Month: September 2020

Let the work begin…

It is good to be back in church for services, though with social distancing and work having started on the interior of the church, the space that is left to us is severely limited. Our congregation has held up surprisingly well and whilst we have to say, rather than sing, the hymns, we did have music at the beginning and end of the service.

The works so far is largely in the north-west corner of the church, where the font will be. This will mean that people will be able to see the font from the pews, rather than having to turn round and crowd at the back of the church. It also means that we have two Victorian pine pews seeking a welcoming home!

 

 

 


Coach House Garden update

As autumn approaches we see signs of the changing season, colour coming in the acer leaves and cooler mornings with quite heavy dew on some occasions.  Some of you will have in your own gardens, the stately spires of Acanthus Spinosus or to give it its common name bear’s breeches. It has been noted that bumble bees get trapped once they have entered the flowers and cannot retreat leading to their demise, with this in mind we cut down the flowering spikes a while ago and this autumn plan to eradicate the plants from where they have been spreading at an alarming rate. The phrase ‘garden thug’ comes to mind. We must protect our bees at all costs.

 

Meanwhile general tidying carries on along with bird feeding. There were some beautiful orange berries on the honeysuckle near the front door recently and I had planned to take a photo on our next visit, however they had all been gobbled up by the blackbirds!

There is a walnut tree surplus to requirements kindly planted in the wrong place by a squirrel, would anyone like to have it later in the season? We continue to enjoy the privilege of this peaceful outdoor space for which we give thanks. Happy gardening…best regards from Lynnette and Arthur


Sunday Services

In St Mary’s and All Saints, we will put back the complete service structure in September. Whatever form the second Sunday service in BG takes, it will have to be in Church as the School hall is not open to us at present.

At St Katharine’s we will reinstate all the 10.30am services, but not the 9am or the evening services at present. Doing two services in one church in one day means Covid cleaning between services. We are also continuing to keep a weekly offering online since we want to cater for those who are not yet able to re-join us in our church buildings, and we want to continue to feed those who have joined us online.  To find our online services go to our YouTube channel @Faithinourvillage

We look forward to seeing you in person or online

 


The power of YOUR story

We all have a story to tell of the things that God has been doing in our lives recently. In our services, and online, we have a My Story slot and these testimonies are encouraging and uplifting. Maybe you have one to share, or would like to make the most of meeting with other sin small groups at this time.

Here are some things we can do:

  1. Record a testimony of a way you have noticed God being active in your life. We want to keep posting these online, and there are people connecting with us online who would find your particular testimony helpful. If you want help with the process of making a recording, ask Lucy. A prayer that God has answered, a time when He used you to help someone, a way He’s stepped in and changed things for you or someone you care about all make good testimonies. If you feel God isn’t interacting with you like that, spend time daily looking at a bible passage and start to hear what God is saying to you, pose questions to God (write them down so you don’t forget them) and keep asking till you receive your answer.
  2. Ask God who He wants you to disciple. This is not beyond you. We have the discipleship series online for you to use. You can watch part of it with someone and then talk it over until it’s embedded in their life (and yours!)
  1. Invite someone to do Alpha online. I’m sure we’ve all had a faith conversation with someone in this strange season. If they have some interest in exploring the faith, invite them to start a journey of exploration through Alpha and we’ll put a group together.

If we concentrate on what we can do, when we finally come through this season, our churches will come out stronger, fitter and bigger!

To contact us: email united.benefice@outlook.com

Or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube:

Search @Faithinourvillage