On the last Sunday in Advent, the Little Angels, Parent & Baby / Toddler group staged their first Nativity Play. Most of the participants are regular attendees at the Little Angels service which takes place every Friday morning. We did have a few older siblings (ex Little Angels) joining in, and it was a lovely event.
The children acted through the events of the Nativity, following a book that they had all been reading during Advent. With cast aged from 0 – 7, they were quite wonderful and a great start to the Christmas week.
This is probably the best cast photo that anyone managed to get – apologies to those who aren’t in the shot – getting 15 small children sitting still for a photo is a tough call!
Little Angels Nativity 2011
The following letter was read at the 9:30am service on Sunday 8th January 2012. It as written by the Bishop of Gloucester, Michael Perham, and was to be read in all churches across the diocese on that day.
Pastoral Letter – 2012
This year on a beautiful sunny Sunday 13th November, the Remembrance Day Sunday service was attended by a record congregation of 384 and the collection for The British Legion was also a record at over £700.
Just to the left front of the altar, most appropriate for the occasion was this beautiful flower display arranged by Daphne Turner.
Remembrance Day Flowers
It was delightful to see the Little Angels toddler group assisting Stephen with laying the altar table for communion last Sunday. It helped the children to understand communion and the meaning of harvest.
Laying the table for communion
Lighting the candles
Saying a prayer
All done!
Wednesday 21st September, 7.30pm
Anne Greenhalgh will be updating us on the African school she founded with friends from Wotton under Edge. The school is now open, the textbooks purchased, now they need to raise money for furniture. Come and hear how they plan to do this. It will be an interesting evening.
Non-members are always welcome.
Diary: Friday September 30th – Mid-Day prayers in Gloucester Cathedral
This was very succesful and enjoyable and raised over £100 for the Africa Appeal. Many thanks to all those Branch members who supplied the wonderful food, and to the friends from Deanery and Diocese who joined us. I know that those who’d not seen the Last Supper painting found it very stimulating and enjoyed Stephen’s talk about how it came into being.
We also ran a stall for MU funds, and several of the raffle prizes went to visitors- I guess they thought it’s the place to be.
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 21st Sept at 7.30pm – more details to follow…..
This letter was received from our CMS (Church Mission Society) partners in India.
Click on this link to read the letter: Download full PDF
Rev. Stephen Earley, Sue Sobczak and Bernard Twiddy, together with about thirty other pilgrims, joined Bishop Michael on Thursday morning at 8.30 for Holy Communion at Holy Trinity Minchinhampton.
The Start at Holy Trinity
Then after an efficiently organised breakfast and with the sun breaking through, we left at 10 o’clock to follow our energetic Bishop through the streets of Minchenhampton down to Box and St. Barnabus Church for a short service. Outside afterwards the Bishop found it necessary to strip off before we continued down to Nailsworth via the somewhat hazardous ‘Ladder’ foot path/track to St George’s.
The Bishop strips off
The bottom of the Ladder
After another short service in St George’s, we were welcomed by the hard working ladies in the Parish Room for much needed refreshments of tea/coffee, cakes and other delights. After a very short while it seemed, our navigator instructed us that we should leave in 5 mins. to have any hope of reaching Uley by 1.00 o’clock!
Who could say no?
It's a dog's life
Bishop Michael then set off at a cracking pace down Market Street and initially up the Shortwood footpath. Then up into the fields beyond, overlooking the Newmarket valley. After about 45 mins. hard walking we reached the Wotton to Nympsfield road about a mile short of Owlpen. Harry Tubs fom Kingscote and I decided it was time to say good bye to Bishop Michael and walk home by our seperate ways. And he’s been doing this since Monday? With Friday still to go? Wow!
The shepherd leading the way to Uley
A wonderful pipe organ built in 1836 by the renowned organ builder Samuel Renn has been acquired by the PCC from Bollington, Cheshire and is now in storage pending restoration. A Faculty for removal of our existing organ and installation of our “new” organ has just been granted and we are now making the necessary grant applications for the balance of funding required before our organ builder begins the restoration. Our organist Paul can’t stop smiling…
The older children from Nailsworth Primary School were welcomed to St George’s Church on Thursday morning, 9 June 2011 to “Experience Pentecost” with us. Most of the children had already in the past joined us for “Experience Christmas” and “Experience Easter”. It was generally felt that the experience in the church as always had challenged both adults and children in their understanding of the Christian faith.
Moving a large group of children down to the town from “up the hill” is not without difficulty and in order to make it easier it had always been the custom to offer a craft session as well as the church activity. On previous occasions banners for the church have been made along with various cards etc. In 2011 the children made a candle with their own thoughts, wishes and prayers and all these were placed on the temporary altar cloth for everyone to see.
Rosemary Davis
