Bowland Benefice
Pews News 11 February 2024
Sunday next before Lent - Collect

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.
This Week in the Benefice

Sunday
11 February

10.30am

Holy
Communion in
Upton
Snodsbury

4.00pm

All Age Family
Service in
Broughton
Hackett

Monday
12 February

11.30am Funeral of Alan
Brodrick in
White Ladies
Aston

Wednesday
14 February
Ash
Wednesday

10.00am Service of Holy
Communion
with
Imposition of
Ashes in
Fladbury
11.00am Funeral of
David
Balgarnie in
Peopleton
7.00pm Service of Holy
Communion
with
Imposition of
Ashes in
Peopleton

Saturday
17 February

10.30am Coffee
Morning in The
Parish Room,
White Ladies
Aston

Sunday
18 February
1 st Sunday in
Lent

10.30am Benefice Holy
Communion in
Upton
Snodsbury
2.00pm Baptism of
Jake Oliver
Linsey in
Peopleton
I don’t always know where I am going in life but I will
travel well, knowing my hand is held in Yours.

Wednesday is St Valentine’s Day and, as we know,
celebrated with flowers, chocolates and anonymous

declarations of love……..
But who was Valentine?

Like most of our old traditions his life and times are
shrouded in the mists of centuries.
The most popular myth is that he was a Christian
Priest in Rome in the time of Emperor Claudius 11, in

the third century AD.

The Emperor decided that soldiers should not marry
as it made them bad soldiers. (I suppose he thought
that the presence of a woman would take a soldier’s
mind off the job in hand!). So marriage in the military

was banned!

Valentine, being a courageous priest with principles,
broke the law and continued to conduct marriage
services for soldiers. He was discovered and thrown

into prison.

The story goes that there he fell in love with his
jailer’s daughter. He was sentenced to death and
executed on 14 February. His last act was to write to
his belovéd – a love letter signed from your Valentine.

A Prayer for St Valentine’s Day
Eternal God, we offer our thanks that through our
earthly lives you speak of your eternal life.
We rejoice in the wonder of creation,
the gift of human life and the many blessings that our

relationships bring.
Renew in us the fruits of your Holy Spirit;
that love, joy and peace may abound in our homes,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
But Wednesday is also, of course, Ash Wednesday
How appropriate to celebrate human love and loyalty
with St Valentine as we begin the six weeks of prayer
and meditation remembering Jesus’s love and

sacrifice for us all?

Services for Ash Wednesday will be held at 10.00am
in Fladbury and 7.00pm in Peopleton.
A Meditation for the Week before Lent
In my breathing – Peace.
In my feeling – Peace.
In my being – Peace.
In my thinking – Peace.
In my speaking – Peace.
In my doing – Peace.
In my travelling – Peace.
In my sleeping – Peace.
In my whole being – the Peace far beyond my

understanding.

For it is the Peace which is of God and which is God.
The Lent Course – The Joy of the Gospel - begins on
20 February. For more information please contact
Revd Claire. She will be very glad to hear from you.
07921 101320 or [email protected]