Newsletter - 28/08
Rector’s Weekly Newsletter 28th August 2026
This is the last bank holiday weekend before Christmas; and, with heavy hearts, we have had to cancel our Duck Race for 2026. There are three reasons: Firstly, the river flow is simply not sufficient to sustain 1,000 ducks moving downstream without a great deal of human assistance. Secondly, the very dry weather has uprooted a number of trees, and parts of the riverbank are potentially unstable. Most importantly, there is a substantial fire risk from the barbecue and the various pieces of electrical and motorised equipment that are needed to run the event. It is a great disappointment, particularly after all the work that has already gone into planning the day, but safety has to come first. We look forward to welcoming you all back for the 2027 race, which I am sure will be an absolute “quacker” of a day!
There will be a Churchyard working party this Saturday at Poundsbridge between 1000 and 12 noon. We would particularly welcome those who can strim or brush cut with us. We are starting to neaten the central areas of the churchyard to allow better winter access to the graves. I am also keen to cut back the brambles and overgrowth on the road side of the chapel. Anyone who can bring a wheelbarrow would be an invaluable help as we reposition the compost heap, so it intrudes less on the north-eastern edge of the site and is tucked away behind the chapel. Any help with or without power tools would be gratefully received.
This weekend we send our love and very best wishes to Lucy and Rhys, who are getting married in Penshurst on Sunday afternoon. I shall also be leading a service for Mark and Sarah in Edenbridge on Saturday.
Next week, there are four funeral services in my diary, as we say farewell to members of our wider community.
On Tuesday at 2pm, I shall be holding a funeral service for Helen McGrath, a resident of Edenbridge, at Penshurst Church.
On Wednesday, we shall lay Beryl Fenner to rest. Her funeral service will take place at St Peter’s Fordcombe at 1pm, followed by a private cremation committal. The family warmly invite you to join them for the church service and for refreshments afterwards in Fordcombe Village Hall.
On Friday afternoon, we shall lay the ashes of Jacquie Maddocks to rest in St Peter’s Churchyard.
A prayer for this week:
Loving God, you search us and you know us.
Be with us in all that this week will bring: in our celebrations and our sorrows,
in our joy and in our grief,
in the moments when we feel strong
and in those when we feel weary.
May we rely on you in strength and rest in you in weakness,
trusting that you walk beside us now and in all our days.
Amen.
With every blessing for the week ahead
Lisa
Rev’d Lisa Cornell
Rector of Penshurst and Fordcombe
Upcoming Services
Sunday 30 August
10:00 - Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst
Sunday 6 September
08:00 - Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst
10:00 - Holy Communion at St Peter’s, Fordcombe
Sunday 13 September
10:00 - Holy Communion at St John the Baptist, Penshurst
Life Events:
We remember those whose anniversary falls at this time of year, they shall be prayed for in church on Sunday.
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
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)
