Dear Friends,

One of the highlights of recent weeks has been the opportunity to walk together through Lent, Holy Week and Easter and to be able to do so in person. This is not a privilege we take for granted, given the events of the past couple of years. Last year our Holy Week services were recorded behind closed doors and, while it is marvellous to have the technological resources to do this and the people who so willingly help to operate them, it is not the same as walking through these events together in person.

We are looking forward to welcoming Bishop David to the parish on Thursday 30th June at 7.30pm for the Service of Confirmation. It has been a few years since we have been able to have Confirmation in the parish and we hope people will avail of that opportunity. Confirmation is open to those who are 13 and older. Sometimes we have adults who have never had the chance at an earlier point to explore their faith in a bit more depth and experience Confirmation so this is an ideal opportunity.

We normally prepare through attending a series of classes which are informal and interactive and, for young people, those will take place on Sunday evenings from 5-6pm in the Coffee Bar beginning on 1st May. We have written to those on our parish lists who are in that age bracket but, in case we have missed anyone, please get in touch if you are interested.

Going forward, we are mindful of the importance of a hybrid approach as we emerge from the pandemic. There are some for whom attending events online is much more accessible and practical with the various demands in their lives. We will be continuing to offer the Alpha course online, a course that offers people the opportunity to explore questions they might have about faith and the meaning of life and discovering our purpose in the world. Many great friendships have been forged through participating in this course over the past couple of years. It lasts for 10 weeks and our next course begins on 27th April from 8-9pm. To register just contact the Rector who will send you a Zoom link and a video to watch each week with the other participants. There’s the opportunity to discuss these from the comfort of your own home in small discussion groups facilitated by parishioners. We have been delighted to welcome people from different places and backgrounds over these past years.

We are also looking forward to welcoming our online prayer community back together after our Lenten services and the online prayer meeting will take place on Thursdays at 7pm, resuming on Thursday 21st April.

We are also waiting on news of the visa application of the family from Ukraine we hope to welcome to a local house in the coming weeks. This is a big undertaking in faith as we seek to offer refuge and a welcome to a family from Mariupol who have suffered enormously following the Russian invasion. We ask you to pray for Evgen the Dad, Katerina the mum, Alina and Arina the daughters and Inna the grandmother. Arina was born in a basement during the shelling of Mariupol. The family have had a very traumatic journey as they fled through Russia, into Latvia and they are currently in Warsaw in Poland. We recently received a photo of baby Arina getting her first warm bath in a dormitory in Warsaw. Anyone who remembers taking their children home for the first time from hospital will know what an anxious time that is and to have to flee from place to place with a newborn baby in tow is unimaginable for most of us. We will be seeking assistance with furnishing the house and with financial pledges to cover the rent and living costs of the family and details of this will appear as they become known to us. We hope people will be able to help this family as we respond as a church family to what is a dreadful and frightening situation. We continue to pray for the people of Russia and Ukraine caught up in this conflict and for all efforts to bring about a ceasefire.

Another event we look forward to celebrating soon will be the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. We hope to mark that special weekend at the beginning of June with a special service and some form of gathering together for the celebration. Details will be published as those plans are completed. We salute Her Majesty on this wonderful landmark and her incredible example of steadiness and faithfulness in serving the Commonwealth over such a long period.

We are delighted to see parish activities up and running both in terms of organisations and new initiatives. It brings a real sense of vitality and encouragement as we enter the brighter days.

With very best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Pierce (Rector)

Telephone 02890 793822