Trinity 13 News
A very warm welcome to any new readers, and to visitors and newcomers to St Michael's. A special welcome and thanks to Fr Paul Matthias, our celebrant this morning, who will also kindly be saying Mass for us on Thursday at 10.30 am. If you are new to St Michael's, do join us in the Vestry Hall after the service, so that we can welcome you properly.
And welcome to our newly-decorated Vestry Hall! This represents a considerable investment of time and energy by several members of the congregation, and also generous help from Trevor Gatehouse and from Mr Dowling of Travis Perkins. Thank you, everyone!
Confirmation: It's not unusual for adults who missed out on Confirmation when they were younger to decide that the time has now come to take this important step in their Christian lives. If you are one of these, please speak to Fr Paul – there will be a Confirmation class that you can join this month.
Why do we….? Fr Paul will soon be providing a chance to discover more, or refresh our memories, about what we believe and how it is expressed and embodied in what we do in church. If you might like to be part of a group exploring this aspect of our faith, please speak to Fr Paul about it. If you are thinking of becoming a server, please speak to him about that, too – we need more servers!
This Saturday, September 9th, 10 am – 4 pm, is a Heritage Open Day. We want our local community – and visitors from further afield – to enjoy the lovely Angel Windows in this listed building, and, God willing, to get a sense of the beauty of holiness as St Michael's tries to show it. Thanks to Martyn and Paul, the bunting and banner are already looking inviting. We need volunteers to bake cakes/biscuits, make tea and coffee, welcome visitors and act as stewards, answer questions, and sign-in the Ride and Stride participants – including Catherine - who will be doing their sponsored walk or cycle-ride on the same day in aid of the Friends of Kent Churches. Can you bake, brew tea on the day, or just provide a friendly presence for people who may not often visit a church? This is a precious opportunity to develop our community links and to encourage more people to get to know St Michael's - and what it stands for. Please sign the green list of helpers at the back of church – and, if you are kindly planning to do some baking, try to have a word with Alison Ponter, who is kindly co-ordinating the refreshments.
Ride & Stride on September 9th will number Catherine among its Riders. Please look for the yellow form at the back of church if you would like to sponsor her. Her Riding (around as many participating churches as she can on the day) will benefit the Friends of Kent Churches, but there is a welcome rake-off for her parish church as well. Do give Catherine your support.
Also on 9th September, 11.30 - 2.30 : Wendy Blackshaw of The Wendy House plans attractions including a bouncy castle, Princesses' Tea (pre-book only for a small charge) and stalls. Further details from Wendy (07788 180631). Meanwhile in church, Sara is kindly running a free Heritage Open Day children's activity – it will be a good day to invite friends with children to come and explore St Michael's!
Safeguarding for the young and vulnerable is an important area of our church life. PCC members in particular have the duty of ensuring that our diocesan safeguarding policy is carried out, and that everyone is encouraged to contribute to a culture that supports it. PCC members (and others with positions of responsibility), your safeguarding certificates last for 3 years – might you need to renew one? If in any doubt, speak to Katja. But we shouldn't leave it just to the PCC – the brief online courses entitled Basic Awareness and Foundations (each one takes about 90 mins to do) can be found at https://www.canterburydiocese.org/safeguarding-training/ and are open to everyone interested. Why not open an account and explore?
Cathedral Passes: After an interval when they seemed to stop working, Cathedral Passes are now once more available to members of any church in the diocese. A pass entitles you to unlimited visits to Canterbury Cathedral and its grounds during opening hours, and if you sign up to the mailing list you will be kept informed, often before the official announcement, of forthcoming services, events and activities at the Cathedral. Please see www.canterbury-cathedral.org/cathedral-pass [ ]{.underline} for details.
This Sunday we see the beginning of the Season of Creation, when Christians are encouraged to give thanks for, and show concern for, God's creation. A variety of information and resources can be found on https://seasonofcreation.org/resources/ - an invitation to consider what we can do to share the earth's riches more fairly, to do something to improve our local environment, or even just to look appreciatively at our own gardens and make them a welcoming place for other creatures besides ourselves.
From Our Tower: Kent County Association Maidstone, Kent:
St Michael and All Angels, Friday, 25 August 2023 in 43m (6–1–24 in C) 1320 Fawley Surprise Minor
- Emma Jarvis
- Jacqueline Barlow
- Philip Jarvis
- Mark Elvers
- Pam Thomas
- Neil Jones (C)
Rung on the Saint's Day of Louis of France, 1270.
Could you pass on this sheet to someone else who might like to see it?