church letter

The Seat of Augustine

Last month I travelled with two friends to Algeria in pursuit of the background to Augustine of Hippo the great fourth century Bishop of Hippo and theologian. He wrote over 80 works including the renowned Confessions and The City of God which have never been out of print since the printing press was invented. It was he who gave us theories of the just war and in particular stood for the doctrine of grace. Signs of his presence in Algeria are hard to find but traces can be unearthed.

Algeria does not make it easy for clergy to get there, and on the first attempt of applying for a visa I failed. But with the help of the Anglican Bishop of Algeria (a part-time post) who has only one congregation in Algiers, I managed to get a Visa. We set off on January 23 returning on the 30th. I preached to the congregation in Holy Trinity, Algiers where there is an Anglican Chaplain on Friday. The congregation comprised staff, including ambassadors, from several embassies and several young Africans from sub-Saharan Africa who are studying there. There were about eighty in the congregation. From there we travelled to Constantine, the third city of Algeria built around a gorge in impressive scenery. After exploring the city and being accosted by several young people asking where we were from, as there are virtually no tourists in the country, we went on a day trip to Timgad, the remains of a Roman Colony south of Constantine beneath the snow-capped Aurés Mountains next to the Sahara. It once held up to 20,000 inhabitants and must have been the most southerly Roman city in the western empire.

From Constantine we went to Hippo where Augustine was Bishop for thirty-five years from 395-430AD when the city was destroyed by the Vandals as Augustine lay dying, and the Western Roman Empire was being dismembered by the Goths after the sack of Rome in 410AD - the same year in which the Legions left Britain and the dark ages began. We found the Basilica of Augustine where he preached, and from where he addressed the Christian world on the issues of the day. His seat is in the east end of the Basilica which accommodated about 300 people. His seat is lower than those of his surrounding clergy: for however influential he was, he prized humility above all virtues, seeking to follow the ways of his Lord. In one letter he wrote, “Build for yourself no other road for the attainment and possession of the truth, than that which has been built by him who saw as God the weakness of our walking. And that is first humility, second humility, third humility; not that there are no other commandments to be named, but unless humility precedes, accompanies and follows all our good actions … then all the good of our joy in any right action is wrested from us by pride” Ep 118.22. Perhaps this is a good reflection for us as we begin Lent on March 5. As someone said humility does not mean “thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.” May the weeks leading up to Easter be a blessing to you, whatever the weather!
Patrick Whitworth

PRAYER FOR TODAY
Hidden God, you are known to me as absence more than presence
yet just occasionally the point of a needle breaks through the fabric of my life,
makes one perfect golden stitch and disappears again into the depths.
It’s not much, but enough to know that the thread is unbroken and for that I thank you.

Rachel Parkinson, District Chair, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District

Church Contacts

Benefice Administrator: Tamara Laing, part-time at the Benefice Office Email: wbboffice@gmail.com 07359 327072.

Churchwardens:
Inkpen: Charlotte Bampfylde (tel. 669285).
Combe: Tina Fiertz (tel. 668529), Katherine Astor (katherine@kirby-house.co.uk).

Inkpen graveyards on-line

For anyone wishing to view the details of Inkpen's graveyards, including burial details, grave stone inscriptions and the location of the graves, please click here.  Inkpen Burial, Marriage, Baptism and Birth records covering the period 1607 to 1837 can be found on the Inkpen history website, here.

NEWS FROM ST. MICHAEL'S

Posies, Donkeys & Eggs! We are looking forward to an exciting calendar of services and events in the Church in March and in preparation for Easter on 20th April. We have our routine services of Holy Communion at 8.30 on 9th March and Parish Communion is at 9.45 on 16th March, and we aim to have at least one service each month to involve families with children.

On 23rd there is a Healing Service at 6pm led by Alison Dean. This is intended to provide a place of restoration and support for all those in need in our community and is opportunity for the Church to reach out to people who would not normally be part of our congregation.

There is a Family Service for Mothering Sunday at 9.45 on 30th March. Meg will be making posies for children to give to their mothers and would welcome any help on Saturday 29th at 10am at the White House in Heads Lane. Please call Meg (07769 695325) to let her know you are coming. We hope the donkeys will again join us on Palm Sunday on 13th April and on Easter Day there will be lots of mini eggs.

Lent Giving – Parish Giving Scheme
We are focusing on Lent Giving again this year and appealing to all our parishioners to make donations to support the day to day running of our Parish Church in Inkpen. We rely on collections and donations of one kind or another for 85% of our annual income. This is of course a major challenge with costs on the increase and donations lower than in the past. One reason for this is people leaving the village who have been generous donors in the past.

So please use either the envelope enclosed which can be given to your Bulletin deliverer at the end of the month or dropped off in the secure bucket in the Crown & Garter Café. Better still, sign up online to the Parish Giving Scheme. Either way, your gifts are enhanced by having tax refunded through Gift Aid.

The Annunciation
The Annunciation is when the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will become the mother of Jesus, a moment of trust and acceptance. It highlights the power of saying "Yes" to the unexpected and embracing new beginnings. This year it falls on 25th March. This is beautifully depicted on the south chancel wall in another painting by Ethel King Martin executed in 1910 after the major rebuilding of Inkpen Church which began in 1896 and gave us most of the layout and features that we see in the Church today.

CHURCH FUNDING
We are again appealing to the many people who have given generously in the past and to others who would like to support the upkeep of our church. If you would like to donate to St. Michael's Church Inkpen, please do so using the secure website www.parishgiving.org.uk.

Your donations are vital to the upkeep of our beautiful church which so many rely on for weddings, baptisms, funerals and memorials as well as regular services. Thank you.

church services FOR INKPEN, COMBE and West Woodhay

Other Services in the Benefice are on the Website which is www.walburybeaconbenefice.org.uk

INKPEN
Sunday 9th March – Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at 8.30am
Sunday 16th March – Holy Communion at 9.45am
Sunday 23rd March – Healing Service at 6pm
Sunday 30th March – MOTHERING SUNDAY – Family Service at 9.15am
Sunday 6th April - Compline at 6pm
Sunday 13th April - Palm Sunday Family Service at 9.45
Sunday 20th April - Easter Day Family Service at 9.45

WEST WOODHAY
Sunday 9th March – Morning Praise at 11.15am
Sunday 23rd March – Holy Communion at 11.15am

ELECTORAL ROLL REGISTRATION
Thank you to all who have filled in and returned new electoral roll forms so far. As you may know, all parishes are required this year to prepare new electoral rolls before their APCMs. Everyone who wishes to remain on the electoral roll will need to reapply, as will anyone wishing to enrol for the first time.

If you don’t have an electronic form, please email me and I’ll send a form and return to tim@godsondesforges.co.uk We can accept scanned images or photos of printed forms (feel free to return them also via WhatsApp / message to Tim at 07767778650). If filling in electronically, please just print your name in lieu of your signature. The deadline for returning forms is 15th March. Many thanks. Tim des Forges

catholic services

Our Lady of Lourdes, Priory Road, Hungerford RG17 0AF Parish Priest - Fr Zbigniew Budyn 01635 40332

Sunday Mass - every Sunday at 9.00am
Weekday Mass - every Wednesday at 10.00am

OBITUARIES

A victorian view - now and then

The images of St. Michael's past and present are shown here