The ARCH Messenger

To show our love for God and You June 2021

Abbots Morton, Rous Lench, & www.archbenefice.org.uk ARCH Benefice: parishes of , Rous Lench, Church Lench and Harvington

Rector: The Reverend Canon Richard Thorniley 01386 870527 [email protected]

Curate: The Reverend Chris Sheehan 07977 072105 [email protected]

Office hours: 9.30am to 9.30pm Monday-Thursday, Saturday; day off: Friday; Sunday afternoons: quiet space Urgent pastoral matters – any time

Readings

th 6 June Genesis 3:18-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-3

th 13 June Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34

th 20 June Job 38:1-11; Psalm 107:23-32; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41

27th June Peter the Apostle Acts 12:1-11; Psalm 125; 1 Peter 2:19-25; Matthew 16:13-19

th 4 July Ezekiel 2:1-5; Psalm 123; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13

th 11 July Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85:8-13; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29

th 18 July Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34,53-56

25th July St James the Great Jeremiah 45:1-5; Psalm 126; Acts 11:27-12:2; Matthew 20:20-28

Please use the ‘Contact Us’ page on our website www.archbenefice.org.uk to submit editorial or enquire about advertising.

Thought for the month

Easter’s over... so what next?

I write this on Ascension Day, the day Jesus went back to working from home, as a humorous observation has it. Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter – and always falls on a Thursday, as mathematicians will observe. More seriously, Christians have observed that, as a result of Jesus returning to heaven, ‘Jesus takes our human nature – yours and mine – to the heart of God and he speaks to God his father in a human voice. In heaven, the language they speak is human (not just angelic). Our words (human words) are heard at the very centre of the burning heart of reality...’ (Rowan Williams). Our humanity exists within God, at the centre of all existence. So when you are next saying your prayers, as Christians we believe there is someone listening who knows what it is like being you; someone who is aware of the challenges and delights that you experience; someone who will not give up on you. Ten days after the Ascension, God returned in Spirit form as wind and fire to open our hearts and minds to what He wishes to offer us. And ever since, we have been invited to let God in to make his home with us and work from there. Richard Thorniley

Stop date for next issue: Monday 7th June

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Rector’s Corner

Midweek Holy Replaced by recorded midweek reflection Communion (BCP):

Tuesday prayers: Benefice prayers: Suspended until further notice Home Communion:

Daily prayers: via Zoom – contact me for details 8.30am and 6pm (e-mail [email protected])

Men’s Night Friday 18th June, 8pm (£10 for the kitty – Coach & Horses, Harvington. includes ALL drinks) Come and enjoy a pint – £10 in the kitty will even get us a savoury snack. We may sit OUTSIDE if weather permits, or if not, then...INSIDE! Get in touch and reserve a place: [email protected]

Without God the world would be in a maze without a clue. Woodrow Wilson Jesus didn’t commit the gospel to an advertising agency; He commissioned disciples. Joseph Bayly Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have. Billy Graham

Pastoral Calls and Contacts During the pandemic, I have made phone calls to people who I thought needed a call and to those who were brought to my notice. If you know of anyone who could do with a call or help for any reason, please let me know. I am NEVER so busy that I cannot fit in a call to someone who needs it. If you want to get in touch, please do – it’s good to hear from you and I love a chat! Richard Thorniley

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Churches are open for services and prayer

The Benefice churches are now open EVERY DAY, with the exception of Rous Lench. As I write, St Peter’s still needs tidying and cleaning before we can allow visitors... but we hope to be open in time for the Flower Festival weekend. For the period 17th May to 21st June, up to 30 people can attend weddings, funerals and baptisms. I can also offer Home Communion again, restricted to 6 attendees in a private home. Numbers for services will remain limited to:

Abbots Morton: 20 Church Lench: 30 Harvington: 30 and sadly there is still no singing allowed in church, but we do sing our final hymn outside which is a refreshing way to end a service and may be continued on occasions – so if you are passing, do feel free to join in. All these restrictions, we hope, will come to an end in June when our lockdown is lifted. In the meantime, I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone for their understanding and for abiding by the Covid precautions. At no time to date have we had to ‘have a word’. Plans are afoot for ‘sing-along’ opportunities in our churches in the near future, so keep an eye out for advertising. If you would like further information, please get in touch with me, Richard Thorniley, on 01386 870527 or [email protected].

AS WE UNLOCK, PLEASE REMEMBER OUR NEIGHBOURS IN NEED

We are continuing to look for cleaning items, toiletries and similar, rather than food, as this is what our local food bank has requested. I have received reports that the need remains and is expected to rise.

If you can, please drop your items into church and they will be delivered to Caring Hands in . Our churches are now open every day, making it easier to leave donations. Thank you for your continued support.

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Notices

th th th Heating oil delivery dates for Thursdays: 10 June, 8 July, 12 August, th th th the ARCH buying group 9 September, 8 October, 11 November Phone your order to Evesons by 5pm on the Evesons Fuels: 01905 775920 preceding Monday

Muddy Kids: 7th great year! 27th –29th July 2021

‘Unlocked fun in God’s World!’

The Muddy Kids Holiday Club is running for its 7th year with the obstacle course at Ellenden Farm, plus other activities which are being explored. I will again be looking for help, so if you could check your diaries and let me know of your availability, I would be grateful... We will be based at Harvington School hall

If you want to book your children in – the order book is open

Cost: £8.50 per child per day or £25 for 3 days Ages catered for: 5-10 (school age)

We also need teenage helpers (ages 11-16) £5.00 per day

To reserve a place or to offer help please get in touch with Richard Thorniley on 01386 870527 or [email protected]

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Notices

FLOWER FESTIVAL WALK FROM ABBOTS MORTON STEP INTO A NEW ‘NORMAL’

On Saturday 26th June starting at 10am from St Peter’s, Abbots Morton, join a walk round our churches to celebrate a step into the new ‘normal’. The churches of St Peter’s, Abbots Morton, St Peter’s, Rous Lench, and All Saints’, Church Lench, will be decorated with flowers for the festival and will be visited during the walk. The final destination will be Harvington where we can enjoy a picnic in the church or churchyard. There will be stops along the way, with comfort stations available at Rous Lench Village Hall, Church Lench and Harvington. Most of the walk will be on local paths with minimal use of roads, so appropriate footwear is required... and dress for whatever the weather may offer us on the day (suntan lotion essential!) Please bring your own refreshments and arrange transport (if required) back home from Harvington – or enjoy a lovely return walk.

Marriage Document replaces registers in church weddings

New wedding regulations started in May whereby the couple and their witnesses sign a Marriage Document instead of the wedding registers during the service. The document is sent to the register office, who will send a marriage certificate to the couple’s home a few days after the wedding. The calling of banns in church is still required – this is the question that is put to the community, asking if anyone knows if there is any reason in law why the couple should not get married. Some good news: the names of mothers and/or step-parents can be placed on the new marriage certificate – this is a long-overdue improvement. Richard Thorniley

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Wake up!

Remember the story of Jacob and how God met him in a dream when he was sleeping on the desert floor with a rock for his pillow? The story in Genesis 28 says, ‘When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it”’ (Genesis 28:16). I wonder what place you find yourself in today, and if you are aware of God’s presence with you there? It may be a geographical place, the place where you live or work. That may be a beautiful place to be, or it may be a very hard place to be and you would much prefer to be somewhere else. Either way, God is there with you, for He is everywhere, and there is no place where He is not. It may be an emotional place, as when we say, ‘I’m not in a good place right now’. How are you feeling today? Up or down? Again, whatever mood you are in, God is with you for He knows us through and through. Having become human, He understands all our fluctuating emotions. He can comfort us right where we are. It may be a phase of life that you are passing through, a stage on life’s journey or a transition as you move from one situation to another. You may be passing through the valley of grief and loneliness, or anxiously waiting for news of a loved one who is ill. No matter where you are, you are not alone for God is with you whether you can feel His presence or not. What is needed is for us to become more aware of God’s surrounding presence; to wake up to His closeness, just as Jacob did. Lord, wake me up to your abiding presence, even this day. Tony Horsfall

Thankful A minister said to a precocious six-year-old boy, ‘So your mother says a prayer over you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?’ The little boy replied, ‘Thank God he's in bed!’

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You are invited...

One thing that we’ve probably missed over the past year is parties. Well, this month should enable us to party again! Lots of Jesus’ parables focus on parties, as they are a picture of the joy, hope and life of the kingdom of God. The parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15-24) challenges us not to miss out on this. In Jesus’ day, when people accepted an invitation to a banquet, they were only told the actual time on the day, ‘Come, for everything is now ready’ (Luke 14:17). Jesus invites each one of us to share in the life of His kingdom. However, the guests made excuses for not coming. This would have been extremely insulting to the host. They said, ‘I have just bought a field; I must try out my new team of oxen; I have just got married’ (Luke 14:18-20). These are all good things in themselves, but reveal that their priorities were elsewhere. We too can be so pre-occupied with our own routines of work, family, friends, retirement, holidays, home, social media, that we forget God’s priorities for our lives. Jesus calls for total commitment from His disciples. What priority in my life is holding me back from accepting His invitation? How did the host respond? He ordered his servants to ‘go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame’ (Luke 14:21). He invited the unexpected and unacceptable people to his banquet. Jesus makes the point that God’s kingdom is open to all! Thinking about our family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, even if they’re not like us or show little interest in God: are we willing to offer them God’s invitation to share His love and life? Canon Paul Hardingham

Miscellaneous thoughts... Few things are more satisfying than seeing your children have teenagers of their own. I want to be 14 again and ruin my life differently. I have new ideas... Learn from others’ mistakes. You won’t live long enough to make them all yourself. Anger is just one letter short of danger. Anon

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Grace: God’s kindness towards us

The word grace is one of the most important words found in the New Testament. It means God’s loving disposition towards us as sinners. God’s grace is almost another word for God’s love and is the foundation of our salvation. So Paul can say that ‘we are justified freely by His grace’ (Romans 3:24); ‘where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more’ (Romans 5:20) and ‘by grace you are saved through faith’ (Ephesians 2:8). But ‘grace’ is used in another way in the New Testament. It means the godly character being reproduced in Christians; Christ living in His people by His Spirit and making them like Himself – gracious. Luke records that as Jesus grew up ‘the grace of God was upon Him’ (Luke 2:40) and that the people wondered at the ‘gracious words’ that He spoke (Luke 4:22). John says that Jesus was ‘full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). The most common benediction bestowed on Christians in the letters of the New Testament is ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (eg Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23). From this understanding of grace comes the reminder and the exhortation that all of us as Christians are ‘to grow in grace’ (2 Peter 3:18). Our lives should manifest the grace of God in love and compassion and kindness. But grace is not something we can achieve on our own. True grace is only found in close communion with our Lord Jesus Christ. Revd Dr Herbert McGonigle

Neighbourhood watch In one small rural village the local vet also led the local Neighbourhood Watch group. Late one night, the phone rang and his wife answered. An agitated voice inquired, ‘Is your husband there?’ ‘He is, but tell me, do you need him as the vet or the Neighbourhood Watch?’ the wife asked. ‘Both!’ was the reply. ‘We can't get our dog's mouth open, and there's a burglar in it!’

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Why holding an Arts Festival in church is not a good idea...

Happily, the Church of still retains some singular parish clergy. Take the parish of St James-the-Least, whose elderly Anglo-Catholic vicar, Eustace, continues his correspondence to his nephew Darren, a recently-ordained low-church curate...

My dear Nephew Darren, Your decision to hold a summer weekend Arts Festival in church, bringing culture to your inner-city streets, was most commendable. Pity how it all turned out. The Friday evening started well with the concert of Scott Joplin piano music. Obviously knowing that the pieces were originally played in seedy bars on pianos wildly out of tune with several notes missing, your committee must have gone to endless trouble to find precisely the right instrument. Your stagehands were, however, less careful and hadn’t noticed that the platform had a noticeable list to port. After each piece, the pianist had to relocate the piano stool closer to his nomadic piano, with the last piece being performed with both entirely out of sight behind the pulpit. It created much innocent entertainment for the audience, but the fault really should have been remedied before the Saturday evening choir concert. Discarded kneelers and rotting hymn books do not form a stable base for a stage supporting an 80-strong choir. So when it came to the enthusiastic rendering of hits from Oklahoma, with copious hand movements, it came as something of a relief that the stage took this as the moment to signal defeat, tipping the tenors behind the altar. The audience’s thunderous applause, assuming this was a carefully choreographed part of the performance, was quite touching. I am sure all the compensation claims will soon be sorted out. Your greatest mistake was to take responsibility for organising the refreshments afterwards. Church entertainments committees have centuries of collective experience in judging the numbers of ham sandwiches and bottles of milk required. I am forever proud that our own ladies – through years of experience – can now get five cups of tea from every tea bag and can butter bread so thinly that one pack can last several months. What you now do with 29 surplus loaves of bread is a problem you have brought upon yourself. You could possibly use them for supporting the stage next year? Your loving uncle, Eustace 11

On getting to church at a social distance...

A double-bill of Uncle Eustace’s letters...

My dear Nephew Darren, Since your parishioners mostly live in an area of half a square mile, where their only concern in getting to church is whether to take the underpass or risk a dash across the ring road, you may have little understanding of the problems our folk have in travelling our long country lanes to church, especially as we are keeping our social distance from each other. Several parishioners have decided that they can’t share cars even with their own spouses, as in their 15-room homes they have successfully (and in some cases, happily) avoided each other for months. So each week the lane has filled up with Mercedes nudging Audis and Land Rovers easing in between Bentleys. Others arrive on horseback. Unfortunately they are careless about leaving their horses to graze in the churchyard and I have had to remind them twice that flowers in memorial vases are not fodder. The horses do help to keep the grass down, but our verger now objects to standing outside during Mattins, holding the reins of half a dozen horses. He says it is not part of his job description, which only confirms my view that there is entirely too much fuss these days about having job descriptions at all. Major Crompton’s devotion to his new sit-on lawnmower has inspired him to travel to church on it. Since he is unable to uncouple the mowing apparatus, the tarmac on his two-mile drive is acquiring interesting patterns. His journey at two miles per hour along narrow lanes means he arrives leading a procession of cars with drivers given the opportunity to exercise the Christian virtue of patience. Mrs Pendleton leads a small but select group from the Mothers’ Union who are all keen cyclists. They arrive on a whoosh of fresh air, their hair in total disarray, but with pink cheeks glowing with health. Nobody in church minds sitting near them, as anyone who can manage to pedal an old three-gear bicycle up the hill to our church is most unlikely to be sickening for anything. Finally, of course, the majority arrive on foot, having negotiated fields, stiles and assorted cattle on the way. The countryside may well praise God, but one does wish they wouldn’t bring quite so much of it into church. Your loving uncle, Eustace 12

Abbots Morton St Peter’s Church

NOW OPEN EVERY DAY

St Peter's was open every day for private prayer during the national mourning for Prince Philip and it's been decided to stay open. For the time being, Covid- mitigation measures will still be in force: social distancing, use of face masks and sanitising gel, and leaving your name and contact details (or using the QR code) for the purposes of Test Trace and Isolate. However, it's no longer necessary to put a sheet of A4 paper on your seat.

The usual pattern of 11am Morning Services on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and 8.30am Holy Communion services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays has resumed. Please don't enter the church if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or have tested positive for the virus.

As Covid restrictions change we will post information on the St Peter's page on the Parish Council's website: www.abbotsmorton.info/st-peters-church

RECORDED SERVICES

These have been very successful during the pandemic when the churches were closed, but they will now be reduced from weekly to fortnightly, taking it in turns between the Benefice and the ARCH Benefice.

FLOWER ROTA

Flowers are now being placed in the church again. Those on the flower rota, please keep in touch with Gill Barker on ******.

FLOWER FESTIVAL

Saturday/Sunday 26th/27th June The annual Flower Festival will take place again this month on the weekend of 26th/27th June. It will be organised with due regard to any coronavirus rules which may or may not be in force at the time. The theme of the festival in Abbots Morton will be ‘Freedom’, with a nod to Covid lockdowns.

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Abbots Morton

FLOWER FESTIVAL ‘INDOOR PICNIC’

Sunday 27th June, 12noon for 12.30pm Instead of the traditional Flower Festival Lunch, this year there will be a Covid- safe ‘Indoor Picnic’ lunch in the village hall.

It will be an opportunity for people in the community – whether churchgoers or not – to come together in a Covid–secure way following months of lockdowns and socialising restrictions. Please bring your own food and drink, crockery and cutlery. There's no entry fee, it's not a fundraising event for the church – just a chance for us all to socialise again. A particular welcome is extended to all newcomers to Abbots Morton and its hamlets.

There is a limit of 50 people, using the village hall tables, so you are asked to reserve your places as soon as possible. Please contact Lynne Pemberton on ****** or by e-mail at ******@******.

VESTRY REPAIRS

The five-yearly inspection of the structure of the church (the Quinquennial) has just taken place. Hopefully, not too many problems will be found as the PCC awaits a cost estimate for repairing cracks in the vestry.

VILLAGE HALL (www.abbotsmorton.info/abbots-morton-village-hall)

Village Hall re-opens The village hall re-opened on 6th May for use as a polling ptation for the election of a County Councillor and the election of the and Crime Commissioner. Covid-mitigation measures were in place.

Hatha Yoga classes resume We're delighted to say that eight members of Catherine Phillips's Hatha Yoga class were happy to return to the hall for their class on 18th May, the day after indoor fitness classes were able to resume under step three of the Government's roadmap out of Covid lockdown. Appropriate Covid-mitigation measures were in place.

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Abbots Morton

VILLAGE HALL (CONTINUED)

Bookings Another sign that things are returning to ‘normal’ is that meetings of Abbots Morton Parish Council are now being held in person at the village hall after months of being held ‘virtually’ by Zoom. The Annual Parish Meeting was held on 27th May and future Parish Council meetings will be on Thursday 22nd July, 23rd September and 25th November.

Wedding receptions We are proving popular as a wedding reception venue, with two receptions taking place in July and another planned for August. There's also a family party later this month.

EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile Our 23 EasyFundraisers have now raised £753.34 for the village hall. Thank you so much to them... and if you want to become our 24th EasyFundraiser simply search for EasyFundraising in your web browser and follow the prompts. Please put Abbots Morton Village Hall as your good cause.

Amazon Smile customers have also raised £30.86 for our funds. You too can support the hall by visiting the webpage smile.amazon.co.uk and following the prompts. Thank you.

The trustees The current Management Committee of the village hall now comprises:

Lynne Pemberton (Chair and PCC representative) Pat Willingale (Secretary) Sarah Dykes (Treasurer) Colin Pemberton (Bookings Officer and PRO Martin Willingale (Parish Council representative)

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Rous Lench St Peter’s Church

ANYONE FOR TEA?

On Sunday 27th June (Covid restrictions permitting) between 3-5pm, we will be serving a delicious afternoon tea on the green. Please join us for a chat over a cuppa, scones and an enormous slice of cake – what could be better?!

Following last year’s success, we will also be offering a delivery service for those unable to make it to the green so you can still join in and enjoy tea with friends and family in the comfort of your own home/garden. There will be a sweet and savoury option. Tea will be delivered to your door between 2-3pm on the day.

The cost per afternoon tea will be £7.50. Tea and cakes can also be purchased separately on the green, and there will be a raffle, with some fantastic prizes. All proceeds will go towards St Peter’s Church Preservation Fund.

We hope to see you on the 27th!

Please contact Fran Herdman (******, ******@******) if you would like a delivery.

St Peter’s Church re-opening – nearly there!

The work on the church roof and removal of flaking plaster has taken place, but as you can imagine there is a lot of dust! A team of volunteers have started cleaning the church, but it is taking longer than we originally hoped. If you are able to help please contact Lloyd Wing on ******@****** and he will let you know tidying dates.

We hope to have the church fully open for the Flower Festival weekend 26-27th June and plans are in place to have a Songs of Praise at 6.30pm on Sunday 27th June.

Apologies for raising hopes unrealistically high. Richard Thorniley

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Rous Lench

CHURCH REPAIRS – GOOD NEWS

The current round of repairs to the roofs and vestry areas have been completed. The contractors have done a thorough and professional job and for the first time in many years we have a church that is watertight. Parts of the interior had become quite damp but these areas can now start to dry out. Thanks to an enthusiastic team of village volunteers, the big clean up has started and the church will be open for services and visitors as soon as possible.

Further repair works are required and, if funds can be raised, we hope to add a new heating system, upgraded electrics plus kitchen and toilet facilities.

Thank you to all the villagers who have helped with the preservation project and those who have supported our various fund raising initiatives. Without you, what we have achieved to date would not have been possible. Thank you!

HYMNS AND PIMMS

Saturday 24th July, 7.30pm at St Peters Church, Rous Lench It’s been over a year since hymn singing was allowed in church – here is an opportunity to sing again!! Come and sing some of your favourite hymns and listen to some great music from local musicians.

Canapes and a glass of Pimms will be served during the interval to help the vocal chords.

Tickets £10 each in advance. Proceeds in aid of St Peter’s Preservation Fund For tickets, please contact Colin Chandler on ****** or e-mail [email protected]. We hope to see and hear you there!

EASYFUNDRAISING

A big THANK YOU to the 11 people who support us through Easyfundraising – so far we have raised £88.42.

We really need more supporters so please take a few minutes to register on the Easyfundraising site and start raising money for St Peter’s Church at the click of a button and at no cost to yourself. As the meerkat would say, ‘Simples!’

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Rous Lench

DON’T FORGET

Saturday 4th September, 3.30pm - 8.30pm: PIG ROAST We have a fantastic line up of entertainment including Morris dancers, the Vale Harmony barbershop choir, Emilie Westcott and The Subterrestrials (a great covers band). The legendary cake stall will be serving teas and coffees, the bar will be open, the tombola will be packed with prizes and, oh yes, there will be delicious hot pork rolls, hot dogs and vegetarian samosas to satisfy everyone! All welcome – please come along and join in the fun

ROUS LENCH VILLAGE HALL (www.rouslench.com)

Wanted: new secretary The Village Hall is in need of a new secretary! Anyone who would be willing to volunteer for this role, please contact the committee at [email protected].

Defibrillator The new defibrillator, financed by District Council and supported by the Parish Council, is due to be placed on Rous Lench Village Hall very soon. Thank you to everyone who made this happen.

Hall hire for private events Rous Lench Village Hall is available for hire for private events such as parties, anniversaries, receptions etc. For conditions and prices, please look on our website under the hall hire section, call ****** or e-mail [email protected].

ROUS LENCH PARISH COUNCIL

The Parish Council welcomes all parishioners to their meetings and invites them to raise concerns or share ideas during public question time at the start of the meeting. Dates for the rest of this year are Monday 26th July, 20th September and 29th November. Meetings start at 7.30pm prompt at Rous Lench Village Hall.

We look forward to seeing you at our meetings. If you need further information or would like to get involved, please contact Hazel Robinson, Clerk to Rous Lench Parish Council on ****** or [email protected].

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Church Lench All Saints’ Church

FLOWER FESTIVAL WEEKEND Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June

Sadly, for the 2nd consecutive year, we have decided not to have any Open Gardens or Village Hall activities over the festival weekend. However, to celebrate the first week of ‘Total Unlocking’ there will be a Scarecrow Trail throughout Atch Lench and Church Lench and floral arrangements will be on display in the church, where we hope to have a few stalls selling local artwork, homemade cakes, preserves and plants. These events will be organised with due regard to any coronavirus rules which may or may not be in force at the time. Further information may be obtained from Liz Ferguson (******) or Nadine Woakes (******).

OPEN AIR THEATRE IN THE LENCHES

Construction work will be starting in June on our very own open air theatre! The South Lenches Parish Council and the Lenches Sports Club have worked together to make the theatre a reality. A £95K grant from Wychavon set the project on its way and the support from national and local business has been amazing: bricks, the tiles for the roof, decking for the balcony and flooring for the green room have all been supplied free of charge.

These generous donations will allow us to create a truly iconic facility, but we need a little help to supply the finishing touches. So we are looking to readers of the ARCH Messenger to join the Sponsor-a-Brick scheme. Your name will be engraved on a brick which will face onto the theatre. Already, more than 60 bricks are spoken for. If you would like to help provide this community facility, please contact [email protected] for details. Don’t delay – the scheme must close before building starts. 19

Church Lench First School News

New Christian value: Friendship This half term, our Christian value focuses on friendship. Christians believe they can call God their friend because of the relationship made possible through Jesus. We will be discovering this value through Bible stories, articles regarding acts of kindness, fiction stories and discussing the qualities of a good friend. Cricket day On Wednesday 5th May, each class had a cricket session with Dan Such from Cricket Club. The children really enjoyed learning the skills and participating in the games. Many of the children are very keen and enthusiastic to start playing cricket after this taster session. Bellboating Class 3 will be taking to the water at Paddle Club on Thursday 27th May, where they will be working as a team whilst rowing down the River Avon in bellboats. The children and staff are so excited to spend a day out of school! Playtimes at Church Lench We recognise that playing traditional and creative games is so important for collaboration, enjoyment and positive mental health and wellbeing. We are investing a lot of time to teach the children many traditional games to help them with friendships, teamwork and following rules. It has been a joy to see many games being enjoyed once again including ‘Stuck in the Mud’, ‘Bulldog’, ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’, ‘What’s the Time, Mr Wolf’ and a variety of skipping games. Fundraising opportunities We have started to plan a variety of fundraising opportunities involving the children and families of our school, and have many exciting days coming up including theme non-uniform days and film nights. We are looking to raise money to enhance the non-fiction section of our school library! Summer term transitions and inductions Over the next few weeks, we have arranged meetings after school with our new children and families who will start Reception in September. We are looking forward to welcoming new families to our school. Our Year 5 children will have a Leaver’s Service in school and will soon have transition meetings with their middle schools. Mrs S Price, Headteacher

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Church Lench

LENCHES WI ([email protected], www.facebook.com/thelencheswi)

Our June meeting will be a ‘garden meeting’ with social distancing rules being observed. Weather permitting, this will be on the afternoon of Tuesday 22nd June. Further details will be given to members nearer the date. New members always welcome!

VILLAGE HALL

Looking for a place to hold a children’s birthday party this year? Church Lench Village Hall offers a special weekend daytime rate of £45. This gives you four hours to set up, hold the party and clear away afterwards. It’s a really good deal – a 25% discount or £15 off on our normal hourly rate.

Are you interested in holding a regular club or class at the hall? It is available during the afternoons from 3:30pm until 6:30pm Tuesdays through Fridays and there is also availability on Wednesday evenings.

We have updated the details for hiring the hall on www.thelenches.org.uk, or contact Lisa Seabourne at [email protected].

THE LENCHES BOULES CLUB

Fancy having a go at Boules? Here in Church Lench we have a great Boules court with fantastic views of the Malverns

All ages welcome, no previous experience needed (we can teach you) Play for fun or join the Singles or Doubles competitions Play whenever you like or come to our social Boules on a Saturday and Sunday 11am-2pm You don’t even need a set of Boules as we have some you can borrow

For more information or to join the Lenches Boules Club, e-mail Ann Hughes on ******@******

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Church Lench

THE LENCHES CLUB (www.facebook.com/lenchesclub)

Wednesday 23rd June, 8pm: AGM Please refer to our Facebook page (see above) for further details

At last! Some dates for the diary...

Saturday 12th June, 7.30pm start Liz’s Quiz! £10 per team of 4 Saturday 26th June Family Fun Day! Details to follow August Bank Holiday Fun run and beer festival

We are planning lots of exciting things to bring our community back together. Please watch our Facebook page for further details.

Memberships are now due

For new members, membership forms will be emailed to you if you message the Facebook page or ask for one from the bar staff when the club is open.

For new and existing members, BACS payments should be made to: The Lenches Club, 30-93-11, 00221400 using your surname as the reference.

We look forward to seeing you all.

THE LENCHES TENNIS CLUB

Get fit and have fun Enjoy the resurfaced courts and wonderful view of the Malvern Hills

Come and join us as a member or for coaching New members will be made most welcome No membership fee for adult or junior players who attend our courses

Adult and Children’s Courses Now available for all abilities during the day and in the evenings For more details on tennis coaching courses and membership please contact ******@******

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Harvington St James’ Church

PASTORAL SUPPORT NETWORK

Things are gradually returning to normal and the Pastoral Support Network are ready to help village residents as usual. We have several volunteers who are happy to assist with small tasks such as shopping, collecting prescriptions, minor DIY, lifts to appointments or simply visiting for a friendly chat. So do feel free to get in touch with us on ****** if you think we can help.

We suggest a contribution of 45p per mile towards our volunteers’ petrol and running costs if that can be managed. However, thanks to some very generous donations from some villagers, we have been able to build up a small hardship fund, which we will happily use so that no-one need feel deterred from asking for help. Wendy and Konrad Monks (Coordinators)

Cameo Teas Garden Party

Wednesday 16th June, 3pm St. James’ Church gardens

We would love you to join us to celebrate the return of CAMEO TEAS and enjoy a social get-together, meeting friends whom we have not been able to see for some time.

Homemade cakes and tea await you, and do bring a friend or two! Looking forward to seeing you, our old friends, and hopefully meeting some new ones.

For further information or if you need transport, please contact Sophie Dodds on ****** or ******@******

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Harvington First School News

Our school summer value: PERSEVERANCE As we approach the end of the most challenging year, we begin to focus on the very appropriate Christian value of perseverance. Our children have been following this value so much over the last few months, as has everyone in our community. The children will focus on learning about perseverance and why it is so important. From the Bible we learn that Jesus did not give up or compromise in his determination to spread the word and teaching of God. We often read in the Bible that Jesus encouraged his disciples always to trust in God and to persevere when faced with obstacles. Jesus himself trusted in God even when his enemies tried to stop his work and plotted his death. The children will learn that sometimes we will face difficulties in life but we know we can pray for God’s help because he promised to never leave us. We are focusing on these questions:

What can children do to support others when they are faced with difficult times? Who do children admire for persevering at something, and why? Why it is important to make mistakes? Why is perseverance a good quality to have for the future?

Fascinating fact Thomas Edison was a very challenging student and found it difficult to learn in school, but he changed the world with his invention of the electric light bulb. Before this great accomplishment, Edison discovered over 1,000 ways he could not build a light bulb! Now that is perseverance! Community links We are very proud to be part of this lovely community and always try to find ways to connect with others. Recently, we have sent messages on handmade postcards to try and spread some happiness during this difficult time. As part of our Roots and Shoots focus we have grown mini plants and hope, as these flowers grow, our lovely neighbours will know we have been thinking about them. We would also like to thank everyone in our community who donated items for our new mud kitchens. The children have enjoyed using them all! Helen Fishbourne, Headteacher

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Harvington

HARVINGTON EMERGENCY FUND

DON’T FORGET: if you live locally and you are in need, or know of someone in need

St James’ Church is managing an emergency fund on behalf of the community to support people who are in need. If you know of someone, a person or family, who is in need or if you are that person or family and need an emergency helping hand, please get in touch.

Contact ****** and we will offer what support we can.

Richard Thorniley

GARDENING TEAM

As I write this, the sun is shining, the buds are bursting open and it’s lovely to see the fresh green shoots in our village. Under the guiding hands of Joy and Julian, the church gardens look wonderful.

The next meeting of the gardening team is on Saturday 19th June when we will be working from 9.30am to 12noon with a coffee break around 11am, conforming to Government rules (which we hope will be more relaxed at that time). Please join us – we have jobs for all abilities and an extra pair of hands are welcomed by the team for any period during the morning.

If you have any questions, please ring Joy or Julian on ******. Clive Allen

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Services

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Home & Garden/Services

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Home & Garden

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Leisure/Home & Garden

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Leisure/Dining

Key to Church Services

BCP Book of Common Prayer Service (all other communion services use the Common Worship liturgy) CH Caring Hands collection 30

Harvington 9.30am 9.30am Service Morning 9.30am Communion Holy 9.30am Communion Holy 9.30am Communion Holy

Church Lench Church 11am 11am Communion Holy 11am Service Morning Holy 8.30am (BCP) Communion 11am Communion Holy

Rous Lench Rous 8.30am Holy Holy 8.30am (BCP) Communion 11am Communion Holy 10.30am Service Morning

ARCH Benefice 2021 Benefice July ARCH

Everyone (of any age) will be made very welcome at all our services allour at welcome very made be will age) any (of Everyone

Abbots Morton Abbots 11am 11am Service Morning Holy 8.30am (BCP) Communion 11am Service Morning Holy 8.30am (BCP) Communion

)

June June June

July

th th th

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4 11 18 25 Great the James St key on p30 on key (

31 ARCH Benefice June 2021

(key on p30) Abbots Morton Rous Lench Church Lench Harvington

th 6 June 11am 11am 9.30am Morning Service Holy Communion Morning Service

th 13 June 8.30am Holy 11am 9.30am Communion (BCP) Morning Service Holy Communion

th 20 June 11am 8.30am Holy 9.30am Morning Service Communion (BCP) Holy Communion

27th June 11am 6.30pm 11am 9.30am Peter the Apostle Flower Festival Flower Festival Flower Festival Holy Communion Morning Service of Praise Holy Communion

Everyone (of any age) will be made very welcome at all our services