Bulletin – 22nd October 2021

Church Bulletin

For yesterday’s offering in Sarah Young’s devotional book of daily meditations, “Jesus Calling”, the author imagined Jesus saying: “The best response to losses or thwarted hopes is praise: The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  Remember that all good things – your possessions, your family and friends, your health and abilities, your time – are gifts from Me.  Instead of feeling entitled to all these blessings, respond to them with gratitude.  Be prepared to let go of anything I take from you, but never let go of my hand.” 

I have been to two funerals in the last couple of weeks, and I am going to another on Monday.  It is always devastating, of course, to lose loved ones and to say farewell, but the two funerals that I have attended already were also celebrations of and thanksgivings for full and active lives of devoted service. The other one will be too, I suspect.  On Wednesday, I visited a much valued and much respected friend and former colleague, who has recently been admitted to a care home; a diagnosis of moderate Alzheimer’s and a fall have taken away his independence, but not his spirit, good humour, kindness and, yes, his stubbornness and pride!!

I recall when Pam was a volunteer at Myton Hospice and attended a course on bereavement; she said each one on the course had to write the 3 or 4 things that were most important to them on separate pieces of paper.  They then had to choose one of these to “lose” – people in dire circumstances are often faced with very difficult decisions.  Next, the remaining valued commodities were presented, blind, to somebody else, who took away another at random – often we have no control over what we lose.  Pam’s partner in the exercise took away her faith.  Never one to back away from discussion (!), Pam remonstrated with the course leader: “All the things that are important to me can be taken away from me – my family, my friends, my home, my health, etc”, she said, “but nobody can take away my faith.  I may lose it or have doubts, but nobody else can take my faith away from me.”

It is this firm faith in our faithful, unchanging God that enables us to persevere and go forward in trust and hope, even in the most dire, difficult and uncertain circumstances, confident in the knowledge that by the power of the Holy Spirit the risen Lord Jesus walks with us every step of the way and, to quote St Paul, “All things work for good to those that love the Lord”.  Praise the Lord.

“Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.  For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5: 16)

Jeremy Thomas 

Church Guidelines

The PCC met on Monday 2nd August and have agreed the following changes which will be reviewed regularly.

People are requested to:

Use the sanitiser when entering church.

Social distance.

Use a face covering when in church.

Singing – will now be allowed but requested to be done behind a face covering.

Move to a 1 metre distance – therefore all pews will be open, but only 2 people (related or formally in a bubble) are allowed to sit in each pew. People will be asked to sit at the opposite end of the pew from the people in the pew in front/behind. This is to achieve the 1 metre social distance.

Upstairs will now be open on Sundays to increase capacity.

If people, due to mobility or preference, wish to sit downstairs for the Sunday service you will need to contact Julie to book a place. Otherwise, the booking arrangements will be suspended, and people will be seated on a first come first served basis, utilising both the main body of the church and upstairs. The capacity of the church will be 60 people.

People will still be encouraged to record via the track and trace app.

We will continue with the current arrangements for sharing the peace.

Communion – will be administered in the pews as now. We will follow the option to administer the bread only at this time. We will request that people continue to wear a face covering when receiving Communion to protect both themselves and visiting clergy.

Coffee – will not be available after any service at this stage.

Wednesday Service – Wednesday service at 10am has resumed.

Life Events Weddings/Baptisms/Funerals – The church can accommodate 68 people utilising upstairs and downstairs and choir stalls. The number able to attend will be at the discretion of the person officiating at the service. Singing will be requested to be undertaken behind face coverings.

As you can imagine trying to get the balance right is very difficult, but we will keep the guidance under review. We will continue to take our steer from the Church of England and Public Health England guidance to make sure that we are keeping us all as safe as possible.

The church is open for private prayer on Thursday (9am – 5pm) and after the service on Sunday until 5pm.

Nick Tooby – Churchwarden
On behalf of the PCC

Sponsored Walk

On behalf of Veronika, Steve and myself, I would like to say a very big thank you to all the wonderful people who sponsored us on our annual walk, raising a fantastic £1,580 towards church funds.

I am truly amazed at your generosity and it makes all our hard work worthwhile. We could not do this without your sponsorship and the help of our wonderful support crew

As our numbers in church are very much down on previous years, I didn’t think we would raise anything like the amount we did, but knowing people are kind enough to sponsor us, encourages us on each and every step. The money will help towards continuing the good work of St Andrew’s. A huge thank you from us all.

Lin Chylinski

On-line Streaming

It has taken 12 months to secure the right company, the necessary funding, and the faculty agreement from the Diocese, but this week we were able to confirm that the live streaming capability will be installed in the church on the 24th to 26th November. This is another way in which the church can reach out into the community and help those who are not able to attend church on Sundays, to feel part of the church family. Thank you to all those who contributed to the fund and the organisations who have provided grants to make this happen.

Nick Tooby – Churchwarden

Hamper for new vicar of St Andrew’s  

The PCC of St Andrew’s are putting together a welcome hamper for our new vicar Jo when she arrives at the beginning of November. If people would like to contribute to this, could you please bring items and pass them to the churchwardens. Any monetary donations towards the hamper should also be passed to one of the churchwardens. Thank you.

Congratulations

To Selina Toor who celebrates her birthday today.

Gift Day

Next weekend St Andrew’s is holding a Gift Day. The church is currently forecasting a shortfall on its budget if £8,000.

We are celebrating the weddings held in St Andrews throughout the years with an exhibition, which will be an exciting event for people to attend and to donate to the Gift Day appeal. We look forward to seeing you between 10am and 3pm. The exhibition will also have craft stalls and refreshments.

Our Sunday service will also focus on the blessings we receive from God and be an opportunity for people to contribute to our Gift Day.

If you wish to make a donation you can:

1) give in person on the Saturday or Sunday

2) give a donation to the Churchwardens

3) make a donation on line using the link below

https://givealittle.co/campaigns/f17bcbca-da7b-452b-95dc-be0e904de8f5

Thank you for all your support.

Nick Tooby

Memorial Service

Our annual Memorial Service takes place on Sunday 7th November at 6.30pm and not Sunday 31st October as previously advertised. Any names to be read out should be given to Julie at 07756 918847 or administrator@standrews-eg.org.uk. Due to limited seating, we are offering places only to the families who have had a funeral at St Andrew’s in the last 12 months.

Wednesday Service

Our Wednesday Service has now resumed and commences weekly at 10am. Everyone welcome. There is no need to reserve a seat.

Children’s Service

Our next Children’s service will take place in church on Sunday 7th November.

The Christian Aid Global Neighbours Award

At St. Andrew’s Infants we are in the process of applying for the Christian Aid Global Neighbours Award.

As part of this award, we need to set up a task group that involves children, staff, governors and people from the local community. We would meet once a term to discuss ideas of what the children can do within their community and the wider world to demonstrate that we are Global Neighbours. Therefore, the meeting would take place via TEAMs and will be at 12:00 so that the children and staff are available, lasting 15-20 minutes. We are looking for someone from the Church community to support this initiative and join the meetings to support the children. If you think you’d like to get involved, please email nicktooby@btinternet.com

Book Club

The next Book Club meeting is on Thursday 6th January 2022 at 7.30pm. The book we will be reading and discussing is Doing Time with God by Bill Dyer. The summary of the book says:

‘The writer was robbed and shot at an ATM and was locked up in anger, hatred, and resentment. Then a miracle happened. God led Bill out of darkness and into prison for unfinished business. Like other Christian testimony books, true story impact and meaning will touch you in such a way that you will experience these things happening in yourself.’

We will meet on 6th to share our views on the book and to discuss some of the questions it raises for us. The group is open to all; if you have never been part of a book club this might be the time to give it a try. If you are interested in being part of the group, or have any questions please contact Sue Masters (07958322026).

Flower Rota

We would like to return to the tradition of placing flowers on our altar table each week.  As from Sunday, 26th September, there will be a Rota available on the Notice Board at the rear of the Church for the period October-December, 2021.  If you would like to reserve a week in which to remember a loved one by having flowers in Church, please would you sign up for the appropriate Sunday.

The procedure has changed, and we will not be collecting money from you.  Instead, we are returning to the original system:  You are asked to provide your own flowers and bring them to Church on the Thursday before the relevant Sunday.   Please arrange them in the brass vases and stand them on the altar table. (Water is available in the kitchen and scissors are in the kitchen drawer.) Any flowers from the previous week with remaining life can be transferred to the stoneware jug which stands at the back of church or other appropriate vases.  Dead flowers/cuttings and any rubbish should be taken to the appropriate bins outside church.

A special thank you to Ann and Frank Dove, for their amazing commitment and hard work in maintaining our flowers inside church over so many years. 

If you have any queries, please speak to Lesley Lee.

Building Our Faith

Our Wednesday evening bible study and fellowship takes place on Wednesdays at 7.30pm on Zoom.  We will be looking at Old Testament characters over the next few weeks and everyone is welcome to join us.

The zoom joining details are available from Sue Masters.

If you have not joined us before you are very welcome. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Sue Masters, Tel:  07958 322026, Email:  susanmasters@sky.com

Church Volunteers

This is a reminder that anyone who volunteers for a role at St Andrew’s, whether paid or unpaid, must be safely recruited and may also require a DBS check. St Andrew’s are proud to abide by the regulations stipulated by the diocese to ensure the safety of all as far as we possibly can. 

If you have a role, or volunteered for a role within the church and have not been safely recruited please contact either Julie Crow (Parish Administrator) or Linda Chylinksi (Parish Safeguarding Officer) immediately. The contact details are:

Parish Administrator: Julie Crow – 07756 918847 or administrator@standrews-eg.org.uk

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Linda Chylinski – 024 7646 8535 

Sidespersons Rota

We are looking to resume a sidespersons rota for Sunday services. If you are willing to do sidesperson duty please let Julie or one of the churchwardens know.

Please note that each individual will need to be safely recruited for this role. We will need a short application form completing and contact details to obtain 2 references. A DBS check will not be required for this role.

Pilates Class

Enclosed is a flyer for a new Pilates class which has commenced at Eastern Green Village Hall on Monday afternoons, term time only.

Pilatesflyer1

Youth Work

We are looking to safer recruit volunteers for our Youth work. If you feel you could help with either the Drama Club, Rock Solid or the Youth Wellbeing course then please get in touch with Emma at standrewscovyouth@gmail.com

Foodbank Donations 

To donate to Central foodbank, Sue Barnes is coordinating this so please contact her to drop off food at her house. Contact Sue at susanbarnes1960@outlook.com

If you are unable to give food you can also donate online here: https://www.trusselltrust.org/rddonate-checkout/


Do send Julie your favourite bible verses or hymn verses, names for prayer and any birthdays, celebrations or articles for inclusion in the bulletin. Julie can be contacted on 07756 918847 or administrator@standrews-eg.org.uk


Church Contacts

Churchwardens: Nick Tooby – 07951 925772 and Becky Crowe – 07875 552518

Parish Administrator: Julie Crow – 07756 918847

Parish Safeguarding Officer and Children’s Advocate: Linda Chylinski – 024 7646 8535 

A Service of Morning Prayer – 24th October 2021 – The Last Sunday after Trinity

Readings
Hebrews 7.23-28 & Mark 10.46-52

Reader
Jeremy Thomas

Preacher
Lesley Lee

Intercessions
Charley Watts

Next week
Hebrews 9.11-14 & Mark 12.28-34

Diary Dates October
Sun 24th  10.00amParish Communion
 3.30pmSt Andy’s Service at St Oswald’s
Tues 26th  6.00pmDrama Club at St Oswald’s Church Hall
Weds 27th  10.00amWednesday Service of either communion or morning prayer
 7.30pmBuilding our Faith bible study on zoom
Sat 30th10am – 3pmGift Day and Wedding Exhibition
Sun 31st10amParish Communion
Sun 7th Nov6.30pmMemorial Service – attendance by invitation only

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