The Marlpudlian online

An All Saints Church Marlpool publication

Category: Community

Christianity / Community

Lest We Forget

Every year for as long as anyone living can remember, there has been a national day of remembrance. The day of remembrance is 11th November and the time of remembrance is 11:00am.

Remembrance Day was originally called Armistice Day, the first of which was held on Tuesday 11th November 1919, the  anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended WWI  Today, the day of remembrance is generally held on the Sunday closest to 11th November.

Poppies are a universal flower of remembrance, depicting the field of poppies which covered the fields in Flanders, a major battlefield in World War I.

 So who or what are we called to remember?

Immediately after WWI the act of remembrance focussed on British servicemen and women who had lost their lives in what became known as ‘The Great War’. After the Second world Remembrance was extended to include those lost in that war.

Today, for many, the focus remains on those lost in these two wars but a trip to the National Arboretum demonstrates graphically how may British servicemen and women have died since the end of WWII.

Here are some figures:

880,000 British servicemen died in WWI (2,000 civilians)

Overall (all nations) the estimated death toll was between 22-23,000,000)

383,600 British servicemen and women died in WWII (70,000 civilians)

Overall (all nations) the estimated death toll was between 70-85,000,000, about 6% of the world’s population in 1940.

During 20th and 21st centuries there has been an estimated 187,000,000 deaths as a direct result of wars – this figure is generally thought to be a significant underestimate.

There is surely nobody alive today who remembers the First World War and very few who remember the Second World War. For most of us they are both little more than a part of our history. Remembrance Day can so easily become little more than an annual ritual.  It can sanitise war as something glorious whereas all wars are, by definition, failures; failures of national leaders to resolve issues by mean other than trials of strength and sacrifice of proxies (those sent to fight). 

The phrase ‘Lest we forget’ should not be limited to remembering the dead but in remembering the insanity that led to their deaths.  Wars will never end wars (there have only been a few very short periods without any conflict worldwide since 1945).  

Community / Something for everyone / Topical

Is stress a way of life?

Stress is part of everyday life and living. It can make you feel exhausted, unable to cope and in a state of flight response plays a critical role in how we deal with stress and danger in our environment. Essentially, the response prepares the body to either fight or flee the threat. It is also important to note that the response can be triggered due to both real and imaginary threats.

Understanding the body’s fight-or-flight response is one way to help cope with such situations. When you notice that you are becoming tense, you can start looking for ways to calm down and relax your body. These activities are for new ways to cope with stress.

GET OUTSIDE – being outside in nature is great for wellbeing. Going for a short walk or sitting in a green space can have an extremely calming effect on how we feel. Just sit and listen to the birds, focus on their different sounds, take in deep breaths and you feel so much better. Try gardening – as it can also have a positive impact on our brain chemistry, influencing the release of serotonin and cortisol, which help us feel good. For many gardeners, a daily stroll around the garden is one of the most enjoyable things to do. It allows you a peaceful moment to see what has grown or changed.

TRY SOMETHING CREATIVE – When we’re doing something creative, we’re using a different part of the brain to where stress is occurring. Even for 5 minutes, being creative can help to relieve feelings of pressure. You could draw, doodle, sew, sing, paint.

EXERCISE – (yes, I know, everyone says exercise) even the thought of it will make you feel more stressed, but it is a very effective way to combat stress. When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which help us feel good. (and you don’t have to spend hours in the gym), you could go for a walk or jeffing (jeffing is walking for 60 seconds and a light jog for 60 seconds), it’s been proven that this helps your heart too, and any exercise that gets your heart pumping even a little, daily is good for you. Dancing is another form of exercise, listening to your favourite music and dance away to it. PRACTICE MINDFULLNESS – Noticing your emotions and gaining a sense of perspective on them. It’s typically done by sitting or lying down in a quiet place and focussing on your breathing. This enables you to focus on the present moment and gradually let go of outside thoughts and distractions. (When I do this, I pray). It’s the ability to be fully present and fully engaged with whatever you are doing in the moment. Start by noticing things in your immediate surroundings such as smell, touch, sounds, taste, and sight – this can help to ground you. There are lots of free apps on the internet and on YouTube to help you start mindfulness practice.

WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS – You’re not writing with the aim of anyone reading it, just for yourself to get down on paper what you’re feeling. This can be a big stress reliever. Listen to music, and try some classical music at night, this can help you relax.

ALLOCATE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF AND DO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY – When we’re busy it’s easy to eliminate the things we enjoy from our schedule. But these are the things which help us to relieve stress.

TALK TO SOMEONE – As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved. Speaking to a friend, loved onTaken from an article in the Grapevine Erewash Mag, adapted by Christina J Ashcrofte, colleague or therapist can help you lighten the stress you may be feeling.

Taken from an article in the Grapevine Erewash Mag, adapted by Christina J Ashcroft

All Saints Church / Community / What's Happening at All Saints

Do you need some space?

From the outside, All Saints church may look like any number of other churches. But inside it is Tardis like!

Let’s begin on the first floor. Up one flight of stairs is the hall. This is an ideal space for any number of activities and, depending on the usage, can accommodate up to around 60 people. Although it can’t compete with the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, the hall does have a slightly sprung floor so is ideal for dance classes, tea dances, barn dances and the like as well as keep fit, Zumba and similar. Attached to the hall is a fully fitted kitchen so catering for parties and group meals is not a problem. There is also a disability access toilet on the same floor.  Need space for a formal meeting? The hall has good acoustics for speech and there are tables and chairs available. Is it warm enough? – The hall is in effect a ‘pod’ within the main building. It has a well insulated ceiling and a central heating system independent of the rest of the building.

On the ground floor, there are four rooms of various sizes; the smallest is the ‘Tower Room’. This is a cosy room set out with sofas and chairs and is ideal for small meetings or one-to-one sessions. Next is the ‘Meeting Room’ which is approximately 4.5 m x 4.5m and will comfortably hold around twelve people. There is a piano in this room so it could be used for a rehearsal space for a small choir or music ensemble.

Then there is the ‘Narthex’ (yes I know – what does that mean? It’s a churchy word meaning a space separate from the main church area – blame the architect!).  This is a long thin area but is actually bigger than it looks. it is connected to a small kitchenette and has an adjacent disability access toilet. There is also a piano in this space.

And finally, there is the main body of the church. This will hold 150+ people and has superb musical acoustics so is ideal for performance by choirs, orchestras, bands and other forms of performance as well as large meetings (there is a sound reinforcement and loop system).  There is a third toilet in the entrance hall. Oh, and there is yet another piano in the area as well as a very good pipe organ.

If you think that you could make use of any of these spaces then please get in touch. There is a set range of charges depending on the space required but we also want to make the building available as a community facility as far as possible. To this end, we are prepared to discount room charges for non-profit activates and for start-up initiatives.

If you are interested in using any of our rooms please get in touch with Janice by email: janicearogers7@gmail.com, ring the church office on:  07756 555101 or messages us on Facebook (you’ll find the link on the home page).

Community / What's Happening at All Saints

Rainbows

Rainbows is the most junior branch of the Guiding organisation catering for girls aged between 4 and 7 years.

At Rainbows the children learn new skills, obtain badges when they reach a level of expertise and most important of all, have fun together in a safe environment with trained leaders and volunteers.

A branch of Rainbows meets weekly at All Saints on Wednesday evenings between 6:00 and 7:00pm.

For more details go to: Rainbows (4-7) | Girlguiding

Community

Refugees in Derby

Expect a big welcome when you arrive at Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity (DRS) in the church hall of St Anne’s , an amazing Victorian church surrounded by modern flats in the West End of Derby.  

DRS (Charity no. 1179384)  began in September 2015 in response to the pictures of a young Syrian boy called Alan Kurdi whose body was washed ashore in Turkey. He drowned with his brother and mother crossing the Aegean sea. Since then its estimated around 22,000 people have lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in small boats.

Three Derby women started collecting clothes and food to send to asylum seekers living in the Calais ‘Jungle’ and DRS was born.

Eight years on and we still collect clothes and blankets, sleeping bags, tents and anything else needed by other charities working in northern France.

As more asylum seekers  cross the English channel in conditions equally dangerous to those in the Mediterranean , some  are relocated to hotels and a hostel in Derby. When they hear about DRS they gravitate towards St Annes where stories are shared, languages learned and friendship formed.

No one is turned away and everyone is welcomed with a smile and a cup of tea.

Our friends are from around the world particularly , Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Palestine,  Eritrea and Ethiopia , Sudan and Sth Sudan,  Namibia and Nigeria.

Our most popular and arguably most important activity is our English lessons, where there are opportunities to expand vocabularies and build confidence in English speaking.

Our volunteers can also  be found making music, digging and eating at the allotment, playing sports, mending bikes and voluneering in the community.     

We now see more than 100 people twice a week from across the Derbyshire  and sometimes surrounding counties.  We are all volunteers and rely on donations of funding and supplies in order to provide our welcome to Derby.

Occasionally surplus cash is sent to other grassroots charities helping refugees in France, Greece, Palestine and Bangladesh  as well as a sea rescue boat in the Mediterranean.

We’ve also contributed to the legal fees to challenge the Home Office plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

DRS operates from St Anne’s every Thursday and Saturday morning. If you’d be interested in donating, fundraising or volunteering with us, please contact julie@derbyshirerefugeesolidarity.org  or steve@derbyshirerefugeesolidarity.org.  or visit our website, http://derbyshirerefugeesolidarity.org/