First of all I should like to thank everyone from the Felixstowe Mission Area Churches for the support that you have given to each other and to the local community during these challenging days of Covid 19.
Through internet, text, post, phone and where possible social distance meetings the work of our Churches has continued. We are especially grateful to all those who have really good IT skills, and all those who have made numerous phone calls.
Services now on-line have a rota of different speakers for the Sermon. It will work out that I am down for a recorded Sermon once a month. In the Mission Area we continue to have three opportunities for Worship each week: With four opportunities on the 3rd week of each month.
11am at Trinity and 4pm at Kirton on Sundays and at Seaton Road, Morning Prayer every Thursday at 10am for 10.30 and on the third Sunday of each month a Service of Worship at 9.45am.
On 18th October we shall welcome three new members into the World Wide Methodist Church and into the fellowship at Seaton Road and the Mission Area. This will also be a Harvest Service. The new members are David Mowles and Denise & Emily Rudderford. Please would you remember them in your Prayers. We have met a number of times outside for Church Membership classes.
On the same day at Trinity we will have our Samaritans Purse Show Box Service. Thank you to Anna Porter who has co-ordinated this for us. All the Harvest Gifts are going to The Basic Life Charity and at the time of writing this I have already delivered the gifts from Trinity.
I am delighted to be able to inform you that Fairfield and Colneis School will also be collecting non-perishable goods for Harvest and have arranged with me to pick them up. When I pick up these goods I will be providing the school with paper for each pupil to take part in a Christmas Card design competition. I will be picking up the entries the week beginning 7th December.
It would be good if these cards could go on display at each of our Mission Area Churches to emphasise the contact we continue to have with local schools. After half-term we are also hoping to engage with Zoom in Open the Book at Kirton and Fairfield and Zoom Godly Play at Trimley School.
Working Closely with Head Teacher Mark Girling there will be a Zoom Harvest for the Schools and which I have been asked to give a short talk. This will take place on Friday 16th October at 1.45pm.
Sunday 25th October will be a Gift Day Service at Trinity.
I should like to thank the Revd Jo Jacobs for all her help with enabling us to run the Morning Prayer session at Seaton Road. Both at this session and the 4pm Sunday Worship at Kirton we are normally attracting more numbers then before the Pandemic.
During the summer we provided a mini-hamper Scheme at Trinity which was well received by the community and featured on the Local Police Website, as well as our own. Thank you to all who contributed to this project in any way.
During the summer, Mike Peck has been offering a Zoom Bible Study Meeting and I have just finished a Zoom Bible Study meeting on the book of James. Mike will be offering Bible study for the next few weeks. At the end of November, date to be confirmed, working closely with the Church of England and Baptist Church in Walton we will be offering an online Zoom Bible Study for Advent. I will endeavour to cover at least some of the material from the on line Advent Course at Thursday Prayers, enabling those not able to access Zoom to have a chance to engage with the material.
During Lockdown I was sending out a weekly mailing, sorry this has had to be reduced to once every three weeks. This is purely due to work load.
I have met many different people in the garden at the Manse or in their own gardens since lockdown was eased. I am pleased to say that in the past few weeks I have been able to catch up with all our folk who are in nursing homes. It has not been easy for anyone but I have been very much aware of their needs and also the needs of the staff. At a recent meeting at one of our local care homes, three members of staff also wanted to talk about their difficulties.
Work in conjunction with Dawn Bone our Lay Worker has continued throughout lockdown with 21 Christian based art and craft packs being sent out to our contacts on a regular basis.
If you know of anyone who might benefit from one of these packs would you kindly contact Dawn or myself. During half term week on Tuesday 27th October we shall be giving out 30 Christian Fun Bags outside Trinity. We thank Dawn Bone and Gemma Saxton from the Salvation Army for their involvement in this project.
We look forward to our Annual Walton Parish Nursing Service on 25th of October at 3pm. The video of this service will be available from Sunday 25th October on YouTube via the following websites; www.waltonpn.org.uk and www.seatonroad.org.uk .
I am delighted to be able to inform you that the No Labels Mental Health Support Group is now back running at Seaton Road Church. A full risk assessment is in place and all guidelines apply. I am really looking forward to attending the next meeting and thank John and Lorna our Walton Parish Nurses for their sterling work during lockdown.
On Sunday 10th October I shall be joining Zoom Conference run by AROSHA, a well-known and much respected Christian Environmental Support Agency. We have been asked by the Methodist Church to particularly look at the subject of the Planet this year. I will be reporting back from this conference.
On Saturday 17th October we have a wedding at Trinity. Would you please pray for the Bride, Jessica and Groom, Ashley. This lovely couple were seeking a venue at short notice as the mother of the bride is terminally ill. (I have been given permission to share this information with you).
On 1st November, working closely with Farthings Funeral Company, we shall be offering our Annual Remembering Service. It will take a different format, for obvious reasons, in that if you wish to light a candle for a loved one, you will need to contact me.. You will then be given a designated time slot to allow some personal space to light the candle, receive a Prayer Book and flowers before leaving the building.
On Saturday 7th November at Kirton, in the garden from 10am – 12 noon, there will be an opportunity for you to place a pre-made poppy in the garden in memory of a loved one.
You do not have to book for this event, but we need to restrict the number of people in the garden at any one time. At 11am a short service will take place, in which we bless the tree being planted in memory of Ralph Mowles, who was known and loved throughout the village and beyond.
Looking to Christmas, we are not sure at this stage how things will work out. We are hoping to host a Nativity Scene exhibition at Trinity with social distancing in place. It may also be possible to offer some form of carol singing.
Churches Together in Felixstowe are looking for churches able to offer a lit up display outside their churches and provide a route for folk to view it. Do get back to me if you have any ideas.
Stationing: As you no doubt would have heard, the Circuit have taken the decision not to send out a profile for this coming year (2021) for a Minister to replace me. In November there will be more meetings looking out how best to cover the needs of the Mission Area.
A Prayer
During these days of uncertainty may we be certain and sure in our Faith.
May we ever seek to support one another, our wider community and those suffering across the globe, in ever new and creative ways.
In all this, may the Lord Jesus Christ bless you, keep you and encourage you.
Amen.
Thank you so much for all your hard work.