ChadNet – no 49

ChadNet – no 49 – Sunday 28th February 2021

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:

There are no services in church for the time being but the church remains open for private prayer and Worship on the Web continues online.

View from the Pews

Dorothy Steel

Have you noticed there seem to be so many more people out walking around the beautiful country lanes of Pattingham since the first lockdown?

Perhaps we have a little more time, and restrictions force us to focus on the beauty around us, because we are unable to travel. As I am walking it is a fantastic time to appreciate the wonder of God’s creation and to reflect on how to carry out God’s work.

Country lane

When I am out, feeling close to God, the beautiful words of the song ( I think from The Student Prince) come to mind : “I’ll walk with God from this day on, his helping hand I’ll lean upon….I’ll walk with God I’ll take his hand, I’ll talk with God , He’ll understand…” It makes me realise that I do a great deal of “talking to God”, but perhaps (during Lent in particular), now is the time to “listen” to God. Do you talk to God more than you listen?

Listening to God is something I find to be far more difficult than talking to God, possibly because I get impatient and give up too quickly. Or perhaps I hear God’s call but try to avoid it! I make excuses, “I am so busy…”, “someone else would be better at this…” etc, and the doubt and temptation – (to do nothing or carry on doing the same) creeps in! But we cannot carry on doing the same, we are living through change and a huge change for us, just around the corner is our Vicar Maureen leaving us.

Patshull

We have to make plans and at the very centre of those plans is God and of course you, because every person is part of our community. At times this sort of change can feel very daunting but it makes me recall the South African hymn, (said to be based on a Zulu folk song) called “Siyahamba”. This translates to ‘marching’ or ‘walking’ and rejoices that we are “walking in the light of God”. It may not always feel like this – but the Bible promises us that this is true. From the Old Testament (Isaiah 41:10) “Do not be afraid – I am with you…” to the New Testament, (Romans 8:28) “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him…”  –  we are reassured that we are not alone.

Please pray with us, as we work through all the change that 2020 has brought and all the change ahead of us, that we can listen to God and do His work.

Pray that we may stay safe and let us be thankful for all who have received the Covid vaccination and for all who wait our turn.

Dorothy Steel

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 28th February – Second Sunday of Lent

There will be no service in church. The Worship on the Web service is a Family Service led by Iain, with contributions from other members of the congregation. It marks the Second Sunday in Lent, the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight, St David’s Day on 1st March and St Chad’s Day on 2nd March. 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.

Iain has started training to become a Reader. As part of that training he has to provide a portfolio of feedback on things he does. It would help if people could provide feedback on this service which he could include. Please email your feedback to and we will collate them together anonymously for Iain’s portfolio.

Until Palm Sunday the diocese is providing sermons for parishes to use. This week’s preacher is our Archdeacon, Ven Julian Francis, Archdeacon of Walsall. The sermon can be found on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LodNtUQjQS4

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 except Friday. 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 keeping apart from anyone else who is already in there.

The Lent Course continues on Monday evening and Thursday afternoon. More details are below.

The funeral of David Roberts will take place on Friday.

Sunday 7th March – Third Sunday of Lent

There will be no service in church. In the Worship on the Web service, which will be led by Maureen, we will be exploring wisdom and foolishness. 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.

Lent

Lent course

Broken Bits and Weirdness (But God Still Loves Us) – A series for Lent 2021 – author: Fay Rowland

Mondays at 7.30 pm or Thursdays at 2.30 pm

Described as Bible study like you have never seen it!
Throughout Lent, we will be looking at five somewhat flawed hero characters from the Bible and exploring what they might have to teach us about ourselves today… Naaman, David, Ruth, Martha and Jonah. And aside from bible study, there will be suggested craft activities, mindfulness colouring, outdoor activities, and even cooking! Why not give it a go one week and join in the fun! (and yes, you can have fun in Lent!) It is suitable for any and all ages (which does not mean ‘for kids only’).

Fay Rowland is a best-selling author of resources for ministry with adults and children. She lives in the Midlands with her “children and pet dragon”, teaches maths for a living, and spends the rest of her time being creative.

Each week we will meet a new character from the Bible with a reading, a bible study, a wondering question with space for response, some meditative colouring, a craft, a recipe, suggestions for outdoor activities linked with the theme, and a prayer. Everything is optional – you are not expected to do the lot – just choose whatever seems helpful or attractive to you and brings you closer to God.

[The invitation to the Zoom meeting is only included in the edition of ChadNet which is emailed to subscribers.]

Lent @ home

A reminder that the “Lent @ home” booklet, which was attached to last week’s ChadNet, is an opportunity to journey through Lent as an individual, as a family or as a support bubble. There are reflections, readings and prayers for each week between now and Easter.

It can be downloaded here.

#LiveLent

The Church of England is offering daily Lent reflections by email from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day. There is also a phone app available. Details can be found at https://www.churchofengland.org/livelent/ – to sign up for the emails go to https://www.churchofengland.org/node/27518

Century Club

The winners of the February Century Club draw were:

  • 1st prize – £150 – Geoff Rose (ball 73)
  • 2nd prize – £100 – Elizabeth Gosling (ball 59)
  • 3rd prize – £50 – John and Jean Dimmock (ball 29)

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.

To join please send a cheque payable to Pattingham PCC to Alan Smith, Cherry Cottage, Marlbrook Lane.

Alternatively, you can make a bank transfer to the PCC account as follows:
Sort code: 20-97-78
Account no: 50655023
Account name: Pattingham Parochial Church Council
Payment ref: Century Club

For more details, please contact Alan on 07757 688518 or

All surplus monies go to church funds.

The Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce

The Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce, set up last autumn to recommend changes to ensure greater racial equality in the Church of England, has issued an update on its work. It can be found at <https://www.churchofengland.org/news-and-media/news-and-statements/update-anti-racism-taskforce>

From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 21st February and 7th March.

Muriel Noreen Swift – 21st February 1999
Victor James Jordan – 22nd February 2009
Tom Knight – 23rd February 1997
Kathleen Simpson – 23rd February 1999
Teresa Margaret Richards – 23rd February 2002
Iris Freda Thomas – 25th February 2004
Thomas Lockley – 26th February 1974
John Barry Hebditch – 26th February 1998
Simon Andrew Mackriel – 27th February 2019
Lily Bates – 28th February 1997
Jocelyn Ida Alice Mayne – 28th February 1999
James Andrew Potts – 28th February 2007
Andrew Woodroffe – 1st March 1976
Edith Margery Whitty – 2nd March 1999
Gordon Frederick Roberts – 3rd March 2010
Roy Meredith Wilcox – 5th March 2016

You can see all the pages of the Memorial Book 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.

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. This week’s is The Greatest Commandment Challenge! And Beth’s Prayer Walk

They can all be found on the Sunday School on the Web page of our website as well as on YouTube.

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.

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.

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 95 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

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St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull Registered charity no 1151604