Monthly Archives: March 2021

A Sustainable Lifestyle?

A sustainable lifestyle?

At Billingsley and indeed throughout our benefice, we are privileged to live and worship in a rural setting, where we live in close proximity to the natural world. Many find comfort and sustenance from being alongside nature; some may even call this spirituality! From a Christian perspective, we recognise the world as God’s creation (albeit most of us would see God operating within the boundaries of the laws of science, starting with the “Big Bang” and proceeding by evolution). We are called to care and nurture the world, not to selfishly exploit it. As a result, we should try to live in as environmentally-friendly ways as possible. What this means in practice depends on individual circumstances; rural isolation means that most of us depend on cars! But we can at least periodically examine our lives, perhaps once a year, to see if we are doing all that we can. Below are some ideas; I am aware I need to apply some to my own life!

Every month, if you check the Highley Forum, available for download on every parish website within the benefice, you will find tips for more environmentally friendly living, written by Alistair McNaughton from Highley.

When you go shopping, select Fairtrade or other ethically-sourced goods if you can. Grow your own vegetables (if I can manage this, anyone can…). Look out for marks that show high standards of animal welfare such as Red Tractor (see https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/red-tractor-the-pros-and-cons-of-farm-assurance-schemes for a rounded view of this). Support our local producers; mixed arable and livestock farming has always been the bedrock of local agriculture, because of the soils.

Is it possible to share a car when you travel? Billingsley Church is awkwardly sited along a busy main road, but I do give people lifts when I go to do services (and of course, some people can walk!). Think about cycling! We have refreshment facilities in the church. Are there other ways you can reduce car use?

We have a council recycling scheme that makes it easy to recycle; please use it! Can you reuse items such as bags? Do you need that many bags in the first place? Recycle, re-use, reduce.

How energy efficient are you? Simply turning the TV or computer off rather than having it on stand-by makes a difference. Smart energy meters make it easy to track consumption. You can check on websites to work out your own carbon footprint, perhaps once a year (e.g. https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/ )

Do you invest your money ethically? Google “ethical banking UK” and do your own research!

 

David Poyner

Assistant Curate, Severn Valley Benefice

Home Group and other Zoom Events – week beginning 29th March

1) Wednesday Home Group, 7.00pm,

 

During Lent, we will be considering “Hard Questions”, picking up some of the issues raised in the Sunday Service (available on the Highley St Mary’s website). If you haven’t listened to the service, don’t worry, just come along and listen or join in with the discussion, as you want. This week, the question is, “Is factory farming compatible with Christian beliefs?”.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

 

 

2) Good Friday Meditation, 11.00am

 

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

3) Friday night prayer, 9.00pm

 

 

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

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No events next week.

 

 

Thought for the week, 28th March; Holding Truths

I write this at the end of the week that has seen the first anniversary of lock-down. We have had the first real spring sunshine; in spare moments I have been planting in the garden, anticipating the summer that lies ahead. But this has been against a background of the grim memories of the previous year; the interviews with people whose lives were torn apart over the last twelve months in ways which neither I nor they could possible have anticipated. And I honestly do not know what the future will be over the summer; I trust the vaccines will do their work, I am looking forward to being able to get out and about again but just over the Channel we observe the third wave starting. In Brazil, deaths are now running at 3000 a day. Those figures rather put into context my disappointment at cancellation of the Burwarton Show.

 

Against this background, the Christian Church moves into Holy Week. Those who follow this will be aware it is a roller-coaster of emotions; celebration on Palm Sunday and Maunday Thursday followed by the solemnity of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Easter Saturday is an in-between day, with the great rejoicing on Easter Sunday. Even those outside the church might notice the difference between a Hot Cross Bun and an Easter Egg! Holy Week is a lesson in how to hold together conflicting emotions. Good Friday tells of how we must face reality, that the worst can happen. But Easter Sunday points to an even greater truth; that when the worst happens, God still is; love still is.

 

Notice of St Mary’s, Billingsley Annual Parish Meeting – Changes!!!

THIS MEETING WILL NOW TAKE PLACE AT THE CHURCH ON FRIDAY 21ST MAY AT 4PM. WE ASK ALL THOSE WHO WISH TO ATTEND TO OBSERVE SOCAIL DISTANCING AND THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE

Billingsley St Mary’s Church: Notice of Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Church Meeting will take place on Wednesday 19th May at 7.30pm by Zoom; David Poyner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86235087765?pwd=Q3hPcUdaRGhuSnlXSndPdDdDdFVSQT09

The current electoral is available for inspection; please let David Poyner know of any changes or if you wish to join before Monday 3rd May (d.r.poyner@aston.ac.uk, 01562 68638).

 

Spring Clean and Preparing for Summer

 

On Sunday 21st March volunteers from the community worked hard at the church to prepare the grounds in readiness for the Summer. The churchyard is managed in such a way to support biodiversity. The south facing area has been mown and will now be left for a few months for the wild flowers to grow, flower and set their seeds before the area is scythed later in the year. The abundance of wildflowers provide nectar for pollinators and a niche for many insects and small mammals. The grassy paths have also been mown and will continue to be throughout the growing year. Whist attempts are made to keep the main path ‘weed free’ all other areas are deliberately kept in as natural state as possible.

At the end of March native hedging will be planted to fill in the gaps along the western perimeter of the churchyard. These have been kindly supplied by Shropshire Council as part of their Community Tree Scheme.

Covid restrictions permitting, we are hopeful that it won’t be too long before the volunteers from Caring for God’s Acre will once again be able to visit and assist in the environmental work being carried out at St Mary’s.

Inside, the church has been dusted, polished and swept in readiness for the commencement of services, the first of which will be held at 8.00am on Easter Sunday.

Anyone in the vicinity of the church on Sunday may have heard the organ playing. We were very fortunate to receive two visitors on Sunday, David and Theresa. Whilst enjoying the peace and tranquillity of St Mary’s, David played the organ which was wonderful to hear whilst working in the churchyard.

Anyone is welcome to come and sit and share this special place that is in our midst in Billingsley. On Sunday is was truly a delight to hear the bird song and see nature waking up for Spring. we are so very fotunate.

April Events 2021

14th Century Easter Sepulchre

14th Century Easter Sepulchre

St Mary’s Church, Billingsley

Events, April 2021

The medieval Easter Sepulchre in Billingsley Church

 

 

 

Easter Sunday, 4th April

8.00 am Easter Communion around the Easter Sepulchre

We will use Billingsley’s medieval Easter Sepulchre to dress the altar, as we celebrate the Resurrection.

 

6.00pm Sunday 11th April,

Holy Water and Holy Wells

From prehistoric times, water and wells have been considered holy. Come along to discover more about this, including some local holy wells (one in Billingsley?) we will visit later in the year.

 

8.00am Sunday 25th April,

Holy Communion

A simple service of Holy Communion to start the day.

 

David Poyner, assistant curate, Severn Valley Benefice.   Tel 01562 68638/ 0121 204 3997; email D.R.Poyner@aston.ac.uk  Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BillingsleyChurch/  or our websites, www.st-marys-billingsley.org.ukhttps://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/10415/

 

Thought for the week 22nd March – Dave Allen’s Black Cat

Dave Allen’s Black Cat

Growing up in the 1970s, one of my favourite TV programmes was “Dave Allen at large”. I’m guessing the age profile of my readers is such that he needs no introduction…. Very recently, BBC 2 ran a compilation of his monologues and sketches which for me, had lost none of their humour. He was brought up in Ireland at a time when the Roman Catholic church still held sway; perhaps not surprisingly, many of his jokes were about the church and Christianity. He was an atheist but I actually think he was a good theologian; those outside of faith can often ask the most penetrating questions. One of his sketches involved an argument between the Pope and an atheist. At the end, the Pope exclaims “you are like a blind man in a dark room, looking for a black cat that isn’t there”. The atheist responds; “so are you; the difference is that you think you have found the cat”.

 

Perhaps only a vicar could find a link between this and the Old Testaments prophets, but here goes…. The prophets constantly warned about idol worship, the making of false Gods. Of course, today we do not make images out of wood and worship them. But perhaps are idolatry is more subtle. We have our own pictures of God and we can dare to think that as a result, we understand God, forgetting that God is beyond our imagining. St Paul got it right when he spoke of now how we can only see through a glass darkly; we can indeed understand some truths about God; he is love, that he is faithful but we must always remind ourselves that she is also mystery, with the power to surprise. Beware of thinking we have caught the elusive black cat that can never be confined by human knowledge.

 

Home group and other Zoom events week beginning 22nd March

1) Wednesday Home Group, 7.00pm,

 

During Lent, we will be considering “Hard Questions”, picking up some of the issues raised in the Sunday Service (available on the Highley St Mary’s website). If you haven’t listened to the service, don’t worry, just come along and listen or join in with the discussion, as you want. This week, the question is, “Who does God support in a war?”.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

 

 

2) Friday Morning Prayer, 9.00am

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

3) Friday night prayer, 9.00pm

 

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

 

 

No more Sunday morning Zoom services as we are back in church!

 

 

Thought for the Week 15th March – Justice and Injustice

Justice and injustice

The news at the moment is full of stories about injustices, real or perceived. At the start of the week the focus was on the Royal family; a private dispute within a family that has become public. Then there was the grim news of the murder of Sarah Everard as she walked to her home in London. This has re-awakened the issue of male violence against women. Both of these stories have been accompanied by much comment on social media, avidly reported by the media.

 

Rightly or wrongly, some of the public reaction has left me feeling uneasy, particularly responses that seem to condemn groups or individuals based on very little evidence. The Bible takes much interest in justice; God is frequently described as a God of Justice, who cares for the oppressed and condemns the oppressors. There is a recognition that victims may need to express themselves in brutal terms to deal with what has happened. Those of a certain vintage may recall the pop group Bonny M having a hit single with a reggae version of Psalm 137; By the Rivers of Babylon. “There we wept, while we remembered Zion”. It’s an uplifting version of the psalm but they left out the last verse, addressed to the oppressors; “Happy is he.. who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks”. Injustice damages the victims in many ways; it can brutalise them, but the Bible recognises that all their emotions need to be brought before God for healing. Victims need justice. But justice must be directed against the actual perpetrators; it must be based on facts and any punishment must be proportionate. In John’s Gospel there is the story of how the Pharisees caught a woman in the act of adultery; they organised a mob who dragged her to Jesus in the hope he would allow them to stone her to death. But Jesus rejected the judgement of the crowd, the easy but lazy thinking that just sees stereotypes. He turned justice back on the mob, asking the one without sin to cast the first stone. When emotions run high and voices cry out for simple solutions, Jesus challenges us to seek justice but to ensure it is free from injustice.

 

You may want to listen to Boney-M, to see how they deal with this by changing the words of the Psalm 137; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmdTK3oeho4

Boney M. – Rivers of Babylon – with lyrics

By Giulia Zarantonello

www.youtube.com

Home Group and other Zoom events week beginning 15th March

1) Wednesday Home Group, 7.00pm,

 

During Lent, we will be considering “Hard Questions”, picking up some of the issues raised in the Sunday Service (available on the Highley St Mary’s website). If you haven’t listened to the service, don’t worry, just come along and listen or join in with the discussion, as you want. This week, the question is, “I can’t love myself so how can I love my neighbour? I can’t forgive a murderer”. Val Smith has already given her answer in a sermon.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

 

 

2) Friday Morning Prayer, 9.00am

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3592851895?pwd=cksyL0t5TlhFUURRenpxMG9yQTVhUT09

 

 

Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

3) Friday night prayer, 9.00pm

 

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3592851895?pwd=cksyL0t5TlhFUURRenpxMG9yQTVhUT09

 

Meeting ID: 359 285 1895

Password: 512607

 

 

 

4) Sunday Morning Prayer, 10.00am (Whilst lockdown lasts)

 

 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 860 9504 5519

Passcode: 589249