This edition is kindly sponsored by Nora Alderman
wonder, the enigma of weakness, the complexity of
Sunday & Midweek Services
relationships, the encounter with frailty, the hope
1st March
7.00pm Ash Wednesday Service
beyond brokenness. The course will be held on
at St Michael’s, Dalston
Wednesday evenings beginning at 7.30pm at the
5th March
11.00am Holy Communion
following venues. Everyone is welcome to join in.
12th March 11.00am Morning Service
8th Mar: Geoff & Bettie Gray, Staggs Cottage, Brisco
Sunday Club & Coffee
15th Mar: Lynn & Mike Jones, Wreay Syke Fold, Wreay
15th March 10.00am Midweek Communion
22nd Mar: Lister Hogg, Chapel Hill Cottage, Wreay
at Wreay Hall
29th Mar: Raymond & Lois Whittaker, Southwaite Hall
19th March 11.00am Holy Communion
5th April: Jennifer & James Johnson, Ravenside, Wreay
26th March 10.30am Mothering Sunday
at St Michael’s, Dalston
11th March: Fairtrade Coffee Morning
3rd,10th,17th,24th,31st March: Lent Lunch We invite you to join our Fairtrade coffee morning at
Lent lunches will be held in Church House, Dalston, The Border Kirk, Chapel Street, Carlisle on Saturday
every Friday during Lent from 12noon to 1.00pm. All 11th March between 10.00am and 12noon. £2 for
tea or coffee and cake or scone, plus raffle and stalls.
welcome. Proceeds for the CMS South America.
3rd March:Paul Laidlaw Antiques Valuations
11th March: The Border Concert Band
Bring along your antiques to an afternoon of valuing
with the TV personality, auctioneer and valuer, Paul
Laidlaw on Friday 3rd March from 2pm in Wreay
Village Hall. Tickets are £5 including one valuation
and refreshments and are available in advance from
016974 73744 or on the door. Additional valuations
are £2 each paid on the door. Proceeds to the Friends
of St Mary’s Church, Sarah Losh Heritage Centre Fund.
On 23rd April Katie Banks will be running the London
Marathon to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- a condition that her older sister suffers from. To help
fundraising the Border Concert Band are holding a
concert in St Michael’s Church, Dalston on Saturday
11th March at 7.30pm. Tickets £6 on the door or call
01228
710732.
To
sponsor
Katie
visit
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Katie-Vic.
8th,15th,22nd,29th March: Lent Course
14th March: Stoneraise,Wreay & District WI
The Mystery of Everything is a new and original Lent
course by Hilary Brand, which takes the multi-award
winning film about Stephen Hawking, The Theory of
Everything, as its starting point. The course explores
ways in which the mysteries of the universe and of
everyday life - and the acceptance that we have more
questions than answers - can reinvigorate our faith
and spiritual journey. The course is based around five
weekly group sessions entitled: The experience of
The speaker at the February WI meeting, Jules
Wooding, gave a very informative and moving talk on
the Battle of the Somme. She also told us about the
poppy display at Carlisle Castle that she and her
colleagues arranged for Remembrance Day and the
help she got from WI members, schools and
volunteers. The 14th March meeting will be at
7.30pm at Stoneraise School when the speaker will be
Ashley Randal on the History of Shops and Shopping.
Sam’s Wood
For Snowdrops are the harbingers of Spring,
A sort of link between dumb life and light,
Freshness preserved amid all withering,
Bloom in the midst of grey and frosty blight,
Pale Stars that gladden Nature's dreary night!
15-17th April: Wreay Art Exhibition
Dear Friends,
This Easter weekend the Friends of St Mary’s Church
are holding an art exhibition in the Sarah Losh
Heritage Centre. The theme of the exhibition is based
on Sarah Losh, her life, her works, the village of
Wreay or the surrounding district. Artists within the
benefice and those receiving this newsletter are
invited to create and submit work. Please contact
Bettie Gray 01228 547419, Ann Robinson 016974
73752 or Pat Ross 01228 522497 for further details
and to obtain an entry form which is to be returned by
1st April. We hope that the subject might inspire you.
The psychiatrist M. Scott Peck says that “one of the
confusing things about religion is that people go into
it for different reasons: there are some who are
attracted to religion in order to approach mystery,
while there are others who are attracted to religion in
order to escape from mystery”. He says that both
attractions are valid, sometimes for different sorts of
people and sometimes for the same person at different
stages of their spiritual journey or emotional
development. There may be a time, especially if you
are younger or have had life experiences that are
chaotic and confused, when you want it all straight
down the line. You want to be told what to believe
and how to behave. But there are also times,
particularly as you get older, when your experiences
don’t fit the pattern. Times when you begin to wail:
‘But it’s just not that simple’, and answers that once
seemed satisfying become too naïve or prescriptive.
At this point, especially if you are one of those
who came into the Church to find certainties, you
might well ask what value there is in dwelling on
things we don’t understand. The purpose of Lent is to
encourage and strengthen us on our Christian
journey. How can exposing our ignorance possibly
help? It is a reasonable question and I would offer
these answers:
1.
Because that is how life is! If we pretend that
Christianity can satisfactorily explain everything we
encounter, from motor neurone disease to the origins
of the universe, then we are kidding ourselves. We
become wise by facing up to harsh reality, not
dodging it!
2.
Because ignorance is a scary thing, and
realising it can make us doubt our very being. If we
are not careful, fear will push us into denial and from
there to defensiveness and from there to attack. It is
only by facing our limitations that we can ever really
become confident in what we do know.
3.
Because the God we worship is the prime
mover, the great intelligence behind the whole
universe. And while Jesus invites us to know him as
Father, in an astonishingly intimate and personal
relationship, if we focus on that alone we might easily
lose an appropriate sense of reverence and awe.
4.
Because Jesus taught that one of the key virtues
of the Christian faith was humility – sadly one for
which Christians are not always known. If we do not
have this humility then our relationships will fail.
They will fail from the lowest level of personal
relationships to the highest level of public debate.
Even though we bear witness to our faith, our dogma
and arrogant certainties may well antagonise more
people than they convert.
5.
And lastly because if we think we have it all
sewn up, if we lose a child’s sense of wonder, then
what a lot of life’s fun and delight we will also lose.
Through this year’s Lent course – The Mystery
of Everything – the author Hilary Brand seeks to help
us think through these issues. Why not join us?
Details can be found elsewhere in this Newsletter.
30th April: The Montreal Guitar Trio
Wreay Arts presents the Montreal Guitar Trio on
Sunday 30th April at 7.30 pm in Wreay Village Hall.
Tickets: £9, concessions £8, child £6, family ticket
£25. Bookings: 016974 75309 or online (includes
booking fee) at www.highlightsnorth.co.uk.
From the Registers
Welcome to Jacob Alan Thomson who
was baptised on 19th February in St Mary’s.
The funeral of Roger Irving took place in St
Mary's on 10th February. Our thoughts and prayers
are with all those who have been bereaved.
Sponsors of Chapel of Rest Trees
Thank you to all who have sponsored a tree at the
Chapel. 12 trees have now been planted and will
shortly be labelled with a list of sponsors displayed
within the Chapel. Thank you!
Newsletter Sponsoring
A belated thank you to all those who sponsored the
Newsletter in 2016. This year due to a rise in costs a
donation of £15 would be received with thanks.
Old Photographs of Wreay
Wendy Johnstone of Holly Cottage is interested in
seeing any old photos of Wreay. Please contact her on
07947 652738 if you have any to share with her.
Church Helpers
5th March
12th March
19th March
Sally Budd
Lynn Jones
Elizabeth Roberts
5th March
12th March
19th March
Raymond Whittaker
Warren Holt
Patricia Harrison
5th March
19th March
Bettie Gray
Tony Harrison
5th March
12th March
19th March
26th March
Pat Cherry
Bettie Gray
Patricia Harrison
Libby Smith
4th March
11th March
18th March
25th March
Geoff Metcalfe
John Thorburn
Richard Dixon
Mike Turnbull
Steve Carter