ChadNet – no 66 – Sunday 27th June 2021
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 – Mary Hayward
- Sunday 27th June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity
- This week
- Sunday 4th July – Fifth Sunday after Trinity
- Dedication of the statue of St Chad at Lichfield Cathedral – today (Saturday 26th June)
- Further ahead – delay in relaxing restrictions – rotas for July to September
- Maureen’s Farewell Celebration – postponed until 8th August
- Covid precautions – to continue with some changes
- Century Club Draw – Monday
- From the Memorial Book
- Resources to use at home and Virtual Sunday School
- Giving to the Church
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
When I was invited to contribute to “View from the Pews” my mind automatically went back to when I first came to live in our beautiful village 49 years ago. I was a newly married 23 year old and the only person I knew in the village was my husband. At the time I was working full time as a Ward Sister so meeting new people was difficult.
As a Christian I knew I wanted to visit St Chad’s Church but felt quite apprehensive and nervous, I needn’t have worried! I found the people very welcoming and friendly. The retired postmistress, Mary Bradford, took me under her wing, and the rest as they say is history.
During the Covid pandemic we have had to find different ways of Worship, St Chad’s have been very proactive providing us with worship on the web.
Gradually as lock down gradually lifts we are now able to go back into Church observing the guidelines provided. For me there is something Reverent about simply being in Church – it provides a physical space to connect and draw closer to God. In making time for Him we allow Him into our lives.
Focusing on the positive outcomes of lockdown helps. I have enjoyed walking and meeting so many people I have not had the pleasure of talking to before! Getting to know them and a lot of their four legged friends has been great. Appreciation of our beautiful village, the fields, gardens, birdsong, animals and all of God’s beautiful creation has made me realise how blessed I am to live here.
A more peripheral benefit of our Church is that it connects us socially. This is especially true if you are new to our Village, feel socially isolated, or have had a lapse in going to Church. Over the past 49 years our Church Services have been developed to appeal to all age groups. There are Services for our young people, families, Sunday School as well as traditional Services. There is a Choir, as well as a youth group playing their instruments!
The one constant over the past 49 years is that the warm welcome I received into the Family of St Chad’s is as evident now as it was then!!
Hope to see you in Church soon
Best wishes
Mary Hayward
Could you contribute a View from the Pews?
We welcome contributions for View from the Pews from all members of the congregation. If you would like to write a View from the Pews please email or contact Henry Ibberson.
Contacts
Maureen has started her well earned retirement. She will still be living in the Vicarage for a few weeks so we will still see her and Suzie about. She is no longer our Vicar.
For matters which would normally be dealt with by the Vicar the churchwardens will be the first point of contact. The Vicarage phone (01902 700257) will be redirected to the churchwardens. When they are not available a message can be left on the voicemail and they will return the call when they are available. 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.
Communications in relation to ChadNet should be sent to
Sunday 27th June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity
There will be a service of Holy Communion in church at 10 am. Covid-19 guidance and restrictions continue to apply. Please wear a face covering, use the hand sanitizer and observe social distancing.
The service will be screened live for those who cannot or do not want to attend. It will be available then and later on the Worship on the Web page of the website and also on YouTube at <https://youtu.be/AJ5iZMDzK48>
It will also be on the Dial a Service phone line (01902 906585) but not until about 12.30 pm.
The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.
This week
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.
The Century Club draw will take place by Zoom on Monday. See below for the link.
On Wednesday there will be a service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer in church at 10.00 am.
Sunday 4th July – Fifth Sunday after Trinity
There will be a Family Service led by Debbie Francis, which will be followed by Holy Communion, in church at 10 am.
The Family 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.
The collect and readings for the Eucharist, which would normally be on the pewsheet, are available on the website.
Dedication of the statue of St Chad at Lichfield Cathedral
The Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving and the Dedication of the statue will take place on Saturday 26th June at Lichfield Cathedral. Due to current restrictions this is a ticket only event with limited numbers.
It is being live streamed via the Cathedral YouTube Channel (commencing at 11am) and can be viewed at <https://youtu.be/EDtNG8tbeHk>
More information about the statue can be found on the cathedral website at <https://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/what-s-on/st-chad-statue-the-hope-garden>
Further ahead
The government’s announcement delaying the relaxation of restrictions means that we have had to postpone the resumption of evening services and the Celebration Tea Party.
We are now hoping to resume 6.30 pm services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month starting on Sunday 25th July with a Songs of Praise service. This will, of course, depend on congregational singing being allowed. If you have a special hymn which you would like to be considered for the Songs of Praise service please let Ken Scott know by 5th July.
The Celebration Tea Party which was planned for Sunday 4th July has been re-arranged for Sunday 8th August. There are more details below.
Rotas for July to September were prepared in May and emailed to those on the rotas and are on the Rotas page of the church website. Those included coffee after the 10 am service and sidespersons and readers for the evening services in case they were needed. Those will not be needed until 25th July at the very earliest. The duties until 18th July can therefore be ignored and those from 25th July should be treated as provisional unless and until they are confirmed.
Maureen’s Farewell Celebration
So here we are, still under Covid restrictions for another few weeks, meaning that the bold optimism with which we planned a retirement celebration for Maureen has proved to be just that – optimistic!
We have therefore postponed our earlier plans, meaning that her Celebration Tea Party will now be in the Village Hall on Sunday 8th August 2021 from 3.00pm to approx. 5.00pm. She herself is very much looking forward to being with as many as possible from the whole village, for her chance to say a proper farewell, and for us all to have the opportunity collectively to thank her for all she has done for us, celebrate her life here over the past 13 years and send her happily into what we hope will be a long and happy retirement.
Everyone is welcome for what will be the first large gathering we have been able to hold for over 15 months. There will be afternoon tea, also a little glass of something suitable to ensure she has a joyful and happy send-off, so please amend the date in your diaries, tell your friends and neighbours and we very much look forward to seeing you there.
Philip, Tony, Alan & Henry
Covid precautions
The delay in the relexation of the restrictions imposed by the law and government guidance means that most of the precautions we are taking in church have to continue for at least the next few weeks.
We have to continue to observe social distancing in church which means, among other things, that only alternate pews can be used (indicated by the tape) and that we should not mingle together inside. Members of the congregation should not sing. We should all use the hand sanitizer when entering and leaving the church and we are encouraged to complete the test and trace forms or scan the QR code with the app. The door will remain open during services to provide ventilation.
Having reviewed the risk assessment we have been able to make some changes now. The Memorial Book has been returned to its usual place by the Lady Chapel. We have found a way to make service books or sheets available safely – they will be put out on the pews before the service; they should be left there afterwards and will then be collected and put away until the next week (which will give time for any virus to die). We have not been able to make any other changes yet.
Century Club draw
Thus month’s Century Club draw will be held on Monday at 7.30 pm and can be seen by Zoom. [The Zoom link is in the bulletin emailed to subscribers.]
For more information please contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518 or
From the Memorial Book
Those whose anniversaries occur between 20th June and 4th July.
Wilfred Leslie Darlington – 20th June 1981
Jasper Ronald Curtis – 23rd June 2004
Susan Caton – 24th June 2018
Joan Morgan – 25th June 1991
Katie Margaret Dain – 26th June 2005
Eleanor Hayward – 29th June 1982
Pat Morgan – 29th June 2004
John Alfred Garbutt Harrison – 30th June 2016
Bertie Grainger – 1st July 1961
Guy Charles Benjamin Phillips – 1st July 2001
Dennis Thomas – 2nd July 1995
Dorothy Jean Haden – 3rd July 1996
John James – 4th July 2009
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. Last week’s was Father’s Day! Fathers of the Bible + some special little guests! There will be a Virtual Holiday Club in August – there is a video Pick Your Team for Virtual Holiday Club!
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
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St Chad’s Church, Pattingham with Patshull Registered charity no 1151604