FROM THE VICAR

My dear People,

The youth in our community have been pleasantly to the fore this last month. First, the Youth Club have been working hard to transform the rather drab "middle hall", next to the kitchen, in the Village Hall. This is partly for their own benefit but also to encourage greater use of the Hall by organisations. Secondly, the 7.40 Group (some of whom have been helping at the Hall) have staged their very successful sponsored walk to Canterbury in aid of the church organ fund. The carrying out of these two projects seems to me to be most commendable. It agrees with the viewpoint that, given a challenging task and a worthy objective, many young people will respond wholeheartedly. The success of Voluntary Service Overseas and Community Service Volunteers in respect of British youth also points to this same conclusion.

Unfortunately there is a debit side to the picture. Here in Hartlip two incidents I have recently come across may represent this. The main pavilion on the Recreation Ground was broken into with some force and deliberate intent probably by one or two younger members of our community. Secondly, I saw two boys of widely differing ages eating apples which they admitted had been picked off trees in someone else's orchard. This last may be relatively harmless but it is still stealing and can so easily lead to the first-named escapade and worse. In addition, what about the old country code? Among country people there always used to be an unwritten but rigid law of respect for all livestock and growing crops for rather obvious reasons. This healthy code led easily and naturally to a wider respect for all types of property belonging to other people. May I plead with parents for a wider observance of this code set in a background of sensible Christian teaching?

Your sincere friend and Vicar,

JOHN GREEN.