Newsletter -08 - 30
Greetings from Your Rector, Rev’d Lisa Cornell.
August is ending, and I am amazed at how early the leaves have started to fall. I was thrilled a few days ago to take delivery of a leaf blower and one of those special scoops for gathering leaves and debris. I do love a gadget!
Last weekend was a busy one in Penshurst, with several hundred worshippers coming through the doors for two weddings, a baptism, and a well-attended Sunday Holy Communion. On Bank Holiday Monday, the village was awash with circa 2,000 imitation waterfowl. The Annual Duck race was well attended and raised valuable funds for the local community. Thank you to Stephen Hazell-Smith and his expert team from across the village for the tremendous efforts that go into this event.
This weekend we are delighted to celebrate with Alexander and Rosie who marry in Chiddingstone on Saturday. We congratulate Alfred who is being baptised in Penshurst on Sunday. Also on Sunday, I shall lay the ashes of Angela Bell to rest in Fordcombe Churchyard alongside her late husband. We pray for all of these families and their loved ones as they mark these important turning points.
I am sad to announce the death last Sunday of Viv Timothy. Viv and her family have lived for many years on the Chiddingstone / Ide Hill border. Viv’s funeral will be over two days. A private family ceremony will be held at the Crematorium on Monday 8th September. On Tuesday 9th there will be a memorial service at St Mary’s Chiddingstone with a celebration afterwards at Chid Castle. The exact times are still being finalised and is pencilled in as ‘lunchtime.’ I will provide an update once available.
Next week, the Autumn term begins in our local schools. I am relieved to have passed through the years of shoe and uniform shopping and furious name tape sewing for my daughters. I hope that the six weeks of R and R have been of benefit to students, staff, and their families. In Fordcombe School, we welcome and pray for their new headteacher. Mrs Julie Burton, the headteacher of Bidborough School will, with help from the Tenax Trust, also lead Fordcombe School through this academic year. We also pray for Kate Haysom the Headteacher at Chiddingstone School and Sue Elliot our leader at Penshurst School . We wish all of our local school staff every success in the year ahead.
I shall be attending some training events in Penshurst School on Monday, so my rest day will be Tuesday and not Monday this week. Funeral services on consecutive Mondays mean that I will not have my usual pattern of rest days for the next three weeks. I close with this prayer for all starting new classes, schools, and colleges in the days ahead:
Heavenly Father
We ask for your blessing for the new academic year. We pray for our school and college families, the staff, and all students as they start this year together. We ask for a sense of peace to surround us and the resilience to adapt to anything unfamiliar.
Grant us all wisdom in learning, courage in challenges, and kindness in friendships.
Help us to use our talents well, to grow in knowledge and faith, and to build communities of respect and care.
May God’s Spirit guide everyone's thoughts, words, and actions,
so that this academic year may be filled with hope, joy, and growth.
We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
In this edition:
Ø Services
Services:
Sunday 31 August
1000 Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst
7th September
1000 Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Penshurst.
1000 Evening Prayer service with the blessing of pets. All Souls, Poundsbridge.
14th September
0800 Holy Communion St John the Baptist, Penshurst.
1000 Holy Communion St Peter’s Fordcombe.
1000 Holy Communion (or Matins) St Mary’s, Chiddingstone.
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)
