In 2006 our annual service of Confirmation is on 8^th October. All the parishes of the Lower Wharfe Group (with the exception of St. Luke’s) decided last year to accept a Diocesan invitation to experiment by admitting our practising children to Holy Communion around the age of 10 and 11 and then preparing them for Confirmation at 13 or 14. (I will write about this later in the year) This means that this year it will be largely adults who will be confirmed. We would like to use this opportunity to put on a special Confirmation course for adults which will begin after Easter and will conclude before Advent, to be run every two weeks or so.

A sacrament is an outward sign of God’s action and grace in our lives. Confirmation is the liturgical rite whereby the grace and power of the Holy Spirit is conveyed in a new or fuller way to those who have already received it at Baptism. In the New Testament there are many places where the full imparting of the Holy Spirit is closely linked with Baptism, but there are also other places which refer to the “laying on of hands” or of the “sealing of the Spirit” as distinct from the teaching on Baptism. In the first years of the church, washing with water, anointing with oil and the laying on of hands all came to be associated with initiation into the fullness of Christian life. It was believed from the very start of the church that these outward observances had spiritual effects which included the removal of sin, admission to the Church, and ‘sealing’ to eternal life with the imparting of the Holy Spirit. Baptism and Confirmation can only be given and received once in a life time.

So the precise significance of Confirmation still reflects these two approaches found in the New Testament. For some Confirmation is in its effects indistinguishable from Baptism (this is largely the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox churches). In the Eastern Churches today, infants are baptised, confirmed and receive Holy Communion as part of the same action. For others (mainly the churches of the West) it is the conveying of a new gift of the Holy Spirit, especially the grace or power necessary to strengthen the candidate in his or her conflict with sin. For many who accept the Western tradition, the gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation is of such fundamental importance that without it Baptism can be regarded as in some sense ‘incomplete’.

At the Reformation the Church of England continued the western medieval practice of the bishop as the only one who ‘confirms’ or formally imparts the gift of the Holy Spirit. In 1662 a solemn ratification of the Baptismal vows was introduced, which although not the actual confirmation, served to stress the ancient link between Baptism and Confirmation, giving expression to the truth that we have not experienced all that the New Testament means by Baptism until we have publicly made a personal profession of faith. According to a rubric in the Book of Common Prayer

Because there are different understandings of what Confirmation is, no absolute claim can be made for any particular practice as to it’s administration. But everyone agrees that Confirmation (given just after Baptism or later as the sacrament of Christian maturity) confers the Holy Spirit. But in our Western tradition Confirmation can also be clearly understood as our personal Pentecost, our public affirmation of the vows which were made on our behalf at Baptism. In 460 Faustus of Riez said: “In Baptism we are born to new life, after Baptism we are confirmed for combat. In baptism we are washed, after Baptism we are strengthened.” It is the sacrament of Christian commitment and maturity. If you have not been confirmed, please consider this step. You will receive again the special power of the Holy Spirit enabling you to live and proclaim Jesus as your personal Saviour and Lord.

If you are interested or wish to ask any questions please approach any member of the clergy as soon as possible. There will be an “A Confirmation Enquirer’s Evening” just before Easter.

Peter Bristow

CH_ _ CH WHAT'S MISSING? U R !

F_N WHAT'S MISSING? U !

We finished 2005 with a fabulous Christmas Party which all the children enjoyed, along with the appearance of Father Christmas.

We have many fun and exciting activities planned for 2006 and would love to welcome some new faces, so for more information please call:-

The dates for the next two Sunflowers Sunday School are

5th February and 5th March 2006. at 9.30 am in the Village Hall

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 15th February at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall when the speaker will be Mr David Shaw on "My Chinese Adventure".

We have been delighted to welcome several visitors to our recent meetings and would assure any ladies wishing to join us of a very warm welcome, at any time.

The New Year was welcomed in at the Village Hall by over 150 people, and the profits will go towards the renewed fund raising effort in 2006 to update the toilet and kitchen facilities.

Users have commented on how effective the new heating system is, and the Committee hopes that the new electrics will be completed early in 2006. We hope to see many new users in 2006.

As this goes to press the next fundraiser is being planned – a Ceilidh and Burns Night Supper (with a genuine Ceilidh band) on 4 February, £5 per ticket.

A revised and simplified list of charges applies from January 2006 and copies will be sent to regular users. In summary the cost to hire the hall will be:-

There will be discounts for those who hire for more than 5 hours per week and special rates for those who run children’s/youth activities for the community. There will also be a special rate of £15 for 2 hour children’s parties between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm.

For a full list of hire charges see the poster in the village hall window.

Thanks to those who have completed donation forms for the plaques (see last month’s magazine for the forms). There is still time to send your form to the committee. This is a small way of showing your commitment to this valuable village asset.

The organisation of the monthly draw is being taken over by Fiona Henderson. Thanks to those who have put their £10 annual subscription on standing order. If you want to change to a standing order, please let Fiona know when she collects the money (she has forms to complete).

Monthly draw results for November were:

44 (£25), 13, 41, 97, 107, 114, 119, 124, 139, 153, 160 (all £5)

Monthly draw results for December were:

115 (£25) 5, 17, 21, 34, 38, 61, 62, 75, 90, 147 (all £5)

There was no draw in January.

Finally a note for your diary – the AGM will be held on Tuesday 2 May at 8.00 pm in the Supper room. If you have any comments about the running of the hall or would like to be involved in any aspect, please attend.

Would like to thank everyone for their contribution towards the Christmas Tree and lights. We hope that this will be an annual event.

Sue Craven

Please become a friend or supporter of Bramham Village Hall

For a donation (minimum £10) you could have your name

(or that of a loved one) on a plaque that will be displayed in the Hall.

Please complete the slip below and send with cash or cheque

(payable to Bramham Village Hall) to Cosy Cottage, Low Way, Bramham LS23 6QT

or give to a Committee member.

If you pay tax please tick the box (so that we can reclaim the tax) Thank you

Inscription on the plaque: (up to 40 letters - please use capitals)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

If you answered yes to any of these questions, did you know that the Research Funding for all these projects was made by Action Medical Research. Almost certainly every family in the Village of Bramham has received benefit from the work of Action Medical Research and very few people will have heard of this Charity.

This is the second year of a special appeal called “Touching Tiny Lives” and Action Medical Research is trying to raise £3 million over and above the normal fund raising to discover why women go into premature labour, try to prevent this happening and concentrate on disabled children during the first difficult year of their lives. Do you know that 30,000 children are born with a disability in the UK every year?

If you would like more information or would like to make a donation to Action Medical Research please contact Anne Palmer 01937 842850.

Would you be able to fund raise for AMR this year? A simple Coffee Morning or a Grand Charity Ball, or a place in the Great North Run? Maybe your Company is looking for a Charity to support this year or next.

Anne will be pleased to advise.

Since introducing the flower bed at the entrance sign on Bowcliffe Road we have been plagued with dog fouling.

It seems to be the same dog all the time and judging from the amount of fouling and the size of the paw marks it is a big dog.

This has been a regular occurrence, too regular for it simply to be a stray dog.

When we looked at the bed on the 6^th January there were four separate piles of dog dirt covering most of the bed. Naturally the dog had wandered around, uprooting plants before it finally settled down and the bed was just about destroyed. Because of the amount of fouling it is not possible to remove it all completely and gardening has to be carried out with the remains still sticking to the plants.

Unfortunately it has not just been confined to this area but has occurred on most of the beds. Someone is either knowingly letting this happen or leaving their dogs to roam uncontrolled.

Ernest Nichols

We have asked the Dog Warden to pay particular attention to these areas and members of the Environmental Group will also be keeping a close watch to see if we can identify who is responsible.

It is a sad day when comments like this have to be made as it is simply another form of vandalism, in all probability condoned by the more mature residents of the village.

If you missed me in the January issue please accept my apologies, if you were glad I wasn't there, well, sorry to disappoint you but I'm back!

As you may remember we were at Rufforth Car Boot Sale on the 27th November with all proceeds going to the Junior Football Club. Well - what a great success this was. Thanks to everyone who kindly donated; we raised a magical £336.36. We still have several new items still boxed that we didn't sell. These will either be raffled off or used on a tombola later in the season, so with a little luck we should end up somewhere near £400.

A very, very big thank you to all who helped out i.e. collecting and selling. To Justin, Debbie, Claire and James Atkinson, Nicola Elliot, Paige Bradley, Leah Jakeman and Marie Stang. Getting out of bed at 5.00 am on a cold Sunday winter's morning really is dedication.

We had a Christmas Party at Bramham School for the Juniors. The turnout was tremendous and it's fair to say a great afternoon was had by all. Thanks to Bramham School for allowing us to use their Hall, to Justin Atkinson who provided the buffet, to Father Christmas for bringing presents for all the kids, and to all the parents who helped out.

On the Football field, the Juniors are really now starting to progress. The U12 Boys recorded their 1st League victory in December. Lets hope that this result provides the confidence and belief to many many more victories in the second half of the season.

The U12 Girls are now becoming a team. The improvement in performance both in training and in matches is fantastic. The December results of One Win and One Draw makes us hopeful that the New Year will bring many more performances as promising as this.

The U10's are still looking for that elusive first win, but as with the other Junior Teams, the performances are improving and a positive result is not far away.

Most, if not all of the Junior Football Clubs we play against have been established for some time so we are having to play catch up, that’s why we are not too disappointed at results. Our main aim when starting the Junior Football Club was to bring football and all it benefits to our kids.

We are always looking to add to our numbers. The more players the better. We especially need to add to the U10's. This is a mixed team so boys and girls are welcome. Training is 10.00 am till 11.00 a m on Saturday mornings on the Games Field.

The Senior season is shaping up well. The First Team are pushing hard, both in the League and on three cup fronts, so lets hope that the second half of the season continues as the first and the results continue to be good.

The Reserves are also going well in the League and pushing two Cup Fronts. It seems that they are now getting more of a settled team and this is now bringing the results we always felt they were capable of.

As with the Juniors, the Seniors are always looking to strengthen so if you or anyone you know want to get involved, then please come and join us.

We would like to find out more about the history of Bramham Football Club. It has been mentioned that the First Team to use the name Bramham Football Club was formed in 1907. If that is the case then next year will be our centenary, a milestone that should be celebrated, so please help us to discover our past and mark such a special occasion in style.

Sadly the end of December saw the passing away of Billy Firth, a true Bramhammer. Billy's love of football was second to none, and he was a truly gifted footballer in his day. Having both played and managed, he was a keen follower of our Football Club's fortunes.

A "Bucket on the Bar" in the White Horse collected £200 in Billy's memory (in a week). This has been forwarded to the British Heart Foundation. Many thanks to all for their generosity

Information on Bramham Football Club can be obtained from:-

Mick on 01937 541341.

email: bramhamfc@ntlworld.com.

www.freewebs.com/bramhamfootballclub

Richard Woodcock

on 07799567095 (Web Master)

Shrove Tuesday is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent but there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes and taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

In the old days there were many foods that Christians would not eat during Lent; foods such as meat, fish, fats, eggs and milky foods. Shrove Tuesday was a day of penitence and a day of celebration. So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the day before Lent and eat up all the food that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going off. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

Pancake races are thought to have begun as far back as 1445. A woman had lost track of the time on Shrove Tuesday and was busy cooking pancakes in her kitchen. Suddenly she heard the church bell ringing to call the faithful to church for confession. The woman raced out of her house and ran all the way to church, still holding her frying pan and wearing an apron.

Today, one of the most famous pancake races is held at Olney in Buckinghamshire over a 415 yard course. The rules are strict; contestants have to toss their pancakes at both the start and the finish, as well as wearing an apron and a scarf. The race is followed by a church service.

So don't forget to make pancakes on Tuesday 28th February!

Meet at the

Red Lion Car Park

10.30 am

Lifts available

For more information please pick up a leaflet from

Bramham Post Office

in Bramham Village Hall

New Members Welcome

for further information contact