The Benefice of St. Bartholomew

Harvest Celebrations, St Mary’s Church, East Knoyle - 1st October 2017

Details

Written by Tony Gowers

*** This Coming Weekend ***

Harvest Evensong

 in

St Mary’s Church, East Knoyle

on

Sunday 1st October 2017 at 6.00 pm

Please bring your Harvest Offerings to the Church on Saturday morning or to the service on Sunday

-------

After the service, join us for the

East Knoyle Harvest Supper

in East Knoyle Village Hall
at
7.00 pm for 7.30 pm

Tickets: Adult: £8.00, Children: £4.00
Admission by ticket only
First Glass of Wine or Soft Drink included
On sale at Wrens Shop, East Knoyle, from 4th September 2017

Vegetarian option available must be requested when buying tickets

Everyone welcome

Harvest Festival in the Benefice - 2017

Details

Written by Tony Gowers

Harvest will be celebrated at churches throughout the Benefice at the following services and events:

Donhead St Mary & Donhead St Andrew

A combined Donheads, Charlton, Ludwell and the Cooombes Harvest Family Service will be held at St John’s Church, Charlton, on Sunday 17th September 2017 at 11.00 am. The Harvest Supper will be held on the previous evening, 16th September, at Ludwell Primary School. For more details, click here.

St Catherine’s Church, Sedgehill

The Harvest Service will be held on Sunday 24th September 2017 at 6.00 pm.
The Harvest Supper will take place in Sedgehill Village Hall on Saturday 23rd September.  Click here for more information.

St Mary’s Church, East Knoyle

Harvest Evensong will be held on Sunday 1st October 2017 at 6.00 pm. The service will be followed by Harvest Supper in East Knoyle Village Hall. For more details, click here.

St Leonard’s Church, Semley

Harvest Festival Eucharist will be held on Sunday 8th October 2017 at 9.30 pm. The Harvest Supper will take place on Saturday 7th October at the Barn, Grove House, Semley. Click here for more information.

Please do come and join us - all are most welcome.

Vacancy - Children & Youth Worker

Details

Written by Rev'd Richard Warhurst

We are looking to fill the position of Children & Youth Worker which has recently been created in the Benefice.  Details of this role is set out below.

Children & Youth Worker

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual for a new and exciting role to develop a roving Sunday School for our weekly Sung Eucharist.

There is an occupational requirement for the post holder to be a practicing Christian in accordance with Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Part Time position - 6 hours per week
£2,500 p.a.

Enhanced DBS required

Click here to read and/or download for a full job description and person specification for the role.

For further information, please telephone the Rector on 01747 830174. Alternatively, you can send the Rector an email from this website - to send the email, click here and when the new page opens, select the 'Contact Form' tab, and then complete the form.

Prayer Cycle and Prayer of the Month - September 2017

Details

Written by Rev'd June Lane

Do keep your prayer requests coming. We do not always know what is going on but we are always ready to pray for you if you just let us know: The Rev’d June (telephone 01747 828427, Julia (telephone 01747 829166) and the Rev’d Richard or the Benefice Office (both telephone 01747 830174).

This Prayer about our journey through life is by Canon Frank Topping:

Lord, you spent your earthly days travelling on foot.
Your greatest journey was on a donkey,
But you left behind a trail of hope, and love and peace.
At least I know that it is not the distance travelled that matters,
but the quality of the journey.
In all my travels,
Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me,
Christ be beside me,
Christ be at mine end and at my departing.
Amen

From the Licensed Lay Minister - September 2017

Details

Written by Jo Johnson

September. As I look out of the window, the poet's vision of ‘Mists and mellow fruitfulness’, is present just outside the window. There is a mist filling the valley and the apple tree is groaning under the weight of wonderfully rosy apples. Children are still - just- on holiday and their voices can be heard, shouting happily as they and a large black Labrador, play football in the field. You could say it is the perfect rural idyll - but is it?

Although we are told that life in the twenty first century is so much easier, as some famous person said - “We've never had it so good” - is it really? The countryside is full of low waged agricultural workers and the elderly, often on a fixed income, so apart from a favoured few, life is not so easy.

Rural bus services are always the first economy made by local councils, making visits to Salisbury Hospital an expedition of the magnitude of a trek to the South Pole for some. Mobile Libraries seem to be the next area to feel the axe, depriving many of the enjoyment of a good read of a winter's evening.

Enough of the downside of life - let's be more positive! Local Village Shops in our rural communities are re-invigorating village life. Not only do they provide necessities but a place to sit and have a coffee and catch up on all the local news. Posters there advertise local functions and postcards publicise needs for help or the disposal of unwanted goods - a two-way street of opportunities for local people to help each other.

Church still fulfils its role of bringing people together, is a place for passing on news of those not so well, or just back from hospital and in need of a visit for tea and a chat - its members possibly unwittingly continuing the church's medieval function of caring for the sick and needy - in their minds just being good neighbours. It also celebrates our rural heritage, with seasonal services to ask God to bless the work of the farmer and services to thank God for his abundant provisions for us all.

Well, there are the plusses and the minuses, would you rather live in town or city, or in the countryside? I know which I would choose every time it's not just looking out on streets and having neighbours that you don't really know, it's the sense of community, being able to smile and say “Good Morning" to folk you meet, without them looking alarmed, seeing a glut of apples or vegetables being offered free at the gate - and then of course, there is God's glorious countryside with a background of birdsong. Moan we may from time to time but we have so much to be thankful for.

Jo Johnson