Secretary’s Chat June/July 2026
Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun! Does anyone not know Ian and I were invited to the Palace!!! No, I didn’t get a knighthood or a damehood but did see King Charles and Camilla. Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, from a distance! We had a lovely time. No need to practice curtseying.
What’s ahead of us here in Vicars Cross.
Well June is a wonderful month.
We are holding our usual Coffee Morning on Saturday 6th June from 1030 a.m. If you haven’t tried it please come along for a bacon buttie.
We are having a TABLE TOP SALE on June 13th 1pm – 3pm. Contact me 07817252120 for details. The table is £5.00.
And while we are on the subject of Coffee mornings, we are holding our Summer Fair on July 4th 2pm – 4pm.
We have also had more than our fair share of illnesses, please remember those of our friends who are in hospital at this time or undergoing health problems. May God hold you all in the palm of his wonderful healing and comforting arms.
As most of you already know, we have a new minister starting with us in September/October. Simon is excited to be starting off his ministry with us here in the Chester North Pastorate of Vicars Cross. Upton and Blacon.
I think it is only right that we thank our Interim Moderators, Rev Anthea and Rev Alan Wickens and Rev Reid for their guidance and support while the three churches were without a minister.
The sun is shining and I know the sun doesn’t stay around for long so I will wish you all a wonderful summer holiday when it comes.
Take care of yourselves and stay safe.
God Bless you all.
Sheila
School assembly songs to inspire new worshipping communities for children
A major new programme will see the launch of worshipping communities for children and families, based on songs that are already popular in school assemblies.
iSingPOP will support 300 churches to create new gatherings where families from local primary schools will be invited to explore faith together, drawing on the energetic worship songs children already know from school.
The aim is to connect collective worship in schools to engagement with church for families interested in growing in faith together. The programme has received £500k investment from the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB).
iSingPOP, from the charity Innervation Trust, produces vibrant worship songs that engage more than 77,000 children every week, alongside resources that equip teachers, clergy and volunteers to lead faith-based music sessions in schools and churches.
It also brings schools, churches, and the community together by giving churches the opportunity to host a large joy-filled concert, teaching children songs that explore the Christian faith over four days, culminating in a whole-school performance to parents. This approach has already inspired many families to explore faith beyond the school gates.
Through the new programme, iSingPOP will help to link worship in schools with the life of local churches.
Miz Porter, Director of iSingPOP by Innervation Trust, said: “For 25 years, we have been working with churches and schools to create inspirational collective worship resources that uplift children.
“We believe intergenerational worship has the power to introduce whole families to the Gospel, and we are delighted that this new programme will help churches across the country to deepen their relationships with local schools.”
All in the month of JUNE
250 years ago, on 11 June 1776 that the Second Continental Congress appointed John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R Livingston and Roger Sherman to create the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Also 250 years ago, on 11th June, that John Constable, British landscape artist, was born.
150 years ago, on 19th June 1876 that Nigel Gresley, railway engineer, was born. He designed some of the best-known steam locomotives in Britain, including the Flying Scotsman.
100 years ago, on 1st June 1926 that the American film actress, model and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe was born. Remembered for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like it Hot, among others. Died 1962.
Also 100 years ago, on 10th June 1926 that Antoni Gaudi, Spanish architect died. Known for his unique Modernist style. Best remembered buildings such as the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
90 years ago, on 14th June 1936 that G K Chesterton died. Novelist, short story writer, journalist, essayist, poet, social/literary critic and theologian, and remembered for his stories about the priest-detective Father Brown.
80 years ago, on 8th June 1946 that the London Victory Celebrations following WW2 took place. Allied forces paraded through London, cheered by crowds that stretched from Buckingham Palace to Regent’s Park. Countrywide, an estimated 12 million people joined in various celebrations.
65 years ago, from 4th June to 9th November, that the Berlin Crisis of 1961 took place. It led to Berlin being partitioned into East Berlin and West Berlin, and the erection of the Berlin Wall on 13th August.
Also 65 years ago, on 6th June that Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist, died. Founder of analytical psychology.
50 years ago, from 23rd June to 27th August, the 1976 British Isles Heat Wave took place. One of the hottest and driest summers on record, it dried up rivers and evaporated reservoirs. Domestic water supplies were rationed, and public standpipes were installed in some areas. September and October both saw very heavy rainfall.
40 years ago, on 22nd June 1986 that the ‘Hand of God’ goal took place during the quarter-final of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City. Argentine football player Diego Maradona scored a goal against England using his hand, which the referee mistakenly thought was his head, and allowed the goal. England was knocked out of the World Cup as a result, and Argentina won it.
30 years ago, on 4th June 1996 that the Second Severn Crossing was officially opened. The bridge spans the River Severn and links England and Wales via the M4 motorway.
Also 30 years ago, on 15th June 1996 that the centre of Manchester was devastated by an IRA bomb. 200 people were injured and the city centre had to be redeveloped because of the immense amount of damage.
Also 30 years ago, on 18th June 1996 that Benjamin Netanyahu became Prime Minister of Israel for the first time. He served from 1996 to 1999, then from 2009 to 2021, and then from 2022 to the present time. He is Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
25 years ago, on 1st June 2001 that Crown Prince Dipendra, heir to the Nepalese throne, massacred eight members of the royal family, including the King and Queen. He then shot himself and died three days later.
20 years ago, on 18th June 2006 that American bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori became the first woman to be elected as a primate in the Anglican Communion. She became the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church from November 2006 until 2015.
10 years ago, on 3rd June 2016 that Muhammad Ali, American world heavyweight boxer, died. He was regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
Also 10 years ago, on 16th June 2016 that Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, was murdered by a far-right extremist. She was 41.
Also 10 years ago, on 23rd June 2016 that the UK European Union (EU) membership referendum was held. 52 per cent of voters voted to leave the EU, and 48 per cent voted to remain. The UK left the EU on 31st January 2020.
Remembering John Constable
It was 250 years ago, on 11th June 1776, that John Constable, British landscape artist, was born.
Widely known as a painter in the Romantic tradition, Constable had a deeply conservative faith centred on the Church of England, which he viewed as an essential stabilising force in society. His painting of Salisbury Cathedral is regarded as a symbol of this.
Born in East Bergholt, Suffolk, to a wealthy corn merchant who owned Flatford Mill, he was expected to take over the business: although he was the second son, the eldest was regarded as incapable. But John Constable was always focused on painting, and the business was eventually taken over by his younger brother.
Constable enjoyed painting the areas he knew well – primarily those on the border of Suffolk and Essex which is now known as Constable Country. “Painting is but another word for feeling,” he wrote to a friend. He regarded nature as a reflection of God’s creation and his own work as spiritual, though a tour of the Lake District in 1806 did not convince him of the attraction of mountains.
He is now highly valued, but he was never successful financially in his own lifetime, though he was elected to the Royal Academy at the age of 52. He was more popular in France than in England, but refused invitations to travel to promote his work, saying he would rather be a poor man in England than a rich man abroad.
After the death through tuberculosis of his wife Maria Bicknell at the age of 41, Constable became depressed: it had been a love match that triumphed over opposition from her wealthy relatives, and he was left a widower with seven young children. He continued to paint, but in a different style, darker and semi-abstract, but still compelling.
**
‘Our Marilyn Monroe’ – born 100 years ago this month
One hundred years ago, on 1st June 1926, the American film actress, model and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe was born. Remembered for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch and Some Like it Hot, among others, she died in 1962.
Her original name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, and she was born in Los Angeles, spending much of her childhood in foster homes; she lived for a while with evangelical Christians Albert and Ida Bolender, as did her mother, Gladys Monroe. She married James Dougherty at the age of 16, and later Joe DiMaggio, the baseball star.
Marilyn suffered a great deal from endometriosis, and although she became pregnant on three occasions, she had no children. Her character was contradictory: she was probably bipolar, but combined an apparent naivety with an extremely shrewd business intelligence: some estimated her IQ at a very high 165. She certainly had a spiritual side, but this was rarely obvious.
When she married Arthur Miller in 1956, she converted to Judaism because she identified with Jews as an oppressed group, and she retained this spiritual connection after they divorced.
Monroe’s career in films started when she was spotted by a photographer while she was working in an aircraft factory. She was always seen as a pin-up, and it was an image she cultivated. She wore white to draw attention to her blondness (though she was naturally brunette) and wore deliberately revealing clothes.
As far as politics were concerned, Monroe was a democrat, admiring Abraham Lincoln and giving her backing to civil rights. Her closeness to the Kennedy family – she was rumoured to have had brief affairs with both the president, JFK, and his brother Bobby – came at the end of her life. She died of a barbiturate overdose at her Los Angeles home.
**
BBC Proms will still celebrate the US – despite Trump’s lawsuit
The BBC will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a programme of American classical music this summer.
That is while Donald Trump pursues his multi-million lawsuit against the corporation.
But he is not the only thing that is making the BBC uneasy. BBC insiders are also wary of the shifting political situation between the US and Iran, which could make the Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall a target for anti-war demonstrations.
However, the concerts will still go on to showcase the music of famous US composers, including George Gershwin, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. American conductors will even lead several of the shows.
Sam Jackson, the BBC Radio 3 controller, said: “The 250th anniversary of American independence is a major moment in world history. We live in uncertain times, but our current geopolitical situation should not lead us to ‘cancel’ great music, or to deny licence fee payers the opportunity to hear repertoire of both the past and the present.”
The Proms will launch with the First Night on 17th July.
**