ChadNet – no 190

ChadNet – no 190 – Sunday 12th November 2023

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

Geoffrey Dann

When I led the intercessions on 29th October I finished with the Prayer of Sir Francis Drake. I had heard it in Choral Evensong on Radio 3 the previous Wednesday. Looking on the internet, as one does, I found that there seems to be some doubt that Drake wrote the prayer or even prayed it but that perhaps does not matter.

We all know that Sir Francis Drake (c1540-1596) is famous for his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580 in the Golden Hind as well as his defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, once he had finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. Until I heard it on the wireless I was not aware of any prayer connected to him.

It’s good to see the the ‘Reithian principles’ of the BBC —to inform, educate and entertain — are still alive and well. It’s surprising what one can learn when listening – even with only half an ear – to Radio 3 and also Radio 4.

Many of you will know that I had a hip operation last week. Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes. I am now home and on the path to recovery.
Geoffrey Dann

The Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we have arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
When having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
when in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

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

We do not have a Vicar at the moment. For matters which would normally be dealt with by the Vicar the churchwardens are the first point of contact. The Vicarage phone (01902 700257) is redirected to the churchwardens. When they are not available a message can be left on the voicemail and they will return the call when they are available. 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 evening 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 (note – this is different to the address used before November 2020 which no longer works).

Sunday 12th November – Remembrance Sunday / Third Sunday before Advent

At 10.30 am (note the time) there will be a Remembrance Sunday Service in church, led by Revd James Makepeace. There will be no Communion Service. Coffee (and tea and biscuits) will be available after the service. This will be James’s last service at Pattingham before he moves away from the area and the occasion will be marked by a presentation. James has supported the parish over many years which have included three interregnums.

There will be no Kidz Club this month.

There will be no service in the evening.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who live or work in: The Greenway, The Square, High Path, Green Close.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for: The Venerable Bede, Wombourne.

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 or are willing to lead a session, 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 Revd Paul Brown, 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.

Pattingham Shower Singers is not taking place this week as it’s half term. It will resume next week.

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

Wednesday is the copy date for the December magazine. Send articles to Mike Moss at

At 7.30 pm from Wednesday to Saturday the Pattinngham Drama Group presents The Ghost Train at the Village Hall. All tickets £10 available from or 01902 700748

On Thursday at 2 pm the monthly “FORGET ME NOT” Tea takes place at St Andrew`s Church Shifnal – for carers and their loved ones. A warm welcome is assured. More details from Tracey WIlliams, our Dementia Friendly Church Co-ordinator.

At 7 pm on Thursday episode 2 of series 3 of The Chosen will be screened at Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood. Refreshments and snacks provided! Contact Christ Church on 01902 238988 for more information. Catch up for free at https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

On Saturday the Interfaith Conference on Dementia takes place from 9.30 to 1.30 at the Royal School, Wolverhampton.  For further details or to book a place please contact Jill Parker.

Sunday 19th November – Second Sunday before Advent / Safeguarding Sunday

At 10 am there will be a service led by the Youth Group in church.This will be followed by a short service of Holy Communion, led by Revd Sue Watson, to which you are all most welcome. Immediately after communion we will be serving refreshments, tea and coffee. After the service the wedding video of Stephen and Leanne Baldwin (from the Lychgate Coffee Shop) will be shown in church.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who are in residential care.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for: Our Bishops and Archdeacon.

Scarecrow Calendar

A reminder that the Pattingham Scarecrow Festival Calendar for 2024 is still available. The cost just £10 each with envelope.

Order forms are available from the church or by phoning Mike Coope on 01902 700426 or email  to or downloaded from <https://www.pattinghamscarecrowfestival.org/>

Fun, Laughter, Cosy Campfires and Exciting Events awaits at Kingswood Trust

There’s plenty going on as Kingswood Trust ends its year and centenary with something for everyone and for all ages too.

Throughout the year we are open on Saturday mornings for forest fun, with Woody’s Snack Stop serving a range of tempting hot drinks and refreshment for you to enjoy. We also sell cards and a range of souvenirs that will make a lovely gift.

To end autumn, we get festive with our Santa Sleigh and Christmas Activities taking place on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th December. Please book onto events via www.eventbrite.co.uk  

On site we have animals and pets as well as a range of facilities including natural play spaces, the new Holyhead Woods, three ponds, a log garden, secret pathways, bird hide, meadows, orchard, grass and wild areas. It is home to many species of trees, shrubs, and plant life which provide shelter and food for a large population of woodland creatures.

Kingswood Trust has an archive of photos, carefully curated by its volunteers of people who have enjoyed coming from decades gone by and has a new display of its history in a newly refurbished part of the centre. In 1923 Kingswood Trust began life as an outdoor camp with the idea that poor children would go for holidays at weekends and in the summer. The buildings on site today go back to the late1920s. In the 1940s during the war years children stayed in these buildings, and you can still visit an air raid shelter on site from this era. Since these times it has grown as place for high quality, nature-based day visits and residentials, with wonderful outdoor learning experiences.

Since becoming a charity in 2014 it has added many family events to its educational offer throughout the year, a busy programme of volunteering activities on a weekly basis and now has several funded projects. Examples of these projects include Nature Connections to help older people living with dementia and Access2Nature to support families in need.

A promotional video featuring a snapshot of the variety of activities at The Kingswood Trust can now be viewed by prospective visitors by clicking on YouTube https://youtu.be/CTlEDk4pMmU

Location
The Kingswood Trust
Kingswood Trust
Holyhead Road
Kingswood
WV7 3AP

For more information about The Kingswood Trust visit the website – <www.discover-kingswood.org.uk>. Email:
Tel: 01902 558132

You can find out full details of family events and get tickets on Eventbrite <www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/kingswood-trust-15880876381>

Dementia Friendly Church

Weekly Prayer

Becoming Dementia Friendly Church 2023-24

Pour your grace, O loving God, upon all living with dementia.
It is frustrating not to find a word; it is fearful to lose ones memories.
Bless them with patience, a loving and supporting family and days of hope and accomplishment.
In Christ`s name we pray.

Amen

(Adapted from “Prayers of Our Hearts”)

Last week’s service

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who came to the Dementia Service on Sunday.

I fully appreciate it can be extremely distressing if you are living with or caring for someone who has been diagnosed with a particular form of this disease.  We at St Chad`s, as I mentioned, have just started our journey as a Dementia Friendly Church.  I really would like to know what we can do for you.  I am more than happy to meet up individually or as a group for a coffee and a chat (in total confidence of course).  There are various types of Dementia and every individual`s needs change throughout their journey.

The 2 videos shown were from a compilation of 11 of how this particular family adapted to care for their father.  This is the link for those who would like to see the full story: <https://youtu.be/DuLPP4yjfeM?si=2WFBEd_tvUtBqyZ7>

There is more about the service, including pictures of the cup cakes, on the website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/news-and-events/dementia-themed-service-november-2023/>.

Tracey Williams

Dates for your diary

Interfaith Conference on Dementia
Saturday 18th November 9.30 to 1.30 at the Royal School Wolverhampton.  For further details or to book a place please contact Jill Parker.

St Andrew’s Church, Shifnal Forget me Not Tea.
Thursday 16th November at 2pm
Thursday 7th December at 2pm
I can assure you of a warm welcome.  For carers and those living with Dementia.

Donations for The Well

The need for the Food Bank continues and the box for donations for the Food Bank at The Well in Wolverhampton continues to be at the back of the church. The wishing well is also at the back of the church if you have any spare loose change. Donations, however small, go towards running costs. Don’t be shy, every little helps!

From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 5th and 19th November.

Hilda Mary Smedley – 7th November 2013
Elizabeth Scarth – 7th November 2014
Rupert Neville Hayward – 9th November 1964
David Challinor – 9th November 2022
Stanley Charles Weaver – 12th November 1999
May Weaver – 15th November 1938
Elizabeth Wood – 16th November 1934
Eva Margaret Curtis  – 18th November 1981
Harry Nickholds – 18th November 1995
Trevor John Darlington – 18th November 2008
David William Burton – 19th November 2019

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

This bulletin is sent to those who have requested it. We now have 125 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