What is Christian Meditation??

The meditation begins with a short reading followed by twenty minutes of silent contemplative prayer, also known as meditation.

We meet every Thursday at 7pm in St. Mary’s Church (entry by the Priest’s Door or  by arrangement))

Our meetings are open to all, you do not need to be a member of St. Mary’s Church.

If you would like to join us please let me know in order that I may keep you updated regarding venue.

If you have no experience of Christian meditation or you would like to discuss anything about this please feel free to contact me. Meanwhile I look forward to welcoming you at our meetings.

Robin Bailey, Telephone  07922 173850.

The weather over the last few weeks has been remarkable with hot sunny days and warm evenings and nights. As we move into August and the beginning of the school holidays it would be nice to think that some warm sunny days would continue during the six week break, although some rain would of course

I hope this letter finds you all well and enjoying some time for rest, reflection, and perhaps a little adventure — though maybe not quite the sort of adventure our teddies enjoyed recently!

I want to begin by celebrating the wonderful success of our Teddy Bears’ Picnic fundraising event last month. It was a joy to see so many families gathered in the church grounds, bringing their much-loved bears for a day of fun and community spirit. One of the true highlights, of course, was the Teddy Zip Wire from the church tower! I don’t think any of us will forget the sight of brave little bears (some more than a little nervous!) whizzing down from the heights to cheers and laughter below.

The event raised a fantastic amount for our church funds and also for our Tuesday groups; a testament to the generosity and enthusiasm of everyone involved. Thank you to all who helped organise the day, baked cakes, served teas, manned stalls, and ensured everything ran smoothly. A special thanks goes to those who assisted with the rather technical business of sending teddies safely down the wire; I understand it required both engineering skill and a lot of string!

But beyond the money raised, what touched me most was the atmosphere of joy and welcome that filled our churchyard. Events like

this remind us that our church is not just a building, but a living community, a place of laughter, hospitality, and belonging for all ages. Whether you were here with grandchildren, friends, or simply came along to watch, it was wonderful to see familiar faces and new ones among us.

As we enter August, many of us will be taking holidays or enjoying time with loved ones. Let us remember that rest is a gift from God.  Jesus himself took time away from the crowds to pray and restore his spirit. Whether your summer involves travelling away or staying at home, I encourage you to take some time for the soul: perhaps with a good book, a walk in nature, or simply a few unhurried moments of prayer.

August tends to be a quieter season in church life, but that gives us space to listen; to God, to each other, and to the gentle stirrings of the Spirit in our lives.

Time seems to go so quickly and it won’t be long before were preparing for the Harvest Festival services! And if you still have your teddy, keep them ready: I hear rumours they may be called into action again next year!

With every blessing for a joyful and peaceful August,

Yours in Christ,

John

Easy Fund Raising

If you would  like to give a little extra support to St. Mary’s, whether as a regular church member or someone who enjoys our church on special occasions, you can do so when you make online purchases, at no cost to yourselves.

Simply go to easyfundraising.org.uk and sign up giving details of the church.  You can then shop online and,  if the business you are buying from is connected, a free donation will be automatically given to the church. If you download the app there is no need to log onto the website every time.

There are no tricks or nasty side issues. It is a simple charitable foundation aimed at raising funds for good causes, but if you are in doubt please speak to a PCC member. 

Your support for our beautiful church is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who came to our Teddy Bears’ Picnic. We all had a lovely time and hope you all did, too. There was a great atmosphere in and around the church throughout the afternoon, and wonderful so see so many families enjoying themselves.

Here are the stalls that we had at the event.

• Peter S and his team ran the Teddy Zip Wire and as always this was popular with over 90 Teddy Bears zipping down the wire. The photo board with a basket for teddy, such a great idea, enabled the parents to take a photo of their child and teddy. Certificates were presented to each teddy for being brave.
• Pam and Marion with some lovely new and nearly items and some great plants.
• Jean with her Teddy tombola and looking so good in her one-off special pocketed apron. A popular stall for children of all ages.
• Christine & Robin with their playing card tombola which is always popular with the adults and children.
• Malcolm with his treasure Hunt. He enjoys this, talking with children and parents to encourage them to have a go! There was a lovely prize plus a certificate of completion for each person.

• Patricia kindly ran guess the name of the lion and guess how many sweets. Margaret M was unable to be with us due to ill health. Get well soon, Margaret. The Lion was called Rufus and was won by Ronnie. There were 70 sweets in the jar and were won by Robyn.
• Margaret W and friend Val ran the Kids’ Corner. They had the popular hook a duck, drop a Disc, roll a 10p and play dough table and a new addition of throw the balls in the bucket.
• Linda L and Lynda B had two craft tables which were immensely popular with lots of teddy related crafts.
• Wendy and Penny organised the refreshments and had the brilliant idea for having ice creams and lollies on this sweltering day.
• Elysse & Chia organised and ran the adult and children raffles to raise funds for St. Mary’s Tuesday Clubs. Thank you for all the donations.
• Elysse & Revd John organised the BBQ for the Tuesday Clubs and thanks go to Tesco and others who kindly donated burgers, Sausages, rolls and buns. Thanks to Revds. Nick & John, and Dean for running the BBQ on the day.

To top off a wonderful day, we raised valuable funds for St. Mary’s Tuesday Clubs for Children (£221) and for St. Mary’s work in the community. (£440)

A huge thank you to everyone who participated or attended the recent Flower Festival at St Mary’s. Your generosity enabled us to present a cheque for £455 to the RNLI. Rita and Wendy are seen above presenting the cheque.