BENEFICE WEEKLY NEWS

Sunday 24th April - Easter 2

Wilfred Owen Window - Open Days

Come along to see the designs for our church's new stained glass window.

There is a small exhibition of the entries to the 50th Annual Stevens Competition for stained glass designers, organised by the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, at All Saints Church. The church will be open to view these designs on Saturday 23 April, from 10.30-12.30pm and on Sunday 24 April from 2.30-4.30pm. Members of the Dunsden Owen Association and the PCC will be in the church to answer any questions. Of course, you can also see the exhibition informally if you attend a service at All Saints. 

Some of the 14 entrants made sample glass panels showing a portion of their design. Others are represented by copies of their designs on paper. You can see their full submissions here. We were lucky to be offered the opportunity to show the entries prior to the announcement of the competition winners in May. They will go from Dunsden to Ely Cathedral.

The Big Hymn Sing 2 - Sunday 1st May

After the success of our first Big Hymn Sing, we are pleased to offer another evening of favourite hymns and poetry on Sunday 1st May at 7pm at All Saints Church, Dunsden. Accompanied by Bournemouth organist Seán O’Connell and introduced by Adrian Vernon Fish.

Request your favourite hymn, also stating the name of the tune, by emailing Adrian before 24th April.

Boys’ Brunch - Monday 9th May

You are invited to our Boys’ Brunch in The Ark at Shiplake Church on Monday 9th May (second Monday of the month due to the Bank Holiday) from 10.30-12 noon. Join us for friendship and fellowship, bring a friend or come on your own. Let Paul Barrett know if you’d like to come, or just turn up!

Harpsden Garden Party - 26th June

Hi lovelies,

I hope everyone is keeping well and last year's postponed Garden Party  will now be held on the 26th June from 2pm - 5.30pm, by our very kind hosts Tracey and Jeff Ellis.

Tickets have been held over but could you please 'Save the date' and also, hopefully, () be happy to take a turn on the 'Cream Teas' rota or 'Treehouse' rota - keeping kiddies safe for max 30 mins.

All hands very, very welcome to make this a wonderful afternoon with all proceeds going to our beloved St. M's 

All love and blessings, 

Jo Taylor   xxx

Handchimes group
I am very pleased to tell you that a new handchimes group will be starting at Shiplake church after Easter. I'm planning to hold a weekly rehearsal each Friday at 4:30-5:30 for the group, starting on Friday 29th April 2022 in the Ark. If your child would be interested in this opportunity to play handchimes, and have fun too, please send an email to imhelen@gmail.com to book a space. Remember to include the following details:

• Child’s name and year group
• Parent’s name, contact number and email address

Thanks
Helen Lam

Praying for peace in Ukraine

Bishop Steven joined the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in calling for parishes and churches across the Church of England to pray for peace in Ukraine. Read the full message and find a prayer and resources for churches

Aid agencies are asking for donations rather than for us to collect and send things. If you want to donate, we would suggest the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) who are supporting local partners in Ukraine and neighbouring countries with food, water, shelter and medical assistance. You can donate here. Obviously there are other options available.

Managing increasing energy bills

Caroline Griffiths (Harpsden), has offered to help if you are worried about increasing energy costs and wondering if it might be a good idea to switch to save money on your bills. She is a partner with Utility Warehouse, but there is no obligation to use their services and Caroline is happy to chat and answer your questions. You can contact Caroline on 07854 635203 and find out more about UW here.

Youth Challenge Oxfordshire invitation

 Youth Challenge Oxfordshire (YoCO) is launching a new group in Henley this spring! We would be delighted if you would like to join us for the launch on 29^th April.  Do come and learn about YoCO, how the programme operates and the positive changes it brings to young people’s lives, and also meet the team.
This will be our 11th group since YoCO began in 2017. YoCO was set up 5 years ago to support young people aged 13-21, helping them to develop resilience and confidence. We run an exciting programme, designed and delivered by experts, which educates young people to manage and overcome challenges such as mental health issues, pressures of social media, bullying and peer influence to take unnecessary risks.  The groups meet weekly and are run by youth group leaders in central venues throughout Oxfordshire, with a professional team in support. YoCO’s aim is to ensure every young person has the opportunity to develop personal confidence and resilience to choose to live a rewarding life and contribute to society.  
Please find attached an invitation to the launch of the Henley Group, and we very much hope you can join us.  It will help our planning if you could RSVP. Please share this news with friends, families and colleagues and we look forward to seeing you on April 29th. 
 
With best wishes
 
Rachel Warren | Operations Manager
Youth Challenge Oxfordshire
www.yoco.online
07999 340597
Charity No: 1171054

St George's Day April 23rd

St George isn't just the patron saint for England. He also holds this position for Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to Saint Mark).

The flag of Saint George - a red cross on a white background - is England's national flag and is incorporated into the Union Flag (the UK's flag).

Who was Saint George?

Very little is actually known about George and there's a lot of stories about him that are full of myth and legend.

It is believed he was born in a place called called Cappadocia - an area which is now in Turkey - and he lived during the 3rd Century.His parents were Christians and, after his father died, his mother took George to live in the Middle East, where she was originally from. 
George became a Roman soldier but protested against how Rome treated Christian people badly.He was put in prison and tortured because of this, but he refused to turn away from his religious beliefs. He was eventually executed.It is said that the Roman Emperor's wife was so impressed by how George did not give up his faith that she became a Christian too. It is believed that she was executed in the same way George had been. 

One story many people think of when St George's name is mentioned, is that of him slaying a dragon. 
This story became popular when it was printed in 1483 in a book called The Golden Legend.

Legend has it that George came to a city called Silene, in a country called Libya, where there was a dragon. The people of the city were feeding sheep to the dragon every day to stop it from attacking them - but they ran out of sheep!

So they had to nominate people from the town to be sacrificed to the animal. 

When the king's daughter was selected, he tried to protect her - but the people of the town refused, saying that if they were expected to sacrifice their loved ones to the dragon, why shouldn't he?

George came across the princess waiting to be sacrificed to the dragon, and she told him what was happening in the town.The dragon turned up and George is said to have fought with the dragon and captured it, putting a collar round its neck.The princess led the defeated dragon into the city, and people were terrified when they saw it! George told them not to worry and put their faith in God. 

The town converted to Christianity and eventually the dragon was killed. 

One thing that we do know about St George is that he wasn't actually English. It is even believed that he may never have stepped foot in the country!

Why is St George the patron saint of England?

Some people have actually campaigned for St Edmund to be the patron of England, as they believe he is more English and more suitable for the title, but the country's patron saint has not been changed.

Back in the 14th Century, King Edward III (1327-77) was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and his knights that he founded something called the Order of the Garter around 1348. The Order of the Garter was a special group of knights (and it still exists today!).

He made St George the patron of this Order and its badge depicts George slaying the dragon, so St George remains an important symbol of knighthood in this country.

St George's Chapel was built at Windsor Castle by Edward IV and Henry VII, and made the official chapel for the Order of the Garter. 

English soldiers also used to wear the cross of St George on their fronts and backs. 

From the 14th Century, Saint George came to be regarded as a special protector of the English.

Join the Greenshoots Network

As part of the Environment Action Programme in the diocese, we are forming a network for all those engaged in environment action in their church, to share and exchange ideas and learn from each other. The aim is to link parishes together as we respond to the environmental crises facing our planet and work towards the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2035.
 
If you want to be part of the network and help build a more environmentally sustainable church, get in touch.