Dear AllI hope this week finds you well and not too soggy with all the rain we are having.We have our first wedding in St James since I arrived tomorrow – Thursday 10th October, please pray that all goes well for Imogen and Lewis, that the choir are in good voice, that the weather holds for the photos and more importantly that their future lives together will be blessed and that they grow closer to Jesus. I really appreciate all the work that has gone into making the Church look so lovely for this occasion, Rosemarie and Janet have worked very hard to get it in tip-top condition, so thank you both.As Jimmy’s and Jim’s café and the school are closed over the half term week, some of my weekly commitments are not happening so I have decided to take some time off. I will not be available from Monday 28th October to Saturday 2nd November. I will be at the Family Service on the 3rd November and also the All Souls Service at 4.00 pm on that day. Please pray that I get some rest as I am very tired at the moment.Our services this Sunday are:-9.30 am communion service at St James, High Wych11.15 am communion service at St Mary’s, Gilston2.30 pm we have a community dog walk from St Mary’s, Gilston, all welcome – you don’t need a dog to join us. Children welcome.Hope to see you over the weekend.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllIt is with great pleasure that I can announce that the new Headteacher for High Wych Primary school is Mrs M Moulsher – she has been the deputy Head at the school for some years, was made acting Head from July 2024 and was appointed this week officially as the new Head. It will be a pleasure to work with Mrs Moulsher, as a practising Christian, and I am looking forward to forging even stronger Christian links with our school. Please pray for her as it has been an incredibly busy few weeks since the start of term. I am hoping that I can announce the SIAMS (Church of England) inspection findings next week.Jimmy’s toddler Group is going from strength to strength and we are probably reaching capacity at our sessions – we have made the decision to take up to 25 children (as they all come with adults) as after that the room is just too full. Please continue to pray for the links to grow between this group, the church and the school as we move towards Christmas. If you would like to join the team, please have a word with me.This week Wednesday Welcome met again. This is growing nicely and we had 20 people attend this week. It is lovely to be able to provide a warm, friendly space for the more elderly in our community. Please remember to mention it to your friends and neighbours who maybe feeling a little lonely or isolated, and offer them a lift.This Sunday we have the 8.00 am service which is a more formal said BCP service at St James, High Wych .We also have the Family Service at St James starting at 9.30 am with breakfast and a short friendly, relaxed service from 10.00 am.Hope to see you at one of these.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllWhat a busy week this has been. SIAMS inspection (Church of England Ofsted) and interviewing for a new Head at the school, all within two days of each other.Thank you all for your prayers, the report of the Inspection will be published in the next 15 days and the announcement about the New Head for the school will be made sometime next week. Thank you for your patience if you have been waiting for me to get back to you about anything.This week is a busy Sunday for us all. We have the Harvest Family Communion on Sunday at St James at 9.30 am and this will be followed by the feedback from the Scarecrow Festival and then a Harvest brunch to share, please invite your neighbours to join us.We also have the baptism of Tanya Sinclair (adult) and her daughter Lillie on Sunday afternoon at 2.30 pm at St James, and then Sunday evening we will have the Harvest Service at St Mary’s at 6.00 pm followed by a Harvest Supper, again please invite your neighbours.This year we are supporting the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal again which is….Thrive: Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Sri LankaThis year the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal is being run in partnership with The Leprosy Mission to support a project in Sri Lanka, which provides those affected by leprosy with the means to grow their own food and raise their standard of living.Please give generously to this Appeal – we are also able to use the contactless giving machine if you have no cash available.Thank you to those who came to the first session of The Prayer Course on Wednesday evening, I know some of you could not make the first session, but please let me know and I will send you the resources from the first session by e-mail.I look forward to seeing you at one of our services or Harvest gatherings over the day on Sunday.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllI thought this week might calm down a little after the excitement and busyness of the Scarecrow Festival but I was wrong.Hopefully, you have all received this latest month’s Link or G and E parish magazine,(or will do very soon) and you will see that with Harvest services, Scarecrow Festival feedback, Bible study and all the other events like concerts, dog walks, McMillan coffee morning etc we are in for a joyful Autumn.Top of my mind at the moment though is the shortlisting, interviewing and selection of a New Headteacher for our Church of England school in High Wych.This is such an important appointment for our children and our Church and I would ask that you will all pray for this process. The shortlisting is this evening and then the interview day is Thursday 26th September, all day with a decision, hopefully, being made that evening. I am heavily involved with this process and I need your prayer support to cover this. Please pray that the right person is selected to lead our school both educationally, emotionally and spiritually.Following on from this the following week sees the SIAMS inspection for the school (which is the equivalent of the Church of England’s OFSTED and I will also be heavily involved in this process too), this will also need your prayers.I do ask for patience from you all as these duties are all extra to my normal weekly pattern and are making my next couple of weeks very squished. If I do not respond as quickly as you would like or are not as available I hope I will have your understanding. This Sunday sees us with our 9.30 am service of communion at St James, High Wych followed by our new Family Service at St Botolph’s, Eastwick at 11.15 am. I hope to see you at one of these services.Every blessingAlison
