The Benefice of St. Bartholomew

Benefice News - 23rd October 2020

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Written by Tony Gowers

Don’t forget that Summertime ends this coming Sunday 25th October – or risk being an hour early for church!

Church News

A copy of this week’s Church News can be found here. In addition to news, the document gives full details of all of our services during weekdays, as well as those this coming Sunday and the following Sunday. Do join in with everything that appeals to you.

Sunday 25th October 2020 - Last Sunday after Trinity

The services planned for Sunday 25th October will all take place in our churches, and one will be streamed over the Internet using Zoom. Details are shown in the right hand margin of this webpage and on the Benefice calendar here.

We hope that you are able to participate in one or more of the varied acts of worship that have been planned, either in church or on Zoom.

IMPORTANT - All Souls Service, East Knoyle - Sunday 1st November

It will be necessary to let the Church Warden or Benefice Administrator know if you wish to attend the All Souls service - owing to COVID-19 restrictions, we can only accommodate a limited number of folk.

Churches Open for Public Worship

We are now getting used to having services whilst following Government and Church of England Guidance. Please continue to follow directions given by sidespeople and Churchwardens when attending services. We look forward to welcoming you and please remember to bring your face masks unless you are in an exempt category.

Important: we need to know the number of people who are intending to come to our public services each week. Please let either the Churchwarden or Jo, our Administrator, know if you are intending to come to a service the following Sunday. If you don’t let us know, we may need to turn you away at the church door if we have reached our capacity according to Government and Church of England guidelines. We really want to ensure all those who wish to come to a service are able to attend one.

Churches Opening During the Week

Some of our church buildings will be open at specified times throughout the coming week. Details of the opening days and times for each church are shown below:

• St Andrew’s Church, Donhead St Andrew: Tuesday and Friday: 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
• St Mary's Church, East Knoyle: Wednesday: 10.00 am to 12.00 noon; Saturday: 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm
• St Leonard’s Church, Semley: Sunday and Wednesday: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm

These details may change as we gain experience of our ‘new normal’, so please check this page from week to week for the latest information.

Salisbury District Hospital - Services Update

We have recently received a message containing the latest information about services provided by Salisbury District Hospital. You can read the message here.

News from Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is offering free tickets to churchgoers who wish to visit now that it has started to charge for entry. Click here to find out more.

Zoom

With many services now being held in our churches on Sundays and some being ‘Zoomed’ at the same time, we require more than one ‘Zoom room' to enable us to Zoom two services from different churches simultaneously. Details of each ‘Zoom room' are shown below.

Important: please ensure that you check in the right hand margin of the this page the Zoom details of the service in which you wish to participate before joining the service.

Zoom 2

Either click on this link, and then use the password shown:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89166753523
Password: 057371

Or log on using the Zoom app, and use this ID and password:
Meeting ID: 891 6675 3523   Passcode: 057371

You can also participate dialling in by telephone to one of these phone numbers: 0203 481 5237 or 0203 481 5240.

Zoom 3

Either click on this link, and then use the password shown:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85640073075
Password: 2020

Or log on using the Zoom app, and use this ID and password:
Meeting ID: 856 4007 3075   Password: 2020

You can also participate by dialling in by telephone to one of these phone numbers: 0203 481 5237 or 0203 481 5240.

Zoom 4

Either click on this link, and then use the password shown:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2872955220
Password: 175430

Or log on using the Zoom app, and use this ID and password:
Meeting ID: 287 295 5220   Password: 175430

You can also participate by dialling in by telephone to one of these phone numbers: 0203 481 5237 or 0203 481 5240.

Click here for more guidance on how to join a Zoom meeting.

From the Curate - October 2020

Details

Written by The Rev'd Kevin Martin

Dear Friends,

We are now in the midst of our Harvest Festival celebrations across the Benefice. This season is always one of such joy as communities come together to share a Harvest Dinner or Harvest Lunch. We come together to rejoice at the blessings we have received from the land and the blessing of having our farmers and farm workers who work so hard to tend the crops and bring in the harvest. It is a time to say thank you to God and thank you to those who use their gifts to provide us with all we need. It is also a time when we share an abundant crop with those whose crops may have failed for whatever reason. As we give thanks we also give to those who are in need.

This year is going to be somewhat different in the way we celebrate harvest but we will still be celebrating. What we are learning in our current times is that we need to do things differently rather than losing our ways of celebrating completely. It is a great shame that we will not be able to gather in village halls, churches and barns across our Benefice to share a meal together but we can still gather in church – as long as it is in a socially distanced way – to give thanks to God and our farming neighbours. We can also continue to give out of our abundance to those who are in need. The local foodbank often receives a boost at Harvest Festival time and I am sure this year will not be any different.

Part of our giving thanks is a looking back over the season and remembering the good things that have happened and sharing stories that have given us strength and made us laugh. It also offers us an opportunity to ponder those things that didn’t go so well and what we can learn from them.

For me, this is what Sunday and any day Worship should be about. We gather as a community and give thanks to God for the good things God has given us. We share words of encouragement to keep on loving God and loving our neighbours as ourselves. We ponder what didn’t go so well and ask for help in gaining understanding of how we will do things differently in the future. We are encouraged to understand our need to care for each other. So our regular worship, like our Harvest Festival celebrations, are a time for remembering and looking forward.

This year the Harvest Festival season is one where I am spending time looking back with great joy and thankfulness for the gifts God has given to me as I have ministered in this Benefice. I am grateful for the loving support of so many people along with your patience when I have got it wrong. This year it is a time of saying goodbye which brings a sense of sadness. It is time for me to move on and prepare for the new year in a different place. To take my learning from being here into a new community.

I thank God for the gift God has given me of ministering in this Benefice and meeting so many wonderful people. I also thank you for your warmth, welcome and encouragement. You have taught me a great deal and each Harvest Season as I give thanks for the Harvest of that year I shall remember with fondness the times we have shared in giving thanks, laughing and learning together.

God bless you all.

Kevin

Prayer Cycle and Prayer of the Month - October 2020

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Written by The Rev'd June Lane

Although we do not meet regularly just now there are still several of us who are committed to praying regularly for those in need so please do continue to give us your requests. Contact any of us: The Rev’d June (tel: 01747 828427), Julia (tel: 01747 829166), Theresa (tel: 01747 829188) or the Rev’d Kevin (tel: 01747 828551).

Prayer Of The Month

This Prayer is by Canon Frank Topping and is for forgiveness. I am sure we shall all resonate with this! I certainly did.
Lord,
Why is it so difficult,
To make peace with each other?
No wonder there are wars.
Is it pride that holds my mouth tight shut,
A childish feeling
that I am not the one who should apologise?
It wasn’t my fault?
In these flare ups
What does it matter whose fault it is?
The only thing that matters is love and harmony.
Lord, turning my back in anger is weakness,
It reduces me as a human being.
Give me the courage,
the stature,
to say I am sorry
Amen