Good news! At the end of March 2024, the PCC of Thanington Parish Church agreed to start a weekly Family Service at St Nicholas, Thanington.From April 2024 onwards there will be a regular service at 4pm for local families to join in with and explore the Christian faith together. As part of this, Messy Church will continue on the third Sunday of the month at 4pm. Our 4pm services are informal and designed with children and young people in mind. They have drawn many new people to the church. We want to build on that and encourage this growing community to thrive by making opportunities to meet every week at 4pm.Thanington Family worship is run by a committed team of volunteers plus a couple of clergy families. Every time we meet, we have food, fun, praise and prayer, and explore a theme from the Bible. Last term we looked at Mark’s Gospel together; this term we are looking at the book of Acts. We always have contemporary worship music and some hands-on activities for younger and older people to engage with. We love to do life together and celebrate the highs and the lows through our prayers. We discuss with each other how the Bible relates to our lives today. All are welcome to join us and join in – whether you have children or not! “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord…” Joshua 24:15
You’ve loved your Lychgate!After a huge community effort we are now pleased to say the rebuilding of the Lychgate is complete. Thank you to all who sponsored a tile, and to grant funders who made this possible. As a church we have been so aware of the importance of this local landmark to many people, who were baptized, married or had a funeral of a loved one here. Lychgates are historic parts of some churchyards; for some they mark the entrance into consecrated ground. In reality they served a practical use in the past: corpses for burial were often waiting here until the time came for the funeral. The shelter proved an important spot to wait with loved ones; hence the seating underneath. Now that the work is complete, we will be having a Grand Re-Opening of the Lychgate on Sat 30 March at 2pm, as part of our Easter Fun for Everyone event. Everyone is welcome and we will be joined by Archdeacon Will Adam and Councillor Roben Franklin, who will be helping us mark the occasion with style. The Easter Fun for Everyone event will continue until 4pm with crafts, an Easter egg hunt, story trail, refreshments, stalls and a chance to try ringing the church bells. We look forward to seeing you there.
The time of the All Age Service at St Nicholas Church is changing. It will move from 10am to 4pm on the first Sunday of the month. This change was agreed by the PCC (Parochial Church Council) and announced on Sunday 3rd December. It will take place from January 2024.Why? Our monthly Messy Church started in September on Sundays at 4pm, drawing in lots of local families. Sunday at 4pm seems to be a good time for families in Thanington to come together.We want to create a more regular time for these children, young people and their parents/carers to get together at St Nicholas. So, from January, on the 1st Sunday of the month at 4pm will be the All Age Service. And on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 4pm it will be Messy Church. Both are planned with families in mind.For those who prefer the morning, there will continue to be a 10am service every Sunday at St Nicholas Church. This will usually be a service of Holy Communion. But on the first Sunday of the month it will be a Service of the Word.We hope that these simple changes will help more and more people to worship in a style which helps them to feel at home in church, to connect with God, and to grow in faith.Both our 10am congregation and our 4pm congregation are growing. God is re-building the church here in Thanington. Come and be part of it !
Alpha is for the curious. Explore life’s big questions in a safe, no pressure environment.Every week we will meet in a small group, & eat together. We will watch a short 25 minute video on the following themes, and then there will be time to discuss :Is there more to life than this?Who is Jesus?Why did Jesus die?How can I have faith?Whyand how do I pray?Why and how should I read the Bible?Here are the details:Dates: Every Tuesday for 6 weeks – from 7 Nov to Tuesday 12 December 2023 Time: 11am – 1pmLocation: Whitstable Road, Blean, Canterbury, CT2 9EA Lunch will be included (FREE!) The course will be lead by Rev Christa Brodie-Levinsohn, one of the team at Thanington Parish Church.Click here to sign up or contact revchristabl@gmail.com for more details.We can't wait to see you!
