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If you have faith as small as a mustard seed.. Nothing will be impossible for you .. Matthew 17 v 20

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March 2008

Services in March

                                                                            March 2nd        Holy Communion with Junior Church

                                                                            March 9th         Holy Communion at 8 a.m.

                                                                                                     Family Service at 10 a.m.

                                                                            March 30th       Holy Communion at 10 a.m.

 

Holy Communion or Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 10am .  These half hour services are followed by coffee and fellowship.

 

Easter Services

 

                                                March 16th       Palm Sunday, 10am                                                     Palm Sunday Gospel

                                                March 17th       Worship, 7pm                                                                Dramatic exploration of Easter

                                                March 19th       ‘The Day after Tomorrow,’ 7pm                                    Viewing of DVD + discussion

                                                March 20th       Maunday Thursday, 7pm                                               Holy Communion followed by vigil

                                                March 21st       Good Friday, 10.30am                                                   Family Service

                                                March 21st       Good Friday, 12 noon                                                      Ecumenical Witness (Tile Hill green)

                                                March 21st       Good Friday, 2pm                                                            Quiet Hour

 

 

March 23rd      Easter Day, 10am

 

Holy Communion at St Andrew’s

 

St@PH (St.Andrew’s at Park Hill School ). Contemporary praise; meeting in the school hall at 10.30am .

 

                                                                                 Environmental Tips

Did you know that you can dispose of any unwanted items without just having to throw them away? 

You can advertise free of charge anything that you would like to see go to a good home, using the website detailed below.  The new owner will                 come and collect from you so that there is minimum inconvenience.  Have a look at the site: you may even find something you need.

 

                                                                        http://www.freecycle.org/group/UK/West%20Midlands/Coventry

 

Dear Friends

Easter is upon us before some of us have managed to get the Christmas decorations back into the loft.  It is the central celebration of the Christian church, which is why we need the six weeks of Lent to prepare for it.  However, Easter does not appear to hold the same place of affection in the hearts of the nation as Christmas.  Perhaps it’s to do with the children.  The fact that most of them would prefer a Nintendo Wii (my spellchecker recognises the word ‘Nintendo’, which ought to tell you something about the age in which we live) to a mountain of chocolate is part of the problem.  However, the fact that the Christmas story is more palatable to children also must make some difference.

Christmas is a story in which there is a baby, cuddly animals (does anyone remember the lobster that appears in ‘Love Actually’?), angels singing and above all wise men bringing gifts.  All this is supplemented by a man in a red suit and a beard who knows whether you’ve been good or not and rewards you ever more generously if you have.  Compared to all this, the Easter bunny has little going for it.  More than that, at the heart of the Easter story is a man dying an excruciating (literally) death.  Hardly something most parents feel comfortable sharing with their children.

All this is a shame. After all, the cross is the inevitable outcome of God coming to earth and making himself vulnerable to the terrors and trials of our world.  There is nothing more vulnerable than a tiny baby; nothing except perhaps a broken man nailed to a beam of wood feeling the life drain out of him.  It is an even greater shame however, because this is neither the end nor the point of the story.  This is a story about life not death.  The cross (which so many Christians wear including me) is a symbol of life, reminding us that he died so that we don’t have to.  Our liturgy talks about Jesus “bursting forth” from the tomb and some churches celebrate the resurrection with a firework display.  This is the real explosion of energy (a big bang if you will) that explains the universe.  Death could not hold him, nor need it hold us.

All this and much more will be celebrated this Easter at St Andrew’s.  We will have a Palm Sunday reading of the whole story; a Family Service on Good Friday morning; and Easter Sunday morning services at St Andrew’s and Park Hill School , which will culminate with the singing of “Thine be the glory, risen conquering son” – truly words of life, victory and joyous celebration.  All are invited.

Every blessing for a happy and holy Easter,

Greg Smith

 

From the Registers

Funerals
Bert Sale of Broad Lane, known as Bingo Bert at Allesley Hall where he called the numbers and to many in the Eastern Green community, where he was very active despite being 84 years.

 

Ray Green of Despard Road, a former cutter/grinder at the Morris, where he worked for more than 25 years, will be much missed by his wife June.

 

Rodney  Bainbridge:  Charter Chapel was full to overflowing at the funeral of Allesley Green resident Rodney Bainbridge.   As lead singer with sixties group ‘The Fortunes’, Rod had a string of hits including “Freedom Come, Freedom Go” and “You’ve got your troubles”. In 1965 he married Margaret and they set up home together in Coventry .

Here are some recollections from people who knew Rod:
“We have many fond memories of seeing and hearing him on stage, and chatting with him after the shows.  He always took the time to greet his fans with a cheery smile, and a friendly word.   Not only was Rod one of the finest singers in the country, he was a really nice man, and a true gentleman”.


“People who knew Rod will miss the man, people who didn’t know Rod will undoubtedly miss his unique voice.  I was fortunate enough to know Rod as the man and also lucky enough to have worked alongside him.   He was a true professional and a credit to the music industry”.

Connie Pickering.  Friends and neighbours in Eastern Green were sad to hear of the death of Connie Pickering. At her funeral service at St.Andrew’s Church, her son Terry gave this moving testimony:


      “It was just after the war and mum and I went in to the city centre on the tram.  We walked down a street piled high with rubble and two ragged boys emerged from the ruins.  Now, we were not rich, we were just a normal working class family, but Connie opened her purse and gave the boys some money.”


      Born in 1920 in Nuneaton , Connie lived all her married life in Upper Eastern Green Lane .  She will be sadly missed by her 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.  As a fitting tribute, her most recent grandchild, born in Australia , is to be named Alice Constance.

 

Alpha

St Andrew’s will be running its third Alpha course on Thursday evenings beginning April 10th.  The evenings take place at the Vicarage at 7pm and include a meal, a talk on some aspect of the Christian faith, followed by discussion in a small group.  The previous two courses have been extremely popular; providing as they do an opportunity to make new friends, ask whatever questions you have about faith.  The course is not prescriptive but gives everyone a chance to air their views and to learn from each other.  Anyone interested should contact Lesley Harrison on 7646 4614.

 

Eastern Green History Drama Production

Many of you will remember with fondness the production: Estend Greene, a history with a future that St Andrew’s Church produced in 2006.  Plans are afoot for a sequel, celebrating other aspects of our history together, with a performance in October.  We are looking for members of the community to help us in two ways.

First, anyone who would like to act and/or sing in the production should telephone Greg Smith (7642 2856).  Rehearsals will take place on Wednesday evenings.

Second, we are seeking to incorporate video interviews in the production.  These interviews will be with longstanding residents of Eastern Green.  If you have memories you would like to share or know someone else who might, please contact Greg Smith, as above.

 

Welcome to Eastern Green/Allesley Green

Am I the only one who wonders why no sign exists welcoming people to Eastern Green?  There are sign posts telling you how to get here, but none to tell you when you have arrived.  Worse, if you live in Allesley Green.  As far as I am aware, no sign exists anywhere in the city to tell you where Allesley Green is.  Do tell me if you agree that something ought to be done about this.  Greg Smith.

 

Police Surgeries

Police surgeries are to be held at St Andrew’s Church from March onwards

The purpose of these surgeries, which they intend to hold on a regular basis (on the first Wednesday at 2pm and Thursday at 7.30pm of each month), will be to make themselves known to the community they serve, to provide crime reduction information and advice as a proactive measure to reduce the opportunity for individuals becoming victims of crime, and also to answer any questions concerning crimes in the area.  Please do come along if you have any concerns or questions.

 

Lent Groups

It is not too late to attend the Lent Group being run at St Andrew’s on Wednesday evenings.  Each session is stand alone and the informal group is very welcoming.  The remaining sessions are:

 

March 5th at 7.30 p.m.

What’s the solution?  David & Frances Hawkey

March 12th at 7.30 p.m.  

Is the end of the world in sight?  Marc Catley

March 19th at 7 p.m.       

‘The Day after Tomorrow’ DVD (What is the biggest challenge facing the world today?)

 

Afternoon Tea Party.  In Aid of the Eve appeal for Ovarian Cancer, Saturday 29th March 2008 , 1pm – 5pm

Help bring awareness to Ovarian Cancer and the 1,000,000 women affected each and every year.  Tragically, in the UK alone, Ovarian Cancer claims the lives of 5000 out of 7000 women of all ages diagnosed every year.

PLEASE COME ALONG FOR A CUPPA, CAKE & HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR AN EXTREMLY WORTHWHILE CAUSE.

Please bring along friends, family, children, partners, work colleagues.  THE MORE THE MERRIER !

There will be refreshments, a raffle and individual stalls to help raise funds, along with the chance to sample green and black TEA.  If you are unable to attend the “Afternoon TEA Party” but would still like to make a donation — it would very much appreciated !  For any further information please call Lucy Dyer on 0779 375 2966

 

Children’s Society Boxes

The annual collection of the Children’s Society boxes will take place during February and March.  You can either take your box to church for collection or I will collect from your home.

I take this opportunity to thank you all for your generosity and continuing support of this very important and worthy charity.

If anyone reading this would like any information or would like a box, please telephone Jackie Lunch on 02476 467344.

Thanks again,

Jackie Lynch

 

DATE:             27th January 2008

TIME:               10.30am

VENUE:           Park Hill Primary School

EVENT:           St@PH

 

Why did six children run around the dining room at Park Hill School , searching under the tables, on top of cupboards and behind chairs?  Because they were looking for the lost sheep, of course!  Shaun (the sheep) was eventually found by Olivia, and rescued by Tom from on top of the freezer.

This St@PH service started with a welcome by Marc, group responses and a worship session led by Marc on guitar, Hannah “who hits things” and Caroline on piano.  They were ably assisted by Mark S, who projected the song words onto a screen for those unfamiliar with the contemporary tunes.  The children enjoyed singing and dancing before leaving the main service with Emma, Jo and Kirsten.

The children then spent their session listening to a child-friendly version of the parable that Jesus had told his followers (Matthew 18 v 12 – 14) and hiding their own cotton-wool covered sheep on a hillside scene.  They set about sticking their sheep behind flowers, trees, rocks and walls, while the older children decided to trick Marc by making it impossible for him to find their lost sheep.

The adults missed out on all this fun, and had to remain in the main hall listening to the proper Bible version of the Parable, Steve’s sermon and Sue’s intercessions.  I’m sure they had fun, but during the closing “Show and Tell” session they all seemed a little jealous of the work produced by the children, and appeared impressed when Bethany knew that if we got lost like the sheep, Jesus would come looking for us!

Come and join us for more fun, singing, activities and learning on Sunday 24th February, same time, same place.  Be there – or be lost like Shaun the sheep!

 

Eastern Green History Group

Geoff Barwick’s talk entitled ‘Could your Ancestors Spell?’ gave us something to think about, particularly not to trust census returns and other documents from long ago.  The April meeting will be on 7th April at 2pm in St Andrew’s Church meeting room.

 

Notice of Evening Meeting

A number of people have requested that the group hold one of its monthly meetings in the evening, as they are not able to attend those held in the afternoon.  Consequently, it has been agreed that the meeting on Monday 3rd March 2008 will be at 7.30pm .  Brian Stote will talk to us about ‘Twenty Years in the Life of a Victorian School .’  There will be a chance to view photographs and talk about memories of Eastern Green.  Anyone interested in attending should ring Maurice on 7669 5225 asap.

 

Eastern Green Golden Years

Our first outing of 2008 was to the Pantomime “Aladdin” at the Talisman Theatre in Kenilworth on 5th January.  Several members took grandchildren so there was plenty of audience participation from them – and the adults!  The costumers were wonderful, especially the Dame, and we all had a laugh when the Good Fairy announced towards the end of the Show she would be going home to enjoy a horlicks with some of her friends from the Eastern Green Golden Years Club!

At the meeting held on 17th January the £4 annual subscription was collected and there is now a waiting list for any new members as we have reached capacity.  Jean Stubbs was welcomed to the Committee and Barbara said if anyone was interested in becoming a committee member to please let her know.  She also thanked the people who volunteer to help in the kitchen with washing up, etc., at each meeting, as this is really helpful, especially with our increased membership. 

The AGM was held on 31st January, when all officers and committee were re-elected for the next twelve months.  Forthcoming events announced were:   Bedworth Civic Hall for a variety show, a concert at the Village Hall by the Peter Taylor singers and a fish and chip lunch so we have plenty to look forward to in the next two months.

June Orton. 

 

Budding Musical Talent in the Church

Thank you, Greg, for welcoming me into St Andrew’s Church to host an evening of music which was held at the end of January.  The concert was a great success and your lovely and comfortable church was a perfect choice of venue for eager parents and friends to watch their budding musicians perform, sometimes for the first time.

The performers consisted of those whom I teach at home and included some from one of the Coventry schools that I teach at in the week and their ages ranged from 5 years old to adult. They all learn piano or flute (or both in some cases) with me and they did themselves and their parents proud as they performed their favourite pieces.

Thank you for providing us with a place to share the wonderful gift of music together. I have a feeling that I will be in touch again soon to organise concert number two!

Thanks again,

Samantha Faulkner.

76467331 

 

Eastern Green WI

Yet another good evening last month.  One of our members offered to “go into the chair” and was practically sent to sleep – not through boredom but for the wonderful relaxation she experienced from undergoing reflexology.  It was so interesting to watch this being carried out and from our local practice.

We are not getting into our stride for the coming year and hopefully we will enjoy some warmer weather for our outings a little later on.  We have been invited to Berkswell W.I. for another of their delicious lunches and we are hoping to visit a garden in Kenilworth to admire thousands of snowdrops.

Each member was given bells – not for our toes – but four our purses as the Police are offering these in an endeavour to ut the number of purses being stolen, so if the sound of bells is heard in Eastern Green, it it more thanliekly coming from a W.I. member.  

Our next meeting on 5th March is a talk on the Women of Coventry and members have been asked to make up a limerick on this subject  … there was a  …. (you will have to come to hear the rest).  April bring us to the subject of the Memorial Park.  If you would like to join us, we meet in the Village hall on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm .  Give us a try, Beryl Allen, 76 466574

 

Spring Table Top Sale , Saturday 29th March 2008

In the village Hall, Church Lane , 10am to 12 noon

£5 if tables booked in advance, £6 on the day

Ring 76 464079 to book.  You are advised to book early.  Sellers 9am, buyers 10am

 

ALLESLEY & EASTERN GREEN RESIDENTS  ASSOCIATION

COVENTRY CORE STRATEGY.

 

Further to the open meeting held at the Eastern Green Village Hall last November, which resulted in a brilliant turnout, we are pleased to inform you that 840 of you signed a letter that evening, raising concerns and objections to the possible development of land to the north of Upper Eastern Green Lane . These were handed directly to Councillor O'Neill on the 29th of November. In addition to that a good number of you kindly took away letters for others to sign who in turn posted them on. It is understood this resulted in an excess of 1000 letters being signed by you, concerned residents of Allesley and Eastern Green.

            What came out of that drop in meeting was a clear message that given the current stress put on the existing infrastructure in our area it just did not make sense to compound the problem with further development. Not because we just don't want it, it is because the area just can not cope for so many reasons.

            As a result of the tremendous support received by everyone we felt it was appropriate to take our case directly to the Councils planning officers with a comprehensive argument and alternative suggestions.

            The recent weeks have seen the steering committee of the Association gathering a considerable amount of information from traffic flows to "classes" of roads etc, so a grateful thanks to all of those involved. Would you believe Parkhill Drive at it's peak is carrying a ridiculous figure of 1431 vehicles an hour !!!!. This road was never designed for this volume and of course the Banner Brook development has yet to be completed so the traffic can only increase.

            On the 5th of February a meeting was held in the planning office with Senior officers of Coventry City Council. It must be said that we were given a warm welcome and for two hours constructive dialogue took place. Naturally specific answers to our questions   could not be given at this point in time, however we were assured that our points and suggestions were received well and in a positive light and there will be an official response to our presentation, details of which will be passed to you via the Link Magazine. What is interesting is that we all acknowledge the existence of the " Meriden Gap" (including Councillor Taylor, comments courtesy of Coventry Times October 11th  2007 ) however there is no official boundary. This resulted in us requesting if this could now be defined.

             We all know that without putting one's case forward in a concise and constructive manner at an early stage developments can proceed through a lack of resistance. It is with this in mind that we ask you to make your feelings known NOW to you local Councillor. Let's be honest, we need their help and they will certainly need ours, come May, in the next round of elections so please contact them.

 

Thanks ...

            To all at St Andrew's Church I would like to say 'thank you' all for the many cards I have received and the beautiful flower arrangement.

It has been so comforting and a great help to know I have so many caring people to support me

            St Andrews has always felt like one big family to me and I always felt I would find help and comfort when needed.  I certainly have found all that and more from our very caring people in our lovely church.  Love and God Bless to you all,

 

Irene Lissaman