Issue - St. Francis Church

engage
Issue 3 - Spring/Summer 2014
Articles include...
Recent happenings
3
Food Bank Update
4
Loving for Life!
5
Messy Church
7
The Value of Community 8 & 9
Developmental Coach?
10
Focus on Café Theo
11
Scouts @ 40
15
and more...
www.francisofassisi.co.uk
Welcome to Engage
- a magazine
produced by St
Francis Church for
West Bessacarr.
St Francis Church is located
at the heart of West Bessacarr
and as a church we want to play
our part in building a sense of
community here. We seek to be
good news for the whole of our
area.
you are most welcome to come
along.
St Francis Church is a great
place to find community! It is
also a place where many have
found forgiveness, hope and
purpose for living as they have
encountered God’s love for
themselves.
I hope you enjoy this edition of
‘engage’ magazine.
God bless.
As you look through this edition
of ‘engage’ I hope that you will
discover some of the ways we
attempt to create events for
people of all ages, as well as
establishing regular activities
which meet some of the needs in
our area.
There are always lots of events
coming up so keep a look out
for our posters or check out our
website (www.francisofassisi.
co.uk).
As the vicar of West Bessacarr
I also want to offer you an open
and on-going invitation to come
along to any of the services
we hold at church. Even if you
are not sure where you stand
regarding your belief in God,
2
Main Cover Pictures:
Front: Liz Gibson and Frankie at Messy Church
Back: Rev Richard Heard sharing a joke at the
Christmas Day service.
Just some of what we’ve
been up to recently!
Light Party
Light Party
Messy Church
Messy Church
Messy Church
Three Kings Party
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
Candlelit Carol Service
Philippines Charity Community Meal
3
Since October 2013 St Francis Church
has been a collection point for donations
for the Food Bank. The church and wider
community have been extremely generous
in their donations and at the time of going
to press 712.9 Kilograms of produce have
been donated.
We caught up with Lynda Crosby who
transports the donations of food to Doncaster
Food Bank and also volunteers at the Food
Bank.
Why did you get involved?
I already help to run Café Theo at St Francis
Church, but felt for some time that I needed
a new challenge, so when I heard about
the Food Bank to be set up by the Trussell
Trust, I knew I had found that something.
Volunteering isn’t just about the people I
am helping, it’s about me too. It gives me
the opportunity to spend time away from a
busy lifestyle, and I feel valued as part of a
team helping people who are struggling to
put food on the table. In this day and age
I felt so helpless seeing parents unable to
provide food for their children, and sending
them to bed or to school hungry.
What is so good about the way the
Food Bank is run?
The Doncaster Food Bank is a Christian
charity, partnered with the Trussell Trust and
provides emergency assistance to people
of all backgrounds and all faiths and none
who are in genuine need. The people of
Doncaster are generously donating tinned
and dried food that is in date
and undamaged to collection
points across the Borough.
In addition some local
supermarkets are allowing
volunteers to give
4
customers going into their store a list of the
type of food that is needed.
As they come out with their weekly shop they
donate one or two items into trolleys. More
volunteers then transport this food to the
Food Bank that operates from Christ Church
on Thorne Road. There are several ways
that volunteers help at the Food Bank, from
greeters who stand by the door to welcome
clients and introduce them to a listener, to
tea makers, packers, and administration
staff.
Local front line care professionals (eg.
Citizens Advice Bureau, M25, Women’s
Centre) refer people in crisis by giving them
a food voucher that can be exchanged for
food supplies at the Food Bank. Volunteers
make up food parcels that contain enough
nutritionally balanced food for three meals a
day for three days.
What has touched your heart?
I have read in the newspapers and seen
endless programmes on TV regarding the
benefit cuts, but didn’t really understand how
it affected people. Volunteers at the Food
Bank are welcoming and non-judgemental
and are there to help people in crisis.
In one case a genuine omission from a form
meant benefits were stopped for 2 weeks,
this could easily have been rectified if the
claimant had been allowed to include the
information there and then. Benefit delays
cause hardship, and force people to have to
use Food Banks to survive.
How can the people of Bessacarr help?
The people of Bessacarr have already been
so generous with their contributions of
tinned and dried foods. If everyone was able
to just add one or two extra items to their
weekly shop and drop it in the collection box
in St Francis Church on Wednesday,
Thursday or Saturday mornings
between 09.30am and 12 noon, the
Food Bank would be able to ensure
people, and especially
children, need not
go hungry.
Loving for Life!
John and Pat Simpson have lived
in Bessacarr since the late 1970’s
arriving with two young children,
and they soon got to know lots
of people at St Francis Church.
They also made a number of
good friends which they remain in
good contact with outside of the
church. They have been married
for 43 years and whilst still in the
early stages of retirement they
seem to be thriving. We caught up
with them to try to discover their
secret!
‘engage’ Magazine (eM): How did you
manage to achieve some semblance
of work life balance, when you both
had demanding jobs and two young
children?
John : I was very lucky with my job. My
hospital Consultant job didn’t involve an
onerous on call commitment. I could drop
the children off at school in the morning and
Pat could pick them up.
Pat: My job at school meant a lot of work out
of school, but John and the girls helped with
mounting display work and in later years the
girls helped with work on the computer.
John: And if I occasionally saw patients on
weekends Pat would be my assistant, and
when the girls were older they helped with
filing.
Pat: I also taught Sunday school for 10 years
when the children were young. We all loved
it! But we couldn’t have done it if we weren’t
together.
eM: Why did you choose to put so
much time into Mothers’ Union?
Pat: Mothers’ Union appealed to me
because of the family commitment - caring
for families in a Christian way. I also love
the Literacy Outreach project knowing that
by the Mothers’ Union teaching people to
read and write, people are able to get jobs
and provide for their families. The holiday
scheme that enables families who aren’t
able to afford a holiday to get a much
needed break together is another highlight.
My involvement with Mothers’ Union was
also not done alone – John was known as
Mr President because he was often with me.
John: When Pat retired I went down to three
days a week for 5 years which was very
helpful. When I finally retired I initially had so
many things I wanted to do but I soon missed
the professional contact and involvement in
work, and the part of work where people
came to me for help. Gardening and a
walking group was very helpful in adjusting
eM: After the busyness of work how did
you possibly cope with the changes
retirement brings?
Pat: I finished work and within a few
months I got involved with Mothers’ Union
as a Deanery Leader, Branch Leader and
eventually becoming Diocesan President.
Taken at The Shard, London
5
to retirement. Then after two years the first
of our grandchildren came along. Our
daughters have been extremely generous
in the loan of their children! Being with our
grandchildren gives us a lot of satisfaction.
Pat: Planning our time is important for us in
retirement. Everything is written down in the
diary. We are busy but we like to help and if
we are free, and someone asks us to help
we try to do it. We also try to make sure that
we plan days where we can go out together
for the day, doing something special for just
the two of us.
eM: What has been the value of church
in your life?
Pat: To raise a family with Christian values
has been essential to us. So being part of a
church family has helped enormously, giving
us friendships, reassurances, help in times
of trouble and more teaching on Christianity
from our vicars and House Groups. There
is always someone to ask in times of
uncertainty and many people to support us
with prayer and friendship.
eM: You seem to be very happily
married and have been married for
many years. How did you meet and
what is your secret?
Pat: We met when I was 14 and John was 16.
We met at a church youth and tennis club.
For 9 years I knew I wanted to get married
to John.
John: I only knew I wanted to get married in
the last 6 months before we got married! I
wasn’t sure anyone would want to share my
bad habits! I wanted to make sure that the
marriage would last. We were always good
friends right from the start
Pat: We never have major arguments. We
have disagreements but never get to full
blown arguments. We have compromised
a lot.
John: We liked the same sort of people. We
had similar pastimes. But communicating
with each other is key ...and I still find Pat
incredibly attractive!
(Laughter all round. But it is clear that he
means it!)
you are invited to A
Celebration of bessacarr
POETRY
Sat 24th to
Mon 26th May
24th May
2-5pm Exhibition & 6.309.30pm Arts Evening
25th May
10.30am Special Arts
Celebration Service
2-5pm Exhibition
MUSIC
26th May
10-4pm Exhibition
ork
artw
PAINTING
All Arts by local people!
May even be by you!
Call for details.
Three Day Event at
St Francis Church,
Nostell Place,
West Bessacarr.
If you would like to
offer something to
exhibit please phone:
01302 538487.
www.francisofassisi.co.uk
6
y
graph
photo
e whole family
A fun event for th
Crafts, Games,
r.
e
th
e
g
to
in
in
jo
to
and Food.
Learning, Worship
Next Messy Church?
March 8th, 10th May, and July 12th
4 to 6pm St Francis Church, Nostell Place
To help us with our catering, please phone
01302 538487 or email admin.francisofassisi@
gmail.com if you plan to come. If you forget to tell
us - don’t worry you’ll still be welcome on the day!
Admission is Free. Donations will be taken on the
day to help towards the cost of the event.
www.francisofassisi.co.uk
scan here for more details
7
C
o
m
m
...a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in com
In an age where we can be in
touch with people through
email, social networks, text
messages and video
messaging we still
suffer as a culture
from a surprising lack of real
community. The
online community can be of
great value but
it is in face to
face contact that
we truly connect.
Mother Theresa, who spent much of
her life living with the poorest of the
poor in India, famously said “loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”
We all need community.
True community involves being
known and knowing others. A good
community enables you to be yourself and to be accepted for who you
are. In a community which functions
well everybody has the opportunity
to make a contribution for the good
of the community and everybody is
valued just for who they are.
We are made for community. People regularly speak of the longWhen a sense of community and ing for a greater sense of communiconnection with others is taken away ty. Developing community requires
a person suffers immensely. Isola- consistent effort and a level of pertion is used as the primary form of sonal cost.
punishment given for prisoners who
refuse to toe the line. Continued iso- We have to give something of ourselves to community life
lation from contact
with humans affects “We are committed and in doing that there
a person emotionally to seeking to build a is the risk that our contributions won’t be
and physically. Many
sense
of
community
received well and
suffer from loneliness
we will be hurt. If
in Bessacarr”
and isolation even
we decide to work
when they are often
for the building of
with others if they make no real concommunity
in
our area inevitably
nection with them.
we will probably spend some time
8
u
n
i
t
y
mmon / ...the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common
with people we wouldn’t normally
choose to be with.
Our community building efforts are
not limited to those who choose to
join the church. We want to help
This can be a challenge, but not an develop a sense of community in
insurmountable one. If we approach Bessacarr for all people, whether
our relationships in the community they choose to come to church or
with a determination
not. We seek to do this
“It
is
in
face
to
face
not to judge others,
by organising events
but to always seek to contact that we truly that are open, welcomconnect”
see the best in those
ing and appropriate for
we come into contact
everyone.
with we can make it work. It is thrilling to see people who previously As people come to family fun mornhad nothing to do with each other ings, arts events, community meals
because of their differences now re- or our regular communially enjoying getting to know each ty café, we hope that
other and working together.
the environment
and atmosphere
At St Francis Church we are com- enables peomitted to seeking to build a sense of ple to develop
community in Bessacarr. For those new friendthat choose to join the church we ships within
aim to offer encouragement, fun, the commulove and when things go wrong - for- nity.
giveness. We are certainly not a
perfect church but we seek Bessacarr is a
to welcome, encourage great place with
and value everyone. We so much going for it
do this for others be- ….but together we can
cause we believe we make it better by building commuhave already received nity wherever we are and wherever
from Jesus such an we go.
amazing welcome, such
Rev Richard Heard
wonderful love and an astonishing level of acceptance.
9
A ‘Developmental Coach’? - in Bessacarr?
Finding the right sort of employment
has been a huge challenge for many
people in recent years in Doncaster.
It is for this reason that St Francis
Church is delighted to promote and
encourage
people
to use Mark Bright’s
developmental
coaching which is
Mark Bright
developmental
on offer for free at St
coach
Francis Church.
“Hello, my name is
Mark Bright, and I am a
‘Developmental Coach’.
Between 2008 and 2012, I served as an
internal coach to UK and international
M.B.A. degree students at Sheffield
University. I took an advanced diploma
in coaching during that time, and also
started coaching international students
in a technical area pertinent to business
consultancy. In 2013, I became a member
of the Association for Coaching - whose
founding principle is “promoting excellence
and ethics in coaching”.
My type of coaching works both on your
personal identity and skills development
- essentially, how you present yourself
to employers in the best light given your
educational background, work experience,
and job/career interests. Interventions
range from identifying and appreciating
your strengths, re-working your C.V.,
helping maintain focus and sense of
purpose in your work life, etc.
In terms of client commitment, 10 to 12 faceto-face sessions (lasting approx. 1-hour
each) is not untypical. Developmental
coaching offers the client an opportunity to
take time out from the hurly-burly of dayto-day existence, and reflect on the deep
questions about progression of a working
10
life. As a coach, I help clients derive and
work with new ways to step-forward in their
career.
I am a trained researcher. During the past
five years, I have designed a range of
coaching programmes that combine my
knowledge and experience of mentoring,
coaching, and innovative qualitative data
analysis techniques. As my coaching
provision has taken place in management
consulting/academia, and most recently
community-settings, I can deploy methods
to deliver benefits that conventional
coaching approaches perhaps lack.
The coaching sessions which I offer at St
Francis Church will be free of charge. The
target market being working age people
who live in West Bessacarr. Charges may
be made from October 2014 for coaching
sessions that take place in other locations.
All my developmental coaching is open to
people of all faiths and none.
Send me an email to: coach@i-bright.
freeserve.co.uk briefly outlining your
situation, then we can arrange an initial
meeting. Alternatively,
leave a message (plus
your contact number)
on my coaching line:
07983-691321. I shall
then return your call.
Please note: If you
have been diagnosed
with a chronic illness
that makes a working
life difficult, do get in
touch.”
Mark Brig
h
t, Ph.D., M
AC
Café Theo @ St Francis
Church, Nostell Place
toasted teacakes,
Café Theo is a community café
freshly baked
based at St Francis Church, Nostell
scones or a slice
Place. It is run by volunteers
of the day’s
mostly from Church, one of whom is
homemade cake.
Marlene Gannon. She has also been
Fairtrade filter coffee,
busy buying food and equipment,
hot chocolate or a
organising rotas and
training in the café for
“We’d love to see pot of tea or cold drinks
are available. Our team
almost three years. We
you
at
Café
Theo”
are all volunteers which
asked her for more
means we can keep prices
details about the café.
reasonable, for example a pot of tea for
There’s always a ‘buzz’ about the place 90p, coffee at £1.10, bacon baps £1.25
and scones etc. from 80p.
and our customers tell us it’s a friendly,
comfortable and contemporary place
to drop in for a coffee
or snack. Some have
become regulars and
we enjoy seeing them
each week and usually
know their order before
they place it! Customers
look at the menu, order
and pay at the counter
then take a seat while
the food is prepared.
A member of the team
delivers the order to
their table when it is
ready. Our customers
might be a young family
What I personally love about Café
with small children (high chairs are
Theo is the fact that, although being
provided) right through the age range
a volunteer keeps me busy, there is
to the more elderly.
still usually time to chat to those who
come in, especially on the days when
Our menu ranges from bacon or
I am not on duty and just pop in as a
sausage baps to more traditional
‘A community café for West Bessacarr’
11
customer myself. Some people have
Health and had to follow practices
only recently moved into the area and
and procedures laid down for such
have not yet made friends, some live
establishments in much the same way
alone and say their visit to the cafe is
as any tea or coffee shop in town.
a highlight of the week. One person
told me she found she had
By the summer we hope
acquired a “new family”
“There’s always a you will see an outdoor
and now a lonely visit to
area opposite the
‘buzz’ about the seating
the shops has become an
shops with the entrance
place”
outing. Another person
via a ramp that will be
who I invited to meet me
accessible to all as the
for a coffee said she felt so welcome
artist’s impression below shows. A
that she felt able to drop in on her own
long, hot summer would be nice so we
knowing she would be welcomed. It’s
could put this safe and attractive space
really good to feel we are offering a
to good use.
place for people to meet right at the
heart of the community.
We’d love to see you at Café Theo and
if you bring this copy of ‘engage’ with
My hope is that in due course we might you we’ll give you your hot drink at half
open every day and offer an extended
price up to and including March 29th
menu. However, this would require
this year.
some upgrading of our kitchen and
many more volunteers. Everyone
Current opening times are Sat 9.30am
on the team has the opportunity to
to 12.30pm & Wed from 10.30am to
complete a Food Hygiene, Level 2 City
12.30pm.
and Guilds course if they wish but this
is not compulsory. Before we opened
If anyone feels they would like to
we used to talk about “why don’t we
become a volunteer and join our
just open the doors and put the kettle
friendly team you can contact Marlene
on” but we soon realised that we
by email at marleneg76@aol.com or
needed approval from Environmental
phone Doncaster 530470.
Proposed Café outdoor seating area (artists impression)
12
What takes place at St Francis Church & Centre?
Church Contact
Ann Gray: Centre Administrator &
PCC Secretary - Hall/Room Bookings.... 538487 / email: admin.francisofassisi@gmail.com
Summary of Regular Activities
At the time of going to press, these are the regular activities and events taking place
at the Church and Centre. Many of these are run by the church or by church members.
Some are run by outside agencies.
Prayer and Worship: Daily, .................................................................Church Office - 538487
Rainbows & Brownies: Monday evenings, ............................................. Jane Chick - 535363
Meet and Eat Lunch: 2nd Monday monthly, .................................. Sarah Rogerson - 535747
Ballroom and Latin dance classes: Tuesday evenings, ..........Stuart Barratt - 07795517876
Beavers, Cubs and Scouts: Wed and Friday* evenings,..............Noreen Sherburn - 535769
Hope Bereavement Drop In: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays,....................Church Office - 538487
U3A - Mah Jong: 2nd Tuesday monthly, ...............................Margaret Horan - 01709 544266
St Francis Toddler Group: Wednesday mornings, ................................ Dawn Kwok - 539839
Sue Ryder Dementia Drop in: 1st Wednesday afternoon, ...Marilyn Cockett - 01302 380077
Coffee Morning in the Café: Thursdays, ................................................Mary Scott - 533539
Slimming World: Thursday evenings, .........................Jackie Fraser - 834207 / 07834987753
Line Dancing: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, ............................... Fran Harper - 817124
Mothers’ Union in the Café: 2nd Thursday eve monthly, .......................... Jan Laws - 874305
Mothers’ Union Soup lunch: 4th Friday monthly, ........................... Sarah Rogerson - 535747
Mothers’ Union Whist Drive: 1st and 3rd Sat evenings, .......................... Pat Hilson - 531282
KT Danz: Street/Freestyle Dance: Friday evenings, ............... Katie Hodgson - 07867613929
Café Theo Community Café: Saturday & Wednesday mornings, .Marlene Gannon - 530470
Sequence Dancing: 1st and 3rd Sat evenings, .............................. Michael Ingman - 538199
*Beavers and cubs meet at St Francis Church. Scouts meet at Willow School.
Please contact those in charge of individual groups to confirm details and times of
meetings prior to attending for the first time as some details may change.
13
n
Coming soo
!
to St Francis
4th
Pancake Party
March (free pancakes, lots of
games)
3.30pm
8th
Messy Church
March
4pm
13th
April
Palm Sunday Special All
Age Service (hopefully with
Donkey joining in!)
10.30am
18th
April
Good Friday Meditation
2pm
19th
April
Easter Fun Morning
(crafts, easter egg hunts
and lots of fun)
10.30am
20th
April
Easter Sunday Celebration
10.30am
27th
April
Sunday - Sponsored Walk in
memory of Julie Homar
2pm
10th
May
Messy Church
4pm
24th
- 26th
May
Arts Festival (Poetry, Art,
Music, Photography etc,
open to all)
Various
times
Always a problem?
Our building is a great community
resource and meeting place.
It is already well used by the
community but we do have some
spaces still available for hire at down
to earth prices!
If you want to hire any
of our facilities for
a one off event or
become a regular
user, please contact
Ann Gray on 538487
or email admin.
francisofassisi@gmail.com
14
Sundays @ St Francis
Join us for breakfast!
A complementary breakfast is served
from 9.30am to 10.15am every
Sunday morning.
8.30am Service
A shorter service for early birds, and
those who like the traditions and
beautiful language of the Book of
Common Prayer.
10.30am Service
A friendly and informal modern style
of worship, with groups for children
and young people available.
6pm Service
First Sunday of the month Traditional communion service
with hymns.
Other Sundays Quieter reflective service
to end the day.
www.francisofassisi.co.uk
s c o u t s @ 4 0
26th
Doncaster (West
Bessacarr) Scout Unit was
originally started by the
first Vicar of St Francis
Church, Tim Leach, and
has been meeting at St
Francis Church building
for exactly 40 years.
It is still going strong
with approximately 100
children in either Beavers
(6 -8yrs), Cubs (8 to 10
years) or Scouts (10 to 14
years).
Richard Hinchliffe started with
the 26th as a Beaver and he is
now a Scout leader in Bessacarr,
as well has having district, county
and national responsibilities.
What are some of your
best memories of being a
Beaver, Cub or Scout?
There are so many memories
over the past 20 years. Some
of my most memorable come
from the first trip to Switzerland
we took in 2001. Travelling to
another country and meeting
different Scouts from all over
the world is one I will remember
forever. That and jumping into
the ice cold glacial lake and
coming out as blue as a smurf it was that cold!
How has Scouting
developed you as a person?
Scouting has developed my
confidence. It’s given me skills to
be able to communicate with a
broad range of people and put
some of my skills to use. Even
today the skills I have learnt
come in handy especially the
other week when I saw a car
crash and went to the help of
the driver and gave First Aid.
As a young person Scouting
gave me a place to go where
it didn’t matter how cool you
were at school and we often did
activities that made everyone at
school feel awe and amazement.
After spending all day
teaching children at school
why do you still come to
help out at the 26th Scout
Group?
Scouting is not like school at
all. At Beavers, Cubs or Scouts
I can be myself, and share some
of the skills with today’s young
people I learnt in this very group.
I also really enjoy their company.
Some of them have fascinating
stories to tell which means
there’s never a dull moment as
you never know what they are
going to say!
Why do you think so many
children still want to take
part in Scouting in West
Bessacarr?
Scouting is now more popular
than ever. It offers young
people the chance to take part
in activities that they don’t
normally do and provides
everyday adventures that really
engage with people of all ages.
Here at the 26th we actively look
at giving an everyday adventure
whether it be surviving the
cold on camp in shelters made
from trees and leaves or making
Christingles and taking part in
parades with real donkeys!
The more young people we
have the better our programme
becomes. More Beavers, Cubs,
and Scouts means that our
events and meetings become
Richard Hinchcliffe,
also known as ‘Eagle’
bigger and better with the
young people taking action
and helping to decide what we
do. We are always looking for
more members both old and
young. The amazing programme
of events we offer can only
be successful with the help of
our dedicated team of adult
volunteers of which we always
have room for more!
Are you doing anything
special for your
anniversary year?
This year the 26th turn 40
and will be looking at having a
reunion BBQ for all members
both old and new. In July we want
to take all the young people away
to South Yorkshire’s Scouttastic
weekend event where they will
take part in over 150 activities
with 3000 other Scouts. What
a brilliant end to the year and a
great way to showcase our 40
years of Scouting to everyone in
the County.
Note: Our 40th Anniversary
celebration afternoon is on 29th
March at St Francis Church Hall.
15
engage
Issue 3 - Spring/Summer 2014
The opinions expressed in ‘engage’ are not necessarily those of the Vicar or the PCC although we fully accept
responsibility for the content. E&OE. If you wish to talk about any issues mentioned in ‘engage’ please
contact us via our Centre Admin email address which is admin.francisofassisi@gmail.com - Thank you.
Design by Malcolm Johnston (mjohnston497@btinternet.com)
16
www.francisofassisi.co.uk