ChadNet – no 301

ChadNet – no 301 – Sunday 28th 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.

In this week’s ChadNet:

View from the Pews

Christmas bells

With Advent and Christmas still in our hearts and minds, this poem by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, written in 1863, which I revisited the other day, still ‘rings a bell’ with me. With all that is going on in the world just now,  I thought it might just be worth an airing in this week’s edition of ChadNet.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Iain Coleman

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

(As always this View 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

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 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.

This week

The church will be open every day. On New Year’s Day it will only be open from 10 am to 12 noon. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch.

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.

On Wednesday there is no service.

There will be NO Shower Singers and NO Choir Practice.

On Thursday the church will be open from 10.00 am to 12 noon and will then be locked for the rest of the day.

On Thursday morning a band of visiting bellringers will be ringing the bells.

Sunday 4th January – The Epiphany

At 10 am there will be a Family Service, led by Philip Sims, in church. It will be followed by a short service of Holy Communion 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:
Great Moor Road, Nurton Brook, Nurton Bank, Warstone Hill Road, Hollies Lane.

In the Trysull Deanery Prayer Diary we pray for:
Childrens & Youth Work in the Deanery.

Charity Christmas Cards

Thank you to everyone who bought the cards which Jo Bramall sold in aid of The Well and Compton Care. They raised a total of £450 for the two charities which has been paid to them both.

Century Club

The December draw will take place on Monday 5th January.

The annual subscriptions were due on 1st December. The annual subscription is £60. If you would like to join the Century Club or for more details, please contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518 or or see the website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/information/century-club/>

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.

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 connect via their website, where you can sign up to the newsletter and link to their Social Media pages: <www.thewellwolverhampton.co.uk>

Dementia Friendly Church

Weekly Prayer 

Becoming Dementia Friendly Church 2024-25

Loving Lord, Thank you for the gift of these few minutes to stop and breathe and to remember that you are with me at this very moment.
Dementia is an illness that tempts me to question why such a thing would exist.  I am losing my loved one a little bit every day and at times it is so sad for me.
Help me to see my loved one and our situation through your eyes.  Show me all the ways you are present so that the caregiving struggles that tempt me to question myself turn into signposts that assure me of your presence.
Remind me that one mishap does not govern my entire day; that my day is made up of moments just like this one and that you are creating anew every single moment.
Help me to not feel trapped in a situation where I sometimes felt powerless and to find ways where freedom abounds, even if only this is for five minutes sitting with my feet up and drinking a cup of coffee.
Give me the courage to reach out for help when I feel overwhelmed and direct me to those who want to support me but who count on me to tell them how to do that.
Above all, Lord, give me hope; hope that my efforts are everything my loved one needs, hope that tomorrow will bring me answers to questions I have today and hope in your words that I truly can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Amen

(prayerideas.org)

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 21st December and 4th January.

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
Iris Postance – 31st December 2011
Percy George Williams – 1st January 1976
Stanley James Potts – 2nd January 1999
Harriet Minnie Clinton – 3rd January 1960
Paul Kemp – 4th January 2007
Trevor John Davis – 4th January 2012

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