As you know we are busy with the preparations for the Scarecrow Festival which is happening this weekend 7th and 8th September.We need help with putting up marquees and getting the site ready from 5.00 pm on Friday 6thWe need your help to also 'man' some stalls such as the Bric-a-Brac stall/Shabby Chic stall so any help you can give will be truly appreciated. Please let contact Rev Alison on revajacksonhwge@outlook.com or Janet Bellingham janet.bellingham@hotmail.com if your able to help!
Dear AllNo doubt it has been a very busy week so far for many of us. Back to work? Back to school? Being able to return to clubs etc that start again after the summer?Jimmy’s Baby and Toddler begins again this week tomorrow morning in the High Wych Memorial Hall – you will probably notice the new sign as you go past – it is hard to miss Wednesday Welcome will be happening later today at 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm. And I know many of you have been and are busy with the preparations for the Scarecrow Festival which is happening this weekend 7th/8th September. This year we are very aware that we need your help to man certain areas, like the Bric-a-Brac stall/Shabby Chic stall/cafe and Jimmy’s has a new children’s area to look after this year so any help you can give will be truly appreciated. Please let me or Janet Bellingham janet.bellingham@hotmail.com know if you can help in any way. We also need help to put up marquees and get the site ready from 5.00 pm on Friday evening.In amongst other things I have been trying to make a dog (Bean) to go with my scarecrow – not sure how it will end up turning out, as it’s the first time I have ever used chicken wire etc!!!! Keep an eye out and let me know what you think.We will be having a short service of blessing for the Scarecrow Festival at 7.00 pm in St James Church. On Sunday we will have our normal service at St James at 9.30 am and there will also be a service of Holy Communion at St Mary’s at 11.15 am.This will be a very busy weekend but I hope I get to see you there, please say ‘Hello’ if you see me, I am always happy to meet you.Every blessing Rev Alison
Dear AllThis feels like the last week of the summer before everything starts again.Our schools will open again next week, Jimmy’s baby and toddler group will start again on 5th September, Wednesday Welcome will again be on 4th September 2024, from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm – (please bring a friend or family member or neighbour), and our new Youth venture Jim’s café will begin on Monday 9th September at 4.00 pm in the Coffee Lounge, not to mention all that still has to happen to make the Scarecrow Festival a success. Its going to be a very busy time for us all. All these things need prayer so please join us on Tuesday morning if you can or pray for these activities/events in the quiet of your own home, please pray that all these things will lead people into a closer relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.We will be looking at Prayer in an 8 week Bible study run by the 24-7 prayer team. It is truly inspirational. Here is the link to give you a bit more information about the course – the dates are printed out on your Welcome sheet and as previously they will take place at the Rectory with a start time of 7.30 pm. There will be a sign up sheet at the back of St James church (or e-mail me) so that I can understand how many of you will be coming – if we get a lot of people signing up I may run this course in the afternoon as well as the evening.Here is the link for you to find out a little more about the course…..The Prayer Course – Trailer | 24-7 Prayer (youtube.com)This Sunday we have the 8.00 am BCP where Judith Denton will be unpacking the scripture readings in her homily and our Family Service will take place at the normal time of 9.30 am for breakfast with a soft start to the service at 10.00 am. We are hoping to be mostly outside this Sunday, as we explore how we see God in creation that is all around us – the weather is looking promising.Both these services will be taking place at St James, High Wych and I look forward to seeing you soon.We also have a churchyard tidy-up scheduled for after the service – so if you can stay to help please bring your own gardening implements. Refreshments will be served. We have an Interment of ashes at 12.30 pm in the churchyard extension so if you are still busy can you please stop any mechanical equipment and take the opportunity to have a cuppa to give the family the special time they will need.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllThank you so much to everyone who was involved with our children’s Scarecrow Festival workshop on Wednesday 21st August. It was so obvious that lots of work had gone into making this event a success. The snail table was a roaring success and it was really odd to see my children’s socks repurposed in this way – each sock had a bit of a story!! (obviously not the black humdrum ones)😊The crafts available for the children to do were fun and varied from beaded caterpillars with googly eyes, sparkly dragonflies, creature badges, not to mention the very popular tin can aliens and as always the cake looked yummy and was well received. It was a fun morning with no rain so the aliens were able to be outside throughout.Robyn Richards came along to help us again (she was part of our team for the Easter Messy church and our Christmas services at St Botolph’s and St Mary’s and goes to St Botolph’s as she lives right next door! She is currently practising for the Shine Walk on 21stSeptember with her colleagues from St Elizabeth’s, when she will walk a marathon overnight (just over 26 miles) in aid of Cancer research. If you are able to support her – please use this link….https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/robyns-giving-page-328This link will take you to the Cancer Research webpage and you will have to put in Robyn Richards name and then follow the instructions.Also, this weekend we have a couple of new things to support..As well as our normal 9.30 am service at St James, we will have our first Family service at St Botolph’s at 11.15 am and we will also have our first Community dog walk from the Queens Head at Allen’s Green. You do not have to have a dog to walk, just come and have some fun and meet a few new people.Please pray for these new ventures, that the weather will be fine as they are both outside events, and that people will come and enjoy themselves with us.Hoping I see you on Sunday at some point.Every blessingAlison
