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.
The time of the All Age Service at St Nicholas Church is changing. It will move from 10am to 4pm on the first Sunday of the month. This change was agreed by the PCC (Parochial Church Council) and announced on Sunday 3rd December. It will take place from January 2024.Why? Our monthly Messy Church started in September on Sundays at 4pm, drawing in lots of local families. Sunday at 4pm seems to be a good time for families in Thanington to come together.We want to create a more regular time for these children, young people and their parents/carers to get together at St Nicholas. So, from January, on the 1st Sunday of the month at 4pm will be the All Age Service. And on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 4pm it will be Messy Church. Both are planned with families in mind.For those who prefer the morning, there will continue to be a 10am service every Sunday at St Nicholas Church. This will usually be a service of Holy Communion. But on the first Sunday of the month it will be a Service of the Word.We hope that these simple changes will help more and more people to worship in a style which helps them to feel at home in church, to connect with God, and to grow in faith.Both our 10am congregation and our 4pm congregation are growing. God is re-building the church here in Thanington. Come and be part of it !