Newsletter 28th April

Newsletter 28th April 2019

Immediately after today’s 10 am Parish service at St Thomas’, the Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place. At this meeting we review the activities and finances of the previous year, elect our Churchwardens and PCC members, and agree the list of sidespersons for the coming year. If you are willing to join the PCC or become a sidesperson/welcomer, please ensure that we have your nomination forms or you have added your name to the sidespersons list before the start of the meeting.  

Many thanks to all of you who have completed and returned your “Play your Part” response forms. To date we have had 26 “Time and Talents” forms returned, and 19 financial responses, and we’ll be contacting people very soon with further information. Don’t worry if you’ve still got your forms, we would still love to hear from you with all your ideas of how you can help to grow our churches and place them at the heart of the community, where they belong. It will help with planning if you could return your forms by Sunday the 12th May.

The Ladies of Leesfield’s next coffee morning is on Saturday 4th May, 10.30 am until 12 noon at Jean's home, and the next Tea & Toast is in St Thomas’ Community Room from 10.30 am until noon on Saturday 18th May. 

Christian Aid Week begins on Sunday 12th May, and our churches continue to support the work of this charity. The main focus this year is on helping mums in Sierra Leone to give birth safely; not just providing money, but education and practical help too. Christian Aid also plays a huge part in campaigning globally for social justice and equality, and action on climate change. We’ll be collecting house to house in Lees, and hosting a Big Brekkie on the morning of Thursday the 16th. If you are able to help with either of these please see Paul or Liz Dent.

This year’s Confirmation service will be at St Thomas’ on Sunday July 7th at 11am, led by Bishop Mark. We now admit children to communion before confirmation and encourage most to delay confirmation until they are really ready. There is no upper age limit for confirmation! There are quite a few adults who regularly attend our churches but have not been confirmed. If this includes you please do think about taking this step. Let me know if you are considering this, and we can talk about it. Any children from year 6 upwards who feel this is the time to make this commitment should also let me know and we can discuss it. 

Edith

This year’s Rose Queen, Freya Mills, will be crowned at St Agnes’ on the afternoon of Saturday the 18th May. More details will be available shortly but please do put the date in your diary and come along to support Freya and her retinue.

Items for the newsletter, website and facebook pages to Liz (lizzy.dent@googlemail.com) whenever you want to send. Lots of lovely pictures please!

Holy Week and Easter

Holy Week and Easter Services in Leesfield Parish

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 pm, Revd Edith will be saying Compline at St Thomas' Church. If you can't get out at that late hour but still want to join in, you could use some of these prayers in your own home at the same time as the service.

Newsletter 7th April

Newsletter & Dates – 7th April 2019

The final Churches Together Lent lunchtime meeting will be at the usual time of 12 noon this Tuesday, but at Springhead Congregational Church. Lifts can be arranged for anyone who would find it difficult to get up there.

Churches Together in Lees and District are holding their Open Meeting this Thursday, 7.30 pm in St Thomas’ Community Room. This meeting is open to members of all of the churches, and is where we discuss what we can do together as Christians in this area, so please do come along and join us. 

Arrangements are now under way for this year’s APCM, which will take place immediately after a 10 am Parish service at St Thomas’ on Sunday 28th April. Nomination forms are now available for the election of Churchwardens and PCC members, and the sidespersons list is ready for names to be added. To be eligible to stand for any Church office, to be a member of the PCC, or to vote in the elections, you will need to be registered on the Electoral roll, so if you haven’t yet completed an application form please do so today and return it no later than Friday 12th April. A short PCC meeting to approve the annual accounts will be held at St Thomas’ after next Sunday’s service, and it’s important that as many PCC members as possible attend. 

On Sunday 10th March we launched our Stewardship Campaign “Play your Part”. It’s really important that everyone, whether you are involved in parish life already or not, reads the information and responds, so please make sure that we receive your completed response forms by Easter Sunday.

The Ladies if Leesfield would love to welcome you to Tea & Toast in St Thomas’ Community Room from 10.30 am until noon on Saturday 13th April. The cost is £3, including a raffle, to raise money for church funds, so please come to this lovely morning of companionship and bring a friend!

Holy Week starts next Sunday with Palm Sunday, when we welcome Jesus into Jerusalem with our Palm Crosses. All of the Holy Week and Easter services are listed in the dates below, and also on the posters at the back of church. New for this Easter, Edith will be saying Compline at St Thomas’, 9 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, but if you are unable to get out at that late hour and would like to join in with the prayers, printed orders of service will be available for you to take home.

This year’s Confirmation service will be at St Thomas’ on Sunday July 7th at 11am. This is a joyful whole parish service led by Bishop Mark. We now admit children to communion before confirmation and encourage most to delay confirmation until they are really ready. There is no upper age limit for confirmation! There are quite a few adults who regularly attend our churches but have not been confirmed. If this includes you please do think about taking this step. Let me know if you are considering this, and we can talk about it. Any children from year 6 upwards who feel this is the time to make this commitment should also let me know and we can discuss it.

Edith