Tomorrow St Albans will be marking the life and martyrdom of Alban, Britain’s first saint. There will be a procession through the city centre, a Eucharist in the Cathedral, activities and entertainment across the city, and Evensong to end the day’s celebrations. It is a great day not just for St Albans but for the story and witness to the Christian faith. Alban was a pagan Roman citizen, who was martyred because he protected a fugitive Christian priest. Alban was impressed by the priest’s faith and devotion and was eventually baptised. To protect the priest from being arrested by the Roman authorities, Alban disguised himself in the priest’s cloak, but was discovered and eventually martyred on a hillside where the Cathedral now stands. Alban was martyred because he refused to renounce his new found Christian faith.

Over the centuries many other Christians have suffered and died for their faith. Among well-known Christian martyrs are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was hung on 9 April 1945 for his opposition to the Nazi regime. More recently Archbishop Oscar Romero, a champion of the poor and oppressed, was shot in1980 while saying Mass in a hospital in El Salvador. However, today 19 June, in the Church of England calendar, we remember another witness to the Christian faith and he is Sundar Singh, sadhu (holy man), evangelist and teacher of the faith. Who was this man?

Sundar was born into a Sikh family in North India and for many years wrestled with the Christian faith and other religions, unable to find real meaning and purpose to life and living. He prayed that the ‘true God’ would appear to him or else he would kill himself. He had a vision of Jesus and in spite of rejection by his family, attempts to poison him, he was rescued by a Christian and eventually baptised on his 16th birthday. As he set out on his Christian journey he continued to wear the clothing of an Indian holy man, travelling around India forging an Indian identity for an Indian church. He travelled widely over the years preaching and teaching not only in India but in China, Burma, Japan and Malaya. His final evangelistic journey was to Tibet on18 April 1929 where he had visited before but this time he did not return as it seems he died from exhaustion en route. Singh is widely regarded as one of the most formative and distinguished Christian missionaries in India.

Tomorrow we will not only be remembering Alban but all the other courageous and faith-filled men and women, who have given their lives for the sake of the one who lived, and died and rose again for us and all people, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Petertide Fair – donations and help

We are gearing up for our fundraising fair on 28 June and we are looking for donations:

• Good quality bric-à-brac
  This weekend, have a clear-out of the cupboard under the stairs and the attic. Now's your chance to get rid of that saucepan/trombone/Fabergé egg/fondue set/cuddly toy. Homewares, kitchenware, toys, ornaments, books etc  welcome - no clothes please.
• Plants for the plant stall
  Time to rehome that aspidistra? Got any shubbery cuttings or a spare tray of marigolds? Please donate plants from this weekend onwards.
• Cakes
  Whole cakes and other baked goods for the cake stall, and also to sell with coffee and refreshments - please see the donations leaflet in church for full instructions!
• Bottle tombola
• We are very short of donations of wine/beer/spirits for the bottle tombola, so please bring a bottle on Sunday morning!

We can turn your donations into funds to fix the church roof, so please support Petertide in any way you can! And thank you to all who have donated so far!

The weather forecast is looking hot for next week, and so we may need an extra fridge to help keep drinks and ice cool. Can anyone lend us a small fridge for the day? Also, if anyone can lend us gazebos, that would really help. Please get in touch ASAP if you can help.

petertide donations

Contact:

Hayley Khazaneh     07734 601 136

 Email Hayley Khazaneh

Hilary Armstrong    07969 654 160

 Email Hilary Armstrong

Carolynne Charman (cakes)    07506 156 751

 Email Carolynne Charman (cakes)

Sarah Dawson (plants)    07788 843 186

 Email Sarah Dawson (plants)

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Saturday 20 June
St Peter’s Market Stall

We're having a market stall for St Peter's on the Saturday market tomorrow. Unfortunately, we've had a very poor response for volunteers, so if you can spare just one hour tomorrow morning (9am-1pm), please get in touch. This stall is one of the ways of engaging with the wider community, letting people know that they are welcome at St Peter's and telling them about our activities. There will be a colouring competition for children, and we will (of course) be publicising the Petertide Fair. Please help to promote your parish church!

Contact:

Carolynne Charman   

 Email Carolynne Charman

Stephen Lally    

 Email Stephen Lally

Sunday 28 June
The Petertide Fair

Everyone is invited to this fun-filled family fête, with afternoon entertainments, games, stalls, food and drink. Drop by for Pimms or a beer in the sun, browse the plant stalls and bric-à-brac stalls. For youngsters, there are train rides - and bring a cuddly toy to ride the daring Teddy Zip Wire from the bell tower! Entry is free, and all proceeds will go to the St Peter's Renovation Appeal, helping us to fix our leaking church roof!

This is another opportunity for St Peter's to welcome the wider Berkhamsted community, and an important fundraiser for our repair costs, so please support this in any way you can.

Contact:

Hilary Armstrong   

 Email Hilary Armstrong

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Sunday 28 June at 9:30 am
Patronal Festival

Next Sunday we observe the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and this is our Patronal Festival, when we celebrate our patron Saint - Peter the Apostle. The choir will sing the anthem Tu es Petrus by the Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525 - 1594). All are welcome to our main Sunday worship at 9:30am.

A collect for Petertide:

Almighty God,
who inspired your apostle Saint Peter
to confess Jesus as Christ and Son of the living God:
build up your Church upon this rock,
that in unity and peace it may proclaim one truth
and follow one Lord, your Son our Saviour Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

Friday 3 July at 5:00 pm
St Thomas Mass

There will be a Mass to celebrate the Feast of St Thomas at 5pm on Friday 3rd July, followed by drinks at The Rectory. Please do let Fr Stuart know if you're able to come for a drink so that he can cater accordingly.

Rev Olivia Davies

Ordination to the priesthood: please pray for Olivia Davies, our former Graduate Pastoral Assistant, who is being ordained to the priesthood on Saturday 4th July at St Albans Cathedral. We pray too for the people of Flitton, Silso and Pulloxhill, where Olivia is serving as curate.

Mothers’ Union 150th Anniversary

"You are salt and light and we are grateful." Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury and Patron of Mothers' Union, expressed gratitude at a special service at St Paul's Cathedral last week celebrating 150 years of the Mothers' Union. Bev Jullien who has been CEO of the MU for nearly 11 years was in attendance with proud family. With over 4 million members in approximately 84 countries, Mothers' Union is a women-led, international Christian movement dedicated to ending poverty, violence and social injustice. Members are well known for speaking out against conflict and establishing local grassroots initiatives to combat the cycle of poverty and injustice of all kinds.

 www.mothersunion.org

Year’s mind prayers

Each week during our prayers of intercession, we remember loved ones who have died around the anniversary of their death. It's a moving way of bringing to mind "those whom we love but see no longer" and brings comfort and hope to those who have experienced loss. The names are held on a calendar database, so they are automatically included in the prayers and there is no need to send a reminder to the Parish Office each year. Each name is included on the Sunday nearest their anniversary date, between the Wednesday of each week and the Tuesday of the following week.

If a loved one has died recently, and you would like their name to be included at their year's mind the following year, it would help the Parish Office if you send a new request for their name to be added to the calendar. After the first request, there is no need to send a reminder. If, after some time, you feel the time is right for that person to be taken off the prayer list, then just ask the Parish Office.

"May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,
Rest in peace, and rise in glory. Amen,"

Contact:

The Parish Office   

 Email The Parish Office

Lady Chapel update

The scaffolding is down and the Lady Chapel is open once more. We are hugely grateful to the team of volunteers who went in on Saturday to clean up the plaster dust etc. Thank you to all who helped at short notice and worked hard to get this area looking presentable.

The next plan is to have the carpet professionally cleaned and then put the furniture back, but we are going to hold off for a couple of weeks, as this area will be used for the Petertide Fair bric-à-brac stalls. Then we can put everything back in place after the fair.

First Aiders

Are you a trained first aider? Very occasionally, someone in the congregation is in need of medical assistance, and it would be helpful for us to have a list of first aiders. Please let Carolynne know if you are happy to be listed.

Contact:

Carolynne Charman   

 Email Carolynne Charman

Ofsted news from Victoria

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our fantastic Ofsted report! This achievement and recognition reflects the dedication, passion, and hard work of our whole school community-staff, pupils, governors and families. Thank you to everyone who makes our school such a special place for our pupils to flourish. Follow the link below to read the full Inspection Report.

We had a busy start to the week with our YR2 children going to Thomas Coram for a sports morning. This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to help with their move to their new school and also get a chance to meet the Swing Gate children. They all came back having had lots of fun and made new friends. The rest of the school had a visit from the author Chris Nayler-Ballesteros who has written books about finding friends and moving to new places. The stories follow a group of animals and show how they help a new creature to feel like they belong, through acts of kindness.

Mrs Lisa Freeman
Head of School, Victoria CE Infant and Nursery School

 www.victoria.herts.sch.uk

Saturday 20 June
Alban Day: Pilgrimage & Festival

Tomorrow, St Albans will be holding its city-wide celebration of Britain's first saint, Alban the Martyr with a procession of giant puppets through the city centre, followed by a Pilgrimage Eucharist at noon in the Cathedral. See the Cathedral website for details.

 www.stalbanscathedral.org

Saturday 20 June at 8:00 am
Prayer Breakfast

There will be a gathering for a prayer breakfast in the Parish Rooms at St Mary's Northchurch, hosted by David White and Rosemary. All are welcome to join members of other Berkhamsted Churches to pray for our community. The monthly prayer leaflet is available in St Peter's Church if you would like to join in their prayers.

Sunday 21 June
June Farmers’ Market

The next Farmers' Market is on Berkhamsted High Street, offering a range of local produce, tempting street food, beers and wines, delicatessen and fine cheeses, plus hand-crafted gifts, herbalist therapies and much more. Farmers' Markets are held on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

Sunday 21 June
Marsworth Steam & Classic Rally

Enjoy a family day out for Father's Day at the Marsworth Steam & Classic Rally, with over 25 full-sized steam traction engines, plus a display of miniature engines, vintage cars, tractors, commercial and military vehicles. Startops Farm, Marsworth near Tring, HP23 4LL.

 www.marsworthsteamrally.co.uk

Thursday 25 June at 7:00 pm
People’s Emergency Briefing

There will be a screening at Bridgewater Primary School of The People's Emergency Briefing, a film about climate change featuring Chris Packham and Deborah Meaden. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with local politicians and community leaders. Admission is free.

 www.tickettailor.com

Saturday 27 June
Armed Forces Day

Dacorum Borough Council will be holding its annual Armed Forces Day celebration from midday to 4pm in Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead. This free event will feature arena displays and performances, including a Home Guard foot drill display, birds of prey demonstrations and swing dancing lessons for all ages, as well as craft stalls, food and drink.

 www.dacorum.gov.uk

Saturday 11 July at 7:30 pm
Chiltern Chamber Choir 50th anniversary concert

It's a very special concert for a very special occasion - the Chiltern Chamber Choir marks its 50th anniversary with a concert in St Peter's. The CCC was founded in 1976 by Adrian Davis, and is still thriving! Join Calum Zuckert and the CCC in a celebration, with music by Vaughan Williams, Schumann and Bob Chilcott. Then enjoy a glass of celebratory fizz and a slice of cake after the concert! Tickets: £20 in advance, £22 on the door, under 18s and full-time students free - gettickets from choir members, Brown & Merry Estate Agents (next to church) or online:

 www.eventbookings.com

Outdoor Theatre at the Castle

There's another fabulous summer of outdoor theatre in the ruins of Berkhamsted Castle:

• Saturday 27 June at 2pm & 7pm: Northanger Abbey
  an adaptation of Jane Austen's 1799 novel - a thrilling Gothic tale of dark deeds? or a playful, heartwarming Regency romance?
• Saturday 11 July at 2pm & 7pm: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
  a medieval romp promising a touch of Men in Tights and Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  
  

Bring a picnic, a picnic blanket or camping chair, and come prepared for the Great British summer: sun screen, warm clothes and waterproofs! Booking info on the Castle website:

 www.berkhamstedcastle.org.uk

New one-way streets

If you are driving on Gravel Path or Castle Street, please be aware of two new No Entry signs - you cannot turn off Gravel Path into Station Road as it is now a one-way street going eastbound. Similarly, Chapel Street is now no-entry at the junction of Castle Street (except for bicycles). 

 www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

 www.hertfordshire.gov.uk

Save Castle Fields update

Great news from Berkhamsted Castle Trust - their fundraising campaign to raise £500K to protect Castle Fields has just passed the £200,000 mark! BCT have purchased the land next to the Castle with an interest-free loan, and have to pay it back within 2 years. They're 6 months in an already they've raised over 40% of the money! You can support them by sponsoring a square of land - visit their website to find out more.

 www.berkhamstedcastle.org.uk