5th September 2020
Benefice of Farleigh, Candover and Wield
e-mail: davidchattell172@btinternet.com e-mail:- stevemourant@btinternet.com
01256 389474 01256 381217
Living the life...telling the story....visit us at http://www.farleighcandoverandwield.org.uk
Letter no 30 September 5th 2020
Benefice of Farleigh, Candover and Wield
e-mail: davidchattell172@btinternet.com e-mail:- stevemourant@btinternet.com
01256 389474 01256 381217
Living the life...telling the story....visit us at http://www.farleighcandoverandwield.org.uk
Dear friends,
September 6th marks the resumption of a relatively normal worship pattern, compared to the last 6 months, after more than 50 online services from us, plus letters and phone calls, hopefully supporting you all and enabling you to think about your Christian faith, living your life in the light of God’s Word and Hope, and helping others by your actions.
Stephen says: “I keep on coming across folk who have told me of others who have so helped them, which has been most encouraging to hear of faith in action.”
Some of us have struggled during these last few months, others have had huge trials – health, bereavement, job loss, whilst others have found new ways of serving others and being enterprising in job retention and innovation. So where to from here? (Stephen’s 1/32nd Irish heritage would say, “If I was going there I wouldn’t start from here.”!).
Worship: David and Stephen have now stopped their online services (although you can still find them on You-tube: “Farleigh Parish,” via the benefice website or a You tube search will find them). Now we return together, to pray, to give thanks, to sing (well, scratch choirs are possible in chancels singing to the others..), and to receive communion.
There are some instructions for us to follow – see attached – the more we venture out, the quicker we will recover confidence to be together, and to follow Christ anew with faith rewarded, prayer lives deepened ( we hope) and a willingness to serve so that our Christian faith can be propagated more widely through our lives, words and actions.
Stephen is starting two exploring faith groups in late September – Thursday evenings and a daytime group, day and time depending on what suits the majority of those who want to grow in their grasp of Jesus, and His love for each of us. David may well run the Bible Course again which began in February but had to stop, so please be adventurous.
This will be the last weekly letter, parish magazines are now back in production, and we are available to support and encourage each of you at whatever stage you are in your walk with God.
The appointment of a part-time benefice administrator, held up by the pandemic, will commence with adverts in the October magazines – if you are interested and would like an informal chat to gauge whether you want to apply, David and Stephen would be happy to speak with you. Job description and all necessary documentation has been prepared. It is hoped that they will start in January 2021, and Stephen will take major lead in training.
We would urge you all to develop your own personal prayer lives – the poverty of prayer across our benefice is only too obvious, with pockets of encouragement too: are you too afraid to pray out loud? Then maybe you need to join in a group to learn – come along to the exploring faith courses, and you can learn and grow.
Fellowship Group will also be re-starting soon, and on Wednesday mornings, 9.00 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. weekly, we have an online half hour of prayer, led by Peter and Sylvia Raine: – contact peter.c.w.raine@btinternet.com.
God’s purposes being worked out behind all the chaos of the last six months will become apparent in due time; He calls us to trust Him, to wait in prayer upon Him. Stephen says, ”I have been driven back to prayer over these last few months, with some weeks of feeling low in the early days, with levels of frustration, some anger at some of the incompetence I’ve seen more widely in our nation; but there have been some encouragements – spiritual conversations with unlikely people, a couple of folk encountering Jesus as I prayed for them, and others moved on a few inches towards knowing Christ personally have been the “God-moments” that make this job so worthwhile.”
Have you any stories about lockdown? Email them to our new Hill and Dale Editor, Jean Frost, by 12 September at hillanddaleeditor@gmail.com for a round-up at Farleigh end of the benefice.
AND two other things to pray for: do you have a secretarial gift? The PCC will need a new secretary from the October APCM (which will be held on Wed., 21 October, 7.30 p.m. at Ellisfield Village Hall): Is God calling you to offer yourself for this ministry? Gill Palmer, the current secretary will explain all to anyone who would like to explore this role.
May God pour out His Holy Spirit this autumn, quickening us, increasing a God-awareness, a realisation of God’s imminence, and His peace entering our souls.
In His love, David and Stephen
Farleigh, Candover and Wield
Welcome back to Sunday Worship.
As we get back to our more normal way of life, there is guidance published by the Church of England that we need to follow for the moment, as fits our local situation.
- Please use hand sanitizer as you arrive, and kindly observe social distancing before, during and after the service– as we are now used to doing.
- Facemasks are currently mandatory in enclosed spaces and during any Church Worship services, except by those who are officiating or reading lessons or prayers.
- Singing is still not allowed by congregations, but choirs are now allowed to sing to you; if you want to sit in the choir stalls to sing, socially distanced, that’s ok.
- Using service cards/booklets and hymnbooks is perfectly safe: these are generally only used one or twice a month, and so any possibility of virus transfer is very small as any virus we are told can only live a maximum of 72 hours only on any surface.
- Holy Communion:
The wafers and wine will be consecrated in the normal way: come forward and receive a wafer; then take one of the small tumblers from a tray with individual cups, drink the wine, placing the empty tumbler on the other tray, and return to your place.
We will do our best to resume normal services as soon as possible, restricted only by edict from government or House of Bishops.
Rev. David Chattell, Rector
Rev. Stephen Mourant Associate Rector,
September 2020
Services this month:
Sunday 6 Sept:
8.00 Holy Communion BCP Ellisfield
9.45 Holy Communion CW Cliddesden
11.15 Harvest Festival Dummer
(possibly outdoors depending on weather)
13 Sept:
8.00 Holy Communion BCP Dummer
9.45 Holy Communion CW Ellisfield
11.15 Family Communion CW Cliddesden
20 Sept:
8.00 Holy Communion BCP Ellisfield
9.45 Holy Communion CW Dummer
11.15 Family Harvest Festival Service Cliddesden
(possibly outdoors depending on weather)
Sat 26 Sept:
6.00 p.m. Holy Communion BCP Cliddesden
Sunday 27 Sept:
9.45 Holy Communion CW Dummer
11.15 Harvest Festival Ellisfield
(possibly outdoors depending on weather)