Outlook Issue 6

Outlook
News from St. Mary’s Church 6 - June/July 2018

Meet your new vicar

Charlton Kings is getting ready to welcome a new
Vicar to its parish church. The Revd Graham
Bowkett will be joining St. Mary’s at the end of
July - do look out for him and say hello.

Graham was born in Hemel Hempstead in
Hertfordshire but grew up in Southampton. After
leaving Sixth Form College - where he met Tracy
his wife - Graham joined the Army as an
Infantryman.

The Army, Prison Service, then Ordination
In the five years he was in the Royal Hampshire
Regiment he served in the UK, in Denmark and Kenya, and twice in Northern
Ireland. After leaving the Army he joined the Prison Service. In his eighteen-year
long career he worked in various prisons, finishing at HMP Holme House in the
North East of England. In 2006 he began his Theological training with the North
East Ordination Course (NEOC) through St Chads College Durham. In 2009 he
was Ordained in York Minster by Archbishop Sentamu and then served his
Curacy at St Mary’s Thirsk. He has been the Rector of the Upper Itchen Benefice
in Winchester Diocese for the last six years.

Graham’s Family
Graham is married to Tracy and they have just celebrated their thirtieth
wedding anniversary. They have two grown up daughters, Lauren and Emma.

INDUCTION & INSTALLATION SERVICE FOR REVD GRAHAM BOWKETT
Tuesday 24th July, 7.00pm, St. Mary’s Church, Horsefair St.
Please join us as the Right Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, officially
installs Graham as Vicar of St. Mary’s. Afterwards there will be Welcome &
Refreshments at Charlton Kings Baptist Church (Church St, Charlton Kings).

2

Supporting the elderly in Charlton Kings

Volunteers from the Charlton Kings churches run the
Charlton Kings Senior Citizens Welfare Committee which
seeks to offer support to the elderly within the village:

THE MINIBUS
The minibus is driven by volunteers, supported by escorts,
and offers three shopping trips every week (Tesco &
Morrisons), as well as lifts to Luncheon Club and Happy
Circle. It is equipped to transport wheelchairs. There is a
small charge for the service. Contact 01242 523144.

LUNCHEON CLUB - Thursdays at Charlton Kings Baptist Church
During term time up to 50 seniors enjoy a meal alongside companionship
and friendship. Contact 01242 521961 or 01242 522776.

August can be a lonely time

Many clubs and organisations take a break during August,

leaving those to whom they are the centre of their social

circle with a rather empty diary. This is especially true for

older people whose families often go on holiday at this time.

If you are elderly, and maybe have mobility problems, you

Enjoy the might also find that all the hassle of
going on holiday - the packing, staying in

benefits of a a strange place and sleeping in a strange

holiday without bed - is just too difficult.

travelling Enjoy two days of hassle-free activities
For two days every August volunteers

anywhere at all - from the local churches (under the aegis

come to Holiday of the Charlton Kings Senior Citizens
Welfare Committee) get together in St
at Home
Mary’s Parish Centre for Holiday at

Home. A holiday destination theme is chosen and lots of

activities planned - craft, film shows, ice cream, exotic “cocktails”, music,

quizzes, outings in the Senior Citizens’ bus and, most of all, a change of

3

HAPPY CIRCLE - Fridays at St. Mary’s Parish Centre
An afternoon’s social meeting once a week, with a monthly
outing organised too. Contact 01242 583248.

FRIENDSHIP GROUP - once a month, Cooper’s Court, Church St
This group meets regularly to offer companionship and
friendship. Contact 01242 511269

ANNUAL CAROL SERVICE
An afternoon of carol singing, followed by tea, is organised every
year and is a lovely way to celebrate Christmas.

HOLIDAY AT HOME - every August. More information below.

scene and companionship. We aim to provide as many of the
good things about holidays as possible but without the traffic
jams (although transport to and from the Holiday is offered in
the Senior Citizens’ minibus), airport delays, packing or tiring
long days.

Alison Talbot, one of the organisers explains more: “Holidays are
not just about travel, they are about who you go with and how
you feel. We look forward to sharing the holiday with you, and
we hope you will find plenty of activities to enjoy and ways of
spoiling yourself as we go. It’s entirely up to you how you want
to enjoy the time. Wherever you go on holiday it’s the people
that make it special and we have friendly and approachable
staff on hand who will make you feel relaxed and at home.”

HOLIDAY AT HOME: 6th & 7th August, 10am-4pm, St. Mary’s Parish Centre, New Street.
Our “travel” destination will be India. Costs are £10 per day (payable on arrival) -
includes 2 course lunch, snacks, activities & any travel that we provide.
To find out more or to book:
Contact Alison Talbot on 01242 520294 or Brenda Simpson on 01242 521961.

4

Are you maximising your giving?

In the last issue of Outlook we charities, such as St. Mary’s, to

introduced two important reclaim 25% of your donation – at

numbers; £340 – the amount St no additional cost to you. This

Mary’s spends every day of the means that for every £1 you

year keeping the church available donate, St Mary’s claims 25p -

for all and £41 – the amount St this soon mounts up and over the

Mary’s takes every day of the years Chancellors of the

year from its savings to make Exchequer of all persuasions

ends meet. have, indirectly, been our largest

In the long term this situation is annual benefactor and have
unsustainable and we are made a huge difference!

reducing our outgoings as much If you would like to know more,

as possible. including how to complete a ‘Gift

We are also launching Aid declaration’, please ring
opportunities for people across Martin on 01242 260575 or pick
Charlton Kings and beyond who up a leaflet at the back of the
wish to help keep this beautiful, church.

historic church open and available Thank you.

for all to use for Sunday services,

christenings, weddings and

funerals (see opposite).

If you currently make a donation
to St Mary’s, or are about to,
please consider Gift-Aiding it.

What is Gift Aid? If you pay UK
tax (VAT and council tax don’t
count) the government allows

Photo: atibodyphoto at freedigitalphotos.net

5

Does St. Mary’s hold a special place in

your heart?

Most people have at least one ‘special’ day in each year - a day or days,
some happy, some sad, when they pause to remember a person or an
event. On some of these occasions St Mary’s will have played an
important part – a Christening, Wedding, Funeral or other Anniversary.

Why not become a Patron of St. Mary’s?
On June 10th, we’ll be launching a Patrons’ Fund. By becoming a Patron of
St. Mary’s you can mark that special
event by making an annual gift
towards maintaining St Mary’s and
ensuring that the Church is able to
go on making special days and
memories for other people. The
names of Patrons will be entered in
a Patrons’ Register and displayed in
church.

To become a Patron, choose a date
which is ‘special’ to you or your
family, fill in the Patron’s Fund form
(copies available in church or online
on St Mary’s website from 10th June)
and return it to the PCC Treasurer.
Minimum annual donation £10.00,
payable preferably by Standing
Order or Direct Debit, maximum
amount £340.00 – the cost of
maintaining St Mary’s on your chosen day. If you can also Gift Aid your
donation (see opposite) it would be appreciated.

6 Church Calendar

New faces are always welcome at any of our services and events - we’d be
delighted to see you. Updates at stmarysck.org.uk/calendar

1 June Time to be confirmed: Walking Together Ewen & Thames Path

2 June 7.30pm Pamoja Gospel Choir Concert - see St. Mary’s Church
3 June page 9

10 June 8am Holy Communion St Mary’s Church
with Revd Felicity Bayne
16 June 10am Parish Communion
17 June with Revd Rosanne Roberts
6.30pm Choral Evensong
24 June with Revd Canon David Nye

8am Holy Communion St. Mary’s Church
with Revd Jackie Gardner
10am Parish Communion
with Revd Canon David Nye. Followed by a
Sale of Preserves & Cakes
6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Mrs Jean Huckett

9am Churchyard Clear Up - see page 11 Churchyard

8am Holy Communion St Mary’s Church
with Revd Felicity Bayne St Mary’s Church
10am Parish Communion
oto: Terry Jacombs with Revd Pauline Smith; Revd Felicity
Bayne preaching
6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Revd Canon David Nye

8am Holy Communion
with Revd Jackie Gardner
10am Parish Communion
with Revd Bishop Bob - see page 11
6.30pm Shortened Evensong
7.00pm St. Mary’s Church Choir Concert

1 July 8am Holy Communion St Mary’s Church
with Revd Daniel Papworth
8 July 10am Patronal Festival -see page 8 Seven Springs
15 July Time to be confirmed: Walking Together St. Mary’s Church
6.30pm Full Choral Evensong St Mary’s Church
21 July with Revd Canon David Nye
22 July
8am Holy Communion
24 July 10am Friends’ Service
29 July with Revd Michael Garland - see page 5
6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Mrs Alison Talbot

8am Holy Communion St Mary’s Church
with Revd Jackie Gardner
10am Parish Communion
with Revd Pauline Godfrey
6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Mrs Jean Huckett

9am Churchyard Clear Up Churchyard
St Mary’s Church
8am Holy Communion
with Revd Daniel Papworth
10.00am Parish Communion
with Revd Canon David Nye
6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Mrs Jean Huckett

7pm Installation & Induction of the Revd St. Mary’s Church
Graham Bowkett - see front cover CK Baptist Church
followed by Welcome & Refreshments

8am Holy Communion St. Mary’s Church
with Revd Graham Bowkett
10am Sunday Parish Communion
with Revd Graham Bowkett
6.30pm Summer Reflections - see page 10

8

What’s in a name?

On the first Sunday in July at St Mary’s we celebrate our Patronal
Festival – but what exactly is that? Unlike the major festivals such as
Christmas and Easter which are shared at the same time by the world-
wide Church, a Patronal Festival honours the particular saint in whose
name an individual church was dedicated. Here in Charlton Kings our
patron saint is Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Remembering a significant moment in Mary’s life

There are several days in the church’s calendar which honour Mary

and we could take any one of them as the day we celebrate our

Patronal Festival. Traditionally we have opted for the first Sunday in
July which is the Sunday closest to the 2nd July the day on which the

Book of Common Prayer commemorates Mary’s visit to her cousin

Elizabeth. This is a significant moment in Mary’s life. She has just been

told by the Angel Gabriel that she is to be the mother of Jesus. Not

only that, but her cousin, a woman thought to be unable to have

children, is also pregnant with a son who will grow up to be John the

Baptist. You can read the story in the first two The statue of Madonna &

chapters of Luke’s Gospel. Child inside St. Mary’s

When a new calendar was introduced by the

Church in 1980 the celebration of Mary’s visit to
Elizabeth was moved to 31st May but churches are

allowed to keep to the Prayer Book tradition of
celebrating it on 2nd July and this is what we

decided to do at St Mary’s. One of the reasons

being that the end of May sometimes coincides

with the Day of Pentecost – as it will in 2020 for

example.

Come and join us for the Festival
Everyone is welcome to join in giving thanks for our
Patron Saint, Mary, to whom our church is dedicated. There’ll be two
“festival” services on Sunday 1st July - Patronal Festival at 10.00am
with Revd Pauline Smith, and Jean Huckett preaching; Full Choral
Evensong at 6.30pm with Revd Canon David Nye.



10

Sunday Evening Reflections

During the summer we’re holding a series of reflective evening services
which are a little different to our normal service. They are taken by a variety
of different people and they have a quieter, more contemplative feel.

29th July: Summer Reflections: Sundays at 6.30pm
5th August: Mrs Jean Huckett
12th August: Revd Graham Bowkett
19th August: Mrs Alison Talbot
26th August: Revd Graham Bowkett
Mrs Margaret Gilder (Taizé style service)

Friends’ Sunday 8th July, 10.30am

The Friends of St. Mary’s Church is an independent charity which
exists to enhance the fabric of the church and to keep St. Mary’s as
a focal point of the village.

Every year St. Mary’s holds a Friends’ service to which all Friends
(and everyone else!) are welcome. This year, our recently retired vicar, the Revd
Canon Michael Garland, will be taking the service during which he will dedicate the
new movable altar which the Friends have generously funded.

From the Bible

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is
your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him”. The Lord is good to those
who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

from Lamentations 3: 22-25

A celebration for a Bishop 11

The Right Reverend Bob Evens was the Bishop
of Crediton. He is now retired and lives in
Charlton Kings. Bob often takes services at St.
Mary’s and has been particularly helpful
whilst we have been without a Vicar.

On 24th June, it will be 40 years since Bob
was first ordained and to mark the occasion
he will be celebrating and preaching at our
10am service. Afterwards we’ll be celebrating
with Bob over drinks and nibbles.

An oasis in the centre of the village

St. Mary’s churchyard is a peaceful space in the centre of the village
which is there for everyone to enjoy. Lots of people walk through it
every day, many stopping to sit for a quiet moment or two. It’s also an
important place for couples nervously walking to the church on their
wedding day or for grieving families saying goodbye to a loved one.

Community-minded volunteers
needed
Volunteers keep the churchyard
looking its best but more
community-minded people are
needed to help. Tidy-ups take place
monthly on a Saturday morning -
the next ones are on:
16th June & 21st July.

If you can help, just turn up from 9am - bring tools if you have them
but don’t worry if you don’t!

Christenings, Marriages & Funerals

during April and May

We were delighted to welcome the families of Georgia Wiseman,
Sofia Johnston, Emma Burgess, Jacob Robinson and Grace & Poppy
Tallents whose christenings were held at St. Mary’s.

Congratulations to Scott Baker and Jemma Walker who were
married at St. Mary’s.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Lilian Rimell, Faith
Prince, David Peacey, Caroline Kluckow, Beatrice King and Bryan
Bee whose funeral services have been held.

Did you know that the church St. Mary’s Church is located in
doors are open from 9am until 6pm the centre of Charlton Kings

every day? You are welcome to within the triangle formed by
pop in to look around, to pray or Horsefair Street, Church Street
just to spend a quiet moment.
and New Street.

The parish office is located
within the Parish Centre on
New Street and is usually open

to visitors on Tuesdays to
Fridays from 8.30-11.30am.

Contacting St. Mary’s Church
Parish Office

01242 224883
[email protected]

stmarysck.org.uk