ChadNet – no 211 – Sunday 7th April 2024
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 – Elaine Lavender
- Sunday 7th April -Second Sunday of Easter
- This week
- Sunday 14th April – Third Sunday of Easter
- Interregnum – message from Philip Sims
- The Well Foodbank
- Dementia Friendly Church – weekly prayer
- From the Memorial Book
- Giving to the Church
View from the Pews
At Church, through readings, prayers, hymns and our communion service, we are guided on how we should care for others and care for our planet. It was interesting therefore for me to discover that 5th April is designated as Golden Rule Day and prompted me to find out more about this.
In 2007 the United Religions Institute (URI) declared April 5th as Golden Rule Day. Originally a project born out of interfaith organising in Africa, and particularly Ethiopia, Golden Rule Day was founded to promote the universal values of empathy, compassion and peace. It is now managed by the organisation Charter for Compassion. Since then, more than 700 organizations in 165 countries have committed to living according to the Golden Rule’s teaching to make the world a better place!
The Golden Rule dates back many years and practically all of the world’s religions have proclaimed the rule in clear terms or parables. Each faith tradition has teachings about the importance of treating others as we ourselves would wish to be treated. These teachings inspire and underpin engagement of people of different faiths with others and their social action for the wellbeing of society. Even though the wordings of the rule differ in various religions, the integral meaning remains the same.
Golden Rule Day highlights the Golden Rule as a unifying value that everyone can use as a starting point for collaboration and changemaking.
On various websites I found practical and helpful suggestions for living the Golden Rule, such as:
• Practise empathy and compassion.
• Be friendly and helpful
• Be courteous in traffic
• Listen to others
• Overcome prejudice
However, I felt that the following summarised the value of the Golden Rule.
• Say a prayer.
There is a prayer on the Golden Rule, attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea, that would be worth saying once a day. It includes the following lines, among others:
“May I gain no victory that harms me or my opponent.
May I reconcile friends who are mad at each other.
May I, insofar as I can, give all necessary help to my friends and to all who are in need.
May I never fail a friend in trouble.”
Elaine Lavender
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 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 (note – this is different to the address used before November 2020 which no longer works).
Sunday 7th April – Second Sunday of Easter
At 10 am there will be a Pets Service, led by Henry Ibberson and Alan Smith, in church. Come & join us for our celebration and All Age Worship, followed by coffee, tea and treats! Pets must be accompanied by a well-behaved human !!! There will be no Communion this week.
Henry and Alan say “It’s a long time since a Pet’s Service has been held at St Chad’s, so we have decided this is long overdue! It will be a joyous celebration of all our pets, dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, birds , hamsters……whatever beloved animal you look after as part of your family, please bring them along. Oh, and they will be under your care of course, but we will be celebrating all that our animals give to us, what we can learn from them and, of course highlighting what they do for others in very special circumstances.”
In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for:
Those who live and work in: Clive Road.
In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
St Joseph’s Merry Hill, Wolverhampton.
This week
The church will be open every day. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch.
Contractors are continuing work on various repairs and work to the church this week. The contractors will be working in and around the church. The church and churchyard will remain open but please take care while using them. Access to the toilets will be kept unlocked.
On Monday at 2.00 pm the funeral of Norman Vaughan takes place in church.
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.
At 6 pm 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 any member of the choir.
Sunday 14th April – Third Sunday of Easter
At 10 am there will be a service of Holy Communion, led by Revd Paul Brown, in church. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service. At 6.30 pm there will be a Service in the Iona style, led by Iain Coleman, in church.
In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for:
Those who live and work in: Patshull Park, Farm Road, Rushey Lane, Patshull Gardens, Patshull Lane.
In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
Holy Cross, Bobbington.
Interregnum
Yet again, we find that there has been no response to our advertisement for a new Vicar. Whilst this is disappointing, it cannot be a surprise to any of us. Indeed we are growing accustomed to being without an Incumbent and it was Ken Scott who said to me recently that “as the Church in Pattingham is evidently prospering we must assume this is God’s will, at least for the present”.
We continue to prosper because we have so many talented individuals who continue to contribute massively to our Church. That has created variety in our worship and has given a platform for so many to flourish and we must thank God that we are so richly blessed. Let us never take it for granted and let us never miss the opportunity to thank those who do so much for us but, if this is God’s will, who are we to question it?
Philip Sims
PCC Chairman
The Well – the Wolverhampton Food Bank
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. Foreign coins can be put into the wishing well (in a separate bag please) and they will also go to help the needy in Wolverhampton.
Many thanks for the generous donation of Easter eggs to the Well.
Over 50 eggs were received as well as numerous smaller eggs and a generous donation of £50.
They have been distributed to the needy of the area.
Thank you
Alan Smith
Dementia Friendly Church
Weekly Prayer
Dear God,
I come before you today seeking patience beyond measure.
As I walk this path of dementia caregiving, I am acutely aware of the challenges that test my patience.
In those moments when frustration knocks at my heart`s door, I ask for your divine guidance.
Help me comprehend the intricate world in which my loved one resides, where time and memories intertwine, creating a tapestry of confusion.
I pray for the strength to be patient, for withing that patience lies the essence of compassion.
Thank you for being my refuge and source of unwavering strength in these moments of vulnerability.
Amen
(Strengthinprayer.com)
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 31st March and 14th April.
Isaac John Fellows – 31st March 1990
Kathleen Mary Parkes – 31st March 1999
Joan Selvey Fellows – 31st March 2019
Elsie Jane Williams – 3rd April 2001
Mary Grace Russell – 3rd April 2002
Margaret Rogers – 6th April 2012
Stanley Medlicott – 7th April 1982
Dorothy Vera Perks – 7th April 2013
Margaret Lesley Slater – 7th April 2018
Ida Sarah Bentley – 9th April 2008
Joanna Freeman Morgan – 9th April 2018
Albert Edward Bentley – 11th April 1982
Douglas Edwin Shelton – 12th April 2003
Sally Anne James – 13th April 2018
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