October 2020 Church, Community and Parish News for the villages of Wymeswold, Burton on the Wolds, Hoton, Cotes, Prestwold and Walton on the Wolds. Vivienne Isaac FwSS tESA(P) SHIATSU For Humans & Horses Bad back? Neck ache? Stiff shoulders? Sore knees? Low mood? Shiatsu relieves joint and muscle pain, adjusts structural misalignments and releases tension. It reduces mental, emotional and physical stress, and helps with breathing difficulties, digestive disorders and depression. Shiatsu is a gentle, effective therapy which aids well-being, enhances energy and improves balance by using finger pressure, fascial unwinding, rotations, stretches and muscle energy techniques. [email protected] 07947 075301 01509 880652 PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS October The 2020 Christian Link Pastoral Letter committed to it and found fulfilment in it. John’s gospel tells us that many of his disciples decided to quit because his teachings were hard (i.e. the changes called for were too great). Jesus turned to the twelve What does October mean for you? For me it is a time and said “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter of change. The colours in the fields and lanes are a replied, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the beautiful display of golds, browns, greens and orange words of eternal life. We have come to believe and as the trees and bushes take on their Autumn glow. know that you are the Holy One of God”. So changing All the crops have been brought in and everyone is and following Jesus is a good change. getting ready for the harvest. This is as true today as it was 2000+years ago. Hopefully, our churches will be decorated, and our services ring out with songs of praise and May God bless you all and keep you safe thanksgiving, although this is by no means certain at this time. Schools, colleges and universities are back after the extra long break due to Covid19, with new Pam Knowles classes and new friendships being formed. But for everyone, this year has been a series of changes, as the government and health officials try to find ways to slow down the spread and effects of Covid19. But it hasn’t all been bad news. People have pulled together to look after the more vulnerable among us, and God’s commandment to “Love your Neighbour” has been evident all over the world. It was truly wonderful as we had our first morning services in our churches at the beginning of September, but I wonder what our new “normal” will be at the end of this crisis. Some changes are welcome and some are unwelcome, some we choose and some are just there, we have no real option. All of these are quite small changes compared with the sort of changes in the life of the disciples, when Jesus told them to leave their homes and families and follow him. I wonder how we would have coped. How would you feel if your son left for work, and didn’t return! Would you follow someone you didn’t know very well with only the clothes you wore – no money, no guarantee of food, and no knowledge of where you were going? How did the disciples feel? Following Christ was no easy option, but they were all What’s in this Christian Link? Hire Walton on the Wolds Pages 3-5 Church News Pages 6-7 Wymeswold News Village Hall Pages 8-10 News from Burton, Hoton, Cotes and Prestwold Page 11 Walton News Phone Page 12-13 General news Page 14 Church Services and contacts Ian McMillan 01509 880577 Or Liz Keogh 01509 881740 Christian Link PAGE 3 A date for your Diary! Sunday 4th October 11:15 – Harvest Service with food donations for The Carpenter’s Arms Church News Flowers: 4/10: Harvest – All: windows and porches 17/10: Altar (screen): J. James; Candle Votive: R. Hyde News from St Julie Henshaw Mary’s We have been gently Methodist News easing our way back to collective worship since mid Usually in October we celebrate and -August, beginning with evening services. During September we returned to the church building for morning services of give thanks for the harvest at a Holy Communion. United Service in St Mary’s. This probably won’t be possible this year, Whilst we are not yet able to sing together, many other so a few weeks ago I put my mind to aspects of the service are the same, for example, we can how we could celebrate, without meeting together in our take bread at communion, pray and listen to readings from church buildings. the Bible together. However, I think for many of us it is the fact that we can now see each other in person (even though During the recent months, I’ve been receiving material from we are wearing masks), which makes everything seem ‘real’ the Arthur Rank Centre, which has sometimes been put on once again. Another step closer to how things used to be… our noticeboard at Chapel. This rural Christian organisation is based on the site of the old Royal Show at Stoneleigh in If you have not yet quite made your mind up about returning Warwickshire. For those who remember the old Royal to St. Mary’s and that is understandable given all that we Showground, they had a building on the site, which you have been through, please be assured that your safety is of could visit. I recall attending the show one year and having utmost priority for us. There are multiple hand sanitising a very nice cup of tea and cake in this building, the Arthur stations, 2m social distancing between households in the Rank Centre, as well as learning a lot about the Long Horn pews as well as thorough cleaning of ‘high touch’ points. Cattle herd that the Baker family have at Shepshed, on Swannemote Lane. At the heart of much of the resources In October, we will be holding our first ‘festival’ service since th and material I’ve received from them has been the re-opening. On Sunday 4 October we will have our countryside and God’s creation. One of the projects that Harvest service where we will be, as we have in the past, they have been keen to promote is being thankful for our collecting food for the Carpenter’s Arms in Loughborough. farmers and our producers during the Covid outbreak. They Things will be slightly different this year though, in that we have encouraged us to use this harvest-time to say “Thank will place our donations in a box at the back of the church rather than present them during the service itself. you to our Farmers”. So a few weeks ago I sent a message If you would like to make a donation of non-perishable food to our Young People, and asked them to make some items to the Carpenter’s Arms but do not feel that you are posters. Hopefully by the time you read this, you will see yet ready to return to church services in person, please these posters displayed in different places around the contact me on 880218 and I will happily collect your village, and we hope to pop a few into farmers’ post boxes, donation from you. just in case they don’t have the time to stop and see the posters as they travel through the village. The church will be beautifully decorated for this service, as always, by our wonderful flower arranging volunteers. Thank you for your much-valued contribution. Your support is much Services have recommenced at St Mary’s as I write. Our appreciated. circuit also has started to offer face-to-face worship, in 3 of the churches. We hope that when you read this that Chapel Finally, you may recall that four bells rang for VJ day in will also be ready to reopen and we will be able to meet August and that there have been bells rung for services on together again in small groups for fellowship. Our Sundays. When guidance on social distancing within the noticeboard will give further details. tower is next reviewed, we hope that it will not be too long before all six of our bells can be rung once more for Sunday services. Margaret Folwell News Items and Adverts for next issue Deadline date for the November issue is Friday 9th October. Items submitted after the Deadline Date may not be included in the Link. Please send News Items, Articles or Social Adverts to Jenny Bokor at 3, Rectory Place, Wymeswold. Tel: 881428, E-mail: [email protected] Please send Commercial Adverts to Chris Keeling at 9, The Stockwell, Wymeswold. Tel 880515, E-mail: [email protected] Please note all Commercial Adverts should be sent in JPEG Format whenever possible, otherwise it causes a lot of work so we may need to charge for the time spent creating them. Apologies, but we cannot distribute any additional material with the Christian Link, e.g. flyers. PAGE 4 Christian Link Harvest Food Bank Donations News from St Our gardens, the fields, orchards and hedgerows that surround us remind us that Harvest Festival is upon us. Andrew’s Covid restrictions make the usual bringing of gifts on Harvest Sunday and from our schools impossible but this year there is an alternative. By the time this Link is distributed, September 2020 will almost be complete and we will be looking forward to There will be a box in each of our churches into which you October with the exception of the thought that Christmas will are invited to place gifts of non-perishable foods and only be some twelve weeks away.