Stour Vale Letter No. 76

Church Services – 5th September A warm welcome awaits you at our services. Do join us – all we ask is that everyone takes care and is sympathetic to the needs and wishes of others. This week we have:

9.15am Parish Communion (CW) 10.30am West Stour Morning Worship (CW) 11.00 East Stour Parish Communion (CW)

(CW = Common Worship BCP = Book of Common Prayer)

Collect & Readings for 5th September: 14th Sunday after Trinity Isaiah 35:4-7a James 2:1-17 Mark 7: 24-end Psalm 146

Collect: Almighty God, whose only Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and steadfast wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Benefice Lammas Service A big ‘Thank You’ to Dee Trevor for making the lovely Lammas loaf for last Sunday’s Benefice service. Huge thanks also to “our man in ”, (well, woman actually!) Liz Newton, who took on so much of the organization and, of course, to Sally & Peter for loaning us their lovely farmyard and facilities.

A tremendous amount of work goes into these special services and it is all greatly appreciated.

Praying for our communities My alphabet went a bit askew last week and I missed out West Stour in our cycle of prayer! So, this week we pray for God’s blessing on that community in West Stour, including the congregation of St Mary’s, and all who live and work in the village and its surrounding area. Please find a few moments in the week to hold this village community in your prayers. Dates for your Diary:

Monday 6th September – Buckhorn Coffee Mornings The coffee club resumes on Monday 6th September from 10.30am ‘till 12 noon. Cakes for sale, plants, bric-a-brac and a raffle.

September (3 dates) – Coffee, Books & Cakes Come to Todber Church on 11th, 18th and 25th September for coffee, books and cakes: 10am ‘till 12 noon.

Saturday 9th October – Jumble Sale A jumble sale will be held at Village Hall from 2.30pm in aid of the Senior Citizens Christmas Lunch.

Ride & Stride – 11th September

If anyone from your church is taking part in the Ride & Stride day, please do support them in order to raise money for their church and the Historic Churches Trust.

Barbara is going to be walking to all eight (yes, EIGHT!) churches in our Benefice in aid of the whole Benefice. If you would like to sponsor her, please see her in church over the next couple of weeks or email her on [email protected] Her route from the Vicarage will be Buckhorn Weston, West Stour, East Stour, , Stour Row, Todber, , finishing at church. Do please support her if you can.

Starting in September…. It is a joy to see some of our groups returning. Here’s when they all kick off:

Monday 13th September at 7.30pm East Stour Church Compline & Company Monday 20th September at 2.30pm Fifehead Village Hall Knit & Natter Monday 27th September at 10.30am West Stour Village Hall Bible Book Club

So now you know what to do with your Mondays! And if you’ve never been, no matter – do come and see – you will be most welcome at all of these gatherings.

Quote of the week An appropriate one for the restart of our groups:

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”

Jean Shenoda Bolen

(The photo shows Audrey, a wonderful character from our old Herefordshire community, making the most of the unusual occurrence of snow with joyful enthusiasm!)

Poem We missed out on a poem last week as there was so much lovely news. But here is one by Jean E. Taddonio which encourages us all to bloom where we are planted:

See More In the broken place where we live, hope can be found in the cracks. If a dandelion can push herself up from the earth though a sliver of light in cement and be called a weed —or a flower by those who see more, surely, we too can bloom in our brokenness where we live and see more.

Prayer for the coming of Autumn We see signs of summer's passing in golden leaves, shortening days, misty mornings, autumn glow. We sense its passing in rain that dampens, winds that chill, Harvest's bounty placed on show. Creator God, who brings forth both green shoot and hoar frost, sunrise and sunset, we bring our thanks for seeds that have grown, harvests gathered, storehouses filled, mouths fed. And, as your good earth rests through winter's cold embrace, we look forward to its re-awakening when kissed by Spring's first touch. Author unknown For your Prayers

We pray for those returning to education or work after the summer holidays. May they feel refreshed. We pray for those who have not been able to take a break, are unhappy in their work and for those who are under pressure.

We give thanks for the countryside and landscape around us – the grandeur of God’s creation which feeds our souls. May we walk slowly and bow often. We give thanks, too, for friends who laugh with us and weep with us, or who are simply there for us.

We pray for all who are still facing the lifting of Covid restrictions with anxiety or doubt. In these continually challenging times, we pray for our own patience and understanding. May we tread softly through the coming months and not leave anyone behind. And we give thanks for all the shops and businesses who are putting people before profit and retaining some precautions in order to keep everyone safe.

And, as always, we hold in light all who are struggling in any way; the anxious, the lonely and afraid, the forgotten and the unloved, and those who are confused or low in spirits. We pray for those who are ill, those awaiting hospital procedures, and those recovering from surgery or treatment. And we commend all who have died to God’s loving care and ask for comfort and strength for those who miss them.

Private Prayer Most of our churches are now open throughout the week for private prayer. Please do take advantage of this. And if you visit our beautiful churches and feel you can make a donation to their life and upkeep, please do so. In these difficult times it would be very much appreciated.

This Newsletter We hope you find this newsletter helpful. If you know of anyone who would like to join the mailing list, tell them to send their email address to [email protected] with the subject “Newsletter Mailing List”. But, if you do not wish to continue receiving them, please email him with “Unsubscribe” in the subject field.

Revd Richard Priest – Vicar of the Stour Vale Benefice Telephone: 01747 838494 Email: [email protected]