October is upon us and we will have celebrated harvest and begun to think about Christmas when you read this! That time again already!
It is always lovely in church at Christmas as so many come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. If we find it hard during the year to find time to come to church we usually do when we approach Christmas. The sound of so many singing and praying together brings a real sense of shared experience and community.
I am hoping too, that this year, you will find time to also come on 1st November! Christ Church is celebrating 175 years of being the Anglican spiritual centre of Derry Hill and Studley. If those stones could talk I wonder what they would say!
Our Diocesan Bishop Nicholas Holtam will be with us. The service is designed to be one for all ages – all inclusive, as they say. A time when I hope we will all be at ease with the liturgy whether we have been recently to church or not.
If you have any memorabilia in the way of drawings or photographs from the years between 1840 – 2015, that show life in the village, it would be lovely to have them displayed in the church.
There are a number of events too going on during the week beginning 10th October to celebrate – a QUIZ on 16 October in church at 7:30pm, the Kentwood Choir performance on 10 October at 7:30pm in church and the Fun Run on 11 October at 1:30pm starting in church – so do come along. The more people that come the better the time we have together.
The Bells Project is also ongoing and, though the project is taking longer than we had originally hoped to complete we are good in spirits. If anyone would like to be part of this project then do get in touch with me or one of the churchwardens. We would love to hear from you. Perhaps you would like to help with fundraising or have joinery or building talents to offer.
It is important to mark milestones in the life of the village and the church. The church is a central focus in an ever changing world – we see it in our own village as well as in the wider world. The church is constant and available to all. And we want to keep it relevant to each generation that comes along. That means continuous change! This is hard for those that don’t like change but that is exactly what each of us is called to do – to change continually to bring the gospel of Christ to the age in which we live.
Do come along – we need your input and support. A ‘lived-in’ church is so much more welcoming than one that is only visited for an hour on Sundays. It develops a warmth and feel that is so comforting and yet hard to explain!
Finally I would like to welcome Mrs Hayley Roberts, the new staff and pupils to Christ Church. As a church school I am looking forward to working with Mrs Roberts and the whole school community.
With love to all
Ann