It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved Churchwarden, Mary Bailey. Mary died peacefully at home on the evening of the 28th October, surrounded by her family. Mary was a steadfast and faithful servant of the church, whose unwavering dedication touched the lives of all who knew her. To many, she was more than an esteemed member of our congregation; she was a trusted colleague, a cherished friend, and a confidante. To me, she was “My Mary”! Mary stepped up to become Churchwarden at a difficult period for the benefice, a role she carried out with care and compassion. I will be forever grateful for her service to me as Vicar. During her time as Churchwarden, Mary’s commitment, compassion, spirit, and faith enriched our community and strengthened our shared faith. Her legacy will live on in her dedication to All Saints’ and her valued support of Holy Trinity. Funeral arrangements will be shared in due course, allowing us all the opportunity to come together and honour Mary’s life. At this difficult time, we ask that you remember Mandy, Ruth, and all of Mary’s family in your prayers. May they find comfort and strength in the love and support of our community. May Mary rest in peace, and rise in glory. Andrew+
An essential aspect of fulfilling our faith and supporting the Church’s mission is through consistent financial contributions. Regular giving ensures the sustainability of our church and facilitates effective future planning. For this reason, we participate in the Parish Giving Scheme. The Churchwardens and I are committed to preserving our listed buildings for future generations but keeping our churches open costs £125 per day. Our community's support keeps the church active and essential in our area. While asking for donations is difficult, regular giving is crucial for sustaining the church's ministry, especially during challenging financial times. Please consider giving what you can. With this letter, we are launching our new 'Sponsor a Day' which allows everyone to select a day (or days) to sponsor a day in memory of a person or cause by donating, through Parish Giving Scheme, a minimum of £125 per year. £125 is equivalent to approximately £10 per month or £2.40 per week and with Gift Aid we can claim another 25% from your donation! Please contact me to discuss which date(s) you would like to sponsor!For enquiries about making one-off or regular donations, or leaving a legacy, please contact me at: 01763 230178 rev.andrew.birks@hotmail.com With Prayers and Best Wishes Andrew+
Data Protection Breach.A message from the Vicar, Revd Andrew Birks.The Diocese has been notified of a data breach that has occurred involving personal data processed by Access Personal Checking Services Ltd (APCS), acting as the data processor for those using APCS for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) applications. In addition to many parishes across the Church of England, the breach has also affected a number of separate Dioceses and also the National Church institutions (NCIs), all of whom also use APCS.Please note that the Church of England central systems and Diocesan Information Technology (I.T.) systems have not been hacked, nor has any of the parish systems, and those respective networks are unaffected by this data breach. This breach is only in relation to the use of APCS.APCS has provided some details of the breach, including the nature of the incident and the types of personal data involved. We are expecting further details will be provided as the investigation progresses. If you haven’t received an email from APCS, or the Diocese, or the Parish Safeguarding Officer, then you are unlikely to have been affected, though you should continue to check for emails from them over the coming days.If you are concerned the Diocese have a dedicated website page which is constantly being updated with all of the latest developments, and also offers guidance on what to do if you have been told your details have been ‘hacked’. The website page can be found here…. www.elydiocese.org/parish-support/privacy-and-data-protection/data-protection-and-gdpr/apcs-data-breach.php
As you will know, we are having a new lighting scheme introduced to Holy Trinity in Meldreth.As a result, and for Health & Safety reasons, we will need to close the church for 3 weeks.We will therefore close from Monday 3rd November and reopen with a special Songs of Praise Service, at 6pm on Sunday 23rd November, followed by refreshments.Whilst we are closed, we need to make a few adjustments to the services:On Sunday 9th November - the 8am service will be cancelled.On Sunday 16th November - the 9.45am will be moved from Holy Trinity to All Saints in Melbourn.We recognise the cancellation of services at Meldreth has an impact on you, but we hope you will recognise we have made the changes as minimal as possible, and that once we are open again, you will like the changes we have made.Andrew+
