What's On
RAIN JACKET If anyone left a rain jacket in the Memorial Hall a few weeks ago, please contact Carol - 07549992185
MAIDSTONE CHURCHES WINTER SHELTER Volunteers needed: Please help us to provide a warm welcome overnight for homeless people in the coldest months. Without volunteers we won’t be able to open the Shelter. This winter the Shelter will run from 3rd January until the morning of Monday 30th March 2020. The Shelter will provide hot food, a warm bed in safe surroundings and support for up to 15 people living on the streets of Maidstone. Recruitment for volunteers for this year has now started, Can you help?
Volunteering for just 1 or 2 sessions will make a huge difference to many homeless people in Maidstone. The overnight and morning shifts are the hardest to cover!
More information about the work of the Shelter and its volunteers can be found at www.maidstoneshelter.org.uk Please contact our office on 01622 296450 or email mewsoffice@maidstoneshelter.org.uk for more information.
GARDEN WORKING PARTY October will be the last working party month for this year! We shall meet SATURDAY 26th October, to finalize autumn pruning, and clearing up old flower beds etc. September saw a larger than average turn out, and loads was done, thank you to all who managed to come along. I’m hoping we can really finish the year on a flourish and prepare the areas for the winter months ahead. So, please do come along, even if for only one hour, join in the fun – lots of nattering and laughter 9.30-12noon. Once again, if there is heavy rain, this date will be postponed, but if its slightly damp, please do come along. Thank you for all your support this year
ADVENT CALENDARS At the table at the back of church, there is a catalogue listing some Advent Calendars, large and small, for you to peruse. An order sheet is with the catalogue, and if interested, please put the relevant information on the Order Sheet, and Patricia will collect end of October and send off. Orders will be with you well in time for 1st December. Please also note that Patricia will be collecting correct monies prior to sending off the form. At the Christmas Fayre, cards etc will be on sale from Diane, the card lady, who has been with the Fayre in the two previous years.
NORTH DOWNS DEANERY EVENING OF PRAYER Hollingbourne Village Hall on Wednesday 30th October 7.30-9.30pm. To pray for yourself, church, Deanery and the world. After sharing an opening time of worship, you will be invited to make a quiet and personal prayer journey using Psalm 84 as a guide. If you are interested in attending please sign your name on the list at the back or church or at the table at the Memorial Hall.
CRAFT GROUPS In preparation for our Christmas Fair on December 7th the planning group have decided to organise some Craft Workshops. These will begin very soon and they are:
Monday evenings at 7.30pm, starting tomorrow, Sept 16th hosted by Gail Wilman Md. 734227. This will be for candle decorating, gift tag making, Christmas table decoration making.
Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm, hosted by Pauline Johnson Md. 730321. This will be for sewing and knitting.
Thursday evenings at 7.30pm, starting on Sept 25th, hosted by Sue Jackson Md. 730041. Also for sewing and knitting.
Thursday morning details to be confirmed, For sewing and knitting.
Please contact the hostess directly if you are interested in joining in. You can turn up to collect something to do at home or stay for a while and make something with company and refreshments.
Thanks Sue Jackson.
MIXED BLESSING CHRISTMAS CONCERT Tuesday 17th December at Holy Cross Church. More details to follow.
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY -10TH NOVEMBER Last year's service marked the end of WW1 and was well received. In light of this a similar service will be used this year (but not just on WW1). This service will include biographies, poems and prose. this will not be a Eucharist service. There will be an act of remembrance at the war memorial at 11am.
UPDATING KEY REGISTER AND ACCESS LISTS We are in the process of updating the key holders register and access list for the church and buildings. If you are in possession of any keys, or have the need for regular access to church and wish to be on the key register, please could you let one of the church wardens know. Similarly, if you have keys, or know of someone who does, and no longer require them please could you return them to Peter or Andrew.
NEW WAY & HOLY CROSS SERVICES Please note there will be no 10.15am New Way Service on Sunday 10th November (Remembrance Sunday). Service as usual 9.45am Holy Cross
A Remembrance Service will be held at the Memorial at 7pm on 10th November.
No New Way Service on 17th November as it is the Ashburnham Weekend Away or TAIZE service at Holy Cross.
FREE FLOWER ARRANGING COURSE This practical course is for beginners and near
beginners who may consider joining the flower rota at a local church. Course
held at Holy Cross Church room over 4 weeks on Tuesday 1,8,15 and 22 October
from 7.30pm. Call Joan on 737551 or 07752618690 to book or find out more.
PRAYER PASTOR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Now in our 11th year of service, we are in need of more volunteers to join our Prayer Pastor teams. A Street Pastor team should NOT go on patrol WITHOUT a Prayer Team to support them and Maidstone’s Night Time Economy. The commitment is once a month from around 9.45pm on a Saturday night to approx. 3am on a Sunday morning. There is safe and secure parking at the base and if you haven’t got transport, we can arrange lifts for you. If you would like to volunteer or find out more information, please contact Street Pastor Coordinator Nigel Downes at: maidstone@streetpastors.org.uk
HELP WITH OUR WEBSITES I would firstly like to say a big thank you to those who support us on the IT side of things, especially keeping our websites up to date. This is not something I am knowledgeable of so your skills are very much appreciated. But I also have a request for everyone else. Our IT team would appreciate some assistance, especially now the New Way website is quite active with weekly blogs, facebook/twitter posts etc. If you are IT competent and able to offer some time your support would be gratefully received. If you would like to find out more please contact Ian Clark who can give you some more details.
HOME GROUP IN THE AFTERNOON For anyone thinking of joining a Home Group, could we draw your attention to the one we have on Thursday afternoons. We meet most weeks but sometimes fortnightly and there are currently 7 to 8 of us. Home Groups are a great way to get to know a small group of people really well and to learn more about our faith and how it works out in our daily lives. Contact Les Smith or Peter and Meryl Ashford.
ADVANCE NOTICE
The next Parish Weekend will be held at Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, from Friday 15th – Sunday 17th November 2019. Our speaker will be Canon Jean Kerr, retired canon for Mission in the Rochester Diocese. Jean led the two-hour meditation at Holy Cross on Good Friday 2017. More details will be available in the Autumn.
SAMARA AID APPEAL
Latest update can be found here
TALKS/SERMONS
These can be found on Sermons and Talks page of the web-site including last Sunday's at Holy Cross. Click here or select "Sermons and Talks" from the "What's On" menu bar above.
HOMEGROUPS Homegroups at Holy Cross continue to meet regularly providing an opportunity to enquire about and discuss our faith and also to meet socially in an informal setting.
These are the groups running at the moment:-
- Every or every other Thursday afternoon - Les Smith (8 members)
- Every other Monday evening - Julie Osborn (7 members)
- Every other Monday evening - Ian Clark (5 members)
- Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday evening - Peter Richardson (12 members)
- Every Tuesday evening - Jim Gibson (10 members)
- Every other Thursday evening - Emma Clark (7 members)
- Every Wednesday morning (ladies group) - Diana Sandford (10 members)
- Every other Thursday evening - Juliet Mee (9 members)
All these groups welcome new members. If you are interested in joining a group please contact
Liz Richardson - 738463