ChadNet – no 300

ChadNet – no 300 – Sunday 21st December 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.

We wish all of our readers a Happy Christmas.

In this week’s ChadNet:

View from the Vicarage

Rev Merry Smith

In every service of Evensong we hear the Magnificat, a familiar hymn of joy, obedience, and wonder. Mary’s response to the angel’s message, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,” remains astonishing. As we enter Christmas week, may her words speak afresh to us, inviting us to contemplate the greatness of God.

Mary’s song is a proclamation of God’s faithfulness, of His lifting up the humble, fulfilling His promises, and working through the most unexpected people and places. When Mary declares, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” she is claiming her role in God’s creative story, agreeing to live for God. Her own future hopes and plans are abandoned in favour of a bigger picture of love and salvation for all. And instead of feeling put upon, Mary rejoices that she has been blessed. 

To “magnify” the Lord seems to me to mean amplifying the love we receive from Him and increasing the good things we see in our world. Magnifying makes things clearer too. If we want to follow Mary’s words we could seek to understand the beauty and wonder of what God has done for us by attempting to wrestle with and balance for ourselves the mysteries of the Christmas story and the whole of Jesus’ ministry.

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are invited to join Mary’s song of magnification. We can make God’s love more visible, through acts of kindness, prayers of thanksgiving, and by reaching out to those who may need an extra measure of hope or companionship. We can also seek a clearer understanding of the glory revealed in Christ’s birth, allowing our faith to be strengthened and renewed.

As it was for Mary, may our hearts be set alight with joy and wonder. And may the astonishing truth of God-with-us be magnified in our lives, for the blessing of our communities and the sake of the world God loves.

Merry

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 the editor, Mike Moss, at or to  (Mike will acknowledge emails so if you do not get an acknowledgement he may not have received your email).

Sunday 21st December – Fourth Sunday of Advent

At 10 am there will be a service led by the Youth Group in church. The theme of the service is “Giving not Getting”. Christmas gifts for The Well will be offered up at the same time as the collection. If you can please bring something a bit Christmassy for The Well. This will be followed by a short service of Holy Communion, led by the Vicar, to which you are all most welcome. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

At 6.30 pm the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, led by the Vicar, will be held 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:
Christmas Services across the Deanery.

This week

The church will be open every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch.

At 7.30 pm on Monday the choir will be singing carols in The Pattingham Club. All are welcome to join them

At 2.30 pm on Tuesday the funeral of Clive Whitehouse takes place in church

There is NO Prayers for Peace in church this week. In December and January it is being held only once a month – the next will be on 20th January. On those weeks when it is not being held in church some people may wish to pause and say a prayer of their own at that time. It is expected to resume weekly in February.

Wednesday is Christmas Eve

There is no morning service.

At 4 pm the Crib Service, led by the Vicar, takes place in church. This is particularly suitable for children and families. Help to build the Nativity Scene.

There will be NO Shower Singers and NO Choir Practice.

At 11.30 pm the “Midnight” Service of Holy Communion, led by the Vicar, takes place in church. For those who are still awake this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus as Christmas Day starts.

Thursday is Christmas Day

At 10 am there will be a Christmas Morning Communion Service led by the Vicar. All are welcome to come and celebrate with us the birth of Jesus.

The church will be locked for the rest of the day after the service.

On Friday the church will remain locked all day.

Sunday 28th December – First Sunday of Christmas

At 10 am there will be a service of Holy Communion, led by the Vicar, in church. Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available after the service.

There is no evening service.

In the Parish Prayer Diary we pray for those who live and work in:
Rudge Road, Lower Rudge, Spoonley Gate, Upper Ludstone, Worcester Road.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
St John the Evangelist, Swindon.

Prayer Diaries

The 2026 Prayer Diaries for the parish and for the deanery are on the church calendar and on the website. Paper copies are available at the back of the church for those who want them.

There is also a diocesan prayer diary which can be accessed online at <https://www.lichfield.anglican.org/our-faith/prayer-diary/>

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.

Reverse Advent Calendar

The Well’s annual Reverse Advent Calendar is back. The idea is really simple – put the item on the calendar into a box/bag each day in December leading up to Christmas, then donate it to the Well food bank. Please leave it at the back of the church or, if collection is required, contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518. 

The items on the calendar for this week are:

  • Monday 22nd December – deodorant
  • Tuesday 23rd December – tinned fruit
  • Wednesday 24th December – give by text (donate via text: £3. text WELL2 to 70331)
  • Thursday 25th December – Christmas blessings

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

Healing prayer for dementia

Lord God, our loving and compassionate Father, we praise and glorify you for the grace of health in mind and body.  Thank you for keeping us well and healthy.  Thank you for the beautiful gift of life and health.
We pray to you heavenly Father, asking for your healing touch to all those living with dementia.  We know you are the source of all healing; nothing is beyond your power.  We beg you to pour forth your grace and mercy to our brothers and sisters who have this condition, as well as comfort and serenity for their loved ones and caregivers.
We humbly ask that you bring healing and restoration to their minds and bodies and comfort to their loved ones who care for them.  Please restore their cognitive capacities-memory, thinking and reasoning.  We pray to you to ease the emotional and psychological pain those living with dementia often experience, such as anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation and loneliness.
We also pray for their carers who frequently face a great deal of stress.  Please grant them courage and help to show compassion and patience to their loved ones.  May they sense your presence among them and experience your infinite kindness and grace.
Amen

(avepray.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 14th and 28th December.

Eliza Newton – 16th December 1953
Brian John Darrell – 16th December 2013
Raymond William Haden – 17th December 2005
Margaret Alice Gardener – 19th December 2003
Pamela Jones – 19th December 2023
Stanley Charles Bentley – 21st December 1989
Elsie May Nickholds – 21st December 1999
Audrey Mary Vaughan – 21st December 2008
Paul Anthony Piper Snape  – 21st December 2023
John Stanley Scriven – 22nd December 2008
Graham Bartlett Smith – 22nd December 2019
Dorothy Shepherdson – 23rd December 1995
Dorothy Amy Harris – 24th December 1977
Ruby Sampson – 24th December 2007
Thomas Howe Pattison – 25th December 1994
Kim Harley – 26th December 1964
Kathleen Williamson – 26th December 1988
Jane Sarah Dulson – 27th December 1958
Maurice Scarth – 27th December 2005
Evelyn Annie Taylor – 28th December 1982
John Earl Titley – 28th December 1983
A.B. Thorma Bridge – 28th December 1990
Eileen Shelton – 28th December 1999

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 154 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