Rosemary and Tim’s wildlife garden September 2020 (pdf edition) Interregnum Rector For pastoral and parish concerns, please contact Rev’d Ann Gibbs Curate The Reverend Ann Gibbs 863593 [email protected] The Reverend Stephen Humphreys Assistant Priest [email protected] 841265 Stowey Farm, Timberscombe Licensed Reader Rosemary Ball 862294 Retired Clergy The Reverend John Rogers Retired Clergy The Reverend Dori Dawes 862474 PCC Treasurer Vacant Marian and Peter Fosker c/o Assistant Treasurers Oakwing Office, St Dubricius School, 862284 Parsons Street, Porlock Assistant Treasurer Bill Ball c/o & Gift Aid Oakwing Office, St Dubricius School, 862284 Co-ordinator Parsons Street, Porlock PCC Secretary Vacant Churchwarden- Malcolm Bleasby 862562 St Dubricius Choir leader, 07454271931 Stephen Kingdon St Dubricius Tower Captain Nicholas Kingdon c/o 862284 St Dubricius :- www.achurchnearyou.com/church/11306/ St Mary’s :- www.achurchnearyou.com/church/11300/ All Saints :- www.achurchnearyou.com/church/11308/ Stoke Pero:- www.achurchnearyou.com/church/11312/ Dear Reader, During this period of limited church access I have been putting together an ‘In Touch’ every month in a slightly different format. Please forward notices and articles for the pew sheet or In Touch to me, Rachel, at [email protected] SUNDAY SERVICES Our latest guidance from the Church of England says that face coverings should now be worn in churches. CHANGES TO SERVICES From the 20th September we will be returning to our normal pattern of services. There will be a Service of Holy Communion at 8 a.m. (BCP) and a service at 10.30 a.m. which on the 20th will be Morning Prayer led by our Reader, Rosemary Ball. The 10.30 Zoom service will be discontinued. There is a possibility that we could have a short service by Zoom in the evenings if there are people who would like this because they cannot yet return to church services. Please let your thoughts be known to our Curate or the Churchwarden. Our Curate Ann will be away from 7th to 14th September. Malcolm Bleasby, Churchwarden (Please contact the office with any queries etc. while Ann is away. Any phone messages will be picked up and responded to. [862284] Rachel) Sunday 6th September Trinity 13 Holy Communion 9.00am Sunday 13th September Trinity 14 Holy Communion 9.00am Sunday 20th September Trinity 15 Holy Communion (BCP) 8.00am Morning Prayer 10.30am Sunday 27th September Trinity 16 Holy Communion (BCP) 8.00am Holy Communion 10.30am Sunday 4th October Harvest Holy Communion (BCP) 8.00am Holy Communion 10.30am Church Giving If you wish to give a donation via regular giving, please send a cheque together with a regular giving envelope to Bill Ball at 8 Redway, Porlock. He will then process the donation in the regular giving register, and bank the money when he next visits the bank in Minehead whilst en route for his weekly shop. Charity of the Month Our regular ‘Charity of the Month’ is on hold during this period and we would instead ask people to support The Food Cupboard. Ann Gibbs says “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated over the lockdown. The support has been amazing!” During the Covid 19 Pandemic it has been impossible for us to arrange our usual collections in church safely. However, many of our charities have suffered badly and so we are asking that if you are able to give you consider the following Charities:- Children’s Hospice South West Little Bridge House, Redlands Road, Fremington, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 2PZ 01271 325 270 [email protected] St Margaret’s Hospice Phone: 01823 333822 or 01935 709480 Email: [email protected] St Margaret's Taunton Hospice Address: Heron Drive, Bishops Hull , Taunton, TA1 5HA The Disasters Emergency Committee You can donate online or post a cheque to: The Disasters Emergency Committee, PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA All donations should be made payable to DEC Coronavirus Appeal Thank You The Charity Committee Letter from Rev’d Ann Gibbs, Dear Friends, Recently I visited one of my sons who lives in Cornwall. We had a socially distanced picnic and I was there for just a few hours but our conversation was dominated by the changes that COVID19 restrictions have brought to both our lives, not least being separated for many months. He is a student but works as a chef to help make ends meet and of course has had to adapt to new guidelines there too. Whatever our walk of life, wherever we are, we have all had to accept that the current situation has changed the way we live and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. In the last week or so I have had conversations about how we might best do services for harvest and Christmas, if restrictions are still in place. It is probably better to assume that they will be and work from there. What I have noticed though is the number of people who have mentioned Christmas and have been quite negative - “It won’t be the same if we can’t have carols”, “It isn’t going to be much of a Christmas” etc. Well it may be different but I think we have to find positive ways to celebrate and mark special days in the church year and maybe start some new traditions. We have to think creatively and look for the opportunities in this strange new world and try not to spend too much time looking backwards, regretting what we cannot do. It isn’t easy but we are already making small steps forward. The church is open again on Sundays and services will soon be at the times we are all used to. We are now allowed to have a small choir, even though the congregation cannot yet sing. Bit by bit we can hopefully ease restrictions and do a little more, but it will take time and it does feel different. However challenging all this is, most of us have already made the most radical change in our lives. That is the change we made when we decided to surrender our lives to Christ. When we become a Christian we invite God into our lives and if that doesn’t change the way we live nothing else will! It is a change we all wanted to make but it then involves being obedient to God’s will and perhaps taking paths that we didn’t expect. The good thing is that, with God in control, we can be sure that all will be well. The same thing applies now - God is in control and we just have to trust in Him. Whatever the challenges He will hold us and be with us. May God bless you all, Revd. Ann CHURCH PATH COFFEE MORNING th on Saturday, August 29 Despite the wet weather on the days preceding the Church Path Coffee Morning, on the day itself the sun shone, and it was very uplifting to have this annual event take place; the first event to take place since the lockdown began, and hopefully a sign of a light at the end of the tunnel. Many thanks to Marilynn and to all Mothers’ Union members for all their hard work. 50 ways to beat covid-19 Don’t hop on the bus, Gus, Stay away from the pack, Jack, Sneeze into your sleeve, Steve, To keep virus free. Stop touching your face, Grace, Stay back to six feet, Pete, Keep washing yours hands, Stan, And heed CDC. Don’t visit your Gran, Jan, Wipe down every toy, Roy, Don’t hoard all the food, dude, Please buy sensibly. Just use some Purell, Mel, Keep wipes near at hand, man. Don’t listen to John, Don – you don’t need more TP! This isn’t a break, Jake, Stay home if you’re sick, Dick, Just follow the rules, fools, And stay virus free! RINGING MATTERS (by Nicholas Kingdon) Retirement of John Sparks After many years as Porlock Church Tower Captain, John Sparks has decided it is time to ‘throw in the rope’ and retire. We are very sorry to see him go, but understand that he feels the time is right, and he has certainly given many years of service to the church as the solid, dependable Tower Captain that he is. John learnt to ring in the 1950s at the time the Arscott family were ringing in Porlock. He was certainly a glutton for punishment as he also played in Porlock Town Band with them, and the ferocious Harry Arscott was bandmaster! When John married April and their children were born, John took a break from ringing until his family grew up. It was at the death of Princess Diana, in 1997 when John came up to have a ring in her memory, that he decided to return and once again become a regular ringer. From that time he has been the most supportive and dependable ringer and friend we could ever have wished for, and his easy temperament and good humour have made our tower a very happy and welcoming environment for all. When we sadly lost Michael Hayes-Davis about fifteen years ago, John stepped up to the plate and has been a very committed and reliable tower captain ever since. He has certainly helped and supported me a great deal in the past in different ringing situations and in quarter peals, and in his understanding and patience when work and family commitments have made me a lot less reliable than I would actually wish to be.