Snowy Owl, Rachael Brooks, married Darren Teeuwen from Perth Australia on the 20th August at St Bernadette's Church, Hillingdon.
Julie Spittle

ICKENHAM FESTIVAL 'RACE NIGHT'

Evening of Saturday 22nd October in Ickenham Village Hall. Sponsored races, sponsored horses, and a lot of fun for all the family! Tickets: adult £6.00, child £3 including fish and chip supper. Information, and tickets, from Nikki Summerfield on 01895 623119 or David Edington on 01895 672783.

U.R.C. AUTUMN 'JUMBLIE'

There will be bargains galore at the U.R.C. Autumn 'Jumblie' between 10 a.m. and 12 noon on Saturday 29th October, admission free. If you have items to donate please bring them to the Church Hall between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday 28th October. If this is not possible, phone Richard Piper on 01896 634348 to arrange for them to be collected.

MEN'S BREAKFASTS

The next in this series of very interesting talks, and well attended breakfasts, is on Saturday 15th October in the St Giles' Church Hall starting at 8.30 a.m. The title of the talk is “A funny way to earn a living” and is given by John Randall, Member of Parliament for Uxbridge.

We hope to see you there. Tickets are £2, which covers the cost of a continental breakfast, from Don Gwilt on 01895 673704.

ADDING VALUE TO LIFE

Jesus told his friends that he had come to bring life in all its fullness. In these words they would have recognised the ideals of the Hebrew word 'shalom'. Shalom is often translated as 'peace', but it really means 'well-being in community under God'. It binds together ideas of health and security with relationships, spiritual needs and material justice.

Following Christ as his disciples means experiencing this and proclaiming it. We have seen that baptism is a sacrament of change in which water takes on a deeper significance; similarly the Eucharist is a sacrament of added value where bread and wine, gifts of God and work of human hands become something richer.

Following Christ in everyday life means adding value to life, taking ordinary things and seeing them anew in the fullness of Christ's vision. What do we value in life: money, status, wealth, relationships? What does God value in our lives: our authenticity, love for him and for others, and obedience?

Every day we encounter other people. We are relational beings, seeking a relationship with God and with others. Each of us has Christ within us, and Christ is in everyone we meet. Each encounter takes on deeper significance.

Seeing Christ in others gives an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in and through us in that moment. How often do we dwell on the past with regret or nostalgia, and focus on the future with worry? How much time do we spend being alive in the moment, today, now?

The life Jesus brings us is eternal life, and each moment is part of our growth into that timelessness. We can give moments for God; we can share Christ with others. We can follow Christ's 'shalom' in every aspect of life, thereby transforming the ordinariness of everyday living.

ALL HALLOWS EVE

Modern Halloween celebrations have their roots with the Celtic peoples of pre-Christian times.

In those long-ago days, on the last night of October, the Celts celebrated the Festival of Samhain, or 'Summer's End' where their priests, or Druids, performed ceremonies to thank and honour the sun. For there was a very dark side to all this: Samhain also signalled the onset of winter, a time when it was feared that unfriendly ghosts, nature-spirits, and witches roamed the earth, creating mischief. So the Druid priests lit great bonfires and performed magic rites to ward off or appease these dark supernatural powers.

Then the Romans arrived, and brought their Harvest Festival, which honoured the Goddess Pomona with gifts of apples and nuts. The two festivals slowly merged.

When Christianity arrived still later, it began to replace the Roman and Druid religions. 1st November - All Saints' Day - was dedicated to all Christian Martyrs and Saints who had died. It was called 'All Hallows' Day'. The evening before became an evening of prayer and preparation and was called 'All Hallows' Eve', The Holy Evening, later shortened to 'Halloween'.

For many centuries, however, fear of the supernatural remained strong. During the Middle Ages, animal costumes and frightening masks were worn to ward off the evil spirits of darkness on Halloween. Magic words and charms were used to keep away bad luck, and everybody believed that witches ride about on broomsticks. Fortune telling was popular, and predicting the future by the use of nuts and apples was so popular that Halloween is still sometimes known as Nutcrack Night or Snap-Apple Night.

Today, Christians have learned to turn to prayer instead of charms to overcome the powers of darkness. And the deeper, true meaning of All Hallows' Eve, should not be forgotten. As Christians, we all draw closer to Christ when we remember and give thanks for our loved ones and for others who have gone before us through the gates of death.

Don't be tempted to dabble in the occult because your friends and neighbours think it is harmless fun. Nothing could be further from the truth.

With Halloween in mind ... If you don't believe in the devil's existence, just try resisting him for a while.
Charles G Finney.