Our June Benefice Service will be held at Stour Provost Church Sunday 17 th June 11:00am Come and join us as we worship together. Cake & Contemplation A monthly House Group for the Benefice Join Barbara for some prayerful peace at the end of the day with the evening service of Compline, a Pause for Thought with music, some silent time for prayer and reflection, all followed (for those who wish to) by a chat over tea, coffee and cake. Next gathering: Monday 11 th June 7:30pm at the Vicarage All Welcome!
From the Vicar Where do we want to be as a group of churches in five years time? Having been in post since February 2017 I have now asked the PCCs to look at what they want from their church during the next five years. Below are a few ideas I have highlighted which may spark discussion and debate. I give you these as a start; some you will agree with, some not, and I am sure there are many other ideas you would like to add to the list: Some Future Visions for the Benefice 1. Working together as a Benefice this is quite good already but there is room for improvement. We have individual churches, each with their own identity, which is to be valued, but together we could do so much more. In this age of churches struggling with small congregations, we can be stronger together and achieve so much more. 2. Other Benefice groups - we have occasional Bible study, Cake & Contemplation, Lent and Advent courses which are all going well, but maybe we could start a regular Bible study course, a coffee Benefice group once or twice a month or could we have a monthly get together for those who are lonely? 3. Pastoral Care neighbourly visiting is very good and happening across the benefice, but people sometimes visit those they want to visit and while others may get missed. As we have trained a group to lead services (LWLs) could we have a group of Lay Pastoral Assistants (LPAs) who are trained to take Home Communion on a regular basis and ensure that fewer slip the net? 4. Mission & outreach could we use more imagination as a group? e.g. Mens lunchtime pie & pint & a chat at one of the pubs, pop-up or drop in café & chat, etc I am sure you will have lots of ideas..? And can we hold an open evening in our church buildings, possibly with cheese and wine, for the whole community to allow people to come and see what goes on in our churches. (This has worked in my previous benefice on two occasions, gaining more people prepared to help with flowers, cleaning and fund-raising etc and sometimes attending services too when they find out we are not a closed club!) Continued...
From the Vicar continued 5. Fifth Sundays By Canon Law we are required to have a communion service, but could we make more of a feature of them: maybe Iona Eucharist / Northumbrian Eucharist / New Zealand Eucharist / Taize Eucharist / High Mass (on a rolling rota). We have already made a start with this but where could we go? 6. Lent Lunches could we be a bit more prepared: arrange dates earlier so that Octavo can list a full programme of dates, venues and the charities the money is going towards? This may attract more people and also make sure that we do not clash with other churches. Already we have some people who go to every one they can, but we could do better and encourage the wider community to join in? I would be pleased to hear from anyone who wishes to comment, church goer or not, or maybe you could pass on your thoughts and ideas to the Church Wardens and PCC members. If we remain a closed group, which is getting older each year, we will eventually be left with an empty church. We might then have a beautiful building but who is going to be there to worship God. Surely our aim is to learn more about our faith but also to bring the light of Christ into our communities. May God bless you all Richard From The Registers Renewal of Vows 19 th May Cornelis and Caroline Helms Stour Provost May God continue to bless them Funerals : 4 th May Neil Wyatt Mendip Crem & Marnhull Church 11th th May Roy Gill Yeovil Crematorium May they rest in peace and rise in glory Knit and Natter The next Knit and Natter is on Thursday 28th June usual time and venue. Carol
Thought for June By the time you read this it will all be over! But, as I write, my selection day for LLM Ministry is just ahead and, although I have been preparing as thoroughly as I can, I will have to wait to see how the day unveils itself and accept that, however I perform in those hours, what will be, will be. I have been reading a book of daily reflections during Eastertide by Ian Adams called Breathing Deep and one of his offerings has become a constant companion as the 19 th May approaches. I have recently shared it with the West Stour and Kington congregations because it seemed to fit so well with their Bible reading of Jesus praying that the disciples will be protected and guided as they continue without him beside them, (John 17: 6-19), but I think it also provides a supportive message we all need from time to time. I have printed it below as our Prayer of the Month and I hope it brings strength if you are facing a challenge. I am fully aware that, compared to the anxieties and worries some people I know currently have, my selection day is tiny in comparison, but this assurance that there is one who goes ahead of us has been of great comfort to me and I pray that, if you are dealing with your own particular battle at the moment, it may also be to you. Prayer for the month Barbara Priest You do not have to do this on your own. The path has been trodden before. One goes ahead of you. All your doubts and fears, spoken and unspoken, have been experienced before. Whatever you face has been faced. Your questions about life and death, and the personal stuff you are carrying with you. That sack of stories. All of it is shared. This does not mean that everything is planned out for you. But rather that the path will reveal itself as you walk it. With just the hint of another. The outline of a footprint in the earth, some clearing in the grass, a fragrance. So take the next steps with faith and hope and love. One goes ahead of you. from Breathing Deep by Ian Adams (Canterbury Press: 9781786220110)
Salisbury A City of Doves If you haven t already visited Salisbury Cathedral since the opening of the art installation Les Colombes I do urge you to go. Flying through the nave is a huge flock of origami doves and, as a stand-alone art work it is stunning. But it has an extra poignancy in the aftermath of the Salisbury poisonings which have affected the city in such a sad way. Not only are these birds of peace floating above the cathedral nave, but extra doves have also been placed in the windows of shops, businesses and tourist attractions throughout the city centre. It makes for a very moving scene as our Cathedral city struggles to recover from the awful incident of March 2018. The art installation is by Michael Pendry who says that these doves, folded by different people, show unity in standing for the right to peace and freedom. The coming together of the city in displaying these simple but beautiful creatures is a moving symbol of resilience and a determination to look to the future with hope. Les Colombes (The Doves) is in the Cathedral until 22nd July and, following our visit earlier in May, I have just one word for you GO! Barbara
West Stour 21st Plant Sale and Buckhorn Weston Teddy Jump May 2018 Photos by Pat Fowler and Barbara Priest
View from the Vicarage Poet, Walt Whitman once talked of God s postcards dropped at our feet and one did exactly that a few weeks ago. Here s the story: Once upon a time we used to visit Richard s Uncle Michael in Plymouth whenever we were on a south-west holiday and he would take us out with his dear friend and neighbour, Doris. After Michael died, we still visited Doris until she moved to Salisbury to be nearer her daughter. Although we kept in touch with her, we hadn t seen Doris again until we moved here. Now, just 50 minutes away, it has been lovely to catch up with her. Recently we collected Doris and took her to her daughter s house so we could all have tea together. Louise and Andy are about to move to another part of Salisbury now that their sons have flown the nest and had been having the usual sort-out. Amongst the boys toys Louise had found Michael s old teddy bear which he had given to their elder son when he was little. Louise generously felt that he ought to go to Richard and so this little white bear with a wonky head was gently handed over. It might be difficult for you to understand what a special moment this was for us. Michael was a most beloved uncle to us both but we have nothing of his to keep as a memento. Now, in my hands, lay his childhood teddy bear such a personal item. Louise probably doesn t realise how precious her gift is, but I hope we made it clear how delighted we are to give this rather battered but brave little bear, a blessing dropped at our feet, a loving home. Another postcard fell on my return from Douai Abbey. I had been pondering on how I would describe why this place means so much to me if questioned at a certain event I am attending on 19 th May (no, not Harry & Meghan s wedding!) How could I explain that it is not an escape from the real world but something much deeper? Yes, the sacred peace and sense of community belonging is hugely beneficial but I also bring something of the place back with me that, deep down, strengthens and empowers my normal daily life. Later that week, our copy of Church Times arrived, including a lovely reflection by poet, Malcolm Guite, on his recent North Yorkshire retreat and he summed up, far more eloquently than I could, what Douai is all about for me:.we take shelter in the folds of a sacred place, and, although it seems soon to disappear from sight as we take our onward journey, its hidden goodness is still concealed in the folds and contours of our souls, and, from time to time, we can drop back down, out of the weather and weariness of the world, and hear the stream running, and find warmth and welcome in a house that, in some sense, we have never left. A perfect description and, in some ways, Douai and teddy bear Michael have a lot in common. Both are precious. Both are sources of peace and welcome. Both enfold and encourage, and both provide the strength needed for the onward journey of life. Love Barbara