Little Milton Church

   The Parish Church of St James, Little Milton

   The Rector: Victor L. Story     01844 279 498029)

CHURCH CLEANING ROTA FOR JULY

W/E 4th July                                         -              Mrs L. Lovegrove/ Mrs C Coward

W/E 11th July                                       -              Mrs E. Summers/ Mrs A Jones

W/E 18th July                                       -              Mrs. G. Taylor/Mrs H Ridley

W/E 25th July                                       -              Mrs A. Hawkins

W/E 1st August                                    -              Mrs. M. Davies/Mrs S A Dennis

S.A. Dennis

BELL RINGING PRACTICE DURING JULY

Tuesday 7th July                                  -              7.30 pm to 9.00 pm

Sunday 12th July                                 -              10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.

Tuesday 14th July                                -              7.30 pm to 9.00 pm

Tuesday 21st July                                -              7.30 pm to 9.00 pm

Tuesday 28th July                                -              7.30 pm to 9.00 pm

GRASS CUTTING ROTA FOR JULY

W/E 4th July                                         --            Tim Robinson

W/E 11th July                                       -              Phil Jones

W/E 18thJuly                                        -              David Hawkins

W/E 25th July                                       -              Stuart McGill

W/E 1st August                                    -              Dave Arnold

W/E 8th August                                   --           Raymond Fergusson

SOUNDS

‘In the beginning was the Word’. So says St. John at the start of his Gospel. So perhaps God’s Creative Act has more to do with Sound than anything else. God speaks, and a new world comes into being.

When I was at theological college we were told that when we were visiting the gravely ill or dying, it was best practice to talk to the person as much as possible, for their sense of hearing could well be intact. Subsequent experience has taught me that in those circumstances, as in many, many others, there is a time for speaking and a time for keeping silence-a creative tension indeed.

It’s these threshold contexts I find fascinating. The beginning of all life, and the end of each life, seem to involve a strange encounter between silence and sound.  It seems that all good sounds have a brooding silence near them, behind and within them. Even in the womb, the first sound we hear in the enveloping silence is our mother’s heartbeat. Perhaps that is the reason why we later resonate to the sound of drums, rhythms and beats.

But sound is different from noise. Sound has a certain melody. Even though it might take time to discern, poetic meaning or music’s beauty somehow resonate to depths you feel within. Each one of us knows something about music or poetry being able to reach far greater depths than anything else. But not so noise: hearing a harsh incoherence seems to grate on your acoustic nerve- like a dentist’s drill, or the horrible sound you hear when the TV isn’t working properly. Noise can also be terribly destructive.

May the ‘sounds’ we make through the words of our lips, the actions of our hands, the looks of our eyes, always be creative ‘sounds’, and  may they never become noisy.

Lord of sound, as our ears awaken to each new day, let us be attuned to the beauty and meaning of what you intend. In the chorus of birdsong, the voices of our loved ones,  draw us into greater harmony, so that discord may find no place in our lives.

Victor Story 279498

FROM THE RECTORY

FROM THE REGISTERS.

We congratulate James Alexander Stewart Vane-Tempest and Charlotte Jane Oddie who were married in St. Mary’s on the 6^th June. Please do remember this couple as they begin the undoubted adventure of married life.

We record with deepest regret the death of Lady Denise Marson Evans on the 29^th May at her home Milton House at the age of 91. The Memorial Service will be held in St. James’ on the 3^rd July at 2.30 p.m. We all send Sir David and his family our deepest sympathy in their sad loss.

RYCOTE CHAPEL SERVICE.

At the kind invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, the Benefice Festival Eucharist in Rycote Chapel will be held on Sunday 23^rd August at 10.00 a.m. Rycote Chapel is a very magic place, so steeped in English History and set in glorious English Countryside, and it is always an absolute joy to worship there. Please do make a note of this date NOW, and do come along on the 23^rd August.

RECTORY GARDEN PARTY.

You, your friends, family, neighbours and anyone you care to bring, are all invited to come along to the Rectory on SATURDAY 22nd AUGUST between 3 and 5, for a cup of tea and a cake. Yes, you are all invited to come along to what is now an annual event. So just come along and enjoy meeting your old friends and meeting new ones. We would all just love to see you.

Victor Story 279498

BENEFICE SERVICES FOR JULY

THANK YOU!!

A very big thank you to everyone who baked for the village fete last week.  We had a wonderful selection of cakes and savouries on our stall, all of which were snapped up very quickly!  Particular thanks to Dee Waldron for the 32 cakes she made!  Where would be without her.

Jane and Christine

GREAT MILTON METHODIST CHURCH Minister:  Revd. Derick Chambers Tel: 212019

SUNDAY SERVICES IN JULY

For further information please ring Yvonne Cartwright on 01844 279205

SUNDAY SCHOOL UPDATE

Sunday School has come to the end of another busy year. We've learned just how much God loves us and we celebrated the 'graduation' of some of our older members, and even their confirmation - congratulations to George Dennis who was confirmed on 21st June. Thank you to all the adults who taught helped and made pancakes for our 'brunches'. Thank you even more too all the children who came and learned with us. We hope to be back again in the autumn - but for now, may God bless you and keep you all during the summer holidays.

Christine Jeffery (278424)