Hi! I’m Christa, the new curate with the parish of Thanington, St Nicholas and St Faith.I’m delighted to be here, along with my husband Jon, who is a business consultant. We have two daughters, who are at school in Canterbury, and loving it! We have moved from London where I served with a network of five churches in the East End: the main one was St John at Hackney. I got to see there how God is breathing fresh life into His Church.One of my passions is creativity: I like to write, create, & I love a good party! I am looking forward to serving the vision of Thanington Parish Church to reach families in the area with God’s love. Messy Church is a great creative space for this and I am excited to be part of the team making that happen once a month. In September we ran it for the first time and welcomed 35 children with their parents/carers into church.I am also doing a short placement with the Chaplaincy at University of Kent. Canterbury is buzzing with students so I am thrilled to be able to come alongside them. I love building people up, so in particular, if you are at a bit of a crossroads in life, I would love to meet up with you and see how God might want to encourage you, too! Every Blessing, Christa. Post navigation ← Previo
You may have heard or read about David Week's sponsored cycle ride from Canterbury to York to raise money towards the repair of the lychgate at St Nciholas Church in Thanington. Here he is pictured outside York Minster.David set off from Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 13th May. His journey took him from Canterbury to Billericay on day 1, from Billericay to Hauxton on day 2., from Hauxton to Stamford on day 3, from Stamford to Grantham on day 4, and from Grantham to Retford on day 5, and finally from Retford to York on day 6.After 362 miles of cycling over 5 days, David arrived in York, both both he and the bicyle in one piece. On completing the cycle-ride, David said "My sincerest thanks to all who have donated, your generosity spurred me on especially when I was feeling pretty flat and exhausted."David's aim was to raise £500 and he has raised £540 through his Just Giving page. To find out more about why he decided to do this and to see a few photos of his journey, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bikerideforthaningtonlychgate Thanks to David and to to all who sponsored him., Thanington Parish Church is now a step closer to raising the £24,000 cost for the lychgate to be repaired and restored this summer.
The lychgate at St Nicholas Church has been a historic landmark in Thanington since 1871. Perhaps you have been one of many who have walked through it on your way to worship or to mark significant times in the life of family and friends at baptisms, weddings or funerals? Or maybe you took shelter under the lychgate, hanging out with friends? We would love to see any familiy photos you have with the lychgate, perhaps from some of those special occasions? If you would like to share a photo, please click use our 'Get in touch' page to make contact. It would be great to take copies and create a display of the lychgate's history with photos from Thanington residents. Unfortunately, the lychgate is now in poor shape. It needs urgent work to restore the structure and put it on a firm footing, so that it continues to be a feature in Thanington for many years to come. To restore it in a way which makes it safe and preserves its historic character, will cost an estimated £24,000. This is well beyond the means of our regular congregation. We are applying for grants towards the cost, but this takes time and there are no guarantees. So we also need to raise money locally from people who care about Thanington.Do you value Thanington Parish Church? Would you like to help keep this historic building in good shape for future generations? Do you want the lychgate to remain as a historic landmark in Thanington? If so, please consider making a donation. Imagine if hundreds of people each gave a little, according to what they could afford. We know that with the rising cost of living and energy bills that this is just not an option for some. But for those who are able, please visit our giving page for information on how you can give to Thanington Parish Church.The best way to give online to the church is through Parish Giving. To do this, visit www.parishgiving.org.uk and search for Thanington. We will receive all of your donation. Parish Giving does not take a cut. And if you are a taxpayer, Parish Giving can claim tax relief on your donation and give the church an extra 25% of what you donate. So if a taxpayer donates £10 and makes a gift-aid declaration, the church will receive an extra £2.50 gift-aid from HMRC. Lets work together to love our lychgate. Revd Nick White
There’s a line from the Christmas carol Away in a Manger - “the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes”. It sounds idyllic but it is of course the product of somebody’s imagination! It presents an unrealistic picture of the baby Jesus. Cying is a baby’s prime way of communicating that they need something - whether a feed, a cuddle, a nappy change or something else. Christians believe Jesus was divine, but we also believe he was human - God born into this world as a human baby, growing into a child and an adult. God the creator entrusted himself to the care of those who he had created. God the creator chose to accept the limitations of the human body. God the creator experienced the joys and sorrows of human life. It's mind boggling! Why would God do such a thing? The birth of Jesus shows that God wants to be with us. Matthew’s gospel speaks of the birth of Jesus as Immanuel (which means “God with us”). God knows what its like to be human, God has revealed himself in a way we can relate to, and God wants to be n relationship with us. The birth of Jesus shows that God does not leave us in the dark. John's gospel speaks of Jesus as the light of the world. The life of Jesus here on earth revealed the holy love of God and teaches us what it means to love God and love our neighbour. The birth of Jesus shows that God does not leave us without help or hope. In Luke's gospel, the angels' message to the shepherds was that a Saviour had been born. And in the gospel accounts of Jesus life, death and resurrection, we see this power to save from sin and evil, from sickness and death. This Christmas may you know God with you through Jesus Christ.p.s. If you want some help to reflect more on the birth of Jesus and the events surrounding it, why not try the Church of England's free app - Follow the Star. For more details visit, https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/what-we-believe/advent-and-christmas/follow-star-great-invitation
