Listed among the special events for Easter on Page 1 of ICN is the courtroom drama “The Vigil”.  This is an imaginative and moving insight into the story of the first Easter morning, told through the medium of a trial, with the audience as the jury.

Wanting to disprove the claim that Jesus was the Messiah, and to deny that He rose to life again after the Crucifixion, the Jewish authorities of the time seek to explain the fact that His tomb was empty by alleging that Joseph of Arimathea’s gardener had simply stolen Jesus’ body and buried it elsewhere – Jesus had not risen from the dead.

In the resulting court case, in which the gardener is tried for this alleged crime, the prosecution aims to prove its case, while the defence seeks to show the fallacy of the allegation, and to establish the truth of the Risen Jesus.  Witnesses are called, their evidence being the means by which the story unfolds.

Set as if in the present day, “The Vigil”, by US playwright Ladislas Fodor, takes place in the church at the URC at 8pm on Maundy Thursday, 20^th March.  For those who wish, there will also be a short Holy Communion service at 7.30pm in the Parlour Hall, after which the play will begin in the church.

Entrance is free, but there will be a retiring collection in aid of CLICK Rukiga.  Please do come along for what I think you will find to be a rewarding experience.

Leigh Smith

 

There will be a special Memorial Service at St Giles’ Church on Sunday 4^th May at 3pm for those who are bereaved.  The names of the departed, whose funerals were conducted at Ickenham URC or by St Giles’ Church staff between the beginning of March 2007 and the end of February 2008, will be read out during the service. 

Revd Bernie Collins, the URC Minister, will give a talk and members of the Churches’ Pastoral Support Group will be present.  After the service, the congregation will be invited to have refreshments in St Giles’ Church Hall. 

Anyone who would find this service helpful is welcome to attend.

For some reason, you don’t expect builders to write books but Ickenham resident Derek Haskett is on his second and working on a third.  “I’ve always wanted to be an author”, he said.  “As a teenager I wrote short stories and sent them to various magazines but they were always rejected.  During my National Service I ran the Canterbury Army Camp magazine but it wasn’t until I followed my father into the building trade that I started to turn my writing ambitions into reality.  In the sixties the building business was a lot different to today.  Nowadays, the majority of people involved are specialists and work freelance moving from job to job, whereas we used to tend to stay together as a team, turning our hands to everything.  That meant we worked close together and relaxed over cups of tea when anecdotes were exchanged”.

Derek always carried a notebook with him and wrote the stories down and this was the ammunition for his books.  His first published opus was “The Seat”, a tale about a boy with a drunken mother and how his life changed when they were separated.  His latest effort, “Builders’ Tales”, is set in a Victorian house being converted into flats by a firm of builders.  The house has a secret which is uncovered when one of the builders turns detective with the help of a librarian.  Derek not only wrote the book but even designed and illustrated his own cover.  What a versatile builder!

Derek is now 74 and retired, spending his time on his writing, playing chess and enjoying the varied activities of the U3A.  He and his wife, Doreen, have lived in Ickenham for 40 years.  If you would like to read his books they can be obtained from the author (for the special price of £7.99) by phoning 01895 632349 or via www.arimapublishing.com, www.amazon.co.uk or by ordering from any good book shop.