CHURCH MARKET will be held this Saturday April 5th at 10.30am to 12pm in the church. Coffee, tea and refreshments will be served at this monthly get-together which welcomes all residents and visitors. As usual homemade and homegrown produce will be on sale and the proceeds from the Market will go towards maintaining the church.
FOAM AGM will be held on Saturday April 5th in the Court Hall at 2pm. Members are invited to attend and the agenda for the Annual General Meeting and any supporting documents are now distributed. During the meeting Phil Mack will be giving an update on major projects completed in 2024 and those planned this year. The treasurer, Ian Rowlands will be running through the figures, Mark Harris will be updating on membership, and Chris Chappell will be talking about our fund-raising events and cellar tours. As usual, there will opportunity to elect the officers of the Friends Of the Ancient Monuments. The current officers include the Chairman (Phil Mack), Secretary (Chris Chappell) and treasurer (Ian Rowlands) together with committee members Mark Harris and Glen Marks who are all happy to stand for re-election. However, please let Chris Chappell know prior to the AGM if you wish to nominate anyone else to stand.
CELLAR TOURS by FOAM will be taking place from April to October at £12 per person and tickets are available online at Ticketsource. These popular tours are led by knowledgeable local guides who will take you into some of the medieval cellars which are normally closed to the public. Tours are 1.5 hours long and start at 11am at the Town Well on Castle Street.
HISTORICAL SITES IN ROME will be discussed at the Second Wednesday’s next meeting on April 9th at 2.20 for 2.30pm in the New Hall. Wendy Fraser who is new to the Second Wednesday Society will be looking at “The sources and Development of the Roman Aqueducts and some of the many beautiful and interesting Renaissance Fountains and their Majestic Statues in Rome”. Wendy was a tour guide in Italy for several years and a Blue Badge Guide for Bury St Edmunds before moving to Kent. All are invited and the annual membership is £15, visitors pay £5 entrance and the homemade tea is £2 per person.
JOHN WESLEY’S CHAPEL is open on Wednesday April 16th at 7.30pm for a ‘Reflections for Holy Week’ service which will be conducted by Rev Jonathan and Dr Julie Todd. This is always a very poignant time in the days leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. The service will celebrate Holy communion which involves the breaking of bread and drinking of wine.This is a practical act with spiritual importance to remember Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection for the salvation of mankind.
OPERA SOUTH EAST presents “A rollicking romp” on Friday April 25th at 7pm in St Thomas’s Church. Tickets are £15 per person available from www.ticketsource.co.uk The show is described as “a musical journey through the topsy turvy world of Gilbert and Sullivan” and the musical director and conductor is Marcio da Silva.
A MAN OF ZEAL Henry J Zelley produced over 1500 poems and hymns. Born on March 15th 1859 in the American state of New Jersey he was educated there at an independent School. He later gained a Ph.D. at Taylor University, Indiana which is a private, evangelical Christian establishment. The name Zelley dates back to the Anglo-Saxons and is derived from the old English word saelig meaning happy and blessed. It is likely that Zelley’s ancestors came from England and moved to America in the 18th century. Zelley was married three times between 1881 and 1921 and became a Methodist minister in 1882. He served in the New Jersey Conference for the Methodist Church as a statistical secretary, treasurer and trustee. Zelley was also a promoter of the Camp Meeting Movement which was a Protestant Christian service and a feature of the second great revival of the 19th century in America. Revival meetings spread quickly across many American states and parts of Canada with Camp Meetings as the most effective form of evangelising. The Methodists organised itinerant ministers who rode on horseback and were known as circuit riders or horse preachers to reach people in remote locations which meant going out of their way to win souls for Jesus Christ.The camp meeting originated in England and Scotland to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (communion) and during the American revival it was a way of spreading Jesus Christ’s Gospel. A camp meeting offered worship, preaching and communion and took place in frontier areas where people without regular preachers would travel to a certain place to camp, pray, sing hymns and be part of a community. Zelley was noted for his evangelistic fervour which he regarded as a gift from the Holy Spirit and he wrote hymns on the need for a saviour to deliver us from evil.He was well-versed in the scriptures and understood Romans 12:11 which advises to be “not slothful in zeal, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”. Zelley’s hymn “He Rolled the Sea Away” refers to Exodus 14 where Moses around 1446 BC, led the children of Israel out of their captivity in Egypt. As the Egyptian army pursued them the LORD miraculously parted the Red Sea enabling them to cross safely to the other side. The first stanza describes God’s power: “My Lord reached down His mighty hand, And rolled the sea away.” Zelley’s fervour was no doubt associated with his writing of gospel songs and one of his most popular hymns came from Psalm 40:2-3 which states: “He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon rock, and established my steps and put a new song in my mouth.”This describes a rescue from despair to stability and a reason for joy which is evidence of God’s deliverance. The hymn begins: “My heart was distressed ‘neath Jehovah’s dread frown, And low in the pit where my sins dragged me down; I cried to the Lord from the deep miry clay, Who tenderly brought me out to golden day” and this is confirmed in the refrain: “He brought me out of the miry clay, He set my feet on the Rock to stay; He puts a song in my soul today, A song of praise hallelujah!” Both hymns have vibrant melodies and these were composed by Henry L Gilmour who was born in Londonderry, Ireland in 1836. He moved to New Jersey where he founded a Methodist Church in 1885. For forty years he conducted a choir in a camp meeting in New Jersey where he met Zelley and was also involved in camp meetings and revivals in neighbouring states. Zelley worked with nineteen different churches in the New Jersey Conference during his lifetime. He retired from his work in 1929 and died on March 16th 1942 aged 83 years. Among the most well-known of his hymns are “Like a Mighty Sea”, “Heavenly Sunlight” and “I’m Anchored on the Rock of Ages”.
SPRING SHOW RESULTS were a budding success with 26 Garden Society members entering 160 items in 50 categories. The Spring Show on March 22nd attracted plenty of visitors who turned up to admire the exhibits. At the end of the afternoon, Mayoress Debbie Cosstick presented the prizes. The prize winners were Howard Norton who won the cup for flowers and the overall winner’s salver. Celia King won the challenge bowl for cookery, Jennifer Sutherland won the Armoury challenge bowl for the exhibit awarded ‘best in show’ by the judges, and shared the cup for floral art with Celia whose ‘salute to spring’ was the people’s choice.
WINCHELSEA BEACH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION is holding a Craft Fayre with plenty of interesting arty items for sale. This will be on Saturday April 12th at 10.30am to 3pm in the Community Hall on Sea Road. All are welcome to come along and entry is free. If you would like to book a Table please contact parkermary@gmail.com Also, refreshments including homemade cakes will be served.
Cindi Cogswell cyncogswell@btinternet.com