St. Paul’s Church, Chippenham

THE VILLAGE HALL ON SUNDAY - I am looking forward to Sunday 17th February and the second of our new initiative on the 3rd Sundays in Kington St Michael. (I am writing this before the first one has happened!) Starting at 9.30am with a bacon butty and a cup of tea we will be in the hall and using it for our worship from 10am. (You may remember the time when the church met in the hall following the fall of the pinnacle through the church roof.) I am really enthusiastic about this new way of trying to engage with the current generation and feel it compliments our regular church worship well. Naturally, we will have Holy Communion celebrated on the Thursdays of 13th & 20th in the church at 10am. I will hope to use many opportunities to pray for this new venture. Please keep it in your prayers and come along to support what is happening!PAUL FORTUNE - has written this letter to the PCC at Kington St Michael & me and is very happy that it should be shared with you:

“I write to record my sincere thanks for the privilege of leading music in worship at St Michaels over the last 25 years. Much has changed in that time but my commitment to the church in providing appropriate music to the best standard I could had never changed. Recent events, however, have shown me it is time to move on, though it is unfortunate it has ended the way it did. I will take with me many happy memories, not least our wedding last May which was everything we hoped it would be. I wish to thank you all, and the whole church congregation, for your friendship, trust and support over the years, and pray that God will continue to bless the work you do in His name. Paul Fortune.”

I have been delighted that Paul has been willing to play the organ at a number of services recently;
at St Pauls and at St Peter’s Frogwell (where we enjoyed Holy Communion and a wedding) and I hope he will continue to offer his many gifts to our Group of Churches – he is already booked to play at various weddings and I am hoping he will play regularly for some Sunday services. He is a good organist and it is good to have him around!

SNOWDROP LUNCH - at Langley Burrell will take place on Sunday 3rd February and if you would like to take part please contact Veronica Kilmister. It is a lovely event and time to meet new people and to be invited into homes in the village.

OPEN TO GOD @ ST PAULS - will be rather different this month. Karin Needham writes:

“We’re holding a special event on Sunday 17th February just after Valentines day at 6pm. This would be a good event to invite people to who aren’t used to coming to church. Do come along and support this as we explore the theme of love.”

It will be rather along the lines of the Popular Carols at St Paul’s and there will be refreshments from 5.40pm. Please come along and invite others to join us at St Paul’s church!

ST PAUL’S MISSION & VISION GROUP - we have a suggestion to make to the church about how we restructure ourselves and the way we operate. The recent PCC gave its unanimous backing to the ideas and we are holding an Open Meeting on Monday 10th March at 7.30pm in St Paul’s church. Please put the date in your diary and come along! This could be really important as we move forward!

RISE & THE CHILDREN’S CENTRE - it really is happening!… the RISE Trust formally takes over the running of the Children’s Centre at St Paul’s school on Tuesday 12th February – I suspect the contractors won’t have finished by then but this is a significant step forward. With this now opening the next phase of RISE work and outreach begins. Pauline Monaghan has been appointed the manager and Julie Swales is to be working with her. We wish you well as you take this significant step! Please pray for God’s continuing blessing on the work of RISE and the links with the school.

MOTHERING SUNDAY & BISHOP MIKE - please note for your March diary! We celebrate Mothering Sunday on the 2nd March and we are delighted that Bishop Mike will be at Hardenhuish and Kington St Michael churches.  Please think about WHO you can invite to this outreach event!

LEE ABBEY 2008 - a date for your diary… we are having our next Lee Abbey weekend 10-12 October 2008. We are very fortunate that our speaker will be the Rev Paul Bayes who is the National Mission & Evangelism Adviser for the Church of England. It should be very good indeed!

HOME GROUPS - if you are interested in joining one please contact Helen Pattison via the church office.

SUNDAY 3rd FEBRUARY - our Group Service is at 6.30pm at Kington St Michael. Come and join us in worship!

ASH WEDNESDAY - there will be a couple of services on this day to start Lent (and we will take this theme on Thursday 7th at 10am at Kington St Michael). 10am at St Pauls and at 7.30pm I am leading a service at St Peter’s Frogwell and people from all churches are invited to attend.

LENT 08 TALKS - the local churches are hosting a special series for Lent 08 in the Neeld Hall on Hot Topics and there will be speakers:

• Wed 13th Feb - Nick Pollard on Sexuality
• Wed 20th Feb - Gordon Stirrat on Responses to Abortion
• Wed 27th Feb - Paul Valler on Globalisation
• Wed 5th Mar - Bishop Lee on Gene Research
• Wed 12th Mar - will be a forum

I really think these will be excellent evenings and opportunities to invite people along who might not normally come to church. These are all important and relevant issues and I hope our home groups will all want to support these events. (Details of tickets can be found on the notice sheet – but you are also invited to simply turn up on the night!)

SPARKS ON SUNDAY - will run on the 4th Sunday of each month (i.e. Feb 24th). We will start at 10am in the church and take part in the first part of the worship and then go over to the back hall for a time of SPARKS worship and refreshments. Come along and bring your friends!

WASTEWATCHERS - is the name of the Half Term Holiday Club at St Pauls this year between 18 & 21 February. It should be fun and is for primary school aged children.

TEAM VICAR APPOINTMENT - I have meet up with Bishop Lee and also Alan Hawker and we look likely to be advertising this post soon in the church press – also we will invite people to apply through the New Wine list. Please keep this process in your prayers and that God would bring forward the right person for this post to join us soon!

TAIZE HOLY COMMUNION - we will have a Taize style Holy Communion service at 6.30pm on Sunday 24th February at St Paul’s church in the Ascension Chapel. This is a lovely reflective service and a chance to find peace and space with God.

DOORWAY SPONSORSHIP - as I write I have not yet taken part in the sponsored sleep-out for DOORWAY (and am not relishing it in this wet weather) but I am delighted to have been sponsored for over £500. Thank you for your support for the homeless locally!

CLERGY - you will probably have heard that Rev Tony Fensome is again off sick (please pray for him and Helen his wife). Also, on Thursday 14th February the Rev Janet Anderson-Mackenzie will be licensed as the new part-time Vicar of Box.

THEMES & READINGS - we are following these themes & readings this month. These will be the main Bible readings:

• February 3rd - True Fasting - Isaiah 58:1-12
• February 10th - Lent - Romans 5:12-19
• February 17th - Wastewatchers I - Genesis 2:4-11
• February 24th - Wastewatchers II - Revelation 21:1-4

MIDWEEK BIBLE READINGS - at our midweek services of Holy Communion (10am on Wednesdays at St Pauls – and 10am Thursdays at Kington St Michael) we are continuing a series on PARABLES ONLY RECORDED IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL, ie not mentioned by the other three gospel writers (& also mark the start of Lent)

• February 6th /7th - Ash Wednesday - John 8:1-11
• February 13th /14th - The Ten Virgins  - Matthew 25:1-13
• February 20th/21st  - Talents  - Matthew 25:14-30
• February 27th/28th  - The Sheep & Goats - Matthew 25:31-46

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH – is linked to the recent theme of Giving – our friend Sam first heard this prayed in a church in Tanzania when he was a CMS mission partner working with the church there…

Great Father, we thank you
For this money,
Offered by your people
For your work.
We pray that it will be used well,
To make your kingdom come.
We pray, too, for the money
That we did not offer,
The money that is still in our pockets.
We pray for that money
That we would use it well,
To make your kingdom come,
And that we would not use it selfishly.
Amen.

Simon Tyndall