Dear Friends, I am writing to tell you some news, some will think great news, others may be more disappointed…for me it is with mixed emotions that I tell you that Cliff and I will soon be leaving. I have been offered a new post working in the diocese of Truro with the Probus Mission Area (PMA). The PMA is a group of churches that have agreed to work together and support each other, my role will be to develop and nurture greater collegiality and collaboration between lay and ordained ministers as well as congregations. Of course, being a mission area there will be a strong focus on outreach into the local communities as well as finding ways to enable people to access church. I have, very much, loved being part of the community here in Dilton, being the vicar in the church, team vicar across Westbury and being Rural Dean across Heytesbury supporting vacant parishes as well as clergy from time to time. I feel as though I have become part of the family and so it is with a thankful (also sad) heart that I shall be leaving. This experience reminds me of the calling that was placed on Abram (later Abraham) from the Old Testament. God asked Abram to leave behind his family and friends and to move on to a place that called him to Trust God for his future. I feel that I am being asked to be obedient and to trust God for my future, for the work that I will do. The invitation from Bishop Hugh to come to Cornwall, to become a vicar there has confirmed this sense of call that I feel I have had. It means a big change for us, including Flossie! We will still have a big garden but half the size we have here! My last service will be Harvest on Oct 6th. My licensing in PMA will be on 5th Nov -church to be confirmed. My departure will trigger the PCC to meet with the Archdeacon so that together and with Revd Rebecca that a profile will drawn up as the congregation begins to think about the type of priest they would like to invite to join here next. From one priest leaving to a new one joining usually takes about a year. Please do pray for the church as we prepare for this transition period. Yours in Christ, Caroline
Dear Friends, In the church calendar we have now reached ‘ordinary time’. It’s a peculiar name given to the Sundays in between all the festivals that we celebrate at church. I, once, had it described to me as the 'growing time’. During the church calendar we celebrate many festivals and specific periods of fasting and lament such as those we call Lent or Advent, but this time of year we are encouraged to think about our own discipleship, it is about our spiritual growth. As we look outside our windows we can see the wind blowing through the fields and trees, we see the sun shining and the rain falling, all these contribute to the conditions needed for our plant life to grow. Recently we have seen the lambs and calves in the field and now is the season for them to grow. And, so it us for us! It is time for us to grow. At Holy Trinity Church we have adopted a special prayer helping us to pray into church growth, yes, we would love for more people to come and join in but we also pray for growth in our own spiritual lives, in our planning, in our ability to listen to God, and in our desire to connect and serve in our community. God of mission, who alone brings growth to your Church, send your holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, joy to our worship and power to our witness. Help our church to grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, and in service to our local community, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen If you have questions about faith, God or life and are wondering how it might connect, or, if you want to explore deepening your own journey of faith, please do contact me, Yours in Christ, Caroline
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15. v.13.The Letter "H" was the theme of our Mothers' Union Quiet day led by the Revd. Margaret Davies, with our friends from Westbury Mothers Union and held at All Saints Church on Wednesday June 12th. Our day began with the celebration of Holy Communion and continued after a coffee break by thinking of as many words beginning with the letter "H" and classifying the as either positive or negative words, or in some cases , both. With hymn, bible and poetry quotations, we heard from Revd. Margaret thoughts about these words, and found that the word "Hope" was a recurring theme. In our afternoon session Revd. Margaret led us in a "Stilling" or "MIndfulness" as it is sometimes named. This is a wonderful opportunity to be really still and quiet ( not so easily found in today's noisy world) while the quiet voice of Revd. Margaret gave us ideas on which to ponder. We were also able to share with Jocelyn her birthday from the previous day and enjoy a cake kindly made by Peter Jane complete with a candle! We thanked Jean Jane and her MU branch, for their kind hospitality and the Revd. Margaret for once again leading us in a thoughtful and enjoyable day. Some of our members will be attending the Conference in Oxford on June 22nd and this will be reported on next month.Our meeting on July 4th is our Annual Garden Party, which this year will be held in the grounds of Holy Trinty Church beginning at 3pm. We hope to see you there. Enid Holbrow.
"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in Springtime" Martin Luther.Our Spring Gathering for the diocese of Salisbury Mothers' Union members was held at West Lavington Village Hall on Wednesday 24th April. Our theme for 2024, being "Transformation Now", much of the meeting focused on ways in which we are working and ways in which we can work in the future, to keep the spirit of Mothers' Union, begun by our founder Mary Sumner, in 1876, going into another year. Much good work is being done in branches, but we are aware that numbers of members are falling as we get older, and some branches have become Prayer Groups in order to keep in touch with what is being done around the world. Reports on the work with Virtual babies, Rockley Park Holiday Home, as well as requests for replacements for Treasurer, Virtual Baby coordinator, and an organizer for the Bookings for Rockley Park were given. (There is information about this holiday home in Holy Trinity Church as the holiday home is available to book outside of the school holidays). Guest speaker Rosie Stiven, our former Diocesan President, was, as usual, a very interesting addition to the meeting. The Revd. Jayne Tyrer led the prayers during the day and certificates for very long membership of Mothers' Union were presented to Rosemary Allen, well known to us all in the MU office and to Sheila Soper who has worked so hard for the Rockley Park Holiday home and is in need of our prayers, for her health. We ended our meeting with renewed encouragement for dedicated service to continue by singing the hymn; "Take my life and let it be , concentrated Lord to Thee." Our Autumn Gathering is on 19th October (venue to be arranged).Annual Outing: The Thunder Roared ! The Lightening Flashed! at 4 o'clock in the morning, but fortunately by the time we were ready to get on the coach and join those who had been picked up in Westbury everything had calmed down and although still grey and damp, it was not cold. We set off with Richard, our organist, and bus driver to travel to Sherborne. On arrival small groups dispersed in various directions to follow their own interests for the day . There was plenty to choose from, so, hopefully, everyone was satisfied. The attractions included the Abbey, founded by monks 800 years ago. Beautiful fan vaulting draws eyes upward, stained glass fills the windows, exquisitely embroidered hassocks fill every pew, Altar frontals beautifully embroidered, show hours of skilled craftsmanship. It is truly a peaceful and wonderful place of worship. The museum had lots of interesting items to admire including a beautifully illustrated missal which must have taken such skilled and patient hours of dedication to complete. There was an Antiques Centre, Art Galleries as well as a selection of charity shops which caught the attention of some of our group! A garden centre a choice of coffee shops and eating places satisfied the body as well as the soul! Richard brought us safely home, tired but contented after a day in each other's company."Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. they will walk and not be faint" Isaiah 40 v31.Our June meeting on Wednesday 12th will be a Quiet day led by the Revd. Margaret Davies at All Saints' church from 11am until 3pm. Enid Holbrow
