Old Parish Magazines

of St James A. & M.

Issue No 

Bream Vicarage
26th May, 1937.

My dear Friends,
With Trinity Sunday gone, the Church settles down to that long period of Sundays after Trinity—25 in number. Green is the colour associated with those Sundays, with the exception of the ninth Sunday after Trinity, which coincides with the festival of St. James, when the colour is red a day of special signifcance to us in Bream, our Patronal Festival. These Sundays after Trinity should serve to remind us that the Church gives us this opportunity of “growing in grace,” just in the same way as in nature it is a period of progress and growth, culminating in the perfection of flower and fruit.
We must guard against the tendency to drift or get slack, but rather let us build up and prepare ourselves for a fresh start when the startling cry of Advent calls once again.
Your sincere friend and Vicar,

ARTHUR M. PARR.

THE CORONATION SERVICE
A wet evening on May 9th tended to spoil the attendance at the Service of Prayer and Dedication on that Sundav evening. In spite of the weather the British Legion and the Girl Guides were well represented at the Service, both Bream Sections of the former joining the Procession with their Standards ( that of the Women’s Section having been dedicated at Evensong on the previous Sunday). The Bream Silver Band attended and accompanied the singing of the hymns. The Service was a most impressive one, and was rendered with all due ceremony and with great heartiness. I think we all regretted the inclement weather.
Although rain fell in London on the day of the Coronation, we were favoured with fine, if somewhat dull and threatening, weather, and the local celebrations were all carried through as arranged.
The Church was flood-lit for the whole week. This by the free supply of power by the West Gloucestershire Power Co. Ltd.—for which many thanks—and by the kindness and skill of Mr. Horsley who voluntarily undertook all the work and provided all the material. I should like to thank him, and at the same time congratulate him, for the excellent effect he produced. I understand that large numbers of people made special journeys to the Church and most of them were loud in their praises of the wonderful effect. I, for one (and I have reason to believe very many others) was proud to see our Church flood-lit and made to stand out so prominently in the surrounding darkness, but there were some (very few, I should imagine) who thought otherwise.
Have you heard this one?
The floodlighting of the Churchyard was fresh evidence that the Vicar thinks more of the dead than the living. I have no further comment to make here.

ALTAR FLOWERS.
During June these will be arranged by Mrs. Parr, and during the following month by Miss Williams.

CHILDREN’S CORNER.
The following are asked to be responsible for the care of, and the provision of flowers in, the Corner during June
June 6—Betty Moore and Dorothy Miles.
June 13—Godfrey Meek and Royston Morgan.
June 20—Eileen Williams and Phyllis Parr.
June 27—Reuben Lucas and Ramsey Cooper.

FARTHING FUND
Eric Brookbanks, 2; Billy Beach, 1; Kenneth Davies, 36.

HOLY BAPTISM.
“ Members of Christ.”
May 9—Dulcie Helen, daughter of Amos and Lily Jones.
May 16—Donald Austin, son of Austin and Doris Meek.
May 16—Marjorie Eliza, daughter of Austin and Doris Meek.
May 16—Beryl May, daughter of Austin and Doris Meek.
May 16—John and Jean, twins of Austin and Doris Meek.
May 16—Greta Margaret, daughter of Richard and Margaret James.

CHRISTIAN BURIAL
“ The care of them is with the Most High.”
May 6— Emily Wildin, aged 74 years. 8—Phoebe Elizabeth James, aged 61 yrs.
May 19—Graham John Hoare, aged 5 months.
May 20—Esther Clementina May Markey, aged 23 years.
May 23—Mary Jane Watkins, aged 76 years.

CHURCHYARD ANNUAL APPEAL.
This has not yet been completed, but I am able to say that the response has been very gratifying and few people now would rather see the Churchyard become what it once was – a neglected, untidy, uncared for garden.
The care of individual graves is naturally a matter for relatives to see to themselves, as an act of devotion and love to those whom they have lost. In many cases these duties they cannot personally carry out and so pay for that care to be given to those graves that they wish to have tended. This payment, it is clear, is for services rendered and it would seem as if such payments cannot he considered as donations to the upkeep of the Churchyard as a whole.
There are many general expenses in connection with the Churchyard. I would like to mention just a few of them. The cutting of the grass with the machine wherever the surface makes the practicable, and so enabling most graves to he reached even in wet weather without having to wade through grass knee- deep.
The periodic cutting of all long grass on all graves which greatly adds to the general tidiness of the whole Churchyard.
The provision of water for the free use of all who want it for vases on the graves.
The removing at regular intervals of the rubbish which accumulates in a surprising in manner.
It is towards the cost of this and other such things that we appeal annually to the village as a whole to make some contribution, according to their ability or desire.

CHOIR SOCIAL (Contributed)
There was an excellent atmosphere and happy company at a Social in the Church School in aid of the Choir Boys’ Summer Outing. During the evening we all enjoyed various jolly games. One guessing competition caused much merriment. The names of twelve well known shops in the High Street, Bream, were written on a black-board, but the letters of the names had been put in their wrong order. Of the twelve names, Miss Rita Pryce discovered ten. The refreshments were good, the whole of the food was baked by the mothers, a very creditable achievement. The cakes were inadvertently advertised as being “light.” They were far from that, although they were certainly not “heavy” being of Bream home-made. They were excellent anyhow, and the equal of a good tea. The proceeds amounted to over £2, a very useful figure. The winner of the box of chocolates was Mrs. H. Lucas, and Mr. Len Worgan won the box of cigarettes. Mr. E. Young took full charge of the piano and was kept busy throughout the evening.

HOLY BAPTISM
A glance at the Baptism returns for May will show that on Sunday, 16th May, the entire members of a family received the Sacrament together— five children in all, which included twins. Almost a record, I should imagine.

OBITUARY
By the deaths of Emily Wildin and Mary Jane Watkins there are removed from our midst members of two old and well known Bream families. The Church have lost a valued and liberal supporter, for although indifferent health I prevented Mrs. Wildin from being a regular worshipper for some years, she was always ready to help forward Church work in other ways. We shall miss her.
The passing of Mrs. Watkins is for her a release from a long continued period of suffering, very patiently borne, for which we cannot but thank God. Our sympathies go out to her relatives and especially to those nearest to her who nursed her so devotedly for so long a time.
Again, we have to record the death of a little one. Mr. and Mrs. Hoare have suffered a loss by losing their son and only child, and yet other mound is raised in the Children’s Corner in the Churchyard.
The burial of Phoebe James has meant the bringing back of her remains to her old Parish and her burial at Bream recalls to our mind the fact that the Parish Church still maintains its right of being looked upon as “ home.”
Esther Markey, aged 23 years. Our sympathies are quickened and go out to her sorrowing relatives and especially to her husband and widowed mother. “The days of man are but as grass: for he flourisheth as a flower of the field.”