Hello Everyone This past week has flown by. There has been much good to celebrate like the Chalgrave monthly Pop Up Tea Room with its wonderful array of cakes and refreshments, and Toddington Community Fridge which offered an abundance of foods this morning which were gathered up quickly by visitors with little left by 10.15am (great that foods are used so well and not sent to landfill). On Wednesday, the Toddington Winter Warmer gathering commenced with folks enjoying warming soup and a good natter and this afternoon there was a bargain sale in the Hall. Lots of good opportunities to gather together. This Tuesday we look forward to hosting Youth group in the Hall at 5.45pm, and Messy Church, also in the Hall, on Friday 31st January (postponed from last Friday) when we will consider 'Changes'. Then, all too quickly, we move into February, the month of big 'Change' for me, with my retirement rapidly approaching. February 9th will be my last Sunday leading the usual two regular Holy Communion services at both benefice churches: 9.30 am Holy Communion Service, Chalgrave Church, 26 January, 2nd February (with a baptism), 9th February 11.00 am Holy Communion Service Toddington Church, 26 January, 2nd February (with baptisms), 9th February. On 16th February I lead my final Sunday Services at Toddington with: 11.00 am Benefice Holy Communion Service (with both church congregations) followed by a benefice lunch. 3.00 pm a Benefice and Community 'Songs of Praise' Service at Toddington Church, with the Quintet Choir, followed by farewell refreshments in Wilkinson Hall. All welcome to the services. I officially retire on 18 March 2025, but lead my last services a month before in February, to allow me time to finalise arrangements and organisation, before I step away. The Bishop will be in touch with the parishes to discuss the vacancy, and the advertisement process to seek a replacement minister. Sadly, this process is often prolonged and it is possible that I will not be replaced for some months, so visiting ministers, and Malcolm, will kindly cover services in between. Please pray for the churches as they weave their way forward through the various obstacles and pray that the replacement process will go smoothly with a good appointment. This week's events: Monday 27th January 9.30 am Morning Prayer, Toddington Church 2.00 pm Seated exercise with Alison, Wilkinson Hall Tuesday 28th January 10.30 am Knitting group, Wilkinson Hall 5.45 pm Youth Group, Wilkinson Hall Wednesday 29th January 11.00 am Winter Warmer, Wilkinson Hall Friday 31st January 10.30 am Painting for Pleasure Group, Wilkinson Hall 3.30 pm Messy Church, Wilkinson Hall.. Craft and activities for children with adults, with Bible story, and hot tea. (see poster) Next Sunday 2nd February Holy Communion Services with baptisms at Chalgrave (9.30 am) and Toddington (11.00 am) Churches. Recently we have heard the sad news of the deaths of Ida Squires and Fred Thistlethwaite. Ida's funeral will take place at Oakfields Gardens Crematorium, Steppingley on Wednesday 5th February at 11.00 am, and Fred's funeral will be in the Chapel at Luton Crematorium on Tuesday 11th February at 11.00 am. Our thoughts and prayers reach out to their families at this sad time. Wishing you all a happy and healthy good week. Best wishes Linda Rector Toddington and Chalgrave parishes
Hello Everyone It was a joy to host Toddington Community Fridge again this Saturday. Although there has been a short break, a lot of work went on behind the scenes to set up a CIC, a 'Community Interest Charity’ which will now oversee the running of the Fridge. Many of the existing church volunteers will be there to welcome and help you each week but if you would be interested to help, do please let us know. Thank you to everyone who made a donation this morning. The funds will go to the running costs and provision of the new CIC business, (not to the church). I don’t know about you, but the weeks are already running quickly past in January. It was good to escape to the sea for 2 days in the week for a breath of sea air and some brisk walking plus bonus time with my daughter, and next week I will be retreating on Monday and Tuesday to soak up as much quality time as I can with my son before he flies back to Sydney. Precious times! I’ve copied below the timetable of upcoming services and events for the remainder of January for your information. Don’t forget Evensong tomorrow evening at 6.00 pm, Pop Up Tea Room at Chalgrave Memorial Hall, and Winter Warmer at Wilkinson Hall on Wednesday, and Messy Church on Friday. All too suddenly, I am attending my last Evensong and my last Messy Church and my last Pop Up Tea Room and my last Tebworth Parish Council meeting this week. How quickly time flies. I will miss these different events, and I will very much miss seeing you all. These last few weeks will be very precious. More precious times and memories to treasure! Have a good week everyone. See you soon Linda Rector Sun 19th JanuaryHoly Communion Service 9.30 am - Chalgrave Church Holy Communion Service 11.00 am - Toddington Church Evensong 6.00 pm -Toddington Church Mon 20th January Morning Prayer 9.30 am - Toddington Church Tues 21st January Knitting Group 10.30 am – 12.30 pm - Wilkinson Hall Wed 22nd January Pop Up Tea Room 11.00 am – 1.00 pm - Chalgrave Memorial Hall Winter Warmer 11.30 am – 2.00 pm - Wilkinson Hall Fri 24th January Painting for Pleasure 10.30 am – 12.30 pm- Wilkinson Hall Sat 25th JanuaryToddington Community Fridge 9.30 – 11.00 am- Wilkinson HallSun 26th January Holy Communion Service 9.30 am - Chalgrave Church Holy Communion Service 11.00 am - Toddington Church Mon 27th January Morning Prayer 9.30 am - Toddington Church Sit & stay Fit 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm - Wilkinson Hall Tues 28th January Knitting Group 10.30 am – 12.30 pm - Wilkinson Hall Youth Group 5.45 pm – 7.15 pm - Wilkinson Hall Wed 29th January Winter Warmer 11.30 pm – 2.00 pm - Wilkinson Hall Fri 31st January Painting for Pleasure 10.30 am – 12.30 pm - Wilkinson Hall Messy Church 3.30 pm - 5.30 pm - Wilkinson Hall
Hello Everyone We certainly are in a cold slump of weather, but how pretty the heavy frost has been across the fields with the clear blue sky above. Today, during a quick walk at Wrest park Nigel and I reflected back on childhood memories of skating runs on a stretch of ice in the school playground, (which would be well salted and sealed off nowadays for health and safety reasons) but in the park we watched a rare sight of a family of children skating across a large frozen puddle and they were having a lovely time. The ducks, geese and swans looked substantially less enamoured, and hungry, as they skated across solid ice trying to find somewhere to break through for food. We were glad to be snuggled up under woolly hats, scarves and gloves… but it was a lovely walk. I hope you are all managing to stay warm and snug and safe. This morning folks gathered for the first coffee morning of this new year, and despite the weather, there was a good gathering with warm friendly conversation.. pleased to see each other. Thank you to all who came, and to all who helped to provide the refreshments etc. We missed hosting Toddington Community Fridge this week but hopefully it will be back with us again on the 25th January. The week has seemed a bit quieter as clearing up continued post-Christmas, and thank you to the teams who took down the decorations and cleaned the churches. Functions and gatherings return to full flow this week and looking ahead here are some dates for this year’s diary from Chalgrave Church: Pop Up Tea Room: 11.00 am – 1.00 pm Chalgrave Memorial Hall - January 22nd, February 26th, March 26th, April 23rd, May 28th, June 25th, July 23rd, September 24th, October 22nd, November 26th, December 10th. (No Pop Up in August). Afternoon Tea & Toddington Town Band: Saturday, May 17th, 2.00 – 4.00 pm.Booking is required for catering purposes. Please book with Alison Stone email: alisonstone.as1@gmail.com or mobile 07771897451 Christmas Craft Fair: Saturday, November 8th, 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Chalgrave Memorial Hall As I look ahead to the strange prospect of retirement, I’d like to let you know that on 9th February I will lead my final two services at both churches: 9th February 9.30 am Holy Communion Service, Chalgrave Church (my last service at Chalgrave 😔) 9th February 11.00 am Holy Communion Service, Toddington and on 16th February I will lead my final services within the parishes. These will be: 11.00 am Benefice Holy Communion Service at Toddington Church. 3.00 pm Songs of Praise Service at Toddington Church, with the Quintet Choir. All welcome. Come, and let us reflect, and give thanks for our times together. After this service there will be farewell refreshments in Wilkinson Hall. I do hope you can come and join us at one, or other, or all of the services. I have attached the latest 'What’s On' for January with information about services and events at both churches during this month. Wishing you good health, and well-being . May January be kind to you, and may you ward off all those bugs and germs. God bless Linda Rector Toddington and Chalgrave
Hello Everyone I hope you had a pleasant Christmas spending time with families and friends, and I also hope you have managed to fit in a little calm quiet time to refresh and rest too. Christmas services at church were a joy this year and it was certainly a busy time for me, but very special to lead the different Carol Services for the Scouts, Brownies, schools, and lovely congregations. The young children’s enthusiasm to read, sing or sign, was a joy. They are so talented. Thank you so much to everyone who took part in any of the services this year. I am so grateful to you for your willingness to read, play music, sing, or contribute. I have been glad of a calmer, more restful week this week to restore energy levels and to spend time with my family, and as an added bonus, it has been so good to see some sunshine and bright blue skies for a change, after so many grey overcast days. Now with plummeting temperatures we need to prepare for snow flurries or possibly heavy snowfall overnight tomorrow. That’s the beauty of the English weather - not one day is the same! As we move into this New Year, I wish you all a blessed, healthy year, with many special moments to look back on with joy, as you see God at Work. This new year will be a strange one for me, as I lay down the role of Rector at Toddington and Chalgrave. A new year always brings a time of reflection as one looks back at the year past and moves forward into a new year, not knowing what to expect, but it seems especially so for me this year as I look back to 25 July 2017 to my licensing as Priest in Charge at Toddington and Chalgrave, and then ponder on what has happened in between, fondly remembering folks I have met along the way. It has been such a privilege to minister here. My final Service(s) will be on Sunday 16th February and I already feel that date is rushing forward towards me, far too quickly! I will savour every minute in between, but it also needs to be a time of focus, of allowing God to lead and guide us forward. I pray that it will not be too long before you have a new minister in place to love and serve you. One of the special events which we have been so pleased to enable and to host since the Summer, has been Toddington Community Fridge, on a Saturday morning. It has been such a valuable and valued service, offering food sustainability, making sure foods which would otherwise go to waste or landfill, can be utilised and provide healthy food within Toddington. I know this service has been appreciated and looked forward to by so many of you, but sadly, I learned this evening, that the Toddington Fridge will need to pause for a while and may not be able to run in the future here. Flitwick Town Council now require that we apply for Business Status with the Environmental Health Department, if we are to continue to run the Toddington Fridge. We need further discussions to see what is possible. If by chance you know of another venue in Toddington, which is already classed as a business with Environmental Health or may be willing to apply to be, and to host the Toddington Fridge, please do let me know, so I can pass on the information to Cllr Andy Snape, who has done so much to make sure this service has been provided to you. We are keen that it continue, if possible. Sunday Services: 9.30 am Holy Communion for Epiphany, Chalgrave Church (9.30am service each Sunday) 11.00 am Holy Communion for Epiphany, Toddington Church (11am service each Sunday) Next week’s events Monday 6 January 9.30 am Morning Prayer, Toddington Church (weekly) Tuesday 7 January 10.30 am Knitting Group, Wilkinson Hall (weekly) 2.30 pm Toddington PCC meeting, Wilkinson Hall Wednesday 8 January 3.00 pm Funeral of Jon Denman - Reader from Westoning Church. Please link with me if you would like to attend. The funeral will take place in Warwickshire. Thursday 9 January Afternoon with Friends 2.00 pm, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) Friday 10 January 10.30 am Painting for Pleasure Group, Wilkinson Hall (weekly) Saturday 11 January 10.00 am Coffee Morning, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) (NB no Toddington Community Fridge this week) Sunday 12 January 9.30 am Holy Communion Service, Chalgrave Church 11.00 am Holy Communion Service, Toddington Church Other upcoming events: 2.00 pm Mondays 13 and 27 January seated keep fit with Alison. (second and fourth Mondays) 5.45 pm Tuesdays 14 and 28 January, Youth Group, Wilkinson Hall (fortnightly) 3.30 pm Friday 24 January, Messy Church, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) 2.00 pm Thursday 16 January St George’s Fellowship, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) 6.00 pm Evensong 19 January, Toddington Church Wednesday Winter Warmer will return soon, and we will let you know dates asap. Do please look after yourselves. The flu and bugs are about. Stay warm, stay well. God bless Linda Rector, Toddington and Chalgrave parishes
