23rd May 2021

Pentecost

TODAY

Services will be held in the church building.

8:00                    Holy Communion in Church (traditional language).

10:00                   Holy Communion in Church and on the Telephone and YouTube 

4pm                     Church at 4 is in church this Sunday – celebrating Pentecost. The need for social distancing means that the capacity of the church building is limited, so if attending in person you will need to book your space (details below)

Booking for church services – please can you replace the Eventbrite link for 10am with the more general one for the church; people will then be able to pick the particular service they want to book for:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/wroughton-amp-wichelstowe-pcc-31164868617

 

Sunday 30th May 2021

Climate Sunday

Next Sunday we will be marking Climate Sunday. At 10am we will have a special climate focused service, to explore the theological and scientific basis of creation care and action on climate, to pray, and to commit to action. This would be a good service to invite people to.

NEXT WEEK

8:00                      Holy Communion (traditional language)

Preacher:             Revd Phill Harrison

Sidespersons:     Joan & Ron Reader

10:00                    Morning Worship in Church and on the Telephone and YouTube. The need for social distancing means that the capacity of the church building is limited, so if attending in person you will need to book your space (details below)

Preacher:             Revd Phill Harrison

Sidespersons:     Ross Fralley and Lillian Wicks

4pm                     Church at 4 via Zoom join the Church at 4 group on our Facebook page for the meeting invite and password.

Booking for Church Services

The need for social distancing means that the capacity of the church building is limited. If you wish to attend the 10am or Church at 4 services in person then you will need to book your place in advance each week. You can do this in two ways:

There is no need to book if you are attending the 8am or 6pm services, but you will need to sign-in for Covid track and trace purposes Please make sure that you have and wear a face mask; and be aware that you may not be able to sit in your ‘normal’ pew! We will of course be following all the government and C of E guidelines with regard to social distancing and cleaning etc. our detailed Covid-19 risk assessment is available on request.

10am Telephone service

The 10am telephone service is still taking place, so if you can’t join us in the church building please do dial in – you will be taking part in the service in church, albeit remotely.

  • To join the Sunday service first dial this number: 03300 945 940.
  • When prompted, enter the room number, followed by # on your telephone keypad: 60527473 #
  • Finally, enter the guest PIN: 2656 #
  • You may have to listen to some announcements, but you will then be automatically joined to the conference call. Join in with the responses in the liturgy as you would normally.

Calls to ‘03’ numbers are charged at the standard national rate and are included in your ‘free minutes’ if you have a call-plan.

Live streaming the 10am service

The 10am service will be live streamed on You Tube. As well as getting video, the sound quality should be better than the phone. However, unlike the telephone option, you will not be able to interact with other people or to be heard in the service. We don’t recommend trying to use both You Tube and the phone at the same time as this could cause an echo on the phone line, there is also a delay of about 30 seconds which is very off-putting. Please visit our YouTube Channel on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc6wnuTqXBYTixq-NpQgeLQ and press the ‘subscribe’ button. 

The 3rd National Big Church Read

Sometimes coincidences happen and sometimes it’s God… ‘How to Pray’ by Pete Grieg has been chosen as the subject of the 3rd National Church Big Read, starting on 24th May. This ties in really well with our Lent course and with our current sermon series, which were/are also based on this book. If you sign up then each week you will receive access to an exclusive video, reading plan and discussion questions for you to use as an individual or as part of a group. Why not do it with a friend?

The reading plan is on the back of the notice sheet and more information can be found here: https://thebigchurchread.co.uk/howtopray/

Help for Little Lambs

We have had a request from Discovery Church about the mother and toddler group ‘Little Lambs’. They would like us to become partners with them in this group especially as Nicola used to go each week and they have always thought of it as a community group rather than just Discovery Church. The group meets on Wednesday mornings and hope to start again at the end of June. At the moment they need some help with jobs like making coffees and teas for the carers, arriving early to set up and then disappearing before popping back to help repack the shed at 12 or being there the whole time (not necessarily every week) to support carers/parents/grandparents. If you think you could help in any way, regularly or occasionally let me know and I will put you in contact with the right people. This could be an important community contact for us and part of our outreach to young families so please think about helping if you can.  Barbara 

Deanery School Prayer space

During the week leading up to Pentecost the Deanery School chaplaincy team have been running a prayer space. 15 prayer stations containing a mixture of interactive and reflective activities were set up around what will eventually become the sixth form common room. Every class in the school spent 45 minutes in the space, helped by volunteers from Pattern Church, Swindon Youth for Christ, the Stowe Church and Revd Phill. The students engaged really well, reflecting on the losses and difficulties of the past year, thinking about people who need particular help and care at the moment and looking forward to the future. Please pray for the staff and students, that God would be near to them and that they would have a good break over half term.

Date for your diary!

The Kingfisher CE Primary School in Wichelstowe will welcome its first group of reception pupils on Thursday 2nd September, marking the official opening of the school. When the Deanery School opened in September 2019 representatives from our church formed part of the welcoming party, welcoming the children to their new school by waving flags and streamers. We’d like to do something similar when the Kingfisher opens, so save the date!

Recycle your printer cartridges

Do have spent printer cartridges and are wondering how to dispose of them ethically? Cartridges for Charity can do this for you and will collect a minimum of 15 for free. As individuals are unlikely to have a large number, Janet Burchell is willing to collect them in the church office. Please make sure cartridges are wrapped to avoid leakage and list their make and model.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

Geoff Naylor, the local debt advisor for CAP and a member of Wroughton Discovery Church, is embarking on 230-mile walk to raise funds for this very worthwhile charity. He writes:

I have seen at first hand how debt loads individuals and families with worry and further poverty as interest accrues. Sadly this can lead to despair and family breakup.

I have also seen how working with CAP brings hope, stability and a way forward as they deal with creditors and help people to make the most of their income. The joy of seeing people becoming debt free and often drawing closer to God drives me on. 

To help sustain the CAP Debt Centre in Swindon I am walking solo 230 miles from Fort William to Cape Wrath through the mountain wilderness beginning on 26th May and camping each night.

As CAP is a charity that this church supports, please consider sponsoring Geoff via his JustGiving page. Here is the link:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/swindon-cap-debt-centre-walk?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=swindon-cap-debt-centre-walk&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=15855e6c45cc4cd089072efe2bbdbb8f.
If you want to give but are unwilling to do so via the internet, please speak to Margaret Penfound.

Eco Top Tips – practical ways to take better care of God’s creation

May – In the utility room 

Cut up old clothes or sheets that you were going to throw out, to use as clothes for cleaning jobs rather than buying new cleaning clothes.

Did you know that the PCC buys 100% green electricity from renewable, UK sources: on-shore wind farms 50.7%, off-shore wind farms 30.4% and solar 18.9%. 

Parish Office

Next week I will be working Monday 24th, Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th May.  I will be on holiday from Thursday 27th May and will return on Wednesday 2nd June.  If you have anything for the notices please let me have it by Wednesday morning.  Many thanks Janet Burchell

Funerals

We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have, died recently David Evans and Ann Richards. 

‘Wroughton Churchyard

The PCC is advertising locally the following notice of the Secretary of State’s intention to apply for a Closure Order of the churchyard at Wroughton Parish Church on the grounds that there is no proper room for new graves. The closure process is lengthy and it is estimated that the unused grave spaces will be used by April 2022:-

‘PROPOSED CLOSURE OF St John the Baptist & St Helen Churchyard, Wroughton

Notice is hereby given that it is the intention of the Secretary of State for Justice, acting on

an application by the incumbent and churchwardens, to apply to the Privy Council for an

Order requiring the discontinuance of burials in the above churchyard.

Provision would be made for the following exceptions:-

  • in any vault or walled grave in the churchyard, burial may be allowed but every coffin in such vault or grave must be separately enclosed by stonework or brick work properly cemented;
  • in any existing earthen grave in the churchyard, the burial may be allowed of the body of any member of the family of the person or persons previously buried in that grave, but no part of the coffin containing the body shall be less than one metre below the level of the surface of the ground adjoining the grave; and
  • in any grave space in which no interment has previously taken place, the burial may be allowed of any person for whom, or any member of the family for which that grave space has been reserved and appropriated, with the exclusive right of burial there, but no part of the coffin containing the body shall be less than one metre below the level of the surface of the ground adjoining the grave.

 

Any representations about the proposed closure should be sent to the Coroners and

Burials Team, Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ (quoting

reference CC/APR21/003) by 14 June 2021.’