28th December 1928 - Aspenden Parish Church

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Aspenden Parish Church

There was a record number of communicants on Christmas Day, and the service on Christmas morn was a bright and happy one.

The bells ushered in the festival by a joyous peal, which proclaimed the dawning of Christmas Day.

The Rector, Rev. L.A. Ewart, preached an appropriate sermon at the morning service, dealing with the episodes of the First Christmas Night, showing that the scene at Bethlehem during the birth of the Holy Infant proved that God honoured animal creation, childhood and motherhood.

The hymns were rendered with style, and the interior of the Church was tastefully decorated. The collection, which was devoted to the coal club, came to the record sum of £3 19s.

On the previous Sunday, there was a large congregation at a carol service in the evening, when the children of the Senior School sang carols under the direction of Mr E.E. Dennis. The Rector preached on the subject of the Christmas Child.

19th Oct 1928 - Death of Mrs C. Perry

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Death of Mrs C. Perry

We regret to record the death, which occurred recently, of Mrs C. Perry, who passed away at her daughter's house at Mardock, near Ware.

Mrs Perry was for some years a well-known and respected inhabitant of this town, and was the widow of Mr C. Perry, who served as a guard on the Buntingford branch of the Great Eastern Railway for over twenty years; he was one of the Company's most faithful servants.

Mrs Perry, who was 76 years of age, had been ill for some time, during which she was nursed by her daughter, Mrs Groom of Mardock.

The moral remains were conveyed to Buntingford by rail and carried to Aspenden, in which Churchyard they were laid to rest in the grave of her husband. The Rector, Rev. L.A. Ewart, conducted the service, during which the hymn "Jesu, Lover of my soul" was sung.

There were many old friends at the graveside to pay their last respects to the deceased. The immediate mourners were Mrs Ivory, Mrs P. Bennett, Mrs Baker, Mrs Groom (daughters), Mr Ivory, Mr P. Bennett and Mr Groom (sons-in-law), Mr T. Perry (son) and Mrs T. Perry (daughter-in-law).

12th Oct 1928 - Buckland Harvest Festival

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Harvest Festital [sic]

The Buckland Harvest Thanksgiving Services were held at St Andrew's Church on Friday evening in last week and on the following Sunday. The services were of a specially bright nature, and the Church was tastefully decorated. There were good congregations on each occasion.

On the Friday evening the Rev. L.A. Ewart, Rector of Aspenden, preached the sermon, taking for his text "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee" (St. Like xii., 20). It was a stirring address, making a strong impression on all present, and although lengthy was far too short for most of the congregation.

The good old harvest hymns were heartily sung, and an excellent anthem rendered by the choir while the congregation was seated. It was taken from the words "While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest shall not erase."

The Rector, Rev. A.J. McKinney, accompanied the choir on the organ for the anthem.

The Rector conducted the Sunday morning service, giving an excellent address on thankfulness. The hymns were heartily sung, and after the service there was a celebration of Holy Communion. The Rector also conducted a children's service in the afternoon, when the young people brought offerings of fruit and eggs.

The church was filled for the evening service, when the Rural Deal, Rev. Mc C. Kerr, Rector of Wydiall, preached from the text "A joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful" (Psalm 147). He emphasised thankfulness as being a fact in our lives. The choir again rendered the anthem, Miss F. Pigg presiding at the organ.

The following were responsible for the decorations: Mrs McKinney (east windows, choir stalls and reading desk), Mrs Morris (pulpit), Miss N. Pigg (lectern), Mrs J. And Mrs H. Carter (font and windows), Mesdames J. Hurry, C. Jackson, South, Whitby and others (windows).

The collections throughout the festival amounted to £7 2s., and were divided between the Royston Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital at Cambridge. The fruit and vegetables were also sent to Royston.