May is soon to be upon us and hopes of warmer weather, though I have to say it has been rather chilly this week hasn't it? I do hope you are very well.
As usual there is quite a lot to tell you about.
Best wishes
Rev Simon Tillotson
A REMINDER OF OUR CHURCH SERVICES - please come and worship with us!
A number of our congregation stayed behind to have their photo taken by a camera attached to a drone at All Saints on Easter Sunday. Our thanks to Tom Banbury for all his work - more of his photos can be found at the foot of this month's news.
Our church services follow the usual pattern this month with the Family Service taking place on Sunday 14th May at 10am and our normal Sung Holy Communion at 10am on other Sundays with a popular Sunday Club for children. Quite a few parents comment that the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays in the month as just as much fun for the children as the Family Communion, so if you come to the Family Communion why not try attending one of the other Sundays?
This particular Family Communion coincides with a Team Sunday when a clergyperson from one of the other churches in the Whitstable Team visits us. Rev David Vannerley from St John's Swalecliffe will be with us on Sunday 14th at both our 8am and 10am service, though our speaker at the 10am will be Paula Trewin MBE.
We also have an 8am Holy Communion service every Sunday morning which follows the Book of Common Prayer and a Healing Communion on Thursdays at 10am where there is the opportunity to receive prayer with the laying on of hands. Both the 8am on Sunday and the Thursday 10am services last about 40 to 45 minutes.
I would also like to remind everyone of our Choral Evensong which takes place at 6.30pm now we are in British Summer Time on the last Sunday of each month. It will therefore be taking place this coming Sunday 30th April and on Sunday 28th May.
Victoria our Choir Leader is often looking for new people to join the choir as is Michael our Organist so please do contact them if you are interested. Email me at tillotsons@gmail.com and I will forward your email.
COMMISSIONING OF JANET LIVERMORE AS PASTORAL ASSISTANT
Janet is the latest person to train to be a Pastoral Assistant at our church and I will be commissioning her formally at the 10am service on Sunday 7th May. Please pray for Janet as she formally begins her ministry.
If you have an interest in becoming a Pastoral Assistant please let me know. Pastoral Assistants visit people who are housebound or ill or bereaved and may also bring them Holy Communion if they are trained in this ministry.
CHRISTIAN AID SERVICE
Please come to this service if you possibly can to support the work of Christian Aid in Whitstable. It is organised by Rev Keith McNicol and the Christian Aid committee and I am sure they would love to see a good turnout at this service.
As always many volunteers are needed to collect on behalf of Christian Aid. If you haven’t volunteered before, please consider collecting in one road allocated to our church. Your help, by giving up one evening, to collect towards the relief from poverty in countries throughout the world, would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact Gordon Williams on 01227 275179 if you can help.
Holy Communion on Ascension Day
As usual we join together with other churches.
Thursday 25 May 2017, 7.30
pm, St Peter’s, Whitstable
Come to celebrate
one of the great days in the Christian Year
Singers are invited to join
the combined Whitstable Team Choir
The Whitstable Team Ministry
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
A letter from Steve and Vicky Coneys announcing their move away from the Team Ministry
Dear friends
At the beginning of September, I will be leaving the Team Ministry to take up a new post for our diocese.
The new role is that of the diocesan Missioner – which rejoices under the full title of Canterbury Diocesan Local Mission and Growth Advisor. So that will involve working alongside churches across the diocese, encouraging them to be outward looking and to go for growth.
While this new role is exciting, my overwhelming feeling right now is of sadness at leaving Whitstable. I can’t find the words to say what a privilege it has been to be with all of you here over the last 23 years.
At the same time, you have a wonderfully exciting future here in so many ways. For this, and for the journey Vicky and I have shared with so many of you for so long, we are deeply grateful. Though this is a sad moment for us personally, we trust that gratitude to God will be the dominant note for us all.
Yours in the love of Christ
Steve
Team Rector
I, Simon, continue by saying I am sure we will all want to pray for Steve and Vicky and the congregations at Seasalter as they adjust to the huge changes the coming months will bring, giving thanks for all that has been achieved during the fruitful ministry we have seen over the last 23 years. Thanks be to God!
NOVENA
The Novena is nine days of prayer set aside to pray specially for church life and outreach and for the mission of the church. This is now a country-wide initiative backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York but it is also an important event in the Diocese.
The Novena will run this year from Ascension Day on Thursday 25th May to Pentecost Sunday on Sunday 4th June.
This year at All Saints we are doing something very different. Instead of an event each day we are focussing on two main events. The first is as follows:
NOVENA 2017
Spirituality of the
In-Between Spaces
Saturday 27 May
2.00pm - 4.00pm
All Saints Church
Led by Anne and Terry Rees
Spirituality of the
In-Between Spaces
Saturday 27 May
2.00pm - 4.00pm
All Saints Church
Led by Anne and Terry Rees
However much we may desire life to be a smooth, harmonious continuity the reality is very different.
Our lives include those ‘in-between’ times when the past and a possible future meet in a present space.
This reflective time will use the Novena 2017 Prayer Booklet “Conversations In The In-Between” as a starting point for reflection, prayer and stillness, including a meditation using a Holding Cross.
The session will finish at 4.00 pm with tea and homemade cakes
If you would like further information please contact Anne or Terry 275261
terryarees@gmail.com
The second event of the Novena will be a
Day of Prayer
for our church and Team and Town, and really for anything you feel so are so led to pray about. The church will be open from 9am to 9pm throughout the day on Tuesday.
There will not be set prayers. The church will simply be open.
We are looking for people to be present in church during these twelve hours. Can you do a two-hour period during this time? If so please can you let me know what is a good time.
For those of you who have offered, please can you confirm your offer in an email to me and which times would suit you best - thank you so much.
tillotsons@gmail.com
CURSILLO WEEKEND
Please pray for all pilgrims and staff as they prepare for the Cursillo weekend which starts on Thursday 11th May. Please also pray for myself, Simon, and Michael Cooke, as we are both staffing on the weekend. Thank you.
CONFIRMATION
Please pray for Rose and Poppy Quinney and Karen and Max Berry as they prepare to be confirmed by the Bishop of Dover on Saturday 20th May at 6pm at St Bartholomew's Church, Herne Bay. They are all people who attend our church regularly and have done so for many years. If you are able to attend this service to support them that would be great. It is always an encouraging event anyway.
Church summer Fete. On Saturday the 24th of June. 2pm- 4pm. Entrance is 50p. Lots of stalls and attractions, crafts, strawberries and cream, cream teas, refreshments, coconut shyand many other things. Please put the date in your diary now.
BBQs AT THE VICARAGE GARDEN
Cathy and I would like to host two BBQs this summer at the Vicarage. Postcode CT5 1PG
The dates will be as follows
An earlier one starting at 5pm on Friday 2nd June
A slightly later one starting at 7pm on Friday 7th July
Please let us know how many from your family will be attending and if you would be able to bring either some BBQ or vegetarian meat to put on the BBQ or a bowl of salad or a pudding- we will only get back to you if there is an obvious surplus of one thing.
We would appreciate it if you could bring a garden chair with you too.
If the weather is wet the BBQ will be cancelled. I will email those who have replied by lunch time on the day of the BBQ with a decision if it is one of those days where it might rain or might be ok
Best wishes
Simon and Cathy
NB We would also appreciate some help with the cooking. If you can spare an hour supervising the BBQ please let us know and we will arrange a rota.
Email tillotsons@gmail.com
PHILOSOPHY AND FAITH COURSE
The second part of the Philosophy and Faith course starts in May.
It is perfectly acceptable to come to the second part of the course having missed the first course. Do let me know if you are interested.
Full details here
PET BLESSING SERVICE
Please note that our Annual Pet Blessing Service will take place in July this year as more people are in Whitstable then. It will take place on Sunday 9th July at 10am and there will be a Holy Communion service in the church afterwards at 11.15am lasting just 30 minutes.
SUMMER CONCERT
Details will be circulated next month but please make a note in your diaries that the church will be putting on a special Summer Concert on Saturday 22nd July
SINGING FOR FUN AND HEALTH, CAMEO, AND FILM CLUB
Please visit our website for full details of these regular groups.
CHURCH ARCHIVES ONLINE
The Church Council have given approval for certain parts of our archives - mainly parish magazines and public records - to be put online. This is a huge undertaking but work has begun. Please visit this link to explore what has been done so far.
Being the hands and feet of Jesus. Needed urgently someone
who can regularly empty our 2 yellow foodbank bins and transport the
contents to the Foodbank store at Riverside church near B & Q. This
needs to be done on a Monday morning between 9.30 and 11.00am. Foodbank
is a life saver for some people who find themselves in very difficult
circumstances. See all about our local service on the church website.
Talk to our church wardens or Pat and Aubrey Holland (telephone 01227 772402)
NOTICES FROM OTHER CHURCHES AND ORGANISATIONS
An Evening in Conversation with Gulwalai Passarlay: Political youth activist, TEDx speaker and author of the Lightless Sky
On Wed 10th May at 7pm at the Canterbury Baptist Church ( just along from the Odeon). Tickets are £5 (£2.50) Concessions.
Gulwali
grew up in eastern Afghanistan along with four brothers and two
sisters. His father was a doctor and mother was a housewife and midwife
and enjoyed a good life. But when the US invaded Afghanistan his
province became a war zone which led him often running for his life
trying to escape the bombs, rocket attacks and threats for me to join
the Taliban.
He spent a year travelling through 10 countries, was sent to jail, had his face burnt with chemicals and almost died in the Mediterranean.
Gulwali arrived in the UK when he was just 13 years old and was completely alone.
He has now written a book describing his journey which has now been published in 7 different languages, completed
Gulwali
Passarlay is the most awe-inspiring 21-year-old I have ever met. After
only two years of secondary education he gained 10 GCSEs. He then
completed his A-levels, and is currently studying politics and
philosophy at the University of Manchester. He is an Education Youth
Ambassador, a Model Westminster Ambassador, a Young Labour
representative, president of the United Afghan Peace Movement, and he
was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through Bolton in 2012. He is
immensely articulate in a language that he spoke not a word of until
eight years ago, and is intent on changing the world. (Caroline Sanderson)
Tickets will be available from Mosaic. Jo Jo's, Herbacious, Windy Corner or by emailing whitstablecalaissolidarity@
Copies of the book will be available to buy on the evening and light refreshments will be provided .
One Step Further Anxiety and Panic Support Group.
Our Facebook page is steadily growing, now having over 220 members.
Our
next meeting will be held on Friday 5th May at St Andrews Church Hall,
Grimshill Rd, Whitstable from 7:15 til 8:45. We will be having open
discussions on anxiety issues plus a visit from a Holistic Massage
Therapist.
No comments:
Post a Comment