Filey Parish Blog

Cobles,Shanties and sausage rolls

2012-01-28T18:09:00.000Z

I expect that Bobby will be feeling glad at the successful launch of the Discover Filey Website . Although built by a professional Website design company most of the actual content has been the work of local volunteers , and many of the actual posts were scripted by our very own Fileybriggs. I never find public meetings very easy to attend, mostly because my gob tends to run away with me.

I was determined to support not only Bobby, but all Filey Folk who present Filey THE PLACE as it really is, with the natural beauty, the Educational opportunities, the timeless Beach Fun to be had, and all the History, marine Biology, Geology, Bird, Animal and Plant life, that is still to be discovered. WE are blessed by it and yet sometimes in my busy , busy life I often forget to appreciate all that a visitor might be here specially to access. Yesterdays launch helped me to re-focus.

I remember my Filey electrician ,in 1991 ,saying to me that he hadn't been on the Brigg for years. I thought that very odd. Now years later I can say the same myself. It is easy to get so caught up in day to day stuff that one forgets to just stop and enjoy the rich blessings around us. Colin and I read Every Day with Jesus, and this month the theme is 'Fitter, Healthier, Stronger'. Today's piece says'

until we know the difference between the urgent and the important we will never become good stewards of our time....Jesus was a man with a leisured heart. He was never hurried, never flurried and never worried...

So , with such a wealth of free natural beauty to enjoy, an unpolluted sky, and so many resources available to all, not least the expertise of local volunteers, I for one am going to take stock of quality time.

The Discover Filey launch reminded me too that the (complimentary) Redcliffe Farm sausage rolls were delicious, and that not only Kathleen Ferrier does songs of the sea.

Hockney and crisps for the plebs

2012-01-25T14:34:00.000Z

Pipers crisps -made in North Lincolnshire

We are galleried out. A few days in London with Dr Johnson's words ringing in my ears about being tired of life* make no difference for I am tired , just tired. Each Gallery has captive consumers waiting to either get into their timed slot or have a sit down before moving on..

British MuseumThe Tomb of the Unknown Craftman Grayston Perry-40mins wait , bottle of water, pack of crisps, 30mins afterwards Tea and good chocolate cake
RoyalAcademy A Bigger Picture David Hockney -30 mins wait Cup of really good coffee
National Theatre Take a view Photographs of Britain 20mins-waiting for rain to ease- Cup of EXCELLENT coffee
British Library Royal Manuscripts :The Genius of Illumination 10 minutes waiting for exhibition to Open Cup of very indifferent coffee

Everywhere we went, it seemed very special crisps were sold. I saw Artisan crisps, handcrafted crisps handfried crisps, gluten free crisps, crisps made by the Farmer himself, even crisps fried in a 'tiny factory in deepest Devon. I know it is just the same in Theatres, Stately Homes and all places to access Culture for the masses, and that the prices reflect the carefully chosen and especial consideration of the caterer.I am quite prepared to be done unto when I am tired and in need of a sit down a packet of crisps and a Cup of Caffeine.

What has really taken me aback in my pilgrimage around the Galleries is the marketing around the Exhibitions themselves. Am I growing Old and Cynical, did the Royal Academy have more Hockneyesque things to buy , than astounded us,then bored us with the Monet Exhibition and Hype of the 80s and again in 2010? I never wanted to see another waterlily. I am glad that for once this little cultural backwater that is Filey might be completely untouched by the marketing around David Hockneys wonderful and unforgettable Bigger Picture, until that is some of it comes to Scarborough in November .

*"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."

— Samuel Johnson

Sofa Church

2012-01-24T09:14:00.002Z

Sofa Church, You will notice that in honour of the splendid sofa at St Johns I have done the hallowed words in BROWN. Last month , when Archdruid Eileens blog was Blog of the month in the Envoy some of you multireaders will maybe not have realised that it is one of my favourite blogs, I was not just saying it. So today you might like to humour me and see what ideas young Keith (thanks Gary)has been having about Sofas.

In our prayer trios ,I have been meeting my partners in the Open St Johns. With the car park, cups of coffee and relaxed atmosphere it has suited our purposes well, and so has the sofa.

Chinatown London yesterday, Happy New Year my neighbours at Gold River Filey

I am sitting writing this in the sitting space of the St Pancras Youth Hostel . No wifi in our room ,so having to be very public. I dont get much typing done as #cnm opens doors. The couple next to me are from Salesbury Parish in Blackburn. We have been sharing website tales.

Pams post another way

2012-01-18T22:39:00.002Z

Enlarge with click

I took Pams post and made it into a Wordle, makes interesting word groupings I thought!

Time to be positive.

2012-01-13T11:24:00.003Z

God has not promised skies always blue, but he has promised strength for each day.

We may be feeling dismayed or concerned that our beloved vicar has decided to retire later this year. Let us rather look to God to give us the grace to support Mary in the coming months as she completes her ministry amongst us. Then we can work together to keep alive the churches in our parish during the period of interregnum. Now is the time to begin praying that we will be able to welcome a new incumbent to Filey who can grow to love this quirky seaside haven as much as we do.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

(2 Corinthians 12:9.)

How well do you know your neighbours?

2012-01-11T10:22:00.000Z

Opinionated Vicar has an interesting post post on his blog today. He comments on a recent poll (Guardian /Observer) which tries to find some stats on British Attitudes.

Worth a look then at some of them.

Filey has a unique demographic which has to be seen in relation to other small Seaside communities where Retired people make up for over a quarter of the population, So you cannot really compare it with other small towns.

I will ask a few questions however

Do you know the names of your neighbours?

Have you ever talked to them for more than 5 minutes?

Are they THERE FOR YOU?

Are you THERE FOR THEM?

A lot to think about...

2012-01-08T15:32:00.002Z

After this mornings announcement I am letting the truth sink in slowly and planning an online campaign to optimise the chances of our next vicar being as special as Mary is.

Blessed be the Lord—
day after day he carries us along. Psalm 68 v19

The whole psalm in The Message has it all!

e-Sword

2012-01-05T16:56:00.000Z

I've just discovered a free bible software tool called "e-Sword" and the picture above shows what it looks like. The link is http://www.e-sword.net. Once the basic installation is done there is a great variety of free downloads in the form of different bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries, maps and a reference library which includes writings by the early church fathers and Josephus. Some things have to be purchased; for example the English Standard Version is free but the New International Version has to be bought; but there is a good range of free stuff and certainly much to interest me! Do have a look at the link and you will see why I want to share it! It is not new as it has been developed over 12 years and has been downloaded 15 million times from over 200 countries, but it is new to me!

Put your hand once again in the hand of God..

2012-01-01T00:00:00.001Z

I said to the man

who stood at the gate of the year,

'Give me a light that I may tread safely

into the unknown.'

And he replied ,

'Go out into the darkness

and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you

better than light

and safer than a known way !'

So I went forth

and finding the Hand of God,

trod gladly into the night .

And he led me towards the hills

and the breaking of day in the lone East.

Minnie Louise Harkins 1875-1957

This is the 3rd time I have used this poem here on New Years Day !

My Top Ten Treats of the week = make a game

2011-12-28T15:32:00.000Z

Ab Fab seen on iplayer on Boxing day 2 morning when son and family had departed back to London and Hove. I laughed and laughed , as I am clearly more Edina than Patsy, though not held together with gels, pills and suppositories
Cafe Atlantico, played whilst alone in the kitchen , respecting the great Cesaria Evoria who died last week
Daydreamers wonderful Christmas Post, Holy Smoke which must be read by all in the Parish Singers and Worship Group and lovers of Candlelit services
Dirty Carrots -they really , really taste better, I have only just listened to Angela and bought some
It didn't rain on Christmas Day so small children could tear around garden with the wind in their tails, with torches and lanterns (ICE) and run off pent up energy after the QUEEN, which leads to ...
Her Speech -it was wonderful, she or her speech writer clearly has the gift of evangelism
The Times Crossword (2) on Monday , 5mins sanity amongst food prep and putting the Dyson around again
Dr Who watched only by me in my room 7pm Christmas Day , as I am only fan
Sunshine on Monday afternoon- everyone went for a walk and I stayed and did grateful home alone
The high wind today -I got all the guests bed linen and towels washed and dry and smelling of Filey Fresh Air

Match and make a game

SatNav-itivity

2011-12-27T21:42:00.000Z

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000Z

What does it say about Christmas

2011-12-23T06:41:00.001Z

Everyone seems to have liked the Video of the puppet Nativity set to the music of Queen. The stats are higher for this post so I know. Know what

the post had more hits than other recent posts
that people associated the word rhapsody with Queen so had a look
they had seen the Video before so knew they would like it again
they always look at our new posts

We actually know none of these things for sure, only that the Video had a certain number of hits when I last looked at the stats.

We can never be sure about what people are perceived to like or not like.

I hope you liked it because I liked it . I liked it because my sister sent me an email with a link to it, she thought you all would enjoy it.

I still haven't got round to thinking through St Andrews day, 30th November it went so quickly in a very busy week, so I have been thinking about him today, because HE BROUGHT HIS BROTHER ALONG (John 1) and that it what my sister sometimes does to me , she encourages me along to Jesus.

I encourage you all to introduce someone , especially our under 5's to the story of the birth of Jesus as we celebrate His Birthday- its not a big deal, you dont have to be 'religious' , it might be just that they did not realise that Christmas is not Winterval or a Happy Holiday . Whilst its still called Christmas Day lets make the most of it!

Advent-ure Labyrinth

2011-12-18T19:43:00.001Z

Church of the Nativity Bethlehem

A Fresh Expression - Spend some time being quiet and contemplative, refreshed and challenged, before Christmas.

St Marks Scarborough

Monday 12-3pm

Tuesday 12-3pm

Wednesday 12-3pm

Thursday 12-3pm

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

2011-12-17T00:30:00.000Z

I love this -hope you do too!

Bethlehem Booking Hotline

2011-12-13T00:30:00.000Z

H/T to Bosco Peters for leading the way to this Bethlehem Hotline.

Mothers Union Party 2011

2011-12-12T14:45:00.002Z

Thanks to Ann Watson for taking these last Wednesday

If you want to see BIGGER pics just click on the slideshow and you go straight to Picasa

Hockney Trail

2011-12-11T12:41:00.001Z

Local Twitterati including @v_t_ywolds are all talking about the proposed Hockney Trail to follow around the Yorkshire Wolds. I am not surprised that this is trending at the moment. The excitement and interest that the Painting Bigger Trees Near Warter evoked has scarcely left me and my Facebook friends in Filey, who enjoy looking at Paintings.

If David Hockney was not famous I would still enjoy his view and representations of my beloved East Riding Wolds, just as I love the views of Filey painted by the late Val McLoughlin or Alan Clark and lately Neil Robson. Its a matter of personal taste, and David Hockneys paintings and ipad pictures are just to my taste.

It started really when I took a trip to Saltaire to see the World Heritage site of Titus Salt's innovative Model Village for his workers at Salts Mill. Joan Priestley encouraged me to go, it was her part of the world. I thus discovered the work of David Hockney . His picture of his old mother asleep is for me the most wonderful and tender portrait I have ever seen, not just because my Mother is rather like her, but because I never really enjoyed his pictures of dogs and swimming pools and my knowledge of his work had simply not progressed.

Working in Bridlington for 15 years and knowing all the lanes, trees and views thereabout, knowing Sledmere, Thixendale (Ah! the Cross Keys), and all bigger puddles in between I just KNOW Hockneys recent inspiration.

In the back seat of the Ford Prefect (YKH 404) as a small girl listening to my fathers commentaries about Dutch Barn to the left ( Foxholes), and Primrose wood to the right (Nunburnholme) and Glacial valley (Huggate and Millington) I learned to love the landscape of the Wolds. We called it then Rowland Hilder Views, as he was the famous landscape Painter of the 50s and 60s according to my family. My father , himself a Sunday Painter would have loved what Hockney has done for us.

I got my tickets for the new Hockney exhibition at the RA in January 2012 ,in November. It is my something to look forward to EVENT.

Now that a Hockney Trail is planned

I am thrilled on one level-I want everyone to realise just how beautiful the Wolds are in all weathers, and
Upset on another level -I want to keep the views to myself

What do you think?

Gaudate

2011-12-11T08:36:00.001Z

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4 4-6

Can think of no good reason why we should not go with PINK today

Where's the line to see Jesus

2011-12-10T00:30:00.000Z

Thanks to Sue Neilson for sending this Video for us to share. I see that it has already had over 2 million hits on Utube. It makes a good point as children queue up to see Santa.

Christmas Trees

2011-12-09T10:05:00.001Z

I know that Regan , Charlotte and Isobel and others spent ages drawing around their feet and hands and then cutting out the tissue paper shapes to make their Tree which sits happily on the new small Childrens' Table in St Johns. It is just one of many Christmas Trees for you to enjoy in the next few days . It amazes me that the people of Filey can think up fresh ideas again for their community trees. I have a favourite this year. That is because , seeing it in its early stages I didn't think it would be so lovely. Will post a picture of it another day.

No problem with Gods view of us, he sees us just as we were, are , and will be, and

LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY

No Room at the Inn?

2011-12-06T12:56:00.001Z

I found this video on the site "Answers in Genesis" which defends the authority of the bible and the gospel message. It gives an interesting interpretation of part of the Christmas story, which is faithful to the bible but takes away the trappings of centuries of tradition. The link is http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/christmas-no-room-for-inn.

Welcome to the Blogosphere

2011-12-04T14:21:00.001Z

to Unshaun Sheep -we like your Blog- All we like Sheep . Thank you for following us

Bridlington Beach Huts Advent Calender

2011-12-03T07:10:00.001Z

If you fancy a ride out one night to Brid to see these, I know you wont be disappointed,
Look at yesterdays. The Romans, day 2

Philippians 2:5-11 set to music

2011-12-02T00:01:00.002Z

This is one I've done on my own with the help of computer software (MuseScore and FL Studios). I did this between August and October but kept it till Advent with a minor adjustment today. Hope you find it helpful.

Advent to the Nutcracker

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000Z

H/T to@ Liturgy , Granmere Mimi etc
.
I liked this video very much when I saw it on Bosco Peters website. Not sure that the purists will agree with
it all so like it even more.

See the Busted Halo Advent Calender HERE -make it a favourite if you like it and get a quote every day

Advent 1

2011-11-30T18:58:00.001Z

Advent Sunday

2011-11-27T06:00:00.000Z

From -An Advent Examination .. Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

"Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a winter training camp for those who desire peace. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place.

Daily we can make an Advent examination. Are there any feelings of discrimination toward race, sex, or religion? Is there a lingering resentment, an unforgiven injury living in our hearts? Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement? Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Are we reverent of others, their ideas and needs, and of creation? These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts."

H/T to Pam Roberts for this and the rest of the Advent Meditation she brought to Home Group this week.

Dave Perrys picture taken at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

So also I suggest a look at our blog of the month in the Envoy -Visualtheology , from where I copied the photo above. His Advent thoughts , Imagining the lectionary : Advent begins where we are is a provocative start to the Church's New Year.

What do you think?

I was made for iphones

2011-11-25T22:25:00.001Z

I have had this new phone for 4 weeks now. I have just worked out how to sync everything together , Facebook, Twitter , emails and texts. My children do not know what they are missing. People can knock it all they like but I LOVE IT.

Stephen Fry's short Radio 4 programmes this week Stephen Fry on the Phone, will explain all, and show just how mainstream the whole Mobile Phone topic is. Apparently 1 in 4 people now have a smart phone. Not in Filey I hear you all say!

When I tentatively walked into the Mobile Phone Shop in Scarborough , having done all my research in Which, talked to everyone under 25 I know, and spent hours looking for deals, I was served by a young man who had never been to the Scarborough Store before. He had been drafted in from Hull. I asked him to show me his phone. It had all the Bible apps on it , so he was a Christian, he might have been an angel sent just for this OAP to make sure I didn't get done, gave me 45minutes of time , explained everything really well, and even my sons -in- law think I got a really good deal.

I am learning more each day. I am a kinesthetic learner, so have been trying out, touching, tapping, moving and clicking the back button for 4 weeks. 2 days ago I found the online instruction manual, so can now correct things and speed up procedures. Have just bothered Parish Secretary for her smart phone number. She will be plagued by me now, as only my prayer partner Rachel was able to have the phrase sent by my Blackberry tagged on to messages until today. I have checked mine-they say sent by Android, which I think is more classy, but really I want sent by my iphone5 or 6 or 7, so by the time my 23 months of contract are up I can even go 4G or whatever. Listen to me -I cant believe I even know what it means.

This wasn't supposed to be a showing off post . I really wanted to plug the new C of E website, which I only discovered because I was looking at tweets@FileyParish, @margaretkiaora, on my mobile last night as there was nothing for me on TV on Fridays now that Gardeners World is dormant.

'A Christmas Near You'

Try it !

Open day at Filey Vicarage

2011-11-25T14:11:00.001Z

Come and find out about the Missions we support in this Parish

With the authors permission

2011-11-21T10:00:00.000Z

I have lifted this from Anita Mathias's Blog Dreaming Beneath the Spires with her permission. This helped me. Hope it does the same for you.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy

and my burden is light." Matthew 11.

"Are you joking, Jesus?
I am weary
I don’t know how

I am going to do all the things I want to do.

And is this is what you have to offer me?
A yoke?

But I am already heavily laden
By the burdens of the day.

How can I take on an additional yoke?"

* * *

"Take it.
Take it.

For then
You will no longer be alone.

I will walk with you through the weary way
Shouldering half the yoke.

When I stop,
You'll stop.
When I rest
You'll rest.
Let me guide you.

Let me astonish you

With the efficiency

When you and I walk together,

When you refuse to rush ahead

Without waiting for me to walk beside you.

We will go only as far as necessary
Do only what is necessary.

We will go through our day
In a slow measured pace.

We will take rest breaks,
Food breaks, drink breaks,

Food for our bodies, drink for our spirits.

You will talk to me through our day,
Asking advice as we travel the narrow way
And I will answer

And when the day is done,
We will rest together,
And I will comfort you."

New Boots

2011-11-19T11:28:00.002Z

Thankfully not everything will be new, as our Chemist has its refit and launches afresh on Monday.Familiar faces will remain, and the product range grow again, infact improve . I have spotted the USB sticks!

I have been watching the work progressing in my daily circuit of my local shops. I have been sorely tempted by the skip, and talked myself out of ferreting through for bits of cardboard for school. What am I thinking , I don't even go to work any more !

Janet will still be doing her midweek stints, I will no longer have to go to Scarborough for Stay Perfect lipsticks, the floor space looks huge, masses of preparations for aged feet and corns and Gifts galore.

Once again I am so thankful for the shops of Filey, just a short walk from my home, and thankful for the staff in them who can make your day with a kind word.

I am thinking of Leila, now in Israel , who worked for a few years in our Opposite the Post Office Chemist, and how she would order anything to help you and help with Complexions. Jen and her colleague also young and knowledgeable, are worthy successors.

I moaned a bit when my chemist became part of a large Company , but realise that all the investment in Filey will not go amiss. We cannot do without our chemist shops all we on pills.

So , I embrace the new , and look forward as this Filey resident welcomes a few improvements.

10am Monday 21st - Grand Opening with Tea and Cake!

Heaven is for Real

2011-11-19T11:28:00.000Z

I was recently lent a book by Margaret Kiaora called "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. I was so gripped by it that it took me only two days to read through it, which is unusual for me! It tells of a near-death experience of a little boy, who sat in the lap of Jesus and saw and experienced many amazing things. When he was shown pictures of Jesus he was quick to point out what was wrong with them. A few years later his father showed him a picture of Jesus by Akiane Kramarik which was drawn when she was 8-years old and was based on a vision she had of Jesus. He was asked what was wrong with it and he replied, "This is it!". Below is a copy of that picture.

Comment is free

2011-11-15T11:47:00.001Z

Andrew Jones is perhaps one of the most famous Christian Bloggers in the world. His itinerant Lifestyle , with his family,is documented regularly on his blog Tall Skinny Kiwi. I am a huge fan. Whilst I am getting steamed up about petty PCC matters ,or whether I've remembered to put the right rubbish in the right Wheely bin at St Oswalds, or moaning about the instant Coffee after services HE and his family are doing CHURCH around the world missionary style. They dont have backing from Ist world mega Missionary Societies, they dont even seem to be close adherants to any particular Christian ~~denomintion~~ way of doing things. They are just DOING IT.

Please add Tall Skinny Kiwi to your Blog list. Please read the rest of the post that I have jpegged above.

Mary's Remembrance Day sermon has brought back to me, not only that a Talent was the equivalent a lifetimes salary, but also that CHURCH is GLOBAL these days, ACCESSIBLE around the worlds these days, and we need to keep ourselves INFORMED . What do you think?

Some Facts -The Filey Parish Prayer Meeting had 6 people present last night. 15 people belong to Prayer Trios.

TALENTS are had by ALL.

Psalm 29

2011-11-14T00:01:00.003Z

Carl and I have produced another psalm! I wrote the tunes to Psalms 28 and 29 one after the other a few months ago which is why we produced these two psalms close together. As before there are pictures of Filey and pictures chosen from Google images. The psalm teaches us about the majesty of God from spectacular and destructive natural events in a fallen world.

Young people these days!

2011-11-13T11:34:00.001Z

They were at St Oswalds this morning .

Remembrance

2011-11-11T17:03:00.001Z

Sunday 13th November -Remembrance Service 9.30 am St Oswalds-to 10.30am , 10am Communion St Johns, 10.45am Memorial Gardens, Remembrance Service St Thomas's 2.45pm

Olympic Torch to Filey

2011-11-07T18:47:00.002Z

BBC Picture

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13391986-Check the map

Great News! Date 18th June 2012 The Olympic Torch is travelling from Scarborough to Filey to Bridlington to Hull. What do you all think?

Psalm 28

2011-11-05T18:18:00.001Z

Carl and I have now done our rendering of Psalm 28 to music. Psalm 28 is one of the more disturbing psalms which express a desire for revenge and hints at some self justification in the earlier verses. It teach us to be very honest with our feelings in our prayers to God even to the point of expressing our bad thoughts. In verse 6 the psalm resolves in praise to God, which is the point where I change the key from minor to major. Let God's word minister to you!

Glossy Ibis

2011-11-05T14:09:00.001Z

I've just had the privilege of seeing the rare Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus in Filey. It has been at East Lea and the Dams for the past 9 days. They breed in South Europe and migrate to Africa in the winter but has probably been blown off course by strong southerly winds. I saw the bird this morning at East Lea with a lot of other bird-watchers courtesy of Jack Whitehead of FBOG and it was a truly awesome experience to see it.

Filey Lions Bonfire Night 2011 Saturday 5th November

2011-11-04T21:18:00.000Z

2010

The Bonfire will be lit at 6.15 pm , and the Fireworks and Music start at 7.15pm .

Held as usual in the Glen Gardens Car Park at the South End of West Avenue. Admission is free,(Retiring Collection ) and is from 5.30pm. No vehicular access to the end of West Avenue after Southdene so parking to be found in the other car parks around town.

Have a lovely evening-and keep safe!

Filey Parish Facebook

2011-11-03T16:41:00.003Z

Well Ive gone and done it!! Now for others to admin it.....

Burntout car or Bar tailed Godwit

2011-11-03T09:24:00.000Z

H/T to @Liturgy for this Flow Diagram. I have been thinking about this site recently , and especially after my trip to # cnmac11. Just recently the stats have been going bonkers, but none of the increased flow is from the UK. Do the people of our Parish actually ever look at this site ? Do the people of this Parish ever do Twitter or Facebook or Four Square (the current trend-I cant even see the point of it-a very personal view).

Is this site fit for purpose still?

Do we needs a revamp and why ?

Does the Parish need a Facebook presence

Lets face the some perceived facts.

Some people think that Filey is a timewarp place .

Filey is the retirement /second home haven for Northerners.

Filey Parish is a small gem of a town with little crime and lovely small shops.

Young people who grow up in Filey and go on to Higher Education /University mostly go away to college and don't come back to live here for at least 20 years.

The Filey PCC business end of the Church , is run by people who mostly are not computer literate.

Most young people in Filey are unchurched.

A real fact. Burnt out car and Bar-Tailed Godwit, Sugartown , and Bereavement tags and meta tags have brought the most traffic to the site.

Comments please, before I make some suggestions.

AND a very Happy 60th birthday to Marilyn (the editor of the Filey Envoy, whose words are still reaching the parts other media can't ).

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Graffiti From the Albums

2011-10-30T20:04:00.003Z

Some of the Graffiti on the Tower of St Oswalds.

Have you looked at our (21 and growing )Albums of Photos ? Many more unusual photos taken by Edmund Crawford are to be found by clicking on the hyperlink to PhotoAlbums ---->or above LINKS.

And how about this for a great Photo ?

Great is thy faithfulness ...

2011-10-23T15:59:00.003+01:00

I first heard the hymn "Great is thy Faithfulness" over 30 years ago when it was sung at a friend's wedding. Since then it has been my standby both as a hymn and as a prayer.

At this time of year when the sunrise can be so amazing, I often think of the following words from the hymn:

... morning by morning new mercies I see ...

But the lines that really stand out for me are these:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

What a wonderful promise these words hold in times of need; words which I imagine found their inspiration from Psalm 65:

5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.

So let us be joyful as we view the beauty of the sunrise and know that our gracious Lord will be with us, standing by to give us hope and strength, whatever the day may hold.

When you follow people on Twitter-one thing may ...

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000+01:00

lead to another. Thanks Alister Main aka @AlistairMainGB

Thank you for supporting a geek.

2011-10-17T15:43:00.000+01:00

Thanks to you

Dear Readers,

This man, Colin, is according to one of the speakers at #Cnmac, married to a GEEK.

Brian, Ben, Rachel, Pete, Emily , Bobby, and yes, occasionally even you Pam are also geeks. Those who blog, tweet ( and use facebook as well) for much of the time to Do Church are geeks ,and you need to get your diaries out and have a parish weekend @cnmac 12.

I now realise that Colin was a real brick to hold my hand at #cnmac11, as I moved tentatively amongst people who not only all had Macs, but all seemed under 40.

Bishop Alan

Bishop Alan is not for podcasts of sermons on Church websites. It was good to hear him talking about what makes a successful blog. His was one of the first blogs I ever followed, and I thank him for setting a gold standard .He only blogs once a week now, and said that Facebook and the interaction that it provides, is occupying his geektime at present.Note to Emily- FileyParish Facebook is some thing I dont feel up to running, so am glad you're doing Parish Sundae Facebook. Look for it all you Facebookers of Filey!

Dr Bex Lewis @drbexl of Codec in the second Breakout session I attended on Digital Discipleship, could have been talking about anything. People will follow her to Christ whatever she talks about-she just oozed love for HIM.

Dame Catherine Wybourne

The(benedictine) @DigitalNun however was the STAR TURN of the whole conference. Not only did she quote from Aelred Of Rievaulx, (Pam and Vera note) BUT she spoke with authority, humour and love about being a Christian ONLINE. Read her ideas here

The last breakout session was very helpful, and just for one idea from @emptybelly of Partakers . He has had lots of experience of coaxing older people in to a meaningful use of the New Media.The sooner I start taking my laptops to the Open Church at St Johns the better.

It was great to see so many well known and valued bloggers sitting around the lecture theatres, to match avatars to faces and to realise that we are doing CHURCH as part of a much wider and infinite work of God.

Best of all we spent time with our blogfather #Simonrudiger.

Thank you Colin for coming along (he is taking digital photos of Selby as we travel through) I will have him blogging before our Ruby Wedding-watch this space

and Happy Birthday Vicar Mary Today!

Psalm 30

2011-10-16T12:13:00.000+01:00

Carl and I have not yet finished our rendering of Psalm 28 and we plan to do Psalm 29 after that. So here is a version of Psalm 30 I have chosen, which has got a definite Anglican flavour!

Blogging #Cnmac one

2011-10-13T11:24:00.000+01:00

The start of our adventure to show that Filey parish is able to do 21st century living.I am getting rather blase about booking tickets for trains on line. BUT This is the first time Colin and I have travelled first class since 1975. £45 return to Kings X on Hull Trains is worth every penny when Hull Trains are in top efficiency mode. We've just received our complimentary vegetarian sandwich lunch, always the best option on Hull Trains.

Note to son-in -law. Thank you for all the help u gave me choosing and buying this netbook.I am not going to let u down Filey. I managed to plug into the free WiFi without Bobby or Pete and am logged in .

Around me are Ladies who lunch in their High Heels and Hello magazines, Business men or , FilmProducers ( looking for Sugartowns) ,hard to tell apart these days on their Mac Airs.

Note to God and other rich friends. A Mac Air would be abundant living.

Going to be staying in borrowed flat of dear friend who is going to daughters for few days in another street and just around the corner from us. Tomorrow -Colins day. Chelsea Physic Garden, an exhibition or two, Saturday -my day, #Cnmac11 and catch up time with @simonrudiger and Seminas to help us all in Filey Parish.

Father God,

Thank you for getting us safely to Hull, and the joy of roomy seats and free WiFi on Hull Trains to London. Bless all the others who are getting ready for Saturday, all the speakers, and those who will serve in other ways. In the name of Jesus

Amen

The Heavenly Man

2011-10-10T10:15:00.000+01:00

I have just finished this book which was passed on to me by Mary. It is about an evangelist in the Chinese House Church movement called Brother Yun, who underwent terrible sufferings while in prison for preaching the gospel. He has been greatly used to bring many Chinese to faith in Jesus both in and out of prison and in the book we learn of a great revival in China where miracles are as frequent as in the book of Acts. At one time he miraculously escaped prison and fled out of China and went to live in Germany. He is now involved in a mission to evangelise the area between China and Jerusalem and you can learn about it on backtojerusalem.com .

Reading the book gives one a greater faith in God as you learn how He can frequently break the laws of nature and you also learn marvellous examples of Christians praising God even in the most horrible of circumstances. I would strongly recommend it.

Where have all the men gone?!

2011-10-08T22:32:00.001+01:00

CALLING ALL MEN! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!

If you too have noticed the overwhelming abundance of ladies in the modern day church...DO NOT FEAR!

Christian Vision for Men have made it their mission to get men back into the church.

Check out their site: www.cvmen.org.uk and be inspired!

Lets spread the word and make it our mission to show that being a follower of Christ is by no means unmanly!

The really cool place

2011-10-08T06:55:00.005+01:00

Nothing could better illustrate the adaptability of the newly ordered St Johns than the visit yesterday of over hundred young children, shortly after our communion service. Within a few minutes we were able to redistribute the chairs around the walls of the church and the children were able to sit themselves comfortably on the thick carpet. You could tell from their expressions that they were amazed and delighted about the space. One small boy said 'this is really cool' .

Mary gave a short talk and there were prayers and the children sang a couple of children's hymns.

I suspect that many of these youngsters may never have been in a church before. In many cases they and their parents would feel completely uncomfortable in a more traditional church setting. It is joy that we now have somewhere that so perfectly complements the traditional space of our main Parish Church. St John's was built as a 'Chapel of Ease' and yesterday's event demonstrated that purpose in spades.

As we move ahead in God's will, there will be be inevitable difficulties and one temptation we need to avoid is that our faith becomes about buildings,how they are arranged, arrangements for meetings, or even our own efforts to make things happen. As I sat in communion I was reading Psalm 127:1:

'Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. ' A sobering thought.

#cnmac 11

2011-10-05T13:09:00.001+01:00

TG for Tweedeck

Looking forward to meeting @simonrudiger, that connoisseur of the cooked breakfast and encourager of @margaretkiaora at #cnmac next week..

One of the 20 breakout sessions was spawned just for Filey Parish. Guess which one -answers on comments please!

'The church has left the building'....

2011-10-02T16:00:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking about something a lot lately.
It's not anything new or ground breaking I'm afraid, and you will have heard it before.

How is the church reaching out to people who aren't interested in church?

It is fantastic that we have such an open door policy - we let people come and look round our churches, and we advertise what we do - our services and events - pretty well I think. We have the Envoy and this website which, as it says at the back of the church hall, are communicating the message of Christ wonderfully.

However, I believe something is missing here.

Most of our outreach seems to appeal to people who already have some form of interest or connection with the Christian faith, in some way or another. What can we be doing for those people who aren't interested in looking around churches, reading a church magazine, or coming to a service? For those who haven't thought about God for years, who wouldn't go near a church, those people who aren't interested in faith at all....How can we love them as a church? How can we tell them the message of Christ, without expecting them to come to us?

My friend owns a hoodie from her church which says on the back of it - 'The church has left the building'. I personally believe this is a fantastic thing to be able to say. We have two beautiful churches, where we worship and meet with others of the same faith, but as well as this, if it is our aim to show people the love of Christ, then we need to be meeting them where they are at, not them meeting us where we are.

Just up the coast

2011-09-30T15:02:00.000+01:00

From the free Sea Cliff Road Car park Scarborough

Just been to 'Grandparents lunch' with Z and R at St Martins Scarborough. WE enjoyed being shown round , seeing the wall displays and facilities, but more than that ,we know we are privileged to be part of a wider family.

Anyone who says that children do not learn about Christianity at school these days must be encouraged that this is not the case in every school.

The text on Zs wall is one of my favourite, amongst a display about Christian Values (for 7yr olds)

Jesus said

'I am the way , the truth and the life'.

I have worked in schools for 40 years. St Martins had a lovely atmosphere, the children were happy and cared for, and we all enjoyed the hospitality that our grandchildren freely gave us.

Of course I loved the Computer Suite/Library. It wouldn't have taken much to get me in there again with a class. I saw all the Smart Boards and remembered how I was one of the first to get one in my East Riding school. How it transformed my teaching style. These teaching aids come and go. I remember when a Banda Machine was de rigueur in 1968- I loved that aniline purple ink.

Education is not about equipment, and lasting knowledge informing many generations does not depend on it.

Pam R and Vera went to Wydale this week to Friendship in Community , A day of inspiration , led By Revd.Dr Gavin Wakefield a former tutor of Vicar Mary. He focused on the lives of three Christians who ministered in Yorkshire, Mary Ward (17th C), David Watson (20thC) and Aelred of Rievaulx. (12th C). Pam read us some of Aelreds writings-as relevent now as 900 yrs ago. I am going to learn more of him, and about Christianity thro the lives of others, from 21st Century Scarborough to 12 th Century Rievaulx. After all God has not changed, and the text in Z,s classroom still has lots to tell us.

Would you like a raffle ticket ?

2011-09-27T09:17:00.001+01:00

The new Health Lottery,is branded as' Profiteering on the back of Charities. '

So said Stephen Bubb, recently knighted for his services to Charity Fund raising's ACEVO. He seems to know much about the new Health Lottery , having worked for the Lottery Charities Board as its first director of Personnel, so is a fine one to talk.

I did buy lottery tickets once. I joined in with every one else at work in the weekly 'cross ones fingers and hope '.

I haven't bought so much as a raffle ticket for many years now, because I started asking myself should a Christian Church raise money at all in this way?

So as far as I am concerned I don't do tombolas,Coffee Mornings, Mission fayres or Fun days where one has to part with cash . An investigation into the financial well being of Christian Churches might well bring some surprises, as those who live by Faith are seen to do no more than seek God, pray it in, fast , tithe and trust in the God who owns all the cattle on a thousand hills.

What do you think?

September Flowers

2011-09-23T11:45:00.001+01:00

Most wild flowers have gone to seed by September except for a few stragglers, so this is the last of my series on flowers!

This is the Wild Carrot Daucus carota which was more in evidence last month.

Here is the Sea Mayweed Tripleurospermun maritinum but what are showing the most colour are Hawthorn berries Crataegus monogyna.