The Presentation / Candlemas
TODAY
8am MORNING PRAYER in Church
10.00am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube
NEXT WEEK
Tuesday 30th January 9.00am Morning Prayer – Church
Thursday 1st February 9.00am Morning Prayer – Church
Friday 2nd February 8.00pm Bellringer’s AGM – Church
SUNDAY 4th February 2024
2nd Sunday before Lent
8am HOLY COMMUNION in Church
Preacher: Revd Phill Harrison
Sidespersons: Jean Reens and Christine Wrixon
10.00am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube
Preacher: Andy Bissex
Intercessor: Marion Colton
Reading: Colossians 1. 15-20
Reader: Peter Ferguson
Altar Server: Kathy Gregory and Petrina Kingsley
Sidespersons: Jean Ford and Lyn Hezlett
6pm EVENSONG in Church
Preacher: Dr John Godfree
Intercessor: Janet Henderson
Reading: Genesis 2. 4b-end
Reader: Tim Winter
Sidespersons: Tony & Julia Edmonds
Live streaming the 10am service
The 10am service will be live streamed on You Tube. Please visit our YouTube Channel on https://www.youtube.com/@WroughtonWichelstoweParChurch (or search for Wroughton and Wichelstowe Parish church) and press the ‘subscribe’ button.
‘Sunday Club’ dates
Our Sunday morning group for primary school aged children takes place in the Vicarage during the 10am service, usually on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Future dates are:
| Date | Adults- lead/support |
| 4/2 | Barbara/Carolyn |
| 18/2 | Sally/Miriam |
| 3/3 | Karen H/ Lyn |
| 17/3 | Hannah/Holly |
| 7/4 | Joan/Helena T |
Small Groups
If you would like to join a small group, please contact the leaders of the groups below and find out where there is space. We would love to have everyone involved in a small group.
| 22 Kellsborough Avenue | Mondays 10am-11.30 | Lillian Wicks & Louise Bessent |
| 12 Artis Avenue | Tuesdays at 7.30pm | Carolyn Kirk |
| Church Hall | Alternate Tuesday evenings | Nick Orman |
| The Vicarage | Wednesday evenings during term time. | Karen & Phill Harrison |
| Church Hall | Saturday men’s breakfast | Mike Mason |
Update on the Deanery School
Many people will have seen in the press that The Deanery School in Wichelstowe was given a Special Measures judgement by OFSTED in September. This was a very disappointing outcome for the school; it doesn’t reflect the level of care, dedication and hard work put in by staff at the school, but it is reflective of some of the significant challenges that they have faced over the last few years. As a result of this judgement, the Department for Education will be taking responsibility for running The Deanery and The Kingfisher schools away from DBAT (Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust) and joining them with another school multi-academy trust. Loss of such a large school has a significant impact on DBAT’s finances and means that they cannot continue to support their remaining primary schools in the way that they need to. DBAT trustees have therefore take the difficult decision to start the process to transferring all DBAT schools to other multi-academy trusts and cease the operation of DBAT.
Revd Owen Green (the chaplain at The Deanery and Kingfisher schools) writes:
‘I don’t have a lot of words at the moment, I both want to sit and weep, and also madly run around trying to make the future a better one than the past, as well as sit with those for whom this has happened on their watch. Jesus reminds us that “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life in all its fullness.” ‘. Please remember to pray for Owen and the team as they navigate these choppy waters.
Lent Lunches
Soup ~ Bread ~ Cheese
Tea or Coffee
Every Friday during Lent at St Joseph’s Parish Centre, Devizes Road, Wroughton
From Friday 16th February, 12noon to 1.00pm – Donations for Christian Aid/Cafod
Everyone Welcome
Church – Replastering
The replastering in the North Aisle is now complete. We hope we will soon be able to resume tea and coffee after the service. The builders have now started replastering in the baptisery corner. The top coat of plaster in the North Aisle will remain soft for at least a couple of weeks. Please do NOT touch it as it has taken a lot of work to get this finish!
Date for your diary – Afternoon tea, Saturday 2nd March
Our Wednesday housegroup is organising an afternoon tea (the full works!) in aid of the Swindon Food Collective on Saturday 2nd March, in the church hall from
3.30-5pm. More details to follow soon, but do put the date in your diary and think about any friends you could invite to join you for a special treat!
Communion Music
From this coming Sunday we will be singing different Communion music and changing back to The “St Helen’s Service” setting which we previously sung from 2000-2018. Many of our congregation will find this immediately familiar, but more recently joined members will not. However it is quite easy to pick up.
Children Society Boxes
Its time to empty the Children society boxes – if you have a collection box that needs emptying, please can you bring it to church and pass it to Carolyn Kirk by the end of January if possible. Many thanks.
Pancake Races
As Shrove Tuesday falls in school holidays this year we will be having Pancake Races on Tuesday 13th February. As usual we will meet in Willow Brook Gardens at 11.30 am and then move to the Church Hall at midday to eat pancakes. If the weather is wet we will race in the Church Hall. We need some extra help in the kitchen and to chat to people (and eat pancakes). If you can offer help in the kitchen please speak to Jean Ford. Those racing (all ages welcome) should bring their own frying pan. Volunteers speak to Barbara.
The Joy of Art
On Sunday 28th Jan (3pm to 4.15pm) Chris and & Sue Offord will be running and hosting a session exploring a classical piece of Christian Art within a biblical context. The session will include a short talk, plus a discussion with the group and a chance to sketch a portion of the masterpiece under the guidance of Chris. It will take place at Delni Art Gallery Studio at Studley Grange Garden centre, Wroughton with refreshments available. Places are very limited due to space, so please book your place with Chris either by email (delniart@gmail.com) or mobile (07866075474).
New font cover
A big thank you to Peter Wheals who has created an oak cover for our font. The simple design is in-keeping with the rustic style of our Norman font and the oak has been stained to match the colour of our oak pews. The design incorporates trefoils that echo those on the ends of the choir pews and in the outer pair of South doors; the cross has rounded terminals that again echo the shape of the brass altar cross. Not only does this look good, it also serves the practical purpose of preventing the font from being as a storage place for stray leaflets and lost gloves, which is a bit like keeping spare biros in the chalice!
Knitting for charity
This week I have posted 66 hats and 11 scarves to Mission to Seafarers. A big thank you to all our knitters and especially to Jenny and her friends from Rodbourne who recently gave me a big bag full of beautiful hats. Please keep knitting.
Also I am always grateful for 6inch squares made from Double Knitting yarn to be made into blankets for the End of Life unit at GWH. They can be knitted or crocheted but please check the size. For more details about our knitting projects please contact Janet Henderson 01793 525856.
Thank you
Marion Colton would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, good wishes and help given to her since the accident.
Eco Top Tips – practical ways to take better care of God’s creation
January – On the internet
- Switch to using a green search engine on the internet such as ecosia.org , which plants trees to absorb the carbon emissions from your web searches.
- Email with care: an email generates 4g CO2e and a large email with lots of attachments up to 50g. Don’t stop communicating, but think before you copy everyone in!
Floodlighting
If you would like the Church to be floodlit for a special occasion (cost £20.00) Forms are available in Church or online please return to Janet in the Office or email office@wroughton.com.
Funerals
We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have, died recently Brenda Hunter. We pray for all those who mourn the loss of a loved one.
| Church Office
I will be working Monday to Thursday next week due to a family funeral on Friday. Please can I have any items for the notices by Thursday morning. Many thanks, Janet |
| The Parish Office, Priors Hill, Wroughton, SN4 0RT Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 1.30pm
01793 812050 office@wroughton.com Revd Phill Harrison – Vicar 01793 812301 vicar@wroughton.com Revd Chris Hunter – Curate 01793 814987 curate@wroughton.com Church Twitter Account – @WroughtonWichel Find us on Facebook – Wroughton and Wichelstowe Parish Church Please follow us for all the latest updates from Wroughton & Wichelstowe Parish Church.
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Newsletter of
THE FILLING STATION
feeding the hungry on the streets. Registered Charity No 1072429
January 2024
Dear Supporter, Happy New Year!
ACCOUNTS
We still await some information in order to complete the accounts for the year to 31st December 2023, but the draft figures show that our Income exceeded Expenditure by £2,000. However, of the Income £5,000 was a gift for our van replacement fund, so the reality is we used £3,000 of our reserves to keep going this year.
Included in these figures are donations we made to CGL, who offer drug and alcohol support to the clients and attend every week, of £2,120 and the Salvation Army who heat the soup and water every week for us, of £910.
Our expenditure on food this year reduced from £6,000 to £4,000. We are still only offering two tins to clients, rather than the four we have managed in the past, but the hot dogs, hot drinks, soup and sandwiches, continue!
There is a great deal of “food” support available in Swindon, and it is needed. Regrettably it is unco-ordinated and is not, in general, supported by other interventions which address “homelessness”, which is why our relationship with CGL is so important.
CLIENTS
The average number of Clients from September 23 to December 23 was 57. Previously, April to August the average was 56, so numbers have steadied. The highest week was 7th December at 71.
Three counts have been held this year:
| 30/3/23 | 13/6/23 | 19/10/23 | |
| Private Rental | 4 | 9 | 8 |
| Local Authority / HA | 13 | 14 | 12 |
| Hostels (Booth & Culvery) | 16 | 5 | 11 |
| B&B or hotel | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Sofa surfing | 11 | 3 | 8 |
| Rough sleeping | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Total: | 56 | 42 | 45 |
Of the total of 45 in October, 3 clients identified as veterans.
Concern continues that clients were housed in Hostels with established benefit claims, and still were attending for food, as food is not provided in the hostels.
In July we reported that Swindon Borough Council outreach service had agreed to attend in the future. This has not happened in any meaningful way, which is a great disappointment, and we will take up with the Council’s leader when he visits the project.
WANTING TO HELP?
Donations can be made to:
The Filling Station (Swindon)
CAF Bank
40-52-40
00011788
But, could you also advise of donations by email to: macpherson.angus@btopenworld.com
I can also supply you with a Gift Aid Form if you would like to grow your gift.
Donations of tins & food, can be collected or delivered. Please contact Sue Dallyn, email : suedallyn@hotmail.com to arrange.
There is only one person rota’d for a Thursday evening. Everyone else just “turns up”, and it is important to spend time talking with the clients as well as serving them.
We meet every Thursday, promptly, at 7pm in the delivery area / car park in Queens Street (very near the base of the Murray John Building and behind the Parade).
