Benefice
Newsletter
9 April 2020
All Saints & All Hallows
Wellingborough
|
Benefice Newsletter
9 April 2020
All Saints & All Hallows
Wellingborough
|
|
 |
| A message from Revd
Christine Wednesday
I have just read today’s clergy bulletin from Bishop Donald. He starts by saying ‘Church buildings closed, no Communion, no foot-washing, no devotions at the cross’, and then on Easter Day ‘no shared joy and laughter’. He writes about the ‘long haul’ and advises that we pace ourselves. When I finished reading the bulletin I felt quite depressed and my heart ached; tears pricked my eyes. I miss all at AH and AS so much, and our family – it’s my granddaughter’s 16th birthday today. Then I took myself in hand and reflected on my blessings – Stephen and I are well; we have been able to get supermarket deliveries so far; we have a garden and Castle Fields behind our house for our daily walk; we can talk to our family and see them via Zoom. So many people are far worse off. I reflected a little more and decided that feeling this heartache is totally appropriate for Holy Week. It helps me to enter more fully into the events of the Paschal Triduum (the three days leading up to Easter Sunday). On Maundy Thursday Jesus eats his final meal with his disciples – how his heart must have ached. He prays all night in the Garden of Gethsemane separated from his friends because they keep falling asleep. How his heart must have ached over the betrayal of Judas, and then the denial of Peter, ‘I do not know the man’. Finally, whilst suffering the agonies of the cross, how his heart must have ached as he sees his mother and best friend watching. He says ‘Woman, here is your son …….. Here is your mother’. Then came the waiting on Holy Saturday. How the hearts of the women must have ached – they were desperate to hold their Saviour’s body and anoint it with precious oils. Sunday arrives, they rush to the tomb, ‘The Lord is risen; he is risen indeed’, but more heartache because they don’t yet understand what has happened, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him’. With a series of resurrection appearances joy returns, heartache diminishes, but more waiting is required until the day of Pentecost when the assembled followers of Jesus receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gives them the strength to tell the Good News of the Gospel. The Lord is risen; he is risen indeed! We may be in for the long haul, but we have a God who knows about heartache. He will wipe away our tears. Be patient. God bless you all. Revd Christine
|
| Get to know Revd Paula Reverend Paula will be licensed by the Bishop of Brixworth as our Interim Vicar on Sunday 19 April via video link. As she will not be able to lead public worship or to visit at this time, she is very keen to make telephone contact with as many people as possible. To help her do this, and assuming that you are happy to be contacted, please could you complete the form attached to this message and email it back to the Benefice Office. She would love to be able to put faces to names and would be delighted if you were also able to attach a photograph of yourself or your family - however this is optional! If you are having problems with opening or sending back the attachment, then another way you can give us your details is by simply replying to this email and giving your name, church and usual congregation (eg. All Hallows, Sun 11:15), phone number, and the best time to ring you. By doing so you consent to the PCC of All Saints or the PCC of All Hallows (depending on which of the two you marked as your church) in Wellingborough holding and processing your personal data to enable our clergy and benefice administrator to contact you as needed, by phone. You can find out more about how we use your data from our Privacy Notice displayed in the church. You can withdraw or change your consent at any time by sending a letter to the Benefice Office of All Saints and All Hallows, All Saints' Church, Midland Road, Wellingborough NN8 1HF, or an email to officeallsaints@btinternet.com / officeallhallows@btinternet.com. |
Articles and photos wanted
for the magazine The magazine will not be printed again in May. I will email it to those who have requested it, each month until we get back to normal. It is also possible to print the PDF file I send in booklet form. If you would like to do this but not sure how to go about it, then give me a ring and I will talk you through it, otherwise you could waste a lot of paper! I would like to invite you to write a message to everyone as we obviously cannot meet up for the foreseeable future, but I feel it would be a way of connecting with each other using the medium of the magazine. If you just want to say, "Hi" then that's fine, or if you would like to write a few sentences/paragraphs, then hat would also be very good. It's entirely up to you. I would like to think that we could fill a few pages with messages. If you have any items for May, then it would be helpful if I could have them by Sunday 19 April. Finally, I am stuck for a photograph(s) for the back cover, so if you have anything which you feel would be appropriate, then please email a copy to me, which would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. |
| Saved by the loo roll Actually, four loo rolls. One evening last week, without warning – and we weren’t even near it – our shower died in rather spectacular fashion, shooting water into the bath and over the floor, and then leaking back into the airing cupboard. Greater floods were prevented by the four loo rolls in the bottom of the airing cupboard, soaking up vast amounts of water. Much to be thankful for! Aware of the loo roll shortage, we decided to try and resuscitate ours, placing them on the radiator for a few days. And, in true Easter fashion, they are alive again! Not quite as beautiful as before, but what do you expect from a ‘near death’ experience! Caroline
|
| Hymn O'Clock For those of you with access to Facebook, I am doing a daily, informal Hymn O’Clock playing hymns on the keyboard for you to listen to and sing to. If you request them, I play them. Just key into Facebook Harrison Cook, and my profile is easy to find. For more information about this, how to find it, and to find out about other projects that I am working on, do get in touch! It would be great to hear from you! Harrison
Harrison will next play live on
Facebook on the afternoon of Easter Sunday.
|
Easter
craft and activities Have your little ones tried any of our Easter craft ideas? Or created masterpieces with some help of our colouring sheets? Don't forget to send photos to officeallsaints@btinternet.com, so we can show them off online and in the May magazine. |
| Donations to the Foodbank
/ Daylight Centre The Daylight Centre is grateful to the churches in Wellingborough who generously give food to the Foodbank and money for the work of the centre. It has been continuing to provide the Foodbank service, but stocks are running low as the demand increases. Food donations can still be made Monday - Friday 10:00 - 12:00 (excluding bank holidays), directly to the Foodbank at the rear of Queens Hall, 8 High Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4JU. Please leave the items outside by the green storage container, ring the door bell, and don't wait for a response. The volunteers will process your donation only when you have gone. If you usually give food, but can’t get to the shops to buy it, then please consider giving a donation of money instead. It will be used to provide this much needed service. Details on giving can be found on Wellingborough Foodbanks's page on localgiving.org, or cheques can made out to Daylight Centre Fellowship and sent to 10 High Street Place, Wellingborough NN8 4HP. |
Rest in peace Ken Metcalf passed away peacefully last Sunday morning. Ken used to be All Saints' verger. His funeral will take place at Nene Valley Crematorium on 15 April, with only his immediate family present. |
| Don't be scammed Sadly but not suprisingly, there are people who use the Covid19 pandemic to net themselves some not-well-earned profit. They may be pretending to work for a charity you may or may not have heard of, the local council, HMRC, your broadband provider or utility company. They may be selling non existing protective gear, or tugging at your heartstrings with a fake sob story, or even claiming that you can fund and get first dibs at a miracle cure for the virus. Action Fraud has put together a guide, based on the most recent reports, to recognise fraud. Click here to read the article on their website. You can help fight fraudsters by reporting their attempts to Action Fraud, online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you receive an offer of financial assistance, claiming to come from HMRC, please report it to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. |
Contacts
|
||||||
| You are receiving this message because you have given your consent to be contacted on church-related matters. If you wish not to receive any more news from us, please reply 'Opt out' to this email. |