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In June's magazine:

In our foreword Nikki Arthy writes, 'Outside my study, an angel looks through the window.'

We find out about our new assistant curate, Hanna Woodall, who joins us in July;

Lynne Banks gives us an insight into Winchcombe Abbey School and

Do you know ... the history of the trees by the churchyard gate into Abbey Fields?

 

FOREWORD

ANGELS

Outside my study, an angel looks through the window.  She stands some three metres, or twelve feet, tall.  Her arms are outstretched as if to embrace the world.  Her wings spring from her back.  She leans forward poised for flight.  ‘Mummy’s angel’ (as my boys call her) is made from willow.  I named her Sophia – the Greek for divine wisdom, the feminine of God.  

Sophia posed something of a challenge to our removal company when we moved to Winchcombe two years ago.  She was trussed to the roof of the removal van for the journey up the M4.  On arrival it became apparent that we weren’t going to get her into the back garden very easily.  In the end, she came in over the roof of the garden shed.  ‘Well vicar, ‘said Bill the foreman, ‘In twenty-five years of house removals, I’ve never stood on a roof moving an angel!’

Angels are important to me.  Perhaps it all started with the nuns at school.  Whenever we boarded a coach for an outing, the aptly named Sister Gabriel would lead us in prayer to our Guardian Angels, praying for protection and a safe journey.  The one time that the coach crashed, we girls were rather confused.  Had our Guardian Angels gone off duty?  ‘To be sure,’ Sister retorted,  ‘did the angels not keep us all safe from dying!’

The Bible contains important sources of angel lore.  Angels protect, angels defend, angels judge good deeds from bad, angels communicate between God and us God’s people.  It is no coincidence that both the Greek and the Hebrew words for angel mean ‘messenger’.  The angelic realm is the place that links God and our world.  It’s the meeting point of heaven and earth where the angels act as intermediaries.  They deliver messages from God and carry our prayers to heaven.

Following Jesus, being a disciple of Christ, is no easy matter.  As Christians we are invited to enter into a relationship with God.  It’s a relationship that grows and deepens.  It’s a relationship of adventure and of risk.  It’s a relationship that calls us out from where we are, to deepen our understanding of what it may mean to follow Jesus.  As individuals, as a Church and as a Team of Parishes, we need the angels to bring us messages from God in order to develop in our understanding of how and who God would have us be.  And because it’s never that simple, we need the angels to carry our prayers to God as we seek to discern the way ahead.

Nikki Arthy

HANNA WOODALL

Hanna joins us as assistant curate on July 2nd, newly ordained after training in Bristol. She writes:

I’ve been looking forward to moving to Winchcombe ever since John Partington first offered me the curacy at St Peter’s last April.  I was thrilled to be the first of my year-group in college to know where they were serving after ordination.  And I almost can’t wait any longer.  I’m excited to be joining such a thriving church community as well living in the beautiful town of Winchcombe.  What a privilege to serve God here!

Fortunately, I don’t come alone but bring with me one garrulous, bushy-bearded husband, Mark, who loves amateur dramatics and computers.  Also in tow are five children.  My first four are boys:  Louie (16) who loves singing, especially musicals; Oscar (15) who’s mad on BMXing; Max (13) into kickboxing and drama; and Reuben (10) who loves dance.  Lana, my daughter, is the youngest at six – who I can indulge by buying girly, Disney outfits.  Three of my children will be starting school here in the town so I’m looking forward to meeting other parents at the school gates.

I have been a Christian from childhood although I was brought up by my non-Christian parents in London.  My father is Indian and is a practising Zoroastrian - an interesting faith, albeit in a declining minority.  My mother is German and so far has not come to have faith.  I used to read Bible stories as a girl and grew to love Jesus Christ through these and through going to church with my cousins who were Catholic.  I must have been a very strange child, enjoying the whole ceremony and ritual of church from a young age.

During my teenage years other interests took over; I went to church sporadically but God stayed faithful to me.  After doing my PGCE (teacher training) I moved to Berkshire to teach English and Drama.  Mark and I have been together ever since we were eighteen, having met in the dinner queue on the first night in our halls of residence at Leicester University.

It was during our marriage preparation, and the baptism classes for my first son, that my faith came alive within a church community.  I was baptised at twenty-seven with my six-month old son in 1989.  We moved to the Cotswolds in 1992, when I worshipped in a tiny Methodist chapel in North Cerney.  I taught at Cirencester College for five years and we moved into town where I joined the congregation at Holy Trinity Watermoor.  This has remained my family’s home church for the last twelve years.  It was a total blessing to me as after I gave up teaching to look after all my kids, the church welcomed whatever gifts I had, allowing me to serve the congregation and wider community.

As a mother of five I appreciate the stresses and joys of family life, and look forward to spending time with young families here in Winchcombe.  I hope to bring the gift of encouragement which will enable others to flourish and to play an active part in church and community life.  I long to see people grow in faith and in their Christian discipleship.

I’m really looking forward to meeting the community in Winchcombe, especially as I hear how friendly and welcoming you are.

Hanna Woodall

PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS

At school we are already well into the summer term.  By the time you read this, the children in Year 2 and Year 6 will have completed their SATs tests and the children in Years 3, 4 and 5 will have taken their optional SATs.  These tests form part of the on-going process of assessing children’s learning, which then assists with future planning.  For our oldest children, in Year 6, the SATs are very formal and are taken under the usual exam conditions, but the children cope with them extremely well and often enjoy the opportunity to show what they have learnt.

The Year 6 children also know that the week after SATs brings their residential trip to St George’s House, in Devon.  St George’s House is a Church of England activity centre, in the tiny village of Georgeham, where visitors have the opportunity to participate in all kinds of outdoor and adventurous activities.  Staff and children alike eagerly anticipate the trip.  The atmosphere is wonderful, and the highly-trained staff work very hard to give the children the confidence to make the most of all there is to experience.  There are so many challenges, such as abseiling, canoeing and surfing – not to mention the challenge of trying to find the right pair of trainers from the pile of thirty-odd by the front door each morning, or that of passing the daily room inspection!  Some teachers have a little more work to do in this area in particular!

The school dinners that we provide have undergone a great change this term.  Adam Hands, from Prescott Lodge, has taken over the contract to provide our lunchtime meals, using as much local produce as possible and better-quality ingredients.  It’s great to see the children trying out foods which are new to them and eating more salads, vegetables and fresh fruit.  We are all delighted with the results so far and Mrs Keylock and her staff feel appreciated and are happy to be able to do real cookery once again.

At the end of the summer term we shall be losing two highly valued members of staff.  Mr Dyer, our deputy head, has accepted the post of Headteacher at the primary school in Chipping Campden, and Miss Roberts has been appointed as the ‘Healthy Schools Advisor’ for Worcestershire.  A successor for Mr Dyer, Miss Sally Gerken, has been appointed, and the Governors are in the process of selecting a Year 2 teacher to replace Miss Roberts.  We shall miss Mr Dyer and Miss Roberts very much indeed, but wish them both well in their new posts.

Lynne Banks

DO YOU KNOW ...

… the history of the trees by the churchyard gate into Abbey Fields?  The silver birch was formally planted by the Infant School Headmistress, Mrs Ross, and children to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.  The chestnut tree has grown from a conker that my infant class germinated in the classroom and later planted – sometime in the early 1970s.

Dora Wigg

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