Odell Church News - November 2015
November 2015
Dear Friends,
November is a month when we are invited to remember the past.
There are the familiar repeated words of remembrance, which we will hear on Sunday 8th and Wednesday 11th November:
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary
them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of
the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. We will remember them.
This year we celebrate 97 years
of remembering the dead of two world wars and a variety of other conflicts
between nations. The Armistice was signed at 5am in a railway carriage in the
Forest of Compiegne, France on November 11, 1918. Six hours later, at 11am, the
war ended.
At a time when soldiers and citizens continue to die in various wars including
Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, it is important to stop, reflect, give thanks for
lives lost in the search for peace, and pray for peace, trust and reconciliation
between peoples and nations.
Earlier in the month we may well hear the chant:
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
But this urge to remember is not such a helpful thing to do, remembering divisions in the Christian Church and burning effigies of the Pope or Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.
Remembering my childhood - the
summers were always long, hot and sunny; and in the winter there was always snow
to build snowmen and to go tobogganing - but I suspect that if we were to get
out the records from the meteorological office we would find that my childhood
summers and winters were as mixed as those of the last few years. It’s the
trouble of looking back at the past through rose-coloured spectacles, always
seems better than it was and certainly better than the present.
Israel in exile in Babylon looked back to the good old days of escape from
Pharaoh in Egypt some 700 years earlier, crossing the sea on dry land and the
destruction of the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. But God is the God of
the present and says through the prophet Isaiah:
Here is today’s lesson - I am the God of the Passover and the Exodus; I am the
God of rescue, promise and new life; and now I am going to do a new thing, and
you will see it happen (Isaiah 43:14-19).
These are words we need to hear. As good as our fellowship life today may be -
there will be in future days new stories of new people - different gifts, new
ways, new vision, different experiences to share - but this we believe will be
in God’s will and purpose.
Now that is not to say that we should not remember the past years with thankful
hearts, but we will recognise that God is also the God of the present and the
future.
John Weaver
Prayer Group
What is the Prayer Group? It is made up of members of All Saints’ Church who undertake to pray regularly, on an individual basis, for people who ask us for prayer support.
Who do we pray for? Anyone whom we are asked to remember; these might be people from our church, from our local community or others known to us.
What do we pray about? Anything which you would like brought before God; maybe anxiety due to illness, stress or loneliness. You can also tell us of a special day you wish to be remembered – perhaps for an interview or an exam. Any information will be treated in strictest confidence.
How can you let us know if you would like us to pray for you? You can telephone Madeline Jeeves (720803) and email mgjeeves@yahoo.com.
MEETING POINT
November
11th 10.30am at Catherine’s, The Stables, Church Walk, Harrold
25th 10.30am at Jane Smith’s, Horsefair Lane
All Saints’ Church Charitable Giving for the month of November
Our giving in November will be shared between the British Legion Poppy Appeal and Combat Stress
(Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society). Many still depend on these two organisations for all kinds of help including medical care and your generous giving enables continuous support for those damaged in body, mind and spirit by the ravages of war.
Churchyard Clear-up
Saturday 7th November
10am—12.30pm
Come and join in with the fun!
Coffee Morning at Hobbs Green Farm
Christmas Hamper coffee morning
On Friday 4th December
At Hobbs Green Farm
From 10.30am – noon
In aid of Bedford Women’s Refuge
(Places for People)
Admission free Please bring Christmas Fayre
All Saints’ Church Flower Rota
November
1st Odell patronal festival
Jane Eshelby
8th Remembrance Sunday
Carol Ormond
22nd Faith Hartwell
Happy Birthday to
Georgina Ardley whose birthday is on the 29th,
and to Peter Coleman who celebrates his 80th birthday on 5th,
…and to anyone else with a birthday in November.
58th London Old Boys Association – Winter 2015 newsletter.
As many readers know, Odell has a long association with the 58th London Old Boys Association, who attend Odell fete every year and entertain us with their band, and who also attend the Remembrance Service in All Saints’ Church in Odell every November. Tom Ellingham of The Old Boys Association kindly sends us a copy of the newsletter, in which Odell often features largely! Here are some extracts from the winter 2015 newsletter:
ODELL FETE Kelly Chapman’s report
It was time once again to set off your our annual trip to the Odell Fete. We set off mid-morning, hoping to get there with plenty of time to set our gear up, but we had to detour due to Bedford High Street being closed off for a charity run. Driving through the pouring rain, and still not knowing whether the fete would go ahead because of the weather, we finally reached Odell around 1:20pm.
As usual, most of the lads were down The Bell!! Dad took the stuff round to the gazebo, and set up my table so as I could do a bit of fundraising. The fete did go ahead, and started at its normal time of 2:00pm. The rain eased off about 2:30pm, and the lads staggered back from The Bell. A lot of reminiscing took place. The Dog Show went ahead, but the Children's Races were cancelled due to the weather.
We finished the Fete with a few tunes played by a few of the old boys.
Considering the weather, a good day was had by all.
We left the Fete and went to Roma's Cottage for a BBQ hosted by Debbie and Michael. We finished with the usual A.G.M…
Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Armistice and next year's Fete. Kelly Chapman, Honorary Member.
Members of the 58th London Old Boys Association enjoying the BBQ after the fete
ODELL HOSPITALITY
There are two aspects of the Odell local economy which I might humbly endorse - that is the Bell Inn and the Sharnbrook Hotel. The Bell now is in my view very much up to snuff. The staff are friendly, attentive and welcoming. The food is good and they serve a good pint. What more could you want? One of the problems for me with spending a day in Odell is that it is a five hour round trip. I recently attended a local family get together and chose to stay over in the Sharnbrook Hotel. This worked for me in all respects. The hotel is modern, friendly and clean. The rooms are particularly large with all the usual facilities. The food was good and the journey home was achieved in a relaxed and easy manner as I could do it in my own time. I shall stay there again.
If anyone would like to see two Odell Fete related videos of the Old Boys Association on You Tube – one of the 2015 fete, the other of the Old Boys band marching from The Bell to the Scout field at the opening of the Fete in 2004 – they can be found by entering ‘Odell Fete’ on www.youtube.com Tom Ellingham
Diary
November
5th 10.30am HOCP Health Walk
7th 10.00am Churchyard Clear-up
7th 10.30am Christmas Art and Craft Fair, Sharnbrook Village Hall
10th 2.30pm W.I. Village Hall
11th 10.30am Meeting Point at Catherine’s, The Stables, Church Walk, Harrold
14th 7.30pm Melvis in Village Hall
16th 7.30pm Parish Council Meeting, Village Hall
19th 10.30am HOCP Health Walk
21st 10.00am St. Mary’s Christmas Bazaar, Carlton Village Hall
25th 10.30am Meeting Point at Jane Smith’s, Horsefair Lane
30th 10.00am HOCP Friends, Tasks Day
December
4th 10.30am Hamper Coffee Morning, Hobbs Green Farm
Magazine Deadline
Please send all entries for the joint December 2015/January 2016 magazine to Tricia Hudson (ed at odellbeds.net) or Catherine Corkery by November12th at the latest. May we remind you that the editorial team exercises the right to edit, shorten or alter any items that are submitted. Also, the opinions expressed in the articles are those of the contributors and are not the responsibility of the editorial team.
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from July 19th (Building and breaking down walls part1)
(Building and breaking down walls part2)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from June 21st (Freedom from Fear)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from May 17th (Witness of the Gospel)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from April 19th (Being a Christian)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from March 15th (Mothering Sunday)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from February 1st (Meditation)
Click here to download John Weaver's talk from January 18th (Simeon)
Notice to Hymn choosers - click here to see available Hymns
oooOOOooo
