17 March 2021
Rev. Irene writes:
It only seems five minutes ago that I wrote in one of our early Lifelines about welcoming the first day of spring 2020! Yet 12 months later we, once again, welcome the season of spring starting on Sunday 21st March.
I came across the quote below which is from the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, – a long-time favourite of mine since first seeing on the TV when I was about 10 years old.
Colin, the little boy that has been shut away for years, says to Mary his only friend
“Is the spring coming, what is it like...?”
Mary answers him, “it is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine.”
What a fabulous description!
Well in Spring 1951, Hull Minster welcomed a young man into the church, his name David Stipetic….and the rest is history!
Please read below the fabulous words the bell ringers have put together on this great gentleman.
Congratulations David
Many of you will know David Stipetic, but for those of you who do not he has been associated with our church for a long time.
He was taught to ring church bells in 1951 at St. Mary's Lowgate, and first rang at Holy Trinity seventy years ago, on Sunday 10th March 1951. This was the start of a life-long interest in bells and bellringing.
In 1957 he was appointed steeple-keeper here at Holy Trinity.
David worked hard but has always been prepared to put his own money into things that interest him and benefit others.
In 1959 David purchased the bells from St. James Parish Church, Myton (off Hessle Road) in Hull which was demolished in that year. The metal from the 7th and Tenor (i.e., the two heaviest) bells was used to make two new bells to augment from 10 to 12 the ring at Holy Trinity and the cost of the recasting was met by the City Council to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of William Wilberforce.
In 1960 David had a bell cast and donated it for our new daughter church of Holy Apostles.
As well as bells David has also had a great interest in, and love of, timepieces. David has been clock custodian to the city Council from 1962 to date.
In 1968, after some over-exuberant over-winding by council staff, the weights of the guildhall clock had crashed down through the ceiling into the guildhall and the council proposed to replace the works with an electric clock mechanism. David offered to refurbish the heritage clock for them, and then wound it every other day for the next 44 years. He had help on occasions, of course, but the effort was mostly his.
David purchased the calling bells from St. Barnabas (Hessle Road) and Transfiguration (Albert Avenue) churches in Hull and the metal from these was used to cast the ‘flat sixth’ bell for Holy Trinity in 1975.
David also gave Holy Trinity the Top Treble bell which he had cast in 1979, and the Sharp Second bell, cast in 1983.
In 2004/5 to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of a contract with Quibells to construct the ‘new’ Guildhall, David gave 11 bells which, with 1 more bell given by Quibells and three of the Guildhall’s existing clock bells, formed a ‘Chime’ of bells in the Guildhall tower that could play tunes.
In 2010 David gave to the council 8 further bells to turn their 15-bell chime into a 23 bell Carillon.
In 2013 David gave a Chime of 15 bells, 14 new plus the bell now removed from Holy Apostles to Holy Trinity.
In 2014 David gave 8 additional bells, and in 2017 2 more, that were installed to form Holy Trinity’s present 25 bell carillon, dedicated as The Wilberforce Carillon.
David is an accomplished bell ringer and taught many of the ringers that we have now at Hull Minster as well as many more that have been through our doors and now ring elsewhere.
He is a member of The Ancient Society of College Youths, London’s (and therefore England’s, and therefore the World’s) premier bell-ringing society. It was established in 1637.
The person that David most recently taught to ring was Annie Turpin who is now away at University.
David has not been able to climb the tower stairs for a couple of years due to some joint problems, but he is awaiting an operation, after recuperation from which he hopes to climb them again.
I suspect David has never knowingly smiled in a photograph!
David loves Hull Minster, both the building and the church (i.e., the people), and has presented his gifts to us for the greater glory of God.
Robin Alden, March 2021
Irene concludes with:
March services and opening times:
The Minster will continue to be open for Wednesday 12:30pm Holy Communion and Sunday 10:30am Holy Communion. Please click here to book in.
The 3:30 Sunday Praise Service this week will be via zoom so if you would like to join please click here for the link.
National Day of Reflection, Tuesday 23rd March.
To mark the anniversary of the first lockdown the Minster
will be open between 11.30 and 6pm for personal prayer.
The Bell will be rung, and a two-minute silence will be kept at 12noon. Evening Prayer will be said at 5pm. We will also be broadcasting a special service for the day just before 12noon via Facebook and YouTube.
All other public services are cancelled at the present time. However, changes could take place in the coming weeks so please keep checking in Lifeline or on the Hull Minster website.
If you are coming in to the Minster for services we want to encourage you to consider the environment and walk or cycle or use public transport if possible. If you are coming by car please do not park on Trinity Square the only people who should be parking there are contractors working on the building. There are plenty of parking places around the Minster including the recently opened Fruit Market just across the A63. https://www.fruitmarkethull.co.uk/fruit-market-hull-l-multi-storey-car-park-l-regeneration-l/
PLEASE NOTE The Minster will be open for personal prayer each Saturday 12-3pm.
GOOD NEWS
At present Dominic is Priest-in-Charge of the parish of Holy Trinity. On 6th June, the position will change when the Bishop of Hull will institute Dominic as vicar. To enable this to happen the Bishop has agreed to allow the patrons (CPAS) to bring Dominic forward as their nomination as Vicar, this is a position supported by the PCC.
An Invitation to Lent 2021
During Lent there will be a zoom bible study on Wednesday evenings 7:30-8:30pm beginning 24th February. Do join Rev. Irene and Val in study and discussion around Gladness and Generosity, in the Holy Habits series. You can join here. You should now have received a booklet of daily reflections based on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2021, Living His Story by Hannah Steel. These notes include a short passage of scripture, a reflection, and a prayer for each day of Lent. If you have a smart phone or tablet these notes are accompanied by the free #LiveLent App on iOS and Android where you can listen along to the reflections. [suggested donation £2.50 to cover booklet and postage].. Click here for full details.
The Heritage Volunteering group have been meeting via Zoom Coffee Mornings to have a chat and carry out some research about the Minster's history. As part of this, our Heritage Project Manager, Jane Owen, has organised several talks and would like to open these up to the wider church to join in. These will take place via zoom on a Wednesday or Friday morning at 10.00am, with a 15-minute chat before the talk starts. The dates and topics are below. Please send Jane and email if you would like to join in any of them - or if you would like to give a talk in future - and she will send you the links. They are very informal and can be accessed by computer, telephone, tablet or even by telephone to listen in.
We are also looking for any volunteers who would like to join our team to do some computer-based research at home about the church, the community surrounding it, the graveyard at the east end and the burial ground at Castle Street. Again, if you would like to be involved, please contact Jane at jane@hullminster.org Click here for full details.
APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting) The meeting this year will be held on TUESDAY 27th APRIL via zoom at 7pm. Further details to follow.
Ecclesiastical Insurance have provided cover for the Minster and the clergy houses for a long time and have a special interest in helping churches undertake maintenance through their grant scheme. We have benefitted from these generous grants in the past. In this, their 130th year they are offering donations of £130 to our church for every person who takes out home insurance cover with them - at any point during the year. Some of the staff team have been using their home insurance for several years and it is very comprehensive and reasonably priced. So, if you are thinking of renewing with your provider please take a look at Ecclesiastical. The post below shows what you have to do. Just name the church and they will find it for you. Click the button below for full details.
READINGS: FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
COLLECT FOR FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Gracious Father, you gave up your Son
out of love for the world;
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,
that we may know eternal peace
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,
Jesus Christ our Lord
AMEN
This Month’s Prayer Diary
Daily prayer points throughout the current month can be found here.