The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, October 1997 - Part 2

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, October 1997 - Part 2

THE BEST WE CAN DO
By Fraser Martin

BY the time you read this, Princess Diana will have been buried a month. Copydate and magazine printing dictate that I am writing this at a time when the shock and the pain have subsided and the funeral is over, but while the rawness is still unhealed. It is impossible to predict what the people's mood will be by now (have you noticed that, during all this, the country has become "the people"? Biblical terminology) and so if you have had enough of the subject, please feel free to skip this article. I suspect you won't. Such was Diana's magnetism. What a tragic time, especially for William and Harry. They have lost so much, and the people who have shown such extraordinary outward signs of inner grief for a woman most of them had never met and were never likely to, can only guess at the heartache, the suffering those boys are going through, not to mention all the unanswerable questions they can't ask. The results of the investigations into the cause of the crash will only add to the pain.

I was sad when I heard the news of her death. Who wouldn't be? The underprivileged, the diseased, the dying and the socially outcast had all lost a champion. I have to confess that I still find it hard to grasp the fact that we will no longer see or read about a person who had almost become part of our daily lives, who, if not visible on our screens or in our papers, would soon be again, looking radiant, shy, determined. And, latterly, undaunted by the overwhelming press attention which undoubtedly cost her so much; an attention fuelled, it has to be said, by our craving to know her every move, her every step. In short, to know her without ever meeting her.

In the days that followed her death, my sadness became more profound, but the emphasis shifted. I now felt sadness for the thousands upon thousands of people who flocked to lay flowers at Buckingham Palace, at Kensington Palace, at Harrods, at Althorp House, indeed anywhere associated with Diana when she was alive. Teddy bears, balloons, even bottles of wine became symbols of people's grief. It was the best they could do. How profoundly sad. For here, it appeared, was a Nation in mourning for the only thing they believed in and, having lost it, were inconsolable. Diana, it seems, had become an icon, something to be worshipped, and having discovered her mortality, people were bereft, left without anything. So I was sad for a society, a "people," with an aching desire for something to believe in. And they believed in Diana. Laudable. Understandable, perhaps. But not enough. When she died, they were left devastated. No resurrection here. She was gone.

Someone said that there is a God-shaped hole in all of us. Perhaps now is the time to stop bunging it full of things which don't fit and fill it with Jesus. And then helping others to do the same. He has all the right attributes. He is a friend that we can meet and get to know personally, not just read about. He will always be there and never let us down. He has already died and has risen again, to life in eternity, so will never leave us. He is no candle in the wind, but the Light of the World. We, individually and as a people, need faith, not an icon, and we need to lay our lives down as an offering to God. Not lay flowers at a railing. Now. Then perhaps we can offer the best tribute to Princess Diana that any of us can, that of helping our fellow man, as she did, but from a position of faith rather than fame. Just think how amazing it would be if the nation, the "people," turned to God. Let's use our faith, as she used her position, to reverse the evil in the world, to reconcile enemies, to show God's love to those around us and to make the difference. It's the best we can do.

Fraser Martin

DOTS COULD STAMP OUT TB

THE four letters DOTS are shorthand for one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the century, one that promises a way of curbing the world-wide epidemic of tuberculosis.

No other TB control strategy comes close to being as effective and as affordable as DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course). The simple secret of its success is that the health worker who provides the anti-TB drugs to patients watches them swallow the pills.

Previous campaigns have failed because they made the patient, not the health system, responsible for achieving a cure.

Even here in Britain TB has been on the increase, but it is in developing countries that the disease has reached epidemic proportions. Over 100 years after Robert Koch unmasked the TB germ, more people died from TB in 1995 than in any other year in history. No other infectious disease is creating as many orphans and wrecking so many lives.

The DOTS method provides a permanent cure for more than nine out of ten patients treated. Programmes not using DOTS often cure only 40 per cent of patients. Yet DOTS costs between one and five dollars for each healthy year of life saved. There is no need for the patient to go into hospital.

What is more, it prevents spread. When a patient is not cured, he or she will infect, on average, 10 to 15 friends, families and co-workers each year. The World Health Organisation says there is no other feasible way to protect the world's 500 million annual between-countries travellers — and the people to whom they return home.

DOTS works because the right combination and dosage of drugs are used for the right length of time, usually six to eight months. The patient is observed taking the pills by a health worker or trained volunteer and the process is closely monitored. Last year, about a million patients in 70 countries were treated this way.

 

Through the Study Window
By Tony Keogh

As I look through the window, already brown autumnal leaves are beginning to appear, and the church, still half hidden by the lush green of summer, will soon be visible through the latticed fingers of leafless branches. This is a time of passing — summer over too soon and autumn nudging its gentle message of needing to die before the resurgence of spring.

I have just come back from town. The holidaymakers are now mainly the middle-aged and the elderly; gone are the young voices, their owners are now back at school or preparing to leave the Island for university. On the way back home, I called into our Post Office to see Jenny and Chris and to post a letter to Michael, our Bishop of Winchester. The letter was in response to his letter in which he invited me to inform him of our causes for thankfulness and any special intentions which we would like him to mention in his prayers.

Our cause for gratitude in this beautiful Island home is the opportunity which we have to share our fellowship and to minister to those who are visiting us. It is truly a great joy to meet folk from all over Britain and, indeed, from all over the world. We also have a number of families who come back year after year and have become honorary "Trinitais."

At the end of August, we were highly delighted to welcome Nan and Katy Doe from Canada. In the mid '60s, Nan's husband Kent and I were at St Michael's Theological College together so I had not seen them for more than thirty years. However, Jill went down to Toronto to spend the day with them when she was in Canada last year so this was a good opportunity to return their hospitality. Sadly, their stay with us was for four days only but it was wonderful to meet up with Nan after so many years and to meet her youngest daughter. Kent was unable to come to Britain on this occasion but maybe they will be able to come together in the future. It makes one realise that the passing of time and the distance of many miles have no effect on true friendship.

Impromptu Worship

The fellowship and ministry with the holidaymakers saw its culmination on the morning of Saturday 6th September, the day of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. I spent part of the morning in church, partly to be quiet and partly to prepare myself for the wedding later that day of Charles Gallichan and Fay Bennett. There were a number of holidaymakers in church; they all knew that they had to come to church but were not sure what to do when they arrived. I explained who I was and invited them to an impromptu service; it was simply wondrous.

If there are lessons to be learnt from the recent sad events, let us not be in too great a rush to come to conclusions, but to take time to reflect and to pray about our world and those in authority who have the power to change it

SAMPSON'S ISLAND
By Michael Halliwell

FOR SOME YEARS now it has been customary for a band of Celtic enthusiasts in Grouville parish to make a Christmas Eve pilgrimage to St Samson's island, off the coast at La Rocque (where Seymour Tower now stands) and to pray there.

This year, for the first time in centuries, the feast of St Samson, bishop and missionary to the Islands, was celebrated at La Rocque on the reputed site of the Chapel of St Samson. On 28th July, his feast day in the diocesan calendar, twenty parishioners met at Seymour slip and walked in procession behind a wooden Celtic cross and an icon of Christ, along the beach to the open area where his chapel is believed to have stood.

 

It may come as a surprise to some to learn that Samson is commemorated in Jersey, but the history of his life, written only a few centuries after he lived, records not only that he visited Guernsey, where of course a parish is named after him, but that the people of Jersey "were known to him:' His probable presence here is substantiated by the naming of places after him in St Ouen, St Brelade (where there was a large Celtic settlement) and Grouville. 

It seems likely that, like other saints of the Celtic period, Samson had his main dwelling and chapel on the shore, and retreated to his off-shore island for special periods of quiet, prayer and contemplation, and to engage in spiritual warfare. This was the custom of Cuthbert at Lindisfarne and many of his contemporaries in sanctuaries of prayer on islands round the coasts of Britain.

The eucharist was celebrated according to Rite A with Celtic variations in the prayers and a special preface in the eucharistic prayer.

And so St Samson and his companions are now celebrated twice a year in Grouville, as the people of this parish rediscover their ancient heritage and enter more deeply into it.

ARE SOUND BITES SUSTAINING?
By Bill Matthews

I WAS talking recently to one of our well known TV presenters and he said, "I'm afraid that I only deal in Sound Bites. If it can't be said in ten seconds then it’s not worth saying." I was then provoked to respond, "If it can be said in ten seconds then it’s not worth hearing."

Which of us is right? A meaningless question really, since what both statements do is to polarize extremes. But isn't this the great disease of mass communication today?

Certainly, brevity is the soul of wit and we need punchlines to knock people out with our news. But, especially if our news is good, then people, rather than being knocked out or even woken up by it, want to hear it explained and to know more about it. Explaining things in detail is often a hard and difficult task but if we avoid it then we don't get to the heart of people and things. You cannot get punchier, for instance, than to say "love your neighbour" and add "as yourself."

Obvious? Yes, but what does it mean? That is the real question. And, how does it affect us? That is the real issue. Punchy statements may sound wonderful but they make little sense unless the implications are clearly worked out in our lives. The Bread of life and the Bread of heaven is much more than a sound bite.

There is a terrible temptation now in this age of punchline and slogan to think that everything can be simplified. Then when we find that important tasks call for effort which can often be long and exhausting, then comes disappointment, disillusion and despair. We feel cheated and indeed we have been, by media superficiality, which is not easily reconciled to the need for hard work over the long term which most of our problems call for.

Brevity is wonderful but even more so is the understanding of the need for the long term commitment to good work to make noble sentiments come true. ONE WORLD is a truly noble and simple sentiment but the task of accomplishing it is neither simple nor short term.

We celebrate ONE WORLD on the Island from 19th-26th October.

Here in Jersey we can wake up on a good morning and meet good people and feel that life is good. We are lucky. This is not possible everywhere in our broken world. So we need to count our blessings and recognise that we can live happily and in peace because others before us have worked hard to create an environment where this is possible. We need also to recognise that our peaceful community can disintegrate or be broken down if we allow it. Inertia is a perfect recipe for this. There can be no enduring community without us applying ourselves to recreate it continuously.

The concept of ONE WORLD is this very task of building and sustaining a world at one with itself. It is the work of our God who created the world for good. It is the work of

Jesus who showed us that we must love our neighbour as our God does. It is the Church as the Body of Christ seeking to save what is lost and heal the brokenness so that we can all become whole. So that we can be at one with one another.

There is no more important task. It is a big, big, big one! It will tax all our energy and our imagination. It is full of imponderable problems. It is also full of immense opportunities. It is full of adventure and fun. It is an exciting task. And it is for all of us.

The One World Week Programme is full of activities for everyone to share in and enjoy. Let us not waste this opportunity for God.

BILL MATTHEWS

Friday 10th October:

Apollo Male Voice Choir in Concert
Wesley Grove — 8 pm

This internationally renowned choir presents a programme of popular music —with proceeds being donated to "The Week."

Friday 17th October: 'Return to Haiti'

An illustrated talk given by Derek Poole. Bethlehem Methodist Church — 8 pm

The Rev Derek Poole lived for five years in Haiti. He returned this year, partly to investigate a proposed new Overseas Aid project.

Saturday 18th October:

International Food Fair with Music
Royal Square — 10.30 am — 2.30 pm

A chance to enjoy food from nationalities around the world represented in Jersey, plus musical entertainment.

Sunday 19th October:

One World Week in Church Services

The start of One World Week proper and many Island churches will include themes or elements for the Week in their services this Sunday.

Throughout the Week:

Tune in to Radio Jersey's 'Morning Thought' at 6.50 each day Monday to Friday for a reflection linked to the evening's event.

Monday 20th October:

`Racism in Jersey - the way forward'
St Paul's Centre — 8 pm

Is racism a problem we need to face Jersey? Come and share experiences, and start thinking what is to be done. Facilitated by Jackie Walker, an experienced worker in this field.

Tuesday 21st October: Christmas is here - already!

St Paul's Centre — 8 pm

What's gone wrong? A varied programme of practical steps to make Christmas better for you and others.

Wednesday 22nd October: `An Experience of Africa'

St Paul's Centre — 8 pm
The true story of an Overseas Aid working party.

Thursday 23rd October — United Nations Day
Interfaith Evening
St Thomas' Community

An opportunity to meet people faiths and to share values.

Thursday 23rd October: Grouville One World Concert

Grouville Church — 7.30 pm

A varied programme to celebrate One World Week.

Friday 24th October:

`Women's Work in the World'
Société Jersiaise — 8 pm

Lois Hainsworth has vast international experience and will reflect on the UN Women's Conference at Beijing and beyond.

Saturday 25th October: International Training Centre,
Jersey Zoo
Meet conservation workers from all over the world and see the ITC at work at this all-day event. Activities for all ages.

Sunday 26th October:
Most Island churches will include prayers to round off what will have been a memorable and busy Week.

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, October 1997 - Part 1

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, October 1997 - Part 1

The Dean’s Letter

AS I WRITE this article, which will be eventually read when the event itself will be long passed, here in the Island, in the nation, possibly in many places through the world, countless people are still in shock and grief at the tragic sudden, and, I suppose, totally unnecessary, death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

It is fascinating how a major catastrophe can bring out the best in people, or the worst in people. This week many, many people, have worked unselfishly long hours, or gone to considerable effort, and not a little expense, to show their feelings and so give comfort and encouragement to two families that most of us do not know, and with whom we have had little or no contact. The attitude and reaction of the staff of the Lord Chamberlain's office in London and of many others, like the bookbinder here in Jersey who broke his holiday to prepare overnight the leather-bound tome so that other Islanders, and indeed visitors to the Island, could stand for hours waiting to enter their names in the Book of Remembrance and express their love of, and their thanksgiving for, the Princess, revealed a very pleasant side of human nature. On the mainland people journeyed for hours, to stand for even more hours, missing the last train home in some cases, to do the same thing.

While others, admittedly a few, reacted by muttering and complaining about every decision which other people, with the best will in the world, were making. I am not saying that all the decisions were the right ones, but to ring up and be rude or abusive to wives, secretaries and people who were not responsible for those decisions, reveals an unpleasant side of human nature.

But anger will always be one of the possible characteristics of grief. And perhaps many more people were angry with God. They may even have "rung him up" and sounded off at Him. They wondered how He could allow such a ghastly event to happen. They seemed to think that because a very popular Princess was involved God should have stepped in to stop it. But why for a Princess in France? Why not for a class roomful of children in Scotland a year ago, or in Wales many years ago, or even for a townful of children two thousand years ago? The famous and the great, as well as the innocent and the lovely, are as liable to suffer as the unknown and the unremarkable, and as the downright wicked person and the unlovely, and all those of us in between too. No one is exempt. Not even God himself.

God never promised us that life would not be unfair, only that when it was, He would be there with us. The God of the Christian is not a distant deity, but an intimate being who stands beside us in the good times and in the bad, on a Sunday morning in a beautiful cathedral and in the tangled wreckage of our lives, both of which are equally man-made.

A month on when you read this, life for most people will have reverted to normal – and sadly that will probably also mean that many of them who contacted God at the time of the tragedy will have stopped communicating with Him – that is until the next time. It is a shame that we cannot be with Him in the good times as well as in the bad.

JOHN SEAFORD

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES

By Denis Pipon

THE death of Diana, Princess of Wales, stunned each one of us, as did the death of John F Kennedy. We each one know the hour of the day, the day of the week and what we were doing when we heard the news of her violent death. How could those entrusted with her care and protection, race through the streets of Paris and into, ironically, that well lit tunnel at two or three times the speed limit set for those beautiful boulevards? How could those entrusted with her care, protection and safety ignore the normal risk factors of outstripping the vehicles, the motorcycles or else in pursuit? How Diana's death came upon us individually, nationally, globally, that huge sea of loss, of grief, of emotion and feeling? Stunned, we knew not what to do; those of us who could identify with Diana in our eating disorders, in our addictions, in our loneliness, in our break up of marriage, and in the deceit of our spouse in marriage, stripped of our position, shunned and rejected, left to fend for ourselves, to fight through injustices. These, the things that Diana surmounted.

We could identify, we the churched; the non-churched. We were offered two books of condolences, we were looking for, awaiting the invitation of, the open doors of our local church, identifying ourselves with the crying needs of Diana, Princess of Wales, looking for the intimacy and understanding of grief that we, as Christians and as members of Christ's church here on earth claim to share.

Up and down the length and breadth of the United Kingdom special services were held, Mass was said in the Roman Catholic churches, candle-lit vigils were held. Locally we were willing to accept the open air ecumenical afternoon service; a service now so well rehearsed and not unlike other services that had gone before it. We each one of us asked the question, how could GOD call someone so young and with so much more to give?

Here was the opportunity for the Church to help us in our understanding, to answer the questions about life, about death and their meaning and their purpose.

Will our invitations, will our response to others, will our reflections and pause shared with others, will our approach, be any different towards and beyond the millennium, the year 2000. Will we share with others, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son, the only Son of God, Redeemer of the World? — DENIS PIPON

By David Edwards

THIS edition of The PILOT is my last as editor. After nearly two years I am relinquishing the role, in order to enable me to spend more time in study for the lay ministry.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dean and the clergy for their contributions and the encouragement they have given me over the past 21 months, despite on occasions, my nagging them for copy, when deadlines had passed.

My sincere thanks go to all the contributors for their articles, written on a wide variety of topics, that have provided stimulating, humorous, informative and often thought-provoking articles. There is a great team behind the scenes who deserve recognition and praise, who beaver away quietly, to ensure that The PILOT is available in the Island churches, and copies are sent out to subscribers.

MOTHERS' UNION
By CAROLE RICHARDSON, Deanery Co-ordinator

AUTUMN is traditionally a time of new beginnings. Children are returning to school and we, refreshed by the summer break, think ahead, perhaps planning for the months ahead, the harvest or even our winter wardrobes!

The Mothers' Union starts again. I think this is a good time for us all to reflect on the past year and to plan head. A lot has happened to the MU on the mainland. We hear of discontent, and have been able to comment on the National Opinion Polls and their views of our Association. Subscriptions will go up once again to £14 (0.85 of this stays in the Diocese to pay for "pool speakers" etc, and £4 of this is for the magazine, once again optional; the remaining money is given towards the upkeep of Mary Sumner House).

The MU has done valuable work "overseas" and this is reflected in the events which our local branches have held in lieu of the usual Annual Overseas Sale. We have an ageing membership, and it is not easy for some branches to hold events, and thanks must go to everyone who did!

I hope you will all support St Martin's who are holding a Bring and Buy in St Martin's Public Hall on 8th October at 2.30 pm and when Dr Michael Marks will give a talk on his work at the Bush Hospital.

I am most glad to be able to tell members that Lady Bailhache has kindly agreed to become our local Vice-President, and we would like to thank her most sincerely for this. It is lovely for us to have a young Vice-President who is very much a "family" person, and one whose family has had "roots" in the Mothers' Union for many years.

GEOFF HOUGHTON submits his Thoughts on the States Strategic Policy Debate

NOTWITHSTANDING our more cynical inclinations, most of us would agree that States members diligently fulfil an onerous responsibility in leading our community. The Strategic Policy Debate, which this year is expected to take place in October, is a key event in which this exercise of leadership is most clearly visible. Even a casual reading of the States Strategic Policy Review and Action Plan reveals the immense practical complexities of governing our Island, balancing many conflicting priorities of its population to create a stable and prosperous community. If nothing else we would certainly want to hold in our prayers States members engaged in this task.

As individual Christians we will no doubt differ in our assessment of the relative effectiveness of particular policy choices made by the States. However, at a more fundamental level, allegiance to the agendas of our Lord remain our crucial shared point of reference. In our fallen state we will not be surprised to find that the kingdom Jesus announced to be at last breaking into this world is at many points in opposition to our priorities which often remain, in the final analysis, in hock to the principalities and powers which He decisively confronted at Calgary.

Enabled by the Spirit we too might now expect to be engaged in various ways in the outworking of these conflicts in ourselves and in the life of our community. With this in mind we might consider, amongst many other issues, the present States stance on Overseas Aid. We are all aware of the scale of deprivation beyond our shores (for example, in the sober estimate of the World Bank, 1.3 billion people live in absolute poverty on less than $1 per day and this number is increasing). Perhaps less well known are the real advances being made in eradicating poverty, for example over the last thirty years global child death rates have been halved

Specifically as Christians we might read poverty statistics as an indictment of our sinful human condition rather 'than an inevitable consequence of economic or natural forces. (We might also be wary of assuming humankind can extricate itself by its own efforts alone.)

But can Jersey as a community afford to participate in global efforts to address this scandal? Emphatically yes. To meet the modest UN target (0.7% of our national income) Jersey would have to contribute about £12 million. Compare this with Jersey's £50 million annual household expenditure on alcohol and tobacco (a figure which incidentally gives some perspective on well meaning but misplaced arguments for us to meet all other requests of States Committees before considering Overseas Aid). In fact we contribute just £2.7 million from a States budget of £378 million. This, in proportion to per capita income, is half that of Portugal and less that any other significant developed country. Luxembourg, which has a broadly similar small country economy, contributes $148 per capita compared to our $50 (or, in terms of national income, 0.38% compared to our 0.14%).

But at the end of the day, whilst comparisons can be revealing they remain rooted in the standards of this world. They do not have the compelling power to turn us around to embrace a new possibility of life. As Christians perhaps more than anyone else would we not hope, like Mother Theresa, to be faithful to wholly different values in our personal lives and, as far as we are able, in this community's priorities? After all, the kingdom which our Lord taught us to pray for may be much more than the liberation from material and political oppression that his contemporaries fervently sought but it is certainly not less.

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, September 1994 – Part 4

The Pilot, September 1994 – Part 4

Parish News

ST MARTIN
From
LAWRENCE TURNER Rector

THE deadline for these notes is Battle of Flowers Day and so they will be finished slightly early and then posted off! This will allow me, as for the past six years, to join in flowering the Parish Float and hoping we have got it right again this year. To me the Battle of Flowers seems to spell the end of the summer and the start of the gradual slide into autumn. Autumn always then leads on to thoughts of the harvest and, naturally, to the Harvest Festival season when we give thanks for God's goodness to us and to all people throughout the year and throughout the world.

Not many people realise that there is no real provision in the Prayer Book for Harvest Thanksgiving. Remarkably, it was only in the last century that such celebrations began to remind us of the many physical blessings bestowed upon us by Almighty God each and every day, season by season, year by year. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the means of keeping warm, the multitude of machines we use in our everyday lives and so many other blessings. I have much sympathy with the idea of not just bringing fruit and vegetables into church for harvest but also machines and a bag of coal as well! Individually we should remember every day but, as a body of Christian people, individual churches set aside one Sunday each year in September or October to remember as a body those blessings not only as individuals but also as a group. In the West we have little need to bother about seasonal fruits as many people do elsewhere in the world since we are privileged to enjoy the fruitfulness of all the earth at all times thanks to modern methods and worldwide transport.

Therefore, I do hope that you will take note of the services detailed below and join with us in our corporate Thanksgiving for the Harvest we all enjoy in so much abundance throughout the year.

HARVEST THANKSGIVINGS. On Sunday 11th September, St Martin's Methodist Chapel will be holding their Harvest Thanksgiving ser-vices. As usual, we are invited to the United Evening Service at 6.30 pm at the Chapel that day. There will be no Evensong in the Parish Church that evening and I hope that many of you will come along to the Chapel and worship there.

Our own Harvest Thanksgiving services will be on Sunday 25th September. Please see the "Services Box" alongside for details. At the United Evensong our Methodist brethren will be joining us as they do each year.

HARVEST LUNCH. Once again we shall be having Harvest Lunches at 12.30 pm, i.e. after the Family Communion, in the Public Hall. For the last three years these have been a great success and have proved a very enjoyable way of raising money to pay our Quota. Tickets will be on sale soon after you read this so please keep an eye out for the announcements.

HOLY DAYS. We shall observe two feast days, both towards the end of the month. On Wednesday the 21st, we remember and give thanks for the life and witness of the Apostle, St Matthew. The other feast, that of Michaelmas, is on Thursday the 29th this year. The Feast of St Michael and All Angels is very dear to my heart as you know, as an old said at every Communion "Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven." There will be a celebration of Holy Communion at 7.30 pm in the Lady Chapel on both those days, as well as the usual 10.30 am Wednesday Communion for St Matthew!

SUNDAY SCHOOL. The summer recess of the Sunday School ends on second Sunday of this month, September 11th. May I remind everyone that the Sunday School meets every Sunday at 10.30 am in the Public Hall and lasts roughly an hour. This means that parents can bring children to Sunday School and attend the 10.30 am church service if they so wish since both start and finish at roughly the same time.

MOTHERS' UNION. We shall meet on Wednesday 14th September at 2.30 pm at Christine de la Haye's and Dr John Taylor, well known to us all, will be asking the question, "Do you have the time?"

FLOWER LADIES. On Thursday 8th September at 8 pm, anyone who is at all interested in helping is invited to meet in church to plan the decoration of the church for our Harvest Thanksgiving. Remember, you don't have to be an expert; enthusiasm and willingness count for a great deal!



ST ANDREWS
From
DESMOND SPRINGHAM Vicar

THANKS. First, a sincere "thank you" to all St Andrew's Church family, and to the clergy and members of other churches, who supported me by your prayers and expressions of best wishes for a speedy recovery. Whilst my time in hospital was short — two days for angioplasty, followed by a few days of taking it easy — yet it makes one realise how important the backing of family, friends, and the Christian family is. It's as though the Lord uses all this human goodwill and the prayer backing to create the right sort of atmosphere or climate to surround the person in need. I have now learned from first-hand experience how important this is. Never think that your attitude, your expressions of goodwill, your prayers don't really count. They are all important. Let's remember this for anyone we know who is in need.

IN MEMORIAM. In July, we dedicated two stained glass windows, in memory of Carol de Gruchy, Mr Phil Jean, and Mr Phil Perchard. It was a very moving service as we remembered the lives of these three dear people, all of whom had been closely linked to St Andrew's. The windows actually came from St James Church, and we are very grateful that they were made available to us. They have been adapted and now fit in very well in St Andrew's Church.

CHALLENGE. Said the sergeant major to the trainee drill instructor as his squad was disappearing off the parade ground: "Say something, even if it is only 'good-bye' !" Well, for last month's PILOT, I felt had nothing to "say" -- I was stumped.

Have you ever tried to put yourself in the shoes of the preacher? He always needs some-thing to say — a message. I understand, that at one service during the revival in Rwanda, one preacher did stand up and say that the Lord had not given him any message, and with that he sat down. As a result, some people were convinced of the genuineness of the Faith and were converted!

In fact, of course, there is plenty to say: we have the written Word of God, and the task of the preacher is to pass on that message. A few weeks ago I found that there was too much to say, and I did not even get to the second reading for that day. Had I done so, provided people had still been "with me," we would have found it particularly challenging.

"Take no anxious thought for tomorrow" —that was part of the reading: "what you shall eat, what you shall put on"; "Your heavenly Father knows . . ." These are Jesus' own words — the One in whom we believe. What does he mean? In the light of the present situation in Rwanda, how do they apply? Can we believe them? There has certainly been no wonderful heavenly answer to the needs of those starving people. Does that mean that the words are not reliable? Should we just ignore them or get rid of this particular passage?

Perhaps the answer is "closer to home," rather simpler: the answer is in our hands. Our heavenly Father knows the needs of these people, and so do we, his well-provided-for children. And many have already been responding to their needs; there is room for greater response. This may be the answer in this particular case.

When God "says something," we can ignore it, gloss over it; but if we start to think about it, then be ready for a challenge.

HOLY BAPTISM. 19th June, Stephen David Robin Tyler; 10th July, Paige Lydia Horgan, Jordan Elliot Paul James; 31st, Chloe Elizabeth Rayson; Siobhan Olivia Hartnoll.

HOLY MATRIMONY. 4th June, Allan McLean to Helen Attenborough; 11th, Craig Berry to Rebecca Horn; 30th, Ruth Manley to Andrew Makinson; 2nd July, Ian L'Amy to Melanie Robson; 30th, Service of Blessing and Thanksgiving for the Marriage of John Long to Anne Taunton; 6th August, Andrew Rodgers to Pamela Whitworth; Andrew Smith to Jillian Fawns.

FUNERALS. 22nd July, Dorothy Gallienne, aged 80; 28th, Annie Shepherd, aged 88.



ST LAWRENCE AND ST MATTHEW
From NEVILLE BEAMER

Rector and Vicar

AT the beginning of last month, we were all saddened by the death of Sidney Lee. We extend our sympathy to his sister Ruby and also to his many close friends. Here is an appreciation given by Alan Gillham:

Sidney Ernest Lee was born in London in 1915. When war broke out he joined the Royal Artillery. Prior .to going to the Egyptian Desert, where he spent most of the war years, he married Muriel and they were a devoted couple until Muriel's death forty years later.

Immediately after the Liberation Sidney did a brief tour of duty in Jersey, and when his military service ended, he took up the position of General Manager at Voisin & Co in King Street, serving the company for thirty-seven years. Together with Tim Voisin, he was instrumental in making Voisins a leading Island retailer and applied this successful business formula to their new store in St Malo, which opened in 1969.

His leisure activity revolved around the world of amateur dramatics, and he and Muriel played a full and active part for many years in the Green Room Club.

Shortly after moving to St Lawrence, they became active members of St Matthew's Church, Millbrook, where Sidney served for many years as Churchwarden, and was then appointed Reader. He had a great love for missionary work and represented the Intercontinental Church Society (Intercon). He was responsible for raising large sums for this work amongst English-speaking people abroad. As Reader, Sidney loved his Lord, and led and preached with much conviction and sincerity at services in Anglican churches throughout the Island. But he was, perhaps, best known for his ministry to visitors at the St Matthew's Summer Songs of Praise services, where people would often comment that the evening had been the highlight of their stay in Jersey.

Sidney Lee was quiet, gracious and humble, with a wonderful sense of humour. It was a joy for many of us to be present at St Matthew's for a very special thanksgiving service for his life, and a great privilege to have known such a lovely Christian man with so great a faith.

AT ST MATTHEW'S on Sunday 18th September at the Family Worship service we will be pleased to welcome the Rt Rev John Perry, Bishop of Southampton. The following Sunday (25th September) is Harvest Thanksgiving, with the morning service at 10.30 am, and at 7 pm Harvest Praise, when we will have with us our former Vicar, Laurie Binder.

AT ST LAWRENCE we will be holding our services of Harvest Thanksgiving on Sunday 2nd October, with a special Harvest Thanks-giving service at 10 am when we will welcome the Very Rev John Seaford, Dean of Jersey. At 6 pm there will be a Harvest Songs of Praise, when it will be good to welcome back our former Rector, Laurie Binder.

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot September 1994 - Part 2

The Pilot, September 1994 – Part 2

St Helier Pilgrimage: A Light-hearted Review

CLERGY-SPOTTERS had a lean time at this year's Pilgrimage to St Helier's Oratory at Elizabeth Castle (writes our special correspondent, Lynceus Le Cahouain). Time past, scores were often high but this year's sightings were few. I espied but a brace of Rectors (5 points each plus a 10 point bonus for one of them being Jersey born and bred - a virtually extinct breed). A Vicar was seen among the pilgrims (4 points minus 2 for being unrobed). Foreign missionaries, not of the Established Church, are not technically admissible but, in these ecumenical times, one might be allowed a couple of points each for the black-robed Presbyterian "Churches Together" gentleman from Bonnie Scotland and the fetchingly red-stoled Dean (RC) who is a native of one of the smaller Channel Islands. In all, a paltry 26 points. Disappointment would not have been so acute, however, had one the more diligently perused the Good Book prior to the peregrination. Did not the prophet Isaiah forecast, "Thou shalt seek them and thou shalt not find them" (Isaiah 41:12

Feeling has recently been rising in the Jersey Clergy-Spotting Society (not to be confused with the more numerous, especially among local journalists, Clergy Baiting Society) Radical elements therein insist that the scoring system be updated. Why, members indignantly cry, should the clergy get all the points? Why not let the laity score, as they do in every other walk of life, more particularly in recent years within Mother Church herself? Spot the Layperson, they insist, would be easier and equally exciting. However, a handicap system would surely be essential. Ten evangelicals could, say, be equivalent to one Christian of more traditional or catholic inclination, in order to reflect the current balance in the Island. Disciples of Dr David Jenkins would attract a negative score while the spotting of an admirer of the views of the Cambridge theologian, Don Cupitt (his canonisation, by the Humanist Society is, by the way, but a matter of time) would result in the loss of all points until the end of the following strictly-to-be-observed Lent.

The formulation of new rules could obviously not be left to the Society itself or even to a Church synod. Nor is it a matter for the States Sport, Leisure and Recreation Committee but for the much weightier and more prestigious Etat Civil. Perhaps Connétable Godel will kindly arrange for a sub-committee to look into this as a matter of urgency.

Readers will agree that this item should take precedence over Deputy Matthews' hare-brained scheme to get people to marry on the beach. How long before a couple and their guests, having failed to decipher the JEP tide-tables, or even to find a copy on the British mainland, arrive to find the tide up? It would have been simpler prior to 1937 when planes landed and discharged their passengers directly onto West Park beach. Jetting in for a brisk exchange of vows would have been child's play in those days. Think of it: two or three minutes on the sands, a few quick snaps of the happy couple on the Servisair steps, then off they could fly to a reception somewhere affordable (but perhaps I've missed the point of enticing people to come to Jersey to wed).

To conclude on an ominous note. Did anyone else spot that English-registered truck labelled "Motorway Maintenance" parked between the Castle and the New Slip on Pilgrimage Day? Is this here in connection with the proposed Island-encircling promenade? One hears a whisper that the new prom will be named the S1 as a tribute to a certain Senator formerly prominent in the stevedoring world. A nice idea even if the inclusion of a multi-lane highway, with link roads to several new golf courses, in addition to the cycle track, might appear a touch grandiose and out of line with this politician's modest aspirations for Island tourism. On the plus side, the copious quantity of rock blasted out during the construction could easily infill the shallow waters between St Martin and Les Ecrehous where we could then build lots of large sheds like those which grace our lovely harbour. Easy access, too, for the TA when further French invasions threaten.

In the meantime, I will keep PILOT readers up-dated on the clergy-spotting front as the situation develops. We live in exciting times

SOME families are blessed with the ability to see the funny side of life and the Secombe family have certainly shared that joy with others in many ways. Fred Secombe, elder brother of "him with the very infectious laughter," has written several books. This new one on my shelf is called 'Hello, Vicar' and is every bit as funny as the three that went before. The story of the clerical outing to. Hereford by car convoy is a gem 'of description - can't you just picture an ancient Ford 8 and "at the wheel was the Reverend Isaiah Jenkins, a tiny garden gnome in his late eighties, with a tendency to drive on the wrong side of the road"? With a start like that you just know that the whole affair is going to be a delightfully hilarious disaster. Warning: this is a "laugh-out-loud" book so be careful where you read it!

Hodder have recently published a lovely gift book called 'Your Baby's Baptism'. It explains the service step by step and shows that the baby is at the start of what can be a life-long relationship with God and the Church family

The book has good watercolour illustrations, a most useful list of books for further reading, and a two-page spread for keeping a record of the day. It is meant as a gift book but would be equally useful to have as a church copy to lend to parents and godparents.

The next book is for those who want to grow and are prepared to work at it, to read, evaluate, reject or accept the ideas put before them. Ronald Rolheiser has written a book called 'The Shattered Lantern' on rediscovering the felt presence of God. "Our churches," he says, "are slowly emptying and, more and more, the sense of God is slipping from our ordinary lives." If you find the first chapter a bit heavy going, break the rules and read the last chapter first and then go back over the beginning.

 

Good things do come in small packages, sometimes. There's a small book of graces, compiled by • Pam Robertson, which contains some real gems. There are children's graces, historical graces, humorous and musical graces and even wedding graces and birthday graces. Mealtimes need never be the same again, or picnics for that matter (p.73).

Those of you who are aware that Christmas is approaching and who are wondering where to look for a suitable 10¬12 minute sketch/play will be glad to know about a book called 'Plays on the Word' by Derek Haylock. It includes eight Christmas sketches. Derek Haylock is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of East Anglia at Norwich

 

The Mother's Union Worldwide
By MARY BEAL, Deanery Chairman

SEPTEMBER seems a long time from July but even so this is the first opportunity to report to you that £1,064 was raised at our Annual Overseas Sale. It never ceases to amaze me that so much is raised in a relatively short time and I do want to say thank you for the work and effort put in to make it so successful, and thank you too to Senator Jean Le Maistre for officially opening it and for spending so much time with us.

The work of the Mothers' Union worldwide continues to grow and it is a privilege that we can be a part (albeit a small part) of a growing and lively Church. Many of our members have a very hard life and the MU is a very important and valuable part of it, particularly so for our members in Rwanda; this is an extract from a Factfile produced by the Central Overseas Chairman, Barbara Lawes:

CHURCH AND MU PERSONNEL

We have very little definite news. Esperence Cyafubire, the former MU worker in Kigali, has been killed together with her five children. The Assistant Bishop of Kigeme, the Rt Rev Alexis Bilindabagabo is dead. Thacienne Karuhije, the present worker in Kigali, went to Tanzania with her five children a few days before the fighting began to nurse her parents. Her husband Alphonse returned to Rwanda and was believed to be in Kigali. Esther Mukabatsinda, MU Worker for Kigeme Diocese, is still in Nairobi following a course there. We have no news of any of the other MU worke7. They are Mrs Irabraruta of Butare Diocese, Mariana Nyiraneze of Byumba Diocese, and Mrs Musabirnana of Shyira Diocese.

Josephine Rwaje, MU Diocesan President of Byumba and wife of Bishop Onesphore, left for the Mothers' Union Provincial Trainers course in Zambia a few days before the fighting began. We have heard that Josephine's husband, the Bishop of Byumba, and their five children (aged between 3 and 13) went South to Gitarama with the Bishop of Kigali and Bishop Jonathon the assistant Bishop, they are staying with the Bishop of Shyogwe. We have no further news of other Bishops or Diocesan Presidents.

Josephine is desperate for definite news of her husband and children which, so far, we have not been able to give. Now the Provincial Trainers course in Zambia has ended and all the other trainees have left for their homes. Sadly there is no way that we can re-unite Josephine with her family at the moment and so, after fax communication with her, the Overseas Department is arranging for Josephine to go to Nairobi in Kenya where there are a number of Rwandese and she thinks there may be news of her husband. We are in negotiation with the College of the Ascension at Selly Oak to arrange a shore course for her there so that she can apply to come to the UK with a student visa. Until such time as she can rejoin her family the Mothers' Union does have an obligation to help and support Josephine, not only financially, but also by surrounding her and her family with our love and prayers.

RELIEF FUND

At the moment there is no way that we can send Relief Fund money to Rwanda. However, as soon as it is possible, we will do so.

Some of the refugees who have managed to escape from Rwanda are in Kagera Diocese in Tanzania. Although many will be in the huge refugee camps, if the usual pattern is followed many will also have gone to relatives. Families of, say, ten will now be caring for perhaps 20 or 30 refugees as well. This Diocese recently also had a huge influx of refugees from Burundi and so the people must be quite desperate for ways of providing the basic necessities of life for so many. Yet such is the hospitality in Africa that they will not turn anyone away. At the Overseas Committee meeting on 10th May it was agreed to send a gift of £10,000 from the Relief Fund to the Bishop of Kagera for Relief work amongst the refugees from Rwanda in his Diocese. If any branch, Parish or Diocese wishes to send donations to the Relief Fund for Rwanda and her people it will be warmly welcomed. However, as usual, the gifts will go from the existing fund rather than waiting for special appeals. Therefore the Overseas Committee would be most grateful if donations could be sent to the Relief Fund rather than earmarked for Rwanda. This will enable us to respond quickly to future emergencies. (Cheques payable to the Mothers' Union please).

As we pray for the people of Rwanda let us also pray for the people of Burundi, just south of Rwanda, made up of the same ethnic groups and experiencing the same problems, many thousands killed, many more are refugees both within and without Burundi, and fearful of what the future holds, that they may be upheld and find relief and comfort

RSCM

THE Royal School of Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, then organist of Westminster Abbey. His vision was for the RSCM to help all engaged in church music to appreciate the spiritual basis of music in worship, to achieve higher standards of music making and to discover the glories of church music. These aims remain the ideals of the RSCM. Sir Sydney summarised his vision in a quotation from 1 Corinthians 14 v. 15. "I will sing with the Spirit and with the understanding also," which became the motto of the RSCM. The RSCM believes that music plays a major part in enriching Christian worship, whatever the tradition or circumstance, and that it should continue to do so.

The RSCM has grown from relatively modest beginnings to the point where it has over 7,000 affiliated churches and schools in the United Kingdom and the English speaking world as well as some 4,000 personal members. Through the ecumenical church music centre at Addington Palace, Croydon, and also through a regional network for local events and training it seeks to help all who are concerned with the Church and its music.

Over the years we have been able to organise a number of local events in the Island and it is with pleasure that we shall be welcoming MR JOHN WARDLE, MA, FRCO (who is the RSCM's Regional Director for the south) to Jersey from 7th to 9th October. During his stay he will be visiting individual affiliated choirs and schools, directing a Choir Workshop on 8th October at St John's Primary School and on Sunday 9th October, directing combined affiliated choirs in Festal Evensong also at St John's Church. It is hoped that individual members of congregations will support their church choirs by attending Festal Evensong, which will also include some congregational hymn singing.

In order to ensure that its work continues to develop and expand the RSCM is appealing for a substantial sum to provide particularly for the needs of a new home; after 40 years it has to leave Addington Palace. 

The Sunday Archive: The Pilot September 1994 - Part 1

The Pilot, September 1994 – Part 1

The Dean’s Letter (John Seaford)

After the respite afforded by August and its lack of committee meetings, the .."Jersey Deanery Conference 1994-1997" will provide an opportunity for us to get back to work. Anyone involved in the Church of England in Jersey is invited to come to the Parish Hall at St Aubin on Wednesday 14th September at 7.30 pm. There, with the help of the Bishop of Southampton and Alec Knight, the Archdeacon .of Winchester, you can help set up a clear strategy for mission and evangelism within the Island, and for the provision of ministry to the people in the parishes.

This chapter in the life of our Church began in March when the Bishop of Winchester spoke about his understanding of what the Church is called to be and do at the present time. He was not despondent, and he did not want a lot of panic measures as if we were confronted by a major crisis. Starting from Easter and its proclamation of victory, with the light of the Easter Candle shining in the world, and our own Baptism in which every Christian is raised to life in the family of the Church, he was very positive about the future.

Obviously there is no single blueprint for every place is different, and the people are unique even within one place. Different congregations have differing ideas of what is the Church, whether it is the meeting of the committed, or a body which exists for the community with membership less formally defined. Whichever model you have, the Church is, as the Bishop said, "a symbol and sacrament of God's presence in the world."

That means the Church in dialogue, listening to the community and speaking to it: hearing when the community now say things like, "teach us to pray," "the people are hungry," "heal my servant," as the people said to Jesus; and saying "do this in remembrance of me," "your sins are forgiven" and many other things, as Jesus said to the people.

This study of the topics, worship, discipleship, commitment, leadership and service, has developed into a need for a strategy for the future. That is why the conference is called "Opportunities for Growth 1994-1997." We shall consider this in three ways: 1, What we are here for; 2, Who we need to do it; 3, What we need to make it possible.

Unlike Christians in many parts of the world, the Church of England appears to have developed a siege mentality. This is not good enough. I am firmly convinced that we must do whatever is necessary at least to maintain, but preferably increase, present levels of ministry, both ordained and lay, across the Deanery. We should not be stampeded into ill-considered economies. We must plan for growth, not just for survival.

In April 1995, the next phase in this project will be for the Chapter to have a residential conference to work out what is the most appropriate models for the Church and the ministry and see how they can work together in a complementary way. In particular we need to see how we can act as enablers and managers of ministry so that there are indeed "opportunities for growth" in the coming years.

There is no such thing as a static Church. It is either developing or degenerating. And that is not just true of the whole body, but of the constituent parts. Most Christians have little influence on the national Church, but only within the congregation or parish/district. I hope your Church will be well represented at the Deanery Conference.

Welcome to new clergy

This month we shall welcome two new priests to Jersey. On Thursday 15th September the Reverend Francis Mason will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of St Martin de Grouville. Francis, with his wife Sian, and their children, Hannah, Emmanuelle, Benjamin and Gabrielle, will be coming from St James' Church, Gerrards Cross, where he is the Senior Curate.

Later, on 26th September, the Reverend Geoffrey Houghton will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of All Sainte Church in St Helier. He with his wife Fran, and their young son Ben, is presently acting as a Chaplain in Cyprus, after serving his title at Sholing in Southampton.

There is no truth in the rumour that they were appointed to the Island solely because they both play cricket and we need to strengthen the clergy team ready to defend the farnous trophy next year in the annual confrontation with the Lawyers!

The Chancel Singers from Royal Tunbridge Wells

ON 24th/25th September the Chancel Singers from Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, are coming to perform in Jersey. By kind permission of the Dean they will be giving a concert in the Town Church on Saturday 24th September at 8 pm and on Sunday they will sing at two services in the morning, Eucharist and Matins.

The choir was formed in 1990 by John Francis and local singer Ginette Burton, who now lives in Tunbridge Wells, was invited to be a founder singer. Since living in England it has been one of her ambitions to bring the choir back home to Jersey.

The singers are led by John Francis, a highly respected organist and choirmaster of some 30 years experience. John has received a Civic Award for services to music in Tunbridge Wells, the Chancel Singers are based.

In the four years that the group has been together they have performed at venues throughout England but this is their first trip "abroad." The choir sing a wide range of music from madrigals to modern arrangements but also specialise in Cathedral music. Their visits have included Westminster Abbey, Portsmouth Cathedral, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Southall Minster, Canterbury Cathedral, St Martin-in-the-Fields and now Jersey. In October they have been invited by the BBC to broadcast a live service from St Paul's, Rusthall.

On the Saturday of their visit the singers are particularly looking forward to giving a concert in aid of Jersey Hospice Care at the Town Church where they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their wide repertoire. In addition to choral items, soprano solos will be sung by Ginette who began her singing training with Pauline de Ste Croix and sang for many years with Amy Luce's Holmchase Choir.

God and the Poets By Tony Keogh

WYSTAN HUGH AUDEN was born at York on 21st February 1907, the third son of a physician who was also a classicist and an antiquarian. His mother, Constance Rosalie Bicknell, was the more powerful influence of his parents and long after her death in 1941, he would judge his actions and sentiments by whether or not they would have met with her approval. She was a devout Anglo¬Catholic.

The Audens were of Icelandic descent and the sagas on which he was brought up greatly influenced all his writings. The name "Wystan" was of a Mercian prince, murdered in 849 after objecting to the marriage of his widowed mother to his uncle, contrary to Canon law: Auden thought it very Hamlet-like. It was given to him partly because Auden's father had been educated at Repton, where the parish church is dedicated to St Wystan.

The family moved to Birmingham when Wystan was a year old as his father was appointed the Schools Medical Officer. After wartime service with the RAMC in some of the most dangerous theatres of war, Dr Auden became part-time Professor of Public Health at Birmingham University. Although Wystan spent five years at St Edmund's School, Hindhead, where he first met his lifelong friend Christopher Isherwood, he was never an English "southerner." The midlands and the north spoke to him much more than the trimmed lawns and leafy suburbs. The industrial devastation and the disused mines and factories came to possess his imagination. As he wrote in a poem of the 1930s, "Letter to Lord Byron":

"Clearer than Scafell Pike, my heart has stamped on
The view from Birmingham to Wolverhampton."

Limestone, not chalk, was his landscape, the Pennines, not the Downs his spiritual home. The poem, "In Praise of Limestone," written in 1948, his own favourite is, in some sense, a personal testimony. The land¬scape moves him as he gazes on it, but also because it symbolises his own tempera¬ment, inconstant: limestone dissolves in water and is secretive with its underground streams and caves. The poem recalls that statues and fountains are made out of limestone rock, which reminds him that:

"The blessed will not care what angle they are regarded from,
Having nothing to hide."

Yet he ends, immediately after, with the supreme gift that limestone has bestowed on him:

. . Dear, I know nothing of
Either, but when I try to imagine a faultless love
Or the life to come, what I hear is the murmur of underground streams, what I see is a limestone landscape."

At thirteen, Auden went to Gresham's School at Holt in Norfolk. He was con-firmed in 1920 and went through a period of Anglo-Catholic enthusiasm which, at Gresham's, he came to suspect as arising from "quite straightforward and unredeemed eroticism." Gresham's religion was "nothing but a vague uplift, as flat as an old bottle of soda water," while most who attended the Anglo-Catholic church in which his family worshipped at home seemed to him in some way handicapped, loving God because no-one else would love them. Christian images began to repel him when they did not seem risible. Yet he continued to go to church and loved singing hymns as he did for the rest of his life. He left school, so he said, "a confirmed anarchist individualist."

He began writing poetry whilst at school and his vocation suddenly dawned on him when a friend asked him what he did. He went up to Christ Church, Oxford, to read Natural Sciences but changed to English. He had a famous conversation with the English don, Neville Coghill, the memory of which appalled him later:

"And what are you going to do, Mr Auden, when you leave University?"

"I am going to be a poet."

"Well, in . . . in that case you should find it very useful to have read English."

(After a silence) "You don't understand, I am going to be a great poet."