A Letter from the Vicar

rchbishop Temple is reputed to have said, "The Church is the only organisation which exists primarily for its non-members." Why's that then?

It's because God wants to be in relationship with every human being that he has created – created in his image. History is 'his story' in which he has revealed himself through his relationship with the people of Israel, then through the life of Jesus his son and through his relationship with his disciples - Jesus said "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) - and today through the life of the Church which shares its relationship with Jesus with those outside the life of the Church.

Some of Jesus' last words on earth were: "go and make disciples of all nations".

During the month of September we are endeavouring to be obedient to those words of Jesus in a number of ways.

On Sundays 5th and 12th of September in St. Peter`s Church at 9.30am, we will be running a Sunday School for children under 11 years old as a trial – come along and give it a try – we want to equip children with knowledge about God and Jesus, and how to live with them as part of our lives, making sense of all the challenges we face in life.

On Thursday 23rd September at 7pm we are holding an ALPHA taster evening in the Wave Café in Coverack at 7pm. There will be a buffet meal, and then the opportunity to watch a DVD presentation about the ALPHA course, with no obligation to enrol on it. ALPHA is about asking questions and exploring together the meaning of life. It's a place to ask questions you've always thought perhaps you couldn't ask or that you think people would prefer you not to ask!! Come along, give it a try – there will be no hard sell, just an invitation to explore.

On Sunday 26th September, both our main services - 9.30am at St. Peter`s Church, Coverack and then at the Parish Church in St. Keverne at 11 am - will be following the national 'Back to Church' campaign. We want to invite anyone who used to come to church but for all sorts of reasons haven't for a while, to 'come back' and try it for one Sunday. We want to invite them to see what they may have been missing and be offered the opportunity to think about coming again.

These events are in addition to all the regular activities in our church life which aim to serve others in the name of Jesus Christ, such as 'Good Companions', the Bible Studies and Communion services in Polventon and Porthgwara, 'Little Fishes' in St. Peter`s Church Hall, the Cream Teas and 'FUSION'.

Our prayer is that we will demonstrate a real commitment of love to God and each other, and to the world around us.

God bless you

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The Book Page

Gonville ffrench-Beytagh 1912-1991, was born in Shanghai, educated in England and spent his early life in New Zealand as a tramp and casual labourer. He then went to South Africa and was ordained priest, but fell foul of the authorities and was tried for subversion. He was convicted but later released on appeal. He then came to England and wrote Encountering Darkness about his experiences. He finally settled as Rector of St Vedas-alias-Foster in the City of London, where he was much in demand as a preacher and retreat leader.

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'A Glimpse of Glory': 1986 Darton, Longman and Todd. Here is a fresh, lively, realistic book on prayer. As Dean of the Anglican Cathedral in Johannesburg, the author's concern for black Africans was seen as treason and he faced persecution and imprisonment; this experience underlined a sense of God's overwhelming demands which, like his joyful sense of God's glory, is never far away. His book draws on this to teach us about the many aspects of prayer, both private and public.

This book can be obtained - new or secondhand - from Amazon or from your local library or your favourite bookseller.

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A prayer for morning... and for evening

O God, who divides the day from the night, separate our deeds from the darkness of sin, and let us continually live in your light, reflecting in all that we do your eternal beauty.

O God, who gives the day for work and the night for sleep, refresh our bodies and our minds through the quiet hours of night, and let our inward eyes be directed towards you, dreaming of your eternal glory.

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A Fantastic Afternoon

hat a glorious afternoon we had on 28th July when a Cream Tea was held in the garden at Chy-un-Lur. We were blessed with perfect weather - warm summer sun and a cooling breeze - and did indeed get the "steady stream" of both visitors and local folk for which we had hoped (as opposed to a "big rush"!). People seemed very happy to sit around and chat whilst enjoying the delicious home made scones, Cornish jam and cream and endless cups of tea! One visiting couple, who had been walking all day, were quite delighted to come upon the sign at the gate and refreshed themselves with several cups of tea, leaving a handsome donation.

The venture was a most worthwhile effort, raising £190 for Joyce, the wife of Rev. Jeremiah Acelun in Uganda. This will be added to other monies collected to help her stabilise her fledgling business of a second-hand clothes shop. Thank you so much to everyone who supported us.

Ruth & Pauline

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East Lizard Helpline.

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Neighbours rush to Rosemarie's aid

eighbours rushed to help Rosemarie Howgate when a fire broke out in her front garden in Porthoustock. With hoses and buckets of water they were able to contain the blaze until the Fire Brigade arrived.

Although there was no formal investigation, it is thought likely that the blaze was caused by a cigarette end carelessly thrown from a passing car. The heat was ferocious and burnt the Pampas grass right down to the roots.

Rosemarie said: "It could have been far worse as there is a telegraph pole adjacent to my garden and also a privet. The flames were very high with bits flying off everywhere and the smoke was very thick. Thank goodness nobody was hurt and the thatched roof to the nearby bungalow didn't catch light as well."

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Surviving Awkward Orchids

n our house there are twenty six Orchids, half are resting, half are flowering. Many have three stems, with up to thirty blooms on each. They are of different groups and varieties, but all seem to appreciate having their compost soaked in tepid water, with added Baby Bio, for 2 - 3 hours every week to ten days. Baby Bio Orchid feed seems to have the same composition as the standard BB but is half as strong. A light position on window sills or near strong light seems to encourage strong growth and they can stay in flower for 3 - 4 months.

Miniature Orchids, bought cheaply at the Super Market, grow to medium size quite quickly and large beautiful Orchids showing signs of neglect and drought after a fortnight at a well known German owned outlet, can be picked up almost free and soon recover when watered. Garden centres, of course, have more choice, but are expensive. But occasionally, green grocers sell some beauties at remarkably low prices.

They are easy to repot, using Orchid compost or split into two or three, and they do make lovely presents.
(Kay Paterson)

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Parish Of St. Keverne 'Pastoral Care Team'

Do you or someone you know and care about, need a confidential listening ear? Maybe the 'Pastoral Care Team' can help. For more information, please contact::-

Sue Bray, the Pastoral Care Team Coordinator on 01326 280459, or

Tony Whitaker, the Vicar, on 01326 280227.

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Good News Shared at OX Roast & Flower Festival.

team of eight under the banner of 'Ambassadors for Christ' gathered in St. Keverne Church to be obedient to Christ's command, to go out and spread the 'GOOD NEWS'. The team came from as far as St Austell, Falmouth, Porthleven, The Lizard, Coverack and St. Keverne.

Conversations and prayers flowed throughout the seven hours bringing many people closer to a living personal relationship with God through His one and only Son Jesus Christ.

This was made easier this year because many people's hearts were opened by the wonderful display in the church, of the many fantastic flower arrangements with their personal messages. Lots who were spoken to remarked about the welcome, peace, prayerful and spiritual atmosphere that met them in the interior of the church building.

Very few rejected listening to the advantage of receiving a personal relationship with Jesus which would result for them to start now having a real living Christian faith. Many locals and visitors were open to receive prayer and accepted various forms of Christian tracts and literature. Lots showed their thanks for taking the trouble to explain and help them in their search for the real purpose to life which can only be fully found through receiving Jesus as a personal friend and saviour.

It was a great joy to listen and exchange personal stories of faith and even why there was at times a lack of faith. As always, number of those spoken to were confused about the Christian faith, through lack of knowledge, lack of understanding, bad experiences, with the result of driving them to continue just to live for today and look after 'number one'. For many there is nothing after this life. This is why the Alpha Course is so important and such a good form of outreach and teaching.

Incidentally, any Christian is welcome to apply to become an active 'Associate Member of Ambassadors for Christ' and also to join this strong and growing team of witnesses throughout Cornwall which is a ministry of AFC under the banner of 'Impact'. Please contact Howard Bray by e-mail, or speak to him personally.

The day ended as it started, with the team praying and thanking the Lord for all His goodness, and the eight went their various ways to their homes, tired, happy and rejoicing.

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Nikki And Me

ikki and I have had an eventful year so far. She celebrated her 6th birthday on the 31st' August, and as a 'Team', we passed our annual visitation from Guide Dogs with 'flying colours'. We are still mainland Great Britain's most southerly Guide Dog Partnership!!!

In my role as a registered Speaker for Guide Dogs, we made our first visit to Mullion CP School in the Spring and she was a real hit with the reception and first year classes. She loved all the attention and the children asked some very good questions. We have also, this last week, been to the Chasewater W.I., where my blonde friend was very well received!!! We are awaiting another school date further west and will be speaking to a regular Lunch Club Group in Falmouth in November.

She is always with me when I go to Church, and someone commented last week that she must be the most spiritual dog in the County. One of her favourite places is Retallack's Butcher Shop. All the wonderful smells of meat. In fact, it is one of those places that she will try to guide me to if I am passing that way when I am out visiting.

Further a field, we have been to Wales, Suffolk, Spring Harvest at Minehead and a lovely week in the Wye Valley, where among other things, she accompanied us on a boat trip on the River Wye.

We are one of 67 Guide Dog Partnerships in the County, with others in training or waiting for another dog. Her health is very good and her wagging tail when she is 'in harness' indicates that she is happy in her work. I regularly give thanks to God for the gift of this lovely animal that keeps me safe and enables me to be independent.
(Sue Bray)

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Door of Heaven

An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief finally asked him, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" The boy thought it over and said "Well, I'll just run in and out, and in and out, and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says 'For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"

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St. Keverne Educational Foundation

pplications are invited for Financial Help
For pupils attending school or college (other than elementary) or for attending to the health or physical condition of children attending elementary school in the Parish.

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he opportunity has arisen for Allotments
To be created in St. Keverne. They would be two minutes from the Square with a rent of £40 per annum, which will include water. We will need 20 applicants to make these allotments viable (we have 10 names as we go to press).

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For both Financial Help and Allotments, further information can be obtained from the Trust's Administrator, Kathleen Dewar, by e-mail.
Both applications for financial support and interest in a possible allotment should be with Kathleen Dewar by 31st October.

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Points to Ponder

...if you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

...if you can attend a church meeting without fear, harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

...if you have food in the 'fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of the world.

...if you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish somewhere... You are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

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St. Keverne Gardener`s Society

Tomatoes
he original tomato was currant-sized and found in South America.. It grows wild in Peru, Ecuador and Chile, and there is no evidence that the natives ever used them in their diet. They were eaten by birds and animals however, and, due to the resilience of the tomato seed, were widely propagated via their digestive tracts. (Note: free tomato plants are to be found in our sewage farms). Having appeared in Central America, the locals experimented with these bitter-tasting little berries and found them very useful in sauces (salsas). When the Spanish invaded Mexico, they collected and distributed tomato seeds around their empire, and so these primitive plants were grown in the West Indies, southern American states, the Philippines - and Europe. The original European varieties were mainly yellow, hence the Italian name 'pomodoro' - golden apple - which mutated to `ponme d'amore', due to their alleged aphrodisiac properties. I prefer this theory (mine) to the suggested corruption to `pomme del Moro' - Moor's apple - Morocco being the commercial source of tomatoes at this time.

Still in the 16th century, European herbalists noted that the leaf shape of the tomato resembled that of the nightshades, and from this association, assumed that they were poisonous.

In England, they were grown ornamentally in one or two of the big houses and also, in about 1590, in the garden of the College of Physicians in Holborn. The superintendent, one John Gerard, known primarily today for his publication `Gerard's Herbal' in 1597, in which he describes the tomato as `ranke, stinking and poisonous'. This rubbish dominated views in England and America for 200 years.

Gerard was a pretty dubious character and certainly not a genuine gardener or botanist. In America there is a fable that, to scotch the story of the poisonous tomato, one Robert G. Johnson, on 30th September 1820, publicly ate tomatoes and lived to tell the tale. In fact this story was started by one. William Caspar in 1906, who claimed to be related to Johnson. What he did not reveal was that his family had been in the tomato canning business for 60 years.

Today, there are over 7000 varieties of tomato, and each year, many more hybrids are introduced. The tomato is the most popular vegetable in both Europe and the USA.

(Roger Pearce)

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The first meeting of our new season of talks will take place on 10th September, when Elizabeth Reeves will be telling us about Alpines. We look forward to welcoming a good number of members and visitors.

(PDB)

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The Mystery of Traboe Cross

eaders may recall that in the June edition of The Beacon there was an extract of a letter from The Milestone Society, asking if anyone knew if the 'arms' of the signpost were ever removed for refurbishment, and whether they were stored somewhere and recently fitted.

Two readers responded — Michael Tregenza of Polventon Parc and Barbara Coad on the Porthallow road — to say that during the Second World War the signpost had been taken down so that if there was an invasion, the Germans wouldn't know where they were. Michael also said that there had been a rumour that the 'arms' had been buried somewhere. So the mystery of the pre-2005 'arms' continues.

If you have any information about the Toy's Foundry 'arms', please let the editor know.