Hello Everyone,The sun is shining and the bank holiday week-end is before us. We wish you all a special time with family and friends and at the different events where you will meet. Harlington Village show takes place today (until 4pm) in the Village Hall and Toddington Scarecrow Festival takes place tomorrow afternoon and Monday. It is a lovely opportunity for the community to share time and to celebrate creative gifts and achievements. Next Saturday afternoon, Westoning Church and Sports club host a picnic for the village and Tingrith host their Auction of Promises. We hope that Toddington/Chalgrave youth group will be able to meet up this Tuesday and wish Westoning TWIG and Little Stars joy as they gather again. The churches are planning different events but all combine on 11th September to welcome the Historic Churches bike, walk, or drive event which invites sponsored people to visit as many churches as possible to raise funds for the Trust and for our churches. It is a lovely opportunity for a day out, and you no longer need to cycle. If any of would be willing to take part to support your local church to raise funds to support the work of the Trust and help raise crucial funds to support the maintainance of your local church building, we would be very grateful to you. More information and sponsorship forms from the respective Church Wardens or Linda and Nigel. And so life buzzes forward. Schools return wc 6th September and we wish families every blessing in their last family days of relaxation this week. Our prayers go out to all who are organising the above events, to families, and to the school staff and pupils in their preparations for the new academic year.Sunday Services 29th August9.30am Harlington Church Holy Communion Service led by Nigel with Robert (no baptism this week).9.30am Chalgrave Church, Holy Communion Service with Rev Roger Wood and Linda.11am Toddington Church, Holy Communion Service with Rev Roger Wood and Linda11am Westoning Church, Holy Communion Service led by Nigel with Jon6pm The Upper Room zoom service. Theme 'Where did you find God?' ID: 897 8457 1003 Contact Linda or Nigel for the passcode.This week's services and events:Sunday 30th 2pm to 5pm Scarecrow festival, Toddington. Tickets, guide leaflet, and refreshments from Wilkinson HallMonday: Scarecrow Festival Toddington 10- 4pm, Tickets, guide leaflet, and refreshments from Wilkinson Hall. Summer Raffle to be drawn at 4pmTuesday 31st Toddington Youth Group 5.30 to 7pm (more information from Rebecca or Linda)Tuesday 31st, Memorial Service for David Price 12 noon, Harlington church (Please let Tricia know if you hope to attend for Track and Trace/seating planning). Face coverings to be worn please.Wednesday 1st September 10am Holy Communion Morning Service, Harlington churchWednesday 1st September 8pm 60 Minutes with God online zoom service (Link from Nigel)Thursday 2nd September 9.30am Morning Prayer, ToddingtonThursday 2nd September 11am Funeral service for Ronald Robinson 11am Toddington Church. Please let Dee know if you hope to attend (for Track and Trace/seating planning). Face covering to be worn please. Thursday 2nd September 7.30pm Harlington PCC in churchSaturday 4th September Westoning Fun Village Picnic 3.30-5.30pmSaturday 4th September 5pm Tingrith Church Auction of PromisesLooking ahead to the following week:Sunday Services w/c 5th September Harlington: 8am BCP Holy Communion, 9.30 am Holy Communion (Common Worship)Chalgrave 9.30am Holy CommunionTingrith Church 9.30am Morning PrayerToddington 11am Holy CommunionWestoning 11am Holy CommunionMid week w/c 5th SeptemberMonday 6th Morning Prayer, 9.30am at Toddington Church.Tuesday 7th 10-12 noon Westcaf resumes, Westoning village HallWednesday 8th 10am Harlington Morning ServiceWednesday 8th Westoning PCC 7.30pm in churchFriday 10th Harlington Church, wedding 1pmFriday 10th Westoning Youth Group Saturday 11th Harlington Church Gift Day Saturday 11th Historic Churches bike, drive or walk fundraising day with: refreshments, activities and Art Exhibition by Stanley Greening at Harlington Church on Saturday 10-4pm with the Art Exhibition continuing through the week 2-4pm daily.Coffee morning at Chalgrave Church 10-12 noonAlpha: An new online Alpha course starts on 20th September and runs each Monday until 29 November. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Jesus and the Christian faith. More information from Linda and Nigel and please register with Eileen or Jon.As we conclude this letter we send our heartfelt prayers across the world to Afghanistan to the refugees, to those left behind, to those remaining in the country and to those seeking to escape. We give thanks to the different government armed forces who have worked so hard in such challenging circumstances to rescue and reassure and pray for their continued protection and strength.We also pray for Haiti, Madgascar, Ethopia and for so many other areas of the world who are struggling. We pray for those known to us who are sick or bereaved remembering particularly Rachel and her family who care for her, and also for Jess. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.Stay safe, enjoy the weekend and the days ahead.. but be careful of that virus which is increasing quickly in our area.God blessLinda and Nigel
Hello everyoneWe hope you have had a good week and are keeping well? It has been a joy this week to watch the athletes' achievements in the Olympics and we admire their dedication, performance and stamina. It has been a busy week for us, with baptisms, weddings and funerals. Nigel and I are pacing ourselves so we get to the finishing line for a breather. We will be 'out of the office' from Monday 9th until Thursday 19th August.On the infection front, there are encouraging signs countrywide that infection rates are levelling off, but locally infections, particularly in the Toddington area have virtually doubled, and we remain cautious until all rates decrease. We are very grateful to you all for continuing to wear a face mask in church, which will be helping locally to keep infections at bay. Each of the church PCC's decided to continue with the wearing of facemasks in church, and to avoid singing for a little longer, as we meet in an enclosed space. We look forward to the day when we can sing and gather freely, but for now, Nigel and I are very aware that we are suddenly meeting lots of people each week in different settings, and are keen to keep ourselves, and others safe so the weekly services, the weddings, baptisms and funerals will take place as planned which will enable families to gather together for special occasions after so long apart. We very much appreciate people wearing masks not only for their own safety but also to keep others safe. Nigel and I have been a little unnerved on a few recent occasions to find ourselves leading services with visiting congregations who have chosen not to put on facemasks despite a request to do so. Even if all or us are double jabbed we can still be carriers of infection and we feel it is important to provide a safe environment in church for all who visit. Thank you for your understanding and support. We particularly emphasise this with care for our Church Wardens, vergers, Sidespeople and organists who serve in church. Thank you all for your care.This Sunday's services are:Chalgrave Church, 9.30 am Holy Communion Service in church, led by Linda, followed by cake and refreshments. NB The planned 'Songs of Praise' 2pm service this Sunday at Chalgrave has been postponed.Tingrith Church: no service this week.Harlington Church: 9.30 am Holy Communion Service led by Nigel and RobertToddington Church: 11.00 am Holy Communion Service with a Baptism. Led by LindaWestoning Church: 11.00 am Holy Communion Service, led by Nigel and Jon. Followed by a Baptism service at 12.30 pm.The Upper Room online service at 6.00 pm by Zoom.. has a theme of 'lies and truth'.Meeting ID: 817 7028 4611. Zoom access code available from Rev'd Linda. All WelcomeServices this week:Monday Morning Prayer 9.30 am Toddington ChurchWednesday Morning 10.00 am Holy Communion morning worship Harlington ChurchStorytime on Bury Orchard, Harlington, Wednesday 6.00pm (with drink and biscuit before bedtime for the children).Tomorrow Toddington Parish Council have organised a picnic on the Green from 11.00 am to 4.00pm with stalls from local organisations.Next week's Sunday services 15 August.Chalgrave Church 9.30 am Morning Praise led by Malcolm CurtisHarlington Church 9.30 am Service of the Word led by Robert.. commemorating the Patron Saint of Saint MaryTingrith Church 9.30 am Morning Prayer led by JonWestoning Church 11.00 am Morning Prayer led by JonToddington Church 11.00 am Morning Praise led by Malcolm Curtis.The Upper Room will be held at 6.00 pm online by zoom. Access link to be sent later.Services w/c 15 AugustMonday 16th August - Morning Prayer 9.30 am Toddington Church,Wednesday 18th August - Morning Worship at Harlington Church at 10.00 amThursday 19th August - 6.00 pm Storytime on Bury Orchard Funerals:Monday 23rd August - Bernard N, ToddingtonTuesday 24th August - Selwyn Davis, Westoning (a private family service)Thursday 26th August - Marie C, Toddington.Please pray for these people and for their families and friends who grieve.Prayer request:Please pray for healing and wholeness for Rachel Farmer and please hold Stephen, Linda and the family in your prayers.We send you our love and very best wishes. Keep safe, keep well.God blessLinda and Nigel
Hello Everyone,We have had a real mixture of weather this week for the first week of the school holidays, with some lovely hot temperatures, some rain and cloud and some flooding in London; all very strange as we approach the beginning of August but hopefully, Summer will appear. Another week has passed, grandparents are busy, and families are enjoying time together. Nigel and I enjoyed a lovely evening visit to Stratford Upon Avon to watch an outdoor Shakespeare play.. how good it was to be at the theatre again! There has been a busy week of sport on the TV with the Olympics stretching far into the night, or morning, with Rugby, and Cricket 100 matches also capturing interest from young and old. I sat on the edge of my seat last night watching the mixed Triathlon as the English team battled within themselves and as a team to bring home a gold medal. The week has seen many highs and lows - what resilience, what team work and strategic thinking to push to new boundaries seeking to bring home a prize medal for their country.On Tuesday we had a lovely time with the Youth Group in Toddington and it has been a busy week meeting wedding couples and families enquiring about baptism. Such a blessing to have time together.This week our Sunday Services offer opportunity to meet safely too:Chalgrave Church 9.30am an informal service (outdoors if dry, but more likely to be indoors as the forecast isn't great)Tingrith Church 9.30am Holy Communion Service - led by NigelHarlington Church 9.30am Holy Communion, and the baptism of Samuel - led by LindaToddington Church 11am Holy Communion - led by LindaWestoning Church 11am Holy Communion - led by NigelThe Upper Room online service at 6pm will consider the theme ''We have worth' Zoom Meeting ID: 822 5578 1112. Contact Nigel or Linda for the passcode.This week's services and events:Monday 9.30am Morning Prayer at Toddington ChurchWednesday 10am Morning service at Harlington ChurchWednesday 9.30am Toddington Church open for Quiet Prayer during the morning Wednesday 10am - a Toddington Church working party gathering (for Wilkinson Hall) 10-2pm. Help welcomed from volunteers please. Please link with Dee.Wednesday 8pm 60 Minutes with God by zoom - Westoning Church. Link from NigelThursday 10-2pm,'Quiet Time' led by Linda in Rachel's Garden, 21 High Street, Toddington. Please bring a packed lunch. It will be helpful if you can please let Linda or Rachel know if you are coming.Prayer requests: Please could you hold in your prayers Rachel for her healing and well-being and also for her parents Linda and Steve and family.Do please get in touch if we can help or support in any way. We wish you and your families a good, healthy and blessed week.With love in ChristLinda and Nigel
Hello everyoneThe sun has been shining brightly for much of the week and it has been so very hot. The plants have been wilting and we have joined them. How welcome is the rain and a drop in temperature. How have you fared? We hope you have had a good week? It has been a busy week for many of us. Schools have started their much-needed Summer holidays, and the teachers, pupils and parents can now have a welcome rest after a very challenging year of ups and downs. Many families will have headed away on holiday this weekend if the volume of traffic on the roads today is anything to go by. The Olympics have begun in Tokyo and will offer a wonderful illustration by athletes of resilience, determination and achievement, and in some cases of disappointment, which may rather symbolically reflect our own life journey these past Covid-19 months. From last Monday, we all face another season and another goal with the 'unlocking' at stage 4 of the roadmap. How we proceed is now up to 'Personal Responsibility' but in our churches, we also recognise a corporate duty of care for those who come to church. We must look out for each other and protect the vulnerable. Each church PCC has met to discuss the situation and each PCC agreed that for now we will move forward cautiously and will continue to follow existing guidelines:Those attending church will continue to be invited to sanitise hands on entering the church, to use the NHS Covid 19 QR code or to list their names for track and trace purposes and to wear a face mask, and there will be opportunities to socially distance. We will not yet sing in church but the situation will be reviewed regularly.Sadly, infection rates in Central Bedfordshire continue to be very high at present with 177 new daily positive cases 1542 over the week, representing an increase of 24.9%. Taking this into account, our churches will move forward cautiously, keen to protect each other and to keep the 'flock' safe.Our Services this Sunday:Chalgrave Church 9.30am Holy Communion Service, in church, led by Rev NigelHarlington Church 9.30am, Holy Communion Service, with the baptism of Evie, led by Rev LindaToddington Church 11am, Holy Communion Service led by Rev LindaWestoning Church 11am, Holy Communion Service led by Rev NigelTingrith Church 3pm Holy Communion Service led by Rev Nigel (and Linda)The Upper Room, 6pm Zoom Service - with the theme ' A lot from a little' - Zoom access code available from Linda or NigelServices and events this week:Monday 9.30am Morning Prayer at Toddington ChurchWednesday 10am Holy Communion Service Harlington ChurchThe Annual World Day of Prayer Service on Friday at 2pm (see poster link)The Toddington Branch of the World Day of Prayer are meeting together on Friday 30th July at 2.00pm to honour the Women of Vanuatu with the Service that had to be postponed in March. As limited numbers are able to attend we invite family and friends of our local Churches to join us by Zoom and YouTube.Join Zoom Meeting ID: 958 7305 4251. Passcode: available from Tricia, Rev Linda or Clive.The service will also be streamed to YouTube on both the Harlington Methodist Church Channel and the Churches Together in Harlington Channel. with love in ChristLinda and Nigel
