Greetings
in this New Year and third year of our triennium.
It's a time when we must think and plan for the next three years
while keeping our momentum going. We will need some new leaders for
Marketing, Prayer and Spirituality and for Action and Outreach so
pray AND look around for the right people.
We have
Reg. Bailey coming to our Annual
Meeting in May. He is an inspiring speaker so do book the date in
your diaries.
Monday,
May 8th 2006
in
Swindon.
A coach will be available.
It was
good to see 50 members at the quiet day in
Knowle. What an inspiring day it was. Fr. Robert did us proud
and thanks to Rita and the ladies at St. Martins. Next year we have
a springtime quiet day on Thursday 18th May.
Another date for your diary. More details
later.
Our Wave
of Prayer Week in February is planned and you will have details
of your day. If you cannot go on that day or would like to join the
Diocesan members, we are meeting in the Cathedral again on
Saturday,
Feb. 25th at 12.30.
for lunch in the Refectory and then the wave of prayer at 2pm. We
also hope to enrol some Diocesan
members. Please let me know if you are coming in case we swamp the
Refectory!
Mary
Sumner House has run out of overseas boxes so we have had some
labels printed to go on jam jars. ‘Ten pence on a Tuesday’ is the
routine and we hope you will all have a jam jar on your kitchen
windowsill. I have just had a large mailing from MSH and there is
a lot of really useful material that you can access.
First a
request.
Andrew Body, the author of a best selling guide for couples
getting married, is working on a book to help churches make the most
of the opportunities weddings offer. He is looking for good ideas
which churches have had, whether before the day, on the day or in
follow-up. As an example, one church gives a bible at a main service
to every couple when they first book their wedding.
Contact
Andrew at Chobham Vicarage,
Woking,
Surrey,
GU248BY
or
Email to
Andrew@body.freeserve.co.uk by Easter 2006.
He needs:
-
The bright
idea
-
The name
of the church
-
Contact
details.
Top tips for parents bookmarks
These are
really good. Use them to contact toddlers' groups, schools, Sunday
Schools etc. We have ordered a lot!
MotheringSunday
This booklet
is full of idea and it's not too early to plan an event to thank not
just mothers but all carers. Some ideas
are a pampering session, a football tournament or a quiz night.
There are invitations and a 'thank you' card you can copy, a prayer
and lots of other ideas.
Content of Civil Marriage Ceremonies
In the
autumn the MU submitted a response based on the views of members to
the General Register office consultation. Couples will now be able
to use readings and music with incidental religious references in
their civil services.
Thank you to
those who submitted their views.
An Apology
A paragraph
from City Deanery's report was inadvertently omitted from the
Messenger. We are very sorry and print it here because our prayers
are still needed.
‘Amid the
happiness of the above occasions our thoughts often go back to the
tragic events in London on 7th July. We especially hold in our
prayers Julie Nicholson our priest in charge whose daughter was
killed at
Edgware
Road. We cannot imagine the pain that she and her family are going
through but we pray for them and all the
victims of the bombings.’
