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‘Churchwardens’ Chat’
We are now in an interregnum following the retirement of the Vicar and so the monthly letter for the Parish News is written by the Churchwardens
March 2023
O God Our Help in Ages Past … Isaac Watts (1719)
We offer prayer for those in Turkey and Syria affected by the terrible earthquake and especially for the many thousands of bereaved families – that they may feel the presence of God in their lives, sustaining them with hope that there will soon once again be light in their lives.
To mark February 24, the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Prayer Group has made a vow to continue our prayer in faith that God will care for those suffering from the war.
We ask God to guide the leaders of the world, to bless them with vision to find a way to end this war. We especially pray for children and young people affected by the war and by the earthquake. If you can join us in prayer please do come along, 6pm on Tuesdays in church.
March begins with the celebration of St. Chad’s Day (March 2) and we welcome the children and staff from St. Chad’s First School, to a service in church giving thanks for St. Chad. We are also delighted to welcome the school choir to sing on Sunday, March 5 at the 10am service.
Our preparations for Easter include welcoming the children from the school in year groups, to join us on Monday March 20 and Tuesday March 21 to take part in an Easter Experience, in which we will share with them the joy of the message of Easter.
Our Eco work, supported by Year 4 at St. Chad’s school, is beginning to show signs of new life in our ‘Wild’ area! The PCC has been looking carefully at some of our energy usage and carbon footprint so we can continue to improve our care for the environment.
Future dates will be announced for another group Litter Pick; the last one was good fun and we picked up bags of litter, supporting the small group of regular litter pickers and showing our appreciation for our lovely village and the beauty of God’s creation.
Jill Baker, who is part of our Prayers for Peace group, has organised a children’s colouring competition to support awareness of the need to pray for peace in Ukraine, in support of our Eco work and to celebrate Easter! Details are available in church and here. There are templates for all ages and the children from St. Chad’s school have been invited to take part. The competition will be judged by a qualified art teacher, with prizes awarded and entries showcased in church.
We continue to offer Home Communion to anyone who cannot get out of the house so let us know if you would like a visit.
We are not running a Lent group at St. Chad’s this year but details of that held in The Church at Perton are detailed on their website; meetings are held on Thursday evenings and repeated Friday mornings.
Finally, we thank Bishop Clive, Archdeacon Julian and Rural Dean Julia for their support in finding a new vicar; our advertisement has been published and we ask everyone to pray for all applicants and for God’s guidance to the PCC in their work to appoint the right person.
God Bless
Clive Pendrell and Dorothy Steel
Churchwardens