Newsletter 01/03/2024

To our Benefice Friends,

Lindsay has been out of the parish all week, embroiled in General Synod, which was longer than usual, but with a number of significant items – on race, on estates ministry, on AI, on safeguarding, on how we respond to one another within the structures of the Church. We talked of Peace, of History and its legacy – and of course money and sex. All in all, most there thought it a more positive meeting than we’ve had for a while, though.

The substance of our discussion matters. This is in part because of our international relations – the Ukrainian churches will have been encouraged by our support, while our motion committing ourselves to the Rome Call for promoting an ethicalapproach to Artificial Intelligence will have improved our ability to work internationally with partner churches – but also because many of the items, on Land and Nature, for example, or on bullying, not only commit us to action but set a tone for the Church more generally. Some of the items, on Racial Justice, for example, or on Safeguarding, were important as much because of what wasrevealed about the past as our stated intentions for the future. We are a church not just of here and now, but of deep connection with those who have gone before us, and who share our faith around the world.

We’re also chuffed to share that this week our new sound systems in the Chiddingstone Churches have been installed, so you should be able to hear Sunday’s Evensong at St Luke’s really well! Our thanks to all those who have worked really hard to pull this together.

We still have our vacancies to fill:

Benefice Treasurer;

Benefice Safeguarding Lead, and/or parish safeguarding officer for Chiddingstone;

Benefice Buildings Rep;

Chiddingstone Church Warden;

Joint Council Member in one of the new roles to be formed in the upcoming annual meeting.

Do please talk to Lisa, or any of our Churchwardens, if you think you might be able to fill one of our important roles, or if you think you have another gifting you feel able to share. If you would simply like to have a chat with either Lisa or Lindsay, we are always happy to call (round) – just ask!

The Lent Groupscontinue – it’s not too late to join in, if you would like, or simply to pick up the book, Loving My Neighbourand follow it in your own time.

From our memorial book, we remember with thanksgiving: 

1-Mar

Reginald Roy Slack

2-Mar

Gerry Waddell
Richard (Dickie) Kemp

3-Mar

4-Mar

5-Mar

Deirdre Stewart

6-Mar

7-Mar

Basil Everest

8-Mar

Winifred Edith Corney

9-Mar

Terrance Leslie Fox                                                                                

Leslie Thomas William Stroud
Jean Grace James                                                                                                                    

Helen Mackenzie

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.

The upcoming services are –

Sunday 3rd (Lent 3)

1000 Holly Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst

1800 Evensong at St Luke’s, Chiddingstone Causeway

Sunday 10th (Lent 4) Mothering Sunday

0800 Morning Prayer at St Mary the Virgin, Chiddingstone

1000  All Age Holy Communion with the distribution of posies St Peter’s, Fordcombe

Sunday 17th (Lent 5)

0800 Morning prayer at St John the Baptist, Penshurst

1000 Holy Communion at St Luke’s, Chiddingstone Causeway  

Learning and growing: 

Some upcoming courses in the wider diocese - 

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. 

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