Newsletter 20/01/24
To our Benefice Friends,
This week past much of the benefice came together to say goodbye to Carol Benton, who for many years served her local community in a number of ways but with consistent love and commitment. Please continue to hold her and her family in your prayers. And as we start a new year, do let us know if you would like the benefice to pray for your dead at their year’s mind. You can either fill in the form on our website, or get in touch with us directly. There is a small fee if you would also like us to add their names to our book of remembrance, do ask us for more information if that is the case.
On which note, do please visit our website - https://www.highwealdchurches.org.uk It is still a little rough around the edges, but we’re trying to encourage traffic locally so that it’s internet ‘presence’ increases. If, while you’re there, you notice any teething problems, please let us know.
This week was also met as a benefice Joint Council and began preparing for our annual meeting – of which more anon – and to agree a provision service plan for the coming months. This has been slimmed down to enable Lisa and Lindsay better to support one another while they recover from the stresses they have been under. Instead of two 10am services every week, as is usual, with some additions, we are having only one 10am in the benefice, supported by at least one other service, either early morning or tea-time, at the other end of the benefice. We have also made the decision to omit lay-led services at 10am, for a number of reasons, not least of which is so that we can all come together over this time of renewal and reflection. Please be assured, Matins is not abandoned, but it will be returning with the new pattern of services to be put before the AJCM (annual meeting of the Joint Church council) along with a – hopefully – richer provision across the board. (You can keep track of upcoming services in our regular mailing and on our shiny new website!)
Also at our JCC meeting we reviewed the Bishop’s Guidelines for intincting Communion bread. “Simultaneous Communion (aka intinction), where practiced, should only be administered by the minister. Congregants should not be dipping their ow n bread into the chalice.” This is concisely explained in this article by the Diocese of Europe.
Finally it became apparent that there is a lack of clarity about the role of the Joint Council in the wider community of the benefice. Do please read Lisa’s Governance Report, which tries to set out how the Benefice has been structured. We have several vacancies on the Joint Council and wider parish administration that need filling – see separate note from Lisa on Governance matters.
As mentioned last week, Lent begins on the 14th February, this year, which means –
· We will be reading Loving My Neighbour together, with our Lent groups meeting each week to discuss the chapter. One will be on Wednesday evenings, in rotating locations (contact us for details) and one will be hosted at Chid Rectory, Fridays at 10.30. All comers welcome!
· We will be using the Advent books again, to give them a longer run for feedback.
· We’re going to be holding two services on the 14th – see below – one penitential, and one celebratory!
Please pray for little Leonora Beare, being Christened on Sunday, and hold her and her family in your prayers as they prepare for this important day.
From our memorial book, we remember with thanksgiving:
21-Jan
Betty Raymond
22-Jan
Alistair David Robertson
23-Jan
Sidney Cutler
24-Jan
25-Jan
Patricia Ann Banks
26-Jan
Frank William May
27-Jan
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.
The upcoming services are –
Sunday 21st January
10am: United Benefice Sung Holy Communion at St Luke’s Chiddingtone Causeway
5pm: United Benefice All age Service Fordcombe Village Hall
Sunday 28th January
10.00am: United Benefice Sung Holy Communion at St John the Baptist Church Penshurst
6pm: United Benefice Compline at St Mary the Virgin Church in the Chapel.
Please mark in your diaries –
Ash Wednesday
0915 Ash Wednesday Service led by Fordcombe School at St Peter’s
1800 Ash Wednesday Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes at St Luke’s
1900 A service to celebrate St Valentine’s Day. St Luke’s at St Luke’s.
Learning and growing:
Some upcoming courses in the wider diocese -
Steps to lip reading in church, a four week Bible lip reading course. The course will teach some basic lip reading shapes from a biblical theme each week and give strategies for supporting communication.
The course is free, and on Zoom, but donations to the Anna chaplaincy are gratefully received.
Mondays Jan 15, 22, 29 and February 5th, 2-3pm on Zoom.
To book contact judi.pettman@gmail.com
“In the beginning was the Word…”
A Quiet Day with space to prayerfully experiment with words and ways of writing.
Saturday 3 February 2024 10am - 3pm
at St Benedict’s Centre, West Malling ME196JX
For more information, see the Diocesan website.
A Quiet Day in Lent with space to prayerfully reflect on key moments in Jesus' ministry
Saturday 24 February 2024 10am - 3pm
For more information, see the Diocesan website.
An Introduction to Christian Meditation
Saturday 23rd March 2024 10am - 3pm
at St Benedict’s Centre, West Malling ME196JX
For more information, see the Diocesan website.
It’s your calling, It’s Your Calling is aimed at those exploring where God may be calling and looks at our journey and the gifts that God has given us, as well as the Biblical understanding of vocation. The day gives an opportunity to meet others on a similar quest and to take time to think where God could be calling.
24th February, St Andrew’s Church Paddock Wood
You will need your incumbent’s approval to attend this event. Please download and complete the booking form that you will receive a link to in your confirmation email. You should return it to the address given at least one week before the event.
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).
Best wishes,
Lisa & Lindsay