What's On
ALL CHURCH SERVICES & MEETINGS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, IN LINE WITH ADVICE ON COVID-19
As well as below please see our COVID-19 Page which includes details how you can join us virtually to worship this Sunday.
The Vicar has written a letter to be forwarded by email to all of the congregation, if you have not received an email copy please check your junk email. If you wish to be added to the forwarding list email the office here. A copy of the letter can be viewed here.
LATEST ADVICE ABOUT CURRENT VIRUS
1. Maintain good hygiene including, for example, priests and servers washing their hands and using alcohol-based hand-sanitiser before Holy Communnion.
2. Parishioners with coughs and sneezes should be encouraged to receive Communion in one kind only, and to refrain from handshaking during the Peace.
3. Avoid the practice of ‘intinction’ – when the consecrated bread is dipped into the wine – as this could represent an infection transmission route.
CAN’T COME TO CHURCH?
The situation with the virus is rapidly changing. If you are unable to come to Sunday services you might consider:
1. Personal visit to church, church is open from 10am to late afternoon.
2. Daily morning prayer, 9.15am Monday to Saturday. This does not have a large number present.
3. Radio. BBC Radio 4, Sunday Worship at 8.10am, Radio 3, Choral Evensong, Sunday 3pm,, Weds 3.30pm. The BBC can be accessed at anytime for recordings of these services.
4. TV. BBC 1 Songs of Praise Sunday 1.15pm.
5. Internet, search All Souls, Langham Place,London and St James,Muswell Hill, London for recordings of services and talks. Take care esp of content, you can always check something out with vicar. Please email office if you come across good internet resources.
6. Do more of personal devotions – pray and read the bible. Also read other Christian books.
WORKING PARTY FOR THE CHURCHYARD
Please make a note of the date – 28th March . Once again choosing the last Saturday of each month. We are commencing at 9.30am for a couple of hours work around the gardens and cemetery. 28th March is the first session of the year, and there will be lots of tidying and clearing of Christmas dead flowers and arrangements. Please do come along, even an hour would be helpful. If you know a neighbour who would like to join in, please encourage. More help from the village would be very welcome. Please bring gloves, a wheelbarrow if you can, and kneeling pads. I look forward to seeing you! Patricia 630451
MESSY CHURCH
Saturday 4th April – 11- 1pm at Holy Cross Church – CANCELLED.
HOW LONG IS LENT? HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?
How long is Lent? How long is a piece of string?
What became Lent and observed by all Christians began as a time of preparation for those preparing for Easter baptism and as a period of penance for those who had been excommunicated and were to be restored to the church's fellowship at Easter. Over the centuries practices changed and these weeks were observed by all Christians as a time of preparation to mark Holy Week and Easter. The length of this season varied around the Christian world. By the time of Gregory the Great who was pope 590 - 604 and who sent Augustine to Canterbury Lent began on a Monday and consisted of 36 weekdays. In a sermon Gregory said 'As by the Law we offer the tenth of our goods, so we strive to offer the tenth of our time. And from the first Sunday of Lent to the rejoicing of the paschal festival is a space of six weeks, or forty-two days, subtracting from which the six Sundays which are not kept there remain thirty-six. Now as the year consists of three hundred and sixty-five, by the affliction of these thirty-six we give the tenth of our year to God.' At this point the length of Lent was observed as a tithe, a tenth, of the year. Shortly after the time of Gregory however it was extended to 40 to conform to the number of days Jesus spent in the wilderness immediately after his baptism.
Therefore, the beginning of Lent was moved earlier and started on a Wednesday. In time the practice of ashing particular penitents was extended to all Christians and the name 'Ash Wednesday' was coined.
LENT 20
The eagle eyed followers of the New Way website will have noticed the Lent reflections which started on Ash Wednesday. Written by Lesley Ludlow, they are designed to help us in our journey to Easter. It’s not too late to join in; www.newwaybearsted.co.uk or find New Way Bearsted on Facebook or Twitter.
ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL SOCIETY
Spring Concert – Rutter ‘The Gift of Life- Six Canticles of Creation & Chilcott Requiem. Rochester Cathedral on Saturday 28th March 7pm. Tickets £15, £7 & students £5. Tel: 01634 401049
PRAYER VISITING
Once again we will be going out in the week commencing 20th April. Please consider joining the team in this valuable outreach. If you don’t feel comfortable knocking on doors there are plenty of other jobs to be done; counting houses, delivering leaflets etc, so please let Peter Ashford or Andy Haines know how you can help. CANCELLED FOR NOW
THE FAMILY TRUST – AN IDEAL HUSBAND – 23rd April
An Oscar Wilde comedy – Willington Players are once again supporting the Family Trust by donating proceeds from all tickets sold by FT for this date. If you would like to go you can buy tickets direct, (but please say you’re supporting The Family Trust that night and tell me as well!!) or alternative contact Andy Haines Md 630726 or email who can organize tickets. Tickets £15 (£13 for concessions). Thank you for your support!
HOLY CROSS QUIZ
Diary Date: Saturday 2nd May.
A quiz is being planned for Saturday 2nd May. At the Memorial Hall, starting at 7pm. Please start telling friends and family and fill a table of 8. £5 per head, bring your own drinks and nibbles. We will be having a raffle too. It should be a fun night, your quiz master being Graham Morecraft, aided by Linda. Our target is 10 tables, and in March we will be circulating the ‘names’ sheet, so we can keep a check on numbers. We had a really good evening last year, and as you’ve guessed, All proceeds to Raise the Roof. Thank you Patricia 630451
LENT TALKS
The vicar regrets there will be no Lent Talks this year. He hopes to resume next year. This is due to pressure of having no curate.
FRIDAY CLUB
After 35 years of running the Friday Club, I have now handed over the reins to the capable hands of Maria Woods. Friday Club brings companionship to the housebound, enabling them to meet up with their friends in the comfort of different houses each month. I would like to thank all the kind drivers and hosts who have helped me over the years. Please support Maria as she takes over this important outreach for the elderly in our parish. Madeline Stroud.
ADVANCE NOTICE
At a recent meeting with Classic and New Way it was decided that there will not be a joint service for Palm Sunday. There will be a joint service at Holy Cross later in the summer – details to follow.
DOWNSMAIL
In the latest edition of the Maidstone Downsmail on page 8 there is a page of church news.
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION – APPLETON LODGE
A newly built state-of-the art Nursing Home, Appleton Lodge opened in August 2019 and offers
high quality care. Long term and short term respite, palliative and intermediate care. Please take a look at the booklet at the back of church or phone Md. 791056 for more information.
NEW WAY SERVICES FOR LENT
At our New Way Services for Lent this year we will be looking at a number of Psalms. The idea for this
series came from the book, ‘Living the Psalms life – 10 guiding principles for fellowship with God, ‘ by
David Branson. This would make a good Lent Book it is published by Discovery House.
1st March – Lent 1 – The Blessed Life – Psalm 71: 17-24 and Psalm 1 – Speaker: Lesley Ludlow
8th March – Lent 2 – The Examined Life – Psalm 51 Speaker: Peter Roberts, Reader in training at
Kingswood.
15th March – Lent 3 – The Guided Life – Psalm 139 Speaker: Jonathan Jankowski, formerly pastor at
Grace Community Church, Mangravet and now Chief Executive of Family Trust.
22nd March – Lent 4 – The Secure Life – Psalm 63 Speaker: John Corbyn
29th March – Lent 5 – The Prayerful Life – Psalm 3 Speaker: Lesley Ludlow
MAIDSTONE EASTER PLAY
On Sunday 29th March at the Town Square behind the Lockmeadow Centre. There will be two performances of 90 minutes at 11am and 3pm.
We are asking for financial help: See link .
Or prayer, please keep the whole production in your prayers, Inviting: The performance is suitable for children from age 7 upwards, there is a small amount of seating for those less mobile, Volunteering: Actors, production team. Please use this link to let us know how you can help.
FLOWERS AT HOLY CROSS NEW ROTA FOR 2020
A huge thank you to all those who have contributed so generously both in time and money towards the flowers in church during 2019. The rota for giving flowers for 2020 and into 2021 is now at the back of church. We rely entirely on donations to the flower fund to finance all the flowers in church throughout the year, no costs come from general church funds. Please consider carefully if you would be able to donate flowers for one week of the year. This can be an ideal opportunity to remember a loved one or to celebrate a special anniversary or birthday and at the same time to allow others to enjoy your flowers. ….I am sometimes asked how much should be donated; this is a very personal matter and we would be pleased to arrange flowers whatever the donation but it may be helpful for you to know that we usually spend around £15.
Where possible we are very happy to work to special request e.g. colours or types of flowers. Any remaining money is put towards flowers for weeks when there is no donation and for Festivals. If you would like to arrange your own flowers you would be most welcome. Why not look at the rota today and find a date that is special to you. Thank you Joan Curtis, 737551
FUND RAISING COMMITTEE
The Fund Raising Committee for the Holy Cross Church Bearsted, under the logo ‘Raise the Roof’, would like to bring you up to date with news of our fund raising activities.Since October 2017 we have held numerous events, including: quiz evenings, a murder mystery evening, a weekend flower festival, an ecumenical music hall evening with churches from Bearsted and the wider community, and 3 Christmas Fayres. We have received generous gift donations from various local concerts, and from the Bearsted and Thurnham Summer Fayre Committee.
Our fund raising efforts are as a direct result of the recent Quinquennial Report which highlighted the need to have our roof repaired. The repairs are extensive and costs will reflect this. Therefore in addition to our efforts, we are approaching Charitable Trusts to seek financial support. At the time of going to press, we have been successful in being voted a Grant donation from The Cobtree
Trust. Their Grant of £10,000 plus an offer of £10,000 as an interest free loan is a tremendous start.
We have so far raised £21,396.00 and this is due to the wonderful support given to all the above events by the People of Bearsted and the surrounding communities. This is also due to the commitment and sheer hard work of all those involved in organising and volunteering their time and energies to making the above events happen. Thank you.
CHURCH OFFICE – WEDNESDAY EVENINGS
Please note that for an experimental time the Parish Office will be discontinued on a Wednesday
Evening. The office is open as usual Monday mornings and Thursday all day.
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.
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
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.
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 temporarily suspended at the moment:-
- Every Thursday afternoon - Les Smith (8 members)
- Every Monday evening - Julie Osborn (7 members)
- Every other Monday evening - Ian Clark (7 members)
- Every Tuesday evening - Andy Haines (10 members)
- Every Tuesday evening - Richard Sutch (6 members)
- Every other Thursday evening - Sandra Brabyn (9 members)
- Every Wednesday morning (ladies group) - Diana Sandford (11 members)
- Every other Thursday evening - Juliet Mee (9 members)
All these groups welcome new members. If you are interested in joining a group post Covid-19 please contact
Liz Richardson - 738463