3. - 1 -

4. - 2 -
PETER D HANNABY
Painter & Decorator
Interior and Exterior work
Undertaken
For competitive quotations
Please call
Mobile: 07765 250092
Home: 01442 288956
MAGAZINE ADVERTISING COSTS
Why not use this parish magazine to advertise your business. There
are eleven issues per year with double issue in December/January.
Charges are: Full Page £115 per annum
Half Page £80 per annum
Quarter Page £60 per annum
For part year charges are pro rata of the annual rate rounded up to
the nearest whole pound (e.g. 1 month/issue full page 115/12 =
9.58 rounded up = £10 charge)
To discuss your requirements or for further information, please
contact Sally Bates, 01442 266912 or 07792 768236
or email: magazine@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk

5. - 3 -
LETTER FROM THE CHURCHWARDENS
Dear All,
Traditionally the job of the churchwarden has been to:
• Look after the welfare of the vicar
• Keep the peace in the church yard (apparently quite challenging in
Tudor times)
• Maintain the fabric of the church buildings.
This has been added to this past year:
• Be able to estimate instantly two metres for social distancing
purposes
• Be nifty with rope tying and fixing
• Keep an eye on gel dispensers so that they are constantly topped up
(and I don’t think the pews have ever been so clean!)
I hope we support our Vicar by relieving him of some of his chores. The
daily opening of the church, to be honest, has been a blessing. The num-
bers of people of all ages, different religions or none, who have come in to
find peace, comfort and respite, has been enormous and their words of
appreciation, very moving.
So, we come to the maintenance of the fabric of the church.
There has been a very loyal group of people who have been keeping the
church clean and another group working tirelessly in the grounds - but
more is needed.
At the moment we are considering our “giving”: how we can support our
Church?
But giving does not have to be financial. You can give your time and your
gifts.
Sometimes it is not easy to see a gift in yourself “what, me?” But perhaps
we can spot gifts in others.
Cont’d….

6. - 4 -
“You are really good at…..(could be anything: explaining things, music,
admin, maintenance, painting, gardening, plumbing!)”. Are you a quali-
fied electrician? These are your gifts.
By working together using individual gifts, we can grow as a church
community, strengthening ourselves and others.
We would love to hear from you,
Job Rombout and Marian Davies
Churchwardens
*************
What will you miss about lockdown?
More than half of us admit that we will miss some aspects of the Covid-19
restrictions, especially spending more time at home with our family, and
appreciating the quieter roads.
A recent study by King’s College London and Ipsos Mori found that around
one third of us feel the past year has been similar or better than normal,
while 54 per cent of us say that we will miss some of the changes.
Three in ten of us feel closer to our immediate family than we did before
the pandemic, while just one in six of us say that we have grown further
apart. One in five of us say that our finances are better because of the
pandemic.
Overall, it seems that while the public would rather the pandemic hadn’t
happened, that doesn’t mean it’s been all bad for everyone, or that
people see it as deeply affecting their future lives.

7. - 5 -
PARISH DIARY FOR JULY 2021
Enquiries regarding baptisms weddings or marriage blessings are
always welcome.
Please contact the Vicar.
Morning Prayer is said Daily at St John’s at 9.00am.
You are most welcome to join the clergy in prayer.
Evening Prayer is said privately for the life of the Parish unless details are below.
St John’s is open daily 9.30am-5.00pm for private prayer
(10.30am-5.00pm on Saturdays)
The Parish Eucharist and worship resources will continue to be recorded and
made available at www.stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk/suspended-services-resources
Sat 3 St Thomas the Apostle
10.00am Burial of Ashes - Pamela Stocker
Sun 4 Fourth Sunday after Trinity
8.00am BCP Holy Communion St John’s
10.00am Parish Eucharist St John’s
10.00am Mass St Francis’
11.30am Morning Worship St Stephen's
12noon Holy Baptism St John’s
No Evening Service
Tue 6 9.30am Tiny Tots St John’s Hall
Wed 7 10.00am BCP Holy Communion St John’s
11.00am Coffee Morning Zoom
5.00pm Evening Prayer St Francis’
Sat 10 2.00pm Wedding - Dominic Young & Rebecca Downey
St John’s
Sun 11 Sixth Sunday after Trinity
8.00am BCP Holy Communion St John’s
10.00am Parish Eucharist St John’s
10.00am Mass St Francis'
11.30am Holy Communion St Stephen's
4.30pm Afternoon Tea in memory of Stella Chandler
St John’s Hall
6.30pm Choral Evensong in Thanksgiving for Stella Chandler
St John’s

8. - 6 -
Tue 13 9.30am Tiny Tots St John’s Hall
8.00pm PCC Meeting St John’s
Wed 14 10.00am Holy Communion St John’s
11.00am Coffee Morning Zoom
5.00pm Evening Prayer St Francis’
Sat 17 11-4pm Summer Fayre St John’s
Sun 18 Seventh Sunday after Trinity
8.00am BCP Holy Communion St John’s
10.00am Parish Eucharist St John’s
10.00am Mass St Francis'
11.30am Morning Worship St Stephen's
12noon Holy Baptism St John’s
No Evening Service
Tues 20 9.30am Tiny Tots - last of the term St John’s Hall
Wed 21 10.00am Holy Communion St John’s
11.00am Coffee Morning Zoom
5.00pm Evening Prayer St Francis’
Thu 22 St Mary Magdalene
Sun 25 Eighth Sunday after Trinity
8.00am BCP Holy Communion St John’s
10.00am Parish Eucharist St John’s
10.00am Mass St Francis’
11.30am Morning Worship St Stephen’s
12noon Holy Baptism St John’s
No Evening Service
Mon 26 St James the Apostle (tr)
Wed 28 10.00am Holy Communion St John’s
11.00am Coffee Morning Zoom
5.00pm Evening Prayer St Francis’

9. - 7 -
Canon Paul Hardingham considers the need for encouragement.
Olympic Gold
This month should see the start of the Tokyo Olympics, having been post-
poned from last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A number of New
Testament letters refer to Olympic sport including Hebrews: ‘Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw
off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us
run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The Christian life is compared to a long-distance race, but despite the
struggles and obstacles, there is a great crowd of witnesses cheering us
on. We have a heavenly Father who loves us and a Saviour who has run
the race before us. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will enable us to
finish the race.
During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the British athlete Derek Redmond
was running in the semi-finals of the 400 metres. About 250 metres from
the finish his hamstring tore. He fell to the ground in pain and stretcher
bearers came over to him. However, Redmond was determined to finish
the race and so he started hopping toward the finishing line. Suddenly Jim
Redmond, Derek’s father, ran out of the stands towards him. “You don’t
have to do this,” he told his son. “Yes, I do,” said Derek, to which his
father said, “We’re going to finish this together.” They completed the lap
with Derek leaning on his father’s shoulder. As they crossed the finish
line, the spectators rose to give Derek a standing ovation. Although he
didn’t win an Olympic medal, Derek Redmond finished the race with his
father at his side. Let’s not forget the encouragement we have to finish
the race!

10. - 8 -
Photos from July 2018
Summer Fete

11. - 9 -
Summer Fête
After over a year of social restrictions, and following the very successful
outdoor Christmas Carols in December, the Fundraising Committee are
finally being bold enough to organise another Summer Fête in the church
grounds, on
Saturday 17 July, from 11 am to 4 pm
There will be lots of stalls including produce and cakes, and a raffle; we will
be entertained by Clog Dancing displays and songs from Dacorum Commu-
nity Choir. We will once again be putting the poor Vicar in the Stocks (with
wet sponges being thrown at him!) There will be activities for the children
too, including rides on a model train, and face painting. And let us not
forget the lunchtime Barbecue (thank you Di and Lorraine, Andreas and
the crew!)
The Fundraising Committee would be very grateful if you could help us in
various ways. We will need help in setting up (and in taking it all down
afterwards), help with the running of the stalls, the loan of gazebos …
We cannot promise the glorious weather we had for our last summer
fayre, but that would be the icing on the cake (plenty of cakes on the cake
stall and talking of “icing,” there will be ice creams!) It promises to be a
lot of fun and we all deserve that after all the long-term social restrictions
and regulations.
Entry is free, so please do come along and join in the fun!
Put the date in your diary now!
For further details follow our Facebook page or see our website:
www.stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk
We will, of course, be abiding by any Covid-19 restrictions which may
remain in place at the time.

12. - 10 -
Covid-19 Update
So the easing of restrictions on 21 June didn’t happen (other than permitting
unlimited numbers of people attend weddings, funerals, and baptisms). This was
almost inevitable as the Delta variant takes hold in our society. At present,
although the case rate has increased a little locally thus resulting in some hospital
admissions, the death rate remains low whilst the vaccination rate remains high.
It seems clear to me that the vaccines are protecting our society from the worst
that the new variant could do. As the sun shines (or rain falls…it is the British
summer!) it is easy to think Covid has vanished and to let our guard down but this
is not the case. Covid is still present and will be for time to come. Our chief
scientists continue to say that it is something we are going to have to live with.
And it is in this spirit of living with Covid that we are continue to worship together
and arrange events for fellowship and fundraising.
Mercifully I cannot see any reason why we cannot go ahead with our outdoor
Summer Fete. It will be fully risk assessed; stalls will be adequately distanced to
promote safety; signs will be up to advocate social distancing; face coverings will
be worn were appropriate and sanitiser available on every stall/table. I hope you
will be able to join us for the Fete.
We still await news as to when congregations may be able to return to singing
indoors but at successful trials in June refreshments have returned after the
services at both St Francis’ and St Stephen’s. The practical hurdles of providing
refreshments at St John’s are just too numerous at the moment but we are look-
ing forward to offering them again.
Although the Government has stipulated that we will be restriction free by 19 July
I personally do not see this happening. It may well be that we learn to live with
either continued mask wearing or social distancing for some to come. As a Church
I suspect even if all restrictions are lifted we may well continue to voluntarily
exercise one or other of these restrictions in a bid to keep you safe whilst
worshipping God.
I hope those have been part of the Buddy Scheme have found it helpful and
enabled you to remain connected. The primary motive for the scheme has now
past but it may well be that the scheme will morph into a new form of extended
pastoral care.
Financial Stewardship: Giving to God what he is worth
On the Feast of Pentecost, Sunday 23 May, I invited you to re-assess your financial
contribution towards the life of the Church after asking you “What is God worth
to you each week?” This was in response to our Parish Treasurer’s recent articles
in previous magazines reminding us of the perilous financial tightrope we walk in
this Parish. Cont’d….

13. - 11 -
Our expenditure (which is constantly kept in check) has not been met by our
financial giving but relies on fundraising events and hall lettings to balance the
books. The pandemic has shown us how untenable a position this is moving
forward. For a Church of our size and significance we should be able to make
ends meet without relying on fundraising and lettings. It has been incredibly
heartening that throughout the pandemic our level of giving has been main-
tained but disappointing that that level is below what we need to stay afloat.
It has been heartening to see the immediate positive response towards support
the Church. Over the coming month I hope this will continue as you continue to
think and pray about your financial contribution to our common life.
Afternoon Tea & Choral Evensong with Thanksgiving for the life of Stella Chan-
dler
In thanksgiving and remembrance for Stella’s long and well-lived life her family
would like to invite you to Afternoon Tea in the churchyard followed by Choral
Evensong in Thanksgiving on Sunday 11 July. Stella was a much loved and
respected member of our fellowship, as we saw by the number of people who
lined the road by St John’s as her coffin drove past on the way to the crematori-
um. Timings for the afternoon are as follows: 4.30pm Afternoon Tea (please
email me if you intend to come for catering purposes); 6.30pm Choral Evensong
with Tributes to Stella, followed by wine/fizz in celebration.
Summer Fete
A reminder that our Summer Fete will be on Saturday 17 July, 11.00am-4.00pm
in front of St John’s. All help and items to be sold gratefully received. We hope
this will have a traditional village fete feel, where all the community are
welcome. I hope you will be able to support this.
Ordination to the Priesthood
It is a joy that a member of our congregation has been ordained a priest in the
Church of God. Congratulations to Vanessa Hadley-Spencer on her Ordination to
the Priesthood. In celebration of her new ministry we have given Vanessa a red
stole – a symbol of her office as a priest. Red is the colour of the Holy Spirit and
of the Blood of Martyrs. May the Holy Spirit be Vanessa’s guide and may her
congregations be so kind as to not require her blood to be spilled.
Golf Day: Sunday 5 September
In a potentially exciting new fundraising initiative the Parish is to run a Golf Day
on Sunday 5 September at Little Hay Golf Complex. The day will start at 12noon
and comprise a round of golf, lots of in-game challenges, BBQ, raffle, family fun,
and hopefully also a celebrity visit. Cont’d…….

14. - 12 -
Teams of 4 golfers are needed. If you play golf this would be a fun way to raise
money for the Parish. Please speak to me if you are interested. More details will
be in next month’s magazine.
Summer Holidays
With any luck the British summer will return to enable day-trips to the seaside
and give us all some time to rest and relaxation. During August I intend to take 3
consecutive weeks off with the family to try and rebuild my energy levels ready
for the new academic year. On the corresponding Sundays there will not be an
8.00am Holy Communion and we will welcome visiting clergy. This is the first year
in many years when services have not been covered by a member of the
‘in-house’ team. I know you will continue to extend to our visiting clergy a warm
and generous welcome.
Memorial Rose Garden
For those who have not seen the Rose Memorial Garden at St John’s is beginning
to bloom. Plaques in memory of loved ones (as requested) will be installed very
soon. The Gardening Team at St John’s remain very busy in their tasks to keep
the grounds looking neat and tidy – my sincere thanks to them.

15. - 13 -
THE REVEREND IVOR DOWSE - RIP
I received a call from Ashbourne Court Nursing Home in
Andover on Friday, 11th June to say that Ivor had sadly
passed away. He had become very frail and moved to
the Nursing Home from his home in Winchester in
2021. I was in regular contact by phone and enjoyed
our chats.
He was a very dear friend since he was appointed Assistant Priest in the Parish
of Boxmoor (1986 - 1992) and I typed all his personal correspondence since he
left the Parish. Ivor was Editor of the Parish Magazine and Margaret Whiting
took over from him. He had lived in various places and moved to Cowes, Isle of
Wight in 1992 until 1998 and then went to Truro, Cornwall and from there to
the Isle of Man. In 2005 he moved to The Almshouses at St. John’s Charity in
Winchester and was very happy there. He did assist with services at Winchester
Cathedral and also St. John’s Chapel and was also a steward at Winchester
Cathedral and volunteered in the book shop. I had the pleasure of a surprise
visit to him in September 2019 and took the photo of him in his flat.
Ivor enjoyed his visits to The Iona Community on the Isle of Iona to refresh and
renew him. He also spent many holidays in Gozo, Malta.
I am sure some many members of our Church family will have happy memories
of his ministry and also his devoted Labrador “Shane” who made many visits to
St. John’s Church.
Sally-Anne Bates
Editor
A Healing Prayer
Spirit of the living God,
present with us now,
enter you,
body, mind and spirit,
and heal you
of all that harms you.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
Iona Abbey

16. - 14 -
Prioritising
Martha cooked
But Mary looked
And sat at the Master’s feet,
It’s a story of old
But we are told
It’s where man and God can meet.
So much to do
But think it through
There’s a place for you and me,
To spend time with the Lord
And be found in His word
It’s where we are meant to be.
So find a place
To seek His face
Where the Lord Himself is found
With a God who cares
Hears all our prayers
The place where grace abounds.
By Megan Carter
**************
SMILE LINES
Obvious
A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus
with them to Jerusalem.
A small child replied: “They couldn’t get a baby-sitter.”

17. - 15 -

18. - 16 -
HALLS FOR HIRE
ST JOHN’S HALL - Well equipped hall suitable for use by special interest
groups, clubs and societies. Ideal for family parties and special occasions.
Please contact Hall Bookings Secretary on 07939 226977 or email:
hallbookings@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk for further information and availabil-
ity.
ST STEPHEN’S HALL, CHAULDEN - (opposite Tudor Rose) - Sunny Hall with
tiled floor suitable for dancing and exercise groups as well as being ideal for
children’s parties. Please contact Jean on 01442 257023 for further
information and availability.
ST FRANCIS HALL, HAMMERFIELD - Well equipped hall suitable for use by
special interest groups, clubs and societies. Ideal for family parties and
special occasions. Please contact Hall Bookings Secretary by email: stfran-
cishallbookings@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk for further information and
availability. More urgent queries can be handled by leaving a message on Paul
Davies mobile phone: 07802 442908
When we feel shaken
(Lk 10:42)
Faithful Father,
When we feel shaken by the events of the past; when we don’t know
quite how to go forward; when our confidence in what we thought we
could control is undermined; remind us that one thing is needed – to sit
at your feet and listen to You.
You are our security. You will never fail those who belong to You
through faith in Your Son, Jesus.
As we take time to listen to You, Lord, and to meditate on Your Holy
Spirit-inspired Word, may we know Your peace – and Your good plans
for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By Daphne Kitching

19. - 17 -
Please Note: St. John's Church PCC cannot accept any responsibility for goods or services

20. - 18 -
Remembering Princess Diana
Lady Diana Spencer – later Princess of Wales – was born 60 years ago, on
1st
July 1961 at Sandringham in Norfolk. Twenty years later, on 29th
July
1981, she married Prince Charles at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. She
died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Diana was not an academic child, but concentrated on art, music and
sport. She was widely admired for her beauty and style, and during her
time as Princess of Wales achieved a great deal in her charity work, partic-
ularly in the unexpected areas of AIDS and landmines. Partly because of
this she was believed to have strong Christian beliefs, but this is not
something she spoke about, though a special episode of Songs of
Praise on the BBC saw it as the motive for her charity work.
Her marriage to Charles suffered because of their obvious incompatibility
and their affairs. They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Their two
sons, William and Harry, suffered as a result and have reacted in markedly
different ways.
Diana was the first Englishwoman for more than 300 years to marry the
heir to the throne. She was also the first royal bride to have a paying job
before her engagement.
by Tim Lenton
SMILE-LINES
Cry baby
A woman took her four-month-old baby to visit her neighbour, but the
baby began to fuss as soon as they arrived. The neighbour’s five-year-old
son asked where the baby had come from. “He was sent down from Heav-
en,” the mother replied, above the screams.
The little boy watched the baby crying for a few more minutes, and then
turned to his mother. “I bet I know why he was sent from Heaven. God
wanted some quiet up there!”

21. - 19 -
SMILE-LINES
Church notices that didn’t quite come out right….
The preacher for Sunday next will be found hanging on the notice board
in the porch.
The minister is going on holiday next Saturday. Could all missionary boxes
be handed into the vicarage by Friday evening, at the latest.
Ladies, when you have emptied the teapot, please stand upside down in
the sink.
There will be a procession in the grounds of the monastery next Sunday
afternoon. If it rains in the afternoon, the procession will take place in the
morning.

22. - 20 -
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Sent out three times on a reconnaissance mission from Noah’s ark
(Genesis 8:8–12) (4)
3 ‘The vilest — who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon re-
ceives’ (8)
9 Described by the 19th-century MP Sir Wilfred Lawson as ‘the Devil in
solution’ (7)
10 ‘Whoever — his life for my sake will find it’ (Matthew 10:39) (5)
11 King of Gezer (Joshua 10:33) (5)
12 Gideon’s home town (Judges 6:11) (6)

23. - 21 -
ACROSS Cont’d...
14 The area under the jurisdiction of a primate, for example, Canterbury,
York (13)
17 To him God promised that David would be king (1 Chronicles 11:3) (6)
19 A descendant of Aaron who was not allowed to offer food to God
(Leviticus 21:20) (5)
22 ‘If any of you — wisdom, he should ask God’ (James 1:5) (5)
23 I gain me (anag.) (7)
24 Relating to the armed forces (1 Chronicles 5:18) (8)
25 Title given to 2 Down (abbrev.) (4)
DOWN
1 Greek coins (Acts 19:19) (8)
2 Church of England incumbent (5)
4 What Epaphroditus was to Paul (Philippians 2:25) (6-7)
5 Mother of David’s sixth son (2 Samuel 3:5) (5)
6 ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but
not in — ’ (2 Corinthians 4:8) (7)
7 It destroys treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19) (4)
8 It threatened Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:35) (3,3)
13 Well-known Reference Bible that espoused dispensationalism (8)
15 Where the choir sits in a parish church (7)
16 Real do (anag.) (6)
18 ‘Martha, Martha... you are worried and — about many things’ (Luke
10:41) (5)
20 ‘One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day — ’ (Romans 14:5) (5)
21 A place with twelve springs and 70 palm trees where the Israelites
camped (Exodus 15:27) (4)
Good Luck!
Please find answers on page 28.

24. - 22 -
'Music Percentage Club Update’
Congratulations to the winners of the May Music
Percentage Club draw:
Richard Lyne 1st £15
Nicholas King 2nd £8
Carole Lewis 3rd £4
If you know of someone who would be interested in joining the Music
Percentage Club and supporting Music at St John’s in this way there are
forms in church or please contact Mark Harbour on 01582 841019 or see
him in church. Mark Harbour - on behalf of MASJ
*************
The Berkhamsted Walk – Sunday 19th September 2021
Whilst it has been a disappointing year for events and fundraising, we are
delighted to announce that we will be putting on a smaller version of the
Berkhamsted Walk on Sunday 19th
September 2021!
The walk will be slightly different to our normal event – there will be one
12-mile route, but you will be able to walk as little or as much of it as you
like – and join the route wherever suits you best. As usual, the route will
be marked, and we will be providing maps – we are also aiming to have
one checkpoint available. For more information and to register, please
visit: www.berkhamstedwalk.com.
To find out more about The Children's Society's work, take a look at their
website: www.childrenssociety.org.uk.

25. - 23 -
AUGUST 2021 EDITION - PRICE 60p
Please note the deadline for articles for the July edition of the magazine is
Sunday, 4th July.
You can e-mail direct to magazine@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk or leave articles in
magazine pigeonhole or deliver direct to 27 Beechfield Road. Please note any
articles sent by email should be in A5 format (MS Word or MS Publisher
preferred). Thank you. Sally Bates, Editor, Tel No. 266912 or Mobile 07792
768236.
PLEASE NOTE
Website for St John’s Boxmoor is:
www.stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk
E-mail: office@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk
Website for Music at St John’s is http://masj.org.uk
Facebook Page: St Johns Church, Boxmoor
NEWSLETTER: If you would like to receive a copy of the weekly Newsletter by
e-mail, please contact Alan Munford - alan.munford@btinternet.com with your
e-mail address and he will arrange to send it to you.
Please send any items for inclusion in the Newsletter to the Parish Office at the
email address: newsletter@stjohnsboxmoor.org.uk
SUBSCRIPTION TO MAGAZINE
If you would like to receive a copy of St John’s Parish Magazine on a regular
monthly basis, please email alan.munford@btinternet.com or telephone him on
01442 242543 or complete your details below and return tear-off slip to:
Mr. Alan Munford, 16 St Nicholas Mount, Hemel Hempstead HP1 2BB
Name…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Address ………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
...........................................................................................................................
Contact Telephone Number ………………………………………………………………………...

26. - 24 -
By the Revd Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts,
and a former communications director for the CofE.
Can comedy point the way to faith?
Truth can come from a range of places. In Shakespeare, it’s the fool who
often has the insight that the main characters lack. In the Old Testament,
it’s the prophets that proclaim the truth from God’s perspective.
Maybe today, we should be listening more to the comedians – to the
people who stand back from our day-to-day happenings and see the
world from different angles. They can make us laugh, but they can also
teach us truths about ourselves that can be distinctly uncomfortable.
Take the new book by comedian, and Catholic, Frank Skinner. It’s called ‘A
Comedian’s Prayer Book’ (Hodder & Stoughton) and runs to just over a
hundred pages. Yet in that thin volume, Skinner – who is very open about
his devout Christian faith – poses serious questions for both believers and
atheists.
It’s far from being a comfortable read, though it never ceases to be amus-
ing and thoughtful.
Setting the scene for the book, Skinner, an award-winning comedian, tele-
vision and radio host, explains: “Imagine someone on a pilgrimage, stop-
ping at churches, martyr-related tourist spots and sacred wells, while
dressed in a medieval jester outfit.
“The intention is serious and completely devout, but the pilgrim just feels
more at home in the motley than in sackcloth and ashes. He feels jest is
an integral part of who he is, and it seems wrong to deny that part.”
Skinner sees his role as a comic as integral to this faith, although some
‘fellow pilgrims’ may be uncomfortable with someone who seems to see
humour all around him – and can easily make others laugh.

27. - 25 -
Yet Frank Skinner raises deep issues in the chapters of this slim volume,
including questions that will connect with people both within the Chris-
tian faith, and those standing outside.
He describes his prayer life as “a telepathic dip into a long, ongoing
conversation with thousands of tabs left open and no helpful ‘new read-
ers start here’ summaries or simplifications for the neutral observer.”
Skinner’s ‘prayer book’ is on my bookshelf alongside ’10 Second
Sermons,’ (Darton, Longman & Todd) written by fellow comedian Milton
Jones in 2011. Again, the comedian’s quirky view on life brings fresh
insights and challenges.
Jones, a master of one-line jokes, describes gossip as “bullying people
who are not there,” lust as “rehearsing for a play in which you shouldn’t
have a part” and salvation as “like being returned to the factory settings –
but you have to admit there is a factory, and that there could be some
settings.”
One of my favourites is Jones’s description of the Holy Spirit as “a real
person you can invite in. But watch out – in time He will go over, pull the
fridge from the wall and say ‘What’s all this mess under here?’ But at
least He helps clear up.”
Both Milton Jones and Frank Skinner are comedians of faith – comedic
commentators with a gift of making us see the world with fresh insight.
And, as importantly, making us laugh.

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St James the Least of All
On why the clergy should avoid computers
The Rectory
St James the Least of All
My dear Nephew Darren
Thank you for the kind offer of your old computer, but I do not want it. I
know you find it a fundamental basic of daily life, but I do not, and I
intend to keep things that way.
This is despite the fact that our diocesan office now takes it for granted
that all of us clergy have a computer. Indeed, the diocesan secretary and
I have had several awkward phone calls upon this very subject. He can’t
believe that I really don’t have one, and suspects that I am simply hiding
my email address from him so that he cannot send me the daily diocesan
briefings, weekly questionnaires, and constant notification of all sorts of
meetings and training days. But I remain firm: I have survived in ministry
for nearly 50 years without a computer, and I don’t intend to change
now. When he gets tetchy with me, I take the high moral ground and
remind him that St Paul did not have a computer.
Besides, it would not end with just a computer. Next, I would be obliged
to get a printer and then ink cartridges and then maybe some sort of
virus would attack me. As I have no idea about any of this, I might have to
allow someone into the vicarage to sort it out, and even worse, I might
even have to pay them. My money can be far more usefully spent on
good claret.
Being without a computer also saves me much aggravation. From what I
can gather, most computer owners spend significant parts of their lives
either trying to get their machine to do something that it refuses to do,
or else getting help from someone in a remote part of the world who
speaks a jargon only distantly related to English, who assures you that
whatever you did, it would have been better if you hadn’t.

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So I have decided that should I ever REALLY need to use a computer for
something, I will visit our local primary school and get a six year-old to do
the job for me, which they do with effortless efficiency, speed and accura-
cy.
Your loving uncle,
Eustace
BOOK REVIEW
God’s Treasured Possession – walk in the footsteps of Moses
By Terry Virgo, IVP, £7.99
Do you know how God sees you? Using the story of Moses, Terry Virgo
explores how his life as a timid and reluctant foundational leader of God’s
people can inform and encourage us in our own Christian walk today.

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Honesty is our best policy
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your
neighbour, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)
The church service has just finished, and you are about to go home to
read the latest edition of the parish magazine. You parked a bit carelessly
because you were in a hurry and as you drive off you feel a slight bump.
You stop and see a small scratch on the car parked next to you. It is the
vicar’s pride and joy! What do you do? Do you drive off and hope no-one
saw. Then, when you get home you have a look round your car and see a
bump on the other side where someone hit you.
As Christians we are told to be honest and admit our mistakes. When it
happens to us, we feel outraged that someone could damage our proper-
ty and not own up to it. When we do it to others, the right thing would be
to leave a note and take care when parking next time. Honesty is the best
policy. We should do to others as we expect others to do to us. If you hit
another car, you can feel it and often hear an ominous noise. Sometimes it
is difficult to know if you have caused any damage.
People do not, of course, always act honestly. Admitting mistakes is not
common in our world. A small scratch or bump can be costly to repair and
who wants to lose their no claim’s bonus? Sometimes it is costly to admit
a mistake, but as Christians we should be as open and honest as we
expect others to be. We should stand out as different to other people and
have a good conscience.
by David Pickup, a solicitor
ACROSS: 1, Dove. 3, Offender. 9, Alcohol. 10, Loses. 11, Horam. 12,
Ophrah. 14, Archbishopric. 17, Samuel. 19, Dwarf. 22, Lacks. 23, Imagine.
24, Military. 25, Revd.
DOWN: 1, Drachmas. 2, Vicar. 4, Fellow-soldier. 5, Eglah. 6, Despair. 7,
Rust. 8, The mob. 13, Scofield. 15, Chancel. 16, Ordeal. 18, Upset. 20,
Alike. 21, Elim.

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Canon Paul Hardingham considers our call to befriend people in need.
The Good Samaritan
This month we are looking at the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke
10:25-37). This familiar story tells of a man who is mugged on the road
between Jerusalem and Jericho and rescued by a Samaritan. Jesus tells it
in response to a lawyer’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal
life?” When Jesus calls for a life of total love towards God and neighbour,
the lawyer comes back with the question: ‘who is my neighbour?’ (29).
The plight of the man and the indifference of the priest and Levite would
have horrified Jesus’ hearers. They assumed that the hero of the story
would be a Jew! However, Jesus presents the Samaritan, a sworn enemy
of the Jews, as a model of integrity and an example to follow: “Which of
these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the
hands of robbers?…Go and do likewise.” (36,7). The challenge of the sto-
ry is that often our neighbours can be our worst enemies, yet these are
the very people we are called to love as ourselves.
Of course, we can all think of people to whom we are called to be a
Samaritan in our lives: those we try to avoid and don’t want to get along-
side. If we are honest, we know that we don’t have it in us to love as
Jesus says here. We all need somebody who will be our Good Samaritan,
to rescue us and enable us to love others as ourselves. Jesus is that Good
Samaritan for us.
“By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a
more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need – regardless of race,
politics, class, and religion – is your neighbour.” (Tim Keller).

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at St John’s
in the month of May 2021
HOLY BAPTISM
No Baptisms were conducted in May
HOLY MATRIMONY
22 May Ben Beasley & Georgina Hardy
29 May Christopher Harley & Angelica Lecart
O God, our Father, whose greatest gift is love, bless those, we ask you,
who within your presence take each other in marriage.
FUNERAL & MEMORIAL SERVICES
19 May Doris Owen Mountbatten Lodge
May this soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy
of God, rest in peace.
BURIAL OF ASHES
No Burials of Ashes were conducted in May

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36. Produced and printed by the Parish of Boxmoor