Hello EveryoneThis has been a week of sensitive remembering of loved ones who have died. Last Sunday we held special 'In Loving Memory Services' at Toddington and Chalgrave churches and people took time to light candles in memory of loved ones. On Friday, I was fortunate to be invited to two special school Remembrance services: the first at St George's Lower School where each child laid a poppy petal to create a large school poppy, to remember the soldiers who had died. The year four children capably spoke out about the importance of Remembrance day and also sang a beautiful Remembrance Song. Parkfields Middle School kindly invited me to their special Remembrance Service where we all gathered outside to pay our respects, with class wreaths being laid, a two minute silence observed, poems read by students, and the Last Post played ably by a student. It was a moving service and such a privilege for me to attend both of these special services with our young people. Sadly, I was not able to attend the community service on the Village Green this year, which was at the same time, but it was rather lovely to hear the bugle sound in the distance on the Green as the school's Last Post fell silent, reminding us of being united in the act of Remembrance. This Sunday, our local village communities will gather on Toddington Green at 10.40am and at Tebworth Memorial Hall at 3pm for their respective Remembrance services with the British Legion, and wreaths of poppies will be laid in solemn tribute to local soldiers who gave their lives so selflessly in the different wars. Do please join us if you can.There will also be a short time of remembering with the laying of a wreath at Chalgrave Church memorial at 2pm All welcome. This week saw the successful launch of Wednesday Winter Warmer gathering at Wilkinson Hall from 10.30 to 3pm. This will take place on Wednesdays leading up to Christmas. All Welcome. There will be other events too. This Sunday's Services.. Remembrance Sunday9.30am Toddington and Chalgrave benefice Holy Communion Service at St George of England Church, Toddington 10.40am Remembrance Service on the Green at Toddington2pm a short time of Remembrance - Chalgrave Church3pm Tebworth, Wingfield and Chalgrave Remembrance Service, Tebworth Memorial HallThis week's services and events:Monday9.30am Morning Prayer - Toddington ChurchSeated Pilates 2pm- Wilkinson HallTuesdayKnitting Group 10.30am- Wiilkinson HallWednesdayWednesday Winter Warmer 10.30-3pm Wilkinson HallThursdayFellowship Group 2.4pm - Wilkinson HallToddington PCC Meeting 7pmFriday Painting for Pleasure 10.30am- Wilkinson HallDates for Diary: Chalgrave next Pop Up Tea Room at Tebworth Memorial Hall is on Wednesday 23 November.The Funeral for Rita Stares will be at Toddington Church, 12.30pm on Thursday 1st December. The service will also be live streamed (link to be released later)As we reflect on the week ahead, let us take time each day not only to remember and to give thanks for our lives today but to bear in mind the words of Kohima Epitaph which we will hear tomorrow: ' When you go home tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today'Let us in these challenging times, consider what we can do today to make someone's tomorrow better. God blessLinda
Dear All I'm sorry to be sending a last-minute short email this week. It hasn't turned out to be quite the week I was anticipating.. but then when does it! I spent two days preparing for and dealing with workmen cutting back the hedge, shrubs and apple tree at the rectory,..so if you would like any apples, pleeeaase do get in touch. We have so many! Following a great school governors' meeting on Wednesday eve, I returned home with thoughts buzzing through my head about the school assembly the next morning and about how much work there was to do to prepare for this Sunday's services...when, suddenly I was struck down by a grotty sickness bout - probably food poisoning. Thursday pretty much passed me by as I slept for virtually 24 hours, emerging rather gradually on Friday. Saturday has been spent glued to the computer to prepare for our four special services tomorrow and I am looking forward to being back in the swing of things tomorrow, and to meeting up with many of you again, relieved that I am married to a lovely clergy husband who will be alongside tomorrow offering support. Over the years we have tended to minister in separate places, so it will be rather special to minister together tomorrow and we look forward to seeing you. This Sunday our services are: 9.30 am Chalgrave Church, In Loving Memory Service - lead by Linda and Nigel 11.00 am Toddington Church, Holy Communion Service - lead by Linda, with Nigel presiding at Communion 1.00 pm A Baptism Service for Amelie, Toddington Church - lead by Linda 4.00 pm Toddington Church, In Loving Memory Service - lead by Linda and Malcolm, (with Nigel preaching). Other events this week are as mentioned in last week's email apart from: Tuesday 8th November 5.45 pm, Wilkinson Hall, Youth Group - 9+ years of age. Rebecca will be sending out invitations. Please get in touch if you know someone who would like to come along. Wednesday 9th November, Wednesday Winter Warming time – 10.30 am – 3.00pm with soup and baked potatoes for lunch Thursday 10th November, 2.00 pm Meet with Friends, Wilkinson Hall Friday 11th November Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial led by the British Legion 10.40 am Packing Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes, 2.00 pm Wilkinson Hall. All help will be most welcome! Saturday 12th November No activities planned! Sunday 13th November - Remembrance Sunday 9.30 am Benefice Holy Communion Service at Toddington Church 10.40 am Remembrance Service on the Green 2.00 pm A time of Remembrance at Chalgrave church by the memorial 3.00 pm Remembrance Service, Tebworth Memorial Hall Our thoughts and prayers go to all who grieve, remembering those who will be attending the In Loving Memory services tomorrow, and those who are not able to. If you would like to come to pay respects to a loved family member or friend, please do join us. You will be warmly welcomed and this type of service can offer comfort and healing. It is a service which offers time to remember, time to step aside from the busyness for a while and time to light a candle in memory of a loved one. Our particular prayers go out to Roger, Sally and Matthew as they grieve the loss of Rita who died suddenly this week. We thank God for all Rita offered to the Church of St George. She will be very sadly missed. with best wishes Linda and Nigel
Hello EveryoneIt seems a long time since I sent my last email with information about October's services when Nigel and I were about to head off for a rest. I hope October has been a good month for you. The weather has been so mild, sunny and unseasonably kind. We enjoyed some wonderfully relaxing days in Dorset and then last week we spent a week in the Lake District and were thrilled to see 3 otters emerge from the shrubbery alongside us at Derwent Water heading out for a swim. Such simple moments but very special. I am now back in the flow and led a wedding at Harlington Church today and will be picking up momentum this week. Tomorrow's services will be lead by Archdeacon Dave at Chalgrave and Toddington Churches, and I look forward to seeing you all either during the week, or next Sunday to catch up.I offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has helped to cover during my absence. I am so grateful to you. Malcolm Curtis, Rev Roger Wood and Archdeacon Dave have covered Sunday services and Malcolm also kindly covered funerals, Morning Prayer, a school harvest assembly and several services at short notice in September when I was unwell. This enabled me to have a sabbatical and a holiday and I was so glad of the opportunity to sleep and rest. Thank you!It seems impossible that it is already over a month since the wonderful Petal and Purl festival, which was such a glorious event, organised and inspired by Angela, Rita, June and their trusted team of knitters and flower arrangers. It was so very special. So many hours were poured into the organisation, and preparations to create a truly memorable occasion with the 800 year old church of Toddington looking resplendently beautiful - a fantastic setting for the later Harvest Service and for my formal licensing service as Rector, and the service of Commemoration to HM the Queen. Thank you to all involved for your generous time and dedication.So much happened in September, and in October, and now as we approach November, we anticipate the 'In Loving Memory' services at Chalgrave and Toddington next Sunday to remember and give thanks for special friends and family loved ones who have died and we light a candle in their memory. If you would like to include a name to be read out at either service, please either contact me, sign the church lists tomorrow at the services, or pop into Toddington church this week to add names to the appropriate list in church. I'll leave out a list for both Toddington and Chalgrave churches for you.This Sunday's servicesAll Saints, Chalgrave, 9.30am Holy Communion Service led by Archdeacon Dave Middlebrook.St George of England, Toddington, 11am Holy Communion Service led by Archdeacon Dave MiddlebrookEvents and services this week:Monday 31st October9.30 am Morning Prayer, Toddington ChurchTuesday 1st10.30 Knitting for all, Wilkinson Hall.Thursday 3rd12 noon hot Ploughman’s Lunch, Wilkinson HallFriday 4th10. 30 am Painting for Pleasure, Wilkinson HallFuture November Events and ServicesSunday 6 November 9.30am In Loving Memory Service at Chalgrave Church11am Holy Communion Service at Toddington Church1pm Baptism Service, Toddington Church4 pm In Loving Memory Service at ToddingtonMonday 7, 14, 21, and 28 Morning Prayer 9.30am Toddington Church14th Seated Pilates, 2pm Wilkinson Hall tbcTuesdays 1, 8,15, 22 and 29th Knitting for all, Wilkinson HallWednesday 9, 16, 23 and 30th 10.30am – 3.00 pm WARM WINTER WEDNESDAYS with tea/coffee, soup, jacket potatoes, new/old friends and conversation. See attached poster.Thursdaysa variety of different weekly activities.Friday4, 11, 18, 25th Painting for Pleasure, Wilkinson HallSunday 13th - Remembrance Sunday9.30am Benefice Holy Communion Service, Toddington10.40am Remembrance Service on the Green2pm Time of Remembrance at Chalgrave Church Memorial3pm Remembrance Service, Tebworth Memorial HallSunday 20th9.15 – 10.30 AM - Messy Breakfast (will usually be on 2nd Sunday of the month but delayed due to Remembrance Sunday)Friday 25th3.30pm Messy Church, Wilkinson HallSaturday 26th 9 am Pre-Christmas Mini Bazaar10.30 - 2.30pm Saturday Coffee Time 3.30 pm Village Community event on the GreenWishing you all well and looking forward to seeing you soon. Do please get in touch if you would like a visit, Home Communion, a chat or have a prayer request.God blessLinda
Hello Everyone, Autumn's approach is in the air and the temperatures are beginning to dip, but we are still blessed with sunshine and dry days. This Sunday we host Harvest Services at Chalgrave at 9.30 am and Toddington at 11.00 am, to give praise to God for his provision and his good creation. As the church is still so beautifully decorated, we are inviting donations of long-life food items for the food bank which covers our area, and any fresh produce will be sent to the Noah project for the homeless. Thank you to everyone who has helped to decorate the churches and for any foods you may donate. We had a lovely time at Messy Church yesterday celebrating Harvest through crafts and activities. It is so lovely to see the children and their families sharing time together. This evening at 6.00 pm we host the benefice Harvest Supper at Wilkinson Hall. Can it be less than a week since the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth and a week since the beautiful Petal and Purl festival at Toddington? How this week has flown by! I was absorbed most of the day last Monday watching the funeral processions and services and was incredibly impressed by the slick performance of HM forces and the smoothly choreographed event. How moving it was. I have also been very impressed by the beauty of the flower and knitting arrangements in Toddington church which have presented a wonderful celebration of the church's 800 years anniversary and of God given talents and care. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to the displays, and to the provision of the Preview evening and a weekend of refreshments - plus separate stalls. It was truly a special event. Thank you, and with particular thanks to Rita and June for organising the floral displays, to Angela for organising the knitting displays, and to Dee who lived at church for days! I am very aware that many, many people were involved, so thank you all. Last Sunday at 6.00 pm Toddington and Chalgrave churches came together to mark the occasion of my licensing as Rector of the benefice. Thank you so much to everyone who came to support. It was a moment in time to mark and recognise our progress and also to offer stability and security as we move forward. Archdeacon Dave led the service and shared the joy of the occasion. I had fun learning how to ring bell no 5 (which is one of the heavier bells) and managed to make it ring out to mark the moment. At the end of the service, we were moved to see so many people queueing to come into church for the service of Commemoration to the Queen. About two hundred adults and children came to the service to pay their respects. Afterwards we gathered outside at 8.00 pm to light candles, lay flowers and to share the nation's one minute silence. I've attached a few photos of Petal and Purl festival and also of my licensing. This week end I will be leading my last Sunday services for a month as Nigel and I are taking some time out for a rest (following his retirement from Westoning Benefice) and this may be the last weekly email for a few weeks. The services will be as follows for this Sunday and for October: This week's Sunday Services Sunday September 25th 9.30 am Harvest Festival with Communion - Chalgrave Linda and Malcolm 11.00 am Harvest Festival with Communion - Toddington Linda and Malcolm October Sunday Services Sunday October 2nd 9.30 am Holy Communion, Chalgrave - Rev Ian Ogilvie 11.00 am Holy Communion, Toddington - Rev Roger Wood Sunday October 9th 9.30 am Morning Praise, Chalgrave - Malcolm C 11.00 am Morning Praise, Toddington - Malcolm C Sunday October 16 9.30 am Holy Communion, Chalgrave - Rev Roger Wood 11.00 am Holy Communion, Toddington - Rev Roger Wood Sunday October 23 9.30 am Morning Praise, Chalgrave - Malcolm C 11.00 am, Morning Praise, Toddington - Malcolm C Sunday 31st October 9.30 am Holy Communion, Chalgrave - Archdeacon Dave 11.00 am Holy Communion, Toddington - Archdeacon Dave Regular Events going forward for this week and future weeks: Morning Prayer 9.30 am Monday in church Tuesday Morning 10.30 am Knitting Group, Wilkinson Hall Friday Morning 10.30 am Painting for Pleasure Group, Wilkinson Hall Weekly events happening during the month: Monday, Craft Group (4th Monday of the month) 26th September and 24th October at 2.00 pm, Wilkinson Hall Monday, Seated Pilates group (2nd Monday of the month) 10th October 2.00 pm, Wilkinson Hall Wednesday, Pop up Tea Room, Tebworth Memorial Hall: 28th September and 19th October, 11.00 am Thursday, Ploughman's Lunch (first Thursday of the month) 12.00 noon, 6th October, Wilkinson Hall Thursday, Afternoon with Friends (2nd Thursday of the month) 2.00 pm, 13th October, Wilkinson Hall Thursday, St George's Fellowship (3rd Thursday of the month) 2.00 pm, 20th October Wilkinson Hall Friday, Messy Church, (4th Friday of the month) 3.30pm 28th October, Wilkinson Hall Saturday Cake Stall on the Green (2nd Saturday of the month) 9.30 am 8th October. Saturday, Coffee Morning (4th Saturday of the month) 10.00 am 22nd October, Wilkinson Hall Sunday Messy Breakfast (2nd Sunday of the month) 9.30 am, Wilkinson Hall Toddington PCC Thursday 6th October Funerals at Toddington Church: 7th October at 2.30 pm - Harry Britain Thinking of you all. May you have a good week. God bless Linda
