ChadNet – no 83

ChadNet – no 83 – Sunday 24th October 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 further relaxed. The doors will no longer be kept open during the services.

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.

View from the Pews

Dave Sampson

My “view from the pews” could be sub-titled “view from my tractor seat” for it is on there that I have come up with what I would like to share with you all this week.

Many of you will be aware that I work on a beef/arable farm in our Parish and this affords me the opportunity to note the seasonal changes as they occur. It is only recently that we were singing “all is safely gathered in” at our Harvest Festival Service and while this applies to the corn harvest there is still some “gathering in” to be done with regards to the Potato crop. October has always been the month when maincrop potatoes are harvested for they are now mature and can be safely stored until they are required. This got me thinking back to when I was a child growing up on the same farm. I vividly remember Ladies from this village coming to pick potatoes in the fields to earn some extra money to supplement their household income. Back-breaking work and something which has long been done away with. Modern machines now harvest many tons an hour without the need for any people to do any picking!

As I write this on Saturday 16th we have just had a wonderful week weather-wise for potato harvesting and also for sowing some of next years’ wheat and barley crops and it is the latter which I have been doing this week. As I go up and down the fields sowing behind me I am able to observe the changes which moving from late Summer into early Autumn brings.

Gulls on the field

Trees are now beginning to change the colour of their leaves and a few are dropping their leaves already. Swallows and other birds which are summer visitors have left us and will shortly be replaced by Fieldfares and Redwings which migrate here from Russia and Scandinavia, having bred there. I have seen a lot of bird activity this week; when the sun was shining there were Buzzards soaring in the sky above me on thermals. There are Ravens in our area too, as there have been for a few years now. Wood pigeons are plentiful as some of them also visit in winter from colder countries. As I move the soil to plant the corn I will suddenly be joined by many dozens of gulls who see who can get closest up behind me to have a free meal of earthworms. They all eventually have all they want and as quickly as they arrive they depart. The hedgerows are now laden with hawthorn and in places holly berries and these will provide a valuable food for birds when the coldest weather is here in the depths of Winter. For as it says in Matthew chapter 6, verse 26: “Look at the birds of the air – they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.”

Autumn can be a lovely time of year yet in our hectic everyday lives it can go un-noticed. If you have the chance then go for a walk on any of the lovely rural footpaths in the parish which we are fortunate to have the use of. Re-connect with Nature for it has been proven to help with the feelings of depression associated with all that is going on at the moment. If you are unable to walk far, then just go out in your back garden when the sun is shining and just have a look up to the sky for a few minutes and you might be surprised what you see, for I have seen Ravens and Buzzards flying over our house here in the centre of Pattingham!

David Sampson

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.

Notices, which should be received by Friday evening for inclusion in that week’s ChadNet, and other communications in relation to ChadNet should be sent to Articles for the magazine should be sent to (note – this is different to the address used before November 2020 which no longer works).

Notices, which should be received by Friday evening for inclusion in that week’s ChadNet, and other communications in relation to ChadNet should be sent to

Articles for the magazine should be sent to (note – this is different to the address used before November 2020 which no longer works).

Sunday 24th October – Last Sunday after Trinity

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

There will be a Service of Baptism in church at 1 pm.

There will be no evening service.

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.

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, led by Revd James Makepeace, in church at 10.00 am which will be followed by tea, coffee and cake.

Sunday 31st October – Last Sunday after Trinity

The clocks go back at the end of summer time.

At 10 am there will be a service in church led by the Youth Group. It will be followed by Holy Communion, led by Revd Roberta Maxfield, for those who wish to stay. Coffee (and tea and biscuits) will be available after the service.

This will be the first Youth Service held in church since February last year. As the COP26 climate change conference is about to start in Glasgow the service will be about caring for God’s world. Please support our young people by attending this service if you can.

At 6.30pm the All Souls Memorial Service will be held. During the service we will remember by name all those for whom funerals have been held in the last 2 years and those whose names are in the Memorial Book who have died within the last 6 years. There is a list at the back of church to allow the addition of other names. The list will be removed on Thursday 28th October. Please ensure any names are placed on the list before that date.

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

Scarecrow Festival Calendar

Scarecrow calendar

The Scarecrow Festival 2022 Calendar has now been designed and is on sale at £9.00 each, complete with envelope.

We have taken sixty of the many photographs of the fantastic scarecrows at this year’s Pattingham Scarecrow Festival and incorporated them into a full colour A4 sized calendar for 2022. There is a page for each month with scarecrow pictures and plenty of space for you to write in all your diary dates. The calendars are spiral bound with a hanger and are on sale now at £9.00 each including envelope, with the proceeds after production costs going towards projects within the Pattingham community.

There is a display at the back of Church, together with Order Forms which on completion should be delivered to Mike Coope. Order forms can also be downloaded from https://www.pattinghamscarecrowfestival.org/
Orders can also be placed by phoning Mike on 01902 700426 or email to

Confirmation

Clive with the bishop

Clive Pendrell, one of our churchwardens, was confirmed by the Bishop of Wolverhampton at St Luke’s Church, Cannock last Sunday. Six members of our congregation attended the service to support Clive. This photograph shows Clive with the Bishop after the confirmation.

This shows that even though we do not have a Vicar at the moment it is still possible for members of our congregation to be confirmed. If you would like to consider taking this step please speak to Clive or Dorothy (the churchwardens) or to Ken Scott. There is some further information on the Church of England website at <https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/confirmation>


Century Club draw

This month’s Century Club draw will be held on Monday at 6.30 pm and can be seen by Zoom. [The Zoom link is available on the copy of ChadNet emailed to subscribers]

For more information please contact Alan Smith on 07757 688518 or

Link to Hope

A reminder that the Link to Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal is open for this year and running as normal. Leaflets are available at the back of the church and more details can be found on the church website at <https://www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk/web/news-and-events/shoe-box-appeal-2021/>

This is the last week. Barbara asks that the boxes are brought to her by Friday 29th October – to allow her time to take them to the collection point.

Barbara Tritton
17 High Street, Pattingham
(01902 700065)

From the Memorial Book

Those whose anniversaries occur between 17th and 31st October.

Lilian Mary Monckton – 17th October 1982
June Hazel Wilcox – 17th October 2009
Thomas Stanley Inett – 18th October 1992
Gillian Bloomfield – 18th October 2003
David Thornton – 20th October 1997
Hazel Jeanette Frost – 20th October 2004
Violet May Watkins – 21st October 1977
Margaret Gosling – 21st October 2012
John Robert (Bob) Pinches – 21st October 2013
Mary Margaret Parker – 23rd October 1994
Derek William Littleford – 24th October 1998
Ian Beavis Hall – 25th October 1999
James Albert Monckton – 26th October 1962
Dennis Selby – 26th October 1981
Norman Tooth – 26th October 1995
Gordon Roy Pymer – 26th October 2011
Christopher David Wilde – 28th October 2008
Janet Eileen Owen – 28th October 2016
Paul James Potts – 28th October 2019
Marion Katie Potts – 29th October 1987
Kenneth John Bowley – 30th October 1988
Norman (Jim) Smith  – 30th October 2012
Elsie Lyon – 31st October 2005
Kenneth Ernest Wilde – 31st October 2013

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 103 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