St Mary's Messenger - Spring 2015

Mary Burkett: 22 June 1921 – 11 January 2015
…her delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law she meditates day and night. Psalm 1.
Mary continued to delight in the law of the Lord to the end of her life. She was a faithful
member of Gamma and every day one of our church family would read the bible with her, and
pray for family, friends, church and the wider world. Despite her frustration with failing eyesight,
she expressed no resentment and a sweet smile was never far away. She bore her increasing
frailty with patience – no mean feat for such an active person. Even when her memory began
to fade, she was an astonishingly refreshing person to be with.
Bill and Mary came to Stoke Bishop not long after the war and built a house on Church Road.
They became committed members of St Mary’s, despite the church being rather formal and child-unfriendly in those days.
But they were agents of prayer and change and lived and breathed Mission. With four daughters, theirs was a busy
household offering a haven to many. Mary’s hospitality was generous and many of us have reason to be grateful for it.
If anyone can be described as ‘a pillar of the church’, it was Mary, but that was by no means
all there was to this indomitable and energetic lady. She taught top juniors at Redland
High, and led after-school clubs and Mini-Crus, to which many owe their Christian start in
life. She helped Anni Davey to get OAC school assemblies off the ground and these have
born much fruit. To the end of her life Mary loved children.
Mary was a lifelong learner and in retirement took up the History of Art among other
wide-ranging interests. As Bill said: ‘Once a teacher, always a teacher – even at home!’ Her
life continues to instruct us. Thank you, Mary for all you were and thank you Dorcas
Mutanhu, for all you were to Mary in the final years of her life. God’s love never fails and
you were his gift to Mary.
Hazel Trapnell with Anni Davey, Judith Sheather and Lis Ritchie.

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tel: 0117 904 2707
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Serving Stoke Bishop since 1993

Come and Join us!
Since July, when the pre-school closed after 40 years, we have missed
the sounds of young children around the building during the
mornings. So it was with great delight that we opened up on
Wednesday 14 January for the start of a monthly Toddler Worship.
The children came into church with their parents, grand-parents and
carers and settled down on colourful mats set out on the dais – where
they played instruments, sang songs, had a bible story and prayed.
Then at the back of church they enjoyed a social time with a drink,
cake and toys. It was a joyful occasion and gave the adults time to
exchange news as well as offering fellowship and stimulation for the
children. For the office staff and for the church hosts it was really
wonderful to see and hear the children having fun.
Toddler Worship – 2 nd Wednesday of each month at 9.30am
Mini Church – 1 st Saturday of each month at 3.00pm
Bright Sparks – for babies and toddlers with their carers – 1.30pm each Monday in school term time

Easter Events and Services
Easter Trail Monday 16 to Friday 20 March
A visual retelling of the events of Easter. We expect
about 350 children from local schools who will experience
the Easter Story through visiting six ‘stations’ set up
around the church including Palm Sunday, the last
supper, the Garden of Gethsemane the Cross and
the empty tomb.
Holy Week
Monday and Tuesday, 30 and 31 March
8pm Reflections on the Easter story in Art.
Palm Sunday, 29 March
9am Holy Communion (CW)
10.30am Crossroads Service
A joyful service for all the family.
welcoming Christ the King.
6.30pm An introduction to Holy Week
reflecting on Easter as portrayed in
paintings. With Choral music by the
church choir.
Tuesday 31 March, 10am Café
with an opportunity to make an Easter Garden.
Wednesday 1 April
8pm A Concert for Holy Week
Please look out for details.
Maundy Thursday, 2 April
8pm Holy Communion
Enter into the moving story of the
Last Supper and Gethsemane as we journey
with Jesus towards Calvary.
Good Friday, 3 April
Walk with us
Meet at 9.45am outside the
shops at the bottom of Stoke
Hill and walk with us, as the
Cross is carried to the church.
10.30am All age Service
followed by Hot Cross Buns in the Church rooms.
12 noon Three Hour Meditation
using Art, music and silence. (You are asked to
enter or leave at half hour intervals.)
Easter Saturday is a quiet day – for prayer and
reflection.
Easter Sunday, 5 April
9am Holy Communion
a traditional service.
10.30am All age Easter celebration
with Holy Communion, suitable for the whole family.
No service on Easter Sunday Evening.
Easter Holiday Club
Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 April
Polar Explorers
for school years 1 to 6.
Registration forms can be
obtained from the Church
Office. Please see the Youth
page for more details.

Housegroups at St Mary’s
Do join us @st mary’s on
Friday 13 March
The Red Maids’ School Chamber Choir Concert
Wednesday 25 March
Belgrave School presents “The Lion King”
Saturday 28 March
Bristol Chamber Orchestra Concert
There are a number of housegroups at St Mary’s and
all church members are encouraged to become
members. Housegroups have an average of 10
members, and meet regularly, some weekly, some
fortnightly and others monthly. They usually study
together, pray together, care for one another and
often eat together. Some support the Crisis Centre
or other charities. The groups vary enormously in
character. Most try to inject a little fun
occasionally. The visit to Steep Holm (see page 3)
was a particularly adventurous example.
Saturday 9 May
“Summer Sizzle” – a cabaret evening for all the
family with Jazz Band
Saturday 20 June
The Riding Lights Theatre Company
IrRESTISTible - on the theme of making a
difference - bible stories, testimony and comic
sketches to entertain and challenge
Saturday 11 July
Bristol Fashion Chorus
To find out more, contact David Baker on
0117 9683227.
Many 2015 events are yet to be confirmed.
Please look out for posters, and for further
details visit www.stmarysb.org.uk
email office@stmarysb.org.uk
or phone 0117 9687449
Instep Club for Widows and Widowers
Wednesdays 8-10 pm, Stoke Bishop Village Hall
Dancing, American suppers, Social activities
Annual membership £8.
Members: £2 per session.
Visitors welcome: £3 per session
Come in to see us or telephone Mary on 9683170 or Wilma
on 9628895 for further information.

Hi there!
This year is already well underway and there continue to be plenty of new and
exciting opportunities to get involved with the youth at St Mary’s. For those
with exams approaching, we wish you good luck preparing for and taking them.
Best Wishes from Ellie, Ed, and Immie
Youth Joinery
We’re really excited to announce the start of a new evening service led entirely by the youth in
place of the usual Joinery on the second Sunday of each month at 6:30pm in the church. This will
include worship and teaching led by the youth in a relaxed cafe-style environment. Food and
drinks will also be available and all are welcome (not just young people), so please come along!
Soul Survivor
After much enjoyment over the last few years, we
are enthusiastic to announce that we will be returning
to Soul Survivor this year with John and Emma. This is a
great time to spend together learning about and getting
closer to God.
Good Luck Dan
Dan has been an active member of the
youth at St. Mary’s and is in his last year
of Sixth Form. This September he will
be joining SWYM (South West Youth
Ministries) to train to become a youth
worker. We asked him a few questions
to find out more about this
opportunity.
Holiday Club
Soul Survivor is hosted at Bath and West showground,
Shepton Mallet, and we will be there from 15th-19th
August (Week B). It is a fantastic experience, and we
wholeheartedly encourage those currently in year 7 and
above to come along. Please contact John and Emma
(johnandemmadobson@gmail.com) soon for more
details.
This Easter holiday, from 7th-10th April, Holiday Club will run from
10-12:30 in the church. This year the theme is Polar Explorers and
we will be finding out that “no one is too anything to be part of
God’s big mission”. This is always great fun and a fantastic way to
learn more about God through engaging and interesting activities
like crafts, songs and games. Holiday Club is open to children in
school years 1-6, with opportunities for the older youth to
help out. This always proves very popular, so make sure
you sign up as soon as possible to guarantee a place!
What will you be doing at SWYM?
I will be placed in a church to be
involved in running the youth work
there in training to become a youth
worker.
What made you decide to join SWYM?
I felt like God was calling me to this
work.
What are you looking forward to most?
I am looking forward to growing, both
as a person and in my relationship with
God.

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For further information, please visit our website:
www.enterpriselaw.co.uk

Hughes Enterprise Law Practice is delighted to be
able to support St Mary’s Messenger and would be
pleased to advise you in any of the following areas:
Resolving Commercial Disputes
Claims against professional advisers
Shareholder and partner disputes
Drafting Commercial Agreements
Employment
Mediation
We aim to provide a modern, practical way of tackling
legal issues with an eye to the commercial objectives
required.
To discuss your business issues, please contact
Tony Hughes at:
Trym Lodge
1 Henbury Road
Westbury on Trym
Bristol BS9 3HQ
Fax: 0117 959 6425
Email:
info@enterpriselaw.co.uk
Tel: 0117 959 6424
For further information, please visit our website:
www.enterpriselaw.co.uk