ChadNet – no 318

ChadNet – no 318 – Sunday 26th April 2026

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

Jill Parker

I am a member of the Christian Organisation “Prison Fellowship” which produces a monthly article emailed to members as well as updates on its activities and online forums. The latest article which I’d like to share gives an example of putting faith into practice in your life.

In 1859 celebrated tightrope Walker Charles Blondin arrived at Niagara Falls with an audacious plan to walk across the Niagara Gorge on a single rope suspended about 160 ft above the raging waters and stretching more than 1,000 ft side to side. There was no safety net, no harness and no rescue team standing by – just Blondin, his balancing pole and the rope beneath his feet.

Huge clouds gathered to watch. Some marvelling at his confidence, others awaiting disaster. Blondin crossed safely from the American side to the Canadian side and then back again several times.

He turned to the crowd asking what they’d like him to do to make the task more difficult? One asked if he would push someone in a wheelbarrow but nobody volunteered – although a rumour is his mother did! What is documented is Blondin carried his manager Harry Colcord on his back. The most dangerous point of the crossing was the centre where the rope sagged and there were no stabilising guide ropes. According to accounts Blondin warned him not to try and balance but instead to move entirely with him. It would only work if Colcord placed total confidence in him. It worked! This was much to the delight and amazement of the crowds as they crossed safely to the other side.

Life often presents us with a similar choice. Be like the crowd but not be prepared to engage ourselves or be like the manager willing to let go of our own control and be carried by faith allowing God to be our balance.

Proverbs 3 v 5-6 reminds us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

When we feel life to be most precarious do we have enough faith to place all our trust in God?

Jill Parker

(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 

Sunday 26th April – Fourth Sunday of Easter

At 10 am there will be an All Age Communion Service, led by the Vicar, in church. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

At 6.30 pm there will be a service of Evensong, led by Iain Coleman, in church.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who live and work in:
Nurton Hill Road, Holyhead Road, County Lane, High Park.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood.

This week

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

On Tuesday Prayers for Peace will be said in church at 6 pm. Please do join us and if you would like more information please contact Mary Hayward ().

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.

Sunday 3rd May  – Fifth Sunday of Easter

At 10 am there will be a Family Service, led by Barbara Dias, in church. It will be followed by a short service of Holy Communion, led by the Vicar, in church. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

At 2 pm the cleaning of Patshull Church takes place.

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:
Good Shepherd, Castlecroft.

Evening services

Merry is hoping to change the evening services from the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings to the 1st and 3rd Sunday evening services so that she can spread out her work a little more evenly. As the morning services on the 1st and 3rd Sundays are led by other people Merry has to do less planning and preparation for those services than the other morning services. She hopes that this will start in June. If anyone has any comments on this please speak to Merry.

All Age Communion

From this month the service in the morning on the 4th Sunday of the month will be an All Age Communion Service – similar to the one used on Easter Day. The more traditional service will continue to be used on the 2nd and 5th Sundays.

Confirmation

We are hoping to have a Confirmation Course later in the year to prepare for a Confirmation service to take place on 4th October at St Michael’s Tettenhall. If there are any adults or young people who would like to take part in the course, or would like any further information, could they please contact Merry and preparations can be made.

St. Chad’s Flower Guild

Did you see the Easter Flowers in church?
What did you think? Did you like them?
Do you enjoy seeing fresh flowers at the Altar?
Would you feel something is missing if there were no longer flowers at the Altar?
If the answer to these questions is yes – why not become a member of the Flower Guild and ensure there are always fresh flowers at the Altar.
St. Chad’s Flower Guild is a group of ladies (gentlemen would be welcome to join) who arrange flowers at the Altar on a weekly basis and decorate the whole church at festivals.
We are looking for new members to assist our current team with the flower rota.
Would you consider joining our group?
Do you have the enthusiasm needed?
Require more details?
Please ring Margaret Harris on 700685 for a chat and to find out more.

Revision of the Church Electoral Roll

The annual revision of the Church Electoral Roll is taking place at the moment. Those already on the roll do not need to do anything but anyone who wishes their name to be added to the roll should complete and return an application form, which are available at the back of the church or from the website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/church-electoral-roll/>

To be able to vote at this year’s annual meeting the completed application must be received by Sunday 10th May 2026.

Membership of the Church Electoral Roll is open to baptised members of the Church of England or of a church in communion with the Church of England who are at least 16 years old and are either resident in the parish or have habitually attended worship in the parish within the previous six months.

For more information contact Michelle Pass, who is the Electoral Roll Officer – telephone 01902 700466 – email:

Rogation Sunday at Patshull

Rogation Sunday is on 10th May. As usual there will be a service at St Mary’s Church, Patshull preceded by a walk from Pattingham for those who want to walk.

The walk will leave St Chad’s Church at 2.00 pm. The service at Patshull will be at 4.30 pm. Before the service tea, coffee and cake will be available. All are welcome.

A cleaning squad will be cleaning St Mary’s Church on the previous Sunday, 3rd May, at 2.00 pm. Anyone who is able to help would be welcome to join them.

Fete – raffle and auction prizes needed

We need raffle and auction prizes for the fete on Saturday 4th July. If you can offer services or have unwanted (and unopened) gifts please contact Alan, Dorothy or Graham. Collection can be arranged if needed.

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.

Thank you for your generosity.

If you wish to know more about the work of The Well, or would like to know how you can support it in other ways, do connect via their website, where you can sign up to the newsletter and link to their Social Media pages: <www.thewellwolverhampton.co.uk>

Dementia Friendly Church

Weekly Prayer 

Becoming Dementia Friendly Church

Be close to those who,
Growing old, are afraid
of what the future holds.
Grant them the strength
for daily tasks, and more,
a joy of life that can rise
above its aches and pains,
and by your Holy Spirit
become a daily blessing
to all who they shall meet.
Amen

(Faith & Worship John Birch)

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 19th April and 3rd May.

Stuart Hammersley – 19th April 1991
Keith Campbell Harris – 19th April 2012
Elizabeth Anne Thomason – 20th April 2008
Chloe Jessica Krieski – 20th April 2025
Graham Sheldon – 21st April 1996
Alan Coverley Robinson – 21st April 2003
Archie Proctor – 23rd April 2009
Betty Winifred Lovering – 23rd April 2012
Emily Hannah O’Byrne – 23rd April 2020
Annie Smith – 25th April 1962
Bob Frost – 25th April 2008
Roger Douglas Fildes – 26th April 1965
Royston Granville Green – 26th April 2008
John Stanley Scriven – 27th April 1954
Cliff Fletcher – 27th April 2013
Florence Maud Layland – 28th April 1999
John Anthony Breakwell – 1st May 2022
Lily Evelyn Woodall – 2nd May 2003
Neville William Joseph Rhodes – 3rd May 1998

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

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.

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“.

JustGiving

We have a JustGiving page to enable people to make one off donations. It’s at <https://www.justgiving.com/page/pattingham-church-jg>. 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.

ChadNet

This bulletin is sent to those who have requested it. We now have 159 subscribers but there may still  be some people who are not aware of it and would wish to receive it. The weekly bulletin for each Sunday will normally be sent on the preceding Friday or Saturday. Additional bulletins may be sent if required. It is only being sent to those who have requested it.

If you know of anyone who might be interested please tell them about it and ask them to sign up using the form on the website (www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/information/chadnet/sign-up-to-chadnet/) or by email to

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