Dearest friends,
I want to start the new year by thanking you all. What an amazing Advent and Christmas we have shared.
At moments I felt as if my little feet would never touch the ground! We offered so many carol services and visits for schools – including new schools who have never visited our churches before.
We welcomed new people and old people and people who simply wondered why the bells were ringing, or why the lights were on, or why they could hear singing escaping through our windows.
In short, we were a shinning beacon of Jesus incarnation in the world and people were atracted to that love!
So many of you pulled togehter and worked so hard. I am retisent to name people individually, but I cannot express how lucky I feel to be part of these two amazing parishes and to see how you made things happen – sometimes with almost no (or none at all!) planning or direction.
There wasat times a sense of chaos. But you looked for the Grace of the Holy Spirit and you made things happen. THAT is what being a church community is all about. Keeping a keen eye on the Grace of the Holy Spirit and racing as quickly as you can to make it known in the world.
2025 is going to be the year of the family for both of our parishes. I want to build on the amazing Live Nativity at St. Luke’s and the Christingle at St. John’s – the amazing work of the Junior Church Team at St. Luke’s and the desire to work more closley with St. Catherine’s in Heathfield.
With the arrival of the nursary at St. Luke’s and the open door at St. Catherine’s School we have some amazing oppertunities to welcome new families into our community and lives. We have an oppertunity to baptise and make Jesus known and be at the heart of every family who comes across us.
Rather than these things being planned behind the closed doors of PCC or Social Committes – I want all of us to be able able to have a voice, all of us to share our ideas, all of us to be part of what this could mean in practice – so please, please, please(!) find time to come to the planning meeting THIS THURSDAY at 7pm at Wickham Hall in Bovey. Lifts are available if needed, just ask me.
In love, and with every best wish for the year ahead,
Fr. Matthew
Notices
Spring Term (and Easter) Planning Meeting
As we look ahead to Easter there’ll be another open planning meeting (as we did for Christmas) THIS THURSDAY. This is for everyone at both parishes to come along and share your ideas on what you think the we should be doing – both in terms of social activities as well as our services. We’ll be meeting at Wickham Hall at 7pm on the 9th January.
The Bible Course
Our course this term is ‘The Bible Course’ and will run on Thursday evenings in Wickham Hall at 7pm for 8 weeks starting 23rd January. The final session (13th March) will be taught by the Bishop of Exeter, The Rt. Rev’d Dr. Mike Harrison.
Sunday 5th January
The Epiphany of The Lord
9:15am – Sung Mass, St. John’s
11am – Sung Mass, St. Luke’s
Divine Office Psalter Week 2, C(I), Christmas 2
January
8th – St. Luke’s PCC
9th – Spring (& Easter) term planning meeting [all] 7pm WH
12th – St. Luke’s Parish Lunch
16th – St. John’s PCC, 5pm
Susanna Crow YWAM talk, 7pm [SJ]
23rd – The Bible Course (every Thursday), 7pm WH
25th – Jesus, This Is Your Life & Burns Night Supper [SJ]
February
12th – St. Luke’s PCC