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Hugh Benham

Advent Sunday at St Boniface Church: Sunday 27 November 2016

November 21, 2016 By Hugh Benham Leave a Comment

At 6.30 pm on Sunday 27 November 2016, St. Boniface Church Choir will be leading a special service of music and readings for Advent Sunday.

Advent Sunday is the first Sunday in the church’s year, and the beginning of the lead-up to Christmas. [Read more…] about Advent Sunday at St Boniface Church: Sunday 27 November 2016

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, Christmas, church, community, event, music, religion, St. Boniface Church

Easter at the Parish Church of Chandler’s Ford

March 5, 2016 By Hugh Benham 6 Comments

The Passion of Christ: Sunday 20 March (Palm Sunday) 2016 at 6.30pm – a selection of readings, hymns, and anthems sung by St. Boniface Choir.

Easter Praise: Sunday 27 March (Easter Day) 2016 at 6.30pm – readings, hymns and an anthem for Easter Sunday evening. [Read more…] about Easter at the Parish Church of Chandler’s Ford

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, community, culture, Easter, education, history, music, poetry, religion, St. Boniface Church, tradition

The Nine Lessons and Carols Service at St. Boniface Church: Sunday 20 December 2015

December 7, 2015 By Hugh Benham Leave a Comment

A warm welcome to everyone to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in St. Boniface (CofE) Church in Hursley Road on Sunday 20 December at 6.30pm.

The service is designed to last about an hour, and includes most of the best-known carols for the congregation and choir to sing, plus five short pieces for choir only, and the traditional Christmas readings. [Read more…] about The Nine Lessons and Carols Service at St. Boniface Church: Sunday 20 December 2015

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas 2015 in Chandler's Ford, church, community, event, music, religion, St. Boniface Church

John Keble: Keble Road and Keble Close in Chandler’s Ford

November 24, 2015 By Hugh Benham 2 Comments

When you travel along Bournemouth Road to or from Southampton, you pass on one side Keble Road and on the other Keble Close, in Chandler’s Ford.

Both were called after the Rev. John Keble (1792‒1866), vicar of Hursley from 1836 until his death (and briefly curate there in 1825‒1826). [Read more…] about John Keble: Keble Road and Keble Close in Chandler’s Ford

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Tags: Bournemouth Road, Chandler’s Ford community, Charlotte Mary Yonge, history, Hursley, John Keble, literature, local interest, memory, music, Otterbourne, writing

Solar Eclipse and Charles Wesley

March 29, 2015 By Hugh Benham 1 Comment

Charles Wesley

Just after recent solar eclipse was over, the first verse of an Easter hymn by Charles Wesley came into my mind:

Love’s redeeming work is done;
Fought the fight, the battle won:
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!
Lo, he sets in blood no more.

[Read more…] about Solar Eclipse and Charles Wesley

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, Christianity, church, community, Easter, music, nature, poetry, religion, St. Boniface Church

Christmas Carol? Christmas Hymn?

December 13, 2014 By Hugh Benham Leave a Comment

The term ‘carol’, as generally used, includes some items that appear in hymnbooks and are sung by congregations  – such as Away in a manger and Once in royal David’s city.

The term is also used sometimes for items that are not congregational hymns.

Some would not normally form part of a church service – such as We wish you a happy Christmas or Past three o’clock. [Read more…] about Christmas Carol? Christmas Hymn?

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, Christianity, Christmas, church, community, local interest, music, religion, St. Boniface Church

Christmas Is Coming – But Not Just Yet

November 29, 2014 By Hugh Benham 1 Comment

Advent and Christmas Services in the Parish of Chandler's Ford.

Christmas is approaching! This is very obvious when you visit a major shopping centre, watch adverts on television, etc. Indeed, the first invitation to buy Christmas cards came to me as early as September (or was it August?).

It’s understandable that businesses work this way, as Christmas sales contribute so much to their turnover. But, for those who don’t run businesses, weariness can set in, until Christmas becomes [Read more…] about Christmas Is Coming – But Not Just Yet

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, Christianity, Christmas, church, community, event, music, religion, St. Boniface Church, St. Martin

St. Boniface Church Evensong

May 26, 2014 By Hugh Benham 2 Comments

St. Boniface church

The Church of England church in Hursley Road, St Boniface (SO53 2FT), is one of relatively few parish churches locally that has the service of sung Evensong on most Sundays (at 6.30pm).

The Book of Common Prayer is the basis of the service, although the prayers of intercession are in modern language and concentrate on contemporary events and situations. [Read more…] about St. Boniface Church Evensong

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St. Boniface Choir Fundraising

May 26, 2014 By Hugh Benham 2 Comments

St. Boniface Church choir

The Choir of St. Boniface church, Hursley Road held a coffee morning, cake stall and raffle recently to help raise funds for new books for the Evensong service (most Sundays at 6.30).

Well over £200 was added to the choir’s bank account as a result, and the books will be bought soon.

[Read more…] about St. Boniface Choir Fundraising

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Tags: Chandler's Ford, church, community, event, fundraising, music, social, St. Boniface Church

The Guild of Church Musicians

May 8, 2014 By Hugh Benham 6 Comments

Hugh Benham, Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.

Last weekend it was my privilege and pleasure to visit Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk for the annual conference and AGM of the Guild of Church Musicians, and particularly so as the Guild was making me one of several new honorary fellows (Hon. FGCM for short).

About 150 honorary fellowships have been awarded in the past 25 years or so, some to clergy (including Archbishop Desmond Tutu) [Read more…] about The Guild of Church Musicians

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Tags: celebrations, Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, church, event, history, music, religion, St. Boniface Church, storytelling, travel

White for Easter

April 25, 2014 By Hugh Benham 6 Comments

Janet’s post Easter Day – From Tragedy To Triumph is a fine account of a very memorable Easter celebration.

In most years the daffodils have been yellow – this year’s late Easter probably helps to explain the change of colour.

White is, however, a traditional colour for Easter.

In his poem ‘Loveliest of trees’ [Read more…] about White for Easter

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, culture, Easter, education, history, languages, music, poetry, religion, St. Boniface Church, tradition

English Spelling

April 13, 2014 By Hugh Benham 1 Comment

English Spelling

English spelling at times seems completely random, but it is sometimes systematic, even if there seems no good reason for the system, and if exceptions can still be found!

Take the use of single L and double L at the end of a word for example. [Read more…] about English Spelling

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Tags: books, culture, education, history, languages, library, reading, school, writing

The Passion of Christ at St. Boniface

April 2, 2014 By Hugh Benham 7 Comments

Crucifixion - Changi Mural by POW Stanley Warren, from 1942 - 1943.

Beginning on 6 April 2014 is the last part of Lent – Passiontide as it’s often called. The Christian story approaches one of its climaxes with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Four writers tell the story in the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – several decades after it happened.

Not surprisingly they have slightly different accounts of what happened, but one constant is this worrying truth. The religious leaders of the day [Read more…] about The Passion of Christ at St. Boniface

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Tags: arts and crafts, Chandler's Ford, Christianity, church, community, Easter, education, music, religion, tradition

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