We begin the observance of Lent on Ash Wednesday, which
falls on 22nd February this year, and we will mark this with a united Sung
Eucharist at St James’s at 7.30pm, which will include the imposition of ashes,
a symbol of penitence. Lent originated as a fast in preparation for baptism at
Easter, and forty days naturally suggested themselves as being the period of
Jesus’s fast in the wilderness. In the Early Church and throughout the Middle
Ages, fasting was taken very seriously as a spiritual discipline. People
abstained from eating meat and also eggs and milk products and usually did not
break their fast until the evening, although this was gradually brought forward
until the afternoon. For us, fasting before Communion and on Good Friday may be
just a distant memory. And yet the idea of a thorough review of our Christian
life and discipleship is just as relevant today as it was in past ages.

We need to consider the traditional Lenten disciplines of
fasting, prayer, almsgiving and study. We may find it helpful to give up some
luxury or a meal once a week or eat more simply and perhaps donate the money we
have saved to some worthy cause. This is a sign that we are not slaves to what
we eat. Alternatively, we should review our rule of prayer and worship and make
sure that we worship regularly on Sundays and receive Communion at least
monthly. Personal prayer will be different for all of us but we should all make
time for prayer and to be silent before God in order to hear what he is calling
us to do, because this is the source of the inspiration for the whole of our
Christian life. Equally, Lent is an opportunity for us to review what we give
to the church and what we give to charities in order to help those in need.

This year, both churches, as part of their Mission Action
Plans, have pledged themselves to conduct an audit of the time and talents
available within the two congregations. If our two churches are to prosper and
to fulfil their mission it is absolutely vital that we harness the gifts and time
of the laity in what is called ‘Every member ministry’, because the resources
of ordained ministry are going to be much thinner on the ground in the future.
We are hoping that a pioneer minister will be based in Biddenham in 2012/13,
subject to availability, to work across both parishes with a special brief for
the new housing developments, but to be fully effective we need the gifts of
every member of our two congregations. I hope that you will use this
opportunity of reflection in Lent to discern what you can offer in your
particular congregation. If you have an idea about this, however small it may
seem to you, please do approach either the churchwardens or myself and mention
it to us.

Finally, sacred study is always a part of our Lenten
observance and this year we are following one of the York courses, ‘Handing on
the Torch’, featuring on the CD Clifford Longley, Roman Catholic journalist and
broadcaster, Rachel Lampard, responsible for the Methodist Church’s engagement
with political issues, Archbishop Sentamu and Bishop Graham Cray, Missioner and
Leader of the Fresh Expressions team. There will be five sessions: A Christian
Country? A Secular Society? A Beleaguered Church? Competing Creeds? Handing on
the Torch.

We will be joined for this by members from the Shalom Group
of Churches and the study groups will be held at All Saints Church Hall on
Mondays at 7.30pm starting on 20^th February ( but omitting 12^th
March) and concluding on 26^th March. They will also be held at St.
James’s Barn on Thursdays at 2.30pm starting on 1^st March and
concluding on 29^th March. There will be a list to sign up for this
in each church. This course is open to everyone, not only to church members. I
very much hope that you will join us for this opportunity to share our insights
and deepen our faith.

I hope that Lent will be a time of renewal in faith, in life
and in prayer for each one of you.

Stephen Huckle

All Saints and St James

Welcome! 

 Prayers-
For the sick and infirm: Bryan
Luddington Tim Luddington, Marise Lancaster, Derek Wolton

For the anniversaries of the departed: John Brown, Dora Burnage, Christopher
Carter, Charles Guy, Robert Case

All Saints Diary

19 Feb – 10.30am Baptism of Riley Folkes and TJ Simonds

20 Feb – 7.30pm Lent Course Church Hall

22 Feb – 7.30pm Ash Wednesday Sung Eucharist and imposition of ashes at St James

27 Feb – 7.30pm Lent Course Church Hall

3 Mar (not 4 Mar) – 4pm Bishop of Bedford retirement service at St Paul’s,
Bedford

5 Mar – 7.30pm Lent Course Church Hall

12 Mar – 7pm Eucharist with PCC meeting

18 Mar – 10.30am Mothering Sunday Family Eucharist

19 Mar – 7.30pm Lent Course Church Hall

 St James Diary

19 Feb – 4pm Songs of Praise (no other evening service)

22 Feb – 7.30pm Ash Wednesday Sung Eucharist and imposition of ashes

1 Mar – 2.30pm Lent Course, Church Barn

3 Mar (not 4 Mar) – 4pm Bishop of Bedford retirement service at St Paul’s,
Bedford

8 Mar – 2.30pm Lent Course, Church Barn

10 Mar – 7.30pm Dinner, Village Hall

14 Mar – 7pm Eucharist with PCC meeting

15 Mar – 2.30pm Lent Course, Church Barn

17 Mar – 7.30pm Scrabble evening, Barn

18 Mar – 9am Mothering Sunday Family Eucharist

22 Mar – 2.30pm Lent Course, Church Barn

Going Deeper into God and Making New Disciples

Evening services:

1st Sunday: Holy Eucharist at St. James

2nd Sunday: Evening Prayer at All Saints

3rd Sunday: Evening Prayer at St. James

4th Sunday: Evening Prayer at St. James

5th Sunday: Choral Evensong alternating between All Saints and St James.

Evening service readings: 1 Kings 19.1-16; 2
Peter 1.16-end

 Lent course:

-Monday evenings at 7.30pm at All Saints Church Hall until 26 Mar (omitting 12 Mar).

-Thursday afternoons at 2.30pm at St James Barn from 1 Mar, ending on 29 Mar.

All welcome.

Transforming Communities

All Saints Youth Group - play games, eat, and learn something new!
Vikki(843669).

 All Saints Lunch club –All welcome 12.30 pm, Wed 21 Mar Sue Martineau (852447) susan@edmart.plus.com

Join us for Biddenham’s version of ‘Songs of Praise’ Sun 19 Feb at 4pm, to be followed by refreshments.

Wine and Dine:
10 Mar, 7.30pm in the Village Hall a
Dinner followed by an illustrated talk by Edwin Lambert, an ex-resident of the
village. £15 includes a glass of wine. Ann (266644), Pam (327035), Jane (359014).
Bar and Raffle.

St.James Diamond Jubilee Exhibition: If you have any memorabilia (Biddenham or
elsewhere) or recollections of your own or relatives from c. 1952 please
contact us.  Jane George (359014) Hugh Clifton (348983) Peter Squire (342373) Kathy Fricker (342843) All gratefully received.

Scrabble Evening, with fish and chip supper, in the Barn Sat 17 Mar, 7.30pm. In aid of ‘The Friends of St James’. Tickets (£7 members; £10 non-members) from Peter
Leverkus (353662), Chris Jones (211759) or Paul Fricker (342843).

St James Recital Sun 29 April, 3.15pm in church. £5 to include tea in the barn. Eve McGrath soprano, Henry Vann clarinet and Paul Edwards organ & piano. Sign the list at the back of the church or pay at the door

Marmalade Time. Jars will be on sale in St James Barn after the Songs of Praise and
at the Village Hall Dinner on 10 Mar or contact Anne Merry (267285), Sue Squire
(342373)

Contacts:

Clergy team: Stephen Huckle
(852241) huckles@fsmail.net  Christopher Dawe (363890)

All Saints: www.allsaintskempston.com,

Churchwardens:
Alan Lowe (857212), Sue Martineau (852447)

St James: www.stjamesbiddenham.com

Churchwardens:
Laurie Hurn (364251), Ann Morrish (266644)

St James website: jonsmith278@btinternet.com

Pewsheet: madeleinefone@hotmail.co.uk

Richard Baxter, 1615-91

We begin the observance of Lent on Ash Wednesday, which
falls on 22nd February this year, and we will mark this with a united Sung
Eucharist at St James’s at 7.30pm, which will include the imposition of ashes,
a symbol of penitence. Lent originated as a fast in preparation for baptism at
Easter, and forty days naturally suggested themselves as being the period of
Jesus’s fast in the wilderness. In the Early Church and throughout the Middle
Ages, fasting was taken very seriously as a spiritual discipline. People
abstained from eating meat and also eggs and milk products and usually did not
break their fast until the evening, although this was gradually brought forward
until the afternoon. For us, fasting before Communion and on Good Friday may be
just a distant memory. And yet the idea of a thorough review of our Christian
life and discipleship is just as relevant today as it was in past ages.

We need to consider the traditional Lenten disciplines of
fasting, prayer, almsgiving and study. We may find it helpful to give up some
luxury or a meal once a week or eat more simply and perhaps donate the money we
have saved to some worthy cause. This is a sign that we are not slaves to what
we eat. Alternatively, we should review our rule of prayer and worship and make
sure that we worship regularly on Sundays and receive Communion at least
monthly. Personal prayer will be different for all of us but we should all make
time for prayer and to be silent before God in order to hear what he is calling
us to do, because this is the source of the inspiration for the whole of our
Christian life. Equally, Lent is an opportunity for us to review what we give
to the church and what we give to charities in order to help those in need.

This year, both churches, as part of their Mission Action
Plans, have pledged themselves to conduct an audit of the time and talents
available within the two congregations. If our two churches are to prosper and
to fulfil their mission it is absolutely vital that we harness the gifts and time
of the laity in what is called ‘Every member ministry’, because the resources
of ordained ministry are going to be much thinner on the ground in the future.
We are hoping that a pioneer minister will be based in Biddenham in 2012/13,
subject to availability, to work across both parishes with a special brief for
the new housing developments, but to be fully effective we need the gifts of
every member of our two congregations. I hope that you will use this
opportunity of reflection in Lent to discern what you can offer in your
particular congregation. If you have an idea about this, however small it may
seem to you, please do approach either the churchwardens or myself and mention
it to us.

Finally, sacred study is always a part of our Lenten
observance and this year we are following one of the York courses, ‘Handing on
the Torch’, featuring on the CD Clifford Longley, Roman Catholic journalist and
broadcaster, Rachel Lampard, responsible for the Methodist Church’s engagement
with political issues, Archbishop Sentamu and Bishop Graham Cray, Missioner and
Leader of the Fresh Expressions team. There will be five sessions: A Christian
Country? A Secular Society? A Beleaguered Church? Competing Creeds? Handing on
the Torch.

We will be joined for this by members from the Shalom Group
of Churches and the study groups will be held at All Saints Church Hall on
Mondays at 7.30pm starting on 20^th February ( but omitting 12^th
March) and concluding on 26^th March. They will also be held at St.
James’s Barn on Thursdays at 2.30pm starting on 1^st March and
concluding on 29^th March. There will be a list to sign up for this
in each church. This course is open to everyone, not only to church members. I
very much hope that you will join us for this opportunity to share our insights
and deepen our faith.

I hope that Lent will be a time of renewal in faith, in life
and in prayer for each one of you.

Stephen Huckle

Some of us from both parishes were present at the launch in St. Albans Abbey on 15 January of the new Diocesan initiative, called Living God’s Love. Those of us in church on 16 January will have seen a DVD about this and if you would like to borrow this or the sound version on CD, these are available from the Churchwardens in both parishes.

There are three aspects to the vision of Living God’s Love and we will be reflecting on these during 2011 and coming up with plans as to how best to implement this vision. The first part of it is called Going Deeper into God. This will involve us in examining the spiritual side of the life of the Church – our forms of worship and how we present them in an accessible manner, Bible study, Emmaus and other study groups, our own life of prayer and the provision for prayer groups, creating a better focus for personal prayer in our churches and the possibility of exploring alternative acts of worship or more reflective services on a Sunday evening or on weekdays, for example using Taize or Iona material.

The second part of the vision is called Transforming Communities. This is all about getting more involved in the political, social, educational, artistic and charitable life of the community and helping to build the Big Society. We need to see how best we can contribute to the life of the community both as individuals and as churches. By listening to people and to what is going on around us, we may be able to identify needs in our two communities that are not being met and which we as churches can help to satisfy. Clearly we have to recognize that we only have limited resources and we could probably only tackle one problem at a time. There are obviously various needs in our communities associated with isolation and frailty and also with the needs of young families, but we would need to do some research and real listening before identifying such a need.

The third strand to this vision is called Making New Disciples. We must remember that the Church exists for the sake of those who are not yet its members and therefore we should develop an outward-looking attitude to new people that welcomes them into our midst. Too often, whether we like it or not, we are in danger of giving the impression that the church is run for our benefit as a club of like-minded people. We already have a strategy of making the first Sunday of the month a more accessible Family Eucharist and of focussing our energies on a few important occasions during the year, such as Christmas / Christingle / Nativity / Carols, Mothering Sunday, Good Friday / Easter, an Open Air Service in the summer and Harvest Festival, when we go out of the way to invite newcomers to worship. I think that is a good strategy, which ties in with the fact that there are a lot of people who do not have much time and do not want to be committed to worship every Sunday, but nonetheless want to keep in touch with their faith and their church on special occasions. We will review this policy but I suspect that we will continue with something very like it. The occasional offices offer us golden opportunities to forge links with people we do not know very well or perhaps have never met before and we must offer them the best service possible for their baptism, wedding or funeral. We will need to review our annual services for the bereaved and for wedding couples and our policy for remembering the anniversaries of baptisms. We need to consider what we can do for those newcomers who are interested in exploring the Christian faith, perhaps through an enquirers group and our provision for those who want to be confirmed.

Living God’s Love is encouraging us to embark on this process using something called Mission Action Planning, which has been adopted successfully in other dioceses. In a nutshell, this is a process of looking and listening, leading into planning and establishing priorities and seeking to form a vision for a five year period, with priorities for each of the five years. Each parish will be invited to work with a Mission Accompanier from another parish to produce a Mission Action Plan. The first stage, which can begin right now, is for all of us to listen to what is going on in our community and to see what the needs are. Later on, we might look at this in a more structured way in the light of the Seven Marks of a Healthy Church and begin to establish the values that we want to enshrine within our church, maybe using the Five Values of a Missionary Church. The second stage involves formulating a vision in the light of the three themes of Living God’s Love and then setting priorities for each year with specific measurable and achievable goals. The third stage means planning how all this is to be achieved and who is going to be responsible for carrying it through. Finally, the action begins and we will need to review how things are going. Alongside all of this, we need to be involving everyone in praying for and thinking about what we are doing and we will need to communicate this to everyone in the congregation.

For us, we will begin thinking about Living God’s Love during Lent when I want to encourage as many people as possible to participate in the Lent Course written by our bishops on passages from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Then in the autumn the process of Mission Action Planning will begin in earnest, probably with an Away Day in September for the two PCCs and for any others who are interested and then we will continue the process with some open meetings in the parishes probably in October and November. That is all I can tell you for now, but we do need your prayers that this process will help our churches to grow and deepen in their discipleship.

Stephen

There are now two small areas to the west of the tower and to the north of the vestry which are being actively managed through a mowing regime which encourages wild flowers. Old churchyards are particularly rich in plant diversity even if they have been closely mown for a long time and these two areas contain indicator species associated with unimproved grassland and as such are very valuable for conservation. Correctly managed, these areas will help preserve the nation’s wild flowers and, since these areas will seed, may contribute to the re-population of local road verges and field boundaries. This is important not just for the plant species but also because the greater the variety of food available the greater the range of insects and birds provided for. Not least, the flowers will be a source of beauty and delight to those who make time to stop and stare.

The northern half of the new churchyard extension is also being managed for biodiversity and has been sown with a special seed mixture though, since it was previously farmland, this project is about providing a habitat which will encourage a range of wild flowers to establish themselves in the coming years.

If you are interested in helping further this project please contact Jane or David George on 01234 359014