church family matters May 2018. ONLY 2 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL COMBE DOWN FEST, ON THE FIRS FIELD SUNDAY 20 MAY, 2.30 PM Invite your friends plenty of flyers still available at the back of church, or if you d like an e-flyer, contact the church office Please sign up in church to bring a cake on the day Please bring bunting and gazebos to the church office in the week before the event Please bring deckchairs and picnic rugs to the Firs on the day 9 am service on Sunday 20 May, but no 10.30 service 1
Reviews of Family Easter Events This year Good Friday saw us welcoming over 50 children and their families to a family Easter egg trail with a difference at StACC. There were 10 egg sticker to collect and to gain a sticker you had to join in with part of the Easter story from having your feet washed, tasting bread and wine to making a judgement, showing mercy & offering hope. Families finally got to the empty tomb created using a ring doughnut! Fellowship was enjoyed over a children s party tea with hot cross buns for the adults. It was a joy to see such a lovely mix of people hearing the gospel in a creative and interactive way and sharing food together. Thank you team for bringing the idea alive. The idea for the event came from the One Friday movement and we gave away their booklets telling the story through the 14 stations of the cross on the day look them up on-line. There are some lovely images of Good Friday to explore. https://onefriday.info The snow (!!) postponed our Easter Experience for Combe Down School but we were able to take 60 children from year 3 round the Easter story on their first Monday back after the Easter Hols. Thank you team we brought the story alive for so many this year.
APCM Feedback(Full minutes available on the website) Thank you to all those who came to the annual meeting in April. It was a great turn out, with 120 people present. Thank you too to Rohan, Annie and Anna for leading worship. If you couldn t make it, here are the highlights: Christine Absolon and David Purdon were re-elected as church wardens with a great show of appreciation for all they have done during the last year Mark Womersley was elected as our Deanery Synod representative. Esther: The Deanery Synod is an exciting gathering, where strategy for discipleship and mission is developed. Church members were encouraged to consider standing for Deanery Synod. The following people were thanked as they stepped down from the PCC: Ali Sturgess-Durden, Richard Hargrave, Tim Dewes and Mark Womersley Clive Abbott, Lewis Irvine and Diane Stubbs were elected as PCC members. Nick Stubbs was thanked for all his work as the chair of the Buildings Committee for about 10 years and during which time we built St Andrew s and renovated the Church Rooms as part of the Rainbow Project. Our accounts were approved and John and Katie Talbot were thanked for all their work in the treasurer role. Helen Turnbull shared a testimony of how she and her husband came to be involved at HT and how God has been working in their lives. Reports were given on Buildings and Staffing. Church members were asked to complete a form relating to the new GDPR (data protection legislation). Each person needs to give consent in order for the church to use their data. A photo slideshow from the year was shown, a little filim from the Swinney family and Christine and David gave an encouraging report from the last year highlighting the growth we have seen and the sense of excitement as we move forward as a church. David Jewel led a time of prayer at the end. 3
Summer Ball If you like a good party, dancing to a brilliant band, great food and a chance to let your hair down, please put this date in your diary! We are arranging a Summer Ball at Holy Trinity, with the intention of having fun, and providing something that our un-churched friends will really enjoy. We are calling it a Ball - but it won't be Black Tie or pretentious; the dress code will be smart casual, and it will be great fun! If you would like to help, please contact Chris Absolon or Sally Hogg. Watch this space for further details! Holiday at Home An event for the over 55s this summer at St Andrew s from Mon 13 - Wed 15 August. The theme is a world cruise so we will be travelling to different places and enjoying quizzes and various fun activities. Lunch will be provided and some transport may be possible (probably car rather than cruise ship). Contact Jo Robinson for further information.
Holiday Club - can you help? This year we are growing our own holiday club and taking it on tour across our parish. From 1 st -3 rd of August we will be broadcasting the Good News live at StACC and then our final broadcasts will be at HTCD on 29 th & 30 th August. A team has been busily planning our TV news-room themed club and we are very excited about the whole event. We hope to launch the Eventbrite site for children to sign up very soon and are busy recruiting team at the moment. If you have a passion for local mission and can spare us some time in August please let Claire know and sign-up to be on team. We need 20 volunteers each day to realise our mission. Please pray for team to emerge and children to signup. God has great plans for spreading his Good News and this is a fun opportunity to do just that. Please contact Claire if you can help: 835835 / claire.morrish@htcd.church Online booking: https://good-news-holiday-club.eventbrite.co.uk 5
Review of Alpha During the Easter Term, HTCD and StACC ran an Alpha Course. We had no idea how many would turn up 1 or 21? But during our training evenings the fantastic team prayed like mad, and we had an average of 20 people each evening. People came for different reasons some coming who didn t know Jesus at all and others who wanted to ask questions and deepen their understanding of their faith. The new DVDs were exceptional interesting, challenging and moving. Everyone from the oldest Christian on the team to the strongest atheist couldn t fail to be moved by them. We took a day to discuss the Holy Spirit at Waterhouse - the beautiful conference centre/ BnB in Monkton Valley owned by Simon and Sue Wilsher. As the day progressed many people came closer to God through the Holy Spirit and lives were changed. The homegroups covered the catering for the 10 sessions. They cooked for 40 people each time (including the team) and the food was amazing. It even felt like a short series of Masterchef at one stage! So THANK YOU to the homegroups, to the completely committed and sacrificial team and to God who turned up each week. We saw most people on the course draw much closer to Jesus and we saw one person come to faith (don t miss the baptism service on 27 May). It was SO exciting and a privilege to be on the team. There is nothing better than to work together as a church to bring people nearer to our heavenly Father! Don t miss out next year! Youth Trip to Albania, 25 July- 1 Aug We are taking 6 young people on a mission trip to Albania to support our mission partners Paul and Albana. Our young people will be running a children s holiday camp, leading bible studies and worship, and doing community outreach. 4 adults will be coming to support and come alongside the young people on the trip. We will be working together to support the 2 local churches in Korce and the surrounding villages in Albania. We are still raising funds to support the trip - contact Stuart if you can help.
THY KINGDOM COME This year s wave of prayer will be launched on Thursday 10 May at the Abbey with an opening celebration service in Bath Abbey with Bishop Ruth, the Rev d Simon Ponsonby from St Aldate s church, Oxford, and a worship band made up of local musicians and worship leaders. As a benefice, we will be marking this wave of prayer in a number of ways: 1. Prayer for the workplace, led by Hazel and David Jewel. Prayer specifically targeted at praying over work-related issues, seeking God s kingdom to come in the places where we work. Drop in on your way to work, to pray, share, and let others pray with you. Those of us who are retired, are also welcome to come and support our working brothers and sisters. 6.45-7.45 am in Holy Trinity, from Friday 11th to Friday 18th May (weekdays only). If you can t come, but would like others to pray for you, please contact David or Hazel Jewel handjewel@yahoo.co.uk 2. Visual Symbol of prayer across the Benefice. In the HT gardens, StACC and St Michael s Monkton Combe, and St James South Stoke, there will be a wooden cross from 10th - 20th May, and the opportunity to tie a ribbon to the cross as a symbol of a prayer of blessing on a particular individual or situation. 3. Prayer represented by a ribbon on the wrist. On Sun 13th May, chruch members wll be invited to take a ribbon, attach it to the wrist, and make 5 knots in it as a reminder to pray for 5 people. 7
Sat 12 May Meal, Music and Auction of Promises StACC, 7.30 pm Fundraiser for Men s Ministry Barn Build in Romania. Sun 13May Sun 10June Vacancy Prayer Meetings HT 7-8 pm, We are delighted to have appointed Shawn, but the vacancy is not over! Please do come and pray with others. Sun 20 May Combe Down Fest Firs Field, 2.30 pm Church Community Event with speaker Steve Legg. Sat 7 July Church Ball Holy Trinity, 7.30 pm A fun evening with great food, dancing, smart casual dress. Invite your friends. Tickets 10. Key Dates 5-11 August New Wine Join others Have from a look HT at and our benefice profile StACC on www.htcd.church to gather with thousands to meet with God Thurs 6 Sept Shawn Swinney s licensing Holy Trinity, 7 pm Sat 18 Sun 1