MOVING ON! Life will soon return to normal, no more blinding flashes of pink to make you wonder whether or not your eyes are playing up. Yes, in case you hadn’t heard I have a job! I’m off to the Diocese of Lichfield, to three villages in North ; , Weston Lullingfields and ; but not until after Christmas. The biggest of the three is the village of Baschurch, which lies 8 miles North West of and 10 miles from Oswestry, this is the village where we will live. The church seats 350 people, has 8 bells, a bell ringing team, and a robed choir. In the village there is a Church of Primary School and a Secondary School and on the edge of the village is an Agricultural College. The other two villages, Weston Lullingfields and Hordley are smaller in size, with populations of around 250. There is a small Primary school at Weston with 31 pupils, and Hordley the furthest north of the three villages is nearer to Ellesmere than Shrewsbury. The challenge for the Churches in these villages is not unlike here, to make the links with the communities in which they are situated. There are many opportunities to be involved with the youth and the communities as a whole and we shall be embracing those opportunities as a family. I will be a governor to both Primary Schools and will be involved in weekly acts of worship and teaching. More established links are needed with the Secondary School and the Uniformed Organisations. I also have the opportunity to take services in the three care homes that are within the Benefice. So lots to keep me busy! Over the next few months as I start to say my goodbyes I will be looking back at the memories I have made whilst being here and there are many. Moving on is always difficult but it is part of life and I shall rejoice in all that I have learnt during my time here with you and look forward to taking those things and the memories with me. Memories are important, they may fade with time, but they are always with us. Yet there comes a time when we all have to learn to move on from those memories however painful that may be. For some it will be easier than for others. Whenever that time is, Jesus reassures us that he will be with us, walking alongside us; he will not leave us. I have my memories of my time spent here and I will look back on them with joy, yes there will also be some sadness at leaving behind the many friends I have made, but I will cherish all that you have taught me and the ways in which you have helped to shape me. I have the reassurance that Jesus goes with me on this next step and I hope and pray that you know that reassurance also. Linda

WHAT’S ON, WHAT’S GOOD & WHERE TO GO THIS MONTH REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY: 8th NOVEMBER: AT 10am. The service of Remembrance at St John's Church will start at 10am in church and then conclude with the 11am silence at the memorial gates. This service is supported by the uniformed organizations and the Donisthorpe Scout Band. An opportunity to remember those who have laid down their lives in the past, but also those who continue to die in this world with so many wars. CHURCH AT 4 P.M. This new venture will also have the theme of remembering. It's not church in the traditional sense of the word - an opportunity to sing a few songs, hear a story, do a craft activity and have tea. Especially with families in mind. ADVENT SUNDAY: 29th November Advent is a very special Sunday. This year it will be a united service at Measham starting at 10am. Come and join in singing the lovely hymns of Advent. MARY AND JOSEPH START THEIR JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM Advent Sunday also marks the start of the journey of our Posada figures (Mary and Joseph). They travel round the village staying overnight at the homes of those who will host them. Hosts are invited to send Vivien an account of their stay (and photos) to go on the church website. They then return to church on Christmas Eve at the Christingle service. Would you like to give them a bed for the night? If so ring Vivien on 01530 270354 and find out more. (They are knitted figures of Mary and Joseph) CHRISTMAS @ MEASHAM Thursday 3rd December starting at 6pm. A date for your diary – come to this Measham village event. It will start with carol singing at St Laurence Church in Measham, then the switching on of the Christmas lights and late night shopping in the High Street. And much more….

TOY SERVICE – Sunday 6th December We will be receiving toys (preferably new) at this service. They will go to the Marlene Reid Centre in Coalville for distribution to children who might not otherwise get Christmas presents. Can you help? More details in next month’s Grapevine. LAY CONGRESS: HOLY HABITS; CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY FOR DAILY LIFE. November 14th: 9.30am - 3.45pm at / St Martins House What does it look like to follow Jesus in our daily lives – to be open to God’s love and to live out of that love as we work, rest and play? And what are some of the habits and practices we can put into place that can help us to live in the flow of that love as we live our lives? These are some of the questions that we will be exploring at our next Lay Congress on Sat 14th November at St Martins House, Leicester. Our key note speakers are the Revd Nick Helm and Revd Magdalen Smith, both of whom are steeped in experience in this area – Nick has been a spirituality advisor for Sheffield Diocese and is now Continuing Ministerial Development Officer for Hereford, while Magdalen is at present Diocesan Director of Ordinands in the Chester Diocese and has written on prayer and connecting with God. Afternoon workshops will be led by our key note speakers and in addition Revd Alison Christian, Warden at Launde Abbey and Rosy Fairhurst, Canon Chancellor at Leicester Cathedral. Bishop John Holbrook, interim will also be present throughout the day. Download the flyer which includes the booking form - booking is essential for this event: http://www.leicester.anglican.org/site-includes/uploads/wygwam/2015%20Lay%20Congress%20flyer%20- %20final%20version.pdf LOCAL PERFORMANCE OF THE ACCLAIMED ROGER JONES MUSICAL - “ANGEL VOICES”. This will be performed by ‘The Choir with No Name’ at St Margaret’s Church Blackfordby, on the evening of Saturday November 14th at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and will include light refreshments and are available from either Pat Leyland, Tel. 01283 216177 or Val Page, Tel. 07929853718

HARVEST FESTIVAL - THANK YOU’S A big thank you to all who came along to Harvest festival on 11th October and to Donisthorpe School who came along to celebrate their harvest festival in church. A great time was had by all. We were able to send a great donation of food to the Marlene Reid Centre in Coalville, which helps families in need in the area. It’s good to think that we can give practical help to others as a way of saying thank you to God for his goodness to us. The church looked splendid for the celebrations thank you to all who worked hard to deck the church out so beautifully Vivien

WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES at ST. JOHNS NOVEMBER 2015 Sunday 1ST 11.00am Holy Communion

Tuesday 3rd 9.00 – 11.00am Coffee & Chat (in Church)

Friday 6th 10am LITTLE FISHES - (Measham Church Hall) Sunday 8h 10.00am Remembrance Day Parade Service

4.00pm Church@ 4pm

Wednesday 11th 10.00am Holy Communion

Sunday 15th 11.00am Baptism

Tuesday 17th 2.00pm – 4.00pm 3T’s (in Church)

Sunday 22nd 11.00am Holy Communion

Friday 27th 12.30pm – 2.00pm Lunch Light Fellowship Group (in Church)

Sunday 29th 10.00am UNITED SERVICE AT MEASHAM

SHAPED BY GOD

In 2005 the embarked on a new diocesan vision and strategy, Shaped by God. Shaped by God in our lives and communities we seek the growth of His Kingdom in: the depth of discipleship, the number of disciples of Jesus, loving service of the world. Last autumn, as a Diocese, we renewed our long term vision for mission, Shaped by God. As we continue to live in all that renewal means, between now and Christmas, once a fortnight, we’ll be sending a 100 word ‘thought for day’. We are delighted that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has kindly agreed to write the first one. The Ven David Newman, Archdeacon of Loughborough has written the second.

1. “… there was silence in heaven for about half an hour….” (Revelation 8:1-5)

“As always with scripture it is important not to get distracted by the distractions (how did John know it was half an hour…?), but to enjoy the invitation. The silence falls when the incense rises. Incense is a symbol of prayer. Heaven falls quiet to listen to our prayer. Prayer is no self-help activity, no mere spiritual wellness routine – this is direct communication in the Spirit with the One who loves us, and so makes us and our concerns the focus of his attention. Whether for half an hour or just a few minutes cause heaven to fall silent as you come to God in prayer. The God who shapes us, makes space for us.” Archbishop Justin.

2. Deeper and wider. Although growing in the depth of our discipleship and increasing the number of disciples are both SBG growth goals, I sense that we easily prioritise one or the other. We are either depth people or width people, majoring on discipleship or on numerical growth. However I do not sense with Jesus that it was an either/or. He spread himself widely with the crowds, and guarded time with his disciples. Furthermore consider his conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He was able by careful listening and judicious responding to take the conversation to a revealing depth such that the woman goes back to all her friends and says “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! Could this be the Messiah?” Attending in depth to the one, led to the interest of the many. Our challenge is to take our conversations to that next level, and that means going there within ourselves first. The Ven. David Newman, Archdeacon of Loughborough

These ‘thoughts for the fortnight’ will help us explore what being shaped by God means for us individually, as parishes, as fresh expressions of Church, and as a whole Diocese. Some will be encouraging, some challenging but hopefully all prophetic of what God is saying to us and how we need to respond, each written by someone involved in different aspects of the Shaped by God vision. Each is designed to be read in one minute.

MOTHERS UNION In 2012 Donisthorpe Mothers Union bought to your attention our concerns relating to the commercialisation of childhood. The Mothers Union nationally undertook a campaign entitled ‘Bye Buy Childhood’. I am pleased to report that thanks to this campaign, we have seen progress made in ensuring that children are not targeted by the media, marketers and retailers. Our research has shown that parents are now more aware overall, with 8 out of 10 parents being concerned about the commercialisation of childhood and 86% about the sexualisation of childhood. As Christmas approaches and we are encouraged at every turn, to shop for presents, these marketing and advertising practices will increase and be more wide spread. I would simply ask you, on behalf of the Mothers Union, to just be aware of the dangers and be careful as you shop for your children and grandchildren and to ensure as far as you are able that children are not exposed to musical videos with sexualised and violent content and be mindful of the impact of games and other toys and books might have in the same regard. Pat Thomas