Rector's View - June 2013

Dear friends,

In June May’s Ascension story provides the opening for that Great Day of the Church’s Gospel, the Day of Pentecost. The new beginning of Christ’s resurrection is seen in all who follow the Way of Christ, as His Spirit is poured out upon the priesthood of all believers.

What a dramatic beginning to this new Gospel, the pages of our lives. The beginnings of our own faith may too have drama, often they are less defined, begun in some conversation past which offered us hope and acceptance. Among the first of my calls as your new Rector was to our Primary School to lead their morning worship, and as the children filled the assembly hall the music and lyric of Bruno Mars proclaimed Your Amazing! Just the way you are. The Way God purposes for each of us is that we too, each and every one of us, are amazing for we are made of God’s image, Jesus revealed that love assuring those he meets that they are loved simply for whom they are, and revealing to us the Way we may better be whom God purposes us to be, through the Way of God’s love, the Way of Christ.

The Great Sunday of the Church, our own assembly time, counts the fifty days of Pentecost for a time of great blessing, for here we recount the stories of Resurrection Ascension and on the Fiftieth day the story of the Holy Spirit, the gifting of the Church with the abiding presence of our Father God in the name of he who revealed God’s love to the world, Jesus.

I have caught up with many stories as I begin to tread the Way of Christ along with you, and I look forward to hearing many more as we continue along the Way. We face many challenges, there are many trials in life, but by the assurance of Pentecost we are to know we may have strength to endure and more, see amidst this life the blessing of God’s love.

Just as we are, may God’s amazing love fill our hearts in the Spirit’s blessing.

May our going in the Way of Christ bring light and peace to our lives. Alleluia!

Yours in Christ

Rev'd Brin Singleton

Rector

Rector's View - May 2013

Dear friends,

In May the Church celebrates the curious story of the Ascension, a story of ending and beginning as our Christ rises to the heavens at the close of the Gospels. And the good news of His risen life begins in the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of the Early Church and the Revelation to John.

As Ascension falls two days after my Installation to the benefice, this seems a fitting episode on which to reflect at this beginning of a new episode of shared Ministry and Ministry amongst the villages of Bansfield Benefice. I hope our thanksgiving for our new beginning together will be an expression of such hopeful enthusiasm as captured through the telling of the day of Ascension.

Each Gospel has its own expression of this Hope filled account. John has Jesus speak enigmatically of ‘Where I am going..’, matching Matthew’s curio ‘I am with you always, to the close of the age.’ Mark has Jesus ‘taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God’, leaving it to Luke to offer us the scene of Ascension ‘While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven’.

Well I’ve not seen any movie show an instructive account of this scene. The Millenium film title ‘Jesus’ has the viewer ascend above the clouds with Jesus looking down on the disciples. But our eye just can’t be convinced and all we picture is a camera carried in a juddering helicopter as its rotor blades batter the caste, trying to keep their eyes open against the wind, rising into the heights. We’re not convinced.

It’s almost like Peter trying to walk over the water to his Christ, or wanting to make three tents to give substance to the Transfiguration, or Mary Magdalene’s holding onto the resurrected form of Christ, to give substance is to change the account.

But our reality is among the substance of our day to day endings and beginnings, how do we convey the revelation of new beginning in this story’s end. Cultures the world over convey hope at the ending of a goodly life by the assurance of being ‘taken up into heaven’. How much more so do we attest to the heavenly realm for one who spoke of His coming from heaven. And here is then the gospel truth, just as for Elijah, for Enoch, just as was spoken of Abraham, Moses and Isaiah, so for Jesus the Christ, Son of the most high God. The Ascension pictures Jesus’ true nature, as angels announced his birth, as God’s Word is heard at his Baptism, as he is joined by Moses and Elijah at his Transfiguration.

Luke’s account of Jesus’ earthly life reveals the promise of His risen life through the Ascension, outward sign of inner spiritual grace. So it is, we who live His risen life, walk this world in hopeful enthusiasm through knowledge of He who is with us to the end of the age.

‘Alleluia, Christ is risen – He is risen indeed Alleluia!’

Yours in Christ

Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector

Announcement of the appointment of the new Rector for the Bansfield Benefice

The following letter from the Rural Dean was read out this morning at All Saints' Stansfield.

The Diocese is pleased to announce the appointment, by the Bishop (upon the recommendation of the patron and parish representatives, subject to the appropriate statutory checks and references), as Rector to Bansfield Benefice, the Rev. Brin Singleton, currently Rural Dean of Samford Deanery, and Incumbent in the parishes of Capel St Mary with Little and Great Wenham.

Brin writes:

I am very much looking forward to joining Bansfield benefice. In 2013 Marion and I will be celebrating 30 years of marriage, we have three children, our daughter is married and living in Bath, our eldest son is setting up his own home in Ipswich, and our youngest son having special needs will join us along with my mother at Wickhambrook vicarage, as well our household of dogs and cats. In
terms of my ministry I am a millennium babe, that is to say ordained in 2000 and priested in 2001.

I served my four year curacy in Soham, Ely Diocese and served these past nine years in my first incumbency in Capel St Mary, Little and Great Wenham.

I also served the Samford Deanery as Rural Dean since 2010 and benefited from sharing ministry to our deanery with Elders Readers, Self Supporting Ministers, Parochial Church Officers and Congregations.

My interests include DIY music, bell ringing, camping and the great outdoors.

I, and my family look forward to our new pilgrimage in ministry with you all.

The Rural Dean writes

A date for Licensing and Induction will be set by the Bishop and Archdeacon, and as soon as this is known it will be announced.

The Benefice and Deanery look forward to welcoming this experienced and highly respected priest into our fellowship.

Rev. Canon Ian Finn (Rural Dean of Clare)


Further information can be found at

http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/press/singleton.html
and
http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/benefice/interregnum/

Christingle Service for the Children's Society

Please do come and join us for our annual Benefice CHRISTINGLE SERVICE with a collection for the Children’s Society.

Bring yourselves, children and grandchildren.  There will be lots of fun both with making the christingles from oranges, candles, dried fruit and sweets as well as music, activities and songs.

When and Where...

On Sunday 27th January at 3pm. All Saints Church, Wickhambrook
Led by the Elevenses from St Mary's church Haverhill with Father Ian Finn.

Do come and enjoy making your Christingle and singing songs.
If you have a collection box, please bring it to the service.

See you on Sunday 27th at 3pm.

Toy Service - Thank you

The Toy service at Wickhambrook was a great success again giving 42 wrapped presents for children in the care of Bury Social Services.  Thank you to all those who contributed.

Samaritan's Purse - Love In A Box - Thank you

Collecting For Christmas 2012

In 2012 we collected and sent 60 shoeboxes for the Samaritan's Purse - love in a box appeal. Many thanks to all those who donated their time, money and energy. And a special thanks to Mrs Jean Coe for organising the appeal. This year the shoeboxes were sent to Kyrgyzstan and Serbia. A break down of the age and gender distribution is shown below.

Age Range	Girl	Boy
2 - 4	8	5
5 - 9	24	12
10 - 14	6	5
Total	38	22

Shoebox appeal - Operation Christmas Child 2012

Operation Christmas Child is the world's largest children's Christmas project, bringing joy into the lives of underprivileged children since 1990. Last year, nearly 1.2 million shoeboxes were packed with gifts and goodies and sent from the UK to children who need them most in  some of the toughest parts of the world. In most cases the shoebox will be the only Christmas present that child will receive.

Our Benefice is again supporting the Shoebox Appeal. Please consider supporting the Shoebox Appeal. Information leaflets, containing full details, are to be found at the back of all the churches and on our website - details below. Please then pass your completed Shoebox to your Churchwarden for passing on to the Benefice co-ordinator. The deadline for handing in the completed Shoeboxes is the 31st October, as they need to be taken to a collection point at the beginning of November.

Completed boxes to our Co-ordinator by 31st October.
Either directly or via your churchwarden(s).

Further details

http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/benefice/shoebox.html

If you want to know more about Operation Christmas Child then please visit
http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/.

If you require details about how to pack the shoebox please visit
their How to pack your shoebox page.
http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/how-to-pack-your-shoebox