May 2022 Link

Priest Who do I contact? Calls to the in Charge Interim Minister Parish Office Parish Office Holy Trinity, are monitored St Barnabas, 01228 & St Luke’s Rev BarrieThomas 538983 regularly Geoff Brown Readers Richard Stewart Geoff Bland Local Lay Maria Authorised Gemma Minister Holmes Lay Minister McManus (Outreach & Angela & John (Safeguarding) Mission) Hewitt (Pastoral) Enquiries 01228 & PCC St Barnabas 536574 Secretary Churchwarden Yvonne & Swainson (Safeguarding) Enquiries Foodbank Lead) Enquiries Parish Office alisonosayer (also Electoral Roll St Luke’s Alison @btinternet.com HT & StB) Sayer Link Magazine Donations are always very welcome Don’t forget to Gift Aid if you pay tax as we can reclaim an extra 25% We also have Contactless machines for both churches 01228 538983 for the Parish Office Vestry Hour: IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED Mondays 6-7pm to arrange Baptisms, Weddings or for General requests. Contact the Parish Office . Information can be checked on www.achurchnearyou.com 2

What’s going on? Sundays; Services will be at St Barnabas at 10am and at St Luke’s at 10.30am Holy Communion is usually taken in one kind only, although some priests may also give the wine by “intinction” (bread is dipped.) Reintroduction of the common Communion cup is under discussion. Please make your opinion known to a member of the PCC. 10.30am 10am Wednesday 10am St Luke’s St Barnabas St Barnabas Sunday 1st May G Brown Barrie Wednesday 4th Nina Orchard Gemma Maria Sunday 8th Wednesday 11th G Bland Barrie Richard Sunday 15th Wednesday 18th Barrie Eleanor G Bland Sunday 22nd Wednesday 25th Maria Barrie/Richard G Brown Sunday 29th Wednesday 1st June TBA St Michael’s Maria Sunday 5th June Sunday 5th June is Pentecost (Whit Sunday) as well as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There will be cake and fizz (or juice, tea/coffee) after the service at St Barnabas. Further details of services will be available on the tp4c facebook page and achurchnearyou website as soon as they are con- firmed. There are children’s areas at the front and back of both churches. 3

IT WAS ONLY THE WIDTH OF A BOAT! It was only the width of a boat! Oh, so close we may declare, but the old saying of ‘a miss is as good as a mile’ still rings true doesn’t it! So what was it that was only the width of a boat away? Well, read John 21. This is the account of a failed attempt of the disciples to do something in their own strength, something that was not done on the instruction of Jesus. Jesus had given a message for the disciples to wait for him in Galilee on a mountain-side, but where do we find them in that account? Gone fish- ing! Seven of the disciples, had become tired of waiting for Jesus and so decided to fill their time doing what they knew from their past lives as fishermen. Was this sensible, well, it certainly wasn’t what Jesus had asked of them and it resulted in a long, hard night’s work without a single fish being caught. Failure is what happens when we choose not to listen to Jesus. Their commitment to obeying Jesus had wavered, they’d resorted to that which they thought they knew and so they had failed miserably. They were so frustrated that they even took advice from a man on the beach, ‘put your nets down on the other side of the boat’ he shouted. This was the wrong side of the boat but not one of the experienced fishermen questioned him, they did as he told them, and they had to struggle to bring in catch of fish so many being caught! Unknown to them that man was Jesus but when they saw the success of the catch suddenly Peter recognised him! In their own strength, they had experienced total failure yet they had only been the width of a boat from success! Imagine that! Then, in obeying Jesus, they caught more fish than they could drag ashore! Is that not a lesson for us today? Do we ever think we know best, can we be guilty of ignoring Jesus and only listening to our own ideas about what to do, only to experience failure? Remember, without listening to Jesus, failure can only be the width of a boat from success, but with Jesus with us, success is possible. Let us stay focused on the voice of the risen Jesus and share in the success and joy he will bring to our labours. Barrie 4

Rogation Sunday (Sunday before Ascension: Sunday 22nd May) Rogation means an asking of God - for blessing on the seed and land for the year ahead. It is appropriate in any emergency, war, plague, drought or foul weather. The practice began with the Romans, who invoked the help of the gods Terminus and Ambarvalia. In those days a crowd moved in procession around the cornfields, singing and dancing, sacrificing animals, and driving away Winter with sticks. They wanted to rid the cornfields of evil. In about 465 the Western world was suffering from earthquake, storm and epidemic. So Mamertius, Bishop of Vienne, aware of the popular pagan custom, ordered that prayers should be said in the ruined or neglected fields on the days leading up to Ascension. With his decision, ‘beating the bounds’ became a Christian ceremonial. Rogation-tide arrived in England early in the eighth century and became a fixed and perennial asking for help of the Christian God. On Rogation-tide, a little party would set out to trace the boundaries of the parish. At the head marched the bishop or the priest, with a minor official bearing a Cross, and after them the people of the parish, with schoolboys and their master trailing along. Most of them held slender wands of willow. At certain points along the route - at well-known landmarks like a bridge or stile or ancient tree, the Cross halted, the party gathered about the priest, and a litany or rogation is said, imploring God to send seasonable wealth, keep the corn and roots and boughs in good health, and bring them to an ample harvest. At some point beer and cheese would be waiting. In the days when maps were neither common nor accurate, there was much to be said for ‘beating the bounds.’ It was still very common as late as the reign of Queen Victoria. Certainly, parish boundaries rarely came into dispute, for every- one knew them. (Do you know yours today?) 5

Men’s Breakfast is on the first Saturday of the month. good Meet at the Royal Scot on Langrigg Road at 10am for a breakfast and a good crack. The next ones are on Saturday 7th May and 4th June Please let us know if you might like to come along . Women’s group - the next women’s group meal at The Museum Inn (Moorhouse Road) is on Tuesday 17th May at 6pm. If you would like to come along you would be more than welcome- we have a 2 course meal for £5, and spend lots of time talking about all sorts of things! Please do see Maria or Gem- ma if you would like more information or to join us. St Luke's Women’s Fellowship takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 2pm. New members are very welcome, enquiries to Dorothy Gray 01228 530271 There are still quite a few stitched kneelers at Holy Trinity Church and we re- ally would like to make sure that if you had one there and would like it back you do get it- Please get in touch with Yvonne if this applies to you. St Luke’s APCM St Luke’s APCM meeting was held on the 5th of April- The PCC members are: Rev Barrie Thomas (Chair) Alan Welsh (Treasurer), Gemma McManus (Secretary), Maria Holmes (Lay Minister), Garry English, Matthew Webster, Nigel Orchard. The safeguarding officer for St Luke’s is Gemma McManus. It was a great chance to catch up on how well the services are going at St Luke’s after being restarted at the beginning of March. The amount of work that has been undertaken in the past year has been amazing- and we give thanks to all those who help keep St Luke’s running. We also give thanks to Pete Brown who stepped down as church warden in December for all the work, often unseen, he did in the time he was warden and the ongoing support he is providing to the PCC. There were a number of reports given to the meeting (Financial report, overview of minutes from May 2021 to April 2022, Community activities, safeguarding, electoral roll, foodbank, women’s fellowship) and if you would like to see them please do just ask! Gemma 6

Holy Trinity and St Barnabas APCM The APCM for Holy Trinity and St Barnabas was held on the 19th of April- The PCC members are: Rev Barrie Thomas (Chair) Yvonne Swainson (Treasurer, Church Warden), Gemma McManus (Secretary), Maria Holmes (Lay Minister- Mission and Out- reach), John Hewitt (Acting Church Warden), Angela Hewitt (Acting Church Warden), Richard Stewart (Reader), Geoff Bland (Reader), Aileen Baty (Vice chair), Margaret Harrison, Susan Thompson. The Safeguarding officer for Holy Trinity and St Barnabas is Yvonne Swainson, Electoral roll officer is Alison Sayer. The amount of things that happen within the parish is something to be celebrat- ed! We are so blessed by the number of people who give up hours and hours of time to support the ongoing work of the churches and sharing Jesus with those around us. There were a number of reports given to the meeting (overview of minutes from May 2021 to April 2022, Community activities, safeguarding, electoral roll, foodbank, St Barnabas fabric report, update on Holy Trinity Church closure, Mothers Union) and if you would like to see them please do just ask! The financial report will be available in the next few weeks. We give thanks to all those who continue to support the ongoing works of the parish, and their families who must sometimes wonder if they have moved into the church! We thank Alison for all the work that goes in to The Link each month, and thanks go to Jannette King who stepped down as church warden in December for all the work she did with Yvonne cataloguing the many items in Holy Trinity Church and hall- not a quick job at all! Gemma The following funerals FUNERALS have taken place recently: 9/2/22 Mary Hodgson- St Barnabas 18/2/22 Catherine Wilkinson 29/3/22 Margaret Heinrichson (see page 8) 30/3/22 Elizabeth Graham 8/4/22 Ruby Morlin- St Barnabas then interment (See pages 18-19) 7

Easter Services It is always a true pleasure to preside or take part in any form at the Easter services which are always meaningful, solemn yet always with a clear view on the celebratory aspects of the season. Within our services at St Luke’s and St Barnabas, we commemorated Palm Sunday, a series of reflections for each day of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday and the stripping of the altar, Good Friday and the Hour before the cross, Sunrise Service in the cemetery and Easter Morning. It was a full week. While I valued each of the services and reflections, for each brought the opportunity to reflect on different aspects of the events of that first Easter, I think the most moving for me was the Sunrise Service in the cemetery. Owing to the pandemic, this service was not possible over the past two years meaning that we had not been able to celebrate together since Easter Sunday morning 2019. Not knowing how many would attend a sunrise service after such a gap in time (on top of that the service was 30 minutes earlier due to the time of the sunrise) it was a joy to see well over 60 people from a number of churches and denominations turning up to sing praise to God on this awesome day. Barrie Barrie Margaret Heinrichsons: from Alan Scott, Margaret’s nephew) Just a note to record our thanks to Rev Barrie Thomas for conducting the funeral service for my aunt, Margaret Heinrichsons, at the crematorium on Tuesday afternoon. People remarked afterwards that it was a nice service and that the minister did a really good job. He'd taken the time to meet with one of my cousins and me, and used his notes from our discussion to prepare a fitting family prayer, and to add to the draft tribute we'd prepared. After the service, with COVID restrictions etc the relatives clustered outside and spoke to each other, and we weren't absolutely sure who had attended from outside the family, but please pass on our thanks to anyone who was able to attend. We received £281 from a retiring collection, which we passed on to the Great North Air Ambulance Service, one of the charities my aunt supported. 8

Lectionary Readings for May : Year C Sunday 1st May Acts 9: 1-6, [7-20] John 21: 1-19 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 30 Revelation 5:11-14 Sunday 8th May Acts 9: 36-43 John 10: 22-30 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23 Revelation 7: 9-17 Sunday 15th May Acts 11: 1-18 John 13: 31-35 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 148 John 14: 23-29 or Sunday 22nd May Revelation 21: 1-6 John 5: 1-9 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 16: 9-15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21: 10, 22—22: 5 Thursday 26th May Acts 1: 1-11 or Luke 24: 44-53 Ascension Day Daniel 7: 9-14 Psalm 47 or 93 Ephesians 1: 15-23 or Acts Sunday 29th May Acts 16: 16-34 John 17: 20-26 7th Sunday of Easter/ Psalm 97 Sunday after Ascension Revelation 22: 12-14,16,17, 20,21 Sunday 5th June Acts 21: 1-21 or John 14: 8-17, (25-27) Pentecost Genesis 11: 1-9 (Whit Sunday) Psalm 104: 25-35, 37 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Romans 8: 14-17 or Acts Between the chocolate Bingo at St Barnabas in March and The Holy Beetle drive at St Luke’s there were many laughs, smiles and most importantly £493 raised to be sent to support people in Ukraine- We thank all who supported both of these, and please do continue to keep the people of Ukraine in your prayers. Acknowledgements go to www.parishpump.co.uk for many of the articles, prayers, puzzles & cartoons in this magazine. 9

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Across: 1 Overpowered (Deuteronomy 11:4) (11) 9 ‘The — are mantled with corn’ (Psalm 65:13) (7) 10 ‘Each man—a sword to his side’(Exodus32:27)(5) 11 On the death of Jesus the curtain in the temple was torn from— to bottom (Matthew 27:51) (3) 13 Stagger(Isaiah 28:7)(4) 16 ‘Anyone,then,who knows the good he ought——and doesn’t do it, sins’ (James 4:17) (2,2) 17 Stir up or provoke(Acts13:50)(6) 18 Burden(Luke11:46)(4) 20 ‘As far as the east is from the—,so far has he removed our transgressions from us’ (Psalm 103:12) (4) 21 Sign(Luke23:38)(6) 22 ‘After that,Jesus poured water into a basin and began to—his disciples’ feet’ (John 13:5) (4) 23 The nature of the seven ears of corn which swallowed up the good ears in Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41:23) (4) 25 Has(anag.)(3) 28 ‘This is the account of Shem,Ham and Japheth,—sons’ (Genesis 10:1) (5) 29 ‘I will...make them drunk,so that they...sleep for—and— awake’ (Jeremiah 51:39) (4,3) 30 Paul said of him,‘he often refreshes me and is not ashamed of my chains’ (2 Timothy 1:16) (11) Down 2 Worth (Matthew 13:46) (5) 3 ‘A bruised — he will not break’ (Matthew 12:20) (4) 4 ‘Suddenly a great company of the heavenly — appeared with the angel’ (Luke 2:13) (4) 5 Slip (anag.) (4) 6 ‘Take an awl and push it through his — — into the door, and he will become your servant for life’ (Deuteronomy 15:17) (3,4) 7 Bountiful (2 Corinthians 8:2) (11) 8 ‘Therefore, as we have — , let us do good to all people’ (Galatians 6:10) (11) 12 Acquire (2Timothy2:10)(6) 14 Container cover(Numbers19:15)(3) 15 ‘He...became obedient to death,even death on——!’ (Philippians 2:8) (1,5) 19 Refrain (1Peter2:11)(7) 20 ‘She began to—his feet with her tears’(Luke7:38)(3) 24 One who worships Brahma,Vishnu or Shiva(5) 25 ‘Give to everyone who—you’(Luke6:30)(4) 26 ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills;where does my—come from?’ (Psalm 121:1) (4) 27 One of those whom the Lord said would be taken from Jerusalem and Judah as Answers on page 17 judgment on them (Isaiah 3:2) (4) The Bible version used in our crosswords is the NIV. Crosswords reproduced by kind permission of BRF and John Capon, originally published in Three Down, Nine Across, by John Capon (£6.99 BRF). 11

A prayer for Ukraine Lord, we pray for Ukraine, a nation in which 70% of the population call them- selves Christian. You, Lord, make wars cease to the end of the earth; you break bows, shatter spears, and burn shields with fire [Psalm 46:9]. And so, we ask you now to save the lives of many people in Ukraine. De-escalate this crisis. We hear of wars and rumours of wars (Matt. 24:6], but you Lord are our rock, our fortress and our deliverer. Our hope is in you. And so we address the nations now. In the name of Jesus we say: “Be still and know God! He is exalted among the nations; He shall be exalted in the earth [Psalm 46:10]. Kyrie eleison – Lord have mercy. Ukraine burn our Answers on war shields rock page 17 cease fire fortress earth save deliverer break many hope bows lives in shatter crisis you spears Lord be still 12

The Revd William Mather is a retired vicar and still very active artist! He was moved to create this painting and wrote these words to accompa- ny it. We offer them to you to use as your church continues to pray for the suffering people of Ukraine. The Pain of Ukraine By William Mather Ideas for paintings come in all sorts of ways. The awfulness of the Soviet Aggression in Ukraine has been in all our thoughts and prayers. For me, it was that early image of the block of flats hit by a missile causing death, destruction and a gaping hole. With it came a reminder of Jesus on the cross and a gaping hole in His side from the soldier’s spear. The two came together in my mind and so a painting idea was born. With it came thoughts of the great Spanish artist Goya and his powerful etchings ‘The Disasters of War’ in protest over the French invasion and occupation 1810-1820. The Christian teaching is that Jesus died on the cross for our sin. None of us is blameless, not least the soldier with the spear or the Russians with the missile. But the poignant promise through the pain - even the pain of Ukraine – is that the message of the cross is more powerful than any tyrant. Through it comes peace in the heart that lasts for ever. 13















Girls Group- GG’s Girls Group is for girls aged 12 and above and we meet on a Thursday evening 6pm at St Barnabas Church- In the past few weeks we have played tennis, sang, made cards, spent lots of time talking and drinking hot chocolate! The sessions are so important to those who currently join us- it provides a warm safe space for them to come along and chat, off load, just to be teenagers without any pressures and be supported through (often difficult) situations in their lives. We would appreciate you all keeping the girls, their families, and the Girls group leaders in your prayers. Celtic Prayer – Caught Up in Love Edited by David Cole (Brother Cassian), BRF, £12.99 This rich collection of essays, conversations and reflections from 30 members of the Community of Aidan and Hilda distils the ancient wisdom of the Celtic Christians and applies it to the lived reality of contemporary readers. It can be helpful for anyone drawn to explore teachings about prayer from a Celtic perspective. It offers deep spiritual truths woven beau- tifully with usable prayers, ‘like a piece of Celtic knotwork flowing around the page of an illuminated scripture.’ As David Cole writes in his introduction: “Celtic Christian spirituality is about embodying the Divine in every aspect of your life, and prayer is a significant part of that.” 101 Great Big Questions about God and Science By Lizzie Henderson and Steph Bryant, Lion Children’s Books, £9.99 Have you ever wondered how the universe began, what the point of life might be, or whether God likes science? Then this is the book for you! 101 Great Big Questions asked by children with fascinating responses from leading experts in the areas of science, theology, philosophy and beyond! Explore questions about the universe from the Big Bang and beginnings to what might happen in the future. Discover what the experts think about: could humans ever become mermaids? do other animals have religions? why the Bible doesn’t mention dinosaurs? could Jesus get out of a black hole? and does God like aliens? Read personal stories from world class scientists and theologians about their experiences of exploring their own big questions about God, life, and the amazing universe we live in. Perfect for budding scientists, theologians, and all those curious about the really big questions of life. This exciting question and answer-based book for 7+ year olds to explore key questions asked by children about science-faith interactions. 21

Canon Paul Hardingham considers where Jesus is now. The Ascension :Thursday 26th May This month at Ascension Day, we remember Jesus ascending to ‘God’s right hand’ (1 Peter 3:22). It’s a somewhat neglected Christian festival, taking place on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter. However, this phrase is used in three different contexts in the New Testament. Sitting at God’s right hand Jesus occupies a position of power and authority at the centre of the universe, ‘exalted to the right hand of God’ (Acts 2:33). This position was secured by His death and resurrection, enabling us to experience the life of heaven, including eternal life, forgiveness, healing and the power to transform lives and communities. Is this our expectation and experi- ence? Standing at God’s right hand Our experience of heaven is only partial because of the presence of suffering and disappointment in our lives. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, saw Jesus ‘standing at the right hand of God’ (Acts 7:56), when being stoned to death. Do we see that Jesus is on the throne and has a purpose for our lives, even when we are going through setbacks and difficulties? As a result of Stephen's death, the church grew and the apostle Paul was impacted. Where do we see the fruit of the suffering in our lives? Praying at God’s right hand Finally, we are told that Jesus is ‘interceding for us’ at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34 & Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is on our side at the heart of the universe and fully knows our needs when praying for us. He is for us, even when we feel defeated by the wrong things in our lives. How does this help us now? So where has Jesus gone? Because He is in heaven, the Ascension opens up the possibility that we can experience the life of heaven, both now and in eternity. 22

ST BARNABAS WITH HOLY TRINITY MOTHERS UNION A few of us were able to attend the Maundy Thursday Service, many thanks to Rev Barrie Thomas for such a meaningful service. Our next meeting will be on the afternoon of Thursday May 12th at 2.30p.m for afternoon tea at The Castlegate Restaurant which is situated near Tullie House in Castle Street. Nancy will need definite numbers at least a week before this occasion. Please can you bring any donations raised from Count Your Blessings to this meeting. We were sad to learn of the death of our good friend Mrs Ruby Morlin, Ruby wasn’t a member of The Mothers Union but was always so supportive of us and we were so glad and privileged that she was able to lead us in worship on many occasions over a number of years, we will miss her very much. Thank you…..Margaret Harrison (Branch Leader) Dear Father in Heaven, As we thank you for May, this most beautiful of months, we are aware that not everything in your world is beautiful; not every attitude or action is beautiful, or kind, or just. There is so much pain and suffering in the world that we can sometimes feel overwhelmed. Help us, Lord to remember that Jesus came to bring all this brokenness together, to bring reconciliation and wholeness. Thank you that by His life, death and resurrection Jesus overcame death for ever. Thank you that He ascended into heaven so that the Holy Spirit could come to live in believers, to give strength and power and resilience, so that Your work goes on. Thank you that nothing in all creation - no evil attacks, no illness, no human powers, no circumstances at all - can ever separate us from Your love. We will not be overwhelmed as we keep our eyes on You. We may not always understand, but we acknowledge You to be the Lord, who reigns over all - and we are thankful. In Jesus name. Amen. By Daphne Kitching Amen. 23

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CONTACT DETAILS Are you new to the Parish or would like some further information about the different Parish activities? Please tick the information you require on the list below, send this form to the address given and the right person will contact you soon. Send your Parish Office request to: c/o St Barnabas Church Brookside, Carlisle, CA2 7JU Phone: 01228 538983 Name Address Postcode Telephone Email Baptism/Confirmation Bible Study Courses (Alpha, Footsteps, Called to Serve) Family Church activities Pastoral Visiting Prayer/ Healing Ministry Youth Organisations Link Magazine Parish Activities and Events Anything else? (Please note request in space provided)