Funeral

I took the funeral today for Diana Colyer.

Monday

I went for a longer run this morning - as part of my preparation for the 1/2 marathon. I set out to do an eight mile run - but couldn't cope with hills after the first six... I did manage to get round and felt well and truly bushed...

Phone calls and emails in the morning. Lunch with Mary Cotes. Funeral in the afternoon.

In the evening I joined the St Mary's Worship leaders at St Mary's. This group has evolved very nicely from a group who stepped forward to lead worship two years ago. They're now taking responsibility for planning and working well together. It has been a joy to watch them develop. This evening we reviewed Christmas 2008 and started thinking about Christmas 2009. They decided to have a planning meeting for Christmas in June - not the 25th...

I have to say that I have found comments about the business of clergy particularly uncomfortable this year since I really wasn't that busy - at least with Christmas services. We have such a well developed team of lay leaders in all of our churches now that it is no longer a question of covering everything but finding space for the clergy to make a contribution... I think this is basically the way it should be but it feels odd when I get questions and comments about the hundreds of Christmas services that need to be covered.

Barry Newboult

Barry Newboult was born in Sheffield on the 30th November 1933.

He was clearly a bright young man who passed a scholarship exam which enabled him to attend one of the top schools in Sheffield. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough money for him to continue full time education so he left school at 17 and went to work for Hadfield's, where he was involved in specialist steel work. 

His education continued through night school where he gained a BSc and then was released by Hadfield's to complete an MSc. His Job title, Margaret informs me, was Christallographer, which I think has something to do with the way atoms are arranged in metals - clever stuff! 

Alongside work and study he also made time for a social life. He met Margaret at a church dance and they eventually married. The two of them had a very strong and positive relationship. Margaret tells me that they never fell out in 46 years and their two girls have said much the same - so it must be true. They enjoyed many of the same things but were also happy to have different interests as well.

Family life was very important to Barry. Heather tells me that the absolute highpoint of every family holiday was him taking over bedtime stories.  But he didn't just read them, he would take one of his fairy tales, Cinderella, Snow White or Hansel & Gretl, and enchant it with gruesome extra detail, much to the delight of his daughters.

He was diagnosed with MS at 17 but it only began to bother him in his early twenties. He was, however, very fortunate that the disease progressed very slowly, allowing him to live a very full life. It never stopped him doing anything and they were never forced to cancel a holiday. He was able to work and get around, making good use of his car, wheel chair and scooter. 

The steel industry, however, did begin to face serious difficulties. In 1979 Hadfield's offered the option of redundancy and Barry decided that it would be wise to accept. He decided that the future would be in computers and so took a three month residential course at the Queen Elizabeth School for the disabled.

Through this course he met a man who told him about a new centre in a place called Milton Keynes which was run by SCOPE. He couldn't find work in Sheffield and so the decision was made to move south. He was offered a voluntary post at the centre and the council provided them with an appropriate house.

Although it was a difficult move in many ways. It turned out to be a good choice. Barry enjoyed his new work which involved programming - and wrote programs for a number of local schools. This work eventually began to tail off but Barry continued to work at the print shop at Neath Hill - where he polished his publishing skills which have been used so prolifically in this church.

Barry's links to St Mary's began through the Fellowship Singers - a local group that involved people from a number of local congregations. When Agnes Yates decided to restart the choir here, Veronica seems to have recruited Barry and Margaret. Their involvement in this church has been significant since then. Not only have they sung in the choir, but Barry also became the communications supremo - producing the weekly and monthly newsletters and much more besides... He was also a great help to Margaret in her work with wedding couples - a responsibility to which both of them gave a great deal of commitment, professionalism and genuine care.

How will he be remembered?

His daughters remember, necklaces bought after winning a sweepstake at work, the lego house he built Christine while looking after her with chicken pox one day,  teaching Heather to drive safely on the motorway, Sheffield Wednesday,  the Guardian newspaper and his dry, dark sense of humour.

Many people will remember the practical help and support he gave them - or the work he did with them.

In this church he will be remembered for his commitment, his publications and the things he did with Margaret.

Many people will remember him as a friend.

I asked Margaret what three things she thought he would be remembered for. I think most of you would agree with her list:

He will be remembered for the way he got things done - quietly, competently and reliably...

He will be remembered for the remarkable way he coped with his MS - without complaint or self-pity...

Most of all, he will be remembered for his dry sense of humour - mentioned by many people in the many cards of condolence which have been sent.

We'd like to thank you Margaret for sharing him with us and let you know that we'll all be missing him. 

It has been good to know you Barry and we thanks God for all that you have brought to our lives. May God bless you as your journey continues and may we all meet again in God's kingdom where all will be well.

(Extract from Tribute)

Joy Cramp

Anne Stainsby

I took the funeral service today for Anne Stainsby, one of the stalwarts of All Saints' Loughton.

The church was predictably packed with family and friends from the various aspects of her life.

This evening the bell ringers plan to ring quarter peals at both Shenley and Loughton in tribute - but not in time with each other...

Monday

Have a cold, so didn't run today.
Spent a productive morning sending emails - yawn...
Had lunch with Ernesto.
Bought a new watch.
Took a funeral.
Went to High Wycombe...

I needed to buy a new watch because my latest (cheap) market watch beeps every hour and drives Isla mad! It must die! It's also rubbish.

I used some birthday money to buy a watch from an actual shop. I was torn between one that records multiple lap times (ideal for running) and one that receives an acurate time signal from a transmitter in Rugby (ideal for services and meetings - work in other words). The sports watch was too fiddly and wouldn't have been practical on the move, so I opted for the work model - so at least I will now know if services really start on time - or meetings go on too long!

I had one of these watches before and got quite addicted to knowing the exact time down to the closest millisecond. In a funny kind of way it makes you feel in control, although, of course, you're simply going along with what the Rugby transmitter claims the correct time to be...

If I was the kind of person who likes to make create sermons out of cans of peaches(!) this would be an opportunity to create a Gospel message about God as your spiritual Rugby. You need to keep tuning in on a regular basis and keep yourself on step with him... but since I don't go in for that sort of thing, you've nicely avoided a sermon...

End of an Era

Jessie Dundas was one of the first people I met when I arrived in Milton Keynes eight years ago. She was a small scottish lady who for came to our 11 o'clock family service. I wondered to start off with why she came, until I saw her huge grin. I think she liked coming to that service because it was fun - plus she'd never really acclimatised to this strange English habit of weekly communion...
Jessie had come down with her husband Don, just after the war to make a new life in the village of Loughton. Don's brother Robert had married a local girl, Olive, and the four of them soon became part of village life - although, like many ex-pat scotts, they seemed to bring a bit of Scotland with them. Jessie would often try me out on a Scottish word or phrase that she thought I should know - and luckliy I often did!
Through Jessie I came to meet Don (who was better known in the pubs than the churches) and when I moved to Loughton I got to know Olive and finally Robert (often known locally as Jock) who eventually chose to give up the pub on occassion to share communion with Olve and myself in their flat.
These four people lived through a massive era of change; moving from Scottish mining towns, to agricultural England; finnaly watching that English countryside transformed into a twentieth century city. They held on to the things that were valuable from their past, but also became part of the future. There is now a huge familly who can trace their beginnings back to those brave poineers... (And I've come to know many of them too.)
During the past few years, I've had the strange privilege of celebrating the end of their journies. One by one I have said goodbye to each of them; first Olive, then Robert, last year Don and five months later, Jessie - who clearly didn't want to go on without him... They were all different, but all much loved. Jessie, who we morn this week, has been called one of the "nicest" people you could know - and that word is appropriate on this occassion. I will remember her smile.
It is the end of an era - but it has been a good one. Farewell and God's speed to them all.

Monday

I was hoping to have a quiet morning - to catch up on some sleep - but Isla rang to say she had a flat tyre. It turns out she had run over a knife in the car park... A couple of students managed to fix it, which saved me a trip...

We have an issue with funerals. The basic problem is that we have fewer and fewer ministers who are becoming busier and busier. We used to have a duty day each in Watling Valley. This is no longer possible. We've tried a couple of alternatives. I'm currently wondering about posting my available slots to the undertakers, so they know when they can book me. The only problem is I can only find four sensible free afternoons between now and the end of Feb, so I hope they can plan the funerals for those days... It will be interesting to see if this experiment works.

Took Jeremy out to lunch. The first victim for lunch with the AD in 2008. I must make sure I take all the anglican clergy out this year. It's a very productive use of time...

Then it was time to meet Alison and Liz to talk about Voices - our first editorial session of the year. It's good to have a plan...

Tonight, I'm meeting Tim H, and then it's time for All Saints' Worship Group...

Two Funerals and a Wedding

This evening we had a rehersal for Esther and Jason's wedding which will take place after Christmas. As a pair of teachers they're too busy with the last week of term to concentrate on the wedding yet... not long to go...

I also had two bookings for funerals today - one for Christmas Eve... so much for the quiet week... Took kids into town after school to buy shoes. They had a go on the carolsel.

Thursday 29th November

9:00am - 1:30pm Queen's Visit to Milton Keynes (4.5 Hours)
Had a fascinating morning at Stadium:MK
1:30pm - 2:30pm Funeral for Baby Alex (WVEP +1)
Important to take, but would rather not have needed to... The second baby funeral I have done for this family. I feel for them.
2:30pm - 3:00pm Robes back to St Mary's (SMS +1)
Took the robes back to St Mary's that I used for the school visit on Tuesday. Lookied into the vestries where the painter was hard at work. There's now a loo in the loo! Alleluiah! - Doesn't work yet though...
7:30pm - 10:00pm Deanery Pastoral Committee (Deanery +2.5)
Good meeting. Tough discussion about Deanery Share - but good time looking at our vision for the next ten years. Real sense of common purpose...
Finished evening in pub in Stony Stratford with Tim Clapton - best thing to do after a church meeting...

Total Hours Worked: 9
Hours Worked for Deanery: 2.5
Hours Worked for WVEP: 1
Hours Worked for SMS: 1