Dear All
It’s incredible just how active the parish becomes in October, the summer is well and truly over, last weekend was just one exciting event after another.
On Friday morning the church hosted its most successful Macmillan Coffee morning to date, all those involved raised an amazing sum of money and so many new people visited church. Everybody I talked to thought the church the very best venue for such occasions and encouraged us to make more use of our church space, so thank goodness we recognise this and have embarked on phase two of our Development Project. On Friday evening we enjoyed a fantastic ‘Talents’ Supper in the parish hall, so our thanks go out to Janet, Ian, Chris and Margo we also raised an amazing amount of money for our talents challenge.
On Saturday lots of people volunteered to arrange church for the arrival of our builders and we also managed to clear the church of years of detritus, something which makes the Vicar very happy. Then on Sunday we spent a very convivial evening with the Archbishop of Wales. There seems little let up.
Tonight we begin a new weekday evening service in church at 7.30pm followed by the continuation of our very successful Pilgrim Course. On Wednesday mornings from 10.30am – 11.45 Rev Eileen will lead a new Christian Basics course. Then next Sunday we celebrate our Harvest festival at 10.30am and our Pet Blessing service at 3pm. If you would like to bring some food next Sunday morning please can you bring items for our Foodbank project – details of the items they need are listed below. At 3pm just bring your pet!
With love
Simon
Dear Friends
On Tuesday this week (October 4th) the Church remembers St Francis of Assisi. Born in 1181, the son of a wealthy merchant, Francis gave up everything to obey the words of the Lord: ‘Leave all, and follow me’. He lived in complete poverty, preaching the Gospel. Others came to join him, and they lived a simple rule, based on the Gospel. From them grew the Franciscan Order, which spread rapidly during his own lifetime, although he ceased to be its leader and left the administration to others. St Francis’ life was a putting into practice of the Beatitudes and was marked by faith, joy, service to others, prayer, and love of all created things. He died on October 3rd 1226.
Today St Francis is known as the patron saint of animals and it is therefore appropriate that we shall be having our Pet Blessing on Sunday.
The following well-known prayer is attributed, probably incorrectly, to St Francis:
“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.”
With every blessing
Eileen