The Net - October 2002

The Net
Embleton Churches Together community bulletin

DIARY OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN OCTOBER 2002

1st Women's Club Committee 1.30pm, meeting 2pm, speaker Bob Huggins.
3rd Craster W.I. Jenny Maeshall Cookery Demo Comp. 2 toffee apples.
5th Mandell's Coffee Pot 10-12 noon Parish Room.
5th 60's 70's Disco Creighton Hall 8pm. Bar. Fancy Dress. Tickets £7 to include Indian food.
9th Embleton Mother's Union.In Action and Outreach by Mrs Jean Goddard.
9th Embleton W.I. Annual General Meeting, Mrs Porteus Competition Object I.
14th Embleton Flower Club Practical - Ikebana Pooled Supper.
15th Trinity Club
15th Craster Methodist Women's Fellowship, Speaker Rev. K. Parr.
16th Embleton Local History Society Creating a Museum with Mr Ian Smith, Curator. Meeting at Bailiffgate Museum 7.30pm.
29th Craster Methodist Women's Fellowship, 2.30pm Speaker Mrs Eileen Garbutt.

Advance Notices
3rd November Village Bonfire Opposite Bluebell 5.30pm, donations towards fireworks welcome. Rubbish can be collected the week before. Contact the Shop, Embleton.

STEEPLECHASE DAY.
Many thanks to all involved and particularly to Kay and Brian Chambers who visited 20 Churches in the west of the diocese. The total raised was over £150.

LOCAL NEWS
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Jan Hooper made a timely contribution in last month's NET on this matter. I should like to follow this up with some of the options available, which are:
1. Requiem Eucharist and burial/cremation
2. Service in Church, followed by burial
3. Service in Church followed by Cremation at Crematorium
4. Whole Service at Crematorium
5. Whole Service in Church coffin taken for cremation without attendance
6. Non-religious funeral.

Number 5. may need some explanation. Journeys to the crematorium (and back) are very time consuming from here, and can prolong a very difficult day for mourners, especially when the cremation, itself very brief, follows the main service at the home church. By having the whole service locally in church, with the cremation separate enables mourners to host their gatherings without delay. It can also make your choice of funeral time more flexible, as you are not tied to a busy crematorium schedule. Those who have opted Number 5 have found it much less stressful. The clergy in the Embleton District will be more than happy to discuss it with you. Phone numbers elsewhere in the NET - Vicar.

THANKS to Jan Hooper for running a boot sale at the Rennington Scarecrow weekend. Part of the proceeds have been used to buy a St. George's flag to fly from the church tower.

ROCK ORGAN By the time you read this, the 121 year old organ at Rock will have been dismantled for a major overhaul. This has been made possible by a massive grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund boosting local initiatives.
The organ will return - we hope - for Easter next year. The recent recital by Mouthful in the the Playhouse raised £67.

MANDELL'S COFFEE POT. Many thanks to all who helped and those who patronised this. In addition to proving a welcome meeting and refreshment point it also raised £255.79 for church funds. We plan to open again from 10-12 noon on October 5th and November 2nd. If you can help with serving or producing fresh produce, please contact Cathryn Kerry on 576225.

COFFEE MORNING for Creighton Hall on 31 August. Many thanks to all involved, we raised £345.70.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER - Why does the bell ring at 7.30am? - John Michael Mountney.

    When I was asked this question by someone in the village I thought the answer might be beneficial to all, and it is this. Every parish priest is required to offer Morning and Evening Prayer in his parish each day. I would say that it is a fundamental part of his work, offering the beginning and end of each day to God, along with the life of the whole community he serves. It also serves to remind him that all he does is in God's name. In this Benefice our Lay Readers also take part in this task, and bells can be heard ringing at Rennington and Rock. This is a public rather than a private affair.
    Morning and Evening prayer, found in its Prayer Book and other forms, is a short act of worship in which psalms and Canticles are used in praise, whilst prayers are offered for all inhabitants of the Benefice as well as those in special need, e.g. those in hospital. Occupants of each street or locality are also remembered on a monthly rota. It is all very simple and straightforward.
    Nor is this task for the incumbent alone, because the prayer book encourages parishioners to join in and to turn up at the appointed hour. Some already do this when Evening Prayer is offered at Craster on Tuesday afternoons. It is not unknown for visitors to join in too. The times are posted on Embleton church porch notice-board.
    For those that cannot come along there is something you can do. First, you could offer that same prayer at home, perhaps even at a different time. Secondly, when you hear the bell, remember that your Vicar (or Lay Reader) is offering the life of the whole parish to God, and that you are part of that offering. Thirdly, if there are people you wish to remember in particular need, let me or Lay Readers know.
    Additionally, at Embleton, we have just begun a Prayer Request board in the North Aisle. As the church is open all day, you can pop in and jot down your request on the board and this will be included in the next Morning and Evening Prayer for as long as you wish.

FROM THE PARISH REGISTERS
Holy Baptism
Thomas Vincent Rippon, September 15th, Newton by the Sea.