December 2018

Buckden Roundabout

December 2018

Church News

Weekly Prayer Roster

Each week during the year the Churches, in their prayers, remember the residents of particular streets in the village, those who

work in the parish and village organisations. Those to be remembered this month are:

2nd December

Manor Gardens, Manor Close, Glebe Lane, The Grove

9th December

Park Road, Falcon Way, The Marinas, and those who live and work there

16th December

Field Close, Lincoln Close, Silver Street, Beaufort Drive, St Hugh’s Road

23rd December

School Lane, Buckden Primary School (pupils, teachers and teaching assistants, governors, vol-

unteers, midday supervisors, all support staff)

30th December

Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, Playgroup and Day Nursery, Buck-

den out of Schools Scheme, Buckden Towers Youth Retreat Centre

Thank you and Goodbye from the Paynes

Arthur and I have now moved to Shrewsbury to be closer to

Betina, Ian, Angus and Rosalie, but also to Cesar and his fami-

ly.

Sadly there was no time to say goodbye to many of you, and

we would like to thank our wonderful friends and neighbours

for their kindness, love and friendship over our almost 40

years in The Osiers. Also a big thank you to the amazing

Friends in Deed. It was my privilege to be one of your drivers

and I will miss my lovely ladies, and the odd gent, I was al-

lowed to drive and, of course, Jane and Andy and the other

drivers and friends. I will still come to Buckden to attend my

monthly bookclub, time permitting.

Lastly, may we wish all our friends, neighbours and acquaint-

ances a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Happy and

Healthy New Year.

With Love and all good wishes - Liz and Arthur Payne

STUDY LUNCHES

December – lunch; an Advent theme - Methodist Church Hall 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm

Contact:

Ann Brittain

812012

Thought for the Month

Greetings!

Christmas is a-coming! If you listen hard, somewhere

behind the roar of the school run traffic, the barking

dogs and the hiss of leaking headphones you can just

discern the faint jingle of sleigh bells. So we turn our

thoughts, once more, to the wonderful events of the

first Christmas.

Christmas is a time of great celebration in Church, and

rightly so. For some, however, Christmas is an ordeal.

For those whose lives resonate with Luke’s story of

Mary and Joseph — alone, unwelcome and suffering

great anxiety — Christmas can be a time of almost un-

bearable stress and pain.

Christmas is also a time when we see people in our

Churches who never normally attend. They come for

many different reasons. Some just enjoy the celebra-

tion; some are seeking an experience of God, conscious-

ly or unconsciously; some are borne down by the weight

of their distress and are hoping for comfort and relief.

Whatever their reasons, it is up to us to welcome and

accept them. Christmas is a time, above all, to embrace

the stranger and offer hospitality and care. Joseph and

Mary found a cool reception: only the innkeeper

showed them compassion, and then it was half-hearted.

I pray that those who pluck up their courage, those who

respond to a whim and those who just come because it

is part of their Christmas ritual will all find a warm wel-

come in our Churches this Christmas. But this is a prayer

which we cannot just leave to God to sort out. This is

one we have to help God make happen. As we celebrate

the outcast God among us, let us also celebrate those

among us who are on unfamiliar ground as they join our

worship.

Enjoy Christmas and have a happy New Year. God Bless.

Rev. Paul Beard