If someone asked you what it’s like to be part of Thanington Parish Church, what would you say?Some of us home in on the warm welcome we have received or which we offer, or the sense of community which makes it feel like being part of a wider family. Others emphasise being connected to the past, through our historic church building and the faithful worship and service which has been offered here down the centuries. We can value the past and learn from the past, as for example we will do in our All Saints Day and Remembrance Sunday services this month. But we cannot live in the past.We can only live in the present. Right now we are a small but growing church, in a varied and changing parish with a growing population. St Nicholas is a listed building which requires some repairs, some improvements to the facilities and some redecoration, to help us offer a warm welcome. We are being encouraged to worship God wholeheartedly, to pray faithfully and to follow the way of Jesus in our everyday lives. We do all this with the help of God’s Spirit. We can’t do everything, but we do what we can with what we have, trusting God to bless and multiply what we offer.But we must also look to the future – God’s future. We pray ‘your kingdom come, your will be done.’ I believe that future involves the church growing in faith, hope and love; continuing to grow in number and grow younger (on average!); growing new leaders and new worshipping communities to share the love of God and serve the people of Thanington. We have tried to sum this up in a simple vision statement:We are Thanington Parish Church:A community of worship, welcome and witness to Christ, who are learning from the past, living in the present and looking to God’s future. If you're reading this and want to find out more or get involved, just get in touch for more info.Rev Nick White (vicar)
Come and pray for Thanington!We sense a growing call to join with other Christians, regardless of denomination, topray together for God's kingdom to come and God's will to be done in Thanington as in Heaven.We are inviting you to gather for an informal time of prayer on Sunday 8thSeptember from 6pm - 7pm, at St Faiths Hall, in New House Lane. This is acomfortable space which overlooks Thanington and the City of Canterbury. Ourintention is to make this a regular gathering on the second Sunday of every month.We all have other responsibilities too. Therefore, we will honour the timecommitment to pray together for 1 hour only, recognising that prayer will be ongoingin our personal lives and in our congregations.We hope you can join us. It would be encouraging to know if you plan to come. Butyou are also welcome to just turn up!For more details, contact Rev Christa Brodie-Levinsohn and Rev Nick WhiteThanington Parish Church.
Children are back to school this week, and we're inviting children and parents back to St Nicholas Church for Family Worship and Messy Church Thanington Family Worship, first Sunday of the month, at 4pm.Thanington Family Worship happens on the first Sunday of each month 4 - 5pm. It's a relaxed atmosphere, with contemporary worship music and some hands-on activities. We love to do life together and celebrate the highs and the lows through our prayers. We discuss with each other how the Bible relates to our lives today. Our theme at Family Worship for the next few months is 'relationships'. We'll be looking for wisdom to guide us in our different relationships - with family, with friends, with ourselves, with that 'special someone', with our community, with our world, and with God. We'll learn from the BIble and from one another. Family Worship is planned with parents and children in mind but is open to all. As with all our church services, there's no charge to come in but there is an opportunity to give to support the work of the church Thanington Messy Church - third Sunday of the month at 4pm.Messy Church happens on the third Sunday of each month and runs from 4 - 5:30pm. It's planned with families and primary aged children in mind but all are welcome. Some of the older children help with the activities. For the first 40 minutes or so, there's a free choice of activities spread out around the church. After that, we gather together at the front of the church for a short time - we praise God with a lively song or two; we share a bible story; and we pray. We finish by eating tea together.All are welcome and children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. There isn't a charge to come in but we welcome donations to help cover the costs.We look forward to welcoming you to Messy Church, to Family Worship, or to both !
You’ve loved your Lychgate!After a huge community effort we are now pleased to say the rebuilding of the Lychgate is complete. Thank you to all who sponsored a tile, and to grant funders who made this possible. As a church we have been so aware of the importance of this local landmark to many people, who were baptized, married or had a funeral of a loved one here. Lychgates are historic parts of some churchyards; for some they mark the entrance into consecrated ground. In reality they served a practical use in the past: corpses for burial were often waiting here until the time came for the funeral. The shelter proved an important spot to wait with loved ones; hence the seating underneath. Now that the work is complete, we will be having a Grand Re-Opening of the Lychgate on Sat 30 March at 2pm, as part of our Easter Fun for Everyone event. Everyone is welcome and we will be joined by Archdeacon Will Adam and Councillor Roben Franklin, who will be helping us mark the occasion with style. The Easter Fun for Everyone event will continue until 4pm with crafts, an Easter egg hunt, story trail, refreshments, stalls and a chance to try ringing the church bells. We look forward to seeing you there.
