January Xtra

Dear All

A very Happy New Year!

I am aware that many people experience what is called "January Blues" at this time of the year, especially after all the fun and festivity over the Christmas period. I have to say that for me it feels a bit like going back to the foot of the hill to start all over again, as for All Saints Christmas is a particularly special time with so many people attending our Crib, Carol and Christingle services over the Christmas period.

Nonetheless, this is life isn't it? We are not in heaven now, after all, and it is part of the reality of life that we have our challenges as well as our joyful times. 

My prayers for you, as I hope you pray for me, as we adjust to the gloom and wet and wind of January. Spring is not far off, and even this month there is quite a lot happening at All Saints and in our wider community.

Children and Families minister required (part time 0.3 post)
At All Saints Church, in the Team parish of Whitstable

An exciting new post for a committed Christian to help our outreach and ministry to children and young families in our pastoral district.
Must be available Thursday after school and Sunday mornings plus one more ministry time per week that is mutually convenient for a new project.
Salary £22,500 pro rata for this 0.3 post (12.5 hours a week, £6750 a year)
At All Saints Church Whitstable, in the Whitstable Team Ministry.
Deadline for applications 1st March 2018. Interviews 17th March 2018.
To start after Easter 2018.
For full job description or an informal conversation contact Rev Simon Tillotson at tillotsons@gmail.com or on 01227 272308
www.allsaintswhitstable.com

FAMILY SERVICE

Our Family Communion service is as usual on the Second Sunday of January, which is the 14th, at 10am. All the other Sundays in January have our usual Sunday Club for children. For more information on this group please email me here at tillotsons@gmail.com,


PILGRIM COURSE

Before that, starting this Tuesday, is the next module of our Pilgrim course. 

We will be looking at the subject of the Bible and how we interpret it and what it means to us. 

This subject is an incredibly important one for us to come to grips with, particularly as we see parts of the Anglican Communion divide over their interpretation of scripture and see potentially similar things begin to happen here in the UK. 

But we will not just be looking at the issue of interpretation. We will be looking at the place scripture has in our lives and how it can resource us spiritually and the different ways it can speak to us.

We will be meeting on the following evenings on Tuesday – 9^th, 16^th and 30^th January, and 6^th, 13^th and 20^th February. The meetings will take place at the Vicarage (to left of church and church hall on same side of road) at 7.30pm (coffee and tea) for a 7.45pm start. We finish at 9.15pm. The course manual is £6 per person (though a couple can share a manual).

9th January - Session One: What is the Bible? With a Reflection by Paula Gooder

16th  January - Session Two: The Bible as Breath. With a Reflection by David Moxon

23rd January - SACRED SPACE at All Saints church (no group)

30th January - Session Three: The Bible as a stream of living water. With a Reflection by Rosemary Lain-Priestley

6th February - Session Four: The Bible as a lamp. With a Reflection by Vivienne Faull

13th February - Session Five: The Bible as a two-edged sword. With a Reflection by Paula Gooder

20th February - Session Six: Daily bread. With a Reflection by Steven Croft

Please let me know if you would like to attend as if our numbers are large we may have to move to the church.

Email me at tillotsons@gmail.com or call me on 01227 272308 if you are interested in coming.


SACRED SPACE

The dates for Sacred Space have now been organised. Please click on the poster to see if in large format on your computer screen.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

From the website of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland: 

“What is the reason for this year’s theme? This year’s material has been produced in the Caribbean and uses Exodus 15, a song of triumph over oppression, as the motif of the Week of Prayer. There are 1.4 Million Christians living in the Caribbean region, across a vast geographical spread of island and mainland territories. They represent a rich and diverse tapestry of ethnic, linguistic and religious traditions, with a complex variety of governmental and constitutional arrangements. The contemporary context is deeply marked by the history of the colonialism which stripped people of their identity, dignity and freedom. The chosen passage from Exodus 15 allows us to see that the road to unity must often pass through a communal experience of suffering. Although our liberation and salvation is at God’s initiative, human agencies are engaged in their realisation. Christians participate in God’s ministry of reconciliation, yet our divisions hamper our witness to a world in need of God’s healing.”

This year we have decided to host the various meetings in different churches across the town. It would be great if a good presence of members of the Whitstable Team could be visible at the meetings so please do consider coming along. Full details on the back on this poster.

Again please click on the poster for it to come up in large screen format on your screen. If not, some of the wording may be quite small for your screen.

SINGING FOR FUN AND HEALTH

This takes place on the third Wednesday of each month at 2.30pm to 4pm at All Saints Church hall. This is great fun - a chance to singalong to a mixture of all sorts of songs in a relaxed setting in the hall with tea, coffee and cake.


CAMEO

A group that meets every Monday in the Church hall from 2pm to 3.30pm, apart from Bank Holidays. Cameo stands for Come And Meet Each Other. It is a friendly group where you can come and chat and make new friends. This photo was taken at the Cameo Christmas lunch just a couple of weeks ago.

FILM CLUB

The Film club meets on Thursdays from 11.15am to about 1.30pm nearly every week. It runs a mixture of films. Membership is £10 till the end of 2018 but we also ask for a contribution of £1 per person per week towards refreshments and heating costs.

Send me an email for any of these groups and I will forward it to the group organiser. 
tillotsons@gmail.com
Alternatively please feel welcome to call me on 01227 272308

 QUIZ NIGHT

All Saints will be running a Quiz night on 10th February in the church hall. Tables of 8. £8 per person. Please bring your own glasses and drinks. To book your table please speak to John Johnson on 01227 262581.

 DONATIONS OVER CHRISTMAS
 Thanks to all who gave to Catching Lives (homeless charity) and the Rohingya Refugee appeal by Save The Children. 
We collected for the first appeal, Catching Lives, at the Carol Singing with Whitstable Brass and also at the Singing for Fun and Health earlier that day, and raised £437.50.
We collected for the second appeal during our Crib services, Midnight Communion service and Christmas Day morning services and raised £559.
We have given both these sums to the relevant charities.
A great achievement by our community - thank you so much for your generosity.


Please consider coming to a mid week Communion service where we pray for people and are strengthened for our spiritual journey.
Thursdays at 10am every week at All Saints Church.

 HOLYBALLOO

Holyballoo is the name of our after school club for parents/guardians and children of any age. It takes place in the church hall. We have recently purchased some new games for the children and we have some exciting craft. There is usually a short Christian video and short message as part of the afternoon. The parents and guardians enjoy catching up with each other over a cup of tea or coffee.
Sorry - no unaccompanied children.

There is no charge for Holyballoo. It takes place on Thursdays from 3.15pm to 4.15pm at All Saints church hall.
Just come along.


Thank you for your many cards and gifts for my 50th Birthday. I was very blessed and grateful for them.

Every good wish

Rev Simon Tillotson 

NEWS FROM OTHER CHURCHES AND ORGANISATIONS

THE WHITSTABLE ECHO

A Talking Newspaper for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Registered Charity 1030674

The WHITSTABLE ECHO is a talking newspaper containing local news and information for the blind and visually impaired which is delivered each Saturday to its listeners.

We supply the simple equipment needed and new listeners are given help with its use. All aspects of the service are free of charge.

If you know of anyone who might be eligible, and who would like to receive the Whitstable Echo, please contact Brian Palmer on 01227 262685.

If you would like to know more about joining the team that produces the Whitstable Echo, please contact Sue Vargyas at susanvargyas@hotmail.com

Canterbury Contemporary

Theology Group

St Peter’s Methodist Church Canterbury

2018 Programme

The St Peter's Contemporary Theology Group is an ecumenical gathering that meets on the third Wednesday of each month from January to June and enjoys the hospitality of St Peter's Methodist Church, Canterbury. The church is about 200 metres from the Westgate Towers, towards the City Centre. The nearest public car park is Pound Lane.  Meetings start at 7.30 pm and finish promptly at 9.00 pm.

Our meetings are open to all who are interested in honest and lively discussions on contemporary themes in theology and religion.  Whatever your interests or viewpoint, you will be most welcome to join us.  There is a charge of £3 at the door to cover the expenses of our speakers and an honorarium.  A season ticket of £12 is also available, covering all the lectures (therefore two lectures are free), either at the door or by writing to Dr. P.J.Knight at 28 Forty Acres Road Canterbury CT2 7HL, enclosing a cheque made out to Contemporary Theology Group and an s.a.e.

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Wednesday 17 January

Anthony Carroll – Anglican priest and philosophy/theology lecturer, Heythrop College 

and Richard Norman – Patron Humanists UK and retired professor of Philosophy, University of Kent, co-editors of Religion  and Atheism (2016).

Beyond the Divide: Secular and Religious Humanism in dialogue.

Wednesday 21 February

Trevor Dennis  –  Retired Canon Chancellor and Vice-Dean of Chester Cathedral, formerly tutor in Old Testament Studies at Salisbury and Wells Theological College.

The Bible as Art: how to enjoy it, how to play with it.

Wednesday 21 March

Ruth Valerio – Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund; environmentalist, theologian, Author of Just Living (2017).

Let all Creation Dance: The Gospel, the whole Gospel, and nothing but the Gospel.

Wednesday 18 April

Tom Butler – Former Bishop of Southwark, one time Chaplain and Lecturer in Electronics, University of Kent, originally trained as an engineer.

Intelligence – Artificial, Human, and Divine.

Wednesday 16 May

Angela Tilby – Canon Emeritus of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and former BBC producer, theological educator and broadcaster.

Citizens of Somewhere or Anywhere?

Wednesday 20 June

Clare Herbert  – Tutor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at St. Augustine’s College; previously Rector of St. Anne’s Soho.

Squaring the Circle – Rethinking the Theology of Marriage.

For further details about any of these meetings please contact any of the following:

John Bown: j.bown230@talktalk.net, Judith Dimond jidbaskets@gmail.com; Keith Dimond krdkent@gmail.com 

; Stephen Prickett: stephenprickett@stephenprickett.co.uk

Doreen Rosman: 01227 452242