The
CRAYFISHER
April 2016
The parish magazine of the Cray Valley Benefice
No.11
50p
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CONTACTS
Vicar: Rev. Paul Prentice
(01689 823775)
Curate: Rev. Jane Winter
(01689 872282)
Reader: Elaine Chapple
(01689 874325)
Pastoral Assistants: Jill Renwick
Muriel Unsworth
(01689 825582)
(01689 835275)
Churchwardens: Colin Chapple
Malcolm Hubbard
(01689 874325)
(01689 601827)
Child Protection Officer and
Parish Administrator: Suzanne Diamond
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday Mornings
(01689 823775)
Magazine Editor: Brenda Smith
Email: [email protected]
(01689 829556)
Social Committees Contacts
St Andrew’s: Dalaine Crane
St Mary’s: Bridget Daly
07958 228671
01689 830955
St Mary’s, High Street St Mary Cray: BR5 4NJ
www.stmaryatcray.com
St Andrew’s, Lower Road St Mary Cray: BR5 4AL
www.standrewatcray.com
The editorial team reserve the right to edit, and condense, if necessary, items
submitted for publication.
Opinions expressed by contributors, and services offered by advertisers, are not
specifically endorsed by THE CRAYFISHER magazine or the Cray Valley Benefice.
Front cover picture: Swans on Priory Gardens Pond by Brenda Smith
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PARISH LETTER
C
an it really be that Easter has come and
gone, and that the APCM, along with
getting the reports and accounts done is
almost upon us? Time passes us by, and now
we are into the weeks of Easter. The season of penitence has gone and the
season of celebration is here!
When I was a curate, a member of the congregation at Bromley spoke about
the sacrament of the moment. She was basically saying that each second of
our lives is precious and God given. It was very poignant for the lady in
question as sadly she was nearing the end of her life, but that phrase has
never left me.
All too often, a big service or a particular liturgical season can cause anxiety.
I remember my first baptism, my first funeral and my first wedding. All of
these gave me the classic butterflies in the stomach feeling. We may dread
an event due in a few days time, but when it comes, we realise it wasn’t so
difficult after all, and a few weeks later we wonder what all the fuss was
about. Every second of the day is God given.
Of course, it goes without saying that we will be apprehensive about some
things. This is something that happens to all of us, myself included.
However, there is something special about recognising the importance of
time. In this case the very smallest fraction of time, a split second, a fleeting
moment. God is interwoven throughout the fabric of time itself.
Enjoying the sacrament of the moment. Making time for ourselves. Not
fearing what future time holds, but acknowledging it and accepting it.
Knowing that next week will bring its own thoughts and concerns. I like the
idea of time being a sacrament. I like the idea of our very being becoming a
prayer offered to God. That just being ourselves is a way of communing with
our creator.
I hope you enjoy your time reading this magazine. Take time to read slowly,
recognising the sacramental aspect of it.
Best wishes
Yours in Christ,
Paul
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REGULAR SERVICES ACROSS THE BENEFICE
Sundays
09:00
10:00
10:30
St Andrew’s Said Eucharist
St Mary’s Parish Eucharist
St Andrew’s Parish Eucharist
Mondays
09:00
17:30
St Mary’s Morning Prayer
St Mary’s Evening Prayer
Tuesdays
09:00
17:00
St Andrew’s Said Eucharist
St Andrew’s Evening Prayer
Wednesdays
08:30
St Mary’s Morning Prayer (term time
only)
St Mary’s Midweek Eucharist
St Andrew’s Evening Prayer
12:00
17:00
Thursdays
09:00
19:00
St Andrew’s Morning Prayer
St Andrew’s Said Eucharist
with homily
Fridays
09:00
12:00
St Andrew’s Morning Prayer
St Andrew’s Said Eucharist with
Healing and Wholeness, followed by
the opportunity for a cup of tea or
coffee and a chat
St Andrew’s Evening Prayer
17:00
Saturdays
There are different regular Saturday
events throughout the month. See
the following pages to find out more
details.
THE NEXT DEADLINE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY WILL BE
15 APRIL. PLEASE GET YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS IN BY THEN OR
EARLIER IF POSSIBLE. ARTICLES SHOULD BE AROUND 300
WORDS APPROXIMATELY
ADVANCE NOTICES
APCM ON SUNDAY 3 APRIL
FOLLOWING THE MORNING PARISH EUCHARISTS
TRIP TO UPNOR 30 MAY
TRIP TO WALSINGHAM 6 AUGUST
QUIET DAY 27 AUGUST (SEE NOTICE BOARD)
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ACROSS THE BENEFICE THIS MONTH
2nd
Sat
10:00
Sun 3rd
11:45
Mon 4th
12:00
17:00
Tue 5th
13:3016:00
Sat 9th
10:3012:00
Sun 10th
Tue 12th
15:0017:00
12:00
Wed 13th
15:00
19:45
Sat 16th
Wed 20th
15:3017:00
15:0017:00
12:00
Sat 23rd
12:00
Sun 24th
14:00
Sat 30th
10:00
Sun 17th
REQUIEM EUCHARIST
at St Andrew’s
BENEFICE APCM at St Mary’s following the
Parish Eucharists. Please make every effort to
attend
SINGLETON’S LUNCH at Petts Wood. Please
see Jill Renwick for details.
St Andrew’s Rainbows in the hall
term time only
MOTHER’S UNION – Please listen to notices as
the venue changes each
month
ST MARY’S COFFEE MORNING – Everyone
welcome. Please come along for tea/coffee and
a chat. Cost £2
ST MARY’S CONCERT in aid of Tower Fund
See Jackie Cook for more details
OPEN DOOR LUNCH at St Mary’s. Book your
lunch with Rosemary Lathey (01689 872742).
Cost £5.00. Followed by SOCIAL CLUB.
Everyone welcome.
APSLEY COURT AFTERNOON TEA Please
join us. 30p for tea/coffee and a chat. All
welcome and much appreciated by the residents
HOME GROUP at St Andrew’s. Please see
Malcolm Deering or Jean Pailing for full details
MESSY CHUCH at St Andrew’s. St George’s
Day theme
BENEFICE YOUTH CLUB We are going
bowling so come along and have some fun
GOING PLACES Lunch at Christ Church,
Charterhouse Road. Please sign up on the
notice board
ST GEORGE’S DAY EUCHARIST followed by
cream tea. Please join us.
INTERFAITH AFTERNOON at ST ANDREW’S
with a talk by Remona Ally, journalist with The
Guardian followed by buffet. See Paul for
further details
ST ANDREW’S COFFEE MORNING Please
come along for a cup of tea/coffee and a chat
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Regular meetings of Rainbows is in St Andrew’s Church Hall on Mondays
17:00-18:30 during term time, and Funshine Club (Toddler Group) meet in
St Andrew’s church on Wednesdays 09:30-11:00 also during term time.
BENEFICE READINGS FOR APRIL
Sunday 3rd
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
Act 5: 27-32, Revelation 1:4-8
John 20: 19-31, Psalm 150
Sunday 10th
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 9: 1-20, Revelation 5: 11-14
John 21: 1-19, Psalm 30
Sunday 17th
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 9: 36-43, Revelation 7: 9-17
John 10: 22-30, Psalm 23
Sunday 24th
THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 11: 1-18, Revelation 21: 1-6
John 13: 31-35, Psalm148
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MOTHER’S UNION
First Sunday of the month – 11:30 in the church centre (hall).
First Tuesday of the month – 13:30-16:00 at various venues. Please listen to
notices and see the notice board.
At our meeting on 1 March Tony Lathey spoke on the history of St Mary’s
which was very interesting. He informed us of many things we did not know.
Our Deanery coffee morning and bring and buy sale was on 7 March and the
proceeds went for overseas funds. It was a good morning when quite a few
members came from other branches.
Our speaker on 5 April will be Mrs Anne Sears who will tell us more about
Rochester Cathedral. This will be at the home of Jackie Cook. We hope to
have Mrs Katrina Beasley on 3 May who will demonstrate on reflexology or
aromatherapy. This should put us in a good mood!
On June 7 we will support the branch at St Nicholas church for their
overseas lunch. Later on we will tell you about the rest of the year’s
programme. If anyone would care to come along you would be very
welcome.
Muriel Unsworth
OPEN DOOR LUNCH
Second Tuesday of the month at 12:00 (Cost £5.00)
The March Open Door Lunch was enjoyed by the ten people who attended.
We would like to see more folk around the table at our lunches. They are
good value at £5.00.
The next lunch is on April 12 at 12:00 in St, Mary’s Church Centre (hall), and
the menu will be cold meat or vegetable quiche with new potatoes, garden
peas or baked beans. Myra is going to make us a bread and butter pudding.
We have tea or coffee to round off the meal.
Thanks to all who help. Advance booking and payment is recommended.
(phone 07769-748476)
Best wishes from the Open Door Team
Rosemary Lathey (01689 872742)
Muriel Unsworth (01689 835275)
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FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S
The next work session for the Friends of St Mary’s will be on Saturday 2 April
from 14:00 till 16:00. All are welcome. Equipment is provided, just wear
suitable footwear. All types of work required including litter picking and
clearing weeds from graves, plus any other jobs that need to be done. We
particularly need knowledgeable gardeners.
The main purpose is to try and keep the church and churchyard in a
reasonable state of appearance as there is no longer anybody responsible
for this task available from the congregation on a regular basis. The Friends
of St Mary’s membership is open to all willing helpers whether members of
St Mary‘s or other churches or just interested members of the public who feel
the church and churchyard is worthy of looking after. There are no
membership charges, however any donations to cover costs would be
appreciated. To start off we are meeting on the first Saturday of each month
from 14:00 till 16:00. We have had several sessions to date and have
removed ivy from several gravestones although they still need some work on
them. We have deadheaded the roses, removed a broken bough and also a
few of the many weeds in the flower beds. But to make a real difference we
need more volunteers.
Please pass this information on to your neighbours as they might like to help.
For further details please contact me.
Tony Lathey (01689 872742)
SOCIAL CLUB
Second Tuesday of the month 13:30 to 16:00
Tony Lathey (01689 872742)
COFFEE MORNING
Second Saturday of the month 10:00 - 12:00 (Cost £2:00)
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J
A JAR OF JaM
aM children have been organising a run/walk to sponsor Timantti (a
former member of JaM) for her trip to Tanzania to teach Maths and
English to the children. Our walk/run was held on a Sunday afternoon,
and Timantti raised over £700. Most of the younger crowd ran, including
Paul and Jane! The JaM leaders and others walked! There were
refreshments at St Andrew’s thanks to Malcolm Hubbard, and also at St
Mary’s (for the winners!)
We walkers had time to look more closely at the wildlife of Riverside
Gardens.
Here’s a poem:
A dry day for us to see, the little egret’s nesting lee.
How the river laps around the pebbly shore where butterworts abound.
It’s the time of year for redwings, joyous from the branch he sings.
Not as tuneful as the thrush, but we listen voices hush.
Wandering down the River Cray, the early hazel finds a way
To push its buds out from the dark, and show us spring has made its mark.
The sunlight through the clouds does pierce, the glory of nature’s fierce
Breaking of the winter’s hold on hawthorn blossoms to behold.
Along the allotments’ brand new path, passed the bear, false or real?
Workers making good their plots, to the sound of church’s peal.
We’ve walked along the winding path, in sunshine but a wintry breeze.
To St Mary’s warming hearth, smiling runners and Jane’s teas!
Jackie Cook
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RESTORATION NEWS
WE ARE RARING TO GO
On March 18 we hosted a Faith
in Maintenance day course run
by the Society for the Protection
of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).
The day drew a great group of
churchwardens,
incumbents
and people caring for their
ancient churches from across the diocese and beyond. It was wonderful to
see St Mary’s church centre (hall) full. The course focused on various
aspects of maintenance particular to ancient buildings. Bearing in mind they
were not built to today’s regulations and have borne the well-meaning
intentions of countless generations all thinking they were preserving the
architecture well. The highlight of the day was the tour of St Mary’s when the
participants put their new knowledge to the fore and identified all the things
we will need to do to preserve St Mary’s building into the future. Our sermon
on Palm Sunday reinforced our commitment to the building as a spiritual
place of prayer and worship. If the people are silent these very stones will cry
out. We want to ensure that is true.
April 6 A group who are training to be church guides are visiting St George’s
Gravesend to see how it is done. St George’s is particularly famous as the
resting place of Pocahontas. The vicar of St George’s came to St Mary’s to
train the group in guiding last month. If you would like to train and go on the
trip please speak to Jane. We need people to speak out the story our church
tells of God’s love and faithfulness.
April 10 we have our third Light Music for a Lazy Sunday Afternoon. This
time the performers are the Ilyrica String Quartet and members of the Croft
Poetry Club. Come along for an afternoon of relaxing music, fun poetry and a
chance to enjoy the historical setting of St Mary’s. These concerts draw
people from across the community who out-number the members of the
congregation. So come to redress the balance and delight in those who visit
St Mary’s. Concert tickets £7.00 including refreshments are available from
Jackie Cook.
April 11 The building works are scheduled to begin. We have the go ahead
from Heritage Lottery and restoration of the spire will run for 12-16 weeks.
There will be no disruption to services during this period, so don’t stop
coming to church, in fact come more! We could use this time to start on
some of the jobs we identified at the SPAB course, and we need your
practical love and care for the building. Speak to Peter Moyle if you would
like to be involved.
Rev. Jane Winter
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ALLAH HU MA’NA WA RU AL-QUDUS MA’NA AITHAN
I
read that, at St George’s Church, each service begins with the above
words. Recently, I heard that Andrew White was going to be at St Mary’s
Green Street Green on the evening of 13 April.
Perhaps we feel our faith to be unfairly challenged, under fire. The Christian
community at the church of St George in Iraq regularly faces the threat and
reality of being kidnapped, killed and bombed.
The words in the heading mean God is here, his Holy Spirit is here. In 2011
Canon Andrew White, who was known as the Vicar of Baghdad, until he was
forced to leave the country for his own safety, wrote this about his St
George’s community:
‘We do not escape the terrible suffering of this place, far from it, we are so
often under fire, but we have the
faith and purpose and the
presence of the Almighty to sustain
us. The experience of his presence
is more real to us than anything
else.’
How do challenges to our faith
compare
to
those
of
the
community of St George’s, whose
faith is under fire? What is our
response to the need for
reconciliation in the world and
particularly in the Middle East, where Canon Andrew has been so active,
through his Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East
(FRRME)? How about responding by coming to the meeting on 13 April at
19:30 for a prompt start at 20:00.
You need to pre-book with the Parish Administrator on 01689 852905
(mornings only) Monday to Thursday or via
http://www.smasch.org/andrewwhiteevening.htm .
These thoughts were initially prompted by the book Faith under Fire by
Canon Andrew White. Let me know if you would like to read it.
Malcolm Deering
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CROFT POETRY CLUB EVENTS IN
APRIL 2016
A
pril 2016 will be a busy month for the
Croft Poetry Club. It brings the 400th
anniversary of the death of William
Shakespeare (1564 – 1616). My encyclopaedia
describes Shakespeare as ‘The greatest of
English poets and dramatists’. At our monthly
meeting on 7 April his poetry will be our theme.
He wrote 154 sonnets that are rich with language, music and imagery. (‘Shall
I compare thee to a summer’s day?’). Not only that but each sonnet is
impeccably correct in its structure, rhythm and rhyme. That is no mean feat.
Try writing one and you’ll see what I mean!
On 10 April the Croft poets will join with the llyrica String Quartet to present
A Lazy Sunday Afternoon concert of music and poetry at St Mary’s Church.
Please come and enjoy! (15:00 – 17:00)
It will be another gig for the Croft Poets on 21 April when we recite Poetry of
Kings and Queens at St Paul’s Cray branch library. It is the date of the 90 th
birthday of our Queen Elizabeth II. Come and join us for patriotism and
poetry! (11:30 – 12:45)
Last but not least we will publish on 10 April a little booklet Raising the Roof
featuring the art and poetry of Croft Poetry Club members and friends. You
will find these most apt local words from Lisa Winton:
St Mary Cray Church, a precious find
A jewel in the Crays
The congregation so kind
Jerry Dowlen
ST MARY’S JUMBLE SALE AND COFFEE MORNING
W
e had an interesting coffee morning and jumble sale on
13 February. We made approximately £200 and also gave £22 from
cake sales to Tamantii to add to her cake sale coffers for her trip to
Tanzania to help teach children English and Maths.
Sunday afternoon 14 February saw another successful musical event. Cakes
were also sold for the Tanzania trip. (Total amount raised not yet known)
Joyce Ozsvald
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W
SURPRISED BY JOIE DE VIVRE!
hen I was a child we spent our summer holidays as a family at
Butlin’s Holiday Camp. One week away at Whitsun at Clacton-onSea in Essex. My mum and sister suffered quite badly from travel
sickness, so getting there and back was a bit of a fraught time for them.
Once we were there, there were always plenty of things to enjoy.
When I was around nine or ten years of age my dad announced that he had
planned a couple of surprises for the two of us during the week away. A dad
and his lad doing some extracurricular activities if you like. One of them was
to be a coach trip to Constable Country.
‘You do know who Constable is don’t you Billy?’
‘Course I do dad... he was a famous poet!’
Mum and Iris were happy to potter around in camp, saunter down to nearby
Jaywick Sands or take a short bus ride to Holland-on-Sea.
Tuesday arrived and we boarded the coach outside the main gates. We were
heading for Flatford Mill. I was really excited. I loved adventures and the
weather was beautiful. We arrived at our destination
and meandered towards the river and the celebrated
mill.
‘Where is it then dad?’
‘Where’s what?’
‘The mill.’
‘It’s right in front of you.’
‘That’s not a windmill!’
It had never occurred to me that there were two types of mill. I was expecting
something quite different. Was I disappointed? No. The whole area was
stunning. It was infused with a tranquillity that seemed almost palpable.
Suddenly I was hit by a wave of delight. I felt I was in paradise. The sun was
shining and the scenery was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I spent the
rest of the day walking around in a kind of dream.
I didn’t realise it at the time but I was probably having a bit of a mystical
experience. That moment helped shape the rest of my life. I later understood
that the best things in life really are free although they cost you everything
and the second best things are inexpensive but also priceless!
John Constable (1776-1837) was an English landscape painter, noted
particularly for his skill in rendering atmospheric effects of changing light.
Flatford (water) Mill is located in Flatford near East Bergholt in Suffolk on the
River Stour. It is owned by the National Trust and is situated in the Dedham
Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Bill Willis
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F
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
irst know your dragon.
Dragons do not exist you will reply! I remember preaching at an
evening service one St George’s Day and saying exactly that; dragons
do not exist. On the way home what should I spot, not one but two dragons,
clearly they do exist, at least in stone form!
Dragons feature in mythology as the symbol of the Devil, destruction and
danger, something to be feared and something to be placated, often with the
gift of a human life. Triumphing over the dragon as in the book of Revelation
was a symbol for good triumphing over evil.
St George is reputed to have slain a dragon to rescue a princess. There are
plenty of pictures describing this battle. The stories date to the 12 th century
long after George died.
Actually George was a soldier living in Palestine. He
stood up against the Roman persecution of Christians
and was martyred for his belief c.303 AD. Following the
crusades soldiers returned to England full of stories
about the bravery of George and he eventually became
our patron saint replacing Edward the Confessor. We
celebrate his day on 23 April.
So are dragons a thing of the past? Well not according
to the Harry Potter stories! Plenty of dragons appear
there and fairy tales featuring dragons are still popular.
That is because the battle between good and evil still rages. There may be
no real fire-breathing dragons but there are plenty of examples of evil and
stories of brave individuals who seek to stand up to what is harmfully wrong.
We could become all nationalistic and join the campaign for making St
George’s Day an English holiday, but that might lead us onto the slippery
slope to exclusion which was clearly not what George was about.
Alternatively we could see in George a desire to serve others because of a
love for God. We can do the same. First know your dragon. What injustice
will we fight in the name of Jesus? We can be sure that Jesus has something
in mind that he wants each of us to fight against. There is a little bit of St
George in us all because we too are Christlike. We are Christians.
Rev Jane Winter
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FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART
APRIL FOOLS’ DAY
I
n years gone by, the rules surrounding April Fool were this: between
midnight and noon on 1 April, everyone is ‘fair game’ to be made a fool of.
It is the morning of the practical joke. But the aim is not just to discomfort
the victim: he must be tricked into taking action himself, sent on a ‘fool’s
errand’.
And so children would be sent to the dairy for a pint of dove’s milk, or to the
bookseller for The Life of Eve’s Mother. Practical jokes on a bigger scale
were played: in 1860 a vast number of people received an official looking
invitation to the Tower of London that read: ‘Admit the Bearer and Friends to
view the Annual Ceremony of Washing the White Lions.’ Precisely the same
trick had been played in 1698.
Then, on the stroke of noon, tradition decrees, April Fools is finished. If
anyone attempts devilry thereafter, even while the clock is still striking, it
recoils on his own head. A child would then race through the sing-song
formula: ‘April-Fool-Day’s-past-and-gone-you’re-the-fool-and-I-am-none!’
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Courtesy of www.parishpump.co.uk
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PRAYERS FOR HM THE QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY PUBLISHED
H
er Majesty The Queen has approved prayers written for the
celebration of her 90th Birthday. Two prayers (or Collects) have been
published in traditional and modern forms. The prayers are primarily
intended for use in services marking the national celebrations in April and
June. In addition two graces have been published for use as thanksgivings
at the start of other celebrations such as street parties.
The Bishop of Exeter, Robert Atwell, who chairs the Liturgical Commission
which prepares liturgy for the Church said: ‘The Queen has steered Britain
through some challenging and difficult times over the past seven decades,
providing the country with stability and wisdom. She is an inspiration to many
people, young and old. The Queen’s 90th birthday gives an opportunity not
only to thank God for her service, but to celebrate the gifts of all older people
in our society.’
One of the graces reflects the words used in The Queen’s first Christmas
broadcast in 1952, a year in which her father, George VI died and at the end
of which she was looking forward to her Coronation, the following year.
Churches are being encouraged to share their plans to mark Her Majesty’s
birthday through the Church Care website, which also offers tips and advice
on planning events and services and will promote initiatives on a dedicated
celebration map and on Twitter through @CofE_ChurchCare using
#HMQ90.
Website for celebration planners - http://www.churchcare.co.uk/aboutus/campaigns/our-campaigns/queen-s-90th-birthday
The national celebrations are on 10-12 June:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2015/Eventsto
markTheQueens90thbirthday.aspx
Courtesy of www.parishpump.co.uk
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THE LENTEN BOARD
GAME
D
uring Lent there were
a series of meetings
held to encourage us
to think about this period in
the church’s calendar and
what it means to each of us.
These
meetings
were
different from the usual
church
group
meetings
where a single topic is
introduced and perhaps a
leader has delivered a short talk enlarging on it, followed by discussion of the
topic. This year, Paul and Jane improved on this format. They had devised
a Lenten Game, a board game based on the familiar game of Monopoly.
A board had been marked out similarly to the Monopoly board with various
coloured squares and sets of different coloured cards to match. The players
took it in turn to throw the dice and move the markers according to the
number thrown. According to the colour of the square on which one landed,
a card of the same colour was picked up. These cards had statements and
questions and after everyone had a turn and picked up a card, we disclosed
in turn what our card said and expressed our thoughts about it. For instance,
a card might ask; what is the 4th or 5th etc commandment and how does this
fit in with our British values? Another card would read, How does our
Christian faith support the British value of our love of sport and fair play . The
player then had to give their answer and also the reasoning behind it. The
rest of the group would then join in and give their thoughts and opinion, and
a general discussion would take place. Everyone could give their personal
interpretation and explain their thinking. The result made for very lively and
provocative sessions.
It
was
very
interesting to listen
to
the
different
approaches to the
questions and also
to find that someone
else may have a
completely opposite
interpretation
and
understanding
to
oneself. New ways
of looking at some
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old beliefs and accepted trends were expressed. It was interesting to hear
the different opinions of some familiar precepts, emphasising how different
we all are and how much we may vary in what we feel are common values.
It was also very good to have one’s beliefs and opinions challenged and in
some cases changed by seeing things through others’ eyes.
There was a common theme running through most of the questions, that of
British values. We all assume that these values mean the same to us all.
Often they do but it is surprising how we can adapt these values to fit in with
our own beliefs and opinions. Most of our values and attitudes are based on
the teachings of Jesus Christ. It brought home to me how big a part
Christianity plays in many of our political values as well.
Everyone agreed that the game was a good idea. Perhaps we might produce
an Advent game or even one for each season of the church’s calendar.
Evelyn Magee
DID YOU KNOW? – ANOTHER ‘FLICK’ THROUGH HISTORY
W
e have now seen the new
cinema
open
in
the
Walnuts.
I have a vague recollection of the
Commodore Cinema, which was in
the current area near McDonalds at
the War Memorial. However, did you
know that there was a cinema, only a
short walk from St Andrew’s
Church?
In 1911, a cinema, The Palace, was
opened in what is now Carlton Parade. According to one account, it looked
very posh inside but was known as the bug hutch, because it was infested
with fleas. Cheaper seating, at the front, was on wooden trestles and the
capacity was 400. Apparently, admission prices were between 4d (one and
two thirds pence!) and 6d (two and a half pence!) for two full-length films and
a cartoon. In the 1930s the cinema had its own electricity generator, which
could be heard chugging away from within the cinema. Apparently, schools
often took children to see films about different dangers, such as a film about
the hazards of fire. The cinema was renamed The Carlton in 1951 and
closed in 1959.
Do you know some history about parts of areas close to our benefice? If so,
why not write it down and offer it to Brenda Smith for the magazine?
Malcolm Deering
My principal source is - http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/446875.Silver_screen_memory/
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HALL FOR HIRE
Have you thought of
hiring St Andrew’s
fully equipped
church hall for a
function? If you are
interested please
contact the Parish
Office on 01689
823775. The hall is
usually available
evenings, weekends
and during the day
out of term time
St Mary’s hall is also
available for hire
most days and/or
evenings. Please
contact Sue
McDonald on
07914360625
Funshine Club
St Andrew’s
Toddler Group
Every Wednesday during term
time
We meet in St. Andrew’s Church
Lower Road.
Car Parking in St Andrew’s
Church Car Park
£1.00 per Adult,
Children free
(Includes craft activity,
tea/coffee, squash and biscuit)
Enquiries to: Sarah Rideout
0794 1020724
We are a very friendly group for
babies to preschool children, Mums,
Grans,
Dads, Grandads, Childminders &
Carers.
Please come along & join in the fun.
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20
_________________________________________________________THE CRAYFISHER
Please contact me on 07799 767036
or [email protected]
All work carried out to BS 7671 2015 17th Edition
Wiring regulations
Inspection & testing – Rewiring – Additions Alterations
Part P registered with NAPIT who provide a 6 year
guarantee
www.mc-electrician.co.uk
21
_________________________________________________________THE CRAYFISHER
COFFEE, CHAT AND CRAFT
AT ST MARY’S CHURCH CENTRE (HALL)
Join us for a fun Saturday afternoon on 9 April
between 14:00 and 17:00
Drop in for a drink and a piece cake and chat (£2.00) If you’re
feeling crafty bring your own (£3.00) or join the class (£15.00)
In the class we will be making a never ending card, getting
messy with shaving foam (a not so messy alternative will also
be available) and a boxed card
For more details and to book a crafty space contact
Elaine Chapple
01689 874325
22
_________________________________________________________THE CRAYFISHER
Friday 1 April from 15:00 to 17:30
For 11 years and younger (U or PG rated)
Friday 8 April at 17:00 (12 rated and above)
For 11 years and up
Tickets £2 refreshments also on sale however free
drinks and popcorn
Bring extra money for pizza (£1 per slice) All the
proceeds will go to Timantti's trip to Tanzania where
she will teach maths and English to local children
Thank you
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_________________________________________________________THE CRAYFISHER
St Mary’s Church Restoration Committee
working in partnership with
Ilyrica String Quartet and Croft Poetry Club
Presents:
Music and Poetry for an
Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Popular light classics and poetry
Sunday 10th April 2016 3pm - 5pm
St Mary’s Church
High Street St Mary Cray
Featuring:
Sylvia Seaton: violin
Becky Diggens: violin
Philippa Kent: viola
David Lee: ‘cello
Members of the Croft Poetry Club
Tickets: £7.00 (under 16’s free)
including refreshments
Tickets from: 01689 810451
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