ChadNet – no 78

ChadNet – no 78 – Sunday 19th September 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:

The restrictions in church have been lifted. Face coverings not only protect the wearer but also other people. It is up to each individual to decide whether or not they should wear a face covering in church. So that those who wish to ensure that they can maintain social distance feel comfortable social distancing must be maintained in the pews by the wall in the South Aisle.

Do not attend church if you have any covid symptoms or are meant to be isolating.

Services are no longer available online or on the phone line, although this Sunday’s Youth Service will be online as a Worship on the Web service.

View from the Pews

Mike Hollands

50 years ago my wife Alison and I moved from Chad House in Pattingham, where we had lived for seven years, to Bishton Manor at Patshull. Not long after our arrival we were invited to attend the AGM of St Mary’s Patshull in the village hall in Burnhill Green. On the agenda was “appointment of Church Warden”. When the item came up everyone in the room turned round and looked at me. So it was that I volunteered for the post of Church Warden at Patshull, together with Paul Kemp, who had made the position his own for many years. I very soon came to realise that this was no short term assignment, but that it came with the house and would be mine until death or house move do us part.

St Mary’s became a very special part of our lives. At that time, St Mary’s had its own vicar, John Morton, a lovely and devout man who lived at the vicarage on the Burnhill Green road. When you went to see him he had a terrier who would happily let you in, but when you came to go would take a piece out of your leg, so, about five minutes before you left, you had to say “ vicar, I’m off in a minute, grab your dog”

In the 1970’s and early 80’s St Mary’s was still very much part of the life of Burnhill Green and Patshull. There were regular services. The acoustics are wonderful and the organ of 1878 filled the church with sound until mice got in the bellows and we had to migrate to the pedal harmonium. There was an annual church fete in the Kemps’ garden at Home Farm, and Harvest Festival followed by an auction of harvest produce in the village hall in Burnhill Green, conducted with great aplomb by Martin Kemp who really missed his vocation.

Following the sudden death of John Morton, St Mary’s began to struggle. Its position near the Hall, across the fields from Burnhill Green, was a major reason for its decline. In 1985 it was joined with St Chad’s and in 1992 came under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. Thereafter we could have only two or three services a year, usually at Rogation, when many parishioners from Pattingham and Patshull would walk to the church for a service with tea and cakes afterwards; and at Christmas for “ carols by candlelight” when the church would be lit with a hundred or so candles and looked wonderful. It was standing room only and, when Tim Reynolds was in residence, would be followed by minced pies and mulled wine at the Hall.

Sadly St Mary’s is now fading from our sight. With access now compromised and The Churches Conservation Trust short of funds, it is particularly at risk. But this is only an extreme example of the situation of many rural churches, where congregations were never very large and may be further reduced following the pandemic. This is leading to considerable debate within the Church of England as to the future of country churches. As we in Pattingham await the recommendation of the Diocese at the end of the interregnum, the future of viable churches like St Chad’s, and vulnerable churches like St Mary’s and others not far away, is very much on our minds.

Mike Hollands

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

We do not have a VIcar at the moment. For matters which would normally be dealt with by the Vicar the churchwardens are the first point of contact. The Vicarage phone (01902 700257) is 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 19th September – Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

There will be a service in church at 10 am, which will be a screening of the Youth Service followed by Holy Communion, led by Revd Sue Watson, for those who wish to stay. Coffee (and tea and biscuits) will be available after the service.

The Youth Group were planning that this would be their first live service in church following the pandemic but, unfortunately, that wasn’t possible so they have recorded a Worship on the Web service called “Who is the Greatest?”, which  will be screened in church as the main part of the service at 10 am. It will be available on the Worship on the Web page of the website from 10 am and also on YouTube at <https://youtu.be/iLml5rPCf94>.

There will be a Service of Baptism in church at 3 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 as it used to be before the pandemic every day. Look out for the “church open” sign outside the porch. Please observe the instructions in the notice on the door.

Monday is the copy date for the October magazine. Send articles to Mike Moss at

On Wednesday there will be a service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer, led by Revd James Makepeace, in church at 10.00 am which will be followed by tea, coffee and cake.

Sunday 26th September – Harvest Thanksgiving – Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

There will be a service of Holy Communion for Harvest, led by Revd Rich Clarkson, in church at 10 am. Coffee (and tea and biscuits) will be available after the service.

At 6.30 pm there will be a Songs of Praise Service for Harvest and to mark the close of the Scarecrow Festival.

Our harvest donations this year are being given to The Well, a Wolverhampton based food bank. Donations can be brought to church at any time when it is open until the evening service. Details of the items wanted are in the last two weeks’ issues of ChadNet and on the website.

The collect and readings for the Eucharist for the 17th Sunday after Trinity, which may not be used in the service, are available on the website.

Scarecrow Festival

Scarecrow Festival

The Scarecrow Festival takes place from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September. It is open from 12 noon to 5 pm on Friday and from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

There are 120 scarecrows registered that will appear in the TICKET/TRAIL GUIDE which will be on sale at the desk in front of the Village Hall at a cost of £3 per adult. This guide contains a coloured map showing where all the registered scarecrows are sited along the 3 different routes, together with the scarecrow’s name and the name of the designer/builder. There will also be several other scarecrows on view which fall outside the normal routes.

Also on sale will be the very popular SCARECROW BADGE and the SCARECROW QUIZ. Both are firm favourites with the children and cost just £1 each.

Refreshments, including filled rolls, homemade cake and drinks will be available at the rear car park of the Village Hall. Toilets in the Village Hall are accessed via the front door.

For more information see the Scarecrow Festival website

If you would like to volunteer to help with the Festival please contact Chrissie Ringrose – phone 700340 or email . If you are able to make a cake(s), please deliver to the Village Hall on the Friday afternoon  or up to 10 am on the Saturday.

Harvest Supper

We are holding a Harvest Supper on Tuesday 28th September at the Dartmouth Arms starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 with numbers restricted to a total of 40. Proceeds are being used to support the Farmers Community Network charity. Contact Gena on 01902 700188 to buy your tickets or for more information.

We would also be grateful if anyone can donates cakes or puddings for the event.

From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 12th and 26th September.

Thomas Harold Beach – 12th September 1995
Phyllis Mabel Price – 13th September 2007
Annie Mary Caddick – 13th September 2011
Jonathan Hassall – 13th September 2019
Reginald John Henshaw – 14th September 2006
Jan Zdanowski – 14th September 2011
George Price – 15th September 1961
Peter John Curtis – 15th September 2005
Dorothy Caddick – 17th September 2007
Dorothy Lavender – 18th September 2016
Jack Bennett – 19th September 1990
A. H. Norman Harris – 20th September 2004
Malcolm Harris – 21st September 2003
Thomas Henry Ray – 23rd September 2016
Kenelm Henry Forshaw Rose – 24th September 2000
Mollie Lucy Mallett – 26th September 1996

You can see all the pages of the Memorial Book on the Memorial Book Online page of the Church website.

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 there are still a number of services which are available online, including a weekly service on the Church of England 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 102 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