Upton St Leonards
Church News
January 2007
Janaury Diary
1. MON. THE
NAMING OF JESUS.
6. SAT. EPIPHANY.
7. SUN. 1st SUNDAY of EPIPHANY.
BAPTISM of CHRIST.
Holy Communon
All Age Communion
Evening
Service
8. MON. Twyver W.I. Village
Hall.
11. THURS.M.U.Holy Communion
14 SUN. EPIPHANY 2.
Holy Communion
All
Age Communion, Parade Sunday and Traidcraft Stall
18. THURS. Start of Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity.
21. SUN. EPIPHANY 3.
Holy Communion
All Age Communion,
Christian Unity Service at St. Oswalds, Coney Hill
NO EVENING SERVICE.
22. MON. Ladies
Group meet Church Room
25. THURS. CONVERSION of
Get-together Club meet Village Hall
28. SUN. EPIPHANY
4.
Holy Communion
All Age Communion
Evening Service
January
A Happy New Year to
everyone!
We all make New Year
resolutions, each year promising ourselves to give this up or take that on,
something to make us, at least in our own
eyes better healthier or happier people, and I wish everyone
well in keeping to the resolutions you have made!
The New Year is also a
good time to begin afresh on projects embarked upon in the past. Some years
ago, before my time here, St
Leonards signed a
Covenant agreement to work more closely with our Ecumenical and Anglican
neighbours from
Abbeydale,
St Oswalds, Coney Hill and St Lawrence Barnwood.
More recently, the
Mission Action Plan for our Deanery, has given us fresh encouragement to put
this Covenant to its best use,
supporting one another
and sharing resources, and working together as one Church for the area meeting
in different buildings, rather than
four Churches. January seems a good time to make a start
at breathing new life into this Covenant.
The Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity offers us a real opportunity to focus our prayers and to come
together on Sunday 21st January,
at
you as possible will make an effort to attend this
Service to meet with and begin to grow relationships with our partners which
will
help us to build for the future of the Church here in this
area. Christ taught that the Church should be one and that we should love one
another as He loved us. Love is something, which we know from
all our relationships, needs to be worked upon and nurtured. We need to
take advantage of every opportunity to get to know one
another so let's make this important first step into the future together with
love
and enthusiasm, looking for ways in which we can each
play our part in furthering the
which Christ has shown to us in being prepared to die for
us.
Our future presents us
with fresh challenges and we can better meet these challenges together with
fellow Christians. If each of us is
willing to put ourselves out for one another and for the sake
of the
us has a role to play, a contribution to make. So let us
begin this new year by making a fresh commitment to
Christ and His Church, not
just in Upton St Leonards but to the wider area, not just
to the Church of England, but to the whole body of Christ in this place.
Paul
If you would appreciate a visit from the Parish Priest
or someone from the Church please let us know, either in person at one of the
Services, in writing to The Rectory, 12 Bondend Road, Upton St Leonards, GL4
8AG or by phone (01452 627828) or e-mail: rev_leckey@blueyonder.co.uk
Mothers
Dates for December
Thursday 11th January –
Afternoon Group meet for Holy Communion followed by the Annual Meeting.
Monday 22nd January –
Ladies Group meet in the Church Room for their Annual Meeting.
Contact:
Afternoon Group
–
Rachel Hall –
01452 610521
Ladies Group –
Millie Barnes –
01452 619896
From the Churchwardens:
On
behalf of Matthew and myself, may I wish you and your family a very Happy and
Peaceful New Year. By now, the last
of the turkey will have been eaten and we will all be aware that we have
over-indulged during the Christmas period! Time to
shift those extra pounds maybe!
At
the time of writing this, we still have the pleasure of looking forward to
various events in the Church, including the
Chipmunks
service, the children from the school having their concerts, and then we have
the Carol Service, the Christingle and
the
As
we begin another New Year, we look forward to whatever lies ahead, both in our
own lives and homes, and also in our
Church life. Sometimes there are changes we are not sure about, but
hopefully we can meet the challenge that these present and
move forward together and embrace whatever changes are necessary.
I
would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has kept Chantelle in
their thoughts and prayers. At the time of writing this,
she has had a good week, and is looking forward to taking part in her
concert at school. We keep our fingers crossed for her
to be well enough to enjoy Christmas at home with her brothers and sisters.
Most
of you will have heard by now that I became engaged to Pete on the 2nd
December. We would like to thank everyone for
their love and good wishes, we do appreciate it. As you know, life has been
fairly difficult for me recently, but hopefully now
Pete
and I can look forward to a future full of happiness. At the time of writing,
we are both selling our respective homes and looking for one one in or near
Upton, with a view of moving once we are married next year, on the 4th
August.
Matthew
and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helps us to
carry out our duties as Churchwardens. There are too many to mention but you
can be assured we appreciate your support.
Take
care of yourselves and each other, and may 2007 be a Peaceful and Happy New
Year for us all.
Jenny and Matthew – Churchwardens.
Friday
2nd March at
at
Upton St Leonards Church.
The
Speaker is Revd.
and the
subject is United Under Gods Tent,
written by
Christian Women of Paraguay.
Women's World Day of Prayer
is a worldwide movement of Christian women who come together to observe a
common day of prayer held on the first Friday in March each year, and who, in
many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.
Through Women's World Day of Prayer women are encouraged to become aware of
their talents and use them in the service of the wider community.
Visit www.wwdp-natcomm.org for more
information.
Church Floodlights
Many of you may
be aware that we cannot really tell the future. We can, however, try to prepare
for it by our own actions and the promises of others. As I write this article
in time for the publication deadline of Church News I am hoping that the
promise made to me by a specialist electrical contractor of having the Tower
Floodlighting Project completed by Christmas has happened.
If this promise has not happened then please stop reading the rest of this article right now!
If the promise
made to me has happened then I am
proud to announce, on behalf of the PCC, that after more than 12 months of
planning and hard work, Upton St Leonards Parish Church now has fully
operational tower floodlighting.
All sides of our
impressive Church tower are being lit from early evening with a white light,
meaning that it can be seen from both north and south bound directions of the
M5 and from most areas of the village. This includes Portway,
It is hoped that
you will feel that this project will help raise the Church’s profile and
presence in the local community by this latest addition.
The Tower lights
will hopefully have been functioning each night since final testing after installation, however they will not have been officially
‘switched on’. After careful consideration, the
At this point I
would like to say a very big thank you to all of the PCC, who were 100% behind
the project.
I would also like
to mention and thank Jonathan MacKechnie-Jarvis of Church House, who assisted
in the completion of the rather complicated Faculty Application Forms and the
subsequent processes involving the DAC who approve, or not as the case may be,
these types of projects.
I would also like
to say a huge thank you to the individuals who worked so exceedingly hard and
gave so much of their time and energy to make this project possible – in very
wet and harsh December weather. I will not name names, as this may embarrass
the individuals concerned, but suffice it to say their hard work and efforts
are very much appreciated and without which this project would not have been
possible. These individuals helped to dig the trenches and lay the cables to
the lights located in the Churchyard and also the work to clear up afterwards.
By spring you will hopefully not even notice that this work took place in the
Churchyard. This important and vital part of the project was undertaken by the
Parish to help reduce the costs involved in the lighting project.
This leads me on
to the financing of this project.
The Tower
Floodlighting Project has been financed in full by
If you feel that
you, your family or organisation can contribute towards this fund then please
do so. Simply contact a member of the PCC or any other Church Officer to pass
on your gift (gift aided if you are able to). Any amount that you can donate to
the Church towards this project will be very much appreciated. At this point I
would like to say a big thank you to a group of ladies in the village who have
already kindly donated money towards the project. Again I will not mention names for fear of
embarrassing them but their faith in the Project being completed at such an
early stage was inspiring – thank you to you all.
Also, in order to
help cover the running costs of these floodlights, a scheme is being created
whereby people can sponsor the lights for a week/month at a time. Sponsoring
the lights can be done for many reasons, such as to celebrate a wedding
anniversary, a wife/husband/child’s birthday or even in celebration of a loved
ones life. It is proposed that the sponsorship details be published in the
weekly Pew News and also the monthly Church News – unless, of course, this is
not wished by the sponsor.
If you or your
family would like to have the Tower lights dedicated for a period of time then
please contact me,
In the meantime,
I hope that you enjoy the new view of the Church during the evenings and share
the brightness.
Yours, forever
bright
Matthew
An Invitation
to everyone to a Service at 10.00am on
Sunday 11th February in
to celebrate
CHRISTIAN LOVE &
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
100 CLUB NEWS.
.
At
the recent meeting of the PCC held in the Church Room draws were made and the
following were successful.
July. £20. Mrs- B.Jenkins.
£ 5.
Mrs. P.Blanch.
August. £20. Rev. P.Leckey.
£ 5.
Mrs. C.Baker.
September. £20. Miss A. Woolnough.
£ 5.
Mr. K.Herbert.
October. £20. Mrs. J.Edge.
£ 5.
Mrs. J.Jackson.
November. £20. Mrs. J.Black.
£ 5.
Mr. D.Webb.
December. £200. Mr. R.Stephenson.
£20.
Mr. P.Black.
£ 5.
Mrs. D. Hill.
A reminder that subscriptions are due by those members who do not pay by Standing Order.
If
you want to join there are numbers available please contact
Thank You
Thanks to all my
neighbours and friends in the Village for the many cards and gifts.
I am unable to send
Christmas Cards this year so send my best wishes for a Happy Christmas
and a Healthy New Year.
AVERY CHELL.
The St. Leonards
Singers wish to thank all who generously supported the Christmas Entertainment 'In
the mood for Christmas'.
A special thanks to
Sylvia Ardron for her first class choir direction and to Judy Jackson and friends
for their hard work and excellent readings.
Approximately £440.00
will be shared equally between 'Help the Aged’ and The James Hopkins Trust'.
CATHERINE DORN.
THE GET-TOGETHER CLUB.
A
Happy New Year to everyone in the Get Together Club. We promise you interesting speakers and
outings to enjoy.
Our meeting on 25th January at the Village Hall at
Can
you afford NOT to come and find out how your local Council can assist you? We look forward to seeing you at this first
meeting of the year.
MEG
JAMES.
GFWI
Upton St. Leonards.
Great expectations
filled the air as our Christmas Party began. The beautifully decorated Hall,
colourful trade table and candle decorations on the tables set the scene for
our evenings entertainment.
Directed by Eddie
Howell, 'The Vale Connection Ladies Barbershop Chorus' from Evesham, dressed in
eye catching outfits of lilac lurex tops and long black skirts, sang a mixture
of modern
songs from shows and popular artists. Opening with 'Things
look swell' followed by Start Spreading the News, and
A fun reading by one
of their members 'Talking Turkeys' written by Benjamin Zephania and read in an
American accent, had us all in stitches. Many more songs were sung, then came the time
for us all to 'have a go'!, when the ladies 'Chorus' mixed on the floor with us to sing The 12
days of Christmas' Holding placards with numbers and verse on, each group sang
their verse in rotation This was so hilarious we almost missed the verses, but
singing with gusto we all enjoyed the experience. Their final song 'We wish you
a Merry Christmas' ended a lovely evening of entertainment. A warm round of applause followed by a vote
of thanks from Betty Jenkins, who summed it up well by saying we could hear all
the words so clearly and sung so harmoniously. The chorus and Conductor joined
us in a seasonal buffet of mince pies and mulled wine or bucks fizz served by
the committee. A grand raffle followed with lots of decorated prizes, also a
fine display of decorated soaps won by Liz, and later distributed by Meg James.
Business was brief, Diane having welcomed all members and visitors. She expressed thanks to Helen Thorn for
keeping us tuneful on the piano and presented her with a small gift. Andrea and Judy deserve thanks for wonderful
festive gifts, £80 was raised towards W.I.funds.
The G.F.W.I. Christmas
concert followed its traditions of audience participation. County choir,
soloist Jane Gilchrist and the swinging Newent Community School Senior Jazz
Band – it was a very entertaining evening. Vivienne read her yearly report, Diane is standing down as President and her place
being taken by Judy. Dorothy Cridland
thanked all the committee for their hard work.
We meet again on
KATHY QUANT.
Twyver W.I.
It was almost a full
membership attending our December meeting.
The business was quickly dealt with and the entertainment began.
This year we again
collected Christmas gifts for the Matson Neighbourhood Project, these were
collected by their representative Jan,
who said how grateful they were to receive these on
behalf of their clients who, in some cases, only received the gifts that we supplied.
The lights were dimmed
and the stage lit as members anticipated the entertainment to follow. We had readings, line dancing,
sketches and singing in the first half and in the interval
Mother Christmas and her helper distributed mini Christmas stockings full of
seasonal goodies.
The second half of the
concert began with our belly dancing troupe and they were followed by funny
readings and hilarious sketch and some thought provoking poetry. Then the
birthday gifts were presented and the raffle prizes drawn and it was time for
the carol singing
which closed the performance. President Jo Collins thanked
all the members who organised and arranged and took part in the concert and
they were given a loud applause. Many thanks was given to our pianist who
plays regularly at the meetings and did a very good job of
accompanying the singing of both the songs and the carols, we
finished by singing a Merry Christmas to all of us and this brought this
very happy evening to a close.
J.M.C
The
Mobile Library will be at the Village Hall, Upton St Leonards on MONDAYS 15th
and 29th January. 1.40p.m. – 2.10p.m.
Gloucestershire Police Male Voice Choir
Performing in the Church from
Tickets priced £5
available now from
the Churchwardens, Jenny and
Matthew on
01452 615858 and 01452
618127
UPTON ST. LEONARDS VILLAGE HISTORY GROUP.
Due partly to the B.B.C.
T.V. series, one of the most popular hobbies at the present time is tracing
your own family history.
At
our meeting, with the aid of an overhead projector, Sue Stafford came along to
the Village Hall and gave a talk entitled 'Tracing
your Family History’. The information
she gave to us was excellent and was based on the knowledge she had gained as a
Genealogist.
She
gave us all an indication of where we may find information on the history of
our families. This included Family Bibles, Census, information
taken from the internet and then documents such as marriage and death certificates
and where these could possible be found.
She gave us information on these documents from the past as this can be
quite difficult at times. Overall a very interesting and educating evening.
Our
next meeting is on January 18th in the Village Hall and will be a talk by
Heather Forbes, the County and Diocesan Archivist
DAVID
CHAVE.
Upton St Leonards Flower Show Committee
A note for your diary
The next flower show is to be held
on
Upton St Leonards 34th Spring Show
Come on Everybody let us
make this
a really
good year for our village
2007 SPRING SHOW
Get those knitting needles clicking this winter for entries:-
'A hand knitted Item up to 4 ply'
'A hand knitted item in double knitting'
'A hand knitted item in fancy wool/yam'
Also in the Arts & Handicraft section there are,
'Show us your hidden talents'
'A crocheted item'
'A picture (handicraft)'
'A picture (art)'
Do not forget to plant some spring bulbs for
'Bulbs in any type of container'
OR
Nurture your pretty foliage, flowering and succulent or
cactus
House plants ready to enter.
WATCH THIS SPACE
In next months issue for more news.