PARISH NEWS

There is no news received from the Parish Council this month but there is a very important questionnaire on the back page of this newsletter. Please take the time to fill it in and give the Parish Council the feedback they need to help their grant application.  You can download a copy of the questionnaire here.

CHURCH NEWS

By the time you read this is is possible that Christmas will be over and you will be looking forward to new year.  it is always enjoyable to celebrate events and important occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Easter and Christmas, especially if one has the company of friends and family.  New year is an  opportunity not just to celebrate but to make changes.  To throw off the old and put on the new, to forget the mistakes of the past and look forward to doing things better and cast off that old self and try to be a better person.

The church in Bow Brickhill is looking forward to the coming year as the Reverend John Waller becomes our vicar.  The date of John's induction ceremony is 26th February at Great Brickhill church (see John's article).  In the meantime services continue as normal.

Happy New Year.
The Wardens

Webb Ivory

Many thanks to all those who purchased from the Christmas Webb Ivory Catalogue.  The profit was £61.20 which has been donated to church funds.  I now have the spring catalogue - please ring me if you would like to see it.  Diana Kesterton - tel no. 372434.

Church Flowers and Cleaning Rota

Flower arrangers and cleaners have been advised directly by Kay.  Readers are as follows:

	Readers
5 January	Mrs D Waldron
12 January	Mrs J Woods Mr J Wales
19 January	Mrs P wilby Ms R Clarke
26 January	Mr A Wilkins Mr J Wales

Services – January 2003 

Bow Brickhill – All Saints   
5 January - 11 am Family Service
12 January - 11 am Holy Communion
19 January - 11 am Matins
26 January - 8 am Holy Communion

Great Brickhill – St Mary the Virgin   
5th January - 9.30 am Holy Communion
12 January - 9.30 am Family Service, 6 pm Evensong
19 January - 9.30 am Holy Communion
26 January - 9.30 am Village Service

Little Brickhill – St Mary Magdalene 
5th January - No service
12 January - 11 am Family Service
19 January - No service
26 January - 5 pm Holy Communion

Stoke Hammond - St Luke

5 January - 9.30 am Holy Communion
12 January - 9.30 am Holy Communion
19 January - 9.30 am Morning Worship
26 January - 9.30 am Holy Communion

A Letter from our New Rector

Dear Friends
I am looking forward to coming to join you, to serve as the new Priest-in-Charge of the Brickhills and Stoke Hammond.  I hope to move to Great Brickhill during February, and begin work at the end of that month.  I will be coming with my wife Pauline, and our son Timothy, who will be just 13 when we move.  Together we are looking forward to experiencing village life for the first time.

We will not be moving far, coming from Furzton in Milton Keynes, but from a very different kind of community.  Since 1995 I have ministered as part of an ecumenical team ministry with five church buildings, seeking to serve the new and still growing communities on the 'west flank' of Milton Keynes.  I grew up in Aldershot in Hampshire, but I have lived in several different places since then.  I went to Manchester University, and Manchester was our first home when we married, and where Timothy was born.  After ordination, i served as curate in a suburban parish there, and then spent five years as Rector of an inner city parish in East Manchester, before we moed to Milton Keynes.

For relaxation, I like reading, and folk and world music, and I also enjoy football.  I remain a supporter of Manchester City and with Timothy I try to get to one or two matches each season.  We are also members of the local City supporters group here.

I was brought up in a Methodist church, and I have enjoyed working in an ecumenical setting in Milton Keynes, but I still feel that my spiritual home is in the Anglican church.  I have always appreciated the diversity of traditions and styles within the Church of England, and I see the challenge to live positively with diversity as one of the important elements of local church life.  I believe that each local church is called to support and encourage the life of the whole local community, while also sharing the challenge of the gospel, - the good news of the love of God shown to us in Jesus.

I am looking forward to getting to know you, and sharing ministry will all the members of your churches.

Yours in Christ
John Waller

VILLAGE NEWS   

Carol Singing

Thanks to everyone who toured the village in sub-zero temperatures with the carol singers this year and those who undertook collection duties.  Everyone was so generous that we collected £251.  Grateful thanks go to the Lousada and Mears families who provided us with much needed sustenance at the end of the evening. 

Web Links

Do you have a family web site or just a personal web page?  If you'd like it listed on the Bow Brickhill web site, email sue@bowbrickhill.com.

If you're in business, then there is a business page too.  Send a brief description of what you do with contact details to Sue for a free listing.

From MK Greens - More Burning Issues

Shanks' application for an incinerator-ready mega waste plant is to be heard my MK Council Development Control Committee on 15 January 2003.

Having so far failed via the direct approach, Shanks seem to be trying to slip their incinerator plans through by stealth.  Object now to their 'trojan horse' plan for an incinerator-ready mega waste plant in Bletchley.

If you haven't already objected to Shanks' second planning application (ref 02/01472/MIN) please do so if you can.  A quick email to ian.prosser@milton-keynes.gov.uk (be sure to give your full name and address) will help to show that public opposition to Shanks' plans hasn't subsided. More details at:  www.mkgreens.org.uk

Youth on Show

Happy New Year!  January sees rehearsals stepping up a feat ready for our pantomime production of Beauty and the Beast.  The script has generously been donated by Ken Branchette who entertained the Bow Brickhill Club in November.  Ken's experience, expertise and wonderful scenery has been a huge prop to Youth on Show over the years.

The performances of Beauty and the Beast are at The Jennie Lee Theatre on 13th, 14th and 15th March 2003.  Make a note in your diary!  We promise you a light-hearted and entertaining evening.  Contacts Mary 01908 647003, Heather 01908 585245.

Parish Map

A new year.  A new start.  Cold, dark evenings, a long way to spring.  Why not venture out on Wednesday 8th January at 8 pm for a creative evening to consider how me might make a parish map?  There'll be hot drinks, cookies and a warm welcome so bring your ideas and come to be inspired by others.  It could be small or large; two dimensional or three; painted, sewn, collaged or something else.  Perhaps an organisation you represent might want to tackle part of it.  We'll discuss how to organise and make this happen, nothing is set yet.  If you're interested in knowing more but can't make this date, call Rosemary on 01908 370811.

The Bow Brickhill Club

Our meeting of December 3rd was indeed one of the most memorable of the year.  We arrived, with mince pies and cakes, just before 2 pm and only had time to put the kettle (boiler) on before the arrival of our entertainers, fifteen children from our school accompanied by their teacher, Mrs Lowe.  It took no time at all for the children to get organised and commence their 45 minutes of enchanting entertainment with excepts from their Christmas Play "Elephant's Child" and traditional carols.  This was all greatly appreciated by our members.

The entertainment was followed by tea and Rosemary's bumper raffle when every member won a prize.  Two days later, on December 5th, the club enjoyed a very good lunch at Splinters restaurant.  What an exciting week!

The next meeting of the club will be on 2 pm on January 7th in the Pavilion when we shall welcome the new year with our usual tea time treats.  We shall also welcome our speaker Mr David Higgs, who will be talking to us on the history of television.  We look forward to seeing all our friends old and new.  Wishing you a very happy new year.

BB Friends of the School

Over the Christmas period we were able to raise over six hundred pounds with raffle tombola and refreshments at the school plays.  Our next event is a sponsored bounce in February which we hope will take us nearer to our target for the library extension. We are hoping to have a chocolate evening at Easter.  (Yum!)

Recycling

You should put the following in your pink sack:  
Paper - newspapers and magazines, catalogues and directories, writing/typing paper, leaflets, cards, cardboard - so long as you can fit it in your box.  Otherwise, please take it to a community recycling centre.
Cans - food, drink and petfood cans.
Plastic Bottles - all household plastic bottles under 5 litres.

Please continue to put all glass bottles and jars in the blue box.  
 
The following are NOT suitable for recycling: aerosols, envelopes, any other form of plastic, paint tins, pyrex.

Collection dates:  Friday 3 January, Thursday 9th January.  Then back to Wednesdays.

Mobile Library

By the War Memorial from 11 – 11.15 am on Fridays 10th and 24th January.