The United Benefice of Fen Drayton with Conington and Lolworth and Swavesey Sadness or Anger? I don’t know whether to be sad or angry.  Three of the public buildings with which I am connected have been targeted by metal thieves over the last few weeks.      Fen Drayton Village Hall and the parish churches of Fen Drayton and Swavesey have all suffered the loss of lead flashing and other damage.  In the case of the churches at least, the cost of repairs will far exceed the value of the metal stolen, running into thousands of pounds in each case. It’s bad enough having to raise money to cope with the natural wear and tear on a mediaeval building without having to raise thousands more to put right the effects of deliberate and callous theft. (Sadly metal theft is currently so common that insurance companies will no longer offer affordable cover against such losses.)      So which is it to be - sadness or anger?      We’ve been thinking a lot about parables in church these past few months.  Parables are stories about ordinary things that tell us about spiritual things.  Mostly these have been the parables told by Jesus but in The House Group we’ve had a go at writing one or two of our own. Perhaps there’s a parable to be written comparing our reaction to the damage done to our churches with the view that God takes of the damage that we inflict upon ourselves and do to his Creation.      Jesus weeps when he sees the city of Jerusalem.  He says, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” [Luke 19.42 NIV]      There is no compromise in Jesus’ mind about what is right and wrong, what is God’s will for his Creation. But no one is compelled to follow the right path - there is no force, no coercion - only sadness when people choose the way they know to be wrong and which will bring them no lasting peace.      We sleepwalk if we pretend to ourselves that nobody sees, that nobody cares, that there is no Judgement.      As we come to the season of Harvest Festivals, we celebrate the good gifts of God and the work of those who cooperate with God to bring us food and comfort.  But we also look forward to the final harvest of souls when God will exercise his judgement and his mercy.  And we praise God for his lovingkindness. The Vicar P.S. If you do see anyone acting suspiciously around our churches,  please do tell the police. Don’t leave it to someone else. Damage to the north aisle roof at St Andrew’s, Swavesey Boys’ Toys (and Girls’ Too)  It looked like a marketing masterstroke from the Vicar, a renowned model railway enthusiast, “Let’s have a day with folks bringing along their train sets to the church where we have the space to make some decent-sized layouts. - we could call it Boys’ Toys.” “But what about the girls?” chorused the PCC to a (wo)man. “OK,” responded the Vicar, “We can call it Boys’ Toys (and Girls’ Too)”. Everyone over 55 or with A-level English would immediately understand the importance of the apostrophe after Girls but, if the crowd who turned up on the day were expecting a mannequin parade, they managed to hide their disappointment extremely well. [NB - this isn’t exactly how the Vicar remembers things - but it makes a good story - ed.]      And it was fun! This was a fantastic opportunity for everyone (boys and girls) to turn out their lofts, understairs cupboards, garages and sheds to find those missing bits of Meccano, Lego, Bayko, Scalextric, Mamod steam engines and, of course, train sets - O-, OO-, or n-gauge, 2-rail or 3-rail. For weeks ahead, everyone was busy dusting and oiling, testing voltages and gears, removing oxide from rails and spring-cleaning toys that they had grown up with but, like the writer, had not touched for up to 40 years. Thanks to John Shepperson, the pews were covered in MDF board to provide bases for the displays and John himself provided one of the most fascinating displays of farming history seen through models from a Ransomes threshing machine attended by genuine land girls through to Radford’s windmill at Boxworth End.      The girls’ toys were well represented with hobby horses, rocking horses, pogo sticks, cradles, dolls houses and sewing machines nestling up against the Scalextric race track. Historians were treated to a practical exposition of manual printing, learning the mysteries of kerning and the combinations of em- spaces and en-spaces required to achieve the perfectly justified right-hand margin without Microsoft Word.      For the serious modeller (and there were many around!) some exquisitely crafted engines were on display and although these unfortunately were not able to be fired up, ’ealth an’ safety didn’t prevent one nonagenarian boy from treating the assembled crowd to the piercing shrill of a stationary engine letting off steam.      Coffees, teas, cakes and refreshments were available throughout the afternoon for boys and girls of all ages and by the time the last Hornby-Dublo carriage was shunted off and the demolition teams got to work on the Bayko houses, everyone agreed it had been a great day with a very generous contribution towards the forthcoming south aisle roof repair. And perhaps a few girls were also pleased that the lofts and cupboards of Fen Drayton [and Swavesey and Great Yarmouth - ed.] had been cleared out in the search for the missing Meccano... Phil Christie St Andrew’s Choir  The choir of St Andrew’s, Swavesey, resumed practices on 1st September, following their August break, in readiness for Harvest Services on Sunday 2nd October.    The choir will sing an anthem at 11.00am as usual.  In the evening at 6.30pm singers from Fenstanton will join with us for a full Festival Evensong with choir settings of the canticles and a further anthem.  I hope the congregation will respond by joining us for this celebration and provide a warm welcome for our visitors.    Swavesey choir will also visit Conington on 9th October at 6.30pm for St Mary’s Harvest Festival. Keith Lofts Churchyard Memorials Parishioners are reminded that they should consult the Vicar before making any alteration to a churchyard memorial or to the layout of a grave-space.  The Vicar can explain the current Churchyard Regulations and advise whether Diocesan permission is required for the alteration and thus help avoid complications arising later.    For instance, the Regulations insist that flowers on graves should always be natural and specify the materials to be used even for vase holders.  A general principle is that nothing should impede the passage of a mower over a grassed area of the churchyard.  If you are in any doubt, please ask! The Vicar Harvest Gifts and Produce Harvest Gifts and Produce presented at our Harvest Festivals this year will go again to Cambridge Foodbank.  This charity was set up in 2001 by Cambridge Emmaus and Jimmy’s Night Shelter to distribute gifts of food and surplus food to charities and care organisations throughout the Cambridge area. Christingle Services This season’s Christingle Services in aid of The Children s Society will take place in St Andrew’s, Swavesey, on Sunday 4th December 2011 at 4.30pm and at St Mary’s, Fen Drayton, on Sunday 11th December 2011, also at 4.30pm.      Christingle - focusing on  oranges decorated with symbols of thanksgiving and faith - offers a wonderful introduction to the Advent and Christmas seasons for young and old alike. A church within a church Some of John Shepperson’s farming models Scalextric fun (with hymnbook crash barriers)