Dear Friends

It’s amazing what just a few days away can do. I went to the house in Shropshire last week essentially to re-decorate the lounge after we had the old fireplace and wood burning stove removed. We now have a new, thankfully smaller wood burner, and a new simple fireplace. So it was good to go and re-paint the lounge. I was really worried what I might find having not been able to visit the house for nearly five months, thankfully all was well and as a bonus, we hadn’t used as much oil as I had expected so the central heating was still functioning properly – there is no gas in the village. After painting, I began to restore the lounge to its former state, as I was reassembling shelving and rehanging pictures I began reflecting on the past fourteen months. Restoring the lounge to normal felt a bit like a metaphor for the gradual restoration of normality in our common life. 

We are gradually restoring some normality to our church life. We will be guided, as always, by the Government advice and our restoration will be carefully managed. On Sunday we return to our traditional mass times – 8.00am and 10.30am. We will continue to livestream our 10.30am mass, for those who feel that they cannot yet join us physically. This Sunday we begin with a family mass led by Mother Sarah Lenton, this is establishing a pattern we hope to continue. Every first Sunday of the month will be a family and children’s mass. Children’s Church will begin again on Sunday 27th June as restrictions are further relaxed.
Limited concerts and social events will begin again in June. The Friends of St Nicholas will hold their AGM on Sunday 23rd May at 6.30pm. Unfortunately hymn singing and choir singing are still restricted till late June so we will not be able to have our usual choral evensong to accompany the Friends AGM. 
The parish will hold its AGM on Sunday 16th May after the 10.30am parish mass. This will be online and in person. At this meeting we will elect our Churchwardens and new PCC members, we will also hear about the life of the church during lockdown and also plans for the future. We do have a number of vacancies for  PCC membership and would welcome expressions of interest. You will find copies of nomination forms attached to this e-bulletin.

During the next twelve months we will work together to gradually rebuild our church community. The PCC is a vital component in this rebuilding exercise, we have a plan and we have commitment, we just need some more people as PCC members to help us deliver on our aspirations. I hope you will consider joining our PCC.

With my prayers.

Simon

Please note that from 2nd May the Parish Mass will revert back to the original time of 10.30am with an all age Family Mass on 2nd May. Children’s Church will resume back at church (St Denys) on 27th June

Nomination form for Churchwarden
Nomination form for PCC
Nomination form for Deanery Synod