Old Parish Magazines

of St James A. & M.

Issue No 

Vicars Letter

My Dear Friends,
My first letter to you for some time. May the New Year bring to all of you happiness and good health. May it bring to our Church a period of re-consecration and consequent good-will. The realisation of our duty to our God is the only way to bring about the ability to do our duty to one another.

You and I fail to "love our neighbour" in proportion as we fall short in loving our God.
When two persons are at variance, the only way to become truly reconciled is through God.

Most of us listen to, or read in the papers, the Archbishop's appeal to the nation for a return to God and religious observances as a sure means of national prosperity. I make the same appeal to you who read these words of mine for a re-consecration of your lives to the service of God, for an act of re-union in religious observances. This means that we shall, in the first place, be willing to kneel together in acts of worship to our God, and in doing, shall be, both you and I, enabled to live and work together in the service of a common God. If we will agree to love and serve the same God together. I am certain we can love and serve one another.

Isn't it worth trying? Let us become more practical. There are 5 Sundays in January. Why not make the experiment and use these Sundays in a "come back to Church" movement? A real effort, a united effort, a united effort to effect a parochial re-consecration. I don't mean a superficial act of condescension to come to Church because I have asked you to, but a real sincere longing to be loyal to God in the certain hope that we may be enabled to be more loyal to one another.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with thy soul, and with thy mind, and with all thy strength" and then and only then, you will be able to love your neighbour.
Under these conditions my wish for you all will be quickly fulfilled and, under God's will, may health be also yours.
Your Sincere friend and vicar,
ARTHUR M. PARR

Visit of Sir John Birchall

Sir John D. Birchall, M. P. is Hon. Secretary and Treasurer of the Gloucester Diocesan Board of Finace. He is also a member of the Diocesan Dilapidations Board, and the Gloucester Diocesan Trust. He will be visiting Bream on Saturday, January 16th and willspeak at a Meeting at the C. of E. School at a time which will be announced later. The question of paying the Parochial Quota is an important one in every parish and I hope that the opportunity of hearing the facts from one who is such an eminent authority will be embraced by all. Questions are invited and a very helpful discussion should arise.

FARTHING FUND
Eric Brookbanks, 4; Tom Beach 1; Arthur Brookbanks 2; Sheila Cooper 4; Ivor Windridge 30.

CHILDREN'S CORNER
The following are asked to be responsible for the care of, and the provision of flowers, in the Corner during January
Jan. 3 - Joyce Watkins and Joyce Brain.
Jan. 10 - Clifford Parr and Michael Hirst.
Jan. 17 - Monica Worgan and Hazel Moore.
Jan. 24 - Ivor Windridge and Arthur Brookbanks
Jan. 31 - Elsie Webb and Rita Price.

HOLY BAPTISM
" Members of Christ"

Dec. 27 - Royston John, son of Thomas and Gertie Batten.
Douglas Edward, son of Edward and Kathleen Morse.
Jennifer Margot, daughter of George and Emma Tye.

HOLY MATRIMONY
" Heirs together in the Grace of Life"

Nov. 28 - Hector Wilfred Ward and Cissie Gwendoline Martin.

Dec. 26 - Ernest Henry Letheren and Hilda Caroline Jones.

CHRISTIAN BURIAL
" The care of them is with the Most High"

Dec. 3 - Thomas Laurie McMillan, aged 43 years.

Dec. 6 - Bessie Young, aged 47 years.

Dec. 8 - Bernard Maurice Miles, aged 9 months.

I would like to express my sympathy with the the relatives of those whose deaths are recorded this month. Mr. McMillan was not very well known to many of us, but I understand that his sufferings were very intense, and in such cases there must come a feeling of thankfulness for a release from such acute pain. "God himself shall be with them ... neither shall there be any more pain." Rev. 21.
Mrs.Young too had passed through a long and trying illness, bravely borne as I can testify. "Peace, perfect, peace."
The sudden and tragic death of little Bernard Miles seems less easy to understand. God is love, and loves little children, " for of such is the kingdom of God."