Bracknell Mayor to open May Fair

Well another month has come and gone with more speed that it should have and now we are into the silly season for the May Fair!
We are very pleased to be able to say that the Bracknell Forest Mayor, Jacqui Ryder, has agreed to do us the honour of opening this year's fair. We have asked her to wear a very large hat due to the wonderful weather we have been planning but I think she may put an umbrella in the car!!

The flavour of the day is a bit like a sports day but with hopefully a little more to keep everyone interested. We have all our normal attractions and hope a few surprises mixed in. It should be a fun day for all the family right in the village - fingers crossed about the weather.

Your help is now desperately needed in a number of key areas:-
1. Raffle Tickets. This generates a lot of the May Fair Income. Each member of the parish will be given tickets to sell, please pick yours up from the foyer. Please try to get your friends to support us. We will also be selling tickets outside Somerfield on Saturdays 22nd and 29th April.
2. Plant Stall - We rely on you to give your spare plants, cutting and seedlings to the May Fair (please bring to the Fair). Get your advanced orders, for our nursery plants, in as early as possible as we want to make sure we have enough for everyone. See below.
3. White Elephant - I hope everyone has done their spring cleaning by now and you all have a mountain of stuff you no longer need. Please bring it down to the church so we can begin to collect up the items. Remember if some items are too large or heavy then we can arrange collection
4. Chocolate, bottle and luxury item tombola - we need those cupboards to be empty so hunt out those little items which will make someone's day. Again items to the church please.
5. Books and Toys - all gratefully received bring them down as well.
6. Cakes - If you have not already put your name down on the MU cake baking list please do offer to do some home baking. One of the great successes of the fair is always those items you enjoy when you get home and there is nothing like a freshly baked cake! You can tell I'm a big fan…look at the waist-line!
Last and by no means least we need you to fill the gaps in the stall rota so please make sure you put your name forward.

We continue to struggle in a few areas due to changes in those organisations who have traditionally helped.
We currently need someone to print the programme for us. If no one steps forward then it will cost a large amount and reduce our profits significantly. If you know of any possible printer please contact us.

Finally we have lost one of our main corporate sponsors - how dare people change jobs! - so we need to fill a very big hole already. Many companies do offer the opportunity for their employees to apply for match funding if they are involved in raising money for a charity or good cause. Could everyone on the stalls please ask the question at work if this is possible. A big thank you to those who have already.
So we may not break last years record but all on the May Fair Committee are working hard to make this event something St John's and Crowthorne will be proud of - please lend us what support you can.

PLANT STALL Don't be disappointed order your bedding plants in advance! Last year we sold out of plants at the May Fair and many people were disappointed. Plan ahead and take advantage of our pre-ordering scheme whereby you can order plants for collection at the Fair (minimum order £10). We will be selling top quality plants at reasonable prices. Please buy your bedding plants through the church. Order forms are available in the foyer.

On Tuesday 4th April at 8 p.m. we welcome Mr. Richard Day who will be speaking about Fire and Restoration at Windsor Castle
Our afternoon meeting on Wedsnesday 12 April falls in Holy Week and we are very pleased to welcome Gillian Gyenes who will leading our thoughts for Holy Week. The meeting starts at 2.15pm.
There will not be a Prayer Meeting this month as this falls on Easter Monday but Corporate Communion will be celebrated on Wednesday 26th April at 10.00a.m.as usual
Advance Notice: There will be a Bridge Drive on Monday 22nd May at 2p.m.in the Hall to raise money for the MU Overseas Fund - tickets are available.

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That completes the round of Crowthorne and a break will be taken before restarting.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The Annual Meeting of Parishioners (AMP) will be held on Sunday 23rd April 2006 in the Church Hall at 11.30am.

AGENDA
1. Opening Prayers
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the Vestry Meeting of Parishioners 2005
4. Election of Churchwardens

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting of the PCC to be held immediately following the AMP.
AGENDA
1. Minutes of the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Parish
2. Matters arising from the Minutes
3. Approval of the Annual Report
4. Report on changes of numbers entered on electoral roll
5. Presentation of Parish Reports
6. Elections: Parochial Church Council
7. Appointments: Hon Secretary, Hon Treasurer, Hon Independent Examiner, Sidesmen
8. Notices 9. Closing prayers

The first meeting of the new PCC will then follow.
Please make every effort to attend (and ensure you are registered on the electoral roll). This is your opportunity to participate in important decisions about how, and by whom, the Parish is run. There are expected to be 3 on the PCC. Would you be able to stand? Any existing member or a Churchwarden would be happy to explain what is involved.
To vote at the meeting you need to be on the Electoral Register. If you are not registered you have until 9th April to register.

Pascal Candle
It's amazing just what you learn during an interregnum! A few weeks back I received a phone call from Olive Buchart who lives in Finchampstead and is the daughter-in-law of Dorothy and John Buchart who for so many years lived in Cambridge Road and worshipped at St John's. Olive told me that since their death, each year she has given St John's the Pascal Candle in memory of them and wanted to do the same for us this year. Of course on behalf of all of you I agreed.

A few days later Gillian Gyenes was showing children from Oaklands Infant School around the church. She stopped beside the font to show the children the Pascal Candle, and to tell them that this is the candle from which the Baptism candles are lit, when a little voice piped up about the candle. up; "That candle is given in memory of my Great Grandparents".
But what exactly is the Pascal Candle and what does it represent? It is also called and Easter Candle. It is tall and quite thick and at St. John's it is lit first at the 8am service on Easter Day. Its light represents the light of Jesus Christ which death failed to extinguish. The candle is placed beside the altar and is lit at all the main Church services until Pentecost. After that it is kept where little Rhys saw it near the font and during a Baptism the individual Baptismal candles which families take home are lit from it.

The candle is traditionally decorated with the sign of the cross, the symbol of life and death; alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, a re-minder that Christ is the beginning and the end of all things; the date of the year, a reminder that the Lord of all ages is pre-sent here and now, as well as remembering how many years since he rose from the dead (however inaccurate the dating may be); and five 'nails' inserted in the shape of the cross to symbolise the five wounds of Christ.
So this year please take special note of the Pascal Candle and remember its special meaning.

This year our Confirmation will be on October 15th at the 10 a.m service. There will be a meeting for all young people wishing to be confirmed, with their parents, after the 10am service on Sunday May 21st. I would envisage classes starting in June, at Church, with 6 before the Summer Holidays and 4/5 in September/October. The Confirmation 'Weekend' would be on October 7th/8th.

I shall also be holding a meeting for all interested adults on May 22nd and would run the classes at my house in June/ July and September/October. All are welcome, whether you wish to be confirmed, to 'taste and see' or as a refresher course for those already confirmed.

We shall be using the Emmaus material this year - the Junior Emmaus for the young people and the Nurture Emmaus course for the adults. These are lively and thought provoking and there is a variety of approach possible for both courses.

Anyone who would like to be involved in helping in any way would be most welcome.
Do let me have names as soon as you are ready.

Following on from our successful meeting of the 12th of November, when Mr Michael Poole spoke to us about Science and Christianity, we are holding another Breakfast Meeting. Our guest speaker for this event is Mr Bob Carling, who will talk to us on the Christian perspective of a range of subjects centred around Conservation, Biodiversity and the ethical dilemmas raised by modern science.

As it's a Breakfast meeting, it will be held early on Saturday the 20th of May and we will serve a continental breakfast alongside bacon rolls. The meeting is open to all, including members of other churches and the unchurched. The venue is to be confirmed.

We look forward to seeing you on the day.