From: Will Adams of Whitfield - Non-Stipendary Curate to the Benefice of Helmdon, Syresham, Whitfield and Radstone, and Headmaster of Roade School.

It isn't very often that we get a completely free opportunity to be able to decide on the readings and hymns that we would like to have in a service. Weddings and funerals are perhaps obvious examples. I, however, have that great pleasure presently of planning the first communion service at which I shall be presiding after my ordination to the priesthood on July 1st.

We are so blessed with such a rich selection of songs and hymns in the church that it is a much harder exrecise than I first thought. I was struck by the coincidence of the significant number of hymns in my first list that referred to the Holy Spirit in some form or other: Come down, O Love Divine, Be still in the presence of the Lord, Breath on me, breath of God...... and the overwhelming desire expressed in these songs that the Holy Spirit be with us and within us.

These hymns help to define our Christian perception and understanding of the Holy Spirit and indeed thereby the nature of God. "Spirit" basically means "breath". Your breath is your very life; people know you're alive if you are breathing. So the Holy Spirit is the very life of God and the very evidence that God is a living God, actively within us. The prayer "Come Holy Spirit" is in itself recognition of engagement and envites us to get in touch, to hear, see and experience and speak to God.

In Genesis, we are given the picture of the Holy Spirit as a moving force, braething life into all creation. In one of our creeds, we acknowledge the active presence of God brought into human life as the baby Jesus, born to Mary and conceived "of the Holy Spirit".

As we move towards Ascension and Pentecost there could be no starker reminders of this living Jesus continuing his life through the Spirit. In promising and fulfilling the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was not only affirming the disciples to be his witnesses in the world but also extolling them, and therefore us, to recognise the Holy Spirit as that part of the nature of God which creates, renews and sustains life. Perhaps we should learn to recognise the Holy Spirit in seemingly quite ordinary things, those things which provide a sense of awe, inspiration and wonder, and reach the highest achievement and greatest goodness within our society and therefore have the breath of the living God - the Holy Spirit within them.

You can see why I am finding the selection of hymns so difficult.

Choir

One of the joys of belonging to a church family is the sharing of many skills, interests and experiences. Together we can care for our church - maintaining, repairing and offering a visual welcome which extends into care for our wider community in the village and benefice. In various ways we prepare for services and offer ourselves in worship. For some this means the delight of singing in the choir. "O come, ye servants of the Lord" began the service recently and made a direct link of 500 years to the choirs of the first Queen Elizabeth. On Good Friday, the choir's contribution to "The Cross of Christ" spanned the music of four centuries. The enduring nature of the music points to the timeless message of the Gospel. It seems fitting that the choir works harder for its Good Friday offering than for any other day of the year.

"Love so amazing, so divine Demands my soul, my life, my all."

Conrad Woolley.

AGM of the PCC

The Annual General; Meeting of the Parochial Church Council was held on Wednesday 4 April 2001 in the Church. The following people were duly elected to serve on the PCC for the coming year:
Morag Underwood and Conrad Woolley - Church Wardens Jean Humphrey - Treasurer Revd John Roberts - Chairman Carol Brookhouse, Julie Crouch, David Derbyshire, An Harman, Gerald Holt, Niki Phillips (Churchwardens' assistant), Ann Smith, Karin Smith (very temporary secretary), Celia Terrey, Tim Waring (Churchwardens' assistant), Sue Mantle.

Karin Smith

Friends of St Mary Magdalene

The Friends continue to raise funds for the repairs outlined in the Quinquennial Report. Some general repairs have already been carried out and repairs to the east window are imminent. We are continuing the annual membership scheme, renewable in May (£5 per person). If anyone has not received a renewal notice or would like to join, please speak to me, or any committee member and we will be pleased to welcome you on board. This is a way of helping us if people are unable to support our events - for those that do, it gives them a discount for each event!

Future dates to note:

Saturday 30 June Jazz evening in the Church by Porterhouse Jazz in association with Brackley Music Festival
Sunday 1 July The garden at Peter's Farm is open under the National Gardens' Scheme. Sue Wallace has asked The Friends if we would do the teas and keep the proceeds. (Donations of cakes will be very welcome, phone Jean Urban 760206).
Saturday 8 September (to be confirmed). Supper Evening, hopefully outside, with music.

Vanessa Vicars, Chair (760477)

Mothers' Union

Over the past few months there have been some meetings to explore the possibility of setting up a Benefice M.U branch. I'm very pleased to say that we have now set up a committee and some meeting dates. Every denomination is very welcome indeed - married or unmarried, with or without children. All we need in common is a belief in the family and its values. Men are also welcome.

Committee: Ann Smith - Enrolling Officer, Bee Aczel - Secretary and Audrey Beattie - Treasurer

Dates: Wed 27 June, Helmdon 8-9.30pm Monday 30 July, Syresham 10-11.30am The venues in Syresham and Helmdon are the Chapel Schoolrooms.

Ann Smith.

CETUS News

The joint churches Youth Group "Cetus" split into two groups this spring: Junior Cetus (School years 5 and 6) and Senior Cetus (School years 7,8 and 9). This is made possible by 3 new leaders stepping forward to take on the challenge of the new Junior Group: these are Jane Barnes, Kathy Quiny and Phil Drage. Bee Aczel and Ian Burton will continue to lead the older age group. The exciting new summer programme of activities is underway.

For more details phone Bee 760816, Ian 01327 352955, or Jane on 760444.