Header Text
Footer Text
Good News - the Deanery Newsletter
CAFÉ CHURCH COMES TO WILLITON
St Peter’s church Williton has recently started a new
fresh expressions - Café Church.
Café church is a less formal, relaxed church
atmosphere, where people come together to take
part in activities, to learn about Jesus, to talk and to
sing. There is also always lots of food and good
conversation. We have a different theme each
month. Our first two gatherings focused on
community and relationship. We hope to invite the
parents and children of our church pre-school Little
Saints and our monthly Campfire church.
As Revd Mark says ‘we wanted to put on a
gathering where those new to church, those
seeking something a bit different and also our
regular congregation could meet and worship
together in a relaxed space, with hospitality and a
chance to chat. We were not sure who would
come, but as it turned out we were running out of chairs! We have had two café churches so far and
it has proved to be the most well-attended service in the month. It is so great to see people from
different parts of the community coming together.’
Praise and Worship
Service
St Peter’s Church,
Combwich
On the Second Sunday
of the Month
@ 6.00pm
EVERYONE IS
WELCOME
THINKING ABOUT LENT
As the congregation of Aisholt thought about
why we eat pancakes before Lent starts,
Brendan, the Churchwarden, helped with a
visual aid!
Quantock
Good News!
Spring 2024
Stories of faith in action from around Quantock Deanery
STEVE ATKINSON, aged 69, a lay worship leader
at St Mary’s Church, Cannington cycles hundreds
of miles for fun!
He started cycling in York as a child and in those
days nearly everyone up there had a bike. Over
the last decade he’s taken up cycling for fun and
fitness.
For his next Charity bike ride, starting on 1st
June he is cycling from John O’Groats to
Margate, about 900 miles. Donations are invited
towards air ambulances whose crews bring the
Emergency Department to patients who have
suffered a life threatening or life changing
trauma or medical emergency; providing
advanced critical care to save lives.
Before that, on 18th May, he’s joining other
cyclists to traverse the area covered by the
A MESSAGE FROM CHRIS COPP
HEART FOR INDIA:
Thank you for the service yesterday and the
opportunity to speak about Heart For India again.
I thought it was a lovely service and everybody was
very interested and friendly.
Indeed thank you for the whole year, for proposing
HFI in the first place, for helping us get the boxes
etc produced and for encouraging cream teas and
curry evenings and church visits.
The finance will enable not one, but three bore
wells to be built. Deva will be thrilled and
encouraged.
Above all we are grateful for the prayer which
makes such a difference in releasing God's power
for good against evil.
Very best wishes, Chris
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, that is Coast
to Coast from Watchet to West Bay.
On average an air ambulance can reach someone
in urgent need within 15 minutes. Any one of us
can become a patient at any time. Air ambulance
charities are collectively dispatched to over 100
lifesaving missions each day across the country,
each mission is funded almost entirely by the
generosity of local communities.
Steve says “I am really excited about this next
Charity Cycle Ride. Not only will I be doing what I
enjoy most, but I will be helping those in most
need of medical attention, thus saving lives.”
OPEN THE BOOK
at the Diocesan
Schools Conference.
SAMPFORD BRETT CHURCH
Member of the church community met to make
posies before Mothering Sunday. Over coffee and
chat, we made lovely posies which were handed
out at our service and to many friends and
neighbours.
NEWS FROM QUANTOCK FOOD BANK
The Mobile Pantry project took up much of our
time during 2023, when not busy with the
demands of the Foodbank and Pantry Pilot.
After a magnificent financial response from the
whole of the Quantock Deanery and its
Communities, we took delivery of the new electric
vehicle complete with four solar panels on the
roof to power the lights, fridge and other
equipment. It was a very chilly St Andrew’s Day in
Watchet, with not a soul about, but the smiles on
our faces were warm.
The Foodbank acknowledges the Anglican
Church’s third and fifth ‘Marks of Mission’ -
‘To
respond to human need by loving service and to
strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and
sustain and renew the life of the earth’. As we go
about this service, we will not be producing any
harmful greenhouse gases and, when empty, the
vehicle will return with donations collected from
parishes saving more pollution delivering to us.
We will play our part in shrinking the Diocese of
Bath and Wells’ carbon footprint to net zero by
2030.
CELEBRATION SERVICE WITH BISHOP MICHAEL AT
STOGUMBER.
A full church celebrated the Licensing of Rev Jan
Church as Associate Priest and Margaret Tatham
as Assistant Lay Dean. The Bishop delivered a
moving address on the importance of unity and
collaboration.
A joint choir led the singing as well as leading the
procession. Tea and cake and lively chat provided
a fitting ending to a lovely service.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2024 “I BEG YOU, BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE.”
On the first Friday of March each year a wave of prayer goes around the world on the World Day of
Prayer, formerly known as the Womens’ World Day of Prayer. It all started in
the nineteenth century in the USA and Canada and since then has spread to
many countries. Now it is a worldwide ecumenical movement of informed
prayer and powerful action.
Each year a different country prepares the service. One learns some of the
challenges and concerns of the Christian women in that country. This year,
based on a verse in Ephesians chapter 4, the service was compiled by
Palestinian Christian women under the theme “I beg you, bear with one
another in love.” Although the service was written two years ago it was very
relevant and poignant in the light of the situation in Gaza and Israel today.
Our Quantock service was held in the afternoon of Friday, 1st March at St.
Etheldreda’s Church, West Quantoxhead. Twenty-one people attended, four
watched the service live on the internet and there were 150 “views” later. The
service was appreciated. Special artwork had been prepared for the service depicting a tree with
branches and leaves. The trunk, branches and leaves represented three different generations of
Palestinian women and their stories and experiences were told in the service.
The offering from the service of £138 has been forwarded to the World Day
of Prayer head office in Tunbridge Wells, from where grants are allocated to
chosen charities and causes, details of which can be seen online or in the
service booklet.
In 2025 the WDP service will be one prepared by the Christian women of the
Cook Islands. Copies of the service order have been requested.
If you have not been to one of these services please do consider joining us on
the first Friday in March, 2025. This year’s service can still be watched online.
I can provide a link on request.
I have been Secretary to the QUAN 3701 group for twenty years now. I
encourage someone, perhaps younger, to consider joining us with a view to taking over as Secretary.
It is an important Christian witness for us to continue to ensure that the WDP service is available in our
area. Pam Campbell
FORTRESS UPDATE
At the end of February I spent two weeks in Kampala with Josephine. I visited the
Fortress and went to see the land that the Deanery Mission Project helped to buy.
It’s on a small hill with a good permanent water supply at the bottom. The land is
very fertile with banana & some trees already in situ. There was a good crop of
maize this year. There are exciting plans in place for the future . I have photos and
will be sending out invites to a Ugandan evening with full update very soon.
Hilary.
SAVE THE DATE! —
‘From Passiontide to Pentecost’, a service during which the Deanery singers will sing
music from the Messiah along with other music on Sunday 19th May at 6:30pm in St Andrew’s Church,
Stogursey. All welcome.