The monthly e-newsletter from the Team Vicar of All Saints Whitstable, Rev Simon Tillotson
Visit our website for more info - www.allsaintswhitstable.org

Thursday 27 November 2014

December Xtra newsletter

Dear all

The wonderful season of Advent is upon us this Sunday and Christmas is just a few weeks away. May I wish you much peace and joy at this time of the year for your loved ones and family and a very happy and blessed Christmas when it arrives.

My wife Cathy and I are having two Christmas drinks parties which you are welcome to attend. The first is Saturday 20th December at the Vicarage from 8pm to 10pm  and the second is drinks before Midnight Communion from 9pm to 10.45pm on Christmas Eve. Please email me at tillotsons@gmail.com if you can come to both or either. Thanks. You would be warmly welcome. The Vicarage is to the left of the Church and Church hall on Church Street. This is our gift to you so please do not bring drinks or snacks with you but please let us know if you are coming so we have enough for those present.

Our Christmas Fair this Saturday from 10am to 2pm at the Church hall. Full details on this poster below.

 
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS AN ADVENT CAROL SERVICE THIS SUNDAY 30th NOVEMBER at 4pm. This is completely different from a Christmas Carol service as the music will be on an Advent theme (so no Christmas carols) but it is still very much worth coming along. I hope to see you there.
 
On Sundays in Advent I will be conducting three discussions at the church on Sunday evenings which you are most welcome to come to.
 
ADVENT DISCUSSIONS
 
      ALL FROM 7.45pm to 9.15pm AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH in the SOUTH CHAPEL
 
Sunday 7 December
Engaging with the spirit of atheism and agnosticism in our culture – how can I respond?
This will be a personal talk about my observations after 20 years in the ordained ministry at changes to our society and what I have learned from this. There will be an opportunity to have a conversation on this topic after my initial talk.
 
          Sunday 14 December
Finding God in doubt, suffering and searching - how can we respond?
I have noticed that many people are a mixture of faith and doubt, including may of us who have attended churches for many years. In what way can doubt be a healthy side of our spirituality, and when can it be harmful to our spirituality? Does the suffering in the world, or that we personally experience, put us off faith in God or make us more likely to become believers?
 
Sunday 21 December
Becoming the  church in the 21st century   - how can the church respond?
This final evening will be an opportunity to think creatively about the future of the church with a specific focus on All Saints. What new ideas can we come up with to engage with people in our parish and to attract people to the life of faith and also, we hope, participation in church life too?
 
Please note I have written a number of pieces on my Blog recently. If you have not yet read them and would like to please click here:
 
 
 
Please also note that I will be running a course for 13 weeks from the beginning of January to the end of March on Tuesday evenings at the Vicarage. I realise this is a long time but I believe that there are a number of people who would learn from the course.
Full details are here
 
 
 
ORGAN FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
So far Michael Cooke, Linda Annable, Linda Livingstone, Carol Sims, Jo Piper, Malcolm Waller and myself as Chair have agreed to be on this committee.
We need to raise £30,000 so that the organ can be properly cleaned and overhauled so that it can last many more decades. If the work is not carried out the organ could get into serious disrepair.
So we are hoping to form a committee that will be carrying out fundraising activities in the coming year.
It is possible that you spoke to me about the desire to be on the committee but in the rush of life I may have forgotten your kind offer - Can you let me know if this is the case please?
If you have not yet offered but would like to be on the committee, please can you let me know as soon as possible as I am hoping we will start work in December on this project.
 
SACRED SPACE WILL BE AT ALL SAINTS ON TUESDAY 23rd December from 8pm to 9pm. If you would like to be included on the Sacred Space email list please let me know. To find out about Sacred Space please watch this video.
 
 
CHRISTMAS EVENTS BELOW
 
 
 

 

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Location of Church - Click on picture!

All Saints Whitstable

All Saints Whitstable is a Church of England church in the Church Street area of Whitstable, between the railway station and the Thanet Way.
It has been in existence since at least the 12th century.
It is one of six churches that make up the Whitstable Team Ministry.
Church service times are 8am Holy Communion (BCP) and 10am Sung Communion on Sundays, with a Sunday Club for children.
A Family Communion takes place at 10am on the Second Sunday of each month where the children stay in church.
For more information on other services and general information please visit our main website which is www.allsaintswhitstable.com or email the Vicar Rev Simon Tillotson at tillotsons@gmail.com

The Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

The Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

MONTHLY REMINDERS

If you do not receive a monthly reminder about this e-letter yet why not email the Vicar at tillotsons@gmail.com and he will add your email address to the database. Then you will receive an email once a month, with the occasional one mid month, to keep you informed of things going on in the life of the church and the wider community.

All Saints Church Monthly Newsletter

All Saints Church Monthly Newsletter

Location of church

Location of church
Click on map for further details