The Chase Benefice Parish Magazine February 2021
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE CHASE BENEFICE PARISH MAGAZINE CHETTLE FEBRUARY 2021 GUSSAGE ALL SAINTS FARNHAM TOLLARD GUSSAGE ROYAL SAINT MICHAEL THE CHASE BENEFICE RECTOR. Vacancy . Please contact the Benefice Administrator or The Rural Dean, The Rev’d Justin Pottnger 01929 459244 Retired Priests with Licence to Officiate The Rev’d Paul Renyard 01202 682460 The Rev’d John Graves 01202 669808 The Rev’d Paul Skinner 01725 552785 Parish Staff Local Licensed Ministers Canon Simon Tong. Bridge House. Gussage St Michael. 01258 840061 Mrs Carol Neilson, ‘Dormers’, Tarrant Hinton, DT11 8JB. 01258 830876 Mrs Pat Harris. 36 Holland Way. Blandford. DT11 7RU 01258 452863 Mr Robin Bragg. China Cottage, Tarrant Gunville. DT11 8JR 01258 830941 Benefice Administrator: Mrs Gill Baverstock, telephone 01725 516311, email [email protected] Magazine Editor Items for inclusion in the Advertisements Mr Bob McCarthy March 2021 magazine copy to Culpepper House the editor by Mrs Jane Benson Gussage All Saints 12th February please. Amen Corner Wimborne Opinions expressed Gussage All Saints BH21 5ET in articles submitted for BH21 5ET Tel: 01258 840168 publication are personal Tel: 01258 840824 [email protected] to the contributors. [email protected] PASTORAL LETTER WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? As I write, we have just entered a new year, a new decade, and many people are asking, ‘Where do we go from here? Where will we go? What will we do? What will happen to us? How will Brexit affect us? How secure is my job? How will I feed the family? How can I stay safe in this pandemic?’ Not many concerns then!! Maybe, by the time you read this, the Covid vaccination programme will be well under way. A new year is like a blank sheet of paper - the story and events are yet to unfold. Life is very uncertain re the economy, our health. There are many concerns about church reorganisation in this benefice and deanery, but also across the nation as a whole. The social structures which have anchored us have been removed as a result of the pandemic. We have been denied the human contact and fellowship we’ve so long for. We can’t wait to see and hug our children, grandchildren and friends. People of faith or none are looking for an anchor. Many feel anxious, depressed and deprived, in need of someone to lift their burden, to offer hope. Many struggle to see light at the end of the tunnel. But, Christ is our light, Christ is our hope, Christ is our anchor. Peter (I Peter 5v7) writes, ‘Cast all you care upon him (Christ) for he cares for you.’ In World War II (1939) King George VI quoted from Minnie Haskins poem, ‘The Gate of the Year’: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night. May each one of us be able to do just that. Pat Harris LLM Due to Covid restrictions we are once again distributing The Chase Benefice Parish Magazine electronically. It gives an opportunity to inform you of what has happened, future plans and the local services that are available. We hope that you enjoy it and we will be back to paper format when circumstances allow. Keep safe and healthy. WORSHIP IN THE CHASE BENEFICE DURING FEBRUARY 2021 During the current Covid lockdown, the government is allowing churches to be open for communal worship. After weighing up the situation, the churches in the Chase Benefice have decided jointly not to open their churches for services during January and February. However some of the churches in the Benefice do remain open to individuals for private prayer and contemplation. The situation will be kept under review. How can I access worship at the moment? There are a number of ways: Simon Tong is leading a short act of worship on Zoom on Sundays. The time of broadcast may vary. If you wish to join the service, please email Simon so that he can email you the link and service time each week. [email protected] You can join the national online services, streamed at 9am each Sunday. They are also available online afterwards. https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online You can listen to a Sunday service on Radio 4 at 8.10am Songs of Praise is broadcast on BBC television on a Sunday, usually at 1.15pm but sometimes they change the time, so check the TV schedule. The Church of England Phone Church may suit you. Daily Hope offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services at the end of a telephone line – and the call is free! The line is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044. As we carry on with life under the threat of Covid, it’s easy to feel that life is pretty negative, so here are a couple of thoughts: “Positive anything is better than negative nothing”. Elbert Hubbard – writer and philosopher “Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better”. Harvey Mackay – author and columnist VILLAGE NEWS CHETTLE News gatherer Rosamond Sweet-Escott [email protected] 07786 920991. Evensong 24th January 2021 We are very sorry to have to announce that we are no longer able to hold this service at St Mary’s Chettle due to matters outside our control. We will endeavour to arrange a service as soon as possible. The Church Wardens Chettle Store We are still open for business (even when the signs come down). Monday- Saturday from 8.30am to 6.00pm and Sunday from 9.00am to 1.00pm. To reiterate our lockdown rules: - Card payments only - 1 person in the shop at a time, or 2 people from the same household - Wear a mask & use our hand sanitiser on entry - The toilet is for staff only (we do not have enough man-power to clean it every time - sorry) Thank you for supporting our little shop. For regular updates follow us on Facebook and Instagram. FARNHAM News gatherer Mrs Gill Baverstock [email protected] 01725 51631 Christmas in retrospect We may have felt short-changed without all the bells and whistles associated with the Christmas season but, despite the Covid regulations, Christmas still happened: Although we couldn’t all come together, we were still able to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Some parishioners felt able to come to the church on the evening of Sunday 20th December, when we held a service of Music and Readings for Christmas. Our thanks go to everyone who participated in that event, either reading, singing and/or playing. We are grateful to the flower arrangers who carried on regardless and provided us with such lovely arrangements. Whilst the PCC decided not to have a Christmas tree in the church, the crib scene has been on display since Christmas morning. The wise men who had been journeying through the church to visit the Holy Child, arrived at Epiphany and now the nativity scene remains in the church until Candlemas on 2nd February, to remind us of Christ’s coming and presence with us. Farnham Church Opening. Whilst the latest Covid lockdown allows churches to be open for public worship, the PCC has discussed the situation and feel that, to play our part in protecting friends and neighbours, it is unwise to gather together in church at the moment. Whilst we also closed the church to private prayer for a brief spell, at the 12th January PCC meeting, we agreed that it was important to be open for anyone who wishes to go into church for prayer or contemplation. Thus, the church is unlocked from 9am until dusk. Please follow the Covid regulations and guidance to enable the church to remain a safe space. The PCC is keeping the situation under review. From the Parish Council about CENSUS 2021 Households across Dorset along with the rest of England & Wales will be asked to take part in a Census on Sunday March 21st. They take place every ten years. This census is for everyone & will provide the information needed to help ensure our communities are well served. Getting the best possible response rates means that decisions are based on accurate high-quality data. The Census will be run predominately online with households receiving a letter in early March with a unique access code allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets. Those residents who are unable to complete the Census digitally will be supported by a phone helpline, a network of Census Support Centres or by ordering a paper Census. Your Councilors too are here to help, so please contact us if you have any queries or need assistance in filling out the questionnaire. There is more information on the notice board and you can visit census.gov.uk Penny Everard, Chair of Farnham Parish Council 01725 516924 Looking ahead With so many events having been cancelled in 2020, the PCC has been looking at which social and fundraising events might be possible during 2021. The Barn Dance, originally scheduled for 4 July 2020, had been postponed until 3 July 2021.