Sunday 6th May 11am Holy Communion
Tuesday 8th May 8am Matins
Sunday 13th May 2.30pm Rogationtide Procession & Service at Baptist Chapel
Tuesday 15th May 8am Holy Communion
Sunday 20th May 6pm Evensong
Tuesday 22nd May 8am Matins
Sunday 27th May 11am Holy Communion
Tuesday 29th May 8am Matins
With an east wind howling down Main Street, villagers scurried along to the warmth of the Village Hall to do battle once again at the Quiz & Chip Night. Quiz supremo Lois Jordan set the tone of questions that would sort the wheat from the chaff. Fortified with liquid refreshment from the bar, the contestants sorted themselves into their respective teams. It was immediately obvious that this would be a two way scrap with the remainder fighting for the minor places. Our host and question master John Deval laid down the rules and the quiz commenced.
After three rounds of brain exertion we reached the midway point, time for fish and chips which were duly served up piping hot and very enjoyable. After another three rounds of yes, no, yes, that’s not right, put anything down, its errr… the quiz concluded. Its amazing how much you think you know when the answer has just been read out.
Thanks to all concerned for an entertaining evening.
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- Lois and Bruce reflecting on their fiendish quiz questions
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- John, running through the answer sheet
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- Half time score board
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- How not to have your pint poured
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- Team – Courage but no brains, oh yeah!
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- Team – All sorts
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- Team – theoptimists
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- Team – The Last Table
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- Team – Comfortably Dumb
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- A man and his fish and chips
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- Half time scores
General information about the Group:
Meetings take place on the third Wednesday (September to April) and are very informal (no committee or agenda) and quite often we are just chatting about times past and memories, you don’t have to attend each one but would be really pleased if you would like to join us. The venue is usually the Fox and Hounds Pub and sometimes the Village Hall.
We have a growing collection of recordings of Gidding villagers talking about their memories – if you would like to take part please contact us. We have recently started to gather together photographs, newspaper articles and documents which have been generously donated to the Group and will be stored at the Village Hall. We welcome any additions to this collection, so please don’t throw anything away that may be of interest to the Group and/or future researchers of village/family/local history – what you may think is rubbish could be just what someone else is looking for.
Great Gidding Baptist Church
Our Purpose – Love God Love People Serve the World
The Baptist Church is in fellowship with Grace Fellowship Little Stukeley; Grace Fellowship is part of the International Baptist Convention (I B C) and affiliated to Baptist Union of Great Britain
My Wife and I first came to Great Gidding some 30 years ago as a guest speaker for the day returning from time to time to worship or preach, then we moved to Great Stukely. That’s when Pastor Albert asked me to take care of the Church while he was away in Uganda. During this time we have seen many changes to the Church. When Albert was so ill Penny and I were regular visitors both to the hospital and the home, on their Return to Bristol they asked us to take on the church.
Work to do
There has been much work to do as we redecorate the manse and clear up the rubbish that has been gathered over the years and we are still working at getting the grounds and sheds dealt with, it will take time to do all we have in mind.
The first service we will take is to be held on Easter Sunday At 3pm.
We welcome you all to come and join us for the service and share a cup of tea or coffee after the service.
Further details of regular meetings will be announced soon.
Polio is a terrible crippling disease. It was once the major cause of disability. Before 1988 there were over 350,000 cases reported per year worldwide. Now it is down to about a 1,000 cases per year. India use to have more cases than anywhere else. Now it has reported only one single case in the last 18 months.
This is down to 25 years of hard work on the part of Rotary International and other agencies. For years the programme has depended on charitable giving and the precious time of individuals prepared to go out and help, at their own expense, in vaccination clinics. At last we are on the brink. One final push is needed to get rid of this dreadful disease once and for all. If we don’t make that effort now and leave off it will come back. That final effort will cost money. Bill Gates has generously contributed $355 million but there is still a need to raise a further $200 million world wide to see it through.
During national immunisation days in India, as many as 65 million children are immunised. Volunteers hold these days every six weeks, visiting remote villages and slum areas to deliver the life-saving vaccine. Although polio is nearly wiped out, work has to continue through this next generation of children to be sure to eradicate the disease for good. Booths are set up in major cities, attracting school children and families, who will travel for miles to protect their children. After vaccination each child has a finger dipped in purple dye for control purposes.
In order to bring your attention to the vaccination programme purple crocuses have been planted all over the UK. It is hoped that the 500 bulbs planted in front of the church last autumn will eventually multiply to make a magnificent springtime display. When you look at them please think about all the children walking around with purple “pinkies” who will now have a better chance in life. It will be wonderful when the day comes when no one else will ever have to suffer from polio. This can be a real success story! Will you please help?
Donations to the “Rotary Club of Kimbolton Castle” can be handed to Tony Scott, 15 Mill Road, Great Gidding or to Jed and Aruna at the village shop.
Welcome to Pete and Penny Bourne
“If you see us working at the Manse please stop and introduce yourself to us. We are hoping to hold our first service Easter Sunday 3pm please come and join with us”
Pete Bourne
For the time being the contact details are as follows
Pete and Penny Bourne
Phone 01480432207
Penny’s Email penny.bourne@sky.com
Pete’s Email bourneagain58@yahoo.co.uk
Read more about the Great Gidding Baptist Church
Our Christingle service in December was a great success – lots of children came along to the Christingle-making session at the school beforehand, and then Mary welcomed us at the gate through to the churchyard and we all went up to the service.
Led by Mary, the service was fun (complete with captivating Canadian wolf story and plenty of howling…!) and thought-provoking at the same time, and when the children stood at the front of the church with their lit Christingles it really did look magical.
It was lovely to see so many people there, and great to see some new faces. Thank you all for coming, and hope to see you next year!
Christingle service, 10th December 2011
Amanda Williams – Jan 2012
I am sure you have all heard the expression ‘the past is all around us’, and I am sure that we would all acknowledge the truth of these words, living where we do. Ancient churches, homes, bridleways and footpaths all speak of times long past, and then there are the remains of the many airfields which dot our countryside and speak of our more recent history, which remind us of places far away, of wars fought.
These days we are reminded almost daily that armed conflicts still continue, despite the efforts of those who govern this world. Although many I have spoken to, especially individuals who survived the Second World War, will say that it is a terrible waste of life, there seems to be no end to humankind’s foolishness; our young continue to lose their lives on foreign battlefields. The lessons that many believed were learnt at the end of the first war and were repeated over and over again seem to have not made any difference. Although we hope and pray for peace, perhaps it is just not the way of the world.
So what other lessons can be learned from previous wars and their aftermath? Perhaps a starting point might be the way in which we care for individuals whose lives have been affected by war, especially our own servicemen and women and their families. The war in Afghanistan has raised our awareness of the casualties. Those casualties’ numbers are high, and many of them will need support throughout their lives. It is important that we also remember their families, who see in a sense strangers returning home. Our family has some experience of this as my eldest is a serving member of the armed forces; he had a difficult time re-adjusting to life in the UK when he returned from Afghanistan following his first tour, and so it is for many others.
There is perhaps little we can do as individuals to stop wars, but we have the ability to try to demonstrate love by working towards alleviating the pain of those who serve their country overseas, so that they are able to live full and rewarding lives despite their memories, experiences and injuries.
Revd. Mary Jepp