Untitled - All Saints Church, Long Ashton

Celebrating life and faith

Producing online services

Rector’s Letter James Harris

As you read this month’s magazine, we will be approaching Lent once again.

In our Covid-wracked times, this season takes on increased significance and

authenticity, both for its focus on mortality and the recognition of our

dependence on God, which are so painfully apparent to us right now, but also

for the destination to which it points, which is far from futile or hopeless.

The great Lenten hymn - Forty days and Forty Nights - describes Christ’s

journey through wilderness testing, trial, temptation and suffering to Easter

glory. It is a journey which is also ours and the words of the hymn offer us

cause for meditation and reflection in our own time.

1. Even though it may seem unending now, our period of ‘fasting’ will end… Pray for strength and patience to endure and stick to the rules for as long as is necessary.

2. Jesus came to live not only an esoteric, spiritual life but a physical, mortal one. Care for body is as important as care for soul. Strive for healthy rhythms of eating, sleeping and exercise.

3/4. It is a difficult truth to ponder that ‘the gate to glory is none other than the way of the cross.’ Faith in Christ is no ‘vaccination’ against suffering or hardship - but it is an assurance that our suffering, in solidarity with his, will be redeemed through his sacrifice.

5. Who are the ‘angels’, the messengers of hope and comfort, the helpers, carers and companions, who are accompanying you through this pandemic? Give thanks for them.

6. Our Easter hope lies in Christ, who has, once and for all, conquered death and suffering and opened the way for us to follow him through it to eternal life. Call on his strength to prevail.

Sunday Services in February The Parish of Long Ashton

As a consequence of the continuing lockdown, all services will be

online until further notice. Please consult the Parish Office, website

or weekly email bulletins for the most up-to-date information.

The YouTube channel is The CofE in Long Ashton, Flax and Barrow.

It can be accessed from our parish website www.allsaintsla.org.uk.

7 February Second Sunday before Lent

10.00 am Morning Prayer (BCP) Colossians 1:15-20 11.00 am Elevenses John 1: 1-14 14 February Racial Justice Sunday (Sunday next before Lent)

10.00 am Family service tbc 21 February First Sunday of Lent

9.00 am Breakfast @9 via Zoom Genesis 9: 8-17 10.00 am Family Communion Mark 1: 9-15 28 February Second Sunday of Lent

10.00 am Family Communion Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Mark 8: 31-end 7 March Third Sunday of Lent

10.00 am Family Communion 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2: 13-22

BCP: Book of Common Prayer (1662)

http://www.allsaintsla.org.uk/

Midweek services 17 February Ash Wednesday 7.30 pm Holy Communion with (virtual) Ashing Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17 Psalm 51: 1-18 John 8: 1-11

All Saints Church is open for individual quiet reflection and prayer

each Wednesday 2-4 pm.

Keedwell Church is open every Friday 10 am-12 noon.

Food for thought

There is so much good in the worst of us

and so much bad in the best of us

that it ill behoves any of us

to find fault with the rest of us.

Anon

To close or not to close… There are some decisions that are fairly easy to make; our preferences are well known or the rules make it clear. Others, however, need rather more thought or research to be applied; or depend on a degree of intuition or judgement over and above simple knowledge or clear-cut evidence.

King Solomon is the archetypal example of wisdom in such weighty matters, employing as he did both his own intellect to come up with a suitable test when asked to judge between two women both claiming to be the mother of the same child; but also appealing to the loving heart of the true mother to prevail.

Jesus balanced a similar conundrum when asked which of God’s Commandments was the greatest. Love - of God, self and neighbour - was, he said, to be the true test of faithfulness to the law, of which he (Jesus) himself was the fullest expression.

In this current lockdown, the decision whether or not to keep church buildings open for worship was left to local churches to make. This was different from Spring 2020, when the decision was mandated centrally. In both cases, then and now, there have been strong voices advocating both for remaining open and for closure; both for clearer direction from ‘the authorities’ and for greater local freedom to decide. It has felt like a judgement worthy both of Solomon’s wisdom and Christ’s loving compassion.

In the end, after prayer and deliberation, and with the encouragement of our Bishops, your Ministry Team here in the benefice of Long Ashton, Flax Bourton and Barrow Gurney made a unanimous recommendation to the Parochial Church Councils in each community than that we should close our buildings for communal worship for the duration of the lockdown.

In doing so, we felt we would play our part in breaking the chains of transmission of the virus, honour the call to ‘stay at home’ and protect the NHS, and, of course, reduce the risk of severe illness or death for the most vulnerable in our communities.

Far from a retreat, or a dereliction of duty, it has felt like an important witness to the love of Christ which compels us to make sacrifices for the sake of our fellow human beings. And, of course, although it’s undoubtedly painful to be apart from one another, the closure of a building does not actually prevent us from worshipping. Far from it.

Whether you agree or not with the decision taken, we trust you will understand the wisdom and love which inform it.

Revd James Harris Rector - on behalf of the benefice Ministry Team

Random Reflections Jill Watkins

If January was the month of the star then February is certainly the month of

another source of light, the candle. February 2nd is the day the church

celebrates the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. It was also the day that

the Church blessed the candles it would need for the coming year, hence the

alternative name of Candlemas. I came across this prayer about lighting a

votive candle and I felt I would like to share it with you.

Lord, this candle I have lit,

May it be LIGHT from you

to lighten my way through difficulties and

decisions.

May it be FIRE from you

to burn up my selfishness, my pride and all that

is impure within me.

May it be FLAME from you

to warm my heart and teach me love.

Lord, I cannot stay long in your House:

this candle is a little bit of myself that I offer to you.

Lord, help me to continue my prayer in all that I do this day.

From a prayer used in the Cathedral of Tours.

I like to remember this whenever I light a candle whether it is in church or at

home. I hope it is something you may find helpful too.

Lent in local tradition Ian Skerratt

Now all the anticipation of Advent and excitement of Christmas is over, we

start to turn towards the celebration of Easter. Traditionally this starts with

Lent. The first day of Lent is known as Ash Wednesday and this day starts a

season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. Lent

lasts for 40 days and by observing this period, Christians attempt to replicate

Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is

traditionally marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.

On Ash Wednesday many would attend church and have ashes applied

to their foreheads in the shape of a cross, which symbolize penance,

mourning and mortality

Many are probably more familiar with Shrove Tuesday or ‘Pancake day’

without realising that this is actually only one day of a period known as

Shrovetide which covers the last three or four days before the beginning of

Lent. The old names for these days were:

1. Egg Saturday - Shrove Saturday

2. Quinquagesima Sunday - Shrove Sunday

The fiftieth day before Easter

3. Collop Monday - Shrove Monday

Named after the traditional dish of the day: collops of bacon served

with eggs. (A collop is chunk or slice of meat or fat). In addition to

providing meat, the collops were also the source of the fat for the

following day's pancakes.

4. Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday

The day on which all fats and cream had to be used up.

5. Previously, Shrovetide was celebrated with games, sports, dancing

and other revelries. There were feasts to use up the food that could

not be eaten during the Lenten fast. Football was played in the

http://projectbritain.com/pancakeday/recipe.html

streets and Nickanan Night (as Shrove Monday evening was called in

Cornwall) was a time for boys to run riot in the villages: hiding gates,

taking off door knockers, and making off with anything that

householders had forgotten to lock away.

In the current Covid19 conditions I suspect that running amok in Long Ashton

would not be appropriate, so I shall have to stick to pancakes this year!

Ash

"Lord, all the plans I tried are burned to ash

and all the sighs I sighed are burned to ash

and all the tears I cried are burned to ash

and all the lies I lied are burned to ash;

the finished bon-fires of my old disgrace.

And then you dig them over in your soil

and overturn my will for forty days

and some new page turns over in my heart

and all my sin turns over in my mind

and all my dug-in demons overturn

and you dig over all my sad, old soil

while forty ash-dry days and nights go by

until I have a new earth to begin. Amen"

© Lucy Berry

Vaccination then and now David Mumford

The word ‘vaccination’ was coined in 1796 by Edward Jenner, a physician and

scientist from Berkeley, north of Bristol. Jenner (among others) had observed that

milkmaids were immune to smallpox, but sometimes suffered from a similar but

milder viral disease, cowpox [vacca is Latin for cow; vaccinia ‘of or from a cow’].

Jenner famously vaccinated an

eight year old lad, James Phipps,

with serum from a cowpox lesion

causing a mild reaction, then

inoculated him 6 weeks later with

smallpox serum – with no ill

effects. Inoculation (the

application of small amounts of

smallpox material into the skin)

was practised since ancient times

in many cultures; ‘variolation’

was in the 18th century the standard method of trying to protect against smallpox,

but was hazardous and sometimes fatal.

Jenner was not the first man to use cowpox to vaccinate against smallpox, but it was

he who conducted the scientific experiments to demonstrate its efficacy and

published his findings for scrutiny by his scientific peers, thus founding the science of

immunology. It was not long before vaccination replaced inoculation as the standard

method for preventing smallpox and led eventually to the global eradication of

smallpox in 1980.

Vaccination against other diseases (Louis Pasteur in 1861 extended the concept more

widely) has progressed enormously since Jenner’s time. There are elaborate

protocols for testing a new vaccine to ensure its safety and efficacy, with phase 1, 2

and 3 clinical trials. And as the amazingly rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines

has shown, vaccines themselves can now be designed and constructed from first

principles using our knowledge of specific viral proteins and their genetic code.

We thank God for the imagination, skill and persistence of many scientists,

from Jenner’s time to our own, for ‘the greatest boon to mankind’ in

reducing the threat of disease epidemics which have plagued human life

since the dawn of history.

Parish Profile – David Mumford: the early years

When David was born, the family lived next to his father’s GP surgery in Bermondsey

in the London docklands. In 1952 they moved to Blackheath, just before his brother

John was born. One of his earliest memories was of a television being wheeled into

the house in June 1953; hired for the Coronation.

A second brother Peter was born in 1956. At that time David’s pride and joy was an

electric train set with a 10 ft suspension bridge. Electrical matters had been learnt

from his mother. His sister Anne was born in 1961; a disappointment for David who

wanted another brother. At prep school his headmaster said David would become a

lawyer as he always tried to argue his way out of injustice. He became editor of the

school magazine – are we surprised?

In 1963 he went to Westminster School where he was prepared for confirmation by

the chaplain and confirmed in Westminster Abbey. At school he found himself

enjoying the sciences. A few pupils attended a science club for which he wrote a

paper on the ‘Science of Life’ and another on viruses perhaps predicting a later need?

At home he was constantly questioning matters of faith.

For a time he was determined to become a barrister but then applied to Cambridge

to read engineering. In the 9 month gap before starting at Cambridge he took a

teaching job at a mission school in Kenya organised by his aunt, a Bible translator.

The headmaster helped him come to terms with his loss of faith. His holiday time

there allowed him to tour Uganda, climb Mount Kenya, then visit Ethiopia, Sudan and

Cairo.

Then back to St Catharine’s

College where 4 weeks of

engineering was enough and he

switched to theology to question

human existence and purpose.

Greek and Hebrew were a large

part of the curriculum. Rowan

Williams was the outstanding

student in his year at Cambridge.

David found himself at home in

the college chapel. In 1969 he

went to Israel, worked in a kibbutz

near Nazareth and then travelled rough over the whole country.

After graduation David obtained travel grants from the Divinity Faculty and World

Council of Churches to study Hinduism in India. He lived in a Christian College

Northern Afghanistan, 1973

environment in Calcutta, where he met Mother Teresa on several occasions. He then

obtained permission to live in Varanasi beside the Ganges surrounded by Hindu

temples. During holidays he travelled all over India and Nepal. His return home was

via Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, following the steps of St Paul.

On return to the UK he was selected for Cuddesdon Theological College near Oxford

whilst still unsure of his vocation. During one long vacation he did a month’s course

in psychiatric chaplaincy which he found fascinating. Still having doubts about

ordination he was thinking perhaps of becoming a college chaplain or involved in

interfaith relations.

In 1975 he was ordained deacon in Bristol Cathedral to serve at St Mary Redcliffe.

Not long after this David realised that parish life did not really suit him. In fact what

he found most fulfilling was visiting the psychiatric unit at Bristol General Hospital to

facilitate a patient discussion group. This led to him to apply to medical schools with

initially little success until he met with the clinical dean at Bristol and - great success -

secured a place at Bristol. He was advised to delay his priesting until he was

established at medical school.

So, 1976–1981 he led a double life: daytime at university and evenings and weekends

in the parish. His fellow students were bemused when he talked about specialising in

transcultural psychiatry and his ‘hippy years’ in India. Being a mature student had

advantages; he was invited to do student locums in his 4th year. For his elective he

went to a Christian psychiatric centre in Lucknow, India - an experience that led to his

research and subsequent MD. After Clinical Finals he did a surgical house job in

Gloucester where he had his own weekly minor ops list, followed by a house

physician job at Southmead. After that came psychiatric training which he did in

Edinburgh (1983-6), where he joined the clergy team at the Episcopal Church of St

Columba’s-by-the-Castle.

His higher training took place in Leeds and Bradford, which had the only transcultural

psychiatry unit in the UK. During this time he established research partners in Lahore

where he collected data for his MD thesis. David was rather overqualified for an

‘everyday’ psychiatrist but he started at Barrow in 1992 as consultant leading a newly

formed psychiatric community ‘sector’ for south west Bristol. During that time he

made an incognito visit to All Saints, subsequently obtaining a diocesan license to

officiate.

In 1993 he was appointed to a consultant senior lecturer post at the University of

Bristol, looking after the Inner City, the toughest area with the highest rate of

psychiatric admissions. This was the opportunity for David to use his transcultural

knowledge and experience.

Episode 2 will follow – the best is yet to come. Sheila Crabtree

Collop Monday Jill Watkins

I first heard the word ‘collop’ in a mountain hut in the middle of the

Abisko National Park north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. An excited

group of Swedish trekkers was enthusing over them – thinly sliced beef

salted to preserve it. I later discovered they were eaten in this country

on the Monday before Ash Wednesday in an effort to eat or preserve

luxury foods (mead, eggs, butter) forbidden during Lent.

450g/1lb fillet steak (or similar)

40g/1.5 oz butter

½ tspn finely grated onion

1 tspn flour

1 clove garlic crushed

150ml/1/4 pt good stock

25ml/1 fl oz claret if desired

salt and black pepper to season

Slice the meat thinly.

Slowly fry the onion and garlic in the butter for 15 min.

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min.

Add meat, stock, claret and simmer for 15 min.

Season.

Serve hot with triangles of fried bread (or whatever you fancy).

This year the Monday before Ash Wednesday is February 15th.

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Community Project on Fenswood Farm land: update

Bill Roberts

A village group has formed to help manage part of the University’s Fenswood Farm in response to the climate and ecological emergencies.

The goal is to improve wildlife habitats, increase biodiversity and sequester carbon, through sustainable land management; and to encourage community involvement and environmental education.

Activities could include planting, establishing permanent pasture & wildflower meadows, ponds, trees and providing access to nature.

We will work closely with the Parish Council’s Environment Committee, which shares our goals, and it is likely we will formally constitute as charitable or community body.

The group includes people with passion and relevant professional skills, so whether you are an enthusiast or an expert and want to get involved, please get in touch.

To join our emailing list or WhatsApp group contact Bill Roberts on 07932 623672, and check the Transition Long Ashton Facebook group for information about meetings.

Next online meeting February 2nd 7.30pm

.

Environmental Issues

Comment on Bristol airport expansion

before 22nd February

Last February North Somerset rejected Bristol Airport’s expansion plans for an extra

2m passengers a year. The airport has appealed, which is costing North Somerset

hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Anyone can add their voice until 22 February, whether or not you commented on the

original planning application.

Comments can include changes since last February:

- the climate crisis has deepened - massive fires in Siberia, record high

temperatures, and continuing climate-related events.

- the government Climate Change Committee now says (Dec 2020) that

aviation must be included in national emissions measuring, and set a 6th

carbon budget saying that total UK aviation emissions should not increase.

- demand for aviation has collapsed because of COVID.

As well as the reasons stated in North Somerset’s rejection:

- health and well-being of residents negatively impacted by noise, air quality, and lifting of seasonal restrictions on night flights.

- 1m tonnes a year of increased greenhouse gas, which would exacerbate climate change.

- extending the Silver Zone car park - inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

- inadequate public transport provision, causing increased congestion.

It is vital that we show the inspector how much we care about this issue locally. It is

the biggest carbon decision in the region for a generation.

Comment by email to [email protected] quoting Case No

3259234, and including your address.

Bill Roberts

Environmental Issues

mailto:[email protected]

Police (non-emergency) 101

Long Ashton Doctors Surgery 01275 392281

Chestnut Dental Practice 01275 392297

Long Ashton Pharmacy 01275 392289

Parish Council 01275 393551

Library Service 01934 426060

Bristol Royal Infirmary 01179 230000

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children 01179 230000

Southmead Hospital 01179 505050

South Bristol Community Hospital 01179 643300

NHS Non-Emergency 111

Electricity cut 105

Gas leak 0800 111 999

Bristol Water Leakline 0800 801 011

Wessex Water 0345 600 4 600

Long Ashton Post Office 01275 392281

Useful Telephone Numbers

Community Activities

ALL SAINTS CHURCH LONG ASHTON PARISH MAGAZINE

QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES

Thanks to everyone who completed our questionnaire in December.

100 questionnaires were returned using the paper form and 18 responded by

email. (N=118 out of a total circulation of about 550.)

1. What are your preferences for paper or electronic versions?

a. Paper only 74 63%

b. Electronic only (by email) ) 23 19%

c. Electronic only (on parish website) )

d. Both paper and electronic 22 19%

2. If you have ticked a ‘paper’ version, how would you like to receive it?

a. Delivered to your home 83 86%

b. Collect from the Post Office 7 7%

c. Collect from All Saints Church 7 7%

3. How would you prefer to pay your annual subscription?

a. Online bank transfer 46 39%

b. Debit card with card reader in church 6 5%

c. Cheque 33 28%

d. Cash only 36 31%

Overall 82% of respondents expressed a preference to receive a paper

version of the magazine. Of these, 86% wished to have it delivered to their

home each month.

As expected, of those who responded by email, a higher proportion preferred

an electronic version of the magazine, either alone or in combination with

the paper version. They were also much more likely to want to pay their

annual subscription by online bank transfer.

FROM THE REGISTERS

Burial of Ashes

5 January Colin Field

Funeral

8 January Gillian Brown

Burial

18 December David George Gamlen

PARISH CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING

23 February In loving memory of my dear wife Daphne Allen.

Forever in our hearts. Sadly, missed by her

husband Ken, sons David and Paul.

Floodlighting may be booked to celebrate a family event, a special occasion,

in remembrance etc for a donation of £5 to church funds. If requested, an

entry may be made in the magazine Floodlighting Diary. Enquiries to the

Parish Office please. Forms also available in All Saints Church.

Parish Church Notices

CONTACT US…

Rector The Revd James Harris

The Vicarage, Church Lane, Long Ashton BS41 9LU

Telephone: 01275 602331

[email protected]

James’s day off is usually a Saturday: please do not contact him on that day except in an emergency

Parish Office Carolyn Conolly (Parish Administrator)

Church House, 74 Long Ashton Rd, BS41 9LE The office is closed to visitors during the current Covid-19 restrictions Tel: 01275 393109. Email: [email protected]

Web site: www.allsaintsla.org.uk For Baptisms and Weddings, contact the Parish Office

Other staff The Revd David Mumford (Deacon) 14 Clifton Vale, Bristol BS8 4PT

Tel: 0117 9272221. Email: [email protected] Janet Turp (Reader) 25 Copford Lane Tel: 01275 392954. Email: [email protected]

Jill Watkins (Reader Emeritus) 1 Rayens Close Tel: 01275 393282. Email: [email protected] The Revd Richard Greatrex (Benefice Associate Priest) Tel: 01275 461179. Email: [email protected]



http://www.allsaintsla.org.uk/


Other useful contacts

Churchwardens Stewart Gimber 01275 392602 Fiona Cunningham 07503174668 [email protected] Treasurer currently vacant

PCC Secretary Carolyn Conolly 01275 393109 Organist Colin Smith 07742742073 [email protected] Choir Heather Jenne 0117 9733451 Sunday School Elizabeth Mumford 0117 9272221 Bell Ringers Fiona Harper 01275 393651 Flowers Wendy Gibb (All Saints) 01275 394124 Angela Chorley (Keedwell) 01275 392777 Social Committee Angela Neale 01275 392336 Scouts Marc Stickley [email protected] Guides Gill Gay 01275 462575 Sisters of the Church Liaison Shena Garland 01275 392195 Safeguarding Officer Gill Miles 07484 157658 [email protected]

Parish Magazine

Editorial team: David Mumford, James Harris, Sheila Crabtree,

Ian Skerratt & Victoria Cobley

Distribution: Richard Pillinger 01275 546275

Commercial advertising: Carolyn Conolly 01275 393109

Please submit material for the magazine by the first day of the month prior to

publication to [email protected]. If you would like your magazine

delivered to your home, please contact Carolyn Conolly.

This month’s cover photo is by David Mumford




Untitled - All Saints Church, Long Ashton

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