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St Mary’s News – The May Day or Mayday Edition

St Mary’s News – May Day or Mayday?

This month’s news starts with Revd Heather’s May Day message.  Following this, you can find out about events including:

May Blossom for May Day

… the usual listings of services & contacts.

May Day versus Mayday

Revd Heather’s message this month:

An AI generated image of Maypole Dancers.

May begins and ends with a bank holiday, which is always rather nice, and with the spring well established now, and as we look towards the summer, we might hope that the bank holidays won’t disappoint us and will produce some good weather, perhaps even giving us the opportunity for a BBQ or family picnic.

May Day, is a day full of traditions, most of which seem to have been lost in time, although we might catch of glimpse of some Morris dancers, or even get the chance to join in some Maypole dancing, something they are hoping to revive this year, in The Crown in Wormingford, if they can find a suitable Maypole!

Mayday as a Distress Signal

But as I was thinking about May Day, I was reminded that Mayday, is also used internationally as a distress signal, particularly amongst aviators and mariners. It was apparently conceived as a distress call in the early 1920’s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, officer-in-charge of radio at Croydon Airport. He had been asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would be easily understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. Since much of the air traffic at the time was between Croydon and Le Bourget Airport in Paris, he proposed the term ‘Mayday’, the phonetic equivalent of the French m’aider, a short form of venez m’aider, come, help me!

So to the Second May Holiday

The spring bank holiday which falls on the last Monday of May, still gets referred to as Whitsun bank holiday by some, although it lost this status in 1972. Prior to 1972 it was moveable, always falling on the first Monday after Pentecost when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus ascended into heaven after the resurrection, he spoke a lot about the coming Holy Spirit, using different terms including the counsellor, comforter and helper.

In our spiritual lives, how comforting to know that when we are in distress, we can send out our mayday and know that the Helper, the Holy Spirit will come.

So as you enjoy the May bank holidays, remember that God hears our Maydays.

May God bless you,
Heather

Christian Aid Week 11-17 May

Guatemalan family helped by Christian Aid

This year, Christian Aid Week highlights the struggles of Guatemalan communities and how we can stand with them. Aurelia (pictured with family), a farmer and community leader, is fighting climate change and industrial agriculture. With training from Christian Aid’s partner, Congcoop, she’s using sustainable farming to protect her land and secure her community’s future.

This Christian Aid Week, churches and supporters across the UK are coming together to make a difference. By supporting our fund raising events below you can help ensure farmers like Aurelia have the resources they need to build resilience and thrive.

To read more about Aurelia’s story, visit the Christian Aid website.

Christian Aid Coffee Morning & Plant Sale—16 May 10am-noon

Christian Aid logo

You are warmly invited to the Rectory at 1 Church Close on Friday 16 May to enjoy coffee and cake and a chance to buy books, plants and puzzles to raise money for Christian Aid. Donations of cakes,  plants and books etc are very welcome. Please leave these in the parish office or at the Rectory. Thank you!

King’s Ridge Parishes Big Breakfast Saturday 17 May @ 9am

Join us for breakfast in the church hall with a speaker from Christian Aid. Suggested donation of £10 which will be donated to Christian Aid once expenses have been covered.

King’s Ridge Parishes Rogationtide Walk—Saturday 31 May

Join us as we walk through some of the parishes, praying for God’s blessing on the land and the coming harvests.

The walk will begin with breakfast at St John the Baptist, Mount Bures, walking to St Andrew’s, Wormingford for coffee and cake, then on to St Peter and St Paul, Little Horkesley for lunch before finishing at All Saints’ Great Horkesley for afternoon tea.

You can join for the whole walk or just part of it. Copies of the route map will be available inside the church entrance a few weeks before.

Services

4 May9:30 amHoly Communion
11 May9:30 amMessy Church
 5:00 pmEvening Worship service
18 May9:30 amBaptism Service
18 April10:00 amGood Friday Meditation service
25 May9:30 amCafé church
29 May7:30 pmAscension Day Service

Our Team at St Mary’s

Part of the King’s Ridge Parishes