Previous month – Next month – Monthly index
‘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
October 2022
Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth . . .Gloria in Excelsis
Our community came together to give thanks for the life of our late sovereign Queen Elizabeth ll, following her death on Thursday September 8.
We remember the words from her Christmas message in 2002: “Like others of you who draw inspiration from your own faith, I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian Gospel.”
We pray for our new King, Charles III, ashe grieves and commences all his new duties.
Our Prayers for Peace services for Ukraine continue; we pray together for 15 minutes at 6pm each Tuesday and Thursday in the Lady Chapel in church. Please do join us if you can, the power of prayer from Christians all over the world is something wonderful to be part of.
We have made progress with our Eco-church work and we have our special “wild area” in the graveyard and understanding the need to care for God’s world was a clear priority for all who attended our Holiday Club at Kingswood. Did you attend our 10am service on September 4 when the young people from St. Chad’s Holiday Club were awarded Certificates of Merit and helped to present the service? If you didn’t, you really missed a wonderful opportunity to see young people from our community recalling the fun they had discovering more about God’s creation and making new friends!
Watch out for more news about future family events and, of course, the Chill Out Club for young people which will be opening soon: make sure you find out how to sign up your child and, if you are interested in volunteering to help, contact: .
We have celebrated harvest and our Community Litter Pick is now taking place on Sunday, October 2. Next month, from November 13 to 20, is Inter Faith Week, a time to think about how we respect those of different faiths and people in the UK with non-religious beliefs.
And we look ahead to a busy Advent and Christmas and our 2022 Shoebox Appeal has been launched. This year it is for a ‘family’ shoebox; leaflets are available at the back of church – please do your best to find suitable new items. We are all feeling the ‘pinch’ but for many desperate families this shoebox of basics makes such a difference to their lives. You can read more about it here.
We plan for December to be a month of celebration and dates will soon be confirmed for our Christingle, carol and crib services. You should also be sure to mark Saturday, December 17 in your diary – when there will be a concert in church as part of our Christmas Festival programme of celebration. Tickets will be on sale soon: watch out for full details and how to buy them. All we need is for you to join us, sharing time together as a community – hopefully with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine!
Your continued patience and prayers for God’s guidance in all our decision making is greatly appreciated. ‘The spirit lives to set us free, walk, walk in the light . . .’ Damian Lundy 1944 – 1996.
God Bless,
Clive Pendrell and Dorothy Steel
Churchwardens