September 2024 Letter

Time flies when you are having fun 
When you read this I will have been your Priest for 2 years!  That feels like the fastest two years of my life.      

The saying ‘time flies when you are having fun’ is the English translation  of ‘tempus fugit’ coined by Virgil in the first century BC and it is thought to come from the idea that time moves faster when people are happy. (thank you google).    

How is time going for you? Is there something you need to change or get involved with so that time will not hang heavy with you? Or are you too busy and need to lay something down if you can, to create a little ‘spare’ time? Things are definitely speeding up as the Scarecrow Festival in our village of High Wych approaches again this year.  There are so many things planned that we did not have last year.  This year we will have a toddler and children’s area thanks to the toddler team (it’s not too late to volunteer to do a stint of your time to make this happen throughout the Festival for the children, just give me a ring), we also have lots of toys for the children to play with because of Jimmy’s Toddler Group.  We will also be running some children’s games and the church itself will be decked out with a whole amazing exhibition around mini beasts and bugs – I am in awe of the creativity and all that is being produced by the people who live in our villages, I love how we can all come together and enjoy each other’s company, and I know that this comes with many people working hard in the background to make all this happen.    

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the ‘gift of helps – or service’,  working for the good of others and is one of the main strengths of any church community as well as a village community.  As I write this I am particularly aware that the churchyard at St Botolph’s in Eastwick looks better than it has done since I arrived, thanks to the help of a few good people in our village of Eastwick.  We also have a great team who keep the churchyard at St Mary’s in tip top condition for all to enjoy and it always looks beautiful – so thank you for that amazing team too.  We have a great team of dedicated volunteers who help with St James churchyard and we are hoping that before the Scarecrow Festival we can encourage all who enjoy our churchyard to come and bring their garden tools and give us a hand to get it in tip-top condition for the many visitors who will experience it over the weekend of 7th/8th September.  We have planned this for the 1st September at 11.15 am (please see flyer for details), if you are able to come along and help. Romans 12 is an amazing encouragement in living and working together and is too long to print our here but this is just a snippet…..    

‘So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:  Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering…… if you help, just help, don’t take over……..  Keep a smile on your face. (extract from the Message version of the Bible).    

The Bible is full of wisdom about how to live in community with each other, to share what we have and to love those around us, and it is very relevant for us today as it speaks into our 21st century living.  If you would like to know more, why not join us as we discover the full wisdom of Romans through our services and our bible study groups through September and October.    

Looking forward to seeing you soon.  If you see me around, please say ‘Hello’ I would love to get to know you. 

Your Priest Alison   

Online prayer sessions - Tuesday mornings at 9.30 am – link below  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09 Meeting ID: 845 5790 0182   Passcode: 640464