ChadNet – no 298

ChadNet – no 298 – Sunday 7th December 2025

ChadNet - the eBulletin of St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull

Welcome to this week’s edition of ChadNet – the eBulletin of St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull.

In this week’s ChadNet:

View from the Pews

Henry Ibberson

A methodist friend in Derbyshire was sent the following from a retired Minister of his acquaintance. His thoughts and experiences might just strike a chord with some of us of a certain age!

Henry Ibberson

“We’re coming slowly towards the end of our lives, and the loft is full of ‘stuff’. In every place we’ve lived our loft has filled up. Friends of many years have already told us they have cleared their loft. We need to make a start, find the energy and the will to clear ours. We’ve attempted it before, but only managed to shift things around and said “not yet”. And there’s precious little up there our grown up kids want after we’ve gone. They’ve told us already.  So why are we still keeping it?  Things! Stuff!

“The poet Mary Oliver had similar ‘stuff’ to deal with in her time. Here she puts it into verse …. in her poem …

Storage

When I moved from one house to another;
there were many things I had no room for.
What does one do? I rented a storage space.
And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
 but nothing happened, not a single twinge of the heart.

As I grew older things I cared about grew fewer, 
but were more important. 
So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. 
He took  – everything.
I felt like the little donkey when his burden is finally lifted. 
Things!  
Burn them, burn them! 
Make a beautiful  – fire!  
More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own  
nothing — — the reason they can fly.

“Half the things we buy in life we don’t really need. We can live perfectly well without them. More importantly, there are beliefs, and attitudes and prejudices, which still nestle deep inside of us which we really do need to get rid of. Things which have ‘grounded’ us for years.“

(As always this View is the personal view of the author.)

Would you like to write a View from the Pews?

We welcome contributions for View from the Pews from anyone who would like to write one. It does not need to be on any particular subject. If you would like to write one please send it to or contact Henry Ibberson ( / 01902 701136).

.Contacts

The Vicar’s post is half time so Merry will not be working every day. Her usual working days are Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday but this is subject to change. Her phone number is 07486 066065 and her email address is  When she is not working she will not normally answer the phone, listen to messages or respond to emails. 

Calls to  the old phone number (01902 700257) are forwarded to Merry’s phone.

Emails to will be received by the churchwardens.

Contact details for church officers can be found on the Contacts page of the church website. You can use if you are nore sure who to contact and the churchwardens will be able to forward it to the correct person.

Notices, which should be received by Friday afternoon for inclusion in that week’s ChadNet, and other communications in relation to ChadNet should be sent to

Articles for the magazine should be sent to the editor, Mike Moss, at or to  (Mike will acknowledge emails so if you do not get an acknowledgement he may not have received your email).

Sunday 7th December – Second Sunday of Advent

At 10 am there will be a Family Service, led by Sarah Yeomans and St Chad’s School, in church. Prizes will be presented to the winner and runner up of the Christmas Card Competition. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service. There will be no Communion service. 

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who live and work in:
Hall End Lane, Beech Close, Beech Croft.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
Christ the King, Aldersley.

This week

The church will be open every day. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch.

There is NO Prayers for Peace in church this week. In December and January it is being held only once a month – on the 16th December and 20th January. On those weeks when it is not being held in church some people may wish to pause and say a prayer of their own at that time. It is expected to resume weekly in February.

On Wednesday at 10.00 am there will be a service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer, led by the Vicar, in church which will be followed by tea, coffee and cake.

After the service the church will be open from 10.30 am until at least 11.00 am as a Place of Welcome when anyone who wants to will be welcome to share in the coffee, cake and chat, whether they have been to the service or not. Those attending will receive a warm welcome.

At 6 pm on Wednesday the Pattingham Shower Singers meet in church. All are welcome – just come and sing and have fun! If you need more information, contact Alix at .

At 7 pm on Wednesday Choir Practice takes place in church. Anyone interested in joining the choir should contact Martin Fox or any member of the choir.

Wednesday is the copy date for the December magazine. Send articles to Mike Moss at or at  (Mike will acknowledge emails so if you do not get an acknowledgement he may not have received your email).

Sunday 14th December – Third Sunday of Advent

At 10 am there will be a service of Holy Communion, led by the Vicar, in church. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

At 4 pm the Christingle Service will be held in church.
As usual there will be Christingle oranges for the children, and the collection taken to support the work of the Children’s Society to help fund their work with those less fortunate than ourselves.  There are collection candles available from the Church. 
For those who kindly have house boxes please bring them along to the service too, or hand in to a sidesman at any service before Christmas – Chrissie Ringrose can collect boxes if necessary, just call her on 07580238567. 

There is no 6.30 pm service.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for:
Those members of the congregation who live outside the parish.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
St Peter, Kinver.

Christmas

Services for Christmas:

  • Sunday 14th December
    • 4.00 pm – Christingle service
  • Sunday 21st December
    • 6.30 pm – Service of Nine Lessons and Carols
  • Tuesday 24th December
    • 4.00 pm – Crib Service
    • 11.30 pm – Midnight Eucharist
  • Wednesday 25th December
    • 10.00 am – Christmas Morning Communion Service

Carol singing

  • Wednesday 17th December
    • 8.15 pm – Carol Singing in the Pigot Arms
  • Monday 22nd December
    • 7.30 pm – Carol Singing in the Pattingham Club

Christmas cards from the church, with details of services for Advent and Christmas, have been, or will soon be, delivered to all homes in the parish. For those who do not live in the parish spare cards are available at the back of the church. A copy can also be found on the website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/christmas-2025/>

Elaine Lavender

The service to remember and celebrate the life of Elaine Lavender will be held in church on Wednesday 17th December at 1.30 pm followed by committal at Bushbury Crematorium at 3.00 pm. Refreshments at the Mount Hotel, Mount Road, Tettenhall Wood. Please let Peter know if you will be joining him and the family for refreshments (text or WhatsApp on 07795 236638). Flowers to Roy Quinton Tettenhall Wood or donations which will go to Compton Care.

Ukraine Refugee Centre

Mary Hayward sent this message after she took donations to the Ukraine Refugee Centre on Friday:

Today I have taken all your wonderful donations to the Ukraine Centre. Greg, the Centre Manager, and Frances, Volunteer in charge of the shop, were so appreciative and overwhelmed by your continued support. The selection boxes and Christmas chocolate were just in time for the children’s Christmas party on Saturday 6th December.

The shop is closed now until January so my next visit will be 9th January 2026.

Donations of toiletries, household items, ladies winter clothes, children’s winter clothes age 6-13 years, household linen will be very much appreciated. Any underwear / pyjamas need to be new please.

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Christmas
Thank you again 
Mary

The Well – the Wolverhampton Food Bank

The Well

The Well continues to need our donations and prayers. The box remains at the rear of the church for donations of food and toiletries and the wishing well for donations of cash.

Reverse Advent Calendar

The Well’s annual Reverse Advent Calendar is back. The idea is really simple – put the item on the calendar into a box/bag each day in December leading up to Christmas, then donate it to the Well food bank. Please leave it at the back of the church or, if collection is required, contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518. 

The items on the calendar for this week are:

  • Monday 8th December – rice pudding
  • Tuesday 9th December – tinned meat
  • Wednesday 10th December – stuffing mix
  • Thursday 11th December – toilet roll
  • Friday 12th December – shower gel
  • Saturday 13th December – coffee
  • Sunday 14th December – tinned peas

Dementia Friendly Church

Weekly Prayer 

Becoming Dementia Friendly Church 2024-25

Please help those with dementia,
watch over them and keep them safe.
Help the people who care for them,
Giving them peace and patience.
Amen.

(From the diocese’s Book of Prayers – Written by a pupil from St Paul’s Primary School, Longton, Stoke on Trent)

If you would like to suggest (or write) a prayer for inclusion in this series please let Tracey Williams, our Dementia Friendly Church Co-ordinator, know.

From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 30th November and 14th December.

Raymond Edward Perks – 30th November 1996
Edna Dorothy Wheeler – 30th November 2017
Harry Bramall – 1st December 1983
Olive Peever – 1st December 2004
Iris Bull  – 1st December 2009
Ethel Medlicott – 3rd December 1987
John Reynolds – 4th December 1985
Lorna Briscoe – 4th December 1994
Stanley William Thomas Jones – 4th December 2007
Harry Burton  – 5th December 1975
James Ellis – 5th December 2019
Julie Amanda Morgans – 6th December 2011
Mary Elizabeth Inett – 7th December 1996
Norman Alfred Bramall – 8th December 2021
Robert James Hayhurst – 9th December 1994
David John Jennings – 10th December 2012
Robert Lewis Pass – 10th December 2016
Alec Christopher Harley – 10th December 2016

You can see all the pages of the Memorial Book on the Memorial Book Online page of the Church website.

Giving to the church

Details of the various ways in which you can give can be found on the Giving page of the website.

We have a JustGiving page to enable people to make one off donations. It’s at www.justgiving.com/pattingham-church. You will be asked if you want to make a contribution on top of your donation. If you do it will go to JustGiving and not to charity. If you do not want to make such a contribution select “other”. If you are a taxpayer please consider gift aiding your donation.

You can make a bank transfer to our bank account (Account name: Pattingham Parochial Church Council – Sort Code: 20-97-78 Account No: 50655023).

If you are paying by cheque please make the cheque payable to “Pattingham PCC” or “Pattingham Parochial Church Council“.

ChadNet

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St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull Registered charity no 1151604