickshire, living in Kenilworth; with offices in Coventry and Canterbury, involving much travelling in the UK and overseas.
In 2002 I became a carer for my wife, Joan, after her two knee replacements, two carpel tunnel procedures and other challenges including a broken ankle. I worked a couple more years and finally took an early retirement in July 2004 aged fifty-seven. The caring of course continued along with planning to bring my wife home to Cornwall, which we achieved in May 2006 and incredibly happy and delighted we both were. Her health deteriorated slowly, yet as always, she enjoyed and lived life to the full, with lots of smiles and much love. She died just before Christmas in 2009 at Treliske, following a second cardiac arrest from which she could not be resuscitated. For 32 hours I watched and waited until she finally passed late Sunday afternoon. Joan was twenty-six years older than me and we’d enjoyed 35 years of marriage together and several years together before that.
I later wrote of my experiences during those hours and that it was a rekindling of my Faith. After spending Christmas with family in Devon I went in early January to Gwinear Church where I was most warmly welcomed, prayers said and I began a lasting commitment to it and myself. Almost 13 years later and I’ve been Churchwarden 8 years now and deputy 2 years prior. An inherited Quinquennial Report and two more since keep me out of mischief, although there are physical things I could achieve 5 and 10 years ago which I can no longer do. Covid and Lockdowns affected us all but I’m pleased we at Gwinear have come through intact yet suffer the lack of numbers in our congregation as do our Benefice partners and many others.
My experience of Joan’s passing was a difficult challenge to accept and bear; something I had to force myself to get right, as each of her final forty life-minutes passed by, her body slowly closing down. It was truthfully the most uplifting experience in my life – utterly amazing, exhausting, wonderfully pleasing, mentally stimulating and things I’d never seen or done before.
I’d never anticipated this experience, whilst in truth and over several years I’d often thought about it. And so, the reawakening of my Spirit was effectively jump started those thirteen years ago, and my Faith has discovered and enjoyed a new way forward, a daily growth and a continuing desire to learn and understand. |
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| Do you enjoy singing? There are a number of choirs and groups that rehearse in different churches across the deanery. The University of Oxford has completed research that reveals group singing is beneficial in a number of different ways including strengthening a feeling of togetherness, regulating heart rate, reducing stress levels and depression, improving symptoms of Parkinsons and lung disease and improving feelings of social wellbeing and increasing life expectancy. Regular choir members report that learning new songs is cognitively stimulating and helps their memory and it has been shown that singing can help those suffering from dementia too*. Everyone can sing - however much we might protest - meaning it is one of the most accessible forms of music making there is…song is a powerful therapy!
Why not take a look at the different choirs that are asking for new volunteers and give them a go? * Taken from University of Oxford “Choir singing improves health and happiness” | | Come & SingChoral Evensong
TUESDAY 21ST MAY
St Johns in the Fields, St Ives(Parking Available) Practice 18.00 for 19.00 service.
Music TBC depending on numbers interested.
please let Di Williams know by 15th April 2024
diwilliams18481@gmail.com Mob: 07758379934 |
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| | | COMMUNITY CAFÉPhillack Church HallThursdays12 noon til 3pm.ALL are WELCOME!This wonderful community service is getting busier and busier and they are always on the lookout for extra volunteers. If you can spare some time to help prep meals, serve meals, make drinks and/or wash up please contact Rev Deb Griggs c/o godrevyteamoffice@gmail.com |
| Generations UnitedIntergenerational playgroups
contact Molly on… molly.blewett@penleecluster.org.uk
Sessions run during term time only…
Wednesdays 11-12 noon St Ives - Trewidden Care Home (suitable for children aged 5 and under)
Wednesdays 1.30-2.30pm Penzance - Pengarth Day Centre (suitable for children aged 5 and under)
Wednesdays 3.30-4.30pm Hayle - The Downes Care Home (suitable for children aged 11 and under)
Fridays 10 - 11am Newlyn - Chypons Residential Home (suitable for children aged 5 and under)
Fridays 1.30 - 2.30pm Penzance - Penlee Residential Care Home (suitable for children aged 5 and under)
Fridays 3.30-4.30pm St Just - Benoni Nursing Home (suitable for children aged 11 and under) |
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| | Easter Day Sunrise Service - Godrevy
A reflective and moving time was had by members of the Godrevy Benefice as they gathered with Rev Michelle early on Easter Day to witness the sun rising from over the Eastern shore. The symbolism of the rising sun is even more potent on Easter day as we recall and give thanks for God’s risen Son, our saviour Jesus, who has defeated the last great enemy - death.
Matthew 28:5-6: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'" |
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| Prayer FocusPray for the Land’s End Benefice as they continue to wait the appointment of a Priest; Pray for the congregations of St Buryan, St Levan and Sennen, for their church wardens, officers and PCCs; Pray for Rev Steve Robinson who is temporarily supporting the Land’s End benefice for a number of months; Pray for the work of the Deanery Implementation Team as they seek to implement the Penwith Deanery Plan. Pray for Rev Dr Nick Widdows as he continues to serve as Rural Dean, pray for his wife Claire and for their family. Pray for wisdom as he manages his Rural Dean duties together with those of his benefice Pray for the Diocesan elections that will be taking place over the next two or three months and that people will be willing to stand for election, that new as well as former members will seek to be elected.
| | | Cornish Celtic Way - Saturday Programme of walks
The Cornish Celtic Way pilgrimage team organised another very enjoyable walk on Saturday March 23rd, to enable walkers to complete the second section of the Celtic Way from Seaton Beach, where we ended our walk in February, down to West Looe. Amazingly, considering the weather forecast, we completed the walk in the warmth of beautiful sunshine, and passed some amazing properties en-route that without a doubt contribute to that area of Cornwall being known as the rich man’s playground! Although steep at times, the route took us along a stunning coast path into East Looe.
Our lunchtime stop in Looe was at the The Haven, ‘Boundless Trust,’ a youth and community organisation that works with partners to help the youth and community to access opportunities and services. This is an incredible joint church and community initiative providing foodstuffs, hot meals and life skills training for young people and members of the community. At the time of our visit we shared the space with a group of young children and their parents who due to the forecasted inclement weather had rearranged their ‘Woodland story telling session’ to come indoors at The Haven. The children gave rapt attention as they listened to the stories and tales of Cornish folklore! A welcome cuppa, a quick lunch break, and we regrouped outside the building to hear about the wonderful support that this new facility provides the youth and community in Looe.
Crossing the bridge to West Looe, we visited St Nicholas Church next to the river Looe. This little church has a peculiar history having been at various times a town hall, school, court and prison replete with a ‘scolding cage’. One of its stained glass windows depicts a person with two left feet! | | From here we continued on the coast path beyond Hannafore up to Lammana Chapel. Cornwall Heritage Trust report that Lammana Chapel is an important historic site containing the stone foundations of a chapel, which was part of a medieval priory based on Looe Island. First recorded in a surviving document in 1144, the name Lammana contains the Cornish place-name elements ‘lann’ and ‘manach’, meaning ‘the early Christian enclosure or monastery of the monk’. Historically, the name was first applied to an earlier chapel on Looe Island that was part of the large estate belonging to the medieval abbey at Glastonbury, Somerset.
The island chapel was dedicated to St Michael and became a centre of pilgrimage during the medieval period. Looe Island is now a marine nature reserve managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. It is thought that the chapel on the mainland may have been built as a result of the number of pilgrims attempting to reach the island chapel on St Michael’s Day (29th September) sometimes in hazardous conditions.
The two chapels are precisely the same height above sea level and archaeologists believe that each would have been visible from the other. It is thought that the buildings may also have acted as landmarks for shipping and it has been suggested that the two chapels may have contained lights maintained to help guide sailors away from dangerous rocks and safely into the harbour at Looe, though this is not certain.
Here we finished our time together with some reflections from Nigel, a hymn and closing prayer and we walked back down the hill to a lovely cafe that served us beautiful food and not drinks, just in time, as the rain began to fall!
The next Cornish Celtic Way walk is scheduled to take place on Saturday 27th April, walking from Portreath to Gwithian (see the poster below for details). Come and join the group - its a wonderful time of enjoying God’s glorious creation and building new friendships along the way! | | | Gwithian Church Warden Tracey (in navy apron) and volunteer helper Pat (in red apron), would so welcome your support at the Gwithian Church Spring Fair on 20th April as they seek to raise funds for much needed medical supplies. The cream teas are pretty good too!! |
| Gwithian ChurchSpring Fair
Saturday 20th April10.30am until 3.30pm
Come and enjoy cream teas, refreshments and stalls selling all sorts of goodies, at Gwithian Church and Church Hall.
Fundraising for MAP, a medical agency based in West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza, Beirut and Lebanon with offices in London also. They provide much needed medical supplies which, as we are all only too aware, are critically needed at this time.
Please support them if you can and pray for better weather!!
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| | | | Look out for future fundraising events for Gwinear Church including their summer garden party, and their feast day on 5th May when they will celebrate with a Celtic Evening service at 5pm followed by a Cornish tea! Details will be advertised nearer the time.
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| Gwinear ChurchMargaret’s Sausage & Mash fundraiserFor a number of years, one of Gwinear Church’s most popular fundraising events has been Margaret’s winter sausage and mash fundraiser and this year was no exception. Margaret explains that this was the first of their yearly fundraising events with all monies raised going towards their general fund to help with the church’s running costs. Margaret expresses grateful thanks to her band of helpers who assisted so ably. It was a busy happy morning with about 20 visitors going along to her home to enjoy their meal along with a glass of wine and some equally delicious puddings, add to this laughter and good conversation and no wonder they raised the amazing sum of £250. Well done to Margaret and all who supported the event.
Members of Gwinear were also thrilled to welcome a class of thirty 7 and 8 year old children to the church from Gwinear Community School who visited to research their questions about Easter. The children enjoyed their time looking around the church and were very interested and attentive, taking interest in the vocabulary we use in our churches, such as ‘pew’, ‘lectern’ etc. Margaret stated that the children had good knowledge of the Easter story, and asked some deep questions - one being - why was Good Friday so called?
Their teacher confirmed that they enjoyed their visit so much that they will be sure to visit again - please pray for the continuing and strengthening of ongoing links such as this and for opportunities to invite more children and families to the church.
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| | St Ives BeneficeMaundy Thursday Agape mealA wonderful time was enjoyed by about fifty people of all ages who attended the Maundy Thursday agape meal at St Johns in the Fields Church during Holy Week. A tasty fare of roast lamb, mixed salads, vegetables and other accompaniments were excellent companions to an extended time of sharing conversations and strengthening friendships. Rev Nick led us in a time of reflection, and together we watched a thought provoking video clip of our Lord sharing the Last Supper with his disciples. All agreed that it was a wonderful start and time of sharing into the Easter weekend |
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| Celtic Quiet PlacesCeltic Quiet Places in Cornwall haven’t been deliberately hidden from tourists, but they’ve always been one of those off the beaten track ‘if you know, you know"‘ destinations. But now, a new website will reveal these gentle treasures to anyone looking for peace and quiet reflection. There are currently 78 Cornish churches designated as a Celtic Quiet Place, each offering a peaceful haven in a world that can seem increasingly chaotic. The scheme’s website is full of useful and interesting information. As well as opening times, directions and facilities. Further details of the Celtic Quiet Places can be found here: https://celticquietplaces.com/ |
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