Newsletter - July 2024
After a year-long vacancy, we were very pleased to announce, on 23rd June, that a new vicar for the parish, Rev. Lindsay Meader has been appointed! We have not yet got a date for her licensing so we will have to wait a little longer before Lindsay can join us in church but she will move into the parsonage later this month. We know that you will give her a very warm welcome and look forward to having her with us.
In her introductory letter to the congregation, Lindsay wrote “I’m delighted to have been called to serve at St Philip’s and greatly look forward to getting to know you as we embark upon this journey together. I am very grateful to the Churchwardens and all who have been bearing additional responsibilities to sustain the ministry and outreach of the church during the Vacancy”.
Earlier in June, our First Steps children learned from the Parable of the Mustard Seed and as well as using paper-craft to illustrate the story, some of them have planted sunflower seeds to see if they can can have their own success in growing. We will have to wait to see the results!
Meanwhile, our gardening team members are working through their busiest time of year and we are very grateful to Sandra and Sue for planting and maintaining the bright blooms which greet us as we approach the church. 🌺🌸🌼
On the first Sunday in June, Annie led us in an Eco-Sunday service, celebrating the natural world and all God’s gifts to us. The singing group performed songs about all things green and we all joined in a lively rendition of “Who put the colours in the Rainbow?”, creating a display board of all the animals, weather, plants and birds which feature in the hymn. 🌈🦜🐠🦒🦋🌳
Please come along to our summer celebration for Gift Day on 7th July and please help if you can with running stalls, serving refreshments, and collecting donations. Traditionally Gift Day has been a day when parishioners would donate, to their local church, a cash sum in addition to the weekly offertory. We are grateful that we can now receive your gifts in so many ways – cash, cheques, contactless payments via the card machine, one-off donations via the QR code and even monthly giving by Direct Debit via the Parish Giving Scheme. Thank you for your generosity!
