“A Most Special Invitation for Each of Us"When a friend invites us to join in an event which has special significance for them, enabling us to share more fully in their life, it is a wonderful expression of their appreciation and love for us……and that is especially the case when Jesus, the presence of our living, loving God ‘in the flesh’, invites each of us to ‘come and follow him’ (the very same personal invitation he gave to the fishermen who became his earliest followers), offering us the opportunity to ‘come and see’ for ourselves how the living God is revealing his own awesome presence, power, purposes and promises in the events of Jesus’ life and ministry! This personal invitation especially includes journeying with Jesus through Holy Week (2nd – 9th April), and our churches in Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor most warmly wish to welcome you and your family to join in with the various special services and activities hosted by each one.Come and experience the first day of Holy Week – Palm Sunday (2nd April) – as Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem is retold in story, movement and symbol (with palm crosses for all) …enter into the awe and wonder of the crowds which celebrated Jesus as King, but had no idea what that might mean for their own lives……what might it mean for ours? On Maundy Thursday (6th April), join us at All Saints Alrewas as we gather from all three villages to enter into the experience of Jesus’ ‘last supper’ with his disciples, and Jesus blows his disciples’ minds as he reveals completely unexpected insights into God’s presence and power in their lives….and ours too! This moving Communion Service will include symbolic ‘handwashing’ for those who wish to partake……. ……as we remember Jesus being betrayed by one of his very own and his disciples abandoning him out of fear for their own lives, from 9pm to 12am a ‘Night Watch’ will continue in All Saints, with opportunity for candle-lit personal meditation and occasional readings – you are warmly invited to ‘drop in’ and stay for however long you wish, as we prepare for the world-changing events the next day…On Good Friday (7th April), you are invited to participate in a variety of services and activities which help us to experience the awesome depth and costliness of God’s love for our world, and for each one of us personally, as the events leading to Jesus’ death are retold in story, song, activities and experiences for all ages……Following an eerily quiet ‘Holy Saturday’ as the painful reality of Jesus’ death sinks in, we sincerely hope everyone will join in our churches’ joy-filled celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection on EASTER SUNDAY as we celebrate the life-changing victory of God’s love!We sincerely hope you will accept this personal invitation to join in the wonder of Holy Week and experience afresh the amazing presence and power of God to make all things new….including me and you, and our lives now and eternally!With every blessing, Vicar John
Getting ‘in the Way’…. I’m certain we’ve all heard this phrase before and, for most of us, I guess that it has mostly negative connotations….when I was much younger and growing up in the USA, if I was hanging around in the kitchen (trying to eat an illicit snack much of the time!), my Mom – trying to unpack grocery shopping or get a meal prepared – would frequently say, ‘Stop getting in the way, and let me get on with things!’ Fair enough….point taken! However, this phrase actually had a very different, and indeed positive, connotation when the Christian Church was in its infancy. In the New Testament book The Acts of the Apostles, the early followers of the crucified and risen Jesus, who recognised him as the promised Saviour and committed themselves to following his teachings and example, were referred to as ‘any belonging to the Way’ (Acts 9:1-2) and as ‘followers of the Way’ (Acts 24:14).Undoubtedly this is rooted in Jesus’ own revelation in John’s Gospel, when he assured his followers that he is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’ of the living God (14:6) through whom we can have ‘life in abundance’ (10:10). When spoken of in this sense, the phrase “getting ‘in the Way’” can take on a whole new and exciting meaning; during this continuing season of Lent – when Christians are encouraged to ‘journey with Jesus’ and re-experience his costly suffering love for us all as he heads towards betrayal and crucifixion – we are invited and indeed challenged afresh to “get ‘in the Way’” by deepening our relationship with him, and drawing closer to his will and ‘his way’ which reveals the presence and power of God for our own daily lives.Of course, from our own personal experience we know that Jesus’ challenge to ‘take up your cross and follow me’ (Mark 8:34) is not at all easy for any of us, especially if we attempt to ‘love God with our whole being, and our neighbour as ourself’ simply in our own strength and power!So…..how might you personally choose to ‘journey with Jesus’ more intentionally this Lenten season? The following ‘spiritual practices’ may prove helpful for getting ‘in the Way’: ……taking time to honestly speak to, and deeply listen to God in PRAYER – to give you wisdom and understanding about his call upon your life, and how you might serve his purposes more effectively; to help us seek healing, hope, and peace for people in every nation, especially those subject to war and oppression….……re-discovering what God is trying to tell us through the amazing ‘gathered library’ of 66 books which we commonly call the Bible –discerning the powerful presence, and precious promises of God through ancient truths which help us live our lives more meaningfully in the challenging present…… …….perhaps choosing to ‘give up’ something which you enjoy very much during the 40 day ‘Lenten fast’, as a way of personally appreciating Jesus’ own human experience of temptation and suffering in order to stay true to God’s sacrificial, loving purposes for his world….……and, alongside all these useful practices, actively ‘taking up your own cross;’ of costly service for the sake of others’ needs….whilst this can of course take many different forms, at this particular time - with so many local families struggling with the huge challenges caused by the ongoing ‘cost of living crisis’ – one of the most significant ways we can serve others is by providing generous support for the Lichfield Foodbank which is currently facing unprecedented levels of demand (you would be most welcome to support the special Lent Appeal being run by Alrewas Parish Church, whether through donation of food goods or a financial contribution to enable the Foodbank to purchase the supplies needed most urgently at this time)I sincerely hope these suggestions will help you to succeed in truly ‘getting in ‘the Way’ during your Lenten journey this March. The journey will continue, of course, with special events for Holy Week and Easter from April 2nd to 9th ….but more about that in the April Magazine! With every blessing for the journey, Vicar John
‘Lent’….A Season for Reflecting, Learning and Growing In my experience, a great many people associate the Christian season of Lent - which helps us ‘journey with Jesus’ through the final stages of his earthly ministry, and winding up crucified on a Roman cross - as ‘giving up something’ you personally enjoy, to help you become more aware of the costly, sacrificial love God offered the entire world through Jesus’ suffering and death. For all who find this a valuable practice, I warmly commend it to you…..but it’s important to add that, whether you embrace this practice or not, Lent can and should be a special time in which each one of us is invited and challenged to engage in deeper and richer opportunities for reflecting, learning and growing as human beings! May I take this opportunity to invite you to join in any - or indeed all - of the following local opportunities which everyone in the communities of Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor are most warmly welcome to participate in during the upcoming Lenten season:Ash Wednesday ‘United Service’ at All SaintsParish Church, Wednesday 22 February, 7:30pmThe ’40 day’ Lenten journey begins with this important day, with the use of ‘ash’ on our foreheads reminding us of our mortality and our ultimate dependence on God for life in all its fullness, and Holy Communion to fortify us for the journey ahead! This year, there are two different ecumenical ‘Lent Discussion Group’ opportunities on offer, for the communities of Alrewas, Fradley and Wychnor… to stimulate our reflecting and growing alongside one another (both are free-of-charge, offer warm spaces and refreshments, and you would be warmly welcome to join in either - or both - if you wish!):At Alrewas Methodist Church, a morning discussion group (from 10:45 am to 12 noon) will be held on Wednesdays beginning 1st March. It will be exploring the theme, The Kingdom of God is Justice and Peace, produced by the charity ‘Embrace the Middle East’. The course is Bible-based, and there will be plenty of opportunity for reflection, discussion - and a cup of coffee too! At All Saints Parish Church, an evening discussion group (7:00 to 8:30pm, five sessions beginning on Wednesday 1st March), based on the acclaimed film The Greatest Showman, dramatizing the life of P.T. Barnum through an engaging storyline and inspirational songs, as he strives to create a ‘novel’ form of entertainment we’ve come to know as ‘the Circus’ or ‘Big Top’. To help us with our discussions, we’ll be using material from Rachel Mann’s booklet, ‘From Now On’, and selected film clips to help us explore the themes of ‘hope’ and ‘redemption’ in the story; over the five sessions, we’ll be reflecting on how faith, hope and redemption run through our own lives as well, and how - like P.T. Barnum and the members of his circus - we too can face and overcome doubt, temptation and prejudice, and live our lives more authentically. Many people have already seen the film, but if you’ve not seen it before - or would enjoy the opportunity of watching it with others interested in this discussion group - an advance screening of it will take place in All Saints Church on Sunday 26th February at 4:00pm.Of course, the season of Lent culminates with the observance of Holy Week (Sunday 2nd through Saturday 8th April), including special worship opportunities and events focussing on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday in the churches serving our three communities, and culminating with a glorious celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday, 9th April…..further details about all of the special opportunities during Holy Week 2023 will be offered in upcoming editions of the Parish News, so please ‘stay tuned’! With every blessing, Vicar John
LICHFIELD FOODBANK – AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURER On behalf of Alrewas PCC, Lichfield Foodbank, and the many people who have benefited from everyone’s generosity, may I extend a huge thank you for your financial support of our Harvest Appeal. As a result of your gifts, the PCC was able to make a donation of £3,650 in the run up to Christmas to be converted into much needed food and other essentials. My conversations with the Chair and Treasurer of the Foodbank when making the donation were very insightful in gaining a much better understanding of the level of need which continues to be met through the support provided in donations of both food and financial gifts. In the latter part of last year, the Foodbank were needing to spend at least £500 per week to bridge the shortfall between the demand for help and the quantities of food being donated. In addition to packaged food, support is also provided in the form of a £10 voucher which can be exchanged for fresh fruit and vegetables at the Lichfield market, and for families with a child under 2 years old, a voucher that can be exchanged in Boots for nappies and milk formula. Donation such as ours are playing a key part in enabling these vouchers to be provided in addition to basic foodstuffs. Over the last few years demand for help has increased exponentially with the Foodbank having needed to spend around £14,000 in 2019 – the year before the pandemic – and this annual spend figure having increased by more than five-fold in 2022. In the light of the continued cost of living crisis, of which we are all acutely aware, it seems certain that the level of need will continue to increase and the experience of our local foodbank is mirrored in foodbanks up and down the country. Having gained a much fuller understanding of the extent of the need locally, the PCC decided to give away all of the money received in the offering plate at the various services on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. This enabled us to make a donation of a further £750. In 2023 we anticipate that we will again run a harvest appeal but it also our desire to provide increased support – both food and cash – during the remainder of the year. Donations of food can continue to left in the boxes at the back of church or taken to the Vicarage, and cash donations – clearly marked ‘Foodbank’ – can be placed in the offering plate at any service; in the donations box just inside the main door to the church; or put through the letterbox at the Vicarage. In addition to the above, at its January meeting the PCC agreed to run a second appeal throughout Lent which begins on Wednesday 22 February. During this period, we are asking for cash gifts that will form part of a donation to be made at Easter and which will include all of the offerings taken up at services during the Easter weekend. Thank you once more for your support to date. This has made, and continues to make a huge difference to the lives of many families, and with your help we hope we can build upon this vitally important ministry and provide even more support during 2023. Nick Kilford
