Dear St Swithin’s friends “Moses replied, ‘It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.” – Exodus 8. 10 Sundays Update
After reviewing our gatherings last Sunday, we have decided to gather in person just on Sunday morning this week, for those who would like to. There will be no evening service this Sunday. After this Sunday, we are going to have the next two Sundays purely online, effectively having a two week ’mini circuit breaker’ from gathering live. We are planning to provide the opportunity to regather in person on the first two Sundays in February, Boris permitting! In these incredibly challenging times, when people are looking for a firm foundation, Christians put their trust in a God who is trustworthy and true. When God speaks a word over us, it's often because He wants to grow us in it. Every single one of us has an opportunity to grow in our trust of God, our trust of others and our trust of ourselves to take hold of the life God has called each one of us to. Our prayer is that we would grow in trust over this year. Dear St Swithin’s Church Family
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. - Romans 15:13 We’ve been thinking and praying about January and February for quite a while. January and February are often the toughest months in the year for people. Short dark days, cold weather, post-Christmas blues and lots of time indoors often seem to leave us all at sea in the world. It’s a time when we seem to need hope and light the most. Add Covid to the equation and these months were always going to be tough; now a lockdown has been added to that. Here's Sarah, Fran and Jo sharing stories of knocking on the doors of people who live in the parish with a gift and an opportunity to chat and even pray. We just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is volunteering, praying and giving so generously this Christmas Thank you to those who are decorating, setting up, writing, recording, stewarding, praying, delivering food hampers, reading, phoning the lonely, chatting on doorsteps, playing and preaching. We also want to thank local businesses and friends we’ve teamed up with... To Crescent Flower Shop, Eades Greengrocers and St Andrews Church School for their huge help and generosity with the Christmas hampers. And to Primrose Hill Farm for their donation of a Christmas tree. Together we hope to bring some light into the lives of many this Christmas. Like so many things in this difficult year, Christmas will be different for all of us. In these times, the message of hope and light that Christmas brings remains as important as ever. We would love for you to join us as we celebrate Christmas and discover the light in the darkness. We have plenty of Christmas Services in the building and online Christmas Celebrations and services too. Wishing you a hope-filled Christmas from all at St Swithin’s Church. Here's Becca sharing her really encouraging experience of knocking on the doors of people who live in the parish. She had a lovely conversation with someone and really made their day. It’s been a tough year, and as we share this video we are still in lockdown and wondering what the next few weeks hold. As followers of Christ, We trust that even when Covid-19 has brought disruption, grief, fear and anxiety across our world, “The light of Christ continues to shine in the darkness, and the darkness has not and will not overcome it.” As such, this Christmas we would like to ask you to take part in sharing the light of Christ across our parish in two ways. Watch the video to find out more. Dear St Swithin’s friends, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15. 56-58 This Coronavirus Season Since March the nation has been in this unique and challenging season of Coronavirus. As a church we’ve sought to continue to worship and meet in our homes, on-line, in gardens and parks, in groups, and over the last couple of months in the church building and gardens, all the time seeking to listen to God and respond to what He is calling us to do. The church has been doing this for 2000 years. We believe the local church is God’s hope for the world and we believe St Swithin’s purpose
is to display God’s Splendour and join in God’s mission. Whilst in the midst of a crisis we have felt that it’s not right to panic, hide, jump ship or get fearful but that we’re called to learn to walk by faith in this difficult season and look for the opportunities God is providing each one of us. At the same time we’ve tried to be wise, faithful and generous in being a good and faithful employer to our staff, who have worked tirelessly and sacrificially on our behalf. We’ve utilised the government Furlough Scheme to help us navigate this season well, unsure what’s ahead, but committed to the life and work of the church. This letter provides an update on the church’s Financial Position, which the PCC reviewed in September. To catch up on what was discussed at our latest church council meeting, please click on the download button below. Regretfully we have had to postpone the church weekend away until further notice. We will keep you posted as to when we know more. When we get round to it we are hoping to spend some time together as a church family in the wonderful Sidmouth surroundings taking time to worship, to learn and enjoy spending time together. There will be something for all ages to enjoy including a full children’s programme. We live in an age where there are so many loud voices we can listen to. As Christians, how do we hear God’s voice and what difference does that make? Over this autumn we are journeying through the book of Exodus. It is an exciting and rich narrative with incredible highs and lows in which God leads his people from slavery into freedom. To get stuck into this book in the Bible, please choose from the resource list below the things that will help you and get the most out of this amazing story. Please join us on Sunday 13th September at 11.30am as we meet in the church building for our postponed APCM where we will reflect on the church’s ministry over the last year and look forward to the future. Numbers will be limited in order for us to maintain physical distancing so please email the church office office@stswithinswalcot.org.uk if you would like to book a place. We will provide a recording/ transcripts of the presentations for those unable to join us in person on the day. Don’t forget that we issued the booklet of reports in July. Do re-read this to remind yourself of all the things that took place in the church last year using the link below. "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" - Psalm 133 We have worked hard to ensure that anyone who would like to gather to worship can join us this Sunday. We are committed to contend to be a whole church family, united and diverse, As One at 10. To join us in person, you will need to reserve seats in advance by clicking the link below. With different services and age-specific groups, there is lots going on. So please ensure you book the right ticket(s) and read all the information. It is deeply saddening that we may not all be able to gather on Sundays, either because of current capacity restrictions or because of the wellbeing of individuals. If you are unable to come for whatever reason, please make use of our service online. Thank you to everyone who's been involved in helping us explore our vision. With everyone's help, we now want to sharpen the focus and look at the practical, hands on stuff. It would be hugely appreciated if you could fill in the questionnaire, by clicking the link below. |
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