Views from the Vicarage - April 2010 |
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Dear Friends,
I am writing this article in Passiontide as we approach Holy Week. The word passion comes from the Latin word for suffering as is paschal from the Greek which means the same. From Palm Sunday, when Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king with the crowds singing hosanna, to Easter we celebrate the last week of our Lord's life and enter into his passion.
Maundy Thursday is when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and inaugurated the Eucharist. In the garden of Gethsemane afterwards Jesus prayed with his disciples (and we have this watch in Church until midnight) and Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested. Jesus is taken before the High Priests and then before Pilate and condemned to death. The crowds in Jerusalem are stirred up against Jesus and so Pontius Pilate has him crucified to keep the peace. But by early Sunday Morning Jesus is found to have risen. We have what is probably the oldest and most important service of the church's year, the Easter Liturgy, on Holy Saturday night at 9pm. We light the new fire of Easter, hear of God's saving grace, renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. It is most important that we keep Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter and that as many people come as possible.
Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting is on Tuesday 13th April 7.30pm in S. John's Room in church. Everyone on the Electoral Roll is invited to attend and vote for Church Wardens, Sidesmen, Parochial Church Council members, hear the reports of the church including the Annual Accountants and hear the proceedings of the church in the last year.
As you will hear the church made a £5,000+ loss last year and is predicted to lose more than double that this year. This will completely wipe out our limited reserves and capital and would mean we could not face next year's expenditure. We have therefore decided to have a Stewardship Campaign which will take place in May. Everyone will be asked to renew (and increase) their financial commitments to the mission and ministry of our church and return pledge forms with Standing Orders, Gift Aid forms or Envelope Scheme by Pentecost. You will hear more about this next month. I am sure we will meet this challenge as our last Stewardship Campaign ten years ago increased our income by 25%. Our income has since remained static while costs and expenditure have increased, most notably gas and electricity.
Finally, you will notice after Easter that our chancel roof is being repaired and our chancel will be out of action for a short while.
My prayers and best wishes, and I hope you have a Happy Easter.
Fr. Philip Edge - Vicar
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