Recent Harvest Festival celebrations at both churches were joyful and colourful occasions. On 30th September a good turnout, including Brownies, saw the URC beautifully decorated, courtesy of Julia Fish and her team. They made fine use of the fresh produce available, especially John Stokes’ prizewinning dahlias.
A special feature was a lovely display by the children of Happy Days Pre School Nursery, which meets every weekday morning in the URC Hall. The children and their teachers put in lots of work to prepare a collage of a harvest field, surrounded by pictures of all their favourite foods. Our thanks and well done to all of them!
At St Giles’ on 6th October, the Family Harvest Festival service began with a Brownies and Guides Colour Parade. In his address, Brian Reid talked about his childhood in wartime. Although he lived on a farm he was unable to get many things we take for granted, such as oranges and bananas. He did, however get basic food including bread, milk, the occasional rabbit and perhaps a chicken for Christmas. Looking back, that diet was adequate and probably healthier than today’s average intake!
The message is that God provides sufficient for us in abundance and we should show our gratitude. Since we have more than enough, we should also consider those in genuine need of more. Projects such as CLICK Rukiga give us an opportunity to do this.
Harvest gifts were later donated to the Upper Room charity for the homeless, to Charles Curran House and to Hillingdon Social Services for distribution around the borough.
Iford URC near Bournemouth was packed on 22nd September for the ordination and induction of Anne Dove, a long time stalwart of Ickenham URC, and a coach load of supporters from the village set off to join her on this special occasion. The numbers from Ickenham URC were swelled by old friends Sam and Doris Gethings, George and Eileen Goodbody and Richard Landon, as well as friends from St Giles’, including the Guthries and the Gwilts.
The sermon was preached by the Revd Dr. Janet Tollington of Westminster College Cambridge, where Anne trained. She appealed to Anne to “be faithful in prayer, lead the people in prayer and follow the living word of Christ Jesus in all you do”. After the ordination and induction, which were conducted by the Revd Adrian Bulley, Moderator of Wessex Synod, Anne described her call to the Ministry as a lifelong process, which culminated while she served as Pastoral Assistant in Ickenham. She said that she had never doubted the call, only her own ability. We could have put you straight there, Anne!
She was welcomed by members of the Iford URC and local clergy including the Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Shaun Budden. He said that, as a keen gardener, he saw Anne as a new plant in the community, complementing rather than competing with those already there. The weather was beautiful and the church was wonderfully decked out for Harvest - good omens for a fruitful ministry.
Richard Piper
Derek’s funeral, on 21st September, filled St Giles’ with family and friends mourning the loss of a very special man. He had served the Church in many capacities and the congregation will always remember his cheerful and hearty Lancastrian welcome, standing outside the porch in all weathers. We shall continue to be grateful for his untiring work on the Church Hall Committee, involving hours of hands-on dedication to developing and maintaining this vital facility.
Typical of Derek was the fact that, in his final few hours of life, he wrote his own eulogy to avoid burdening others with that task. His great friend of over 50 years, Lord Imbert, read the eulogy during the service, recalling the times they spent together in the Metropolitan Police. There, Derek achieved the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent, although his natural modesty prevented him from subsequently reminding people of that success.
Derek was born in Lancaster only a mile from Freda and they shared the same midwife! They met when he was 15 and they were both Sunday School teachers. At Lancaster Friends’ School he was Head Boy and Victor Ludorum. He was later made Freeman of the City of Lancaster but never claimed his right to graze his sheep on the marshes!
After National Service, where he learned Russian, Derek joined the ‘Met’. That same year he married Freda. Following two years on the beat he moved to Special Branch where he protected Monarchs and visiting Ministers of State. After completing his thirty years, he retired in 1984 to join the Ministry of Defence giving Freda and him the opportunity to travel and make new and lasting friends.
On full retirement at 64, Derek’s considerable energies were channelled into St Giles’ Church, the church hall and the churchyard. Not only was he Deputy Church Warden, a member of the PCC and chairman of the Hall Committee but also, despite a lack of green fingers, a ‘Holy Mower’, (part of the team that keeps the churchyard in immaculate condition).
Peter Imbert concluded his address with these words. “A bright light in all our lives went out the moment Derek died. We are all devastated and diminished by his departure, none more so than Freda whom he loved and cherished since they were children of 15, and his loving family: son Christopher, daughter Julia and grandchildren Joseph, George, Lucy, Henry and Nancy. He was a man of integrity, love, wisdom, humour and generosity of spirit.”
Alan Noad
