News & Views - July 1980 - Issue 14
HARTINGTON AND BIGGIN “NEWS AND VIEWS” No.14 JULY 1980
PENTECOST IN JERUSALEM
From the first moment of realising that Spring Bank Holiday would coincide with Whitsunday this year, I was filled with expectation at the prospect of spending Pentecost in Jerusalem. That would be the first full day that my wife, Betty and I, along with 13 others from this area, would be in Israel. The day itself and those which followed, exceeded our highest expectations. We are most grateful to all who prayed for our safety and are happy to report that all arrived
back in good shape. Not that we didn’t have any anxious
moments. As when the take-off from Heathrow was delayed two hours, because of a go-slow at Athens Airport Control or when we witnessed members of other parties being brought down the mountain on a stretcher at Massada suffering with heat exhaustion; or when we discovered on arrival at Tiberius that the temperature was 114 degrees!!
Pentecost for most of our party began with a service at 9 a.m. in the garden of the Garden Tomb, a possible site of our Lord’s resurrection. The garden was an oasis of coolness and Peace, especially after a rather hurried walk in the hot sun and the pestering of little Arab boys, keen to sell postcards and other knick-knacks. There were about 650 worshippers Present for the service, who had come from all five continents.
Sitting next to me on the return flight from Tel Aviv was a Latvian lady of our party, who had been a displaced person during the last war. I asked her what had been the highlight of her 13 days in Israel. “Singing the Lord’s Prayer at the Garden Tomb”, she instantly replied, face all abeam, I too felt at the time that this service would be the highlight of my pilgrimage, but the best was yet to be, as I hope to relate later.
On the Sunday afternoon we had a walking tour of the Old
City, visiting the Temple Area, the Dome of the Rock, the El Aqsa Mosque, the Golden Gate, the Wailing Wall and the Tower of David, Close by the latter is Christ Church, the oldest Anglican church in the Middle East. Here we rested our weary feet, read from the Bible, sang a Whitsun hymn and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. In the evening we went to St. George’s Cathedral, where it was our privilege to enjoy a showing
of super slides of the Holy Land
Douglas Gibson
THOUGHTS OF A “TOWNIE“
I look out of my window and see the “Mallens” setting, which has become my home. I close my eyes and see my childhood playground of the busy streets of Manchester city centre. My local shops were Lewis’s, Woolworth’s and Littlewood’s: my fields and lanes the city central Fire Station, where I lived until I married and moved into the country of semi-detached suburbia in south Manchester. These are happy memories, but not what I want for my family; people and places change and not always for the better. The pace of life in a large town is fast and demanding and can take over your whole personality, so that you forget to relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of being alive.
The friendly village of Biggin has made this transition easy for all of us, especially the children, who love the school which has already given them an active interest in music, cooking and sewing. They now spend time practising these new- found. skills or, in one case, helping round up cows, instead of sitting in front of a television set being entertained.
I wouldn’t want to go back 12 months and I am now adjusting to the fact that there is no bus service every 15 minutes and that shopping has to be an organised chore rather than a quick to Tesco’s.
Christine Kitchen (Dale Had)
On May 3Oth a Fashion Show was held in Biggin School. It was a very enjoyable evening for all who attended. Flair Fashions provided all the garments and they also invited Judith Rawlings of Parwich to model. She is their Miss Flair, who won the competition at Wirksworth. Our local girls also took part in the modelling. These were Susan Wardle, Janice Allsop, Kay Clayton and Angela Green. Mrs Stubbs baked a fruit cake for a competition, which was to guess how many currants she had put in the cake. The number was 1041 and the cake was won by Gwen Clayton, whose guess was the nearest with 1001. This added an extra £4 to make the final total for church funds reach £28.30. This included donations given by ladies unable to attend. The evening ended with coffee and biscuits.
* G. Clayton.
Talking of modelling, four-year-old Fionntan Page of Dale End appeared on a recent T.V. programme “Look Here” from Pebble Mill, Birmingham.
INDIFFERENCE
When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree, they drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep, for those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Hartington, they simply passed Him by, they never hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain, they only just passed down the street and left Him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them for they know not what they do”. And still it rained the wintry rain that drenched Him through
and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see, and Jesus crouched against the wall and cried for Calvary.
(with apologies to Studdert Kennedy)
LAUGHLINES
An old man with a weak heart won £250,000 on the Pools. His family, fearing that the glad news might prove fatal, called in the Vicar to break the news to him gently. “Now, John”, began the Vicar cautiously, “supposing you were to win one of these big prizes – £250,000 say – what would you do with it?”.
The old man pondered. “Well, Vicar”, he said at last, “to start with I’d give half of it to the Church”. The Vicar fell down dead!!
Biggin Parish Church’s Spring Fair raised £141.88. Congratulations to Felicity Allen who has been awarded a degree in Environmental Sciences at Sheffield University and to Peter Gibson who gained his law degree at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff.
Twelve pupils from Biggin School spent a walking weekend in the Lake District recently when about 21. miles Were covered.
Seven children from Hartington School will be attending the Derbyshire School Camp at Anglesey from July 15th to 22nd. Hartington Oddfellows’ Summer Fair raised £160.00.
All the 8 and 10 a.m. services at Hartington will be Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer, except the 10 a.m. service on the 13th,which will be Matins and, on the 20th, which will be Series 3 Holy Communion.
A Songs of Praise service will be held at Biggin Parish Church on Sunday, 13th July at 6.30 p.m., when the Queens Hall Derby Quartets will take part, Requests for favourite hymns should be given to the Vicar or Wardens. There will be no evening service at Hartington that day, since the congregation is invited to support this special event. Requests for transport please to Mr and Mrs G. Stone.
Martin Wibberley is due to arrive home on leave from Egypt on Tues 1st July.
P.C.C meetings will be held at Hartington on Monday, 7th July and at Biggin on Wednesday, 9th July at 7.30 p.m.
The Vicar will be showing some of his slides of the Holy Land at Biggin School at 9.30 a.m. and at the School Leavers service at 2 p.m., at Hartington on Friday, 11th July
The Editorial Committee will meet at Woodyard House on Monday, 21st July at 8p.m Copy for the August issue of “News and Views” is required by this date please,
The Fellowship Group will meet weekly at the Vicarage, Hartington at 8 p.m. from Tuesday, 8th July, Parishioners and visitors on holiday are most welcome to come along, Donations amounting to £30.00 have been received by Hartington Church in memory of the late Mabel Stella Birch of Digmer Farm.
