Do you remember the summers when, after rather lack-lustre weather through June, July and August, we would get to this point and say "well, September can be very nice - perhaps we'll get our summer then!". This year, it has been rather different, with largely unbroken sunshine throughout most of the summer months. For many of us this has been a wonderful summer, and has certainly brought the crowds into Swanage; but I know that for others, at times, it has been a bit of an ordeal. Add to that the almost total lack of rainfall for much of the summer and the devastating fires in Purbeck, the New Forest and elsewhere, we have all been wondering if this is "the shape of things to come" At St Mark's we've been so pleased to see summer visitors in our services and they get a very warm welcome and a farewell wish that we might see them again, perhaps next year. It is good to see unfamiliar faces and many stay for coffee and cake after the service and add to our fellowship. A number have also joined us for our traditional summer social events - the Pimm’s and Hymns and the barbeque, These (also joined by friends from other churches in Swanage) were especially memorable as we continued to bask in the sunshine. The rather restricted space available in the St Mark's garden managed (just about) to hold all that came and also provided some shade for those who needed it. We also have had some goodbyes to say. After Natalie had been with us for her last service at our church in July, several of us went to St Mary's on 9th August for her last service in the benefice. It was an emotional occasion. We haven't had Natalie and Joseph with us for as long as we would have liked, but we have cherished their visits to St Mark's and we believe that they loved coming to join in worship and social activities with us. I'm sure there will be St Mark's representation at her licensing service in Windsor as we wish them all God's blessings in their new context. As we go ahead into September church events which have been rested for the last month assume their full place in our calendar of activities. Our weekly August prayer walks return to their base in the Church Room for our Prayer and Share meetings and one of them forms part of the National Week of Prayer. This is a great initiative as Christians throughout the country express their dependence on God, especially at the time when churches are starting new activities to increase their fellowship but also to spread the word of God's love to those around them. I don't know which category the Pet Service comes under, but we will see how it goes. Our fortnightly Bible Studies continue as they have done through the summer - the only difference being that on two occasions in the hottest weather, they were held outside! So, as we look forward to the inevitable changes in the weather as Autumn develops, our life as a church continues, and as we pray for God's blessing on others, we do so also for ourselves as we serve him in this little part of his world. John Way, Churchwarden.
There has recently been some negative publicity about Herston following the proposals to merge St George’s School Langton with St Mark’s School. The proposals have been withdrawn, but the inaccurate descriptions of our community, as rather down-market, remain. We are a vibrant village with a popular pub, a great shop, a primary school declared “good” by OFSTED, a busy Village Hall and a wonderful local Church! We want to celebrate our local community, and, in doing so, we hope to challenge the negative comments. There is a long history of God’s people working to promote their local community. The prophet Jeremiah wrote these words to the Jews who had been carried away to exile in Babylon: “…. seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7). Wherever I have served, I have tried to build a stronger community, because Churches are good at community. The C of E Faith in the City Report (1986) called on Churches to be “Local, Outward-Looking and Participating”, and this, together with Jesus’ call to be “Salt and Light”, is our commission to get stuck in to promoting the life of our community. At the moment we are taking baby steps with a new Herston Our Village Facebook page, (please check it out), and lots of conversations with various people about ways to celebrate our wonderful village. Watch this space! Although St Mark’s Church primarily serves Herston, we try to be outward-looking. Our June Concert raised £500, split between St Mark’s Church and the ALLSORT’D Focus Centre Café Appeal. This £500 was promptly doubled by a very kind person. Any donations from our July Pimm’s and Hymns will be split between St Mark’s Church and the Christian Aid Venezuela Earthquake Appeal. We look forward to hearing about ways in which we can support our link Diocese in South Sudan – a troubled country with many needs. August is traditionally a quiet month in the Church. At St Mark’s we take advantage of this and will have a later (11am) start to the service on 2nd August to allow a relaxed BBQ lunch afterwards. It’s always good to share a meal together. The Wednesday Prayer and Share will also change during August, and will go “on the road” with a series of Prayer Walks, with the aim of praying for every street in our village. Please see the St Mark’s Pewsheet or St Mark’s Facebook page for details of the route each week. One of the highlights of our month at St Mark’s is the Celebration! Service with our Church Band and all-age choir. September’s Celebration! Service, on Sunday 27th. will also be a Pets’ Service. All pets are welcome, but I will probably delegate blessing any snakes to someone else (we all have our phobias)! Have a blessed summer! David Richards
There’s always lots of events and happenings in St Marks and in beautiful Swanage. John and I attended the Archdeacons Visitation, on 2nd June, when we, along with the many other Churchwardens from churches around Dorset, were sworn in, once again, to serve St Marks for another year. Thank you for all your support, prayers and encouragement, in the coming year. Our afternoon concert, on Sunday 14th June, was another great success. A big Thank you to all who took part and supported this event. With a special Thank You, to Colin Burgess, our Music Director, who organised and coordinated the event. The concert was very well supported, raising over £450, in donations, and has been doubled by a generous anonymous donor, which will be divided between St Marks funds and Allsort’d, supporting their Café in the Focus Centre. Our traditional Pimms and Hymns will take place, on Sunday 19th July at 3:30pm, in our beautiful church garden. A chance to admire all the wonderful roses and variety of flowers in bloom. Our many thanks go to David Hudson, our church gardener, who has grown many of the flowers from seed, and planted them in the garden for us all to enjoy. I hope you have enjoyed and had a chance to reflect on the sermons, reflections, and readings, from our Generous God, Generous People series looking at our service to our Generous God, through our giving, gifts, and service within our churches. There will be more updates and reflections on this during the coming months. This month we will be looking forward to and, for some members, participating in the Swanage Carnival week of events starting on the 25th July. There will be some wonderful fireworks to enjoy on the Saturday evening, to ensure the week gets off to a great start with a big Bang! There will be the traditional Carnival Praise Service, on Sunday 26th July at 10:30am in the Carnival Tent, on Sandpit Field. An opportunity to come together for united worship and fellowship. In the afternoon there’s the wonderful Carnival Procession when Churches Together in Swanage, with representatives from each church, will join in the procession. We look forward to seeing everyone again this year and being a part of the great atmosphere around the procession route and in the town. Several members will also be helping in the Churches Together Carnival Tent. Hope we will see you there! We look forward to welcoming visitors to Swanage, during carnival week and throughout the summer holidays, to our churches, and especially to St Marks, where, I am sure, they will receive a very warm welcome to the Party Church! Just as you take a breath and recover from the fun packed events of Carnival Week……. Our BBQ will be on Sunday 2nd August!, (now an annual event) following our morning worship service @ 11am. Further details will be in the weekly pew sheet, nearer the time. A reflection: Pray regularly Read and reflect on the scriptures Participate in the life of the local church Enjoy God’s gifts with gratitude Give generously to others Serve and use your fits Share the good news of Jesus Challenge injustice and care for God’s creation May God Bless and Keep You. Anne Roper Church Warden
As we welcome the high summer period, we look forward to all the summer activities and hope for what we think of as appropriate weather, although at the time that I’m writing this in early May we are very conscious how dry the Spring has been. Maybe by the time you read this there will have been some measurable rain, but whatever the weather, much is organised for the summer months. The farmers and growers will be pleased to see some rain and our sympathies are with them but we know that, whatever comes, our God has blessed us with a tremendous, beautiful world and this area can look at its best in the summer months as we welcome visitors from all over the country, indeed the world! Along with the other churches in the Team we are having a series of sermons on the subject of “Generous God” which will remind us of what we owe to our great God in so many ways and, perhaps, how we respond to his generosity. During the Passiontide, Easter and Pentecost seasons in the last three months, we have journeyed through the principal Festivals of our faith and now that we are in the quieter “Sundays after Pentecost”, we can consider how we put our appreciation of God’s generosity into our everyday lives. The well-attended fortnightly Bible Studies continue at St Mark’s as we study the Gospel of John. Our Prayer and Share meetings on Wednesday mornings enable us to put our gratitude to God into words and to pray for those whom we know and the situations in our parish and on a wider canvas that we can bring to him. St Marks' social events continue. On the 14th of this month we have our concert, drawing on the talents of St Marks' people and their friends, including our wonderfully enthusiastic Junior Singing Club! Later in the summer we will have our popular Pimm’s and Hymns afternoon and, following last year’s great success, our barbecue, so watch out for the dates of those. As always, we are so grateful for the members of our church family who do so much to make these activities such a success. On Tuesday 2nd June, Anne and I will go to the annual event known as the Archdeacon’s Visitation at which we will be confirmed as churchwardens for this year. It is a good time to meet with and worship with those in the same position in other churches who have been elected into this same position at their annual meetings earlier in the year. It is a great honour for us both to be in this position year after year, but remember, if you get fed up with us, you will have the chance to elect other people next March! Wishing you all blessings throughout the coming summer and beyond. John Way Churchwarden.
