Service Calendar for December 2014
| Wednesday | 3rd | Nailsworth | 10.00 am | Holy Communion |
| Sunday | 7th | Nailsworth | 9.30 am | Family Communion |
| Kingscote | 9.30 am | Morning Prayer BCP | ||
| Horsley | 11.00 am | Family Communion CW | ||
| Wednesday | 10th | Nailsworth | 10.00 am | Holy Communion |
| Sunday | 14th | Kingscote | 8.00 am | Holy Communion BCP |
| Nailsworth | 9.30 am | Holy Communion | ||
| Horsley | 11.00 am | Family Service with Baptism | ||
| Nailsworth School | 4.00 pm | Concert and Tea Party | ||
| Wednesday | 17th | Nailsworth | 10.00 am | Holy Communion |
| Friday | 19th | Kingscote | 7.00 pm | Carol Service followed by seasonal refreshments |
| Sunday | 21st | Nailsworth | 8.00 am | Holy Communion BCP |
| Nailsworth | 9.30 am | Family Service | ||
| Kingscote | 11.00 am | Family Service and Christingle | ||
| Christmas Eve | 24th | Nailsworth | 4.00 pm | Christingle Service |
| Horsley | 4.00 pm | Nativity Service | ||
| Nailsworth | 11.00 pm | Midnight Communion | ||
| Horsley | 11.00 pm | Midnight Communion | ||
| Christmas Day | 25th | Nailsworth | 9.30 am | Christmas Communion |
| Kingscote | 9.30 am | Christmas Communion | ||
| Horsley | 11.00 am | Christmas Communion | ||
| Sunday | 28th | Nailsworth | 9.30 am | Holy Communion |
| Kingscote | 11.00 am | Parish Communion CW | ||
| Horsley | 6.00 pm | Evensong BCP | ||
| Wednesday | 31st | Nailsworth | 10.00 am | Holy Communion |
The Little Angels mothers and toddlers group meets on Fridays 5, 12 and 19 at 9.45 am at Nailsworth. Refreshments served afterwards in the Parish Rooms.
Anyone who would like to help with setting up the candles for the Christmas Carol Service on Friday morning 19 December and/or helping with clearing away on Saturday 20 December please call Harry Tubbs on Tel. 860 194.
Diocesan News www.gloucester.anglican.org/news/publications
www.gloucester.anglican.org/news/blog
Nailsworth Benefice www.stgeorgesnailsworth.org.uk
Kingscote Community www.kingscoteonline.co.uk
The Vicar’s Letter
Dear Friends,
According to a certain popular soft drink company ‘Holidays are Coming’ ! This particular ad seems to play earlier and earlier each year ….
This year, for some reason, it reminded me of an old Christmas nursery rhyme you may recall :
“Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please do put a penny in the old man’s hat
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you !”
Of course, many people won’t have a clue what a ha’penny is ! However, the sentiment is right because it is a season when we should really be thinking of others and not ourselves.
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the one who was God humbling himself to become a human like us, then to go to the cross to demonstrate the power of the real love that God has for us. We celebrate at Christmas the phenomenal generosity of God’s love.
And so we give gifts as a reminder of that generosity. But our giving sometimes needs a wider perspective. Otherwise we run the risk of becoming selfish, even in our giving.
In our churches this Christmas, our offerings will go to other people – charities helping the disadvantaged in our world – as an expression of our thanks for what we have received and an extension of God’s love for us.
May I encourage everyone to include someone less fortunate than us, or some cause helping those struggling with life, in their Christmas giving this year.
I wish you all a joyous Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year.
Mike Smith
The next PCC meeting will be on Tuesday 2 December at 8.00 pm in the Village Hall.
Cleaning Team
The next church cleaning session is at 2.30 pm on Monday 8 December. We are always delighted to welcome anyone who would like to join the team.
Teresa Day
Flower Rota
Flower Rota
| 30 November to 24 December ADVENT
25 and 28 December, 4 January CHRISTMAS 11th and 18th January |
Lyn Stuart
Flower Team Carol Hatherell |
There are no weddings planned in December.
Lorna Reynolds
Satellite Broadband
The deadline for registering an interest in this service trial has long passed, but if anyone wishes to approach the promoters they should contact Matthew Appleton (Technical Director – Voneus) at: matthew.appleton@voneus.com (Voneus is the new name for DICE)
The Editor
Village Hall Programme
Bring and Buy with Christmas Coffee Morning – Saturday 6 December, 10.30 to 11.30, coffee and mince pies £1.50. There will also be a produce sale by Jane Bateman and Riding for the Disabled, and anyone else who would like to sell for a charitable cause. Carol Paton Tel. 860 649.
Children’s Christmas Party – Sunday 21 December, 4.00 to 6.00 pm. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets £5 per child booked in advance with Zoe Nichols Tel. 860 254.
Grumbolds Ash Group
On Tuesday 16 December, 15 of us are booked in for our Christmas Lunch at the Trouble House near Tetbury GL8 8SG at 12.30 for 1.00 pm. As usual we each bring a small gift for the Christmas ‘Lucky Dip’. Parking is limited at the Trouble House so car sharing is advised where convenient.
Jutta Tubbs
Book Club at 8.00 pm
Wednesday 10 December, ‘Enchanted’ by Elizabeth von Armin at Viv’s.
Tuesday 20 January, War Brides by Helen Bryan, and Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, at Sheila’s.
New members always very welcome.
Angela Wooldridge
Kingscote Parish Council
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 27 January at 8.00 pm in the Hunters Hall.
Biodigester at The Old Dairy, Chavenage
As many will already be aware, the Stroud District Council did not approve the Planning Application for this project by a large majority. However, it is still possible that the sponsor will make an appeal against the decision.
Planning approval – 1 The Walled Garden, Kingscote, fell 1 Spruce tree CDC.
Planning Application – Church Cottage 22 Kingscote, 1 Sycamore tree – prune as previously, 3 Sycamores in adjacent wooded area overhanging garden – fell. Awaiting decision.
The Parish Council wishes everyone a very Happy Christmas
Anna Davison, Tel. 860 244
People For You
The Gloucestershire Rural Community Council runs a group of social volunteers, who make themselves available to visit and spend time with older people in the community who cannot get out as much as they would like, and would perhaps enjoy some company in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. The volunteer chosen would visitregularly so that you can get to know each other.
The volunteers in the team are checked and approved by the relevant civil authorities, and the needs and preferences of each applicant are considered carefully in proposing a representative. As far as possible they will be a local resident.
Social research has shown that being lonely and isolated is bad for one’s health, so if this service is of interest to you, please do get in touch with the People For You coordinator Sue Black on Tel. 07810 630 167.
Likewise, if you feel that you could be of service to the group as a volunteer, please contact Sue on e-mail: suebpeopleforyou@gmail.com giving some of your details.
The Editor
Church Gutter Cleaning
On Saturday 13 December we plan to have a gutter cleaning session starting at 9.30 am. Those of you who live close to the church and have good ladders should bring them. Gloves and narrow trowels are advised. All offers of help will be greatly appreciated, if not for climbing then for holding ladders steady for others.
If it is raining or the roofs are icy we shall postpone to another date.
The PCC
Church Smoke Alarms
Following discussions with our insurer, who informed us that the greatest threat to church buildings today is fire, we have decided to try with two domestic smoke alarms inside the building. The most likely sources of accidental fire are judged to be the oil fired heating boiler and the electrical systems. It should be noted that the oil fired boiler only runs unattended on Sunday mornings before services.
We judge that the noise from such alarms will be audible to passers by and possibly to those living close to building. If false alarms are occurring then the units will be removed. If you do hear alarms please call Harry Tubbs on 860 194 or Godfrey Ainsworth on 861 683. If smoke or flames are observed issuing from the building, call the fire service on 999 without hesitation.
The PCC
Free-range eggs for sale
Mrs Pat Cooksley of 2 The Windmill normally has some free-range eggs for sale at £1 for six. Best call afternoons.
Weekly Recycling – Green food boxes and wheelie bins
All current collection points – from 7.30 am, Fridays 5,12,19 and 29 December.
Fortnightly Recycling – Black boxes, White bags and Blue bags
All current collection points – from 7.30 am, Fridays12 and 29 December.
Fortnightly Waste – Grey wheelie bins to landfill
All current collection points – from 7.30 am, Friday 12 and 29 December.
Bus Timetable Enquiries -Ring traveline on 0871 200 2233.
Mobile Police Van
The Mobile Police Station will not visit Kingscote in December.
Mobile Library
There will not be a further visit until January.
Magazine
Any material which may be of interest for the next issue of the Forerunner should be sent by 18 December to
H. Tubbs, 3 The Walled Garden, Tel. 860 194.
The Editor
Lieutenant-Colonel Bromley Gardner
The Bromley Gardner family lived at Kingscote Park for many years and were prominent members of our community. There was an excellent obituary on Dick Bromley Gardner who died aged 93 on 22 August (three weeks after his wife Jean) in the Times on 13 November. Some extracts from the obituary are copied below:
He was awarded the MC in the Western Desert fighting against Rommel’s tank army in lightly armed Bren-gun carriers, and later advanced into Italy where he was mentioned in despatches. After the war he joined the staff team at Sandhurst as a dashing, monocled young officer, where one of his roles was training the cross-country running team – he ran with them with his monocle in place. He met his wife at one of the Sandhurst Balls. He later commanded the King’s Guard at Balmoral.
He left the army in 1978 and pursued his love of horses, setting up the Kingscote Park Stud in partnership with his wife.
He was active in our community as a member of the Parish Council and from time to time he and some of his family attended Kingscote Church. He is remembered reading the lesson on occasion, but not with monocle !
The Editor
More than Words
Extracts from an item in the October Diocesan Messenger
When we see the needs of people around us, as Christians our first reaction is to pray that God will intervene in the suffering of the world and make it a better place for all of us.
But God has reminded us that we cannot simply rely on words; He has given us responsibility too. He expects us to do all that we can, and that means actions as well as just words.
If you are deeply affected by what you see about you, whether it is the hunger of families in Britain forced to rely on handouts, or the plight of ethnic minorities left homeless by war overseas, you can do something about it. Rather than sit back and bemoan the way of the world, we can take a stand and help those less fortunate. Are you ready to answer that call ?
You can find ways of helping to make a difference on our website:
www.gloucester.anglican.org/church-outreach/social-action/
The Perfect Christmas
A reflection by The Bishop of Tewkesbury, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow
Copied from the Diocesan Messenger for December
Most of us, when we picture the perfect Christmas, think of the young child waking early and rushing to see what has appeared under the tree. Every present is touched, shaken and inspected with a sense of awe and wonder.
It is a wonderful tradition. Gifts are a way of creating or deepening relationships. They draw us into a community and give us a shared sense of belonging. They require thought, care and preparation. But they also create a sense of obligation: how will you return the gift ? Or how will you pass it on ?
This Christmas we will hear again from the shepherds and angels. And we will ponder the supreme gift of God’s own Son. A gift offered to us with the intention that it (he) draws us into relationship and into community.
But such a gift also creates an obligation. How will we respond ? How will we pass it on ? Giving to God our devotion and our love is our supreme gift. But love for God cannot be divorced from love of neighbour.
I hope this Christmas, we will also give to our neighbour in Syria, Iraq or Sierra Leone, or to the homeless and isolated in our own town or village, or to the person using the food-bank or the credit union. Such gifts may create new relationships, which will bring us much blessing and joy.
The PCC wish all Parishioners a Joyful and Peaceful Christmas wherever they may be.
Parish Directory
Vicar: Reverend Mike Smith, Nailsworth, Tel. 01453 836 536
Curate: Reverend Sue Sobczak, Horsley, Tel. 01453 833 526
Reader Sue White, Nailsworth, Tel: 01453 835 693
Churchwardens: Harry Tubbs, 3 The Walled Garden, Kingscote, GL8 8YP. Tel: 860 194
Godfrey Ainsworth, Kingscote House, Kingscote, GL8 8XY Tel: 861 683
Hon.Sec.PCC: Georgina Harford, Ashcroft House, Kingscote, GL8 8YF Tel: 01453 860 227
Hon.Treas.PCC: Jane Nichols, Asheldown, 3 Ashel Barn Cottages, Kingscote, GL8 8YB Tel. 01453 860 534
Members of PCC: The Churchwardens, The Hon. Secretary, The Hon. Treas-urer, Elin Tattersall, Zoe Nichols, Chris Alford.
Flower and Clean Team: Teresa Day, Vivienne Ainsworth, Angela Wooldridge, Pauline McTear.
Nailsworth MU: Trissa Jones, Tel: 832 551
Editor of Forerunner: Harry Tubbs, 3 The Walled Garden, Kingscote, GL8 8YP Tel: 860 194
Gift Aid and Envelopes: Jane Nichols, 3 Ashel Barn Cottages, Kingscote Tel. 860 534.
Church Flowers Rota: Lorna Reynolds, Tel. 860 231
Organist: Rosemary Sims, 15 Badger’s Way, Forest Green, Nailsworth, GL6 0HE Tel: 832 446
Sidespersons: Harry Tubbs, Rod Tibbert, Elin Tattersall, Godfrey Ainsworth, Jane Nichols.
Electoral Roll: Elin Tattersall, 3 Boxwood Close, Tel.01453 860 182
Mowing Team: Harry Tubbs, Sebastian Cooper, Rick Bond, Roger Lucy, Godfrey Ainsworth, Ken Davies, Brian McTear.
Village Hall: Bookings: Pauline McTear, Kingscote, Tel. 861 311
Secretary: Carol Paton, Bagpath, Tel. 860 649
Parish Council Chairman: Graham Nichols, Asheldown, 3 Ashel Barn Cottages, Kingscote Tel: 01453 860 534
Parish Council Clerk: Anna Davison, Bagpath Court, GL8 8YG, Tel. 860 244
Village Agent: Aileen Bendall, Tel. 07810 630 156 or 01452 426 868
Printer of Forerunner: Godfrey Ainsworth, Kingscote House, Tel. 861 683
The Forerunner is published by the P.C.C. who are usually most willing to accept copy
from village groups and individuals. However, please note that the opinions and views expressed by the contributors within the Forerunner are not necessarily those of the Church, P.C.C. or the Editor.