St Peter's Yaxley

…reaching out in love and faith

Archives for June 2018

Rescued by a Refugee

by

I wonder if you saw footage or read about the refugee from Mali who rescued a four year old in Paris recently.

The child had been left alone in his fourth floor apartment while his father went shopping. Somehow the boy got out onto the balcony and had climbed over the rail. He was hanging on by his fingertips. Mamoudo Gassama, who is 22, saw the boy and with strength and skill and no regard for his own safety scaled the outside of the building rather like Spider-Man. He reached the balcony where the boy was and Mamoudo pulled him to safety. A large crowd had gathered on the ground and one of them captured the incident on his phone. Footage then went viral.

Mamoudo has been hailed as a hero. He was then invited to meet President Macron who promised him fast track citizenship and a job with the city’s fire department.

Around two thousand years ago another refugee came to rescue the whole of humanity which was, at best, “hanging on by its fingertips”. With no regard for his own safety Jesus allowed himself to be lifted up and nailed to the cross. Soon afterwards having risen from the dead Jesus ascended into heaven to “sit beside the President”. The citizenship won by Jesus however was not for himself but for all who believe and trust in Him. Those who follow Jesus are promised permanent citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you feel like you are hanging on by your fingertips or if life has never been better or if you are somewhere in between you are very welcome to join us at St. Peter’s (or your local church) and find out more about the invitation to become a citizen of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

May I invite any primary school aged children to our Big Top Holiday Club from August 28th to 31st. There will be NO clowns. Further details on our website or from our church office (number below).
With my prayers,

Jon
Jon Randall (Vicar) 07939 449255; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

My Splash Walk Tips

by

I ventured out on my first Splash Walk at the end of May, unknowingly picking one of the longer walks to attend.

We trailed seven miles from The King’s Head in Wadenhoe to the National Trust’s Lyveden New Bield, and back again. The length of the walk allowed for plenty of conversation and adventure through muddy puddles, fields, kissing gates and long grass. Along the way, I thought of a few handy tips to share with new Splash Walkers:

1. Invest in waterproof walking boots/shoes
It’s safe to say I learnt why Splash Walks are aptly named ‘Splash’ walks. Although we had a beautiful sunny day for our walk there were areas in the woods that were still rather boggy from the previous days rain. In some areas we ventured through bushes in order to avoid muddy puddles, however not all could be avoided and resulted in two rather wet, inappropriately dressed feet. I didn’t let this dampen my spirit and it all added to the adventure bringing back happy childhood memories of rambling through woods.

2. Join the group for lunch
The prospect of a good pub lunch is more than enough to keep you going when you’re flagging three quarters of the way around! Another incentive is hearing Richard call the pub to start preparing the food, you know then that you’re on the home straight and that the Brie and Bacon sandwich is not far off! The pub also gives you time to relax together, catch up with anyone you didn’t get a chance to talk to during the walk, and rehydrate with your choice of drink!

3. Take a spare pair of shoes
Even if you don’t have wet feet or blisters, air to the feet feels a luxury after seven miles – a spare pair of flip flops or alternative are a must! Even more so if you are staying for food.

4. Take water
A combination of chatter and exercise calls for water! I enjoyed having time to get to know friends a little better and have since found out that there are many benefits from walking & talking in the countryside, such as help with depression, anxiety, grief and difficult life transitions.

5. Every once in a while, take a moment to look around
Whether it’s a brief pause from walking, or a pause in conversation, look up and take in the sights of the countryside, and all that God has created for us. The Splash Walk offered me an opportunity to explore somewhere I hadn’t been before and appreciate the beauty and stillness of the countryside.

Thank you to everyone who was on the May Splash Walk. Despite feeling a little achy and sporting flip flops for the following 24 hours, I thoroughly enjoyed the walk. The walk was definitely made easier with the flow of conversation and promise of a good meal with friends. This was my first walk in different terrains and one I found very enjoyable. It was lovely to explore new territory and discover a new village, where people swim in the river! I look forward to walking with you all again in the future!

The next Splash Walk is taking place on Saturday 30th June.

For more information on Splash Walks, please speak with Chris Grant or Richard Hilliard.

God Bless.
Laura Ashley (PCO) 07939 449255, lauraashley@saintpeters.co.uk

“A bell’s not a bell ‘til you ring it…”

by

If you heard the church bells on Friday night, chances are you heard me ringing!

When Ray originally asked me if I fancied bell ringing it took me by surprise. It was something I hadn’t considered before and I’d never thought about there being actual people in the tower ringing the bells on a Sunday morning. Once I thought about the idea of bell ringing, it became something that interested me and I had to give it a go.

The door to the tower has always been intriguing, mostly because of the large padlock which has always had me pondering what it’s like up there. Well, it turns out it was nothing like what I expected! The ringing chamber is a bright room, decorated with notice boards and plaques. There’s small windows and apart from the stair workout, which seems to go on forever, you don’t realise how high up you are. There’s even electricity and a bench to sit down. Apparently, what I had learnt about bell ringing from watching Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a child, had not been correct!

The skill involved somewhat blew me away. I was definitely naïve in thinking you just pulled on a rope and made some noise (Disney has a lot to answer for)! Each bell, there are six, is a different note and weight. Some people can play some tunes on certain bells and not on others and very few people are able to operate number six, due to the weight. There’s much to learn; the sounds of the bells, positioning of hands, when and where to hold and let go, even how hard to pull the rope. The team also talk in ‘code’ when they’re ringing, and number codes surround the walls of the tower – it’s fascinating!

The team gave me demonstrations on what I would do and made it look easy; I guarantee you it is not, but my goodness is it fun and well worth the challenge! Even the simplest things like leaving my hands by my side somehow became difficult once instinct had set in. I was eased in gently with small exercises to complete and felt very comfortable trying new things, with full support from the team. Ray is a fantastic teacher; full of knowledge, patience and encouragement.

Thank you to Ray and the team for having me and showing me the ropes (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). I found watching and listening to you all absolutely fascinating and loved ringing the bell myself. As I left St. Peter’s I felt a sense of pride that I had contributed (just a little) to the sound of the bells that the village had heard, on a warm summers evening. I look forward to returning and understand now why people warned me about ‘catching the bug’.

Bell ringing is a great hobby, that combines music, sport, friendship and laughter and is completely free! If you fancy trying your hand at bell ringing, please speak to Ray Porter.

God Bless.
Laura Ashley (PCO) 07939 449255, lauraashley@saintpeters.co.uk