Newsletter -12 - 13
Advent Greetings from Penshurst Rectory!
Thank you to everyone involved in last week’s Penshurst Christmas Fair. It was the village at its absolute best, full of warmth, generosity, and community spirit. We are also grateful for the magnificent Christmas programme delivered by the Penshurst Choral Society and our musical director, D’Arcy Trinkwon, last Saturday evening.
There are two services tomorrow, an 0800 Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst and a 1000 Holy Communion at St Peter’s Fordcombe.
This week brings many school events to our village churches. In St Mary’s Chiddingstone, the nursery nativity takes place on Monday afternoon, and the Key Stage 2 Carol Service on Wednesday evening. In Fordcombe, the school Christmas play is in school on Tuesday afternoon, followed by the End of Term Service at St Peter’s on Friday morning. In Penshurst, there is a Key Stage 1 nativity on Wednesday afternoon and a Key Stage 2 Carol Service on Thursday morning. I suspect tea-towel and tinsel sales are enjoying a seasonal rise! Precise timings are on the school websites. There are also traditional Carol Services next Sunday, the 21st, at 6:00pm in both St Luke’s and St John the Baptist churches.
As we approach Christmas, the pace and emotion of the season can feel overwhelming, especially for those who are bereaved. Gwen Dennard has kindly placed a Memorial Tree in St John the Baptist Church. Please feel free to add the names of those you would like to be remembered; all names placed on the tree will be included in our prayers next Sunday morning. The tree will remain in situ until Epiphany. While most of our Advent and Christmas services will be joyful and celebratory, next Sunday’s 10:00am Eucharist at St John the Baptist, will be our Blue Christmas Service, offering a quieter space to contemplate the season. In place of the normal sermon and intercessions, there will be an opportunity to light candles and to pray for those we miss, as well as for situations that weigh heavily on our hearts at this time of year. I hope this will provide a contemplative and hopeful space.
For those wishing to attend, the funeral for Chloe Phillips will take place at the Kent and Sussex Crematorium on Friday 16th January at 10:45am. We hold Caroline, Tim, and their family and friends in our prayers.
As Tunbridge Wells emerges from its temporary drought, and with the influx of shoppers to the new branch of Primark, we pray for ourselves and our wider community, that amidst the busyness, there may be time to experience God’s perfect peace and his light in the darkness. A prayer for the third Sunday in Advent:
God of joy and gentle light,
as we draw near to the celebration of Christ’s birth,
renew in us the hope that does not fade
and the peace that the world cannot give.
Strengthen those who wait in longing,
comfort the broken-hearted,
and make our hearts ready to welcome your Son.
May your Spirit fill us with courage, compassion,
and the quiet joy of your coming kingdom.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
With every blessing for the week ahead
Lisa
Rev’d Lisa Cornell
Rector of Penshurst, Fordcombe and The Chiddingstones.
Christmas Cards Now Available
Our new Christmas cards are on sale! Each pack contains 5 cards with envelopes for £5. All proceeds will go to the Friends of St John’s.
If you’d like to purchase a pack, please contact Matthew Stevens at matthewshakeystevens@gmail.com or Stephen Hazell-Smith at loftskand@hotmail.com.
A preview of the design is attached.
In this edition:
Ø Services
Services:
Sunday 14th December
0800 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: Holy Communion
1000 St Luke’s, Chiddingstone Causeway: Holy Communion.
1000 St Peters, Fordcombe: Holly Communion
Sunday 21st December
1000 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: Holy Communion
1800 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: Nine Lessons and Carols
1800 St Luke’s, Chiddingstone Causeway: Nine Lessons and Carols
Wednesday 24th December
2200 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: Holy Communion for Christmas Night
1600 St Peters, Fordcombe: Carol Service
1730 St Mary’s, Chiddingstone: Carols by Candlelight
2330: St Mary’s, Chiddingstone: Midnight Mass
Thursday 25th December
1030 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: All Age Service for Christmas Day
1030 St Luke’s, Chiddingstone Causeway: All Age Holy Communon
09:00 St Peters, Fordcombe: Holly Communion
Sunday 28th December
0800 St John the Baptist, Penshurst: Holy Communion
Life Events:
Ø We remember those whose anniversary falls at this time of year, they shall be prayed for in church on Sunday.
Ø Learning and growing:
Don’t forget the new National Safeguarding Standards. There is a link to the new leaflet on our website, and you’ll see posters going up in our churches soon. And following the appointment of our new benefice Safeguarding Officer, Wendy Ellis, we now have a contact email established – please direct any safeguarding queries or issues to safeguarding@highwealdchurches.org.uk
Ø Mailing:
If you know anyone who would like to be added to our weekly mailing, do let us know (and similarly let us know if you’d like to come off, though we’d be sad to see you go). If you’d like to contribute to the work of the benefice, you can go to our parish giving page via the www.parishgiving.org.uk website (we’d be very grateful). Alternatively, you can always find it on our benefice website: https://www.highwealdchurches.org.uk/news)
