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‘Maureen’s Musings’
The Vicar’s monthly letter for the Parish News
February 2019
Gosh – I haven’t written one of these since last year! Well, first of all, let me begin by thanking Iain and Gena for the stirling work they did in my absence during the Autumn. Bionic Vicar back and (almost) firing on all cylinders again!
I have actually been back since the second week of December (wild horses would not have made me miss the Christmas Tree Festival!), but such is the need to prepare this article well in advance of publication, that this is my first opportunity to thank them in print as it were.
And the New Year has certainly seen my workload increase with a vengeance, partly due,sadly, to the seasonal increase in funerals that comes with the winter months but also with the news that my senior colleague in the Ministry Department, The Revd. Lesley Bentley is to retire this summer from her role as Director of Ministry for the diocese. This means that – at least in the short term – I have a lot of extra work to take on board as I will be fully responsible for organising Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD) for all the clergy in the diocese.
That may mean that my availability in the parish gets a bit ‘squeezed’ for a few months until the departmental reorganisation that is being planned settles down. Although to be fair, I often give rather more than 50 per cent of my time to Pattingham with Patshull, so this will be payback time! Please be understanding if I am not always available when you want me . . . but I will still try to be there if you really need me.
On the positive side, January has seen a little flurry of activity from couples seeking to be married in St Chad’s – which is always cheering in what can be a rather dreary month.
This year Easter comes later in the calendar, which means that we do not begin Lent until next month (so a bit of a breather after Christmas and Epiphany which finish officially on 2 February with the Festival of Candlemass) We are looking for anyone willing to host a Lent lunch or supper, which usually happen on Wednesdays in Lent from 13 March onwards; so if you would like to, please let me or one of the Churchwardens know. And you will find details of this year’s Lent Course elsewhere in this magazine.
Increasingly we are discovering ways of working with our neighbouring churches – the annual general meeting for Covenanting Churches in Wolverhampton West is just behind us as you read this – but our neighbours in Perton are hosting four sessions on “Dementia Friendly Church”. For anyone who is interested, these are on alternate Wednesdays: February 13 and 27 and March 13 and 27.
I am sure this would be excellent and very informative for people in Pattingham and Patshull, more and more of whom are living with this condition or know others who are.
Well, I think that is quite enough from me for this first venture back ‘in harness’.
A somewhat belated – but nevertheless heartfelt – “Happy and Blessed New Year” to everyone.
Maureen
20*C+M+B*19
(Chalk this on your doorway for a blessing for the New Year – the initials stand variously for the three wise men or, alternatively a latin phrase which translates as Christ, bless this house.)