The Parish Church of
HOLY TRINITY, TARLETON
Parish "Webzine" December 2006

ADVENT to CHRISTMAS

From the Rectory

Dear Friends,
No doubt, like me, your Christmas preparations are already underway. This year I heard my first carol and saw my first decorations way back in October. Far too early! I hope that through our worship, study and prayer, in church at least, we can do our best to keep the season of Advent. So often these days Advent gets crowded out by the secular fashion for premature Christmas festivities and this distorts the true character of this joyful season.

The strong and solemn hymnody of Advent helps prepare our hearts and minds for the coming festival. The season of early darkness and shortening day reminds us of our needs and deficiencies; artificial light, brightly blazing, cannot dispel a kind of gloom and dark shadow surrounding us. Nothing is too clear; we are encouraged to search out a way ahead. There is the true light to look forward to; Advent urges us to make sure that our wants and our needs genuinely coincide.

Darkness has its part to play in our spiritual development. We cannot expect to see and understand every issue and problem with an equal clarity. We may close our eyes when we pray, not to escape nor wish away any unpleasant distractions but to concentrate upon God who is invisible to our eyes. In shutting out the light, we symbolise our helplessness and our dependence upon Him. Some, in their maturity, remain open-eyed, casting off prejudices and hates, removing the blinkers that shield the wider view, focusing where we can with care and concern on others’ needs. Such are the preliminaries to the putting on of the ‘armour of light.’

There are many kinds of darkness. The gross darkness of cruelty and greed and violence obviously appals us. Yet there are also twilight regions, less black but subtly misleading, in which apathy, carelessness, and self-pity darken counsel and blind our judgement. We might be tempted to think that we can get by with bluff and fudge; that this semi-darkness is light enough.

Out of such darkness, we begin to be shaped, with lessons learnt and pain endured. We benefit when, in addition to going through the motions of the Advent ceremonies, we discern not without some humbling and agonising, how our lives should be directed.

With God the darkness is no darkness at all. The night is as clear as the day. So sang the psalmist, when at first he thought he could hide from life’s realities and mused ‘peradventure the darkness shall cover me.’ In the darkness willingly faced and accepted, discoveries are made. The wisest among us are not know-alls; on the contrary, they are the sort who recognise human limitations. A modern poet has shared some of his wisdom with us in the lines he wrote:
O lord of hidden light
Forgive us who despise
The things that lie beyond our sight
And give us eyes.
Every blessing this Advent-tide, and have a joyful Christmas when it comes.
Fr Nicholas.

FROM THE PARISH REGISTERS 2006
Baptisms “Inheritors with us of the Kingdom of God”
29th October Abi Prendergast

Funerals “Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord”
3rd November Dorothea Ainscough
4th November Alice Foster
9th November Henry Forrest
Bill Molyneux
17th November Ann Lesley Smith
24th November Henry Iddon

Mothers’ Union December
The prayer group will meet in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at 2.00 pm on Monday 4th December.

On Tuesday December 5th we will be looking after the cake stall at the Advent Coffee Morning at the Rectory from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

The following day, Wednesday December 6th is our annual lunch at the Rufford Arms Hotel meeting at 12 for 12.30 pm.

Father Nicholas will share some thoughts for Advent on Wednesday December 13th at 7.30 pm.

We have received our annual invitation from St Stephen’s, Banks, MU, to join them for their Carol Service at 7.30 pm on Thursday December 14th.

With greetings and best wishes to all our Members and friends for Christmas and the New Year.
Pat Heap

The Social Committee
The Social Committee would like to thank everyone for their support for the Harvest Supper and Quiz held recently – the funding for the disabled ramp is creeping up nicely!!

With this in mind we will be holding a Hamper Draw again this year and would ask for your help with this. We will not be holding a raffle in the New Year so this needs a big push!!

We hope to display the hamper at the Advent Coffee Morning at the Rectory on Tuesday 5th December and the draw will take place on Sunday 17th December in the School Hall.

Looking to changes – we will be holding a Feast for Epiphany on Sunday 7th January in the School Hall instead of the Pre Lenten lunch. Tickets will be available soon price £6.00 each.

Coffee day thanks
A very big thank you to everyone who supported in any way the Coffee Day in aid of “Sunflower House.” We raised the magnificent sum of just over £400. This money will make a huge difference to the children who will benefit from it. Your help was very much appreciated.
Enid Bramham

A Big Sing for Derian House
This deanery Sunday School event raised £1256.50.
Well done to all who took part.

CHRISTMAS CRACKER 2005
Service of Nine Lesions & Carols
Penistone Line Express

Advent Coffee Morning
This year Fr Nicholas is opening the Rectory on the eve of St Nicholas, Tuesday 5th December - from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

Stalls will include Gifts and Crafts, Cakes, Books and Candles, and we hope to have both tombola and a raffle.
Donations of Gifts and Crafts to Dorothy Turner, but not too long before the day, please. Offers of cakes to the MU, books to Ian & Sue (can collect!) If you have small items for the tombola or suitable raffle prizes, please keep an eye on the pew sheet for where to take them.

Fairtrade and TLM
There’s another chance to buy fair-traded goods, cards, and presents from both Tearcraft and The Leprosy Mission on Saturday 9th December.

A variety of stalls will be in the Christian Fellowship church building off Moss Lane in Hesketh Bank. If you can’t get there, you can ask Sue to give you a catalogue or pop round with her bag of TLM Christmas Cards - just ring 813267.

Rose Queen thanks
The Rose Queen Committee and Retinue would like to thank all the businesses who kindly made donations for the Family Bingo and Hotpot Supper evening on 10th November. We also thank the many adults and children who made the evening extra special and who were kind enough not only to buy tickets for the evening but also bingo and raffle tickets on the night.
A HUGE THANK YOU to you all.
The evening raised in excess of £1000 for our nominated charity, ‘BLISS’ Premature Babies.
Looking forward with TLM Sue Wells

Thank you to everyone who has been giving me the L-boxes back to empty and count. So far this autumn we have paid in c£170 which will be sent to TLM before Christmas.

I will be happy to have any more boxes back between now and Leprosy Sunday (28th January 2007) to spread out the counting up! We will present our parish donations, whether counted or just in, at the 10.30 service that day, when there will be a special sermon about the work of TLM.

Ian and I have decided to mark our 40th wedding anniversary (which is earlier in January) by holding an Open Afternoon on Sunday 28th, World Leprosy Day. Everyone is welcome to drop in to 62 Sidney Avenue from 4 pm. Absolutely no presents for us, but donations for TLM will be highly acceptable.

Meanwhile, thank you also for the continued gift of used postage stamps. Please save all your Christmas card stamps and drop them off in the TLM box at the back of the church. We can also take old postcards complete with their stamps, and unwanted stamp collections.

Please continue to pray for our ordained friends.

Alison Alp is still seeking a new role.

Alexandra Logan will be leaving our Deanery, where she has been curate at St Mary, Penwortham, for the Diocese of London.
She has been appointed Vicar of St James the Less, Bethnal Green. This is a highly multi-cultural area, where George Galloway is MP, so she will have plenty to keep her alert. Her induction will be some time in February.

CHRISTMAS CRACKER 2005
IMMACULATE BABY 0-3 months, including six baby grows, lovely white lacy shawl, quilted baby nest, pretty toys design, clothes and shawl unworn, bargain £10 Weston-Super-Mare Admag
But we do have information about adoption at the back of the church.

Parish Visiting Team
If you know of anybody who would welcome a visit, either because they are in hospital, or because they are confined to the home for whatever reason, or because they are new to the parish, would you please fill in one of the slips at the back of the church and place it in the box or contact Fr Nicholas on 812614 or Pat Heap on 812991

From previous magazines: Report in the January 1902 issue
The Christmas Tree party was held on December 28th, and the weather was unfortunately most unfavourable, as it rained persistently all day. Under the circumstances, it is highly satisfactory that so large a sum as £18 3s 8d was taken, and as all who assisted kindly gave their services, the whole of this sum was clear profit, and was placed to the credit of the Heating Apparatus Fund, to which the Bible Class proposes to add a further contribution on the first Sunday in January. The tea was excellent, and the tree was very prettily decorated and laden with a profusion of toys and other articles chiefly contributed by the children and their parents, while several kind friends assisted with gifts of money, provisions for the tea, and personal services, to all of whom the best thanks of the Church are due.

Magazine delivery thanks Two of our long serving delivery people are reluctantly giving up: Margaret Riley after around 30 years, and Mrs Margaret Howard who has apparently been doing it since she was 15. Many, many thanks.

PARISH DIARY for December
NORMAL SUNDAY SERVICES
8.00 am Holy Communion,
10.15 am Sunday School and Crèche
10.30 am SUNG EUCHARIST
(3rd Sunday, FAMILY PARISH COMMUNION)

DECEMBER
Friday 1st 12.15 pm Eucharist
Sunday 3rd ADVENT SUNDAY
8.00 am Eucharist
10.15 am Sunday School
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST & Toy Service
6.30 pm Said Evensong
Monday 4th 2.00 pm MU Prayer Group:
Blessed Sacrament Chapel
Tuesday 5th 10.00 am Eucharist: Oakgate Close
10 am to 12.30 pm Advent Coffee Morning at The Rectory
6.50 pm Choir practice
Wednesday 6th St Nicholas
10.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
12 for 12.30 pm Mother’s Union lunch at the Rufford Arms
Thursday 7th 7.30 pm Eucharist
Friday 8th The Immaculate Conception
12.15 pm Eucharist
Saturday 9th 10 till 3.30 Fairtrade Day with Leprosy Misson goods
at The Christian Fellowship, Moss Lane
Sunday 10th Second Sunday of Advent
8.00 am Eucharist
10.15 am Sunday School
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST
6.30 pm Sung Compline
Tuesday 12th 6.50 pm Choir practice
Wednesday 13th 10.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
7.30 pm Mother’s Union: Parish Room
“Reflections on Advent” Fr. Nicholas
Thursday 14th 7.30 pm Eucharist
7.30 pm MU invited to St Stephen’s, Banks, Carol Service
Friday 15th 12.15 pm Eucharist
Saturday 16th 6.30 pm Joint Carols in Mark Square
Sunday 17th Third Sunday of Advent
8.00 am Eucharist
10.15 am Sunday School
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST
6.30 pm VILLAGE CAROL SERVICE
with the band, the schools, and organisations
Tuesday 19th 6.50 pm Choir practice
Wednesday 20th 10.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
Thursday 21st 7.30 pm Eucharist
Friday 22nd 12.15 pm Eucharist
Sunday 24th Fourth Sunday of Advent
8.00 am Eucharist
10.30 am SAID EUCHARIST with hymns
4.00 pm Crib Service & Christingle
11.30 pm MIDNIGHT MASS OF CHRISTMAS
Monday 25th CHRISTMAS DAY
8.00 am Eucharist of Christmas
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST
Tuesday 26th St Stephen, Martyr
7.30 pm Eucharist
Wednesday 27th St John the Evangelist
10.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
Thursday 28th Holy Innocents
7.30 pm Eucharist
Friday 22nd 12.15 pm Eucharist
Sunday 31st First Sunday of Christmas
8.00 am Eucharist
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST
6.30 pm NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS

Monday 1st January 2007 The Naming & Circumision of Jesus
11.00 am Eucharist
Tuesday 2nd 10.00 am Eucharist Oakgate Close
6.50 pm Choir practice
Wednesday 3rd 10.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
Thursday 4th 7.30 pm Eucharist
Friday 5th 12.15 pm Eucharist
Sunday 7th EPIPHANY
8.00 am Eucharist
10.15 am Sunday School
10.30 am PARISH EUCHARIST
with the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, Bishop of Blackburn
followed by Parish Lunch