Stour Vale Letter No. 75
Church Services – 29th August
Something different for our Fifth Sunday service! Do join us at Yeatman’s Farm, Stour Row SP7 0QH at 11.00am for a service to celebrate Lammas – the beginning of the Harvest season and the bringing in of the first wheat. Please bring your own chair and a packed lunch to enjoy together afterwards.
11.00am Yeatman’s Farm, Stour Row Benefice Communion (CW)
(CW = Common Worship BCP = Book of Common Prayer)
Collect & Readings for Lammastide 2 Corinthians 9.6-11 John 6.5-12 Psalm 67
Praying for our communities In the Stour Vale this week we pray for God’s blessing on the community of Buckhorn Weston, including the congregation of St John the Baptist church, 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 Buckhorn Weston Village Hall from 2.30pm in aid of the Senior Citizens Christmas Lunch.
Harvest in the Stour Vale Most of our Harvests services are taking place in October but here is the complete list for your diaries:
Friday 10th September 7.00pm Buckhorn Weston Harvest Service Sunday 3rd October 9.15am Todber Harvest Communion Sunday 3rd October 11.00am East Stour Harvest Communion Sunday 3rd October 11.00am West Stour Harvest Service Friday 8th October 6.30pm Kington Magna Harvest Service Saturday 9th October 6.30pm Stour Provost Harvest Service Sunday 10th October 11.00am Fifehead Magdalen Harvest Communion
See September’s Octavo (out now) for details of harvest lunches/suppers as not everyone is holding one this year for obvious reasons.
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 Dorset 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 Provost, Stour Row, Todber, Fifehead Magdalen , finishing at Kington Magna church. Do please support her if you can.
Quote of the Week
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.
Thich Nhat Hanh Starting in September…. Do look in your September issue of Octavo for activities beginning in the autumn. Knit & Natter, Bible Book Club and Compline & Company are all resuming in September. And Rucksack Stories; a new series of monthly midweek services, will begin in October. More information here soon! Pause for Thought - Lunch with God
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his case with a few bars of chocolate, some biscuits and six small cans of soft drink and he started his journey. When he had gone three blocks of the city where he lived, he met an old man who was sitting in the park staring at the pigeons. The boy sat down next to him to drink one of his cans when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some biscuits. The man gratefully accepted them and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a drink. Again he smiled. The boy was delighted! They sat there for quite a while smiling but never saying a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realised how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. His reward was the biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” And before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? He’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy returned home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, “ Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I ate biscuits in the park with God.” And, before his son responded, he added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to help or bring a blessing on another.
Prayer A blessing from Dorothy McRae-McMahon:
Go in peace into all this day brings. May the face of God ne turned toward you. The hand of Christ be stretched out to hold you, And the Spirit be found as wisdom within you, Amen.
For your Prayers
We give thanks for the opportunity to enjoy some free time over the summer but we also think of all those who have worked throughout the summer without a break. May they be given time to rest. We pray for those who are unhappy in their work and for those who are under pressure.
We give thanks for the places of beauty and peace that refresh us and give us opportunities to breathe deeply and slowly. We give thanks, too, for those special people who make a difference to our lives and support us with their companionship and understanding.
We pray for all who are still finding 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 delayed hospital procedures, and those recovering from surgery and 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]