ChadNet – no 56

ChadNet – no 56 – Sunday 18th April 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:


Services in church have resumed. The church remains open for private prayer except on Sunday and there will be a combination of streamed services and recorded Worship on the Web online. Covid-19 guidelines should be observed in church at all times.


View from the Pews

Iain Coleman

It’s funny how something jumps up and catches you unaware. I was reading an old Inspector Morse novel; in the story Sergeant Lewis visits Morse at home on Sunday morning to find him listening to “Morning Service” and joining in with the hymn. When Lewis asks why Morse, an avowed atheist, is doing this, the response is “I still love the old hymns – the more sentimental the better, for my taste. Wonderful words don’t you think.?” Morse then quotes from the hymn.

“I trace the rainbow through the rain
And feel the promise is not vain
That Morn shall tearless be.”

…..and thus prompted some lines of thought. Sung to the tune of St Margaret composed by Albert Peace(1884), this hymn “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go” was written by a Scotsman, George Matheson. The story behind the hymn is well documented. A brilliant scholar of philosophy and theology, building a reputation as a preacher of renown, he went blind. The girl he was to marry left him, as she couldn’t come to terms with dealing with a blind man. One of the great helps to overcoming his loneliness and accomplishing so much were his sisters, especially his eldest sister, who helped in all manner of ways. This simple hymn was written on the night this sister was married. His sister, the one he was so dependent upon, and who was a very special person to him, was starting a new chapter of her life. Matheson said of composing the hymn.

My hymn was composed in the manse of Innellan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high.

A simple hymn that moves a crusty old (albeit fictitious) atheist reminded me acutely of something that we have missed during this last year. Hymns. Singing them together. I know we can join in on-line…. But it doesn’t quite sound the same in our homes (acoustics good in the bathroom!) and, tucked behind our masks it isn’t quite the same trying to “sing in our heads” as it were. Hymns are so important to our worship. They are an aid to teaching us theology. Importantly, they can provide an authentic response of human expression. Hymns, both past and present can allow a response to what is happening around us. In the darkest (and happiest) times of our lives, is our faith sustained in part by the hymns in our hearts, minds, and mouth?

Historically hymns do display a social consciousness and unite us, in the act of singing, as people. And after all, they were written for congregational singing. I wonder if the loss of singing in church has reminded us sharply of how important it is in our worship, our praise and contemplation, something we share together as church. Let us hope that it will not be too much longer before we unite in song. But for now… keep tracing the rainbow through the rain……. and stay safe all of you.

Iain Coleman


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 18th April – Third Sunday of Easter

There will be a service of Holy Communion led by Maureen in church at 10 am. Covid-19 guidance and restrictions continue to apply. Please wear a face covering, use the hand sanitizer, observe social distancing and remember that congregational singing is not allowed.

The service will be screened live for those who cannot or do not want to attend. It will be available on the Worship on the Web page of the website and also on YouTube at <https://youtu.be/PWLjO9f22l8>.

It will also be on the Dial a Service phone line (01902 906585) but not until about 12.30 pm.

The Annual Meeting will be held in church after the service. It will start at 11.15 am. More information can be found below.

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 Sunday. 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.

On Wednesday there will be a service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer in church at 10.00 am.


Sunday 25th April – Fourth Sunday of Easter

There will be a service of Holy Communion led by Maureen in church at 10 am.

It will be screened live for those who cannot or do not want to attend. It will be available on the Worship on the Web page of the website and also on YouTube.

The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.


Annual meeting and electoral roll

The Annual Church Meeting will be held in church at 11.15 am this Sunday – 18th April (after the 10 o’clock service). Reports for the meeting are available on the church website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/information/pcc-news-and-reports/pcc-reports/>. The accounts for 2020 have not yet been completed and so they are not included in the reports bur a Financial Review of 2020 is included. Once the accounts have been independently examined they will be made available and a (hopefully brief) meeting will be held to receive them.

Nomination forms for Churchwardens and Elected PCC members are on the church website and at the back of the church.

The revision of the Church Electoral Roll has been completed. The revised roll can be checked on the church door.


Holiday Club

This year’s Holiday Club, which was due to be held in August, has been cancelled. The PCC has made that decision now as there is significant uncertainty as to the restrictions which might be in place then. The amount of planning which needs to take place and the number of people who would be involved means that it would not be possible to leave a decision until nearer the time.

We hope that it will be possible for Holiday Club to take place in 2022.


Services in church and Worship on the Web

Now that we are able to stream services from church, and have successfuly done so for two weeks, we have reviewed our provision of online services. For the next few months at least there will be two sorts of provision.

On most Sundays there will be service in church at 10 am, which will normally include Holy Communion, and that service will be streamed live and available online afterwards. On those Sundays there will not be a recorded service.

On other Sundays there will be a recorded service of Worship on the Web, which will be available online and also screened in church. In church it will be followed by a service of Holy Communion, which will not normally be streamed or online.

For the moment the Dial a Service phone line will continue but as it will normally have a recording of the service it will not be updated until about 12.30 pm or possibly later.

At the moment congregational singing is not allowed in church and there are also requirements for the church to be thoroughly cleaned between services. Once those restrictions are lifted it is our intention to resume holding evening services at 6.30 pm, although not necessarily every week. At that time we will also explore the possibility of resuming the 8 am Communion services on some Sundays but are less confident that we will be able to do so.


From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 11th and 25th April.

Albert Edward Bentley – 11th April 1982
Douglas Edwin Shelton – 12th April 2003
Sally Anne James – 13th April 2018
Christine Ann Trubshaw – 16th April 2000
Stuart Hammersley – 19th April 1991
Keith Campbell Harris – 19th April 2012
Elizabeth Anne Thomason – 20th April 2008
Graham Sheldon – 21st April 1996
Alan Coverley Robinson – 21st April 2003
Archie Proctor – 23rd April 2009
Betty Winifred Lovering – 23rd April 2012
Emily Hannah O’Byrne – 23rd April 2020
Annie Smith – 25th April 1962
Bob Frost – 25th April 2008

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 12.30 pm (or earlier if there is a recorded service) 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.

For those who are unable to attend church to make their communion there is a form of Spriritual Communion on the Church of England 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 now comes out every two weeks on a Saturday. The next one is due next week. Last week’s is The Beatitudes + an EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! The exciting announcement was that they are holding a Virtual Holiday Club in August.

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


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