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By Gavin, on April 18th, 2012
Thanks for this picture Ernie!
Axmouth Church is undergoing a period of change and transition. There are big issues facing the church – any one of which might seem insurmountable in our own strength. We have a deficit of £7000 per year and the diocese can no longer bail us out. We have £60,000 worth of repairs to the tower; the heating has been condemned and we are using up the last bit of oil before it is shut down; Tony Wells (a retired minister) who has been helping lead the worship is stepping down at the end of May; and Alburn and Sue are leaving at the end of April meaning there will be no organist for the morning worship and no choir leader. Things do not look good do they? Perhaps there are echoes of it feeling like Easter Saturday – all hopes dashed and a bleak future. Yet, those who loved and followed Jesus could not see that Sunday was about to happen and Sunday is about to happen at Axmouth Church!
There are signs that a new dawn is breaking in Axmouth and these give me a real hope and an optimism. For starters the building is not going anywhere. It has been there for getting on for a thousand years and it will certainly be there for another thousand. It has survived conquests and world wars, plagues and pestilences. But… the building is a metaphor for the real church – the people of God in Axmouth. The church community in Axmouth has survived conquests and world wars, plagues and pestilences and is not going anywhere. It has done this because it has adapted to change.
The church is not what happens on a Sunday. That is our collective worship. The church in Axmouth are the followers of Jesus who are called to be salt and light in the Axmouth Community. We are a group of people called and commissioned by God to be his ambassadors to the whole village. What an exciting and wonderful privilege!
There are signs of hope and new growth in the church. Did you know that the church membership has actually grown over the past year? Over 100 people turned up for our Christmas Storytime worship. Hilary Harron, our Parish Assistant is training as a Church Leader and she is doing a super job – leading worship and making connections between the church community and village. This past year the church has given hundreds of pounds to bless to the poor and needy in the world. The Friends of Axmouth Church has grown and have been doing a wonderful job supporting the building and maintaining the churchyard. The diocese have loaned us £3000 to see how we can develop the worship space in the church building. We have also raised several thousand pounds to initiate a fresh expression of church that engages with all-ages in the village. These are good and wonderful things. Am I optimistic? Yes! Am I hopeful? Yes!
So, may God bless the church in Axmouth. May it trust in the God who raised Jesus early that Sunday morning. May we fulfil our calling to serve and bless the Axmouth Community, and may the peace of God be with us, now and forever. Amen!
By hilary, on April 10th, 2012
Friends of Axmouth Church
As many of you will be aware, we need to raise a substantial amount of money over the next few years in order to preserve our Church. The heating system needs replacing and essential work done to the tower.
We have a very enthusiastic band of people who are all working hard for this cause and between us we have put forward a diary of events for the year
Monday 9th April – jointly with the Village Hall Committee – we held an Easter Bazaar at the Village Hall from 10.00 until 12.00- which was a great success, despite the weather
Weekend 30th June/ 1st July – Open Gardens Day with cream teas etc. Gardens will be open from 2.00 till 5.30 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday 15th September – jointly with the Village Hall Committee – Dinner, followed by an Auction of Promises.
Saturday 15th December – Start of our Christmas Festival. There will be concerts and services at St Michaels Church, which will be decorated with Christmas trees. More details to follow.
Now that the evenings are drawing out, we shall be restarting our practical work in and around the church on Wednesdays at 6.30pm. Many hands make light work, and we have a great deal of fun! Come and join us if you can.
We are producing a calendar for 2013 for sale in aid of funds, and would be delighted to have any photos of “Axmouth life” which may be available. Please contact Morag Steven with any offers, on 01297 22747.
If anyone is interested in joining the Friends of Axmouth Church, or would like more information about any of these events, please call Ann or Nigel Harding on 01297 624323
By hilary, on March 2nd, 2012
Shaking hands is a significant gesture with many meanings; you shake hands as an introduction, a welcome, or a way of apologising. In church we shake hands with each other when we say The Peace; it’s a sign of friendship. It’s also a way of judging the temperature of the congregation. Hands range from toasty hot to really chilly on a cold morning, and it’s tempting to linger in a brief attempt to share some body warmth.
The worst thing you can do with a hand offered in friendship is to ignore it. We have seen the repercussions of this in the news lately- two footballers from rival teams; one of darker skin reaching out his hand to his lighter skinned rival who passed him by, unseeing. I am not a football fan and I’m not sure what was at issue here in the ’beautiful game’- I only saw the look of dismay on the footballer whose outstretched hand was offered to his rival, and who was snubbed.
Many women who are ordained priests in the Church of England are feeling snubbed too. Women priests have worked hard to prove themselves in parishes around the country, and a nationwide vote of confidence has shown that the majority of dioceses are in favour of women bishops. Yet still their ability, or their right, to take high office is being questioned. It seems some men still cannot recognise their worth and are blind to their outstretched hands.
Jesus was a very hands-on person. He touched the leper, he put his hands on the eyes of the blind, and placed his fingers in the ears of the deaf; he held the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law to raise her up, and he lifted an epileptic boy from the ground in healing. He took a young child from the crowd and embraced it to show how even the humblest and least valued person should be made welcome. With Jesus there was no distinction of race, age or gender.
At the end he stretched out his arms in love on the cross. The authorities hoped that by nailing his healing hands to the wood they would put an end to his subversive gospel- but they were wrong. His message lives on, and we are now his earthly hands. Let us follow his example by taking the hands of others (even the ones we may find it hard to like) in a gesture of warmth and acceptance.
A Happy and Joyous Easter to you all
Hilary
By hilary, on February 14th, 2012
You can read the minutes of the last Friends of Axmouth Meeting on February 2nd here…
Continue reading Friends of Axmouth Church Minutes
By Gavin, on February 10th, 2012
By hilary, on February 3rd, 2012
Living in the moment
I have been trying to master the art of meditation. With the help of a spiritual advisor I have been trying different ways to quiet my mind and get rid of thoughts about what went wrong yesterday or plans for what needs to be done tomorrow. I am trying to have ten minutes of quiet every morning when I get up, and sit in a straight chair with my feet planted firmly on the ground. My cat Loubie has quickly learnt this routine and every time I sit in my meditative position she comes and sits on my lap, knowing that she will have ten minutes in which to purr and make her presence felt until I put my arms round her and stroke her.
When I mentioned this distraction to my advisor she smiled. ‘Cats are very spiritual beings,’ she said. ‘We can learn so much from them-they live in the moment. They do everything with attention and pleasure. If they are lying in the sun they are completely relaxed; when they are cleaning themselves they do it with full attention. They are completely engaged with each activity.’
So we can learn from our animal friends. Our pets give us so much, cats and dogs- and ponies.
At a Readers’ study weekend recently Dr Elaine Storkey told the story of a girl whose pony had just died. The girl was disabled, and the pony had meant so much to her- it was her close and dear friend. She wanted to have a funeral that would enable her to show the love she had felt for her pony. She asked several church leaders but all refused to take a funeral for an animal, until at last the girl approached a Catholic priest. He was happy to help her; he devised a suitable service, and he suggested that part of the pony’s mane be cut off for the girl to keep. She asked if he could make her a card like the ones you see at ‘proper’ funerals with a picture of the pony on the front- this he did too. Prayers were said, and the service completed in a way that brought blessing and comfort to the girl, and acknowledged the contribution that the pony had made to her life.
This was a bold and unconventional thing for the priest to do- but it was right to celebrate the absolute love between animal and human- the understanding and uncritical affection, no gossip, no spite, no deliberate harming; loving without conditions, loving and living in the moment.
Hilary
By hilary, on January 29th, 2012
On Monday week, February 6th, there will a meeting of all Friends of Axmouth Church in the skittle alley of the Ship Inn. This will be at 7 pm, with the aim of planning the work that we can do over the next few months, and also to discuss ideas for fund-raising.
This Tuesday, January 31st, some of us will be meeting Louise Bartlett from DAC and Trevor Gardner, a feasability studies consultant, to hear their comments on our plans for re-ordering the church. So we should be able to relay the outcome of this discussion to the meeting on Feb 6th.
Hilary
By hilary, on November 18th, 2011
Friends of Axmouth Church
Notes of meeting held on Nov 7th 2011
1. Welcome and Introduction
Gavin welcomed a group of Friends of Axmouth church and members of the PCC and congregation (approximately 30 altogether) to the meeting in the church.
2. Apologies for absence
Crescy Cannan, Peter English, Vicky Rae-Scott, and Christina Bows
3. Archdeacon Penny Driver
The Archdeacon began by asking the question “What does the parish want to do with the church?” The answer to this question, within certain constraints, was key to its future.
The PCC should consult an historic buildings advisor as part of a feasibility study which looks at the church in the longer term; the cost would be in the region of £2000. Trevor Gardner conducts consultation for churches and the author of ‘ Breathing new life into Churches and Communities’. He would be a good starting point.
The archdeacon suggested that the PCC and APC could work on a joint venture to consider the future use of the church and the Village Hall; a business plan was required.
Stoke Cannon was an example of good practice where this type of venture has been successful, Part of the church is now converted to a hall, used by the local school, with business rooms on a mezzanine level above that are rented out.
Questions:
- Can pews be moved? Yes, if a faculty is acquired.
- Solar Panels? Yes these are possible with the required approvals from the diocese and the planning authority. !0 churches have done this so far.
- Grants available? English Heritage Lottery fund is a source of funding worth investigating.
- What is needed to make temporary changes to the inside of the Church? An Archdeacon’s certificate is required.
- Who can be a church warden? Church wardens must be confirmed and attend church at least 3 times a year, one of which must be Easter Day.
- Assistant wardens? These can be appointed by PCC and need not adhere to the above criteria
Suggestions:
- Convert chapel and altar area to a Sanctuary for prayer and use the body of the church for other activities. A moveable screen/door could allow the church to be opened up for large events such as weddings.
- Use church as Village Hall and convert Village Hall to a bunk House or Youth Hostel
- Place a Perspex screen across the arched opening of the inner tower to insulate the area below and reduce heating costs.
Way forward:
- Ensure the church is watertight, complete priority tasks in Quinquennial report.
- Feasibility study – quotes to be sought from Trevor Gardner and Ecclesiastical Property Solutions ( an alternative company). This study will gauge the views of the whole community which is necessary for any grant application.
- APC, Village Hall committee and PCC to consider joint venture.
Hilary Harron thanked Archdeacon Penny Driver for her input and wished her well in her new position.
Meeting closed – 7.15pm
Here are the minutes of the meeting held on Novemebr 7th with Archdeacon Penny Driver.
By Gavin, on November 17th, 2011
Dear Friends
If there is one thing that makes Axmouth church distinctive from any other church of which I have been a member, it is the warmth and friendliness of the people. Anyone walking into one of our gatherings is made to feel welcome – and that welcome is genuine – as we seek to be a loving and generous community. However, not all churches are like that. I distinctly remember visiting a church one Sunday where not one person said ‘hello’, the talk left me feeling like a wretched sinner, and at the end of worship everyone deserted the place like rats fleeing sinking ship.
This month I was chatting to a lovely, bubbly and confident mum who said that she would like to come along to church one Sunday but confessed that coming along was a ‘bit scary’. She is right. It does feel a bit awkward walking through the doors of a church building on a Sunday morning. Will everyone know each other and stare at me the newcomer? Where should I sit? What will happen? Will I be made to feel guilty for my manifold sins and wickedness? Will I be attacked by a Bible-wielding maniac? No wonder she feels a bit apprehensive! Even I feel apprehensive walking into a new church – and if I feel like that, a vicar, what chance does the average non-churchgoer feel like?
If there is one thing I would like to communicate about Jesus this Christmas, it is his approachability. He was born to an unmarried mum in the storeroom of a motel. Her and her partner, a builder, were from an unimportant town. The first people invited to meet him were a bunch of low-paid farm labourers.
This Christmas, the community at Axmouth Church invite you to join us in meeting Jesus. We are just a bunch of ordinary people doing our best to follow the most extraordinary person. Yes, you will need to be bit brave to walk through that door but I promise that we will do our best to assure of you of God’s love and make you feel right at home.
All my love and peace in Jesus.
Gavin
By hilary, on October 23rd, 2011
After a brief lull in activity after the hard work of the summer, when they cleared and tidied St Michael’s churchyard, moat and tower, the Practical Friends are now at it again. They have moved inside the church; the cleaning cupboard has been updated and Doris Clement is arranging a cleaning rota.
So far there are 14 good people who will be working in pairs throughout the winter to keep the church dusted and cobweb free. This will be a weekly task- but the more volunteers Doris has on her rota, the less often will each pair have to clean.
If you would like to be included- and it’s really not much of a chore- then contact Doris on 01297 23847.
Many of the visitors to Axmouth church comment on the beauty and the peace of the building. The beauty is enhanced by the flower arrangements that bring before us the colour and sweet perfume of God’s creation.
After Carol Smith retired from being Flower Rota organiser we had a bit of a lull while the regular arrangers carried on as best they could.
Now Ann Harding has stepped forward to pick up the flower arranger’s baton, and she will shortly be preparing a new rota for us. Hopefully this will ensure that that no pedestal will remain unadorned and our reputation for stunning flower arrangements will be maintained.
Ann would love to have more names to add to her list of arrangers; and even if you have no experience in flower arranging but would like to provide flowers or foliage your help would be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to be one of Ann’s Flower People then please contact her on 01297 624323.
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