Hatley church events
Christmas and New Year services in Hatley St George church.
Harvest Festival at Hatley St George – 9 October 2011.
Taizé service at St Denis, 7 September 2011 – report and photos.
St Denis churchyard tidy-up, 14 August 2011.
Hatley St George church clean up - November 2011
2011 fête photos.
Summer fête and Songs of Praise, 2011
Hatley St George – Dr Malcolm Guite's poem.
Links to Malcolm Guite's website and church background.
Taizé service at St Denis
Wednesday, 7th September at 7.00 pm in the church.
Click here for the report with photographs.
What is a Taizé service? Taizé is a village in SW France with a community of brothers (monks) set up after the second world war.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all over Europe and beyond spend time there (usually camping) every year. It hit the headlines a few years ago when the brother who founded the community and led it for over 50 years was murdered during a service.
They have a particular style of worship, based on music – singing very simple, but beautiful, repetitive chants – and periods of silence.
"Our half-hour service," says Ian Parker, "usually consists of a couple of readings, three or four songs, a short silence then a longer one. We usually have lots of candles as well – however not quite sure yet how we will manage that outdoors at Hatley!
Do come and enjoy a unique occasion."
Ian, who is a lay member of St Mary's in Gamlingay and likes organising Taizé services, has kindly provided some background information about how the Taizé service came into being.
Summer fête and Songs of Praise, 2011
Hatley's first summer fête for many, many years was held in the grounds of Hatley St George church on 16 July, followed by a special Summer Songs of Praise the following evening – £515 was raised in aid of the church, which requires restoration and other work.
The Reverend Steven Rothwell reports:
On Saturday 16th July we enjoyed the first Hatley St George Fête in some time. It was a wet and windy morning but the spirit and energy of the working party to set up for the fête conquered the elements!
By the time the fête opened at 2.30 pm, the rain had subsided and we were ready to enjoy a happy afternoon.
For many, the highlight was the Reverend Dr Malcolm Guite reading his poem, Hatley St George, to a church full of people. The poem can be read and enjoyed by everyone now (see below) – it has been beautifully hand-written by Olivia Drake and is on display inside the church.
On Sunday evening, the church hosted a Summer Songs of Praise with poetry and light refreshments – it was a really lovely way to round off a busy weekend.
My personal thanks to Malcolm Guite and to Philippa Pearson for her co-ordnation of the whole weekend, and to everyone who participated. Hopefully we will be able to make this a regular event for the people of Hatley.
As Revd Rothwell remarked, heavy rain in the morning thankfully gave way to a warm, dry and sunny afternoon and plenty of visitors for the cakes, the tea and coffee, the books, plant and bric-a-brac stalls, the (modest) number of interesting cars on display, the reading of a poem written specially about the church and a rare chance to see the church's wonderful 18th century silver.
After good natured jokes about the weather and how nice it was to see such strong support, Revd Rothwell paid especial thanks to Philippa Pearson and for all her time, energy and hard work, for it was her vision, enthusiasm and leadership which made it happen.
Thanks too to Linda and Joan Perry, Pam Offord, Ann Hooley and Carolynne Mitcham on tea, cakes and produce, Michael Pearson, Philippa Smalls and Joyce Denby (books, bric-a-brac and plant stalls), Lawrence Drake, who persuaded his old-car friends to drop by and show their 'interesting' machinery (a 1932 Lagonda and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type), Dr Malcolm Guite for his poem (see below) – beautifully read in the church, preceded by a little introductory talk to put things into perspective – and Olivia Drake for taking the time, trouble and considerable skill to write it out in a beautiful piece of calligraphy, which is now on permanent display in the church.
And more thanks... to Johnny Johnson for loan of the marquee, Mick Marshall for sorting out chairs and tables from the village hall and Chris Ball for transporting them and setting them up. Plus thanks to all helpers from St Mary’s in Gamlingay including church wardens Alec Hissett and Brenda Elcombe, Valerie Miller and others with help in setting up etc. And, thanks also to everyone in the villages who donated and baked items for the day.
Stand here a while and drink the silence in.
Where clear glass lets in living light to touch
And bless your eyes. A beech tree’s tender green
Shimmers beyond the window’s lucid arch.
You look across an absent sanctuary;
No walls or roof, just holy, open space,
Leading your gaze out to the fresh-leaved beech
God planted here before you first drew breath.
Stand here awhile and drink the silence in.
You cannot stand as long and still as these;
This ancient beech and still more ancient church.
So let them stand, as they have stood, for you.
Let them disclose their gifts of time and place,
A secret kept for you through all these years.
Open your eyes. This empty church is full,
Thronging with life and light your eyes have missed.
Stand here awhile and drink the silence in.
Shields of forgotten chivalry, and rolls
Of honour for the young men gunned at Ypres,
And other monuments of our brief lives
Stand for the presence here of saints and souls
Who stood where you stand, to be blessed like you;
Clouds of witness to unclouded light
Shining this moment, in this place for you.
Stand here awhile and drink their silence in.
Annealed in glass, the twelve Apostles stand
And each of them is keeping faith for you.
This roof is held aloft, to give you space,
By graceful angels praying night and day
That you might hear some rumour of their flight
That you might feel the flicker of a wing
And let your heart fly free at last in prayer.
Links
The Reverend Dr Malcolm Guite
His website.
His page on Hatley St George.
Notes on Hatley St George church – history and restoration work.
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