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Parish of St.Cuthbert, Benfieldside

Sunday Worship
8.00a.m. Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST (Common Worship)
6.00p.m. Evening Prayer
+ Choral Evensong (BCP)
Taizé Vespers

Sunday School meets at 10.00a.m. in the Church Hall during term

Weekday Worship Please see the

Calendar &
Morning Prayer: 8.30a.m. Monday - Friday Pewsheet for
Evening Prayer: 5.00p.m. Tuesday alterations to this
Midweek Eucharist: 10.00a.m.Thursday pattern.

Parish Office
Arrangements for Baptisms, Marriages, etc. should
normally be made in the Vicar‟s vestry in church on
Tuesdays at 5.30p.m. - please phone first if possible.
For Spiritual Advice & the Sacrament of Reconciliation
(Confession), please contact the Vicar.

Clergy & Readers

Vicar: The Revd Martin Jackson
St. Cuthbert‟s Vicarage, Church Bank, Shotley Bridge
01207 503019
mobile phone: 0797 226 2412
e-mail: martin.jackson@durham.anglican.org
Readers: Mrs. Rosie Junemann 01207 583998
  Mr. Paul Heatherington 01207 506282

Parish web-site: www.communigate.co.uk/ne/saintcuthberts

Parish Blog: www.saintcuthberts.blogspot.com
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PARISH CALENDAR - DECEMBER 2008

Thurs. 4 10.00a.m. Eucharist
10.45a.m. Holy Communion - Shotley Park

Saturday 6th December from 11.00a.m. to 2.00p.m.

ST. CUTHBERT’S CHRISTMAS FAIR
Join us in the Church Hall
Sunday 7 THE 2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(Isaiah 40.1-11; 2 Peter 3.8-15a; Mark 1.1-8)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
& SUNDAY SCHOOL
6.00p.m. Carols & Readings for Advent
Tues. 9 12.30p.m. “Second Tuesday” Lunch Club - Church Hall
7.30p.m. Sing Together - join us in church
Thurs. 11 10.00a.m. Eucharist
10.45a.m. Holy Communion - Edmundbyers House
Sunday 14 3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; John 1.6-8,19-28)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
& SUNDAY SCHOOL
6.00p.m. Evening Prayer
Thurs. 18 10.00a.m. Eucharist

Friday 19th December - Christmas Concert

The Leadgate Gleemen
& St. Cuthbert’s Handbell Ringers
7.30p.m.in the Church Hall - including refreshments
Tickets £4 – in aid of Sunday School Funds
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Sat 20 10a.m. Church “Clean-up” & Christmas Decorating

Sunday 21 4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT
(2 Samuel 7.1-11, 16; Romans 16.25-27; Luke 1.26-38)
8.00a.m. Eucharist.
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
+ Sunday School Presentation
6.00p.m. Taizé Vespers
Mon. 22 2.00p.m. Eucharist - at Derwentdale Court
Wednesday 24 CHRISTMAS EVE Christmas
6.00p.m. CHRISTINGLE SERVICE Eve
11.30p.m. MIDNIGHT MASS
OF THE NATIVITY Christmas
Thursday 25 CHRISTMAS DAY Day
9.30a.m. PARISH EUCHARIST
Please note – this is the only service on Christmas Day
Sunday 28 THE HOLY INNOCENTS
(Jeremiah 31.15-17; 1 Corinthians 1.26-29; Matthew 2.13-18)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
Evening Prayer is cancelled

JANUARY
Thursday 1 THE NAMING AND CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS
11.00a.m. Eucharist - make a good start to the New Year
Sunday 4 FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD
(Isaiah 60.1-6; Ephesians 3.1-12; Matthew 2.1-12)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
Evening Prayer is cancelled
Thurs. 8 10.00a.m. Eucharist
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Sunday 11 THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST (Epiphany 1)
(Genesis 1.1-5 ; Psalm 29; Acts 19.1-7; Mark 1.4-11)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
& SUNDAY SCHOOL
6.00p.m. Evening Prayer
Tues. 13 12.30p.m. “Second Tuesday” Lunch Club - Church Hall
Thurs. 15 10.00a.m. Eucharist
18 - 25 JANUARY WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Sunday 18 THE 2nd SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY
(1 Samuel 3.1-20; Psalm 139.1-9; Revelation 5.1-10; John 1.43-51)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
& SUNDAY SCHOOL
6.00p.m. Taizé Vespers
Mon. 19 7.30p.m. Parochial Church Council Meeting.
Thurs. 22 10.00a.m. Eucharist
Sunday 25 THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL (Epiphany 3)
(Jeremiah 1.4-10; Acts 9.1-22; Matthew 19.27-end)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
& SUNDAY SCHOOL
6.00p.m. Evening Prayer
Mon. 26 2.00p.m. Eucharist - at Derwentdale Court
8.00p.m. Hall Management Committee
Thurs. 29 10.00a.m. Eucharist

FEBRUARY
Sunday 1 CANDLEMAS - PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE
(Malachi 3.1-5; Hebrews 2.14-18; Luke 2.22-40)
8.00a.m. Eucharist
10.00a.m. SUNG EUCHARIST
6.00p.m. Evening Prayer
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View from the Vicarage

“We needed an incarnate God…
… who would die that we might live.” Not very Christmassy you might think.
But these words of St. Gregory Nazianzen (from his Orations) go to the
heart of what Christmas is about… That God comes to us in human flesh in
Jesus Christ. Gregory wrestles with just what this means: that God - who
can seem so far away - comes as close to us as this child who sucks upon
his Mother‟s breast. All that we are, he is, sharing in our humanity. He
knows how we feel, he recognises the limitations we live with, our hopes,
fears, anxieties, joys and sorrows. And all of this is possible because of
Christmas. God does not stay removed from our human situation. He
comes right into it in Jesus.
This is what is so distinctive about Christianity as opposed to other
religions. God doesn‟t look on from afar and “tut-tut”. He doesn‟t make us
do what we should or put things right with thunderbolts from heaven.
Instead he feels as we feel. Born as a baby he experiences our so human
needs of love and nurture. In a world of so much cruelty - where child
neglect appallingly highlighted by the case of “Baby P” in Haringay is so
prevalent - we can rejoice in the love he finds in Mary and Joseph and
himself brings into our world. Jesus needs the love of his family - it‟s a
reminder of the basic need of love each of us has. And needs don‟t end
with childhood. Humanity needs to be honoured regardless of age, colour,
race or creed. When it‟s not… we see the results in Jesus‟ death on the
Cross - and also in so many lands where humanity is disfigured by war,
greed, callousness… and in relationships which are broken as people fail to
honour (and love) each other. “We needed an incarnate God…” We still do,
which is why celebrate his birth at Christmas.
Martin Jackson

Useful Church Contacts:

Churchwardens: Liz Parker, 178 Benfieldside Road 505156
Linda Short, 9 Sherwood Close   503750
PCC Lay Chair: Peter Thompson, Wheldon House, Ebchester 560454
PCC Treasurer: Irvine Macnair, 10 Kempton Close. 505828
PCC Secretary: Jill Barron, 141 Benfieldside Road 504352
Sunday School: Carol O‟Malley, 13 Spring Close, Ebchester 561884
Church Hall: Linda Short, 9 Sherwood Close  503750
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Mothers’ Union News

th
Thursday 11 December - 7.30pm
We have been invited to join Consett MU at their “Carols by
Candlelight” in the Church Hall, Christ Church, Consett
th
Monday 15 December - 12.00 noon
Lunch at Chapters Restaurant, Derwentside College

Family Quiz for Christmas £1 each

A Christmas Quiz to raise funds to support work in Durham Diocese
including the “Away from it all” scheme to give holidays to families suffering
adversity.
Your chance to win a prize while supporting the Mothers‟ Union work and
giving your brain a gentle work-out (if it isn‟t already worn out with all those
Christmas preparations!)
Available from Sheila Barnes (504168)… open to all!

Christian Aid
A very big “Thank you” to everyone who sponsored me on the Christian Aid
Walk way back at the end of September. It was another good walk and I
raised £108 – very many thanks.
Sheila Barnes
_______________________________________________________________________________________

100 Club - Winners

November
1st Prize £25.00 No. 74 Joyce Moody
2nd Prize £15.00 No. 76 Shirley Palmer
3rd Prize £10.00 No. 26 Fiona Bell
The year‟s membership comes to an end with our December draw - new
subscriptions due in January! Thanks to all who have supported the Club.
Further details on how to join the 100 Club
from our organiser, Jennifer Lambert, phone 01207 505018.
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SING carols TOGETHER!

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany 2008
Another session for everyone who enjoys
singing. Join us to sing some traditional
carols.

Tuesday 9th December 2008

7.30 – 8.30pm in the Vicarage

Further details: Rosie Junemann, Martin Jackson or Bill Hudson



GROWING TOGETHER!
St Cuthbert’s Gardening Club

Thanks…
to all our gardeners for your hard work during 2008

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year!

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All change at the Car Park!

Not quite what they used to shout at the end of a bus route, but we should
all see major changes to the Church Hall Car Park very soon, and all the
better it will be for it.
As many of you will know we were very kindly allocated a large sum of
money from a number of our local Councillors who had been asked to
propose deserving community projects that needed financial help. This all
started some time ago, Derwentside Council Engineers Department were
roped in, developed plans and after approval by the Church Hall
Management Committee and PCC were put forward for Planning
Permission. The Planning Application process takes on average 6 weeks
and I am now pleased to announce that the plans for the car park were
finally approved on 26/11/08.
By the time this article reaches you in the December / January issue of the
Parish Magazine you may already have seen the disappearance of the 2
very large Sycamore trees. The main groundworks are expected to start
week commencing Monday 8th December, just delayed long enough to have
the Christmas Fair without any mess or various construction plant blocking
the current car park area. With a fair wind, good weather and no unforeseen
unexploded bombs getting in the way (you never know what you will find
once you start digging holes in the ground), we hope the new car park will
be usable by Christmas.
Once the vast majority of the “hard” groundworks are done final
discussions and decisions will be made about the landscaping of the area
between the back of the hall and the side of the car park. This has to be left
until then so we can calculate how much money is left, which is also
dependant upon any unforeseen additional work such as bomb disposal, or
simply rerouting drainage we were not aware of. The initial outline plans
and ideas have to be discussed and confirmed with the landscaping
company but we expect this part of the work, and therefore the complete
job, to be finished by the end of March. January is not the best time if we
wish to plant anything we hope will grow, but again advice from the
experts will be sort. We want to keep the maintenance of this area to an
absolute minimum, but we must at least replace the 2 trees we are removing
as part of this work. To ensure these do not grow to the size of the current
Sycamores, and thus cause future guardians of the property more problems,
we are anticipating selecting some sort of suitable fruit trees, possibly
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cooking apples which could be put to some good use each year (Lunch
Club puddings come to mind, etc, etc.). These do not grow too large and
even in a Conservation Area you are allowed to prune fruit trees without
needing Council consent.
Anybody got any suitable ribbon for an opening ceremony!
Peter Thompson


Christmas Clean-up
Get St. Cuthbert’s Church ready for Christmas
Make a clean sweep!
Please come along to lend a hand
with pre-Christmas cleaning
on Saturday 20th December from 10a.m.
More details from Liz Parker…



2nd Tuesday Lunch Club

… continues to provide food and friendship

12.30p.m. Tuesday 9th December in the Church Hall



Christmas Concert
by The Leadgate Gleemen
& St. Cuthbert’s Handbell-ringers
7.30p.m. Friday 19th December
– in St. Cuthbert‟s Hall; tickets £4.
Proceeds to Sunday School Funds
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Notes & News

Many thanks…
to all who helped with the Book and Toy Sale in November. The total raised
at the sale was £306-50, made up as follows:

Refreshments: £100-00
Toys: £ 90-40
Books: £ 60-00
Raffle: £ 34-00
Jam: £ 22-10
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Hall for Hire…

We‟re hopeful that the proposed work
on the Car Park will be starting very
soon. Meanwhile a reminder that the
Hall itself is available for hire - for
community use and private social
functions. It‟s appreciated greatly by its
regular users, and has been popular for
Baptism parties, children‟s birthday
parties, Golden Wedding Anniversaries etc…
To find out more, contact the Bookings Secretary, Mrs. Linda Short, on
01207 503750.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

The Derwentdale Court Eucharist… We hope to be able to get back

into Derwentdale Court for our monthly Eucharist in December. A reminder
nd
that this time it will be the second last Monday of the month (22
December). Many thanks to Margaret Vernon for hosting the last three
Eucharists. Let‟s hope that all is now ready for our return to Derwentdale
Court - please keep your ears open for news, just in case!
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Northumbria Historic Churches Trust Steeplechase

Thanks to our participants - and those who sponsored them.
£284 has now been sent to the Trust, and we‟ll get half back.
Plus, the Trust has been generous to us in the past. Well
worth supporting!
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SEE THIS!!! You could help change lives…

As you look through this magazine, do you have
difficulty seeing the words and illustrations? If so
then you can visit your local optician who will, with
relative ease improve your vision, most commonly
by prescribing spectacles.

However, imagine if you will what it would be like to live in one of the
developing countries where millions of people do not have access to simple
amenities such as the proper eye-care that we take for granted, or the
spectacles that we throw away when we are given a new prescription.

In areas such as Malawi, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe people go about

their lives inhibited by correctable visual impairments. Many children attend
schools for the blind, which could be avoided if they had a simple pair of
spectacles. Lack of eye-care makes work and education incredibly difficult,
if not impossible. The majority of road accidents are caused by drivers with
poor vision. Job opportunities are few and far between, putting those with
poor eye-sight at a major disadvantage.

International aid charity „The Caring City’ is working in partnership with

Optical Express to help improve the vision of people in under-developed
countries. Together with volunteers the charity provides local resident eye
doctors with training, support and equipment, including donated frames
and lenses . When the volunteers leave and move on to the next project
the local eye doctors are equipped to continue helping people with visual
problems.

If you have an old pair of spectacles that you don‟t use, simply drop them
into the box provided at the back of Church, and they will be passed on to
the charity, you could make a huge difference to help someone else learn,
work and achieve a better quality of life, by helping The Caring City
continue to provide valuable eye-care services in underdeveloped
countries.

You could change lives with the gift of sight, simply by

donating your old spectacles.
Liz Parker
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STAINED GLASS
Paul Heatherington, one of our Readers, continues his series looking at our
stained glass…
The Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd is the upper centre stained glass window
in St Cuthbert‟s East Window. The stained glass in this
window was erected to the glory of God and in memory of
John Renton, Surgeon. He was born on 12 February 1812
and died on 18 February 1870. For the purist, this window
ought to be referred to as the liturgical East Window, as St
Cuthbert‟s does not actually face East. Church Bank is too
steep for that!
The Old Testament often regards leaders of the people as shepherds,
providing food and protection. A shepherd‟s task was to feed the flock,
guard them against wild animals and from thieves.
The Old Testament sometimes, however, uses the term „shepherd‟
critically. A comic scholar, when asked what shepherds do for the sheep,
once answered that he fleeced them! Ezekiel 34:5; 34: 8-10 and 34:23 are
denouncements of rulers as bad shepherds. The prophet here condemns
those leaders who abused their position for their own selfish ends, instead
of caring for the sheep.
God, as a shepherd of the flock, brings to mind an image of love and patient
watchfulness. Jesus as The Good Shepherd has its roots in Isaiah 40-55
and Ezekiel 34 and, of course, in Psalm 23. Images of the Good Shepherd
are among the earliest illustrations of Jesus; and they have continued to be
well-loved images into the modern era. The Good Shepherd of the New
Testament and especially John‟s Gospel, is, of course, in the mould of the
diligent caring „shepherd‟.
Postscript…The image of the Good Shepherd in First Century Palestine
was of a person leading the way with the sheep following. Our bishop once
observed that now clergy lead the way and the bishop, the shepherd, brings
up the rear. Archdeacons are the sheepdogs.

Paul Heatherington has just completed a course on Old Testament Prophetic

Literature. The course was run at Church House, North Shields by the North
East Institute for Theological Education, with Canon Richard Bryant as tutor.
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Our Advent Appeal…

Centrepoint is a leading national charity
working to improve the lives of socially
excluded, homeless young people. It
provides a range of accommodation
based services, including emergency
nightshelters and short stay hostels,
specialist projects for care leavers, ex-offenders, young single parents,
foyers and supported flats and floating support services. Each night
across the country we provide over 800 young people with a place they
can call home.
Is homelessness an issue that affects us in and around Shotley Bridge?
The short answer to this is YES! In any one year there are in excess of
2,000 young people across County Durham that experience
homelessness and unfortunately within this figure around 500 young
people from Derwentside.
Centrepoint has an 11-bed short stay hostel for homeless young people
in Consett. Last year the hostel (which has staff on site 24hrs a day)
received c.250 referrals – from homeless young people sleeping rough
in places such as parks and cemeteries or living temporarily in tents,
cars or staying on the floor of a friend (until they couldn‟t stay any
longer). Unfortunately we were only able to help just over 50 of these
young people due to the lack of vacant beds.
Often finding themselves on the streets terrified and alone, many of the
young people are without the support of a loving family and may never
be able to return home. Our accommodation provides a safe place
young people can call home – we offer the caring relationships and
sense of belonging that go with being 'at home'. We offer health care
and teach them life skills. We help them manage money. We give them
educational and employment support. We offer the support they need to
start addressing some of the issues that lead to them becoming
homeless, and develop the skills they need for a brighter future.
Given the problems and needs many of the young people have this can
be a huge challenge and at times it doesn‟t always turn out as planned.
One example of how we help young people is Sam’s story below:
Sam was dressed in her school uniform clutching her school bag when she
arrived at Centrepoint. She looked younger than her 16 years and very
vulnerable. But, although she was clearly exhausted and on the brink of
 15
tears, her determination was unshakeable: ‘I’d rather sleep on the streets
than go home,’ she told us.
When Sam finally revealed the horrifying truth about her home life, we
understood why. Sam’s stepfather had been beating her regularly, and
brutally. ‘He would hit me with a wooden spoon, a knife, anything he could
get hold of’. She had experienced terrible abuse in the very place she
should have felt safest, by the people who should have been her protectors.
Sam was treated like an unpaid servant, returning from school and forced
to cook, clean and care for her younger siblings. And then there was the
sexual abuse. Despite its regularity, Sam never got used to the pain and
degradation. But for many months she was too frozen by terror to see any
way out.
‘I haven’t had a childhood,’ she told us, ‘I was miserable and terrified. I
couldn’t do anything. I just wanted to kill myself.’
Sam was profoundly traumatised by her experiences, but the specialist
counsellor that she was referred to by Centrepoint gradually helped her to
build confidence and put the past behind her.
Sam is now planning on doing her A-levels and with the support of
Centrepoint hopes to apply to college to study journalism.
And we will continue to be there for Sam as long as she needs us. Once she
is ready to move on and live independently, we will continue to support her,
putting her in touch with specialist services who will help her deal with the
legacy of the abuse she suffered.

If you could donate a small amount to Centrepoint‟s hostel in Consett

during Advent this year – it could give young people living there a
Christmas, perhaps pay for a meal on Christmas day or buy a
Christmas present or give them a Christmas party – many of the things
that most of us take for granted in our own homes but could make such
a difference to them at Christmas.

This article was contributed by Neil Bellerby of St. Cuthbert’s, who works
for Centrepoint. Please use the envelopes which you’ll find in church to
make your donation this Advent.
16

A Benedicite for Benfieldside…

I thought about this whilst I was picking raspberries, not this year because
the weather was so miserable that all I thought about was getting back
inside as soon as possible, but last year - or even the year before. The
original idea for a „Benedicite‟ for a particular area was not mine, but I
cannot remember where it came from.
The word benedicite is the imperative of the Latin verb to bless - it is a
command, or a call, to bless (God).
The canticle Benedicite omnia opera (All ye works of the Lord, bless the
Lord) comes from The Song of the Three Holy Children, which can be
found in the Bible‟s Apocrypha, or as Canticle 51 in Common Worship, or
the Book of Common Prayer and the Alternative Service Book.
Sammie Hewlett

Our Church’s Giving

Christmas is - as they say - “a time for giving.” As well as presents for
family and friends, we hope that people will consider how they can help
someone rather less fortunate. “Present Aid” schemes from Christian Aid,
CAFOD, USPG, Oxfam and other agencies allow you to donate what you
want and they tell you what it will buy - a good idea!
At the end of each financial year, our own church does its giving. Acting on
behalf of the Parochial Church Council, our Finance Committee has
recently made the following allocations:

USPG - Anglicans in World Mission £200

CMS - Church Mission Society £200
Willowburn Hospice £100
Durham-Lesotho Link £100
Northumbria Deaf Church £100
SHAID (Single Homeless Action in Derwentside) £100
Bible Society £100
Grace House Children‟s Hospice Appeal £100 A total of £1,000

Of course we have other appeals, as we did at Harvest and like our Advent
Appeal for Centrepoint & its Hostel for Homeless Young People in Consett;
and we share Christmas Eve‟s Christingle Collection with the Children‟s
Society. Please support these. Irvine & Jenny Macnair, for example, have
decided to put the money they would have used for Christmas Cards into
the Centrepoint appeal. Please consider what you can do!
 17

A Benedicite for the Parish of St Cuthbert, Benfieldside

All peoples of the Lord, bless the Lord,
exalt him and praise his name for ever

All mighty trees, saplings and bushes;

brambles and all spiky and prickly plants,
All raucous birds and singing birds;
birds and bats that fly by night,
All farms, with their animals and tractors;
and sharp and heavy implements,

Bless the Lord, exalt him and praise his name for ever.

All high and windy places;

gentle slopes and sheltered valley,
All rocky places, quarries and stone walls;
with lichens, spiders and creeping insects,
All boggy places; ferns and mosses, frogs and snails,
River, streams and weirs;
waterbirds, fish and bankside animals,
All grassy places;
moths and harvestmen, mice and shrews and voles,

Bless the Lord, exalt him and praise his name for ever.

All houses and gardens;

and allotments with flowers and fruit,
All churches and schools;
nurseries and playgroups,
All shops and businesses;
clinics and surgeries, and people travelling to and fro,

All peoples of the Lord, bless the Lord,

exalt him and praise his name for ever
18

A FORMER CURATE IS OFF TO THE USA…

Who says that lightning never strikes twice? I learned that I was to be
made redundant in March 2008 – not from one, but from two jobs. Thus, at
the end of March, I was unemployed, except for a day a week as Chaplain
to St Mary‟s College, Durham University.
I was determined good would come from this. I thought, clouds, silver
linings, carpe diem and decided on a sabbatical, something I‟d wanted to
do for years, but hadn‟t been able to do, what with multiple jobs. Durham
University has a strong culture of sabbatical-taking, and my college
allowed me to take the Easter Term. I decided on the USA – where I‟d
always wanted to go – to explore the kind of ministry I‟d been doing, and
find out how they did it there. In double-quick time I planned a three-
month programme, crossed „The Pond‟ in mid-April to discover the USA,
its culture, its people and how Anglicans and others undertake university
chaplaincy.
My journey was epic. If I mention „Heathrow, Terminal 5‟ you will
understand. My flight was five hours late into New York, and the bags
followed on five days later. Having clothes for one night focuses the mind
when you find yourself in New York for the first time. I recalled preaching
in Durham Cathedral a few months earlier. I‟d said how terrified I would
have been to be, like the first disciples, sent out with nothing but a staff,
some sandals and little else. Yet, here I was in a similar situation, and
feeling not even remotely troubled, freed of all responsibilities and ahead of
me the prospect of three months of discovery. I think that losing my
luggage helped me to understand „sabbatical‟, that is „a Sabbath‟ – which is
supposed to be a disconnection from the pressures and trappings of
everyday life and an opportunity to look, listen, learn and observe the
minutiae, with time to ponder…and smell the roses. And I had a lot to
ponder. I had no full-time job to return to. But I found the sabbatical was
one of those occasions when I had time to realize when paths are gently
being pointed out and when one trusts everything to God.
To cut a long travelogue short, I visited every state on the US Eastern
Seaboard, some more than others. I spent quite some time in North
Carolina at (the Methodist-founded) Duke University, in New Jersey at (the
Presbyterian-founded) Princeton University, and in Boston at (the Jesuit
Catholic-founded) Boston College. I had a range of interesting insights into
each and got to know the Episcopal Center at Duke University especially
 19
well. I loved North Carolina – a diverse and fascinating State, with
beautiful natural scenery. Not just that, but the diocese were had begun to
look for someone as Diocesan Missioner for students and young adults. I
applied, was shortlisted and in September, after several interviews, was
offered the position.
In a nutshell, the work is a new post and entails assisting and advising the
diocese on how it engages with people aged 18-40. It is pioneering work
too, as few places are looking specifically at this age-group and/or life-
stage. I am looking forward to it immensely! I start in January 2009.
Nils Chittenden
nilschittenden@yahoo.se
Nils was Curate at St Cuthbert’s 1995-1997

Brownie News
Our Brownie Pack currently has 31 Girls. The
girls have enjoyed visits to the Theatre Royal to
see Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour
Dreamcoat and to The Forbidden Corner in
Yorkshire. The girls especially enjoyed getting
wet in the waterfalls but luckily it was the hottest
day in September so they dried off quickly. At
our weekly meetings the girls have enjoyed
making dream catchers and lavender bags,
cooking apple crumble and practising for our
Christmas performance. Our joint performance
st
with the Guides on Monday the 1 December
was a great success and enjoyed by all who
attended. The girls are know looking forward to
their visit to the Pantomime and making
Christingles.
Our Waiting List is expanding rapidly so if you know of any girls who will
want to join our Pack when they are seven please email me on
fiona.fionab@gmail.com with name, address, telephone number and date
of birth. I will add names to our list.
Fiona Bell

Can I add the church’s thanks to the Brownies & Guides for their pre-
Christmas Show? It was greatly enjoyed by a big audience, and from its
proceeds the Guides and Brownies donated £63.57 to the Christmas Fair
and £30 to Church Hall funds. Martin Jackson
20

From the Parish Registers

Funerals
30 October David Francis Scott aged 81 years
Benfieldside Road
12 November Ada Johnson aged 94 years
Shotley Park Residential Home
17 November (Annie) Nan Askew aged 94 years
Redwell Hills Residential Home
May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace
____________________________________________________________

Deanery Confirmation
by the Bishop of Jarrow in St. Margaret‟s Church, Tanfield
on Tuesday 18th November

We were delighted to present Almighty and ever-living God,

three candidates from our you have given your servants new birth
parish - a reminder to us all of in baptism by water and the Spirit,
our calling in Christ. and have forgiven them all their sins.
Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them:
Please keep those confirmed in
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding;
your prayers: the Spirit of counsel and inward strength;
Rory Clarke the Spirit of knowledge & true godliness;
Laura Gibbon and let their delight
be in the fear of the Lord. Amen.
Louise Cherryman

Readings for Sunday Evening Worship

Please use these readings, whether or not you are able to join us at the 6p.m. service
Sunday 7th December Ps. 40 1 Kings 22.1-28 Matthew 11.2-11
Sunday 14th December Ps. 68.1-19 Malachi 3.1-4; 4 Philippians 4.4-7
Sunday 21st December Ps. 113 Zechariah 2.10-13 Luke 1.39-55
Sunday 28th December Ps. 123 Isaiah 49.14-25 Mark 10.13-16
Sunday 4th January Ps. 100 Isaiah 60.1-9 John 2.1-11
Sunday 11th January Ps. 46 [47] Isaiah 42.1-9 Ephesians 2.1-10
Sunday 18th January Ps. 96 Isaiah 60.9-22 Hebrews 6.17-7.10
Sunday 25th January Ps. 119.41-56 Isaiah 56.1-8 Colossians 1.24-2.7
Sunday 1st February Ps. 122,132 Haggai 2.1-9 John 2.18-22