CROSSLINCS News from around the Diocese of Lincoln www.lincoln.anglican.org
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September/October 2017 – Free
Scunthorpe Centre of Mission receives official launch The result of a new partnership between the Diocese of Lincoln and Church Army, the vision for the Scunthorpe Centre of Mission is ‘Transforming Communities, Building Church’. Following a launch service and the licensing of two Church Army Captains, Crosslincs looks ahead to what this partnership might bring... Set in and around the communities of Riddings, Westcliff and Berkeley, the new Scunthorpe Centre of Mission sees the diocese and Church Army working in partnership, and adding to the list of other centres around the country. As the Church Army website states, the role of this Centre is ‘to encourage the present church communities and also bring hope to the wider community and show that Jesus is relevant and that he cares about the folk who live in these areas’. Captain Sean Andrews (Lead Evangelist) and Captain Paul McDonough (Pioneer Evangelist) have been appointed to this task. Set to serve ecumenically and alongside existing local colleagues, Sean has said that the Centre will be about reaching out into the community, transformation and building ‘church’, rather than ‘churches’. “It is about enabling and resourcing people to do mission,” he has said, “and getting to a point where a group can function on its own, and grow on its own, and so resource and enable others in evangelism.” (Continued overleaf...)
A photocall as Captain Sean Andrews and Captain Paul McDonough are licensed to serve in the Centre of Mission; and the font at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Riddings, Scunthorpe.
INSIDE...
INSIDE...
‘We were the Church in Action’
Introducing our new deacons
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PAGES 4–6
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Crosslincs is produced by the Diocese of Lincoln
The submission deadline for the next issue is 20th September 2017. Editor E: crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org Communications Officer The Revd Adrian Smith T: 01522 50 40 37 M: 07885 99 99 07 E: adrian.smith@lincoln.anglican.org Diocesan Offices Edward King House, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU T: 01522 50 40 50 E: enquiries@lincoln.anglican.org www.lincoln.anglican.org www.facebook.com/Dioceselincoln www.twitter.com/CofELincoln www.flickr.com/Dioceseoflincoln The Bishop of Lincoln The Right Reverend Christopher Lowson T: 01522 50 40 90 E: bishop.lincoln@lincoln.anglican.org The Bishop of Grimsby The Right Reverend Dr David Court T: 01522 50 40 90 E: bishop.grimsby@lincoln.anglican.org
Welcome...
Mission is very much to the fore in this issue as we celebrate some new beginnings and look forward in a spirit of hope together. Enjoy the issue.
Scunthorpe Centre of Mission
(Continued)
Meanwhile, Paul has said, “For me, if we look at the ministry of Jesus, he spent a lot of time outside, out in the world, where people were. I am a great believer in ‘presence evangelism’ – being in the lives of people, in the good and the bad, celebrating with them, walking with them, getting alongside them. I think part of the Centre of Mission is about that – to be out in the world, to be visible, and to say to the world that the Church is here... as part of this community. For me, that’s a big part of it here [at Westcliff] and at Riddings and at Berkeley.” Sean and Paul have been busy in getting acquainted with their new surroundings and neighbours, and with the Centre of Mission now in place there will be a lot of interest in what might be achieved at a local level. Speaking of this new partnership in mission, the Revd Kevin Dyke (Rector of The Bottesford With Ashby Team Ministry) has said: “The launch of the Scunthorpe Centre of Mission heralds the start of a new sense of optimism for the churches here in Scunthorpe. The service of licensing for Captain Sean and Captain Paul was a wonderful occasion that was full of symbolism and hope for the future. We are all, including our ecumenical colleagues, looking forward to working with them across the town and learning from the great depth of experience that they bring to this mission field. As the established church community, we now have the opportunity to work in partnership with Church Army in order to engage more effectively in mission while proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ and transforming lives in our communities.”
The Bishop of Grantham The Right Reverend Dr Nicholas Chamberlain T: 01522 50 40 90 E: bishop.grantham@lincoln.anglican.org
We look forward to hearing more from this exciting new partnership and the Scunthorpe Centre of Mission. Please join us in holding all involved in prayer.
Diocesan Secretary Angela Sibson OBE T: 01522 50 40 32 E: angela.sibson@lincoln.anglican.org
Crosby hosts Foodbank
PA to the Diocesan Secretary Kay Clayton T: 01522 50 40 32 E: kay.clayton@lincoln.anglican.org The Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey The Venerable Mark Steadman T: 01522 50 40 39 E: archdeacon.stow@lincoln.anglican.org The Archdeacon of Boston The Venerable Dr Justine Allain Chapman T: 01522 50 40 39 E: archdeacon.boston@lincoln.anglican.org The Archdeacon of Lincoln The Venerable Gavin Kirk T: 01522 50 40 39 E: archdeacon.lincoln@lincoln.anglican.org W W W.LINCOLN. ANGLIC AN.ORG
Patrick Hall, Treasurer for Crosby Parochial Church Council, reports on the opening of a new local Foodbank distribution centre... Thanks to funding received from the Bishop of Lincoln’s Social Justice Fund, we appointed a Community Development Worker, who forged links with Scunthorpe Baptist Church, the location of the main Foodbank in Scunthorpe since 2010. During discussions with them, it emerged that a significant number of the residents accessing the town’s Foodbank are from Crosby parish, and this prompted our parochial church council to explore the possibility of offering a second distribution centre here in Crosby. With the support of the St George’s congregation and our friends from Scunthorpe Hebron Church, Scunthorpe Baptist Church and Crosby One Community Centre, we have been able to agree to open a Foodbank distribution centre at St George’s Church. We have seen a high level of demand for the most basic of food items, and more donations are urgently required. For more details please see scunthorpe.foodbank.org.uk
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Making connections ‘We were the Church in action’ The Revd Chris Hewitt, Assistant Curate in South Lawres and Barlings, reflects on Thy Kingdom Come 2017 and a shared plan to walk and cover the deanery in prayer... During Thy Kingdom Come in 2016 we walked between the eight churches and communities of the South Lawres and Barlings parishes, connecting them in prayer and fellowship. It was a great success, with people from our churches and also other churches joining in with us. This year, it was suggested that we might expand the walk and include the whole of Lawres Deanery, and we decided to go for it. The logistics were not easy, however: 26 active Anglican churches, one church maintained by The Churches Conservation Trust and two Methodist chapels, a distance of 55 miles and a mix of road, footpath and bridleway.
live on in the fabric of the buildings. In addition, and as we moved from one community to another, we stopped and prayed for the community behind us and the community in front of us, offering the Lord’s Prayer everywhere.
Our aim was to connect these places of worship in prayer, love and fellowship, praying continuously the Lord’s Prayer as we travelled, and reading aloud a chapter from Matthew’s gospel in each community. Ahead of the walk there was much local publicity and prayer, and when the first day arrived we were sent on our way by Bishop David after a gathering for Morning Prayer in Nettleham. Day by day, we prayed in each church, praying for those who serve in keeping them alive as living buildings, for the churchwardens and the parochial church councils, and giving thanks for all those who have gone before and whose words and prayers
On the day of Pentecost we returned to Nettleham for a service that was full of joy, hope and fellowship, and a focus on the Holy Spirit. In all, 130 people took part in the walk, with more attending the Pentecost service, and the Lord’s Prayer was offered on 65 occasions. I would like to thank David Robinson for all of his assistance in planning our walks and also for creating a distinctive woven cross, and finally, for me, one person summed it up perfectly when they said: “We are not a group of people walking between churches; we are the Church walking between buildings we use for worship”. Here, we were the Church in action.
Work is underway to make – and celebrate existing – connections between faith and sport. So what has been happening, and what are the plans for the future? Figures published by Sport England in 2016 showed that 15.97 million people over the age of 16 played sport weekly (Active People Survey; www.sportengland.org). Recognising the significance of sport and fitness in our culture, Church of England dioceses have been encouraged to consider how they might engage in this area of mission and ministry. In our diocese, a small working group has been exploring opportunities for mission and ministry in sport, and this group has already staged a special sports quiz at Lincoln Rugby Club. This multimedia quiz, produced by Christians in Sport, was enjoyed by all those in attendance, and the group is now looking to make further local connections in
our deaneries so as to further develop this significant area. It is hoped that this ready-made sports quiz might be welcomed by sports groups and also churches located around the diocese, and that prayer events might become a regular fixture for all involved in sport, whether as participants, coaches, chaplains, administrators or spectators. The current working group would be very pleased to receive requests relating to the possible staging of a local sports quiz and also establish further contacts around the diocese. Please contact Simon Dean, Discipleship Officer, on 01522 50 40 50 or via email at discipleship@lincoln.anglican.org DIOCESELINCOLN
Image: Andy Miah
Celebrating sport together
Walkers paused to pray in each community in the Deanery of Lawres.
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Introducing our deacons A time of great celebration as 17 people are ordained In July we celebrated with those who were ordained as deacons and priests in Lincoln Cathedral. A time of prayer, excitement, joy and great celebration, the Bishop of Lincoln ordained 10 priests and seven deacons... Following the ordination weekend, we invited each of the seven deacons to write a short piece about themselves so that we might learn a bit more about them and where they will serve, and to welcome them to the diocese. We continue to pray for them, for our new priests and the parishes in which they now serve.
Pat Barlow – Great Grimsby Team Ministry I have lived in Lincolnshire for 13 years, which is longer than I have lived anywhere else; my life has taken me from South Shields to North Kelsey via Hull, Chelmsford, Worcester, London and Bangkok. I studied Education at college and have since spent 33 years in the classroom as a primary school teacher in the UK and overseas. I have worked in various schools, ranging from a small rural school through to a large international school. I now work three days per week at Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe in Grimsby, and I absolutely love it. I was raised as a Roman Catholic but when I moved to Lincolnshire I started attending the local Anglican church, and within a couple of years I started training as a Reader at the Lincoln School of Theology. I began to realise that my calling lay elsewhere, hence, my ordination in July! I am thrilled to be serving my curacy as part of the Great Grimsby team. I am hoping that my experience in working with children and their families will help me as I become more involved in Christ’s work among the communities I will serve in Grimsby. I am married to Steve and we have a wonderful daughter – they have both been very supportive of me throughout my training. W W W.LINCOLN. ANGLIC AN.ORG
Rachel Beck – St Giles, Lincoln Originally from Sheffield, I came to Lincoln in 2002 to study at Bishop Grosseteste College. After graduating, I taught Years 4 and 6 at a primary school in Lincoln for a number of years, before a brief spell back in Sheffield. Realising that Lincoln was now ‘home’ I gravitated back, and worked at the diocesan office for a few years; initially in the Resources Department, and then as the Pastoral, Closed Churches and Governance Secretary. Having begun to discern a calling to ordination during my teacher training years (triggered by a remark from my tutor), I finally entered the formal discernment process whilst working at Edward King House years later, and was delighted to be recommended for training. For the past three years I have been at Westcott House in Cambridge, which has been such a joy and a privilege. During this time, I also spent nearly six months on an exchange scheme at Yale Divinity School in Connecticut, which was a fantastic experience and one that I am immensely grateful for. I am thrilled to be able to return to the diocese, and I am very much looking forward to serving my curacy in the parish of St Giles, Lincoln.
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Faithful, confident, joyful Rachel Fowler – The Waltham Group My childhood was spent in the village of North Somercotes (best known for the seals at Donna Nook). We attended St Mary’s Church under the leadership of the Revd Michael Woolfe, who, unbeknown to him, played a very influential part in my journey of faith. I left home at 18 to study Performing Arts at the London College of Dance and Drama. I qualified as a teacher in 1977 and returned to Lincolnshire to teach at The Lindsey School in Cleethorpes. I remained in teaching for approximately 21 years, leaving to work for St John Ambulance within schools and education. During this time, I was honoured to be granted the ‘Dignity of a Serving Sister into the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem’, being invested in 2011. I am married to Christopher (32 years this year) and we have two children, both of whom are carving out careers for themselves in Twickenham and Leeds, respectively. Sue Rose – Boston
I moved to Lincolnshire in 2012, and I have loved getting to know the local people and rural surroundings, with amazing sunsets and wildlife. I live in Billinghay, where my husband Mike is Vicar of the Carr Dyke Group – our grown-up children and five-year-old grandson live on the south coast.
Prior to my training for ordination, I had a career working in IT and healthcare – I was a hospital general manager in the NHS in Hastings, and then I worked as a director of a company providing software for the NHS and social care. More recently, I have worked at the Pilgrim Hospital, and also as a volunteer in family support for St Barnabas Hospice and for the foodbank in Boston. I have spent the past two years training at Westcott House in Cambridge, and I have enjoyed the chance to be a mature student, living in community with a good mix of fellow ordinands of different ages and backgrounds. I am very excited to be serving my curacy at St Botolph’s (Boston Stump), St Thomas’ and St Christopher’s, and I am looking forward to getting to know the team of staff, volunteers and parishioners who attend and support the churches, and to work and serve in the local community.
After living in Laceby for several years, we moved to Waltham, and it was here that I began to explore my calling to licensed ministry. Following authorised lay ministry training and growing in all aspects of church life, I was put forward initially for Reader training at the Lincoln School of Theology in 2012. During this time, many questions were explored and answered, with just as many not, but by God’s grace and everyone’s perseverance, I was ordained surrounded by family, friends, parishioners, colleagues and clergy. Serving the people in the parishes of the Waltham Group of Churches will be an exciting time, and I know my time as curate here will be a fulfilling and rewarding one. Judy Shaw – Nettleham & Riseholme I was born in Hull but brought up in Lincolnshire. My first memories of God in my life are attending Sunday school at All Saints in Branston and of my Nan taking me to the SPCK bookshop on Steep Hill to choose my first Bible. After leaving school I trained to work with children, and this has been my life’s work ever since – for the past 27 years I have worked at Mount Street Academy in Lincoln as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant. Most of my days are now spent supporting children and their families. I have a lifelong passion for learning, gaining a degree, in Early Childhood Studies, later in my life. I have one grown-up son, who works at Edinburgh Zoo where he looks after the penguins. Ministerial training has taken place at the Lincoln School of Theology. Studying part-time and working full-time has, I hope, equipped me well for serving as a self-supporting minister and working full-time to support myself. It has allowed me to keep my feet firmly on the ground. I am very much looking forward to my curacy in Nettleham and Riseholme, working with the ministry team and all the people as we walk together on our journey with God. DIOCESELINCOLN
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Introducing our deacons Joseph Snelling – St Swithin, Lincoln I grew up in Shropshire and, as a child, was part of St Alkmund’s Church in Whitchurch, where I sang in the choir, was confirmed and many years later was married. Before university I spent a year with Soul Survivor, working with a team who planted a new worshipping community just outside Watford. I then read Theology at Clare College, Cambridge, where I met my wife, Nicola.
Claire Walker – Market Rasen
I was born and brought up in Lancashire. As a vicar’s daughter, I spent a lot of time in and around church before moving to Durham University to study Languages and Classics.
After university I spent some time working for Apple as part of their graduate leadership programme, and after this I joined the Alpha UK team at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), where I was involved in heading up training for Alpha International, particularly focusing on training and developing younger leaders around the globe.
After university, I did a selection of varied jobs, including working for Estée Lauder and then as a buyer before spending five years as a prep-school teacher in south Lincolnshire. It was whilst there that I found my sense of calling became irresistible, and I became a Lincoln ordinand and moved to train for two years at Westcott House in Cambridge. I found this to be a richly rewarding and nourishing time, during which the combination of academic study, church placements and community life allowed me to gain insights into how my future ministry might look.
I trained at St Mellitus College in London, and we moved to Lincoln this summer to take up my curacy post at St Swithin’s. Nicola and I welcomed our first child, Solomon, to the family not long after the ordination weekend, and so we are settling into life in Lincoln with a new job, a new city, a new house and a new baby!
I am so excited to be beginning my curacy in Market Rasen, and I look forward to discovering what God has in store for us all during my time there. I live with my husband and our two children, aged eight and four, who enjoy keeping us on our toes! I also enjoy cooking, swimming, watching television and the occasional spot of amateur dramatics.
We continue to hold those who were ordained priest and their respective parishes in our prayers: Jennifer Billson – Crowland Susan Hentley – The Haven Group Rachel Heskins – Welton & Dunholme with Scothern Trudy Hobson – Brigg, Wrawby & Cadney cum Howsham Rhona Knight – Sleaford Samantha Parsons – The Horncastle Group Katharine Plant – Holbeach Laurence Price – The Waltham Group Jane Robertson – Boston Jennifer West – Holton le Clay, Tetney & North Cotes The Very Revd Michael Sadgrove preached at both of the ordination services, and he also led the ordination retreat.
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Supporting one another Focusing on ministry and mission among older people Sara Davies reports on work to explore the ministry offered to older people in our diocese, and efforts to try to reduce a sense of isolation among the elderly... A recent article in the Church Times reported that although the religious needs of older people are just as great and varied as those of younger Christians, they often ‘slip off the radar’ of the Church. Anna Chaplaincy is a programme that began in Alton, Hampshire, in 2009 and which has been pioneered by the Bible Reading Fellowship’s ‘The Gift of Years’ to try to resource the spiritual life of older people. There has been interest in establishing some form of Anna Chaplaincy within our diocese since a study day held in March 2015 (‘Celebrating Mission and Ministry Among Older People’). Led by the former broadcaster and the first Anna Chaplain, Debbie Thrower, it was well attended by people, lay and ordained, from our diocese and further afield. Following on from this, a working party has met to see if a similar model could be used to reach isolated, elderly people in our diocese. In this instance, the term ‘isolated’ refers to spiritual as well as physical isolation, and there has been an awareness of people who are living in residential care as well as those requiring support within the local community.
Keelby Community Cares is ‘Good’ Keelby Community Cares (KCC) has achieved a ‘Good’ rating following a recent Care Quality Commission inspection. Described as a ‘tremendous achievement for such a small organisation’ by the Revd Philip Stevens (Rector of the Wolds Gateway Group of Churches and Rural Dean of Haverstoe), KCC became a registered charity in 2015 and offers domiciliary care services for people aged over 65, and adults with dementia, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. The subject of a feature in the Church Times (‘Making social care social again; 5th May 2017), KCC currently employs 12 care workers and supports 12 clients, and it has been suggested that this model of care provision could be shared with other churches interested in the possibility of developing a similar venture. We plan to feature KCC in a forthcoming issue of Crosslincs.
There is a strong belief within the working party that Anna Chaplaincy could help to address the individual spiritual needs of older people living in our diocese. As we know, the Anna in Luke’s gospel was a faithful, elderly believer. Those faithful, elderly believers no longer able to attend a church should not simply ‘slip off’ our radars but instead find a new dimension of spirituality to meet their needs. To date, the Gift of Years has been working on developing a national network, and it is now hoped that a local support network could be of benefit to those involved in ministry among older people. Any developing ministry would be expected to complement that already provided by local parish ministry teams. Charitable funding has been secured to support a six-month, part-time ‘Anna Chaplaincy Development Worker’. Supported by the Warden of Readers and the diocesan Mission Team, it is now going to be my role to try to establish the type of ministry that is currently undertaken with older people around the diocese, with special attention given to the spiritual care that is provided to isolated, elderly people. Mission Team Leader, the Revd Richard Steel, has said, “This is such an important area to look at and it is vital that we invest more in it. It is also good that we can recognise, support and pray for those many older people who continue to provide such an important part of our ministry to those in our churches and the wider community.” Sara Davies may be contacted via saraj65@btinternet.com The Gift of Years is part of The Bible Reading Fellowship (brf.org.uk). ‘Knocking on heaven’s door’ by Ted Harrison was published in the Church Times on 23rd June 2017. DIOCESELINCOLN
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Noticeboard A simple skill that saves lives The Bishop of Grantham and the Bishop of Grimsby have recently taken part in BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Save a Life campaign. As BBC producer Lucy Parry explains, the campaign is inpired by a local story... I can never really describe the moment I found out that Charlotte Wright, my dear friend and BBC Radio Lincolnshire colleague, had suffered a cardiac arrest while out running. It still seems so unreal, so shocking, so unexpected. To put it bluntly, just half-an-hour after taking her three young children to school, she lay dying on the pavement. Her heart had stopped beating; technically she was dead. But then there was hope. We learned that someone had stopped to give Charlotte cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This changed everything. Steve Race was driving along Nettleham Road in Lincoln when he thought he saw a heap of clothes. He stopped, saw Charlotte, and, remembering skills he had learnt decades earlier as a young army cadet, started CPR. A few minutes later, nurse Josie Vincent – who was also driving past – stopped and took over until an ambulance arrived. A paramedic then used a defibrillator and literally brought Charlotte back to life.
“In the first 12 weeks, we trained 10,000 people – including hundreds of schoolchildren and two bishops” Staff at the radio station were understandably shocked by what had happened. Charlotte has no underlying heart condition, and doctors don’t know why it happened. Just six weeks later, Charlotte was back at work and reunited with Steve and Josie – her Good Samaritans – who saved her life. Inspired by Charlotte’s story, BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Save a Life campaign was launched and we want to give CPR training to thousands of people. We are working with volunteers from St John Ambulance and LIVES. In the first 12 weeks, we trained 10,000 people – including hundreds of schoolchildren and two bishops – and we would like churches to host training sessions. CPR is easy to learn and it doesn’t involve mouth-to-mouth. For more information, please email savealife@bbc.co.uk or call us on 01522 51 14 11.
Charlotte Wright (centre) is reunited with Steve Race and Josie Vincent.
The Community of St Hugh Simon Dean, Discipleship Officer, looks ahead to the launch of a pilot scheme for The Community of St Hugh... As the diocese responds to its call to transform lives through worship, discipleship and service, prayer lies at the heart of this endeavour. A pilot scheme to encourage and help us in prayer, known as The Community of St Hugh, is to launch on Saturday, 30th September 2017. The Community of St Hugh is open to anyone, of any age, who wishes to deepen their discipleship and their spiritual formation, and it will involve a personal rule of life that is built around the following three priorities: Worship – ‘encountering the living God in all I do’ Discipleship – ‘learning to follow Jesus in every part of my life’ Service – ‘seeking to love others, as I am loved by God’. We would like as many people as possible to be part of this, and an invitation is extended to all for the launch event. The launch will be held at Stow Minster. With arrivals from 10am, this event will run from 10.30am–12pm and it will offer information, support on how to develop a rule of life, and also include an act of worship and a simple lunch. Please email discipleship@lincoln.anglican.org or call 01522 50 40 50 for more details. To book your place at the launch, please call or visit https://goo.gl/GmZXch
Announcements The Revd Nicholas Brown, Rector of Louth, has been commissioned as Rural Dean of Louthesk. The Revd Paul Blanch, Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church Redding, California and Dean of the Alta California Deanery, has been appointed Vicar of Kirton in Holland with Algarkirk and Fosdyke. The Revd Canon Stephen Simcox, Minister in Charge of Spalding St John the Baptist, is to be Associate Minister with oversight of Missional Communities and Fresh Expression, St George’s Stamford. The Revd Nigel Panting has resigned his licence as a Distinctive Deacon of The North Lafford Group, and the Bishop of Lincoln has issued Nigel Permission to Officiate. The Revd Georgina Machell, Assistant Curate in The North Lafford Group, is to be Rector of The East Loveden Group of Parishes.
The Revd Nicola Penn-Allison, Assistant Curate at St Peter’s, Redcar (York), is to be Priest in Charge of the Saxilby and Stow Groups of Parishes. The Revd Timothy Voltzenlogel, Vicar of St Stephen’s, Bexhill (Chichester), has been appointed Vicar of St George’s Swallowbeck, Lincoln. The Revd Pamela Fraser, Rector of The Asterby Group and The Hemingby Group, has resigned her licence with effect from 4th October 2017. Pam will be licensed in the Newcastle Diocese in Australia on 5th October 2017. The Revd Annabel Barber is to serve as Rural Dean in the Deanery of Graffoe. The Revd Ros Latham is to serve as Rural Dean in the Deanery of Calcewaithe and Candleshoe. The Revd Cliff Kay is to serve as Rural Dean in the Deanery of Isle of Axholme. The Revd Michelle Houldershaw is to serve as Associate Priest in the Skegness Group of Parishes.
PRIZE CROSSWORD No. 21 Set by Kettlebird 2
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Across 1 000s (7) 5 XXXs (7) 10 Colour of 22D? (4) 11 Pride I both arranged to get banned (10) 12 “From 12A and 22D and from 24A 25D” from the Litany (6,6,6,5) 13 Whiskers made from blisters (8) 14 Pride sets out and kept on (9)
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16 Instrument which may contain champagne (5) 17 6,6,500 Bright Roman (5) 19 NW bay associated with sagacious Ernie (9) 23 Nightly bed procedure brings depression (8) 24 See 12A (6) 26 Operated oil rig satisfactorily (6,4) 27 Questions (4) 28 They keep up standards (7) 29 Parts of stamen and headless big cats (7)
AN A V I RG A E T O E R E R E V U HE
DAVON R V S AGUE S T E R E ANS TOP T S T I NGTO N O N ANENT S H P L A T E A B G AR I O L A E U S T RUTH
Solution to No. 20
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Winner of Prize Crossword No. 20: Mrs M. Wilson, Hedon. To enter: please send completed entries to Crossword No. 21, Crosslincs, Communications Office, Edward King House, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU. Closing date: 20th September 2017. A photocopy of the completed crossword is acceptable, if you prefer. Editor’s decision is final. The prize is a faith-related book.
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2 Not working but not unemployed (2,5) 3 Describes Ursa Major (5) 4 Exposed dancer not spelt so (7) 6 Dried fruit (6) 7 Small spark sounds broke and more sick (9) 8 In which one should be happy (7) 9 Abnormally flexible (6,7)
15 Confusingly pink nears large racing sail (9) 18 Same chemical properties but different atomic weight (7) 20 Greek E (7) 21 Used for circuits, ice or record (7) 22 See 12A 25 See 12A Tip: 1 and 5 across are a pair. DIOCESELINCOLN
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Learning together The gift of education celebrated in special service in Market Rasen Head of School at Market Rasen Church of England Primary School, Mrs Nichola Allerston, looks back at a shared service that celebrated the gift of education... Towards the end of the last school year, the communities of St Thomas’ Church in Market Rasen and Market Rasen Church of England Primary School joined together at St Thomas’ Church to celebrate the gift of education. The service was led by the Vicar, the Revd Stephen Johnson, with members of the Collective Worship Council, who offered the intercessions, wrote prayers and read the lesson. The school also sang a version of The Lord’s Prayer that they regularly sing in school as part of their worship.
and the school come into church several times a year on weekdays, but today members of the church and the school community really enjoyed coming together.”
Speaking about the service, the Revd Stephen Johnson said, “It was wonderful to be able to welcome the school to our Sunday morning worship. Ms Jackie Waters Dewhurst, the Diocesan Director of Education, gave a short talk about the importance of faith and community. Usually, I go and lead Collective Worship at the school
A cross consisting of seven squares decorated by each class was blessed as part of the service. During the children’s Religious Education week, the children had studied images from the ‘Big Frieze’ Understanding Christianity resource (www.understandingchristianity.org.uk), and this cross will become a central part of the school’s Collective Worship.
St Thomas’ Church provided the setting for a great celebration of education.
Church festival for Year 5 schoolchildren is lots of ‘fun’! St Mary’s Church in Barton-upon-Humber hosts a popular annual church festival for Year 5 schoolchildren. Crosslincs was invited along to this year’s event to find out more... It is clear that, as the children from four local primary schools make their way into St Mary’s Church, they are looking forward to a whole day of learning and sharing together. Attended by Year 5 children from Wootton St Andrew’s Church of England (VA) Primary School, New Holland Church of England and Methodist Primary School, Ulceby St Nicholas Church Of England Primary School, and Barton St Peter’s Church of England Primary School, this event is organised by the Revd Alan Wright, who is supported by school staff and a team of local volunteers. The day begins with a welcome, a procession of the school banners and prayer, before the children move around the church to engage in a series of 40-minute workshops. This year the theme was ‘bread of life’, and activities included the making of corn dollies and Godly Play, plus, courtesy W W W.LINCOLN. ANGLIC AN.ORG
Some of the schoolchildren with their handwritten prayers.
of the local Tesco Community Champion, an opportunity to taste different types of bread in reflecting on its symbolism. The day, which later closed with an act of worship and was described by children as ‘fun’, also serves as helpful preparation for the annual Year 6 Schools’ Festival held in Lincoln Cathedral. As the Revd Alan Wright told Crosslincs: “We thought that we would have a smaller festival in North Lincolnshire that would help to prepare the children for the following year. There are also many other benefits, such as fellowship, co-operation with others and mixing with people from different schools. I would be very happy to share the ‘model’ for our event with others.”
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Sharing in mission Supporting ministry among children and young people A new team of diocesan Children & Youth Mission Enablers has been appointed to encourage ‘young disciples’. So who are they, and how can they help? Charlotte Bloom and Rachael McIntyre have recently taken up the Children & Youth Mission Enabler posts in our diocese, and they are to be joined by a new member of the St Swithin’s (Lincoln) staff team. This three-person team will work part-time in the diocese, alongside their work in a parish or school, and each will have an area of expertise and support a different archdeaconry. They are: Charlotte Bloom – Charlotte is currently the Chaplain at William Farr C of E Comprehensive School in Welton, which is near Lincoln. She has worked with children and young people for more than 15 years, and she will mainly serve in the Stow and Lindsey Arcdeaconry. Charlotte may be contacted on 07908 703 864 or via charlotte.bloom@lincoln.anglican.org
Rachael McIntyre – Rachael is Director of Children and Youth Ministry at St George’s Stamford and has more than 20 years of experience. Rachael will serve mainly in the Boston Archdeaconry, and she may be contacted on 07512 646 673 or via rachael.mcIntyre@lincoln.anglican.org (The new ‘Rising Generations’ worker for St Swithin’s will provide support mainly in the Lincoln Archdeaconry.) Looking ahead, the team says, “We rejoice in the existing provision for children and young people in many of our parishes, and we want to support you in your children’s and youth ministry. We are a pilot group for what could see a growing team in association with further parishes. We are excited to see how the ministry develops and grows, and we look forward to sharing with everyone all that is going on to encourage young disciples in their faith journey. We welcome calls and emails and we are ready to come and visit parishes, hold training events, resource and advise on children’s and youth ministry. We will be celebrating and looking to support the work of volunteers and paid workers in local churches across the diocese.”
What is a fresh expression? The Revd David Bartlett, our diocesan Fresh Expressions Enabler, looks at what makes for a fresh expression... The most common question I am asked is ‘What is a fresh expression?’ It is not an easy question to answer as not all fresh expressions look the same. It is therefore perhaps easier to explain some of the underlying principles. • A fresh expression is there to meet with, and serve, those ‘outside’ of church • It is there to listen to these people, to join in and to be a part of their community and life • Its aim is to help people discover God’s love for them and point to how to respond in following Jesus • Some would say, and rightly, ‘Surely that is what all churches ought to be doing?’ The key point is in the last part of the process. Rather than saying, ‘This is what church looks like, do it this way’, it evolves out of their growing relationship with Jesus and each other. Fresh expressions are not seeking to change the way that ‘we do church’, but rather to let new ways of ‘being
church’ to grow up, alongside them; therefore creating a mixed economy of new and old, with both learning from, and being enriched by, each other. The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, puts it like this: “Mixed economy is essential because it gives the balance between... stability [and] an openness to the Spirit of God doing new things.” So my answer, to misquote Dr McCoy in Star Trek, is “It’s church, Jim, but not as we know it.” In the next issue I will begin to look at how you might start a fresh expression, and if, in the meantime, you require any support please contact me at david.bartlett@lincoln.anglican.org DIOCESELINCOLN
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Nature and nurture Planning ahead and enriching the beauty of our churchyards In the latest in our series of articles on engaging with the natural world, Helen Gamble offers advice on how to show faith in the future by planting for 2018 and beyond... All too soon, the long warm days of summer are behind us and, although we may yet enjoy an Indian Summer, growth is slowing down. Hopefully you’ve had an opportunity to look around your churchyard and are aware of where certain things grow and where there might be a need for a bit of extra colour or flower interest. If so, now is the time to think about bulbs for next year and beyond. Bulbs are easy to source and plant, and, with the right bulbs, and in due course, those visiting your churchyard might appreciate a little added colour, scent and the hum of bees. Garden centres sell most of their bulbs during the autumn months but they are available from specialist suppliers throughout the year, depending on the species and time of flowering – just make sure that they are firm, full and fat and can be planted shortly after buying them. It is good to check that the plants have been obtained from reliable growers, rather than from stock that has been collected from the wild, and to try to buy and plant native varieties, such as British bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). For a really natural look that works well in churchyards, gently scatter the bulbs across the planting area and plant each one where it lands. As a rule of thumb, most bulbs can be planted at a depth of approximately three times their own height, with a similar distance apart to allow
Image: Snowdrops © LWCS W W W.LINCOLN. ANGLIC AN.ORG
A spring scene in the churchyard at St Benedict’s Church in Scrivelsby.
for spreading. Use a sturdy trowel or bulb planter to dig a hole and drop the bulb into the hole, making sure that the pointed growing tip is facing upwards – if it isn’t clear then try planting the bulbs on their side. Cover the bulb with soil and gently firm-up the earth around the bulbs to fill any pockets of air. Avoid treading the ground afterwards as this might damage the bulb as the soil settles. If you are planting large numbers of bulbs then it might be easier to lift a piece of turf with a spade and arrange the bulbs beneath it before relaying the turf. After flowering, allow plants to die down before mowing or, alternatively, plant bulbs in defined areas so that it is possible to mow the grass around them. In terms of when to plant, it’s best to take specific species advice, but the general rule is: • plant spring-flowering and hardy summer-flowering bulbs in autumn • plant tender summer-flowering bulbs in early spring • plant autumn-flowering bulbs by late summer. There are some bulbs that are best moved ‘in the green’ – lifted and planted in flower or in leaf. Snowdrops are one of the best examples of planting this way because the dormant bulbs in the autumn are small and, after the disruption of being lifted and dried, they have to work hard to get going once again. By planting them when they are active, they come back much stronger the following year. It is important to note that any work must be carried out under the guidance of the relevant parochial church council (PCC) and according to diocesan churchyard regulations. Helen Gamble is Project Officer for Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service (LWCS). Further advice is available from the national Caring for God’s Acre Project, based in Hereford Diocese (see www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk). Information is also at www.lincswolds.org.uk/library/churchyards.pdf
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Inspiring lives Edith Shelley: just one of the ‘saints’ produced by our diocese I recently found an old guide book in the safe in St Mary’s Church in West Butterwick. Written some 50 years ago, this opened for me the story of Edith Annie Gwendolen Shelley (1887–1944), a missionary nurse and pioneer of leprosy treatment in Tanganyika. Edith was the daughter of Harriette Eliza Shelley and the Revd John Benniworth Shelley, Vicar of West Butterwick, on the west bank of the Trent near Scunthorpe, from 1885 until his death in 1916. During the First World War, she served as a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and she then completed her training as a nurse at King’s College Hospital, London. In 1923 Edith walked into the London headquarters of the Universities’ Mission to Central Africa and offered her services. She went to work with people at a leper camp in Lulindi Tanganyika (now Tanzania), nursing many forms of disease in addition to leprosy, and after seven years, she contracted leprosy herself, which restricted her activities.
“Someone is needed to help these people. I think God has chosen me.” Living in a small bamboo hut among leprosy sufferers enabled her to become a pioneer in the treatment of leprosy. She came to believe that segregation in most cases was mistaken and caused great mental stress. The best hope was regular treatment in its early stages and which was enabled by building clinics in local areas within easy reach. She would walk regularly to each clinic, starting out before sunrise with a stick in her hand and a topee on her head. Soon there were 10 clinics, the furthest 80 miles from the main camp. These were under the care of Africans but Edith supervised them all, visiting every two or three weeks. The numbers treated amounted to thousands and many were cured. Although it was feared that hard work would affect her health, she insisted, saying that a small legacy made it possible for her to work at her own expense. She had no relatives to worry about her and she was convinced that she was called to do this: “Someone is needed to help these people. I think God has chosen me.”
Photograph courtesy of Barrie McLeod
The Revd Ian Walker looks back on the chance discovery of the story of a remarkable life spent serving others...
St Mary’s Parish Church in West Butterwick.
She would walk, often getting up before dawn with her rucksack and stick. Later she consented to buy a bicycle, and only near the end of her life did she accept lifts from the lorries that were becoming more common. In 1939 she became ill again and returned to Britain for an operation only when she was convinced that it was the only way she could continue her work. On her return to Africa there were many new problems associated with war-time as drugs and supplies needed to come from Calcutta and shipping space was scarce. This resulted in some clinics having to close until new supplies came. Despite this, in the last year of her life, Edith and her team of 10 treated 1298 leprosy patients, making a total of 21,918 in all. By late 1943, Edith’s illness had returned and she wrote to a friend, “You know as well as I do that the last safari for me cannot be far hence. I am quite happy and the days are filled with a joyous wondering. About the work, I am not worrying. He who gave it me will see about it as He thinks best. If it is to go on, someone will be found to do it.” She died on 14th March 1944 at the age of 57. At her funeral local people fired rifles over her grave, usually done to honour their greatest chiefs. She left her small amount of property to continue the work of the Mission and the number of clinics grew in the years following her death. Edith Shelley is just one of the ‘saints’ produced by our diocese, known to God but largely forgotten today. She deserves to be remembered more widely; perhaps a new edition of local commemorations could include her. The Revd Ian Walker retired as Rector of The Epworth Group and as Rural Dean of Isle of Axholme at the end of August. Our prayers and best wishes go with him in his retirement. DIOCESELINCOLN
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Sharing our gifts Helping others, from Stewton via Santiago to Wiyumiririe The Revd Robert Mansfield reports on how a small parish church has big plans to keep helping others on several fronts in the community of Wiyumiririe, Kenya... St Andrew’s Church in Stewton, within the Team Parish of Louth, might be one of the smallest churches in the diocese but it could claim to be one of the most active, with links not only across the local community but also around the world through the Toilet Twinning Scheme – the church is already linked to 14. Twenty years ago the church started to help the remote community of Wiyumiririe, which is in the Laikipia district of Kenya, to build a new church as the congregation there had outgrown the original wooden building. The new church was completed a few years ago, and after several requests I went out to visit the community at Easter 2016, accompanied by my younger daughter, Victoria. This was a fascinating, lifechanging visit and, following various meetings and visits to local schools, groups and dignitaries, Victoria and I returned home with three specific aims in mind. The first was to ensure the delivery of HIV drugs to the community to prevent a costly 40-mile round trip to collect them. “Do I buy food or pay the bus fare?” one local resident had asked. Through negotiating with government officials, the drugs are now being delivered to the village twice a week as from Christmas 2016. A second key element of the planning was to improve the diet of some of the poorest villagers. After much discussion we agreed that we at St Andrew’s could fund a ‘Goat Unit’, an initial building housing five good-quality milking goats and a male goat so as to provide milk to improve the diet and also produce ongoing female goats, which will then be
St Andrew’s Church in Stewton, which is part of the Team Parish of Louth.
passed to others in the area, thus improving their diet too. The third element was to provide a classroom for children with learning disabilities. During the visit we met really committed and enthusiastic teachers who were limited in what they could provide for this group of pupils. It is therefore the intention of St Andrew’s to build at least one classroom, perhaps a second, if funds allow, in local schools. Please do not picture European-style classrooms, but perhaps something much more basic and which has to fit in with other structures. Although the final costings have yet to be resolved, Victoria and I intend to undertake a sponsored Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain in early October this year, walking the last 110km to this historic centre of pilgrimage. If anybody feels able to make a contribution towards the building of the classroom (in cash, by cheque or via online donations), please contact me on 01507 32 75 33 or via mansfieldstewton@hotmail.com Victoria and I will be funding our own trip to Santiago, and every penny donated will go directly to the project.
New local book promises readers a brief history of Old Clee A Brief History of Old Clee, the Hamlet, the Church, the School and the Masonic Lodge is the title of a new book produced by the Revd D. Ian Walker. Described as being about ‘the history of one of the earliest settlements in the Grimsby area’, the book is being sold in aid of the League of Friends of the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, which was started in 1956 to raise funds to supply comforts for both patients and staff. The cost of the book is £3 (or £4 to include postage and packing). For further details and orders, please contact the Revd D. Ian Walker at 48 Pretymen Crescent, New Waltham, Grimsby DN36 4PB. Please make cheques payable to ‘Revd D. I Walker’, and make sure that orders include a postal address. Additional contact details for any enquiries are davidian8@virginmedia.com and 01472 82 69 58.
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Developing disciples Striving to be welcoming, gracious and generous The Revd David Bartlett describes how the Developing Discipleship Programme (DDP) has enhanced local ecumenical unity around a shared focus on mission... In our context we already work closely together, and so we decided to make the DDP an ecumenical process. We arranged to run three DDP events for the United Parish of Bardney (Apley, Bardney, Gautby, Minting, Southrey and Stainfield) and our partners in mission in Bardney, which are the Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, some of Threshold Church, as well as others from churches outside of these villages and who live and serve here. We made the process as enjoyable as possible, with our vocation event beginning with a bacon butty breakfast and our vision event held in the Open Door coffee shop. The agreeing of statements took a lot of work, especially when it came to agreeing a common set of values. One person commented that this was partially because we were not used to thinking about how our faith is worked out so explicitly. We also found ourselves coming back to something about the story of our villages and their roots in Bardney Abbey and the story of St Oswald. Bardney’s ‘open door’ aspirations have figured prominently, and, at the end of our three DDP events, we had three statements. Vocation statement As a mission community, our calling from God is to open doors between: • heaven and earth • each other • village communities • past, present and future so as to see transformation through the love and power of Christ! Values statement As a mission community, our values are: • we are a community that celebrates our common faith while recognising our difference • we are a community that seeks to be outward looking and missional • we are a community that is hospitable • we are a community that is worshipful and prayerful • we are a community that looks to live out the Bible in our discipleship.
Vision statement As a mission community our vision is to be a varied Christian Community drawing closer and celebrating life together, so that, with us, God may be easily encountered and his kingdom may flourish. At our recent parochial church council meeting we asked all six churches to think about how this vision would affect their worship, discipleship and service in their village. We are challenging them to think about one thing they might do to help the church grow in each of those areas. As we are mostly small churches with small congregations, we are trying to be practical and realistic, but we are also looking to do things that will stretch us. One person summed up the situation as follows: We have to concentrate on keeping the church building open and maintained, but now we realise that the building without people is pointless. If we can help people to discover Jesus’ love, then perhaps they’ll join our church, but we can’t take it for granted; we need to make sure we are welcoming, gracious and generous. We are also working as leaders across the different groups to see how we can work more effectively together. We are meeting monthly for prayer and breakfast, and we have organised a series of lunches so as to begin writing a Growth Plan and see how we can share in mission together. The bishops expect all parishes to complete Growth Plans. For assistance with this, please contact Louise Vincer, DDP Coordinator: ddp@lincoln.anglican.org DIOCESELINCOLN
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CALENDAR SEPTEMBER
Saturday, 9th September (12 noon – 4pm). Craft Fair at St Helen’s Church, Stickford. A variety of crafts, including knitting, cards and items made from wood, plus refreshments, tombola, raffle and second-hand books for sale. Saturday, 23rd September – Sunday, 24th September. Scarecrow Festival and Harvest Celebration at Holy Trinity and St Mary the Virgin, Old Clee, Grimsby. Open from 10am–4pm (Saturday) with refreshments and activities in the church hall. Sunday at 10.15am: Harvest Festival Communion Service with the Bishop of Grimsby; church open until 4pm. Sunday, 24th September (11am). Harvest Festival at St Guthlac’s, Fishtoft. Non-perishable food welcomed; all donations to go to Centrepoint Outreach for distribution. Saturday, 30th September (10am – 3pm). Craft Fair at St Guthlac’s, Fishtoft, to include cakes, cards, knitting, handicrafts woodturning, preserves, vegetables, refreshments.
Horncastle Deanery has new festival
Saturday, 30th September (7.30pm). Concert by the Cottesmore Military Wives at St Bartholomew’s Church, Ingoldsby. Tickets (£10) each are available by calling 01476 58 55 13.
(£20 and £15) will be available from the cathedral shop (01522 56 16 44) and on the door. Set to include music from the 18th century with old instruments and 18th-century uniform.
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
Saturday, 7th and Sunday, 8th October. Flower Festival at All Saints Church, Harmston in partnership with the Harmston Memorial Hall, with a concert by The Hungate Singers on the Saturday in church (7.30pm; tickets £8). Saturday, 14th October. ‘Music from the shows’ by Theatreworkz at St Margaret’s Church, Laceby. Theatreworkz are Anita Walker and Neil Richardson (Anita is the daughter of the Revd and Mrs. D Ian Walker, now of New Waltham, Grimsby, and she has an MA in the Performing Arts from Ruskington College, Cambridge). More details are available from Mrs Rosemary LeBrun on 01472 31 01 74. Friday, 20th October (7.30pm). Concert: The Band of the Coldstream Guards at Lincoln Cathedral in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund. Tickets
Over the weekend of 9–10th September 2017, there is to be a new, open churches festival in Horncastle Deanery. Set to feature 36 historic buildings, the Horncastle & Villages Churches Festival Weekend is a free-entry event and it will include organ trails, flower displays, themed exhibitions and refreshments. The weekend follows on from the great success of the West Lindsey Churches Festival (now in its 21st year), and members of the West Lindsey team are lending their expertise to this new venture. Further information may be obtained by visiting www. horncastlechurchesfestival.co.uk, and printed brochures are available upon request by sending an email (together with a postal address) to the organisers at horncastlechurches@gmail.com (It is also possible to request a copy by calling the following number during office hours: 01673 84 38 52.) W W W.LINCOLN. ANGLIC AN.ORG
Friday, 3rd November (7.30pm) at Swayfield Village Hall, and Sunday, 5th November (3pm) at Harrowby Lane Methodist Church, Grantham: performances of Peter – The Rock, a new musical by the Revd Richard Rice-Oxley (see rev-rice-oxley.uk) Saturday, 4th (1.30pm – 4.30pm) November. Craft Fair at St Denis’ Church, Silk Willoughby (NG34 8PD). [St Denis’ Church has the Glassumimass exhibition until 1st October 2017. Open daily (8am–4pm), free entry. See www.artsnk.org]. Friday, 24th November (7.30pm). ‘Forty male voices in harmony: songs from the musicals, songs of love, ballads, McCartney, and with a touch of Christmas’ – Harmony Lincs at St Peter’s Church, Navenby. £10, to include wine and refreshments. As mentioned last issue, don’t forget the Bike Ride & Stride, to be held on Saturday, 9th September 2017.
Holland Places of Worship Festival
A new two-day-festival, to be held on 9th and 10th September, will offer people a chance to visit some of the places of worship in the Holland area and enjoy further attractions, such as treasure hunts, exhibitions, places for quiet contemplation and concerts. A Holland Places of Worship Festival guidebook, which is available from participating churches, includes a map, details of where to find refreshments, forthcoming events and a competition. Further information is available now from the festival website, which may be found at www.hollandpowf.org.uk DIOCESELINCOLN
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