S t a p l e

STAPLE PAROCHIAL  NEWS-LETTER --------  May 1945              No.3. 

CHURCH OF ST JAMES  

Rector.-  The Revd.R.C. Pengilley, Staple Rectory, Canterbury.                                      (telephone: Ash 364). 

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Sunday Services. 

8  am. -    HOLY COMMUNION

9.45  am.   Children’s Service. 

10.45 “ “   HOLY COMMUNION  (1st & 3rd Sunday and festivals). 

    “     “ “     Morning Prayer (2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays). 

6.30 pm.    Evening Prayer. 

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Parochial Church Council. – Ex officio. – The Rector, Chairman. Churchwardens (Mrs. R.B. Kemp & Mr. J. E. Turrell), Mrs. Pengilley 

(Diocesan and Deanery Rep.) Elected. – Miss Bassett, Mrs. A.Hadlow, Mrs. C. Lawrence, Mrs. E. Millgate, Mrs. P. Vickers, Mr. A. Hadlow, Mr. T. Palmer (Hon. Sec.), Mr. J. T. Pepper (Vice-Chairman and Hon. Treasurer). 

THIS IS A VICTORY NUMBER! It is not a double one as last time, but so much has happened since our last number that a Record of some of it is necessary. Many thanks to the many Who made gifts towards the cost – either personally or by the box in church. A word, too, for the choir boys who help to get it out, Last time they covered the whole parish (except Shatterling, dealt with by Miss Amos) in less than an hour from the time the papers were folded and stapled.   

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LIGHT!  What relief to dispense with Black-out and its younger brother, Dim-out, and to be able to speed the parting guest with a light up the garden path! Incidentally, what time shall we have Evensong on Sundays next winter? Will afternoon be better than evening? Let me know your views.

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OUR GIFT DAY will, I hope be arranged soon. Our church and churchyard are sadly in need of repair, and cleaning up, and I think the money from the Gift Day will have to go towards that, mainly. Do you ever look at the interior walls and roof? Do you ever go into the churchyard? Can we rightly call it God's Acre? If you look around you will see there is much to be done. I was up in the tower recently and it was obvious that much will also have to be done there before many years are past.  So, will you please bear all this in mind and make a VERY GENEROUS RESPONSE?

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SIX BOYS - Frank Helyar, Derek Larkins, Selwyn Lewis, Ronald Sear, Dennis Smith and Denis Vickers, recently passed their written scholarship exam., and are now awaiting the result of their oral test. We congratulate our Day School staff and the boys on such a result and trust that they will be equally successful in the oral. 

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THE ANNUAL MEETING TOOK PLACE took place in Easter week. It is often said - especially of small parishes like ours - that the members of the Council re-elect themselves each year. If this is true, whose fault is it but the fault of those who are on the electoral roll and whose duty it is to attend the annual meeting for this and other matters? Here is a test - Did you know the name of our Church Councillers before you read them at the head of this paper? Do you know the names of the members of the Parish Council? In short, are we alive to our responsibilities in Church, and local government, matters?

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BENEFICE INCOME of Staple is approximately £420 per annum, from which the sum of £27 is deducted each year at source for house delapidations. Rates have to be paid by the Rector on the property (£30), and of course our old friend Income-Tax has to have his whack! This is mentioned, not complainingly, but as a statement of fact. Two parishoners recently thought the income to be well over £600, whilst another was under the impression that the house was entirely free from all costs and expenses!

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ON GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER DAY there were large congregations. The hour’s devotion on the former brought many who were, I Believe, helped by it. At Easter there was an increase of communicants – 50 as against 36 last year. Good! But there were still some who did not come. Let us do better next time. Whitsunday offers another opportunity.   

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FOR THE MOTHERS’ UNION FESTIVAL we were glad to welcome our Guests from Goodnestone and Chillenden, as well as several Local non-members. I am grateful to the Revd. G.W. Loughborough for giving such a helpful and interesting address and for taking the service. (I played the organ). We are glad to say that eight local ladies signified their intention of becoming members. We are ready to welcome still more. 

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Someday we shall meet our maker.  Why not get to know Him a Little better now ? ? 

IN BRIEF. – We congratulate L/Bdr. Raymond Lawrence and share his parents’ pleasure at having received a certificate from Field-Marshall Montgomery for outstanding service and devotion to duty.

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Flight-Lieut. Desmond Petley returned to his home in V-E week after more than 3 years as a prisoner-of-war in Germany.  We congratulate him and his parents on their re-union. 

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The church flag-pole was lowered, printed, and re-erected by Mr. Turrell and Mr. Whittington who thus spent several hours preparing for V-E Day.   

On Rogation Sunday evening we took part of our service in the rectory garden, where we asked a blessing on the harvest and workers.

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The Union Jack flying for our Thanksgiving Sunday evening service was brought through N. Africa by one of our local serving men, L-Cpl. J. Newing. 

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The choir boys recently visited the Cathedral where they saw and heard other boys behaving in an exemplary manner and singing superbly.

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OUR S.GEORGE’S FLAG was thought to be beyond repair, but it was skilfully repaired by Mrs. A. Titmus, and was flown for V-E Day. Just as it had been repaired the opportunity arose to buy a new one, which will appear when the present one really and finally gives up – but I thought it wise to buy it as they will be scarce for some time. Many thanks to those who helped pay for it. The young stripling of some 70 Summers who sold it to me has, I found, an aunt in Tenterden, an old friend of mine, who in spite of her 90-odd years rarely misses church on a Sunday. Kent air is good, evidently! Our own Mrs. Pile was bright and bonny at 98, and we have several youngsters here, nearer the century than the half-century!

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ON V-E DAY our church was almost filled with a reverant congregation offering a spontaneous thanksgiving, and we sang our hymns and To Doum joyfully. On Thanksgiving Sunday evening our Parish Council attended in their official capacity, and were accompanied by a large body of organisations – the building being filled to capacity. Many people said they had never seen such a congregation. Well, it can happen again. Indeed, our service on the Tuesday proved that a large congregation can muster without any special pleading on my part, and – after all – the congregation on the Sunday evening, though it crowded the church, was but half our total population! We were glad to have the Home Guard (who have stood ready to guard our land from the invader) the Special Constabulary (some of whom have served many years), the W.V.S., the wardens, Red Cross & S.John, N.F.S, British Legion, and the Savings Collectors (whose weekly toil around the parish is not the least important factor in our war effort). There were also in the congregation, of course, though they did not parade, those very important people – the housewives! Their job under war conditions has not been easy. The parade was marshalled by Mr. B. Petley – and the service began exactly on time! We were glad, by the way, to see some Shatterling people, some of whom walked (as others have done sometimes on these nice evenings) and some of whom were brought through the kindness of Mr. Hatcher. – There remains much to be done. The war in the Far East has to be won. Peace in the world has to be made – it will not just happen! Recall, if you will, the parable of the houses built on the rock and the sand respectively.

In our rejoicing, we shall not fail to remember Pte. Robert Butcher, who died on active service, and Warrant-Officer Sidney Vickers who is a prisoner-of-war in the Far East.

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WHITSUNDAY SERVICES – HOLY COMMUNION – 7,8 and 10.45 am.

LET US SEE ALL OUR COMMUNICANTS THAT DAY.

Children’s Service – 9.45 am.                   Evensong – 6.30 pm.

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OUR TREBLE BELL  is dated 1680. (I cannot yet reach the others).

Here is an old servant of the church, ever-faithful, always on duty, giving praise to God unstintingly, and taking hard knocks without complaint. Of how many humans can this be said?

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OUR THANKSGIVING SERVICE  collection of £7  –8s.  8d. was divided between the fund for Christian Re-construction in Europe, and the Red Cross & S.John funds.

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We shall “go to press” again in a few week’s time.