Chaplaincy News - July/August 2022

A proud and heartfelt

CONGRATULATIONS

to all those students who are graduating this summer. I look forward to celebrating with you.

BARGAIN CORNER

Moving out of your Uni Accommodation?

Got kitchen items, bedding, clothing, stationery or books you no longer want or need?

Why not donate these to our campus Bargain Corner which will benefit new students arriving in September.

Contact the Medway Campus Chaplain to arrange delivery or collection.

TAKE TEN with LYNNE

‘SELF-WORTH’

Our self-worth encompasses the things we think, feel and believe about ourselves.

View video:

Take Ten - Self Worth

Take Ten - Self Worth

View video:

Take Ten - Self Worth

Our self-worth essentially concerns what we think, feel or believe about ourselves. The truth is this  …  YOU are the only one who can truly determine your self-worth. What others think about you  -  your appearance, your grades, your social status is quite simply this  -  THEIR OPINION. 

Thought for the week ...

On a personal note ...

I have just had six wonderful days leave as my Dad, brother (Tony) and sis-in-law (Sarah) were visiting.  We really lucked out with the weather 😀

Saturday was spent at Ightham Mote, a beautiful National Trust location about 40 minutes from where I live.

 

Tony fed the ducks some of our picnic.

Sunday was Father's Day so, after church, Sarah and I made a lovely chicken roast followed by rhubarb and apple crumble (well, actually, I think Sarah did most of the work). I would've taken a photo of the roast but we were all hungry and finished off every morsel before I thought about it 🤣🤣🤣

In the evening, T&S and I went to see Top Gun: Maverick.

Monday was another lovely day. We went to Canterbury, including Choral Evensong at the cathedral.  Cannot fault the attention and care we received on the trains to make things easier for dad 👍

On Tuesday, T&S went off the Sissinghurst Castle; while I took Dad to visit his sister and husband in Southend-on-Sea.

A trip to the seaside simply MUST include icecream!!!

Unfortunately, my wee holiday ended with me testing positive for covid; I'm hoping & 🙏🙏🙏 that my family stay clear.

Thought for the week ...

Thought for the week ...

How did you spend the Jubilee weekend?

Hope you all had a great four-day break for the Jubilee weekend 😀  I know there were many activities happening all around Medway, in fact nation wide.  

If you'd like to share a photo and a paragraph of what you did it would be great to hear from you and include something in this blog post.

ME???  Well, I spent Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th at the Big Church Festival in West Sussex, along with about 40,000 other people.  This is a Christian music festival with five different stages, offering an eclectic taste in music genre; plus a worship venue, prayer tree, and numerous book and craft stalls, etc.

I camped for the three nights ... yes, me, camping!!! Certainly not my favourite thing BUT  ...  I was with great friends (Chris, Paul & Simon), listening to great music (Casting Crowns, Rend Collective and The Abrams), eating loads of great food, enjoying some lovely sunshine, enduring some rain & cold, and engaging in reduced hygiene practices for the weekend!

The cream tea, after setting up the tent, was my attempt at making camping more appealing 😀😀

This was the great weather we set up in, before going off to explore the site.

On the whole the weather was kind to us and we certainly didn't get the thunder storms that had been forecast. We managed to get most things to the cars in the dry and it was only drizzling slightly for packing up the tent. I'm really not sure what I'm supervising here, the guys definitely had it all covered 👍

Despite my lack of camping prowess
I have already agreed to go again
next year!!!

So, why not tell me what you did??

Olukunbi and her daughter Ni enjoyed a great day out at the Dickens Festival 😀😀

Dominika sent me this great photo and video from the traditional bun throwing which took place in Abingdon on June 5th. This event happens every time there is a royal celebration. The city councillors throw hundreds of buns from the city hall tower. All a little bizarre but lots of fun and people were surprisingly good at catching so there was very little waste. Check out the video:

Traditional Bun Throwing

Thought for the week ...

Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II

In general, I am not particularly a royalist; however, I have immense respect for our current Queen and, should you happen to be at my house on Christmas Day, EVERYTHING STOPS for the Queen's speech to the nation!

This year we celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee; 70 years of loyal service to her nation.

Elizabeth was born on April 21st 1926. Her parents were the Duke & Duchess of York. Her father later became King George VI.

On 6th February 1952, Princess Elizabeth was away in Kenya when she learned of her father's death.  At the age of 25, she was crowned Queen in Westminster Abbey, 2nd June 1953.

She was the first female member of the royal family to serve full-time in the Armed Forces. During WWII she learned to drive and service military vehicles.

When she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947, they received over 2,500 wedding presents 😵

She is the longest serving monarch Britain has ever had. Her reign has spanned 14 different Prime Ministers. She is also the most well-travelled monarch, having visited more than 120 countries.

She is Head of a Commonwealth of 54 different nations.

Her favourite breed of dog is the corgi ... but you probably already knew that 😀

BUT, DID YOU KNOW ... she's the only person in the UK allowed to drive without a license or travel without a passport! She owns an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar and a pair of sloths  ...  all gifts from other countries and looked after in London Zoo. She also owns all the swans in UK waters.

At the London Olympics in 2012 the Queen made a cameo sequence alongside Daniel Craig for the opening ceremony.

2012 Opening Ceremony

At the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, BBC South East commissioned a piece of artwork entitled 'The People's Monarch'. Artist Helen Marshall created the mosaic below out of over 5,000 photos sent in by the general public. The work is 38 square metres and the size of a double decker bus!! After a tour that included Rochester Cathedral, the artwork now resides somewhere at Gatwick airport.

On April 21st, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 years old.