Cross Border Newsletter, November 2022

ST. JOHN'S ANGLICAN CHURCH

St John's Church, 31 avenue Carnot, Menton, (see location page)

Services on Sunday mornings, 10h30. All are welcome.

Please welcome

The Revd. Chris Parkman.

The Bishop in Europe announced that the post of
Chaplain of St. John's Chaplaincy in Menton was offered to and accepted by The Revd. Chris Parkman.

 

He is a French resident, having worked in Nice at A Rocha (the Christian environmental conservation organisation) at their French community - Les Courmettes for many years.

 

Chris and his wife Sarah expect to move to Menton
once he has fulfilled his notice period to his current employer.

Congratulations and thanks to all of the congregation and wider community that have made this possible.


An introduction to The Rev Chris Parkman.

Before ordination, Chris was a road engineer for 25 years, during which time he worked in various cultures around the world, and is now excited to build on this background, being part of an international community at St. John's.


With his wife Sarah, who will continue in her role working with the A Rocha International team, he hopes to maintain links and continue supporting the A Rocha team at Les Courmettes as a volunteer.


Truly, good news for our church of St. John's.

 

 

Watch, Wait

 

(Mark 13:31-37, Revelation 21:3,4,,22-20)

Help us to watch, Lord, while we wait.
To watch as we serve you, on the margins, in the mainstream, in the mix-up of this world.
Yet always preparing, building for your kingdom, ready for your return.
Help us to respond, Lord, to the signs, while we wait.
Not demanding details, but trusting your word,
holding your promise to wipe away tears and suffering
when you make all things new on that day.
Help us Lord, oh help us while we watch in the darkness, while we wait through the between time for you to come, to be our God, our glorious, victorious King.
Come Lord Jesus.
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REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

Remembrance Sunday this year falls on 13th November. There will be the
special Remembrance Service in church at 10.30am.

 

If you have names of those who lost their lives during the two World Wars and other conflicts, and you wish to have them remembered during the service, please write their names down and give them to Carolyn or Valerie
before the service.
Thank you

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE

BRITISH & COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES CEMETERY

BORDIGHERA

MONDAY 14th NOVEMBER AT 10.45am

Soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth,

who were part of an
Expeditionary Force in NE Italy during the

First World War, were on their
way home from where they had been deployed,

when they were sadly taken
ill with the Spanish 'Flu, rampant in that period.

The hotels in Bordighera had
generously become hospitals for them

but several died between 1918 and
1919. There is a total of 84 buried

in the Cemetery – 72 British & Commonwealth military and 12 Prisoners of War.

You may see the names of
servicemen from your part

of the world on the headstones.
Do come to this moving service of reconciliation

and peace. The Sindaco of Bordighera will be present together with members from The Royal British
Legion Nice and Monaco Branch.

The service will be presided over by
Canon Tony Dickinson from the Genoa Chaplaincy of the Anglican Church of the Holy Ghost, Genoa, and Church leaders from other churches in the local
Ecumenical Group will take part.
If you have names of people who died in the two world wars or other conflicts, which you wish to be remembered during the service, please write
them down and hand them to

Fr. Tony before the service begins.
We look forward to seeing you in this peaceful cemetery to share our memories and pray together.
The British & Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery
Via del Campo,
Bordighera,
Italy.
Poppies will be available.
The Kohima Epitaph: When you go home, tell them of us, and say “ for your tomorrow we gave our day”

JAZZ CONCERTS
St. John's is excited to welcome back Christian Bonichi on saxophone and clarinet, together with

Ben Prischi: Piano/organ, Sofian El Mabrouk:

Double Bass, Felix Joveniaux: Drums.
Please note the following date:

 

Friday 02 December, 18h30

Tickets online: www.ticketsource.eu/st-johns-english-library-menton

Tickets at the door €10

St. John's Library Winter Activities:

 

New books for all ages have arrived in the Library. If there is a particular book you would like us to add to our list, please let us know.

Children's English Lessons continue with Arabella on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 5pm (17h00).
To join email Arabella at: arabella.isca@gmail.com

Regine Dedonder, a qualified French teacher, will hold classes at intermediate level on Wednesdays at 10.00am starting 5th October and at advanced level on Thursdays at 10.00am starting on 6th October. Class duration 90 minutes.
Please email in advance if you wish to join. A minimum of 4 students is required. Cost: €5 per person per lesson. sjel.menton@gmail.com


The Library is always looking for reliable volunteers to help out on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornimngs. No qualifications required. Email: sjel.menton@gmail.com

A Prayer  for the  UKRAINE CRISIS


O God of hosts,
we pray for those who choose war this day taking the blood of others.
You set before us the day when swords will be turned into ploughshares, so direct the leaders of the world to seek the peace and courage of the one who made peace;
not by blood taken, but by blood given,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

O God, I know that I can get things into such a dreadful mix up. I know that so often I get myself completely disorganised, and things get all out of control.

Help me to do things unfailingly when I ought to do them, and to put things always where I ought to put them. Help me to stop doing the things I want to do and to start doing the things I ought to do.

Help me to stop finding first-class excuses for not starting the job I don't want to do.

Help me to stop stealing time, and to start using time to the last second of the last minute.
Give me the peace of being able to say to you and to my fellow men; I have finished the task you gave me to do. Take from me all the fuss and the fret, the strain and the stress, and help me to find serenity in the life which is offered by you. This I ask for your love's sake.  Amen        

Mark Gibb

The good for which we are born into this world is
that we may learn to love.
George MacDonald, author and preacher
who inspired Mark Twain and C.S. Lewis
and who is buried in the English Cemetery, Bordighera

 Thank you to all who have contributed,

the roof repair is complete!

 

 

Donations have reached 90%

Please give generously

Send a cheque.

St John's Church, 2 ave Pigautier, 06500 Menton France

Gift Aid available for UK residents,

send cheque to Diocese of Europe, St. John's Church,
14 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3QZ

______________________________

APPEAL FOR FUNDS BY ST JOHN’S CHURCH MENTON SUMMARY

St John’s Church is a well-loved landmark in the centre of the town of Menton.

It has survived a major earthquake, a proposed demolition and most recently in 2010, subsidence caused by excavation on an adjoining building site.

We are close to completion of a 9 year project of repair and rebuild following the subsidence. We will eventually have a beautifully restored church building with a traditional interior but with modern facilities. What is more the church will have a sound financial footing, better than it has had for the last 50 years. However we need a further €100,000 to complete this project. We are therefore launching this fundraising appeal.

HISTORY

St John’s Menton was conceived and built for the growing British population of Menton and it opened in 1868. The church thrived as a religious and cultural focus for English speaking people based in Menton. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, worshipped there and even had his own entrance door, which is still known today as the King’s Door. Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill are believed to have worshipped there.

Earthquake damage in 1887 was repaired. A proposal was made to demolish for residential development but in 1992 the residents of Menton objected so strongly that the plan was dropped. The French residents had taken the beautiful historic building to their hearts. The church has continued to be a focus for English speaking people of the area up to the present day.

In October 2010, the structure of the church was severely damaged during excavation of an adjacent site for the construction of a high-rise building. The northwest corner of the church subsided and the building was declared unsafe by the authorities.

A nearby Roman Catholic Chapel was rented so that regular worship could continue and the church contents were put into storage. A claim was made on the property developer’s insurance. Liability was admitted. The Diocese of Gibraltar signed the insurance discharge, but it was then discovered that they were not the owners of the church. It was established that the owner was a London based charity known then as the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG). USPG also owned the accommodation in Menton for the incumbent Chaplain (known as the Chaplaincy Flat). After lengthy negotiation USPG agreed to donate both properties to the Chaplaincy of St John’s Church Menton.

The transfer of ownership of the church and Chaplaincy flat from the charity to St John’s caused major delays and incurred substantial legal costs.

THE INSURANCE CLAIM

The insurance claim was submitted by the then St John’s Chaplaincy Council on the basis of reinstating the building exactly as it had been before the accident. The project architect obtaining planning consent asked for tenders from 3 contractors, the lowest quotation was €574,080 and was agreed. The Chaplaincy Council decided that this was a unique opportunity to enhance and modernise the church with a new strengthened west façade and an interior suitable for social activities. Given this opportunity the Council decided to take cash settlement in lieu of repairs.

The insurance company paid separately €232,024 for emergency stabilisation of the church structure using the latest technique of resin injection and a further total of €126,018 for security, clearing the site, professional fees and window removal. The total settlement was therefore €932,122.

EXCHANGE OF PROPERTY WITH DEVELOPERS

As the new owners of St John’s Church, the Chaplaincy Council entered into negotiations with the developers to exchange part of the garden in return for two residential flats and one commercial space. This required planning consent. At the last minute the Architecte des Bâtiments de France intervened to protect the view of the church from Avenue Carnot. A new planning application had to be submitted which caused a further delay. The outcome was that the Church was to receive two commercial spaces and two garage spaces and the developers had to reduce the size of their building.

THE PRESENT

The external work on the church building is almost complete and the internal refurbishment and redecoration is under way. We have spent a total of €354,000 on the project and there is a further €220,000 to spend.

The Chaplaincy Council is very proud of what has been achieved despite the many obstacles in their way. The church structure is now sound and in much better condition than prior to the accident. The inside of the church, when complete, will be traditional and have greatly improved facilities.

The ongoing finances look healthier than before in that we now own the church freehold and the chaplaincy flat. Also, through negotiation with the property developers, the council will own the two commercial leasehold properties and two parking spaces in the development.

The problem now is that we urgently need to raise funds in order to be able to finish the project. When the community will be able to move back into the church this will reduce running costs by €13,200 per year. These savings and the future income which will be obtained from the commercial property and also wider use of the church, for example braderies and concerts, will enable the church to be on a sound financial footing for the future.

EXTRA COSTS WHICH HAVE LED TO THE CURRENT POSITION

The current fund shortfall arises from the delays in acquiring the ownership of the church building and the chaplaincy flat, the involvement of the Architecte des Bâtiments de France and negotiations with the property developers. The legal costs of acquiring the property were significant.

It would have been reasonable for the project to be completed within 3 years. Instead it has taken 9 years. A breakdown of the costs is as follows:

● Legal costs and property tax
 Legal costs and property tax in the UK and France amounted to €68,390 and there were further fees of €3,348 for

translation of essential legal documents. A total of €71,738.

● Costs due to closure of the church

Pews and library books had to be removed from the damaged church and stored off site. This cost was €7,200 per annum. An alternative site for Sunday worship was rented at a cost of €5,200 per annum.
The total cost on these items, for 6 years, is €79,000.

● Loss of capital value due to inflation
 Based on 6 years delay at an average of 1.5% per annum inflation, the capital lost about €50,000 of its value.

The total is about €200,000 and this is the cost to the church of the unavoidable delays which occurred during the rebuild and refurbishment project.

Issued on behalf of St John's Chaplaincy Council. God bless you.

Cheques payable to St John's Church, Le Soleil de Menton, 2 avenue du Pigautier, 06500 Menton France

To donate online please CLICK HERE

Church of the Holy Ghost, Genova – Mission to Migrants
There have been places of Anglican worship for British people in Bordighera, Ospedaletti, San Remo, Diano Marina, Alassio, Spotorno, Genova, Rapallo e Levanto. They came in great numbers to Liguria during the winter months of the 1860s until the end of the Second World War. By the end of the 20th century, mainly for financial and numerical reasons, all but the Church of the Holy Ghost, Genova
and the Anglican Chapel in Bordighera had closed.
Genova, being a very important port on the Mediterranean coast, welcomes people from many nations and continents to work and study. “The Church of the Holy Ghost has survived, despite some very difficult times”, writes Canon Tony Dickinson, their Chaplain “because of its ministry to a much wider community. It is not just a church for “ex-pat” Brits. The church greets those who prefer to worship
in English or for whom English is their first European language and the resident congregation at present includes people from Canada, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Romania, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.


In recent years the church has established a distinctive ministry to refugees and other migrants, particularly those who have made the dangerous journey from West Africa across the Sahara to Libya, and then risked their lives in overcrowded inflatables crossing to Lampedusa. Some were persuaded to embark on the journey by the
narrative of “El Dorado” peddled by the traffickers and their agents, or were sent by their families to “make their fortune”. Many in the initial wave of migrants came because they were trapped in Libya by the overthrow of the Ghaddafi regime and the attendant chaos. Others came to escape gang violence. Some of the young women travelled to Italy in order to escape abuse at home.
Ministry to the migrants demands a lot of energy and commitment from the core members of the congregation, who have been unstintingly generous with their time,
money and pastoral care, this has been shown in the following ways:
• supporting those who are going through Italy's immigration process
• bailing out (in extremis prison visiting) the few who get into trouble with the law or with the institutions which offer accommodation for migrants
• providing rent deposits for those who are moving on into private
accommodation and are awaiting their first pay packet
• guiding them round the intricacies of Italian bureaucracy
• sorting out health-care
• helping with CVs
• writing references for prospective employers or for immigration
commissions (and appeals against negative commission decisions)
• preparing people for job interviews
• running a small-scale food-and-clothing-bank, including bedding for those who need it, and children's clothes (the food bank serves about a dozen people each Sunday)
• keeping their eyes and ears open for any job opportunities that may be going and might be suitable for one or other of the people on our books
• encouraging them along the way of Jesus Christ


In July 2019 the church presented seven adult candidates from the Nigerian community for baptism and/or confirmation. A similar number had been presented in 2017. Many of the migrants first came to the church because they had heard from friends about the food-bank but stayed because of the warmth of fellowship which they encountered and have made the commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
Most of the work I have described is down to the personal generosity of established church members and their openness to newcomers. As one of our churchwardens has said, 'We don't have a congregation at Holy Ghost. We have a family.' The church's electoral roll currently stands at just under 30. Our average Sunday congregation is in the region of 30-40, about two-thirds of whom are “migrants” in the popular sense of the word. We are aware of 50-60 “on our books”. All but two or three of us (the native Italian members of the congregation) are in fact migrants of one kind or another, here to work, or to study, or because they fell in love. Our weekly income in recent months has normally been between €100 and €150, but if earners in the congregation are away on holiday and cruise ships aren't sending any passengers in our direction, it can be as low as half that. That income is supposed to cover our utilities' bills, the rent on the chaplain's flat, the chaplain's expenses, the maintenance of our worship amd our contribution to the running costs of the Diocese in Europe. There is a “Neighbours in Need” fund from which grants and loans are given to people in need of immediate cash help. This has been made possible largely through the generosity of the people of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Rock Creek, Washington DC.
A favourite saying among the congregation is “God sees and provides”, and what is being done here by way of pastoral care and nurturing people in Christian faith is little short of miraculous. However, the work that was done to bring the building back into use 70 years ago is showing its age, and we are very much aware that another major storm of the ferocity of last October's could lead to the church being closed as unsafe – and we couldn't afford the cost of repairs. We have only just paid off the very patient contractor who carried out the most recent refurbishment of the building seven years ago and to do that required us to run our scanty reserves down to a worryingly low level. We are also very much aware that we could do a great deal more if the building were brought up to scratch in terms of its facilities – but that also requires money that we do not have. We are also facing the likelihood of new demands in the New Year as the “camps” where many of the African migrants have been settled are due to be closed. Members of the congregation are already involved in a process of giving advice on saving and guidance on flat-sharing.

 Be persistent in prayer and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. 

(Colossians 4:2)

 Diocesan Database - GDPR  DATA PRIVACY NOTICE
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St John's Church, Menton
1. Your personal data – what is it?
Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data.  Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”).
2. Who are we?
 The PCC of St John's Church, Menton is the data controller (contact details below).  This means it decides how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.
3. How do we process your personal data?
The PCC of St. John's Church, Menton complies with its obligations under the “GDPR” by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.
We use your personal data for the following purposes: -
To enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical area as specified in our constitution;
To administer membership records;
To fundraise and promote the interests of the charity;
To manage our members and volunteers;
To maintain our own accounts and records (including the processing of gift aid applications);
To inform you of news, events, activities and services running at St John's Church, Menton;
To share your contact details with the Diocesan office so they can keep you informed about news in the diocese and events, activities and services that will be occurring in the diocese and in which you may be interested.
4. What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?
Explicit consent of the data subject so that we can keep you informed about news, events, activities and services and keep you informed about diocesan events.
Processing is necessary for carrying out legal obligations in relation to Gift Aid or under employment, social security or social protection law, or a collective agreement;
Processing is carried out by a not-for-profit body with a political, philosophical, religious or trade union aim provided: -the processing relates only to members or former members (or those who have regular contact with it in connection with those purposes); and there is no disclosure to a third party without consent.
5. Sharing your personal data


Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be shared with other members of the church in order to carry out a service to other church members or for purposes connected with the church. We do not share your data with third parties outside of the parish.
6. How long do we keep your personal data?


St. John's Church, Menton does not collect or keep your personal data
7. Your rights and your personal data 
 Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data: -
The right to request a copy of your personal data which the PCC of St John's Church, Menton holds about you;
The right to request that the PCC of St John's Church, Menton corrects any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date; 
The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for the PCC of St John's Church, Menton to retain such data;
The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time
The right to request that the data controller provide the data subject with his/her personal data and where possible, to transmit that data directly to another data controller, (known as the right to data portability), (where applicable) [Only applies where the processing is based on consent or is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject and in either case the data controller processes the data by automated means].
The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing;
The right to object to the processing of personal data, (where applicable) [Only applies where processing is based on legitimate interests (or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority); direct marketing and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics]
The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.
8. Further processing
If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.
9. Contact Details
To exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints please in the first instance contact the administrator, anglicanchurch.menton@gmail.com

The Church of England invites to Holy Communion all baptized persons who are communicant members of other Churches which subscribe to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and who are in good standing in their own church. Those who are prevented by conscience or the rules of their own Churches from receiving the Blessed Sacrament are invited to receive a blessing.

BAPTISMS, CONFIRMATIONS, MARRIAGES, FUNERALS
arrangements may be made by contacting the locum, or the churchwardens.
The Church of England invites to Holy Communion all baptized persons who are communicant members of other Churches which subscribe to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and who are in good standing in their own church.  Those who are prevented by conscience or the rules of their own Churches from receiving the Blessed Sacrament are invited to receive a blessing.