Baptisms
Sep.25th      Luke and Abigail Stockwell
                    Emily Haar
Oct.9th         Neave Scanlan
                    Maxwell Moore

Weddings
Sep.17th      Scott James Allen and Gemma Elizabeth Williams
Oct. 1st        Matthew Richard George and Gemma Kathryn Willans

Cremations at Breakspear Crematorium
Oct. 5th       Phyllis Millar, aged 79 (after a service in St Giles Church)
        7th       Hilda Savery, aged 92
        11th     Winifred Mabel Bugden, aged 101 (after a service in St Giles Church)

PHYLLIS VALENCIA MARGARET MILLAR
1924 - 2005

We were all shocked by Phyllis' sudden death and we all miss her.

Phyllis was born on 20th April 1924 in Devonport, where her father, who was in the Navy, was posted. She was the only child and at the age of 7, the family moved to London when her father left the Navy and began work as a Park Warden in Kensington Gardens. They lived in a warden's cottage in the park. Later, the family moved to Park Royal in Acton. In the early years of the war, Phyllis went to live in Cornwall to avoid the Blitz, but returned home before London was bombed, so later experienced living through it.

As with so many people of her generation, she met Donald at Hammersmith Palais and they married on 11th September 1948. Initially, they set up home in Ealing, but moved to Hillingdon just two weeks before Roger was born. Later they moved to the Eastcote/Northwood Hills area, where they lived for 14 years, before moving to Ickenham in 1986.

Phyllis worked as a secretary with a meteorological company before having a family, and returned to work as a primary school secretary when the children were older. Her latter years of employment were with Kodak.

Phyllis was a committed Christian and a very regular churchgoer. In the week preceding her death, she attended at 8 a.m. on Sunday, 9 a.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. on Thursday! Confidence in God, and trust in Christ, was quietly evident in this lovely Christian lady. Despite her faith being tested by events in her life, it was also a great strength to her.
As well as being a keen worshipper, she contributed to the life of the church in many ways including being an area distributor for ICN and delivering the magazine to some of the homes in her road, Hoylake Crescent. Phyllis regularly attended The Mother's Union, played bridge, and was a gardener. She and Gordon enjoyed days out to National Trust properties too.

Phyllis lived a contented life and never dwelt too long on her difficulties. Her radiant smile was a tonic to others, and she had a gleeful sense of humour.

IRENE BAKER
1920 - 2005

Readers will be saddened to hear of the passing of yet another well known, and stalwart, member of our community.

Irene Baker, of Derwent Avenue, was born in Fulham and moved to Ealing at the tender age of six years. During the War she was a civil servant. For many years she owned and ran a printing company in London.

Irene was Treasurer of The Festival of Ickenham Committee for sixteen years, until 1998, and an active member of the Uxbridge and Ickenham Floral Arts Society, as well as Ickenham and Swakeleys Horticultural Society. As a member of the British Orchid Society, Irene was a keen grower who won awards at Chelsea Flower Show, and later became one of its show judges.

In addition to all this she was, some twenty-five years ago, one of the six to eight founder members of the Ickenham Townswomen's Guild and ran its Garden Club. For many years, at the Morning Guild meetings, she arranged sales of greetings cards for charity. Irene belonged, also, to the Ickenham branch of Cancer Research UK and sold her homegrown plants at its monthly market.

David Millen who is St Giles' Churchwarden and Chairman of the Festival of Ickenham Committee said, “ Irene had lived in Ickenham for more than thirty years and was a remarkable woman who touched the lives of many people. She was an excellent 'plants woman' and was never stumped when asked to identify species for people. She was always willing to share her extensive knowledge”.

Irene, died on 8th September. A public celebration of her life was held in a packed St Giles' Church on Sunday 16th October.

FROM THE URC ELDERS

Why do I find it so difficult to start writing an article like this? It takes a very rapidly approaching deadline to get me to put pen to paper. What triggers a particular train of thought? Ideas go round and round, but nothing leaps out worthy of further development.

Then something comes. Jesus didn't write things down - He told stories, built them up, and filled them with meaning and message in terms and situations, which His listeners understood. Maybe I could do that and write it all down. Perhaps not!

But wait, there cannot be a more important person to write about than Jesus. How do we see Him? Is He just the storyteller we have learned about through the Parables? Is He only a skilled healer? He cured the leper, the blind man, the man with the withered hand, Simon's mother-in-law, and so many more. Is He a miracle worker who turned water into wine, walked on water, and spectacularly fed the five thousand? Then, is He not also the contemplative one who spent forty days alone in the wilderness revisiting the temptations of the Devil? Is He the spellbinding preacher who held so many people, in small groups and huge crowds, hanging on His every work?

He is obviously so much more than the “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” image portrays. What about His quiet defiance of the Pharisees on so many occasions when He turned the tables on them? In one brilliant example, He cut decisively to the core of their “rules” when, in the case of the woman about to be punished by stoning for adultery, He answered their test by saying “Let He who is without sin cast the first stone”. One by one the Scribes and Pharisees slunk away leaving the woman to be pardoned by Jesus. In contrast to that slow, considered response we have His violent reaction to the misuse of the Temple by traders and moneychangers in Jerusalem. He threw them out and overturned their currency exchange stalls. Again, He doesn't match the “gentle Jesus, meek and mild!”.

We can begin to see a very complex person, the Son of God no less. He came with amazing powers, and gifts to give us all - a wonderful legacy of guidance for our own lives. All this has made me think how I really must try harder to put His teachings into practice.

After all these questions to myself, I must put a final one to you. Why not read the full and unabridged story in all its versions? You'll find it in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Roddy Munro