Chronic How to make God smile

It began as a garden-party tournament
in 1877. About 200 spectators paid
one shilling each to watch Spencer
Gore win the Gentlemen’s Singles final.
This year over 450,000 people will
queue to sit in the stands and millions
more will watch the 13-day event on
television. And this year at Wimbledon
more than £13 million in prizes are up
for grabs.
The greatest names in tennis play
Wimbledon. Arthur Ash, Bjorn Borg,
Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Fred
Perry, Pete Sampras, Chris Evert, Steffi
Graf, Billie-Jean King and Martina
Navratilova to name a few.
Inscribed above the players’ entrance to
Centre Court is this quote from Kipling:
“If you can meet with triumph and
disaster and treat those two impostors
just the same.”
None of those heroes of tennis
became championship winners simply
by showing up. Tennis was their
magnificent obsession. Each day they
strove to learn the game. It took
patience, character and courage.
Being a Christian is like that. It isn’t
about instantaneous conversion; it is
about how we live our lives, how we
strive to walk with God. We discover
that success as a follower of Christ
is different from success by worldly
standards. The Bible tells us “that in
a race all runners run, but only one
gets the prize? So [each of us should]
run in such a way to get the prize.” (1
Corinthians 9:24)
Each of us wants to live a life that
satisfies us, that allows us to feel as
Chronicle
How to make God smile
though our life matters. Augustine,
a headstrong young hedonist and
speechwriter sought meaning in money,
prestige and women. But when he
discovered that pleasing God is what
makes life satisfying, he willingly turned
his back on money and prestige in
order to serve Christ. Rick Warren
puts it this way. “The smile of God
is the goal of your life.” God smiles
when we do what he has called us to
do. Love him supremely and love one
another. God wants a relationship with
you. When you live in an authentic
relationship centred on Jesus Christ,
you have hope and you have the power
to change yourself and your life.
If you want to discover the right way
to play the game of life, learn to trust
God completely. The Bible has many
examples of how, when we trust
in God, we discover extraordinary
solutions to difficult problems.
You can also make God’s face shine on
you by doing what he asks you to do.
That’s not always easy because we have
our own self interests. Often, we find
it easier to offer partial obedience to
God, but when we learn to joyfully and
enthusiastically follow what God calls
us to do, we start to experience life in
its fullness.
God’s love for you and desire for a
relationship with you is profound. He
began a good work in you. He made
you for success and to enjoy your
relationship with him forever. Do all
that you can to win the prize.
Howard
Cowley Team Ministry
July/August 2010
1
Editor’s Letter
Dear Readers,
First of all a big welcome to our new co-editor, Sally
Hemsworth. Sally and her husband, Les, have just
returned from a cruise to Norway and yet she has
managed to prepare a huge amount of script in time
for our publisher Phil to produce our summer issue.
Thanks, Sally!
I would like to wish the staff and pupils of our
three church primary schools a great summer
break and also thank them so much for their great
contributions for The Chronicle throughout the
year. Please keep the news coming schools, we
love to hear from you. While we are talking about
the young people in our parish, another big thank
you to the Girl Guides for keeping us up to date
with their activities.
What do you think of our recipes each month?
Sally told me she made the Bakewell tart featured
in the June Chronicle and it was a great success
apart from the fact that she thought she’d manage
with one punnet of raspberries and she should have
used two! I expect you bin your magazine once
you have read it so do you sometimes throw away
a good recipe too? What do you think about a
recipe book with two or three seasonal dishes for
each month? Let me know if you think it would be
a good idea. By the way, if you have got a triedand-true recipe you would like to share please send
it in.
Do not forget that August is the month to order
your next ten copies of The Chronicle. Your order
form is included again this month. May Morgan
at St James and Norah Shallow at St Francis will
collect the forms and your £3 for the next year’s
subscription.
I have a small mistake to correct from last month
(apart from the gremlins that crept into the type).
The lovely poem “Ascension” was submitted by
Molly Oliver, not composed by her. The poet was
C. C. Aurdive. Molly asked me to point out that
she did not think she was quite clever enough to
compose such a poem (I’ll bet she is!).
By the time this reaches you we may have seen
most England flags tucked away after our team has
been knocked out of the World Cup in South Africa.
Oh. I do hope not. But talking of our flag of St
2
George, aren’t you proud of it? Looking around at
the flags of other nations it makes me very proud
that it declares, loud and clear our allegiance to
the cross. Apart from the Scandinavian countries
whose flags have an off-centre cross we are the
only one who have the Christian cross standing
for our basic values. The white background for
purity, the red cross representing Christ’s spilt
blood makes me so proud every time I see it flying,
whether as a symbol of sporting prowess or simply
to tell the world who we are. “Raise the cross, sign
of victory”.
Wishing you all happy summer days and looking
forward to meeting you again in September.
God Bless
Rosanne
CHRISTIAN AID CAMPAIGN
Frank and Lesley would like to say a big thank you
to everyone who helped this year in the Christian
Aid Campaign. It was a first year experience
for both of them and they are quite pleased
with the final total of £960.29. They feel that
Cowley could do even better next year and are
determined to pass the £1,000 target.
If anyone has any brilliant ideas for fund raising –
not necessarily house-to-house collecting – do
come forward and let them know. We are a big
parish and could do a lot more.
However, £960 is three times as much as we
raised last year.
This CartoonChurch.com cartoon by Dave Walker originally appeared in the Church Times.
Chronicle Details and Deadlines
The Chronicle is the monthly magazine of the Parish of Cowley
Team Ministry.
The Chronicle is edited by Rosanne Butler, material from St
Francis church members is collected by John Shreeve. To submit
stories ring the parish office on (01865) 747 680 or email
chronicle@cowleyteamministry.co.uk
Issue
Deadline
September
October
November
December
22 August
19 September
24 October
21 November
CHRONICLE ORDERS FOR 2010 – 2011
Please see over the page your form for the next ten issues of the Chronicle. If you
would like to reorder please hand in your slip to May Morgan or Norah Shallow by
29 August with £3. New subscribers can obtain their slips from the two churches.
3
SAINT MONTH Mary Magdalen
OF THE
July 22nd is the day on which
the Church celebrates St Mary
Magdalen.
At the time of Christ the name
Mary would seem to have
been popular. It is, therefore,
difficult to be sure whether the
various stories about Mary in
the Gospels are indeed one and
the same person. The medieval
Church considered them to be
so and this idea was endorsed
by eminent theologists such
as Dr Pusey. However recent
scholars have questioned the
theory.
The gospel writers tell us of
specific incidents which identify
Mary Magdalen as a key figure
in Christ’s ministry. St Luke
tells of how she was healed of
certain evil spirits and infirmities
along with other women and
how she went with Jesus on
some of his missionary journeys.
at Calvary. Of course we know
that she was the first person to
meet the risen Jesus. Blinded
by tears in the garden she
mistook him for a gardener. It
was only when Jesus spoke her
name that she knew Him. She
then sped to Jerusalem to tell
the incredibly joyous news.
There is some dispute about
whether Mary, the sister of
Martha and Lazarus, is indeed
the same person. It is, though,
widely believed to be so. This
is the Mary who anointed Jesus’
feet with oil and wept, drying
her tears with her long hair.
Also she was the loving sister
whose grief turned to joy when
Lazurus was called from the
tomb by Jesus.
It goes without saying that
the early Church had legends
about her. The Greek Church
believed that she followed St
John to Ephesus and lived there
until she died.
St John tells how she stood at
the foot of the cross and was
There is also a ninth century
present when our Lord was
lifted down. St Mark mentioned legend which says that she
her as part of a band of women belonged to a rich and noble
family in Magdala and that after
the Ascension she returned
to the family castle in Bethany.
During the early persecution
of Christians, at which time St
Stephen was murdered, she,
along with her family, a maid and
a number of people whom Jesus
had healed were set adrift in a
boat with no tiller or rudder.
By God’s providence they finally
came aground in Marseilles
where Mary preached with great
success. She then went on to
Aix and did likewise. After this
she is said to have taken herself
off for thirty years into a “right,
sharp desert”. On her return
she received Holy Communion
and died before the altar.
It is claimed that she was buried
at Aix though many years after a
monk was ordered to take her
remains to the Abbey at Vezelai.
They are shown there to this
day. However, Marseilles also
claims to own them too.
Despite the legends Mary
remains an important person in
the gospels, a person who truly
loved our Lord.
CHRONICLE ORDER FORM
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4
THE ADVENTURES OF A
CHRISTIAN AID COLLECTOR
Since I did my Christian Aid collecting last year a
lot of new neighbours have moved into our area
so my adventures this year had something of the
“travelling-into-the-unknown” element to them,
rather like the rest of our doughty collectors. That
is not to say that quite a few of the people I called
upon did not know me. Because I have been
Christian Aiding for about five years now I got quite
a few “Oh I knew it would be you!” comments.
These are very reassuring. However out of the
eighty envelopes I delivered (with Frank’s help) ten
people were out (some on holiday) and only seven
turned me down flat.
I have called this little article “The adventures of
…” because to me that is just what it always is. Let
me tell you about a few of my adventures. I called
at one house where the door was opened by a
drop-dead handsome fourteen or fifteen year old
boy wearing a white England football shirt. If you
know me you will realise that straight away I was off
on my chat about our England team. The poor lad
interrupted with a bewildered “I am sorry I no spik
English” at which point Mum appeared. She spoke
broken English and was charming. I was invited
in and seated on a lovely squashy armchair while I
explained why I had called. The family come from
Brazil so we launched into a few words and gestures
about the wonderful Brazilian football team while
the lady filled the envelope. Despite the tiny fiveyear–old boy who burst into tears at the sight of me
(!), I was invited to “come again” which I will.
Two twenty-something lads live in a pretty rundown house in our area. One was about to get
into his car and the other was leaning out of the
bedroom window when I called. I invited them
to give a coin or two. “Not today, luv” came the
reply, “We get our money on a Monday”. “Would
you like to me to come back on Monday?” I asked.
“Yeah, if you like” – so I did. They came up with a
£2 coin and I told them they were lovely.
One of the ladies in our street brings her little girl
to Seashells at the Church Centre. She opened the
door and was just going to give her little one her
bed-time bath. I was greeted by a beautiful child
running down the hall without a stitch on! She has
just got over chicken-pox so I was invited to count
the spots still there
on her tummy!! Of
course I also got a full
envelope.
A Muslim family at the
top of our road are
always generous donors to Christian Aid so I was
sure I would get a good response there. However
I was surprised when the lady of the house said
she could only find some cash if the curry she was
stirring did not burn so I was asked into her kitchen
to stir the pot whilst she found her envelope. That
was a new experience.
I met people who had seen our Plant Sale poster in
the porch and wanted to know more about it (and
they came to the sale too). I met a young man who
told me all about losing his mother tragically and
how he is now sorting out her house before selling.
I called at another house where only the husband
spoke English. I think the family are Slovakian.
They too were very interested when I explained
about the wonderful work of Christian Aid. The
Italian family who has to have everything translated
to them by their young son gave generously. The
French family not only wrote a substantial cheque
but invited Frank and me to their next barbecue.
All lovely people.
I have saved this little story till last: I called at one
Muslim house just as they were about to eat dinner.
I offered to call back – not a bit of it. “Come in,
sit down, have some supper with us”. I declined
because I had to cook Frank’s dinner. Sadiq, the
man of the house, told me, “If you don’t sit down
on my sofa and talk to me while I eat my supper,
I shall not put anything in that envelope”, all said
with a twinkle in his eye. So I did and when he had
finished he put a £5 note in the envelope and gave it
to me to seal.
There are several more lovely experiences I could
tell, many of them from people I have never met.
After my adventures I came home thinking that I
cannot wait for Christian Aid Week 2011.
Rosanne
5
Mothers’ Union News
One of the lovely things about belonging to the
Mothers’ Union is the knowledge that in every week
in every year a branch of the movement is praying
for members throughout the world. Here in
Cowley we have started the tradition of making our
Wave of Prayer date into something of a party – are
you surprised? Because our special day is always
in June we make it a “strawberries and cream” tea
party. We meet in church and spend a quiet time of
prayer and Bible reading, then repair to the Church
Centre. This year we met on 14 June and were
delighted to welcome our two new members and
one member who has rejoined Mothers’ Union
after her retirement from work.
the Mothers’ Union theme for 2010.
It was, then, a great pleasure to talk about how our
branch is growing when we met members from
all over Oxfordshire at our Oxford Area Summer
Meeting held at Kidlington on the 16 June, where we
began with a delicious buffet supper and a chance to
chat. We moved into St Mary’s Church for a short
act of worship and were then addressed by the Rev
Joanna Collicut McGrath. She spoke very amusingly
and movingly on “Relationships not Rules” which is
Members might like to make a special point of
looking at the two roses we planted in the garden
at the Church Centre two years ago. There is a
creamy yellow one by the front door in memory of
our first male member, Eric Uren and a deep red
one in the garden at the back in memory of Phyl
Maclaren, a former branch leader. Both roses are
looking magnificent at the moment and a fitting
tribute to two great people.
The Cowley branch was also thanked at the
Summer Meeting for the contributions of snacks,
tea, coffee, chocolate and small puppets and cuddly
toys which members have donated in support of the
Children’s Hospital.
The July meeting as ever this year will be a bringand-share tea party. This is a kind of end-of-term
meeting as we do not resume until September. The
date for our summer party is Monday, 19 July. It
would be lovely if all our members could be there
as we have a special presentation to make.
Parish Quiet Day at Stanton House
A parish Quiet Day at Stanton House, Stanton St John on 22 May focussed on the theme of Jesus washing the
disciples feet. Led by Helen Beetham, the three sessions reflected on the picture by Sieger Koder and were on
the themes Jesus washed the disciples feet; Do you understand what I have done for you? and Go and wash
each others’ feet. The day ended with a simple Eucharist in the afternoon. The day allowed plenty of quiet
time for people to meditate on the theme and the glorious weather allowed us to sit in the lovely grounds
of Stanton House. The lunch, refreshments and care provided by the staff were generally agreed to have been
superb!
The event was “full house” and eighteen people attended. Our thanks to Helen Beetham and Chris Woodman
for organising the day. It is hoped to have another Quiet Day, focussing on the theme Blessings, in October.
Look out for details later.
LO
S
Has anyone found a nice little digital camera in a black
case either in the Church Centre or St James’ Church?
Cynthia Retter is quite upset that she has lost it and has
asked if The Chronicle readers would be kind enough to
keep an eye open for it. Please ring her on 711429 if you
find it. Thank you so much.
6
T
Summer in the garden
I think that maybe summer has really arrived (for
a while, anyway). It is quite scary to think that we
are now on the rundown of the year! Cheer up!
The best is yet to come!
to show my grandchildren and get them to make
one each for their mothers. They look so much
more interesting than a lavender bag. Thank you
Rosanne!
The gorgeous spring-flowering shrubs can be
pruned, leaving more space for the glories to
come. I really must prune my forsythia before it
blocks my window! My peony Sarah Bernhardt
is just going over – it has been better this year
because it was late - the buds have not been
damaged by frost. I aim to split it later in the year.
It is becoming crowded by various other plants,
so I want to have a new plant with more space.
They can be moved if you only cover the roots
by 1-2 inches of soil, and keep well-watered. I did
consider seeds –but they can take up to 3 years to
germinate, and then how long to flower???
So, what to do this month? Make lavender wands/
parasols while the lavender stems are not too dry.
Plant out all the frost tender plants that have been
left behind (surely you have some?). Encourage
your runner beans and climbing plants to climb
where you want. (One of my beans is climbing
the feverfew). Keep on top of the weeding. Then
sit down, or wander and enjoy the sights, scents
and sounds of your garden, other gardens, and the
many parks we have.
The oriental poppy has flaunted its red tissue
flowers, and now can hide its fading leaves behind
the hardy penstemon - always a good idea to
hide those leaves, once you have enjoyed the
flowers. Leave the seed heads or cut them off
to use in dried flower arrangements (hang them
upside down to keep the stems straight). I am
disappointed that again this year my opium
poppies have not appeared. They say that once
you have them, they are there for ever. I must
have been too greedy taking the seed heads for
indoors!
My raspberries are beginning to go pink, and
we had our first pick of strawberries for the
21st. Next week I hope to take some of the
tiny gooseberries for a crumble and enable the
other fruit to grow bigger. I will repeat this later
so that my fruits become really large (well I can
always hope!). Last year I failed to prune my
gooseberries, so it will not be very comfortable to
pick the fruit- long gauntlets needed!
The lavender is just coming into flower. Do
remember to pick some to dry for the winter.
Clothes moths don’t like it, but most of us do.
In the business of life, it is all too easy to leave
things like this until it is too late for the year. Last
year Rosanne showed me how to make lavender
wands/parasols, something I remember my
grandmother doing. I was so pleased to be able
Diana Pope
Open Garden
Bishop's House, 27 Linton Road, Oxford
OX2 6UL
Saturday August 7th from 2pm until 5pm
(last admission 4.30pm)
A rare opportunity to enjoy the Bishop
of Oxford's lovely garden which is
in the process of restoration and
redevelopment. The extensive garden
has mature herbaceous borders, Italian
garden, woodland walk, bamboo 'forest'
and vegetable and fruit areas.
Please note that not all the garden is
suitable for wheelchairs. There are some
uneven pathways (slippery when wet) and
an unfenced pond.
All proceeds to the Archway Foundation
"Serving those hurt by loneliness".
Adults £3.50 Children (over 5 and under
16) £1. Teas and cakes will be on sale.
Christine Hurdley
7
A trip to Wembley
My day started when I caught the train at Bicester North Station with my son, a friend and three young boys,
who were each given a horn by my son, so you can imagine the noise as we made our way to the stadium.
When we arrived we had a walk around the perimeter looking for Malcolm Boyden who was supposed to
be by the Bobby Moore statue, but unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen.
Anyway we then went through the turnstiles into a huge area where there were many food and drink
outlets, toilets, etc. After quenching our thirst we made our way into the stadium to the sounds of the
Oxford United Fans, of which there were many.
The next step was to get to our seats which were three rows from the front of the pitch. My problem
began here as I had to descend many steps without a handrail. I held on to my son’s arm, still in trouble.
One of the stewards could see the problem and held my other arm.
What excitement when Oxford scored their first goal, followed then by two more. You can imagine the
noise and celebrations when the final whistle blew.
We departed the stadium and made our way back to catch the train. Having queued for an hour we finally
got on the train and had to stand most of the way home, arriving back at 10 pm.
A good day was had by all and I now look forward to the start of the 2010/11 season, for which I already
have my season ticket.
Joy Harbison
(A true Oxford United fan)
8
T h e O r i g i n s o f Cowley
Part Four : Stone
Last month we left our Saxon
was needed.
stone was then taken down to the
settlers ensconced in their tiny
I found a very old map in the
river bank somewhere near Iffley
village of Cufa’s Ley with its big
wooden long house, where the
chief lived and its tiny wooden
Westgate Library which marks
on it the site of a stone quarry
and floated up to Oxenforde on
flat bottomed barges.
along Barracks Lane, known for
The tower of St Michael-at-the-
centuries as Mud Lane. It is
Northgate Church was built in
certain that those Saxons soon
Saxon times as a lookout point
realised the potential of stone.
against invaders. The priory of St
They also found rich limestone
Frideswide whose foundations are
out-crops at the foot of Shotover
beneath Christ Church Cathedral
Hill. So Headington Quarry
was also built from Headington
workings began. Stone was used
stone provided by the drovers of
Wattle was made from hazel or
to build strong walls to surround
Cowley.
willow wands (because they are
the little village of Cufa’s Ley.
Why then was the stone for
flexible) woven together very
Then the church and the lord’s
Oxford not taken overland for
much like the fencing we can buy
house would have been replaced
instance along the route we know
today in garden centres. They
with fine stone buildings.
as the Oxford Road and Cowley
were shaped into low walls and
The stone was dragged along a
Road? Because of the Marsh. It
fixed to wooden frames. They
given route down what we call
was a very deep and dangerous
were then daubed to fill in the
Hollow Way. The huge blocks,
wetland and blocks of stone
gaps and keep out draughts. The
shaped on site, were hauled on
would have sunk in it without
daub was made from dung, clay
wooden sledges by teams of
trace. It was peppered with
and mud mixed together and
oxen. At the bottom of Hollow
meres, the Saxon word for lakes.
slapped on to the wattle. Can
Way the track crossed behind the
One of these was named the
you imagine the children having
site of the Original Swan pub and
Hog’s Mere and had a causeway
the time of their lives helping with
about as far as the area of Templar
the daubing process?
Square.
During the Dark ages marauding
After Oxford had been cruelly
Vikings found their way up the
attacked several times by Viking
river, by-passing (as far as we
invaders, identified in history as
know) Iffley and Cowley, on
the Danes, it became obvious that
their way to sack Saxon Oxford
stone buildings and walls were
which by now was established
more practical. It was Cowley
as an important settlement
folk who provided the stone.
(Oxenforde). The Cowley
The huge blocks were hauled
folk must have looked at their
along the ridge which we know
vulnerable wood and thatched
as Church Cowley Road. This
village with fear and thought that
also was just a track paced out
in your September Chronicle.
a more durable building material
by oxen and their drovers. The
Rosanne
church. Their small shacks
were mainly holes in the ground
with wattle and daub walls and
thatched roofs. Reeds from the
marsh were used for thatching.
Perhaps I should explain about
wattle and daub.
leading to it. The mere was
presumably a place where pigs
could wallow and the little track
leading to it was named Hog’s
Mere Street. We now know it as
Hockmore Street.
Although Hockmore Street is
today a very small road running
behind Templar Square, in Saxon
times it became an important
settlement. How did that come
about? More in the next article
9
Rosanne Interviews M a r i a n W e b s t e r
Is it too difficult to visualise
Marian on one side and me on
the other side of a woodwork
bench, each of us wearing our
woodworking aprons and with
well-sharpened pencils tucked
behind our ears? I guess it could
be rather a challenge especially
for those of you who meet us
fairly regularly. However, I must
point out that that scenario took
place about forty years ago when
Marian and I were not yet even
dreaming of our bus passes nor of
becoming venerable characters in
Cowley.
So how did it happen that we
met in this way? Well, we were
both primary school teachers
in the city and in those days the
local education authority ran
many different out-of-schoolhours classes and activities for its
staff. Both Marian and I opted
for woodwork which was planned
with our own classrooms in
mind. We both went to evening
classes for about ten years and
learnt some very useful carpentry
skills thus enabling us to produce
items for use in our schools. We
could design our own bookcases,
toy boxes, “sweet shops”, puppet
theatres, etc and produce them to
quite a high standard.
Above all, though, our evening
classes were enormous fun so
you can imagine the laughs we
had swapping memories of the
eccentric fellow class members
we met, the funny incidents we
experienced and the enjoyable
evenings we all shared in the pub
when classes had finished. How I
do enjoy my monthly interviews!
I always find it fascinating (and I
hope you do too) to learn how
the people I meet have taken the
10
life and career paths they have.
It became clear early on in our
chat that Marian was meant to
teach young children but in the
days when she qualified things
were extraordinarily intransigent.
The people who decided on her
training must have been very wise
as you will see later.
She was born in a tiny village in
Leicestershire called Battleflat
where she lived with her parents
and her baby sister, Molly until the
end of World War Too in 1945.
Sadly during the dreadful winter
of 1940 her little brother David,
died, aged two and a half. For
seven-year-old Marian this was a
terribly unhappy time.
She attended a fairly big local
primary school which she hated
due mainly to a dragon of a
headmistress. She assured me
that she learnt very little there
particularly in arithmetic. She
came to hate multiplication tables
as copying them out endlessly was
used as a form of punishment.
She vows to this day that mental
arithmetic is a complete mystery
for her. There was no help or
preparation for 11+ candidates
and on the day she sat her
first exam paper the only thing
which made it different was that
everyone was required to wear
their best clothes!
She moved to Central School (a
step up from the local Secondary
Modern) where, she declared,
the teachers were pretty
ineffectual. The one subject
in which she really shone was
poetry recitation. She thinks
this stemmed from her mother
reciting rhymes and poems to her
children when they were small.
They were always expected to
speak “properly”. When her
new headmaster discovered her
aptitude she would be ushered
from class to class to perform.
Marian reckons she became
something of a show-off. She
also enjoyed her cookery lessons
at Central School and still uses
her old cookery notebook
(Incidentally so do I).
On leaving school she decided
she wanted to work with children
and as luck would have it the lady
of the manor’s daughter had three
small children and was looking for
a live-in nursery maid. She went
into service, worked long hours
and was given Sunday afternoons
off to cycle over to visit her
mum. After about six months
there appeared in the local
newspaper an advertisement for
girls to train as nursery nurses.
After months of scrubbing floors
and even scrubbing stains off
the master’s trousers Marian
decided she would like a change.
Her application resulted in an
interview and she was deemed
suitable to work in a nursery
school. She spent four years
there during which time she was
expected to study for five nights
a week at evening classes. She
told me she had little time to be a
teenager.
In order to be nearer to her
work she moved to Leicester and
lived with her two maiden aunts
and their single brother. She
loved it. The nursery school was
in a deprived area where the little
children were undernourished
and poorly dressed. However,
she had a wonderful class teacher
with whom to work. This lovely
lady saw real potential in Marian
and persisted in putting the
idea of college into her head.
Without taking exams but, on
the strength of her extensive
experience, the recommendation
of the school where she worked
and the full support of her
mother, she was accepted to
train as a teacher. She failed
to mention it but I suspect that
her excellent performance at
interview must have made a
difference.
At last she was on the road to
a wonderful career which gave
her so much joy for the rest of
her working life. At the age of
nineteen she used to go to local
dances in Leicester with a group
of girl-friends. The music was
always provided by live bands and
one of the musicians, a drummer,
caught her eye. Soon she and
Harold, the said drummer, were
courting though it was always
understood that she would be
home by ten o’clock accompanied
by her girl-friends. Through
Harold Marian learnt to love all
dance music and jazz as well as
her own taste for the classics.
Even after their marriage Harold
continued to play drums in dance
bands. It was his passion and he
continued to play for sixty years.
They were married in 1952 and
two years later their first son,
Peter, was born. At this time
Harold was in charge of the office
of a large quarrying business. He
changed his job and when the
firm of coal merchants where he
worked moved from Leicester
to Oxford the little family moved
too. Marian and her husband
bought a house in St Luke’s Road
and in 1958 another baby son,
Andrew, was born. Until they
moved to Headington the little
boys attended Church Cowley
School. Marian returned to her
teaching career and taught a class
of forty-four infants at Blackbird
Leys under the headship of Miss
Drury. Some of our readers will
know her, I am sure.
Marian also taught at SS Mary
and John and St Andrew’s schools.
She finally went back to full-time
work at Orchard Meadow in
Blackbird Leys and this was when
she joined the woodwork classes.
When their boys were young,
she and her husband were keen
campers. Having lots of friends
with young children they would
set off to camp in the summer all
over Europe. Marian told me of
one particularly happy time they
spent in the Pyrenees.
She lost her dear Harold in
2006 and soon found the big
family house in Headington too
much for her and her single son,
Andrew, to cope with. They
decided to down-size to a smaller
house in Fernhill Road. They
have a lovely garden where
they grow their own fruit and
vegetables. Her elder son, Peter,
is married with two teenage
children and lives in Liddell Road.
When she first came to Cowley
she worshipped at St Luke’s
Church. She has fond memories
of Father Betton’s ministry there.
Once a resident of Cowley again
Marion had to choose a church.
She tried St James’ first and found
such warmth and friendship there
that she stayed. I have absolutely
no doubt that if her first visit
had been to St Francis the result
would have been the same.
She has entered into parish life
with typical enthusiasm and
good humour. Her homemade
marmalade is highly appreciated
at St James’ Sunday breakfasts!
We are so pleased to welcome
her back to Cowley and into our
parish.
Was there a special person
in your early life who had a
strong influence on you?
It must have been Mildred Read
who was the class teacher
who encouraged me to go into
teaching.
How would you describe
yourself as a small child?
My stock answer to everything
was “I don’t know”. I always
thought that everyone was more
beautiful than me, they always
had better parents, always more
clever but, of course, I did all that
poetry. I really was not a very
confident little girl.
Has your faith been with you
since childhood?
Always. It hit me with a bang
when I was confirmed. I was so
impressed and inspired.
Which period of your adult
life has given you the most
satisfaction?
The teaching years. I would get
into school at 7.30 am to get
everything ready for the children.
I loved it.
What is your opinion on
modern life?
I am glad I lived when I did. I
think this is the biggest period of
change in history. I do not think
there is as much poverty as when
I started teaching. I feel sad for
girls who have their babies so
soon and I sometimes want to go
over to them on the bus and give
them advice on how to manage.
What, these days, gives you
pleasure?
Getting letters. I love writing
them too.
(NB: Marian told me about the
many pen-friends she has all over
the world)
What do you like to do in
your spare time?
11
I knit teddies for charity. They go
to children’s homes and hospitals
in North Africa. I like to sew but
the fingers are not quite as nimble
as they were. I read. I like
historical novels, family sagas and
who-done-its. I do crosswords
and I like quizzes. I love to listen
to Classic FM. I also learnt to
love jazz through my husband.
as a partner.
Are there any missed
opportunities in your life that
you regret?
I always wished I could have gone
on to do more old-time dancing.
When I met Harold he played in
the band so he was not available
What plans do you have for
the future?
I am always looking forward to
the next flower opening, the next
dawn chorus. I know each day
is a gift from the Good Lord and
that he looks after me.
GOD IN MY LIFE
I was brought up in a Christian family in the village of Cuddesdon. The family attended church regularly
with our parents as my father was a very active member of the Parish Council and mother was organist
for many years.
Our Sundays were always taken up with 9 am Communion and 6 pm Evensong so my faith became very
apparent. Having a theological college in the village also helped with my faith as we had in those early days
a close connection with the students.
Moving to Cowley after I married, a good neighbour introduced me to St James Church and, apart from a
short while, I have regularly worshipped at this lovely old church. I do believe in prayer and love singing
the hymns. Each day I try to live my life as God expects of me.
Joy Harbison
HISTORIC CHURCHES SPONSORED RIDE AND STRIDE
The date of the annual sponsored event this year is Saturday, 11
September. Last year we in the parish responded magnificently
and raised hundreds of pounds for our churches. I was
surprised to meet someone the other day who had not realised
that there are other options rather than cycling. If you ride a
horse that is permissible but, of course, it is alright to walk. The
idea is to visit churches wherever you choose. Some people like
to do a circuit around our City churches, some like to take to
the countryside. If you like you can put your bike on a train and
cycle home, or get on a bus and walk home. It all depends on
you.
The most important thing is to get lots of sponsors and the
second most important thing is to have a happy day. Half the
money raised is for The Historic Churches Trust which funds
grants to preserve our lovely old church buildings. The other
half is paid into our parish funds and we all know how important
that is.
Sponsor forms will be in both churches throughout August so
come on everyone (who can). Those who are not so active
please offer to be greeters in St James and St Francis to make
visitors welcome.
12
CHURCH CENTRE GARDEN NEWS
Thanks to everyone who has
undertaken to keep tidy a patch of the
Church Centre garden. There are still
a few pieces of the garden needing TLC.
Should anyone find they have spare
time the garden would love to see you.
Grace Richards
CHARITY GIVING MEETING
The PCC voted to allocate £2000 this
year for Charity giving. If you have
ideas of where you feel this money
should go, please contact Joan Coleman,
Parish Treasurer and/or come to the
meeting to decide this on Tuesday 3rd
August in the Ranklin Room, Church
Centre at 7.30 pm. Please bring
information on the Charities, which can
be local, national or international but
with a Christian basis.
Joan can be contacted by phone: 01865
770865 or by e-mail: ojcoleman@
btinternet.com
NOTES FROM THE JUNE PCC MEETING
Howard welcomed all members of the new PCC at this its first meeting.
The following Officers were elected for the coming year:
Vice-Chairman:
Norah Shallow
Secretary:Sally Hemsworth
Treasurer:Joan Coleman
Maureen Chatterton was elected to be a co-opted member of the PCC.
The following matters were discussed:
• We now have a list of key holders for all our church buildings and this will be reviewed periodically.
• The Christian Aid Appeal was very successful and we might reach £900 in donations.
• The possibility of forming a Friends group is being considered. This had been carefully researched and
was very thoroughly discussed.
• The PCC received reports from Joan Coleman as Parish Treasurer, from Una Dean as a Deanery Synod
representative, from each of our churches and from the Church Centre.
• Christine Woodman reported on the use and care of the Centre and acknowledged donations and help.
The acoustics are a problem and David Stanley is researching the possibility of installing acoustic tiles
which could offset the problem and so make it possible to install a sound system, which could not be
done while the problem persists.
• The PCC agreed to apply for a Faculty to fulfil the outstanding work at St James’ required by the 2006
quinquennial inspection.
• St Francis’ will be celebrating its 80th Anniversary on 18 March 2011
The Community Emergency Foodbank
At the Food Bank, Tuesdays and Fridays continue to be busy
and the number of people coming for help due to a crisis in
their lives remains at about 100 a month.
At the moment we have sufficient stock of certain items on
our list while we are short of others.
Those we need are as follows:
Vegetables – not pulses
Meat
Bottled sauces
Puddings
Cereal
Milk
Coffee/Chocolate
Fruit Juice
Sugar
A PLEASANT SUNDAY AFTERNOON
As promised last month we are going to
launch APSA at the Church Centre with
Scrabble on a fortnightly basis. Our first
date in July is on Sunday, 11th from 2.30
pm to 4.30 pm. Do come along if you are
interested and please bring your Scrabble
board and a friend if you like.
I have been warned by some people that
APSA will probably not “take off” till the
autumn but if we do not try we will never
know.
We will have a cuppa and a few biscuits on
hand and are only asking £1 per session for
Church Centre funds. See you there.
For non-perishable food we rely mainly on the church
communities in Oxford, and St Francis and St James are
among the most regular contributors and supporters of our
work. Thank you so much!
13
News from the Schools
St Francis School June 2010
The last few weeks of the school
year are proving very busy.
The class teachers have been
completing assessments and
report writing and are looking
forward to the end of term
activities.
Some Year 5 and 6 children have
been on residential visits to
Llangors and Kilvrough. School
choirs have been rehearsing to
sing at The Festival of Voices in
Dorchester Abbey and in the
town hall. Children and staff will
be taking part in the Cowley
Road Carnival and the Year 6 are
planning their end of year leaver’s
production which is always
enjoyed by families and friends.
Children and adults have worked
hard in the school grounds.
The gardens and tubs are full
of colourful flowers and the
allotment should provide many
vegetables in the early autumn.
The children are enjoying playing
on the field and have started
practising for sports day. We hope
it will be warm and sunny so we
will to be able to hold the school
fete on the field and that the PTA
will raise a great deal of money
for school funds.
Most people at St Francis School
are enjoying the football world
cup. The school is linked to a
school in The Eastern Cape
Province of South Africa, the
School Council have sent a
photographic guide to St Francis
and the Year 3/4 classes have
sent introductory letters to the
children at Bedford School. They
are eagerly awaiting replies. We
will be doing some fund raising
activities for our partner school
in the future.
We wish all Chronicle readers a
happy and enjoyable summer.
Sarah Lacey
Our parish schools need governors - volunteering opportunity
Are you interested in education? With three Church schools in the Parish, we have a heavy commitment to
support them with the provision of Foundation Governors. Currently, St Christopher’s has an IEB (Interim
Executive Board) because of its position in Special Measures but more governors will be added there soon
and a shadow Governing Body established to take over in 2011.
More urgently, we need a new Foundation Governor at Church Cowley St James School, to join Howard
and I. Chris Woodman completed her 4 year’s service at Christmas and so far we have not found
a permanent replacement. We are not pretending it’s an easy task : there’s a commitment to real
involvement through meetings - FGB (Full Governing Body) and a chosen committee 6 times a year,
all held at 5.00 or 6.00 pm - and individual visits to school as part of the monitoring role – challenging
the leadership and teachers to strive for constant improvement for the children’s learning. The other
Governors are parents, community and staff representatives. It’s very satisfying and a great way to fulfil our
mission duty in Cowley.
If you want to find out more about the role, talk to Howard or I : &/or see
www.governornet.co.uk
www.nga.org.uk
www.sgoss.org.uk
www.oxford.anglican.org/schools/governors
Also : if you know of anyone else outside our congregation who might have the skills and commitment, talk
to him/her!
Lesley Williams : Chair of Governors : Church Cowley St James School
01865 779 562
lesleyjwilliams@btinternet.com
14
5th Cowley Guides
So far this term we have held a couple of meetings
away from the Church Centre, our normal meeting
place.
saw a lot of geese and goslings, ducks and ducklings.
We ended the evening with a short walk along the
towpath.
On election night the Guides met at Iffley Lock.
This was part of our 100 years challenge badge.
One of the challenges was to visit someone whose
job involved water. The Guides were due to meet
Abi Reynolds, who runs the Brownies, her father
is the education officer for Thames Conservancy.
Unfortunately he was ill but Abi met us and gave
the Guides a talk all about the lock, how it works
and about the River Thames. We watched boats
go in and out of the lock. Abi also told the Guides
all about the wildlife along the river. The Guides
At the end of May the Guides met at Jubilee House,
Beckley. The Guides were practising fire lighting and
cooking without utensils. They finished the night
with a campfire and singing songs.
Future plans include the Guides taking part in the
flower festival, a special day of activities planned at
Stansfeld Field Study Centre in Headington, planning
a centenary party with Blackbird Leys Guides and we
are going on camp to Shipston-on-Stour in August.
Flower Festival at St James
It began about a year ago when
the flower arrangers decided
that we would put on a Flower
Festival this summer. In February
we could put it off no longer and
began some serious planning.
First a date was chosen – which
had to be changed – also a
theme. After that it was down
to individuals or groups to decide
how they would tackle their
own display, what “props” they
would need and what colours and
varieties of flowers. This took
several meetings and many cups
of coffee! I think I can say that
we all had some qualms but we
agreed that whatever happened
we would enjoy the experience
and the challenge – AND WE
DID!
On the Wednesday prior to the
Festival a group of us went to a
garden centre near Bicester to
select the bulk of the flowers
(some people ordered their own)
which was great fun, with such a
selection of flowers that we felt
like children in a sweet shop. We
soon came down to earth when
it was discovered that they had
no “oasis” in stock for fixing the
flowers. A moment of panic
ensued but a detour to a stockist
at Ambrosden thankfully settled
that, so, back to church to put all
the flowers in water.
Thursday dawned and we arrived
at church armed with secateurs
and piles of greenery. At this
stage all seemed totally chaotic
but during the evening session it
all began to take shape, especially
with the input of the Guides.
On Friday morning we began to
feel that it was all looking positive
as more displays were finished.
The evening session was enjoyable
with help from some of Junior
Church but rather frenetic as we
worked against time. However,
with a final burst of enthusiasm
– and energy! – we were able to
say at 9.30 pm that everything was
ready for the opening next day.
Of course we could not have put
on the Flower Festival without
the backing of Howard and an
amazing amount of support from
the congregation. We wish to
thank those who gave financial
support which enabled us to buy
so much, those who supported us
in practical ways as we worked,
those who publicised the event,
those who provided such a
mouth-watering array of cakes
and to the hospitality teams who
gave our visitors such a warm
welcome. A heartfelt thank-you
to you all. The weekend raised
over £200 in donations which will
go into Parish Funds.
The flowers were arranged by
Helen Beetham, Janice Brown,
Rosanne Butler, Ruby Cadle,
Pat Chambers, Emma Clarke,
Audrey Cook, Margaret Craig, Joy
Harbison, Christine Knevett, Betty
Mitchell, Christine Rumble, Pauline
Shepheard, Netta Simpkins, Iris
Webb, Margaret Weller, Christine
Woodman and myself.
The St James’ Guides did the
100 small pots to celebrate the
Centenary of Guiding and some
children from Junior Church
helped with the ‘Harvest’ display.
Margaret Martin
15
Recipes
Here are a couple of recipes using some of the lovely fresh fruit and vegetable ingredients available at this
time of the year. First a dish from Italy which I think could be a big hit at barbecues served hot or cold.
Peperonata
1 oz butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1lb red peppers with all seeds and pith removed, cut into strips
1lb tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped
A little salt and black pepper
A bay leaf
In a large saucepan heat the butter and oil to moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry, stirring
occasionally for about 7 minutes till onion is golden but not brown.
Add the peppers, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, seasoning and bay leaf and simmer, uncovered for another 20 minutes. If there is too
much liquid in the pan turn the heat up and cook for about another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens
stirring all the time. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot (or allow to cool) with roast or grilled meat or
as a side dish at a barbecue.
[Editor’s thought – I think I will make this to serve at St James’ patronal festival barbecue!)
The second recipe has a posh French name to impress your friends but is really a gorgeous fruity desert
which will send you out to pick blackberries.
Pêches Rafraîchies aux Mûres
6 oz sugar
10 fl oz water
4 large peaches blanched, peeled, halved and stoned
8 oz blackberries
2 tablespoons kirsch
Dissolve the sugar in the water in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat stirring all the time. Increase
heat to moderate and boil the syrup for 3 minutes without stirring.
Put the peach halves in cut sides down (be careful – very hot!) and poach them until they are tender
(about 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and place peach halves in small serving bowls again cut sides
down.
Pour away a little of the syrup and add the blackberries and kirsch. Return pan to moderate heat and
cook the blackberries for about 5 or 6 minutes until they are pulpy stirring all the time.
Allow to cool. Strain fruit and liquid into a small mixing bowl pressing the fruit through the strainer using
the back of a wooden spoon. Throw away any pips etc left in strainer. Spoon the blackberry puree over
the peaches and chill well before serving.
Whipped double cream is the best accompaniment for this gorgeous dessert.
16
Thoughts from a home knitter
History is becoming a more personal issue to
me now. Do you know what I mean? Some of
our readers can remember bombs, rationing and
shortages. I can remember when it was a tragedy
if the one egg was bad, and the whole ethos of
living was ‘make do and mend’. It was a time of
making your own clothes, so many of us, both
men and women, became adequate with needles
for knitting and sewing. Home economics was
taught in schools, and leaflets abounded about
how to make a meal out of nothing or clothes
out of a potato sack. A new skirt? Cut and patch
from that old one in the attic. A new jumper?
Unravel two with darned sleeves and knit a new
one. Yes, darning! An ancient skill?
While we are on the subject of knitting (well,
I am), have you thought about how wool has
developed just within your own history? We
used to use 2-, 3- and 4 ply. Now we use 4ply,
double-knit, Aran and even thicker yarns. Yes –
yarns. The variety of materials we can now find
to knit with are growing every year.
FACT: There were 23,933,00 sheep in the British
Isles in 2005
Source: The British Wool Marketing Board.
Most major civilisations have had some type of
knitting with whatever they had available. Only
in our life times have all the synthetic yarns
appeared. Many of the early synthetics were not
very nice. Remember scratchy nylon, sweaty
polyesters, acrylics? Now the trend is towards
various plant blends, combining the good qualities
and the feel-good factors producing a plethora
of yarns to choose from. It can be like an oldfashioned sweet shop - variety and colour. So
much choice. {The sweetie shops themselves are
coming back also, aniseed balls, sherbet fountains,
gobstoppers, mmmm!}
woods. They are now metric and sized in
millimetres, right up to some as fat as my finger.
Many of us still use the ‘old’ numbers, 4mm is size
8 – well, many of our favourite patterns are not
metric.
A new breed of sheep Exlana sheds its fleece
naturally when
the weather warms up, saving £8 per sheep in
labour costs.
What a good thing we have alternatives to sheep
wools:
Wool is available from yac, alpaca and possum
as well as sheep. There are cashmere, mohair,
and merino wools. Cotton, silk, linen and the
newer soya and bamboo also make lovely
fibres especially when blended. Blends with
milk protein, modal (from the cellulose of
beech trees), kapok (a hollow fibre grown on
the Equator) or viscose (from wood pulp or
bamboo) are all possible producing interesting
and varied yarns.
94% of knitters take their knitting on holiday.
If this sounds very confusing to the non-knitter,
then don’t worry. It confuses us too sometimes.
If you are interested in learning to knit or
improving your skills, just let us know and we will
try to organise some tutorials or some fun time
to get together and explore knitting in the 21st
century.
Diana Pope
68% of LK.co.uk buy yarn just to keep, instead of
to knit with.
Even needles have been, and are made from
various materials. Old needles could be made
from ivory or walrus tusks. When I was a child,
they were all metal or plastic, and sized 14 to
00 or so. Modern ones can be glass, metal and
woods including bamboo, rosewood and subabul
17
St James Patronal Festival
Calling everyone who enjoys a good barbecue on a July Sunday afternoon. I have a message
here from Howard who is a man who really loves to stand over the Barbie with tongs in
hand.
Make sure you are there. Plan to attend the St James Church Patronal Service at 10.00
am and Barbecue at 12.00 noon on Sunday, 25 July 2010. Following the service celebrating
the life of St James, the fun continues with a great barbecue with chicken, burgers, sausages,
salads and lovely puddings. The price is £4.50 and those coming are asked to bring a
pudding to share. Beverages will be available for donations. Be sure to sign up at the back
of the church.
The idea of providing our own puddings was to make the whole occasion easier for our
catering team. They do such fantastic jobs throughout the year that anything to take a little
pressure off them would be good.
Tickets will be on sale in a week or so (with no limit on numbers). We just need to know
how many to cater for.
18
In Memory of Barbara Brown
Some of our happy memories of a lovely lady
with the Happy Smiling Face - “Barbara Brown”.
All those fantastic holidays, the “Day Outings”,
and the very exciting West End Shows, which we
all enjoyed so much. We remember just one of
the highlights – we were on our way to a holiday
and stopped off on our journey for a lunch
break. A few of us went into a Church. Barbara
was there, the organist was playing, and Barbara
asked if we could join in. “Yes”, he said, and we
all sang “How Great Thou Art”. We all loved it
and afterwards Barbara said isn’t God good. The
Holidays were amazing. Barbara was so good at
organizing everything. We had such fun in the
evenings on the holidays, with the quizzes and
Beetle Drives she found time to do. Such a lot
of laughs! We will always remember her. God
Bless You, Dear Barbara, we will always think of
you with great affection and love.
LOVE OXFORD
Love Oxford was a new experience for me. I was
given some indication of what to expect from some of
those people who went last year but to see about four
thousand Christians all gathered in one place to sing,
pray, laugh, picnic and declare their love for God is pretty
special. This year the organisers had provided a huge
marquee in case of rain. Instead it provided welcome
shade on such a beautiful sunny day.
We folk from Cowley gathered round a big yellow
helium balloon and the camaraderie was wonderful. The
emphasis this year was a celebration of the young people
of the City of Oxford. More than half of those gathered
there in South Parks were (in my estimation) under
thirty.
Speakers on the platform came from a cross-section of
clergy and ministers. Making an early appearance was
From the Ladies of the Travel Club
Nicola Blackwood, the new Member of Parliament for
Oxford West and Abingdon. Bishop John, looking dapper
in his summer chinos and purple shirt,
Churchwardens at Christ Church
On a June evening in Christ Church Cathedral we came together talked about the importance of the
energy and enthusiasm of youth in the
under the vibrant North Window, with a classical trio playing
Church. The live music group was in
and singing beautifully, for Dave Stanley’s inauguration as Church
great form and blasted out the hymns
Warden and for the reappointment of Norah Shallow’s 5th term
with great gusto.
of office. Wardens from the length and breadth of our Diocese
I asked a few people if they would like
and Wardens from other parishes together with their families
to give our readers their reactions to
and friends made a very full and lively congregation.
the occasion and here they are:
Each parish was called out in turn by Bishop John and the
appointed Church Warden stood and bowed to the Bishop.
Bishop John gave a very spiritual and amusing address and
pointed out very clearly that Wardens (and clergy) must make
time for themselves. With all the pressures and complexities
put upon them this is important to enable them to fulfil their
demanding duties. There is great support at Christ Church for
Wardens and Bishop John stated categorically that they must
pick up the telephone if they have any concerns.
The perfect summer evening ended with a glass of wine and
meeting up with friends across the Diocese.
Margaret Weller and Chris Woodman
“God’s presence felt so alive. It was
moving to see God’s love bringing joy,
peace and unity to the community of
Oxford” – Jason
“Very inspiring and a wonderful
experience of God’s presence” – Joy
“This year Love Oxford was even more
enjoyable. The weather was superb and
the atmosphere electric. The mix of
many denominations celebrating in such
a lovely location and in such a spiritual
way was quite overwhelming. God is
great!” – Chris Woodman.
Rosanne
19
Sunday Services
ST JAMES’ CHURCH, BEAUCHAMP LANE
8.00 am
Holy Communion
10.00 am
Sung Eucharist
Every fourth Sunday: Church at the Centre
Every third Sunday:
Sunday Lunch
ST FRANCIS’ CHURCH, HOLLOW WAY
10.30 am
Parish Eucharist
Mid-Week Services & Meetings
The Parish of Cowley office in
St James Church Centre is open
Tuesday 12.30 pm to 3 pm
Friday 9.00 am to 3 pm
and by appointment.
Parish Secretary:
Elaine Ulett
Ministry Team Telephone:
01865 747 680
parishofcowley@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector
Revd Howard Thornton
Cowley Rectory
11 Beauchamp Lane
Oxford OX4 3LF
Howard has Friday as his day off.
Monday
8.15 am
Morning Prayer – St James
2.30 pm
Parish Mothers’ Union –
St James (3rd Mon)
Team Vicar
Revd Susannah Reide
27 Don Bosco Close
Oxford OX4 2LD
Susannah has Monday as her day off.
Tuesday
8.15 am
10.00 am
12.00 pm
12.30 pm
2.30 pm
Morning Prayer – St James
Seashells Toddler Group : St James
Eucharist – St James
Tuesday Lunch Club – St James
Friends of St Francis –
St Francis (2nd & 4th)
Associate Priest
Revd Richard Chand
richard@cowleyteamministry.co.uk
Wednesday
Morning Prayer – St James
Morning Prayer – St Francis
8.15 am
9.15 am
Thursday
8.15 am
Morning Prayer – St James
Friday
8.15 am
5.30 pm
Morning Prayer – St James
Evening Prayer – St James
Non-Stipendiary Ministers
Revd Canon Mark Oxbrow
13 Annesley Road
Oxford, OX4 4JH
Tel: 01865 461953
markoxbrow@aol.com
Revd Amanda Bloor
Diocesan Church House
North Hinksey
Oxford OX2 0NB
Tel: 01865 208 221
parishofcowley@hotmail.co.uk
Churchwardens:
David Stanley Tel: 776602
Norah Shallow Tel: 765199
Deputy Wardens:
Margaret Martin Tel: 718532
John Shreeve
www.cowleyteamministry.co.uk
20
Hall Bookings
Pat Sansom Tel: 778516