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

Saturday 30 August 2014

Xtra for September 2014


NEWS FROM ALL SAINTS CHURCH WHITSTABLE

All Saints has a lot going on and this website only features a few events in the life of the church in September. We do not wish to saturate you with information but there is an awareness that we live in an internet age and so having an online presence in this way is very helpful in terms of getting across information.

At the same time, we hope to make all these events advertised in paper form as far as is possible.


If you wish to unsubscribe from the monthly reminder email please simply put UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and reply to my reminder email. You can of course still choose to visit this website via a link which should be visible on the church's website  www.allsaintswhitstable.com


This format also means we can add to the bulletin so please email me the wording of any event you would like to include that is connected to the church, the Deanery or the Diocese.


Thank you for your time and attention
Rev Simon Tillotson, 30th August 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014


BRING AND SHARE LUNCH


Firstly, this is to remind you of the Bring and Share picnic lunch which is taking place on Sunday 31st August 2014 at 12 noon at the Vicarage garden, to the left of the church and hall. This will be a "pot luck" Bring and Share so please bring something to share in terms of food or drink. Most importantly please also bring a garden chair. There is absolutely no need to let Cathy and I know if you are coming to this event. Just come along. If the weather is poor we will use the living room and study and kitchen at the Vicarage.



BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY



An important date in our calendar,  Back to Church Sunday  is on Sunday 28th September at both our 8am and 10am services. These will just be normal church services but we will make a special effort to welcome back people who used to come to our church but for one reason or another have not been able to come regularly recently. We also welcome back people who may have stopped attending church years ago but left for similar reasons. 

The point about it being like a normal Sunday is we are trying to show people what we are like on a normal day, as opposed to putting on something that is different from our normal worship. Hopefully people will sense a warm atmosphere, a feeling of fellowship, and an atmosphere  of spiritual encouragement to help us on life's journey. 

It is also the opportunity for church members to play a role in inviting their neighbours and friends "back to church". Though these neighbours and friends may not have ever been regular church attendees, they will almost certainly have been to church at some point and so the saying "Back to Church" still applies.


For this reason, we would like to invite all those connected to the life of All Saints to spend some moments in the next few weeks considering who they might be able to invite "Back to church" on this particular week. We will be issuing invites for church members to fill in and give to their friends and relatives to make the process of invitation easier.


If you could be so kind, please will you pray for this very important venture in the life of All Saints. Thank you so much.


10AM SERVICES

Our 8am Holy Communion and 10am Sung Holy Communion services continue as normal throughout September, and I am pleased to say we have sufficient children's leaders to ensure a full Sunday club (Adventurers and Xplore)  will take place in September, as well as our joint Sunday club on Sunday 31st August. We all start together in church at 10am and then the children leave at 10.10am and come back to church at about 10.50am. Parents who have young children are welcome to accompany their children to Sunday club. 

FAMILY COMMUNION
The one exception to this is the Family Communion service on the Second Sunday of each month - 14th September for September. This will take place at 10am and is an All-Age service suitable for young and old. We are looking for children to help with the prayers at this service so if your child is interested please email me at tillotsons@gmail.com or phone me at 01227 272308.


HARVEST SUPPER AND BARN DANCE AND FAMILY SERVICE


Harvest will not be celebrated  till the second weekend in  October. Please read the notices and website for full details of this. Our Harvest Festival Family Communion service will be on October 12th at 10am. There will be a Harvest Supper and Barn Dance the evening before - as I say please look out for details in the notices (which is always available via the website) in the coming weeks for full details.

JUNIOR CHOIR


Practices resume for Junior Choir on Saturdays on a weekly basis at 5pm to 5.45pm on the first Saturday in September, which is September 6th, in the church. In the summer I conducted a consultation of parents and children involved in Junior Choir and the following emerged - 1) There is a preference for sweatshirts over robes for the children  2) The Saturday 5pm time is better than any weekday alternative.
If your child is interested in joining the choir we ask them to come regularly to choir practices (please place this as a priority whenever possible as it affects the others if attendance is patchy) and also to attend church on Sundays at 10am whenever possible. I do realise families do have other commitments, but attendance stumbled over the summer and we really would like to see it get back to the strength it was in April and May. That said, our choir leaders Naomi, Jan and I  always try to be forgiving and gentle with families who do have problems keeping to this time so please be assured  it is better to come infrequently than not at all! We are first and foremost a church family who cares for people and wants them to be included in our fellowship.


WORK PARTY

We have a work party from time to time in the churchyard and carparks and church where we attend to a number of necessary jobs. We have the largest "plant" for any church in the whole of East Kent and yet we rely on volunteers and your giving to help keep it in good condition. These work parties are a vital part of this upkeep. Would you please email Linda Young at jondieon@aol.com or call her on 01227 278681 if you can help with the next one which will be on Saturday 13th September from 9am to 1pm. Your help will be greatly appreciated and even if you can only come for an hour or two that would still be very welcome.



CURSILLO

If anyone is interested on coming on the next Cursillo weekend the details can be found at this website www.canterburycursillo.org.  Please talk to me about what it entails. It has proved a huge faith builder for many All Saints people. The next weekend will take place at The Friars, Aylesford from Thursday 30th October to Sunday 2nd November 2014. Closing date for Pilgrim applications is Thursday 18th September 2014.

SUNDAY BREAKFASTS



I believe the new 10am time will make it easier for more of our church family to attend our regular communal breakfasts on the third Sunday in each month at the church hall. They start at about 8.45am in the church hall. We would love to see you. Donations welcome but no fixed charge. It's a great way to get to know new people! So this month it is on Sunday 21st September.

"THE PRAYER COURSE"

I shall be running a course on how to pray more effectively. It will be called simply "The Prayer Course". It will be on Wednesday evenings starting in mid October at 7.30pm to 9.15pm at the Vicarage. We will be following the book on Prayer by Richard Foster and it would be helpful to buy a copy of that book beforehand though you only need to read it as we go through the course together. Further details in the October Xtra. The starting date will be Wednesday October 15th. It looks likely to run for seven weeks with one break. Please email me now at tillotsons@gmail.com to confirm interest or call me on 01227 272308.
Might I say that in my view prayer is not just the key to a happy spiritual life but the key to a happy life. It's as important as that, so the more we learn how to pray the better! The course will be free of charge.

DEEPENING DISCIPLESHIP 


We have received information from the Diocese about a wonderful course they run. I think there may well be people at All Saints who would benefit from coming on this course which is run by the Diocese. It is really good to meet Christians from other churches and grow together. Would you please check out this website for more information: http://www.canterburydiocese.org/deepeningdiscipleship/
Indeed there is so much on the Canterbury Diocese's website of interest that it is worth visiting regularly for news about various things in the life of the Diocese.


There is a lot more that could be said, for example about Cameo, which runs on Monday afternoon, or our Film Club which runs on Thursday lunchtimes so please visit our church website for details. We also have a new website for the Mothers Union which is always wishing to welcome new members - please visit www.allsaintswhitstable.com for details of this and much more besides.

Or for a direct link to our notices please click at the below link. Here you will find details of our collection for the Middle East via Christian Aid, the Diocesan Spirituality Festival, the Friends of Kent Churches Bike ride, and so much more
http://allsaintsweeklynotices.blogspot.co.uk/

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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