Dear Friends,

As we move into the month of October, our thoughts start to turn to Harvest Thanksgiving. It’s a month where we notice the evenings drawing in earlier.
It feels darker as we are getting up in the mornings and the clocks go back.

Over the past few years we have partnered with our friends from The Larder food bank and collected in some foodstuffs that they are in need of for distribution. We try to collect in these non-perishable items over a couple of months and then pass them on in advance of the Christmas period. All items are welcome, but needed in particular are tinned assorted
beans, jams, condiments, tinned fish and tinned tomatoes.

We look forward to welcoming the agency Fields of Life to speak at our Harvest Thanksgiving service on the morning of Sunday 27th October
at 11am. Fields of Life have had a close connection with our church since around 1999 and do amazing work in building schools and waterholes
throughout East Africa. We have a catering team who offer refreshments after funerals and the proceeds go to support the work of Fields of Life. Over the years we have had parishioners who have travelled to Uganda to
help on building teams and it’s a great opportunity to hear about this vital work which makes such a difference to communities where life is so challenging.

In the evening we look forward to welcoming as our preacher Reverend Ross Wilson who is the Rector of our neighbouring parish of St. John’s, Orangefield. Ross is a very gifted communicator and we look forward to him coming to share with us. He’s no stranger here having preached on a number of occasions for Divine Healing Ministries at the Tuesday night
service. We look forward to these special services on 27th October.

One of the areas we have been focussing on in recent years is trying to
encourage people to take care of their mental health. Many people have been affected by challenging events like the recent pandemic, the cost of
living crisis with spiralling costs for energy and groceries and the
seemingly endless cycle of conflict in places like Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Gaza. The news cycle brings terrible reports of atrocities and loss of
life on all sides. These events contribute to a sense of anxiety we all feel.
There seems to be a rise in hate crime and racially motivated attacks on
individuals and communities and their properties and businesses. We are keen to explore ways in which we can become more resilient and make some sort of meaningful response to these global events which have an impact on daily life here and the way we feel about the world. We are
inviting Dr. Stephen Rodgers, a GP and Pastor to come and lead a seminar on mental health on 17th October. Further details will follow. Stephen has
spoken very powerfully about managing stress in the past and has many years of experience to draw upon from his work as a GP and Pastor. We look forward to hearing his wisdom later this month.

Another event to look forward to is the fundraising concert by the Lindsay Chorale on Saturday 19th October at 7.30pm in the church. They will
be accompanied by our own Daniel Clements and tickets are available from our Glebewarden Karen Gately at a cost of £15. The proceeds will
go towards St. Finnian’s Parish church.

One of the things we have been trying to foster is a sense of daisy-chaining parish events and creating a culture of invitation. If people have had a positive experience at our invitation service in September, it’s good to be able to invite them to events like the evening on our mental health, or the concert or our Harvest celebrations. People always value a personal
invitation and the chance to sit with someone they know and to be made to feel welcome if they dip their toe into parish events or worship services.

There are other things too which may be of interest from crafting to Pilates or Mothers’ Union. People might like to join the choir or have children or
grandchildren who might enjoy our Toddlers’ Group, Anchor Boys, Boys’ Brigade, Sunday School or Messy Church.

Don’t forget to check out the new prayer space off the Huston Hall in the Glebes’ Room. It’s a space where groups of 3-5 people can meet to pray
together in Prayer Cells if they prefer an alternative space to their homes or an outdoor space.

We love to encourage people to pray for all those ongoing activities which take place in the life of our church and for things happening locally and
internationally.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like a visit from one of the clergy who would be delighted to come to your home and pray with you
about anything which may be of
ongoing concern. Sometimes when we visit, people are out for all sorts of reasons. Although we leave cards, people don’t always respond. If there is anything we can do which would be of help, please let us know.

With very best wishes.

Jonathan Pierce (Rector)

Telephone 02890 793822