Dear Friends
There is something magical about watching our resident 4-year-old learning to read. Nowadays in most schools’ children are taught to read by using the phonetics system – a way of ‘decoding’ words using pure sounds; rather than the learning by rote that the majority of adults today will have used in their childhood.
Seeing someone learning to read is a true joy, because you literally see this developing new understanding of the world around them – the joy of new discovery and with it, new meaning. A couple of days ago Andrew came running into the sitting room and excitedly told me that our vacuum cleaner had ‘shark’ written on it! ‘Is that because it eats everything Daddy?’ No – it’s the make!
Part of helping Andrew to learn to read is how he is supported at home – and to do that we too have to learn the phonetic system and forget how we ourselves learnt to read. That means Michelle and I have had sessions run by the school to help with that – we are all learning together! And we are reminded what an incredible job Andrew's teacher does in school!
Like learning to read, a crucial part of our Christian faith is how we nurture our own faith, and the faith of those around us. Hopefully we want to deepen our love of God, otherwise what is the point? That journey should be one of journeying together in mutual exploration – of discovering new meaning and new joy in the everyday around us. None of us have all the answers, but we can strive to find them together.
SERVICES
Sunday 19th February - Sunday before Lent
10am - Holy Communion; St John's, Tatworth - Rev'd Philip
12pm - Baptism; St John's, Tatworth - Rev'd Michelle
10am - Morning Worship; St Stephen's, Winsham - Lay led
6:30pm - Service of Light; St Mary's Thorncombe - Lay led
Wednesday 22nd February - Services for Ash Wednesday
9:30am - Holy Communion (BCP) with Ashing; St Stephen's, Winsham - Rev'd Philip
7pm - Holy Communion with Ashing; St John's, Tatworth - Rev'd Michelle
LENT:
Rather than doing an evening Lent Course this year, we will be doing Lent Walks in each parish. At the end of each walk we will have some lent refreshment and share a short time of daily prayer. If walking is not your thing then please just come to the gathering at the end! Dates and times are below. Unless otherwise notified, the walks will all start from the parish church in the relevant village for the week on the following Thursdays:
2nd March 2:30pm - Winsham (Prayer in church from 4pm)
9th March 11am - Thorncombe (Prayer in church from 1230pm)
16th March 11am - Cricket Malherbie (Prayer in church from 1230pm)
23rd March 11am - Chaffcombe (Prayer in church from 1230pm)
30th March 11am - Tatworth (Prayer in church from 1230pm)
The walks will be aimed at about an hour with a short reflection from the journey, and prayer time, at 4pm in Winsham and 12:30pm elsewhere whilst we warm up again!
ALL are welcome to any or all the walks! Maybe come and explore a parish you don't already know very well!
BIBLE STUDY COURSE:
Very advance notice I know, but just to highlight that I will be running an evening Bible Study series after Easter on 5 Wednesday evenings between Easter and Pentecost. This was a time when the disciples were spending time understanding their faith in a new way and, once Jesus had ascended back to heaven, waiting in prayer for the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). We will therefore follow the scriptures in Luke 24 and Acts 1 & 2 through that same period. Wednesdays at 7:30pm on the following dates: 26 April; 3, 10, 17, 24 May.
PRAYERS:
Please hold in your prayers all you know who are struggling in any way, in body, mind or spirit. We are asked to pray by name for:
Dave Boyland; Terri Boyland; Sheila Clement; Wendy Cotton; Hannah Knott; Jan Knott; Mary Marsh; Tony Taylor; Margaret Bandy; Dorothy White, Tony Meech, Di Nicholls, Hester Down, Stella Hutchison; Oskar Lee; Margaret Shields; Andrew de Pury; Frank Long; Jean Dodd, Cyril Larcombe.
The Collect for the Sunday before Lent:
Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
Blessings all
Philip
The Reverend Philip Butcher
Rector - Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie)
The Vicarage
3 Home Farm
Tatworth
Chard
TA20 2SH
01460 221286
PASTORAL EMAILS - please to: [email protected]
HOME PRAYER & WORSHIP: https://twoshires.wordpress.com
Rest Days - Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday)
For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses.
Mornings are best times for phone contact!