JULY

Sunday 6th 7 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Family Eucharist
Sunday 13th 8 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Worship @11:15 Saxtead Eucharist BCP
Sunday 20th 9 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Family Eucharist
Sunday 27th 10 Trinity	08:00 09:30 18:00	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Evensong

AUGUST

Sunday 3rd 11 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Parish Eucharist
Sunday 10th 12 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Eucharist BCP
Sunday 17th 13 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Eucharist
Sunday 24th 14 Trinity	08:00 09:30 18:00	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Evensong
Sunday 31st 15 Trinity	08:00 09:30 11:15	Holy Communion BCP Parish Eucharist Saxtead Morning Prayer

In addition to Sunday services there is Holy Communion at St Michael's on Wednesdays at 07:00 and 10:30

On Sundays crèche facilities are available. If needed please ask. 

Sunday Services at St Clare's   09:00 Mass & Children's Liturgy

United Free Church 11:00 Morning Service

Clergy Letter

Dear Friends,

I have a sense of this being the calm before the storm!  What is he talking about I can hear you thinking?  I’m referring to the Lambeth Conference which starts on the 16th July and continues to the 3rd August meeting at Kent University campus near Canterbury, and which has been in the planning for literally years.  The Lambeth Conference happens only once every 10 years so it’s quite a big deal for the Anglican Communion, and theoretically includes bishops from every part of the Anglican Communion as well as guests from other churches. 

Of course, there has been quite a lot in the Church of England press and in the secular media about the divisions within the Communion and there will be some bishops who will not be there.  There is also a parallel Conference for spouses hosted by Jane Williams, the Archbishop’s wife.

I have looked at the Church of England website, and the aims of the Conference include, ‘to gain deeper knowledge of each other’ and to ‘develop greater understanding and appreciation of life together in the Anglican Communion’.  Sounds good and highly commendable, but might remain rather vague and intangible if that was all there was to it!  However they seem to be willing to face up to the problems and divisions within the Communion, as another aim of the Conference is to address conflict, and areas of discussion in the programme include gender and sexuality, HIV/Aids, Anglican Identity & the role of Bishops, the listening process within the Communion and relations with other faiths.  In fact as I look through the topics, it seems to me that almost any one of them could cause major dissention and argument.

This Lambeth Conference will be a great test of Archbishop Rowan’s diplomatic and leadership skills.  Most of all it will require an openness by the participants to really hear what the others are saying, without ideological prejudgement, and to ‘discover a new level of trust in common service to God’ (which is another aim of the Conference).  These are ambitious objectives and the Lambeth Conference 2008 will need generous quantities of God’s grace to succeed and be a positive influence on the Anglican Communion for the future.  Let us keep the Conference in our prayers at this time, and especially remember those bishops who are staying in our diocese before the start.

Richard

 

Saxtead News
Saxtead Towns Land Trust
Alert to all students in time for the Autumn term!

The Trust is an ancient charity which nowadays has an annual income of about two thousand pounds. By direction of the Charity Commission, one third of this income goes to All Saints Church PCC for upkeep of the church fabric.  The remainder goes to a subsidiary charity, Saxtead Welfare Trust and can be used to help anyone living or working in Saxtead in case of “need, hardship or distress or for educational purposes.”  In practice, limited assistance for such things as the cost of hospital visiting and books for students in higher education or for apprentices can be given.  The charity has six trustees, three of whom are nominated by the Parish Council.  Anyone aware of a case of need that might be helped by the Trust should contact one of the trustees, who are:  Revd Graham Owen, Mrs Phoebe Sullivan, Mr Charles Elliott, Mrs Barbara Dring, Mrs Catherine Cullingford and Mr John Horton.

Friends of All Saints Saxtead
A most enjoyable and successful coffee morning and bring and buy was held on Wednesday 28th May at Hazell Cottage, the home of Val and John Speight.
The grand sum of £150 was raised and thanks go to Val and John for hosting the coffee morning and to all those who supported this event.

At the time of writing, tickets are being sold for the talk on the Gardens of Great Dixter, home of the late Christopher Lloyd, by Fergus Garrett. Details of future FOASS events will be published in the next magazine.

URGENT Organiser need for Biennial Saxtead Tug-Of-War
It is the tradition in Saxtead to stage a Tug-of-War every other year, with a team from Saxtead ‘big’ Green v a team from Saxtead Little Green during the month of July or August.  An organiser is urgently needed to co-ordinate this event.  Please ring George Cullingford on 685728 when a date can be arranged.

Ladies’ Coffee Morning will be held on Wednesday, 9th July, from 10.30 – 11.30 am. All welcome, especially those new to the village.

Deborah Sharman

Round Up

A concert by Suffolk Singers, directed by Rob Goodrich
Guest cellist Imogen Webb and organist William Saunders
St Michael's Church, Framlingham
Saturday 12th July 7.30pm
Tickets £7 each (under 14yrs free), available from 01728 748067
www.suffolksingers.org.uk

Dates for your diary:
There is lots going on in July in St Michael’s Church

Saturday 5th Teddies from the Tower   Once again we have the exciting event of Teddies parachuting down from the church tower from 12 noon to 3.00 pm So calling all Teddies don’t forget this date

Saturday 5th Suffolk Youth Orchestra   an evening concert at 7.30 pm in St Michael’s Church

Sunday 6th Jazz on the lawn the vicarage lawn is the venue for this event from 12.30 - 2.30pm

Saturday 12th Suffolk Singers  are giving a concert in St Michael’s Church at 7.30 pm

Sunday 13th East Anglian Academy  A recital by a visiting organist in St Michael’s Church at 3.00 pm

Saturday 19th Blaze Ensemble is giving a concert in St Michael’s Church at 7.30 pm

Friday 1st August Art Society Annual Exhibition begins

Parish Registers

Holy Baptism:   
 6th April 2008    Sophie Rae Last
20th April 2008    India Lola Caypso Mott
20th April 2008    Inigo Anthony Grey Mott
 4th May 2008      Keira May Hambling
17th May 2008    Joshua David Heppell
25th May 2008    Theo William Massey
 1st June 2008    Anya Maye Elin Bradbury
 1st June 2008    Rhoan Arras James Bradbury

Holy Matrimony:      
 7th June 2008    Daniel Justin Woolnough and  Christina Marie Carr

Funerals:   
 2nd May 2008     Kathleen Joan Ross
 2nd May 2008     John James Thomas Ross
20th May 2008     Tyrrell Arthur Dowsing
12th June 2008    Betty Coggins
13th June 2008    Vera Winifred Collingwood

Flowers and shrubs mentioned in the Bible stories

Throughout the passages of the Bible, flowers and shrubs are mentioned. This gives an insight into the surroundings that existed and through which walked the Old Testament prophets, and the disciples and Our Lord himself also travelled.

The beautiful blossom of the almond (Prunus dulcis) is white or less usually in Palestine, pink. It flowers early in the year, being the first fruit-tree in bloom. The tree and its fruits are mentioned many times in the bible, perhaps the most famous reference being Aaron’s almond rod which flowered and fruited overnight Numbers 17:8

The scarlet flowers of the Pomegranate (prunica granatum) contrast with the deep green leaves of this large shrub. The round pomegranate fruits are the size of an orange, with a hard yellowy-brown rind. In Exodus 28:33 we read that the hem of the high priest’s robe was embroidered with pomegranates. They were also used to ornament the pillars in King Solomon’s temple Kings 7:20

This is just two examples taken from a work by Nigel Hepper. If you have other examples and would like to share them please send them to me.

Editor

Silence is:

I went to see a film with the title Into Great Silence. The prospect of watching a film of three hours was, in anticipation, a daunting one. But as the film ran, the script evolved in the sounds and nuances of men, monastery and nature, living, working and worshipping in harmony and companionship. There was no prescribed script because it was the description of what happens every day, all the time and into eternity, they lived with that Great Silence whose meaning is in the source and process of being. And Being is a name of God. We best know and understand God when we are simply being, and in that being is our prayer, being in God expressing  that relationship in the communication and communion of prayer.

 My own pilgrimage into The Great Silence has been over a lifetime with varying styles and patterns of prayer. In the infancy of faith and trust I learnt to pray within the Family of God. As a child you ‘said your prayers’ not always as a formality but as and when it was the right thing to do in home and church.

 But at the age of fifteen prayer took a whole new meaning and I started on the pilgrimage into Silence. I contracted tuberculosis in one lung which then infected my kidneys, of which I lost one and part of the other. It is a tender age to be faced with ultimata; several of the young men died while I was in the sanatorium. It was what happened in those days (the 50s). I remember the hours and the years spent in waiting-rooms, wards and theatres. I was introduced to The Great silence! It is in these places that prayer was learnt as being – the response of the heart, mind and spirit to the predicament of watching and waiting. Watching and waiting seemed to determine the next decade in the search of the image of God and the discovery of vocation. I eventually found both in ordination and priesthood of the Anglian church.
 
 It was inevitable that The Great Silence would then be somehow lost in the formality of orders of service and lessons to be read. This remained in place for the years of ministry but my spirit ‘sat’ fairly loosely to the formality of word in these years. Personal prayer still used the ‘words of prayer’ from the great anthology spoken by the Christian world.
 
 In 1992 I entered The Great Silence in the death of my first wife, Wyn. At such a point there is an economy of words and it came providentially from the discovery of the Celtic spiritual life, as I found in Northumberland. Scattering Wyn’s ashes on the outgoing tide off Lindisfarne was the start of another life. I shall always treasure the Anglican tradition but the Celtic way was reflected for me the still small voice in its love and service of God. I travelled with it for a decade always mindful of its simple and joyful celebration of God.
 
 But there has always been that drawing into The Great silence in the gradual economy of words. Over the last forty years there has been a whittling away of words in praying.

Now I am learning to use a mantra which is the focus of life for me in one or more words – words always centre in Christ. It goes like this ‘ … out of everything, drawn from creation, of the universe, of time and eternity, is a  name, the name of Jesus’ I say that name in my heart, in my mind and in my spirit. The name of Jesus is over all other names and at that name I bow in loving worship. I pray that name in silence and repeat it and repeat it.
 
 And then I remember it is the name of the Lord, the Lord of life, my Lord and my God. And so I say ‘Jesus, Lord,’ and repeat it in total love, love without end. It is total simplicity, commitment and total gift received in profound gratitude and wholeness. And then, God comes into this life, into the human predicament t of incarnation – Emmanuel. And this is my mantra: ‘Jesus, Lord, Emmanuel.’ I say it during two times of meditation, morning and evening each day. I say it in waiting-rooms, in the middle of the night, walking the dog or in the car.

 Silence is the language of God, of the world to come, of heaven.
 
 And, from the silence of heaven I have received gifts of love and eternal moment. Gifts passed over across the veil of memory and promise. Gifts passed over across the veil of memory and promise. Gifts that can be lost if we make the sounds of logic and debate; missed if we are not looking with our heart. It is … ‘the Silence of Eternity interpreted by love’.

Noel Bevan   

(Noel died in April this year. A part of this was read at his funeral.)

The Unfrocked Choir presents:
‘Frocks Away!’

After last year’s roaring success, members of St Michael’s Church Choir will again be shedding their robes on Saturday 26th July, and will be holding another informal evening with supper, music and songs at Sir Robert Hitcham’s Primary School, starting at 6.30pm, when wine and canapés will be served before the programme gets under way at 7.00pm. 

The theme will be All things English, and aspects of this will be covered, in a light-hearted musical way, between courses. 
It should be a most enjoyable evening, and if you would like to join us, please complete the form below and return it, either to Mary Owen at the Rectory, or post it in the wall-safe in the church.

Tickets cost £10, which includes a three-course supper and first glass of wine.  Contributions will be invited for further glasses – or bring your own!
All proceeds will go towards the tower project.

Nigel Francis Sharp

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Nigel sharp on 1st June 2008. In the summer of 1999 He and Jenny came from Essex to live in Regency House, opposite St Michael’s Church.
 
  Nigel soon became very involved in the life of the church, joining the PCC where his wise council was of great value. For years he was a server in church and also acted as verger on very many occasions. Before coming to Framlingham, Nigel had been a churchwarden in Essex for many years and his long experience was a great help and reassurance here.
  
  He had many interests, a great love for music and was exceptionally knowledgeable as to paintings and in  particular prints. He was a keen gardener and for some time maintained an allotment in the Vicarage garden where he successfully resisted the local rabbits
 
We shall remember Nigel above all for his kindness to all with whom he came in contact, his gentle sense of humour, and his enthusiasm to be involved with so many aspects of Framlingham life. All this in spite of the fact that he had poor health, though he never seemed to let it affect his enjoyment of life

Nigel’s health became an increasing concern to his family and he and Jenny decided to move back to Essex, They left Framlingham in October 2005 and moved to Boxted where they were nearer to one of their daughters and to the hospital in London where Nigel had been cared for from time to time.

Being very attached to St Michael’s Church and having made many friends in Framlingham he and Jenny would often return on visits and would invite old friends from Framlingham to visit them in Essex.    Becoming increasingly frail the end came on 1st June when he died in the presence of his family.

In Framlingham Nigel Sharp was held in much respect and he will long be remembered with great affection.

Nicholas Nottidge

BRITISH ENERGY is holding six public meetings in July to give residents an opportunity to hear its plans for the next generation of nuclear power stations. This is your chance to influence what happens at Sizewell.The public meetings will be held at 6.30 pm on:

July 2 at Westleton Village Hall.
July 3 at Yoxford Village Hall.
July 7 at Saxmundham Market Hall.
July 8 at Aldeburgh Community Centre.
July 15 at Sizewell Sports and Social Club, Leiston.
July 16 at the Riverside Community Centre, Stratford St Andrew.