The Parish Magazine July and August 2021

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10 The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 Please mention The Parish Magazine when responding to advertisements Independent Financial Advice Advice and guidance on: Retirement & Investment Planning - Mortgage Planning (including Equity Release) Long Term Care Insurance - Protection, Trusts and Income Planning We cut through the jargon to keep it simple and embrace the latest technology to provide you with your own Personal Finance Portal, designed to give you a holistic view of your finances. For more information, please contact Andrew Gane: M: 07796 268 739 E: andrewgane@pennymatters.co.uk W: https://pennymatters.co.uk/andrewgane.html Andrew is a member of vouchedfor https://www.vouchedfor.co.uk/financial-advisor-ifa/bracknell/01665-andrew-gane Remember that past performance is not a guide to future returns and that the value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Some mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Advice fee structure available on request. First appointment at our cost. Pennymatters Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered as a Limited Company in England and Wales No. 7331832. Uncompromising Excellence in Hair Care Spring Issue |Hair Cutting and Beauty Therapy |Experts in Colouring and Permanent Waving |Hairdressing for Men, Women and Children @stylebyjulieReading @stylebyjulie @stylebyjulieRG Private Hair and Beauty Salon Badgers Rise, Woodley, Reading, RG5 3AJ 0118 4378178 salon@stylebyjulie.co.uk www.stylebyjulie.co.uk salon@stylebyjulie.co.uk Banish limescale with a TwinTec Water Softener • Enjoy a scale-free kitchen and bathrooms • Protect and improve the efficiency of your boiler • Lower your energy bills • Reduce time spent cleaning • Enjoy softer skin and shinier hair No buttons or routine maintenance: it’s easy Call for a free installation survey or quote Twyford: 0118 9344485 Finchampstead: 0118 9733110 thamesvalleywatersofteners.co.uk 10 YEAR GUARANTEE THAMES VALLEY WATER SOFTENERS
the parish noticeboard — 3 On reflection . . . By Elizabeth Spiers Zechariah: God encourages us through his Word The Parish Magazine - July/August 2021 11 From the desk of the editor editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk Share a story with us freebibleimages.org Zechariah was a prophet living in Jerusalem almost 70 years after the nation of Israel had been enslaved in Babylon. He was among the first of his people returning to their desolate homeland. The Jewish people who had survived were returning in small numbers. Their temple lay in ruins and things looked bleak. They didn’t have much of anything and were especially short of hope. It is into this situation that Zechariah speaks. God gave him a series of messages to help motivate and encourage the people to both rebuild the temple and look for the fulfilment of God’s promises. Zechariah points to the coming of Jesus. The Messiah will come, says Zechariah, as Saviour, Judge, and ultimately, as the righteous King ruling his people from Jerusalem. He will punish the people for their sins, yes, but afterwards he will come to them if they are obedient. CERTAINTY Zechariah’s book brims over with the hope — meaning the certainty — that God would remember his promises to his people, even after all the time they spent in captivity. Things may look hopeless now, Zechariah said — in a nutshell — but God is faithful and he will bring things right in the end. Although they had been scattered, God had not forgotten his promises and was still willing to help them if they were willing to obey him. Deuteronomy 7 says: ‘Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations’. Through his word God continually encourages us and he is utterly faithful. The God who never changes always keeps his promises. No matter what we do or how unfaithful we may be, he is true. We can trust the one who sees all but still loves us unconditionally. Just as he encouraged the people of Israel through Zechariah’s messages, so God encourages us today through his Word. Have you read it lately? One of the good things to emerge from the lockdowns is that I heard some young people say they grew tired of looking at a screen for almost everything they did so they started doing some of the more traditional things that the older generation often occupy their time with — things such as playing a musical instrument, board games, painting, handicrafts, cooking and even writing their own stories. The fun thing about these types of activities is that they are shared with friends and families, although story writing can be more difficult to share. As a magazine editor, of course, I get lots of stories coming across my desk which I can share, and I have a ready made outlet for my own stories that I enjoy writing. For young people, however, sharing their stories is not so easy so I have had in mind for a while about offering space in this magazine for young people to be able to share their stories in print. YOUNG WRITERS One of my grandchildren asked if she could write me a story, which of course, I was delighted about. She often writes stories but apart from giving them to her parents or grandparents to read she has few other opportunities to share them. Stories are for sharing and there must be many other young story writers who would like to share their stories more widely. This is why, on page 21, you will see that I am offering space in The Parish Magazine to publish stories written by school children of all ages. My problem as an editor, as well as a journalist, is that I can't resist editing almost every item in this magazine but doing this with stories by young writers can be very discouraging for them so, apart from correcting spelling, the odd grammatical error, and the use of words which in my younger days meant something different, I will try not to rewrite their stories too much! If you know any young people who enjoy writing stories — fiction or nonfiction — then suggest they send them to me and together we can encourage them to develop the ancient skill of story telling which dates back 30,000 years when stories were first painted in caves. OUR HIGHEST IDEALS There are lots of reasons why story telling is important, here's one I came across on the internet: Stories can increase our empathy and often help reinforce our highest ideals such as compassion and kindness. The greatest example of compassion and kindness reinforcing stories can be found in the world's oldest, best selling collection of stories that has been translated into more languages than any other — the Bible! So if you are short of ideas for your own stories, try reading it first!
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Page 3 and 4: Serving the communities of Charvil,
Page 5 and 6: The vicar's letter The Parish Magaz
Page 7 and 8: the parish noticeboard — 1 Notice
Page 9: the parish noticeboard — 2 STAY S
Page 13 and 14: the parish noticeboard — 5 The Pe
Page 15 and 16: feature — 1 Even though there are
Page 17 and 18: feature — 2 It began with a vicar
Page 19 and 20: feature — 3 classes. For the full
Page 21 and 22: feature — 4 The Parish Magazine -
Page 27 and 28: around the villages — 1 A letter
Page 33 and 34: HOME & GARDEN In the garden The Par
Page 35 and 36: THE ARTS — 1 Truth can come from
Page 37 and 38: THE ARTS — 2 Promise and fulfilme
Page 39 and 40: CROSSWORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 7 9 10 11 1
Page 41 and 42: CHILDREN'S PAGE The Parish Magazine
Page 43 and 44: Please mention The Parish Magazine

The Parish Magazine July and August 2021

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