ChadNet – no 41 – Sunday 3rd January 2021
Welcome to the first edition in 2021 of ChadNet – the eBulletin of St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull.
There will be no services in church for the time being but the church will remain open for private prayer and Worship on the Web will continue online.
View from the Vicarage
Here are a couple of literal views from the vicarage this past week. I hope you have enjoyed playing in the snow – it is one of the few good bits about the news recently. And spot the snowy pigeon!
I think most of us are heartily sick of 2020 and only too pleased to be welcoming in a new year. Let us hope and pray that with the multiple vaccines now becoming available, it will not be too long before life starts to look and feel a bit more normal. But we are not at that point yet…
‘Now, and not yet’. As Christians we should be well used to living with this paradox. Christ taught us that the Kingdom of God is all around us – and yet we still wait for Christ’s second coming to inaugurate his reign on earth. God’s kingdom is both now and not yet.
And an end to the pandemic is – we hope – both now, and not quite yet. There is the hope of vaccines being more widely available (do take advantage of it if offered – for the sake of others, if not for yourself!) But at the same time, the rates of infection and admission to hospital and therefore of deaths themselves are all climbing and, as a result, we have been put into Tier 4 along with much of the rest of the country. Church worship is still permitted under all the tiers currently in use, but after much heart-searching and in consultation with the PCC, I have decided to suspend in-church worship for the time being. At a time when we are all being told to stay at home and not mix with others, it seems all wrong to encourage people – many of whom would be in a vulnerable category – to mix and mingle in church, even with the COVID19 precautions we have put in place.
But that does not mean Church is cancelled! The building will remain open for private prayer (one at a time please) whenever possible. Please observe the notices and if you sit even for a few minutes, please leave a card indicating the place you occupied. This avoids anyone else inadvertently sitting in the same place and aids the cleaning of the church. And, of course, I will still take funeral services as and when required. On-line worship will of course continue, and if you missed any of our Christmas services, they may still be viewed from our Website or on YouTube.
I am also hoping to circulate some “house blessing kits, for Epiphany”. This is a well-established tradition in some parts of the church, and one I have always liked. That every household should bless itself by chalking the following above or to one side of the front door of the house…. 20+C+M+B+21 , on or around the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men bearing their three gifts for the Christ Child. The numbers obviously relate to the year; the letters may either be taken to represent the Wise Men – Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar: or alternatively, they stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat – May Christ bless this dwelling. So I will try to get some chalk and a suitable prayer circulated to all the church family as soon as I can. If you have not received yours and would like it, or know someone else in the village who might, please get in touch by phone or email etc. The idea of blessing the home seems a lovely New Year tradition, and particularly apt this year.
So wherever you are this January, and with whomever, please stay safe. Remember to keep washing your hands, wearing a face covering in public and keeping your distance from other people… And whenever this wretched Virus is finally defeated I promise you a massive get together in church and all the other places we are missing each other for a gigantic celebration!
May 2021 bring you health and happiness
Maureen.
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 3rd January – Epiphany
There will be no service in church. The Worship on the Web service is a Family Service led by Elaine Dow. It will be on the Worship on the Web page of the website from 10.00 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.
During January the bishops are providing sermons for parishes to use. This week’s preacher is Bishop Clive, the Bishop of Wolverhampton. The sermon can be found on YouTube at https://youtu.be/JYmK-CtA0lE
The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.
This week
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).
The church will be open for private prayer every day. The times may vary depending when the keyholders are able to open and close the church. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch. Please observe the instructions in the notice on the door, which include the need to wear a face covering, using hand sanitiser and not going into the church if someine else is already in there.There will be no service on Wednesday.
Sunday 10th January – Baptism of Christ
The Worship on the Web service is led by the Youth Group. It will be a bright and cheerful service where we are looking forward with hope and confidence for the new year. It will be available 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.
Century Club
The winners of the December Century Club draw were:
- 1st prize – £150 – Michael Stirk (ball 75)
- 2nd prize – £100 – Gillian Andrews (ball 66)
- 3rd prize – £50 – Richard Buttress (ball 79)
Congratulations to all of them.
The Century Club has supported church finances for many years but of late has not achieved its aim of 100 members. The PCC readily acknowledges that personal finances are suffering in the same way that the church’s are in these difficult times. However, if you like the idea of having the chance of a win every month, as well as helping the church, why not sign up?
There are three monthly prizes of £150, £100 and £50 for an initial outlay of £60 per year or £5 per month whichever you prefer.
If you’re interested please contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518 or
Pews for sale …
Now that we have the new chairs for the Lady Chapel the PCC will be selling nine of the loose pews from the church.
Three of them are in the Lady Chapel and used to be fixed pews; the other six are smaller moveable pews. All of the pews are Victorian and made of oak. We will need to ensure that we get a fair price for them and the Archdeacon has to approve the price before any sale can take place. Photographs and details of all nine pews are on the website at https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/pews-for-sale/
The PCC will decide later this month how to try to sell them and it would help to know whether there is any interest from parishioners before making that decision.
If anyone would be interested in offering to buy one or more of the pews please contact Gena.
From the Memorial Book
Those whose anniversaries occur between 27th December and 10th January.
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
Elizabeth Toy – 6th January 1995
Alan Johnson – 6th January 1999
Caroline Mary Bradford – 6th January 2005
Leslie Harry Hawkins – 7th January 1984
Winne Sheldon – 7th January 1993
Barrow Samuel Woodhall – 8th January 1999
Ewart Eardley Jones – 8th January 2009
William Ernest Whitty – 9th January 1986
You can see all the pages of the Memorial Book on the Memorial Book Online page of the Church website.
Did you see the pigeon?
DId you manage to see the pigeon in the tree in Maureen’s photograph? Here is a close up of it to make it easier, although it does still seem to be well camouflaged.
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.
Resources for worship and prayer at home
Some of resources which can be used at home are listed on the Resources Available Online and the Resources Available for Children, Young People and Families pages of the website.
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 normally comes out each Saturday. They are taking a week off this week but will be back to weekly episodes from 9th Jan so keep tuning in!
They can all be found on the Sunday School on the Web page of our website as well as on YouTube.
ChadNet
This bulletin is sent to those who have requested it. We now have 90 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
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. Details of the various ways in which you can give can be found on the Giving page of the website.
If you are paying by cheque please make the cheque payable to “Pattingham PCC” or “Pattingham Parochial Church Council“.
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
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St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull Registered charity no 1151604