Hello Everyone We certainly are in a cold slump of weather, but how pretty the heavy frost has been across the fields with the clear blue sky above. Today, during a quick walk at Wrest park Nigel and I reflected back on childhood memories of skating runs on a stretch of ice in the school playground, (which would be well salted and sealed off nowadays for health and safety reasons) but in the park we watched a rare sight of a family of children skating across a large frozen puddle and they were having a lovely time. The ducks, geese and swans looked substantially less enamoured, and hungry, as they skated across solid ice trying to find somewhere to break through for food. We were glad to be snuggled up under woolly hats, scarves and gloves… but it was a lovely walk. I hope you are all managing to stay warm and snug and safe. This morning folks gathered for the first coffee morning of this new year, and despite the weather, there was a good gathering with warm friendly conversation.. pleased to see each other. Thank you to all who came, and to all who helped to provide the refreshments etc. We missed hosting Toddington Community Fridge this week but hopefully it will be back with us again on the 25th January. The week has seemed a bit quieter as clearing up continued post-Christmas, and thank you to the teams who took down the decorations and cleaned the churches. Functions and gatherings return to full flow this week and looking ahead here are some dates for this year’s diary from Chalgrave Church: Pop Up Tea Room: 11.00 am – 1.00 pm Chalgrave Memorial Hall - January 22nd, February 26th, March 26th, April 23rd, May 28th, June 25th, July 23rd, September 24th, October 22nd, November 26th, December 10th. (No Pop Up in August). Afternoon Tea & Toddington Town Band: Saturday, May 17th, 2.00 – 4.00 pm.Booking is required for catering purposes. Please book with Alison Stone email: alisonstone.as1@gmail.com or mobile 07771897451 Christmas Craft Fair: Saturday, November 8th, 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Chalgrave Memorial Hall As I look ahead to the strange prospect of retirement, I’d like to let you know that on 9th February I will lead my final two services at both churches: 9th February 9.30 am Holy Communion Service, Chalgrave Church (my last service at Chalgrave 😔) 9th February 11.00 am Holy Communion Service, Toddington and on 16th February I will lead my final services within the parishes. These will be: 11.00 am Benefice Holy Communion Service at Toddington Church. 3.00 pm Songs of Praise Service at Toddington Church, with the Quintet Choir. All welcome. Come, and let us reflect, and give thanks for our times together. After this service there will be farewell refreshments in Wilkinson Hall. I do hope you can come and join us at one, or other, or all of the services. I have attached the latest 'What’s On' for January with information about services and events at both churches during this month. Wishing you good health, and well-being . May January be kind to you, and may you ward off all those bugs and germs. God bless Linda Rector Toddington and Chalgrave
Hello Everyone I hope you had a pleasant Christmas spending time with families and friends, and I also hope you have managed to fit in a little calm quiet time to refresh and rest too. Christmas services at church were a joy this year and it was certainly a busy time for me, but very special to lead the different Carol Services for the Scouts, Brownies, schools, and lovely congregations. The young children’s enthusiasm to read, sing or sign, was a joy. They are so talented. Thank you so much to everyone who took part in any of the services this year. I am so grateful to you for your willingness to read, play music, sing, or contribute. I have been glad of a calmer, more restful week this week to restore energy levels and to spend time with my family, and as an added bonus, it has been so good to see some sunshine and bright blue skies for a change, after so many grey overcast days. Now with plummeting temperatures we need to prepare for snow flurries or possibly heavy snowfall overnight tomorrow. That’s the beauty of the English weather - not one day is the same! As we move into this New Year, I wish you all a blessed, healthy year, with many special moments to look back on with joy, as you see God at Work. This new year will be a strange one for me, as I lay down the role of Rector at Toddington and Chalgrave. A new year always brings a time of reflection as one looks back at the year past and moves forward into a new year, not knowing what to expect, but it seems especially so for me this year as I look back to 25 July 2017 to my licensing as Priest in Charge at Toddington and Chalgrave, and then ponder on what has happened in between, fondly remembering folks I have met along the way. It has been such a privilege to minister here. My final Service(s) will be on Sunday 16th February and I already feel that date is rushing forward towards me, far too quickly! I will savour every minute in between, but it also needs to be a time of focus, of allowing God to lead and guide us forward. I pray that it will not be too long before you have a new minister in place to love and serve you. One of the special events which we have been so pleased to enable and to host since the Summer, has been Toddington Community Fridge, on a Saturday morning. It has been such a valuable and valued service, offering food sustainability, making sure foods which would otherwise go to waste or landfill, can be utilised and provide healthy food within Toddington. I know this service has been appreciated and looked forward to by so many of you, but sadly, I learned this evening, that the Toddington Fridge will need to pause for a while and may not be able to run in the future here. Flitwick Town Council now require that we apply for Business Status with the Environmental Health Department, if we are to continue to run the Toddington Fridge. We need further discussions to see what is possible. If by chance you know of another venue in Toddington, which is already classed as a business with Environmental Health or may be willing to apply to be, and to host the Toddington Fridge, please do let me know, so I can pass on the information to Cllr Andy Snape, who has done so much to make sure this service has been provided to you. We are keen that it continue, if possible. Sunday Services: 9.30 am Holy Communion for Epiphany, Chalgrave Church (9.30am service each Sunday) 11.00 am Holy Communion for Epiphany, Toddington Church (11am service each Sunday) Next week’s events Monday 6 January 9.30 am Morning Prayer, Toddington Church (weekly) Tuesday 7 January 10.30 am Knitting Group, Wilkinson Hall (weekly) 2.30 pm Toddington PCC meeting, Wilkinson Hall Wednesday 8 January 3.00 pm Funeral of Jon Denman - Reader from Westoning Church. Please link with me if you would like to attend. The funeral will take place in Warwickshire. Thursday 9 January Afternoon with Friends 2.00 pm, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) Friday 10 January 10.30 am Painting for Pleasure Group, Wilkinson Hall (weekly) Saturday 11 January 10.00 am Coffee Morning, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) (NB no Toddington Community Fridge this week) Sunday 12 January 9.30 am Holy Communion Service, Chalgrave Church 11.00 am Holy Communion Service, Toddington Church Other upcoming events: 2.00 pm Mondays 13 and 27 January seated keep fit with Alison. (second and fourth Mondays) 5.45 pm Tuesdays 14 and 28 January, Youth Group, Wilkinson Hall (fortnightly) 3.30 pm Friday 24 January, Messy Church, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) 2.00 pm Thursday 16 January St George’s Fellowship, Wilkinson Hall (monthly) 6.00 pm Evensong 19 January, Toddington Church Wednesday Winter Warmer will return soon, and we will let you know dates asap. Do please look after yourselves. The flu and bugs are about. Stay warm, stay well. God bless Linda Rector, Toddington and Chalgrave parishes
Hello Everyone Sending out a quick email to flag up lots of different events this weekend that we don’t want you to miss.. and thankfully the weather should be better than last week! Tomorrow (Saturday 14th) we begin with Toddington Community Fridge at 9.30am, followed by Coffee Morning at 10am both in Wilkinson Hall. At 2.30pm there will be a lovely Christmas Concert in Toddington church by All Saints choir, from Leighton Buzzard. And we finish the day with an evening with Rev Nigel and Gram Seed at Toddington Church, sharing inspirational stories to inspire us about their ministry over the years. Nigel will be revealing his lovely book ‘ Splashes of Colour’ which was launched on Thursday afternoon (see flyer above). Proceeds from his book will raise funds for Toddington Church and the Foodbank. Gram’s testimony was inspirational when we met him about 10 years ago, but he has so much more to share now of amazing things that have happened. On Sunday morning we have a 9.30am Holy Communion Service at Chalgrave Church, and an 11am Christingle family service at Toddington Church. At 2.30pm at Toddington Church, we host an informal worship service with a worship group gathered from Flitwick and other churches, to introduce a session with Gram Seed speaking more fully about his ministry, and a short focus on Nigel’s book. Do please come and join us. I pour out my huge thanks to Dee, Malcolm and the Christmas Tree Festival team who worked so hard to make last weekend a success. The Friends of St George’s raised over a £1,000 from the fundraising, which is excellent, in light of the most awful storm which raged last weekend. Thank you to all from the village who contributed a decorated tree, or cakes for sale, and for the hard work, good organisation and volunteering of so many cakes and hours! You are wonderful! This week, we enjoyed hosting the lovely Brownie and Rainbow Christmas Service on Monday, the Christmas Messy Church on Wednesday, and this evening it will be a joy to host the Scout Christmas Service. Next week, we host: Tuesday 17th Christmas Youth Group at 5.45pm Wednesday 18th Parkfields Christmas Services, the Pop Up Tea Room and Christmas sing-a-long at Chalgrave Memorial Hall at 11am, the Nine Lessons and Carols Service at Toddington at 7.30pm. Friday 20th Toddington St George Christmas Service 9.45am Saturday 21st Carols by Candlelight,Chalgrave Church, 6pm Sunday 22nd 9.30am Christingle family Service, Chalgrave Church 11am Holy Communion Service, Toddington Church I’ve attached a calendar above of December events and Christmas Services for your notice boards. Do please join us for the Crib services and Christmas eve Midnight Mass and Christmas Day service. And a final note.. for all who have, with me, watched the disintegration of the Union Flag at the top of the church tower, which has been battered by far too many storms and had wrapped itself too firmly around the flag pole to be lowered previously, thank you so much Pippa and Dean, who climbed the tower with me this morning to remove the rather sad remains of the flag. And.. a huge thankyou to Nathan for the generous donation of a beautiful replacement Union Jack to be raised in the future. Have a good week. I look forward to seeing you soon. God bless Linda Rector Toddington and Chalgrave PS please advertise the different events to your friends and to your local churches.
Hello Everyone What a hive of pre-Christmas activity there is around us. Last weekend we had the wonderful light up Toddington Community event on the Green and St George's church was illuminated beautifully again. Thank you so much to the Parish Council for organising such a lovely village event. There were so many special touches including the reindeer, Santa, entertainments, stalls, and refreshments. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed. It was a wonderful village gathering. The schools have been busy preparing for Christmas with concert rehearsals and colourful creative displays decorating the Hall and classrooms, and on Thursday we had an impromptu singing of Little Donkey, in readiness of the school visit to church on the last day of term. Nigel and I enjoyed a special visit to Parkfields Middle school yesterday to view their wonderful Christmas tree festival and were inspired by the creativity, thought and care which had gone into each tree's presentation. Thank you for inviting us. On Saturday, the school hosts the annual Rotary Club Christmas afternoon event for local folk from neighbouring villages. I look forward to seeing some of you there. This evening I’m off to watch the Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe at Tads Theatre.. a wonderful book and play by C S Lewis. I am excited that this weekend will be St George’s Church’s Christmas Tree Festival, which has had many long hours poured into its organisation and preparation with Dee, and Malcolm, at the helm, it will be a delight to see the trees in all their splendour tomorrow and on Sunday. The festival opens at 11.00 am on Saturday and runs until 5.00 pm, and opens again on Sunday 1.00 – 5.00 pm, finishing with carols amidst the trees at 5.00 pm. Do please pop along to join us. Entrance £2.50 and children are free. There will be refreshments and some stalls in Wilkinson Hall. I’ve attached a list of December events, including all the Christmas Services, for your diaries. It is going to be a busy month.. but a special month! I’ve copied this week’s services and events below. The Toddington Community Fridge will continue to open on Saturday mornings at Wilkinson Hall at 9.30 am. I offer a huge thank you to Cllr Andy Snape for organising these deliveries and to all the volunteers who collect the food from the supermarkets, sort it and transport it up to us at the Hall, and to our volunteers who help each Saturday. I have heard several comments about how valued this food supply is. Thank you so much. This Christmas we plan to offer Christmas Hamper bags again to families who are in need of some support, and we will organise this through Toddington St George School and Parkfields School. If you would like to contribute to the cost of providing these hamper bags, we will be so very grateful of any financial or food donations you can make, please. Please link with me or Dee for more information. The Food bank is anxiously in need of food supplies and help. As the weather gets colder the needs increase. Dee puts a list in church of the current key food supply needs and at this time of year it is good to also include some items for the festive season. Any donations can be left at Dee and Malcolm’s at 22 Leighton Rd, or in church. Malcolm takes deliveries to the food bank each week.. bless him! Thank you so much Malcolm, and thank you so much for any donation you can offer. Perhaps you may like to buy a Christmas pudding from the Foodbank Christmas tree to support their cause. On Saturday 14th we have another busy day ahead, starting with the Fridge at 9.30 am, probably Coffee Morning at 10.00 am, and a Christmas Concert by All Saints Choir, Leighton Buzzard at 2.30 pm, followed by an evening with Gram Seed and Nigel sharing inspirational stories about God on the Move. Gram is coming down from Middlesborough to share his amazing testimony on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm and also on Sunday at 2.30 pm. Anyone who has done the Alpha course will already have heard a little of his story, which includes a miraculous healing which brought him to faith, and he is now so keen to share the love of God with those he meets. He visits numerous prisons and schools to tell his story and is the first person to have been given the key to the prison where he served sentence to now go back and tell of Jesus’s love and healing. Combined with Gram’s visit, comes the release of Nigel’s book ‘Splashes of Colour’ sharing reflections from 24 years in ministry at Westoning Church. Proceeds from the book sales will raise funds for the Foodbank and Westoning Church. Do please put these dates in your diary and join us to be inspired and encouraged. On Monday 9th we look forward to hosting the Brownies Carol Service at 5.30 pm and the Scouts Christmas Carol Service on Friday 13th at 7.00 pm. Messy Church Christmas time is on Wednesday 11th at 3.15 pm (with Christmas crafts, story, songs and fun, all followed by a hot meal). Attached is s list of events for week commencing 7th December 2024.Wishing you joy, peace, good health, and energy! With every good wish Linda Rector Toddington and Chalgrave
