A small dedicated, but aging team of volunteers give their time and energy to provide three Experiences for the local primary Schools. The three Experiences take place one in each term and for different year groups. In the Autumn term (November) Year 5 children come to Experience Holy Communion. In the Spring term (March) Year 3 children Experience Easter and in the Summer term (May- avoiding SATS week) Year 4 comes to Experience Pentecost. The Experiences take place in two churches to which the children walk. Westbury Leigh School and Dilton Marsh come to Holy Trinity Church in Dilton Marsh. Westbury Junior School and Bitham Brook attend the Experience at All Saints Church. As yet, Bitham Brook School has not come to Experience Holy Communion, but the other three Church schools have. Each class spends an hour rotating through six interactive stations concentrating on different aspects of the same theme. The volunteer leaders introduce themselves explain about the station theme and help the children with an activity or craft. Not every station has a craft or activity, to the relief of some! We try to provide two leaders per station so each can share in the delivery of the short talk. At present, an Experience last three days. We set up the stations on Tuesday morning with the first class from Westbury Leigh walking to Holy Trinity Church for a session in the afternoon. On Wednesday two classes attend from Westbury Leigh in the morning with the class from Dilton Marsh School coming for an hour in the afternoon. The volunteers pack up the stations and transfer the equipment to All Saints church. On Thursday we welcome two classes from Westbury Junior School in the morning and two classes from Bitham Brook for the afternoon session. The church is cleared and everyone goes home for a well-earned rest! Some of the volunteers are finding three days rather exhausting, hence our recruitment drive for new volunteers to join the Team. If all four schools attend the Experience a station leader can have delivered a short talk 35 times. If people can only offer one day or one session for the Experience we try to accommodate all requests, hence again we need more volunteers to spread the load. There is always a preparation meeting beforehand. There the material is provided for each station to help with talk and craft and the decision about who will lead each station is made. Basic Safeguarding Training needs to take place in accordance with WACT policy. Observers are welcome at the preparation meeting and at one session where school children are present. Preparation Meeting is booked for Tuesday 4 March at 3.30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Dilton Marsh. If you need further information or would like to know more, please talk to those Experience Volunteers here this evening or contact Rev Helen Durant-Stevensen on 824743 or email hdurantstevensen@btinternet.com Helen Durant-Stevensen (Retired Priest WHTM)
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all who supported our Christmas Tree Festival this year: especially to the organising committee headed up by David Bullock, and to all those who served on stalls, on the door, serving refreshments, helping to set up trees and take them down etc. So much goes on behind the scenes to make this event a success and it was a great success this year. It was wonderful to see so many people (several hundred) come through our doors, despite the cold weather and the cancellation of the Christmas light switch-on in the town centre. We presented a prize to the the Friends of Victoria Gardens, the winner of the tree competition. We raised approximately £2,500 for church funds this year, which is a fantastic result! Thank you all for your support.Revd Rebecca
Christian BasicsWe have had many visitors to our churches during December and the Christmas period. If anyone would like to explore matters of faith and what Christians believe, please be in touch with me. There is some interest in doing a short course online in the New Year. So if you have questions about Christianity and would like to explore your faith, or you have any questions, please be in touch with me very soon. This could lead to baptism and/or Confirmation at a later date for any who are interested. We look forward to hearing from you.Revd Rebecca Harris, Rector
News and prayer requests from our brothers and sisters of the Maridi Diocese in South Sudan
