ChadNet – no 277

ChadNet – no 277 – Sunday 13th July 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

Jo Bramall

(This is based on the Pause for Thought which Jo gave at the Youth Service in June)

Refugees: The Story of Ruth

The bible does not mention the term “refugee” yet the bible has plenty to say about people it refers to as “strangers”, “sojourners” or “foreigners.” The bible does refer to God as our refuge – a place to where we flee in times of trouble, fear or persecution.

A well-known example of a foreigner in the bible is Ruth, a Moabite who married into a Jewish family.

The story begins with Naomi, her husband Elimelek and their two sons. The family travelled to Moab to escape famine – a place where they were strangers. They were what we might now call economic migrants. During their time in Moab, Naomi’s husband died. Then both her sons married Moabite women, and they all continued to live in Moab for about 10 years, until both her sons died.

Being left with no male family members to take care of her; and the famine having passed, Naomi makes plans to return home. She thanks her daughters-in law for the kindness they have shown to her and her sons. She urges them to return to their mother’s homes, where they might find new husbands to care for them, explaining there is no hope of a future for them in Judah. While one daughter-in-law, Orpah returns home, Ruth clings to Naomi, famously saying,

“Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Naomi and Ruth return together to Bethlehem. Having no husbands to provide for them Ruth sets out to gather grain left behind by the harvesters in the fields – a practice enshrined in Jewish law (Leveticus 23:22) to provide for the dispossessed.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather any gleaning of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.”

However, there was always a risk of women coming to harm if they went to glean in fields of strangers, as Naomi points out to Ruth (Ruth 2:22). Naomi counsels her to go the field of a distant relative, Boaz.

When Boaz finds Ruth gleaning in his field, he encourages her to glean alongside the women who work for him and offers her protection from any men working in his fields. In response to this she asks,

“Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me, a foreigner?”

Well, Ruth is only 4 chapters long but to cut a not very long love story even shorter, as Charlotte Bronte might have said: Reader, she married him. And how important Ruth is in the history of Christianity! Ruth and Boaz had a child, Obed who became the father of Jesse who became the father of King David. And so, Ruth became the 27 times great-grandmother of our Lord Jesus Christ and is one of only five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 1.

This story highlights the importance God places on welcoming and helping the stranger – often asking them to consider how the Jews were foreigners in Egypt and spent 40 years in exile in the desert. In the Hebrews 13:1-2, we are advised to:

“Keep on loving on another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Let us use this story, and the teachings of the bible to direct our thoughts about and actions towards the foreigners and strangers we meet in our lives.

Jo Bramall

(As always this View from the Pews 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

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 13th July – Fourth Sunday after Trinity

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 aService of Evensong, led by Iain Coleman, in church.

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

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
St Benedict Biscop, 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 Tuesday evening there is a PCC meeting in church.

On Wednesday at 10.00 am there will be a service of Holy Communion by extension, led by Iain Coleman, 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 August magazine. Send articles to Mike Moss at

At 9.30 am on Thursday the school Leavers’ service takes place in church.

On Friday from 10 am to 12 noon the Home Instead Memory Café is being held at the Village Hall. These are free informal sessions designed for individuals living with dementia and their carers to meet in a relaxed environment.  Enjoy simple, engaging activities, while connecting with others who understand the challenges of dementia. No need to book. Just pop along.

On Friday from 2 pm to 4 pm ChadART takes place in church. See below for more information.

Sunday 20th July – Fifth Sunday after Trinity

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 Paul Brown, to which you are all most welcome. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who live and work in:
Orchard Close, Damson Park, Highgate Court.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
St Paul, Pendeford.

ChadART

Enjoy painting, drawing, printing or mindful colouring?

We have started a new Art Club at St. Chad’s where people can come and socialise as they create.  Bring along your own projects and materials.  While there is no formal teaching, I am sure we will all enjoy sharing our own expertise and ideas.  Everyone is welcome.

Please come and join us at the back of church.  We will be there on Friday afternoons from 2pm-4pm.  Tea and coffee will be available.

If you have any questions, please contact Jo Bramall on 07977 007537.

The Well – the Wolverhampton Food Bank

The Well

Everyone at the Well is extremely grateful for the gifts of cash and goods which are donated regularly. 

The current 6 top needs are:

  • Tinned vegetables
  • Tinned tomatoes
  • UHT milk
  • Male toiletries
  • Noodles
  • Finance to run two vans

Again many thanks for your support.

Alan Smith

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 look at their website <www.thewellwolverhampton.co.uk>

Dementia Friendly Church

Weekly Prayer 

Becoming Dementia Friendly Church 2024-25

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 6th and 20th July.

Bunty Genna – 6th July 2001
Campbell Harris – 10th July 1966
David John Rushton – 11th July 1995
Walter Newman Foggin – 11th July 2014
Jennifer Anne Baxter – 14th July 2007
Henry Charles Peever – 15th July 1991
Charles Herbert James Gosling – 16th July 1989
Florence Gladys Roberts – 17th July 1998

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 145 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