ChadNet – no 25 – Sunday 13th September 2020
Welcome to the 25th edition of ChadNet – the eBulletin of St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull.
View from the Pews:
Like everyone, I find all sort of thoughts coming into my mind as I contemplate the current situation, and how we can get back to normal. All the recent talk about face coverings has reminded me of when I was growing up in the 60’s and you’d often hear the phrase ‘At least we don’t get ‘pea soupers’ anymore’. It seems unthinkable now, but prior to the introduction of the Clean Air Act in 1956, factories could emit pretty much whatever they liked into the atmosphere every day with no fear of the consequences. The air pollution this caused would then lead to evenings known as ‘pea soupers’, when the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, and you had to hold a scarf or a handkerchief to your mouth to avoid having a cough the next day. So perhaps the idea of face coverings is not as novel as it seems, and like some countries abroad, it may become common place in certain situations in years to come.
Another well-known phrase is ‘Hindsight is a wonderful thing’ and in retrospect, when one thinks back to viruses such as SARS and Ebola in other countries, it seems that it was only a matter of time before a virus like Covid-19 arrived on a truly global basis to wreak the havoc that we are all now enduring.
Plagues and Pestilence are nothing new of course, and there are numerous examples in the Bible, when God brought them against specific groups or nations who he felt had not honoured his covenant with them. But whilst I think the current pandemic was man-made, rather than by God, he has not left us to face it alone.
He is with the health workers and delivery drivers who risks their lives to care for patients, and with the patients themselves who suffer, and their families who grieve. If our faith is strong, and we let God be our guide, all will be well: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119: 105)
In my capacity as Treasurer I have been poring over the church finances in recent months and each time I look they get worse! We have lost some valuable income streams this year, such as the Fete and the Scarecrow Festival, and other categories are well down compared to 2019. However, through the generosity of people within the parish, our voluntary giving has held up remarkably well, although our collections at services obviously dropped to zero during the lockdown. Personally, I hope people will return to church as soon as possible, circumstances permitting, not for collections but the fact that the church cannot function properly based on virtual sermons alone and it needs people to gather so they can share communion, their faith and their feelings together.
Finally, I hope that children and students are enjoying their new environments at schools and colleges alike, and this is obviously a big step towards a return to some form of normality. Young people, like the rest of us, have been severely affected by the virus but if the world emerges from this pandemic a slightly healthier place, with life expectancy a little higher, then perhaps all the disruption will be worth it. As the hymn goes ‘God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform’.
Best wishes and stay safe
Clive Pendrell
Coronovirus guidance in relation to churches
The government has announced new regulations which will apply from Monday. For this Sunday the current guidance and rules will continue to apply, which includes the requirement to wear face coverings in church. We do not expect the new regulations to cause us to change how we open the church for services and private prayer but cannot be sure until we see the new regulations and the official guidance.
Wednesday morning communion services
The Wednesday morning communion services will restart on Wednesday 16th September. Social distancing and the other measures designed to protect all of us will be in place. It will not be possible to have coffee and cake afterwards due to the restrictions in place.
Church opening for private prayer
We normally aim to open the church for private prayer every Tuesday and Friday between 2.30 and 4.30 pm. We do not have a volunteer for Tuesday this week yet – unless there is a volunteer we will not be able to open the church.
If anyone would like to volunteer for Tuesday this week or either Tuesday or Friday in a future week please contact Maureen. The church calendar (which can be found on the church website at https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/information/calendar/) will be updated to show that the church will be open when we have a volunteer to act as steward for that day.
Annual church meeting
The annual church meeting will be held on Sunday 11th October. As there will be no evening service it may be held earlier in the day than usual, possibly after the morning service. An announcement will be made nearer the time.
If you are not on the Church Electoral Roll and wish to vote at that meeting you have until Monday 14th September to submit a completed application form.
The PCC Annual Report and Accounts is available on the church website at https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/information/pcc-news-and-reports/pcc-reports/.
Elections will be held for Churchwardens, Deanery Synod Representatives and PCC Members. Information about those roles can be found on the church website at https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/about-us/whos-who/pcc/pcc-membership/
Because a number of existing members will be standing down and not seeking re-election we do need others to come forward for some of those positions. Please consider whether you would be able to serve the church in one of those roles.
As Churchwardens need to have DBS clearance anyone considering standing for election as Churchwarden should contact Gena to discuss obtaining the necessary certificate.
Contacts
Maureen can be contacted by phone, text or email. (01902 700257 – 07812 805371 – )
Contact details for other church officers can be found on the Contacts page of the church website. Communications in relation to ChadNet should be sent to
Sunday 13th September – 14th Sunday after Trinity
The Worship on the Web service will be led by the Youth Group. It will be on the theme of Bubbles. The music will be provided by Greg and the virtual choir with members of the Youth Group. It will be screened in church as the main part of the service at 10 am. This will be followed by a brief service of Holy Communion for those who wish to stay.
The Worship on the Web service will also be available as usual on the Worship on the Web page of the website from 10 am. For those without internet access it will also be on the Dial a Service phone line (01902 906585) from 9 am – until then last Sunday’s service is on the phone line. The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.
During the week Maureen (or occasionally Ken) will stream Morning Prayer and Compline (Night Prayer) on Facebook Live. Morning Prayer will be at 8.30 am and Compline will be at 9.30 pm (there will be no Compline on Friday).
Wednesday 16th September
There will be a service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer in church at 10.00 am.
This is also the copy date for the October issue of the Parish News.
Sunday 20th September – 15th Sunday after Trinity
The theme of the Worship on the Web service, which will be led by Maureen, will be “Surprised by Generosity.” It will be screened in church as the main part of the service at 10 am, when it will be followed by a brief service of Holy Communion for those who wish to stay. It will also be on the Worship on the Web page of the website from 10 am.
The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.
From the Memorial Book
Those whose anniversaries occur between 6th and 20th September.
Margaret Mary Bartlett – 6th September 2004
Ian Smart – 7th September 2006
Olive Bentley – 8th September 2001
Doris Scarth – 8th September 2003
Rosemary Anne Tonks – 8th September 2009
Edna Mara Broom – 8th September 2014
Lesley Margaret Dain – 10th September 2015
Thomas Harold Beach – 12nd September 1995
Phyllis Mabel Price – 13th September 2007
Annie Mary Caddick – 13th September 2011
Jonathan Hassall – 13th September 2019
Reginald John Henshaw – 14th September 2006
Jan Zdanowski – 14th September 2011
George Price – 15th September 1961
Peter John Curtis – 15th September 2005
Dorothy Caddick – 17th September 2007
Dorothy Lavender – 18th September 2016
Jack Bennett – 19th September 1990
A. H. Norman Harris – 20th September 2004
You can see the pages of the Memorial Book for the second half of the year on the Memorial Book Online page of the Church website.
For those without internet access – listen to a Pattingham church service by phone
Several members of our congregation who do not use the internet are using the dedicated phone number – 01902 906585 – to listen to our services. Calls are charged at normal rate. The service for each Sunday will be available from about 9 am and will continue to be available until it is replaced be the next week’s. If you know someone who might find it useful please let them know.
The Daily Hope phone line from the Church of England on 0800 804 8044 is also available.
Virtual Sunday School
In the absence of our own Sunday School we encourage children and families to look at the Virtual Sunday School YouTube channel. A new Sunday School video comes out each Saturday. This week’s is The Widow’s Offering & a generous Grandad.
They can all be found on the Sunday School on the Web page of our website as well as on YouTube.
Other resources for worship and prayer at home
In these times we are all needing to find different ways to pray and worship. There are a lot of different resources which have been made available in lots of different ways. Some of those are listed on the Resources Available Online page of the website. This not anything like a complete list of everything which is available. We also now have a Resources Available for Children, Young People and Families page.
Maureen often shares inspirational posts on the Church Facebook page so it is worth looking at that from time to time.
If you have found something which you have found useful please send the details to so that it can be shared with others.
ChadNet
This bulletin is sent to those who have requested it. We now have 82 subscribers but there may still be some people who are not aware of it and would wish to receive 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
Giving to the church
If you are paying by cheque please make the cheque payable to “Pattingham PCC” or “Pattingham Parochial Church Council”.
In the current circumstances there will inevitably be a reduction in the money which the church receives. However we will need to continue to pay our bills and we would ask that those who can afford to do so should continue to give regularly.
As we are now starting to hold services again it is possible to put money in the plate again. However with the current problems surrounding handling cash we would prefer that you consider one of the other ways of giving your offertory if you can. There are a number of other ways in which you can give to the church. These include the Giving Direct scheme, Just Giving, a standing order or even one off transfers to the church bank account. Details of all of these can be found on the Giving page of the website. Those who normally use the green or yellow envelopes may wish to continue to put their donations in the envelopes ready to bring to church when they are able to come to a service.
We have set up 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.
If you wish to make a payment by bank transfer the details of our bank account are: Account name: Pattingham Parochial Church Council – Sort Code: 20-97-78 – A/c No: 50655023. If you wish to gift aid it contact the Gift Aid Secretary or the Treasurer.
You can also now give by text.
Text PATT 5 to 70085 to donate £5 – texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message.
You can donate any number of pounds between £1 and £20. Just replace the 5 by the amount you want to give.
For a regular monthly donation text PATTREG 5 to 70085 to donate £5 per month – texts cost £5 plus two standard rate messages.Again you can donate any number of pounds between £1 and £20. Just replace the 5 by the monthly amount you want to give. Donors receive a receipt message every time they donate – this tells them how to cancel their donation should they wish – which is by texting STOP to 70085 at any time.
Changes due to the current situation
Although the church building is closed for public worship the church community remains active. Further details can be found on the church website. There is an update page which gives more information.
- The 2020 Scarecrow Festival has been postponed to 2021.
- The Who’s for Lunch lunches are suspended for the time being.
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