The Death of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II

8th September 2022

It is with much sadness that we learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her example of service and duty, firmly rooted in her deep Christian faith, has been inspiring and deeply appreciated across the world. Time and again through her faithful leadership, she has demonstrated great wisdom and compassion. May she rest in peace - and rise in glory.

As we give thanks for the Queen’s life of service, so we pray for the Royal Family and all who mourn her loss. Books of Condolence will be available in the churches of our benefice: please feel welcome to come into our churches, to write in the books or light a candle in thanksgiving for the Queen’s life of service.

Gracious God, we give thanks

for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,

for her faith and her dedication to duty.

Bless our nation as we mourn her death

and may her example continue to inspire us;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Book of condolence in Holy Rood Church, Wool

(Some quotes, including extracts from our late Queen's Christmas broadcasts, are on a separate page.)

(News and Events items follow below)

Harvest Celebrations on Sunday 25th September

In the D'Urberville Hall, Wool

Wool Harvest Festival Service on Sunday 25th September

Holy Rood, Wool will be holding a Harvest Service in the D'Urberville Hall at 11am on Sunday 25th September.

This will be followed by a Ploughman's Lunch after the service.

(The lunch is free of charge, any voluntary donations will be happily received in aid of Holy Rood.)

If you would like to stay for the free lunch, please phone Judy Hill on 01929 462888 or email her at reverendjudy@talktalk.net with your numbers for catering purposes.

Purbeck Village Quire

After the lunch, at 2pm, will follow a performance by the Purbeck Village Quire, also free of charge.

And for children - Messy / Forest Church

At 4pm the same day, on Sunday 25th September, "Messy Church meets Forest Church" will be held in and around the area of Holy Rood Church building.

Meet in the church by 4pm. Finishes at 5.30pm.

Tea included.

Dress for the weather and for fire-pit activities!

For more details contact the Benefice Office.

Experience Harvest for School

From Rev Jenny:

On the mornings of the 21st and 22nd of September Holy Rood will be hosting Experience Harvest for the children of Wool CE Primary School.

This is a fun, interactive experience that encourages the children to think about giving thanks to God for the harvests from the Garden, the Ocean, the Flock, the Grain and the Earth.

There are six beautiful stations to visit in and around the church, and an activity to engage with, as well as discussions about Patience, Peace, Humility, Generosity, Joy and Faithfulness. These are the Fruit of the Spirit that God helps us to develop.

Visit of Bishop Seme and his wife Mary to West Purbeck Benefice

It was a real joy to welcome Bishop Seme Nigo Abiuda, Bishop of the Diocese of Panyana in South Sudan, and his wife Mary, to St John the Baptist Church, Bere Regis for a service of Holy Communion on Wednesday this week (10th August 2022).

Bishop Seme and Mary are part of a delegation of bishops from our Salisbury Diocesan Link with Sudan and South Sudan who were staying in homes across the diocese this past week, following the Lambeth Conference. Huge thanks to Erica and Sandy Moriarty for hosting them. Bishop Seme spoke of the joys and challenges of leading a diocese which is largely dispersed as refugees because of Civil War, and asks us to pray for him and his diocese. We were really inspired and are pleased to share some information Bishop Seme has sent and some photos of their visit.

Help needed at The Dorset County Show - on 3rd & 4th of September

The Churches Tent will be at the Dorset County Show on the 3rd & 4th of September at the Dorset County Showground, Dorchester.

Are you available on either day to help in the Churches Tent?

Shifts will be between 9.00am and 5.00pm. You’ll be helping serve tea or coffee, talking to visitors and generally helping in the tent. There will also be an opportunity for you to enjoy the show at some point during the day. You will receive a Complimentary Ticket to gain admission to the Show. The rota will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Please contact myself or Liz on 01963 23570 or rural.chaplaincy@btinternet.com.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Revd Richard Kirlew, Agricultural and Rural Chaplain

Tuesday Home group restarts on Tuesday 6th Sept

The Monday Home Group has become the Tuesday Home group - and we plan to start again on Tuesday 6th September at 23 Hillside Road.

If you would like further details there is more information on the Groups page via this link.

Ride and Stride for Church Funds - on Saturday 10th September

Dorset Historic Churches Trust are once again inviting YOU to raise money for your local church by becoming a cyclist or to walk to a number of local/Deanery churches (or even further afield) 50% of the money you raise is returned to your church. Once again, we hope that that some of you will be keen to take part again this year.

Dorset Historic Churches Trust is delighted to announce that Ride+Stride  will go ahead on the 10th September 2022. This is an outdoor event for individuals or families to walk, cycle or horse ride, between churches. This year you might like to think of holding a Coffee Morning, or a Cream Tea afternoon. If you are a keen swimmer why not a sponsored swim. All will carry on within the limits of whatever social distancing requirements are in force at the time.

Last year Riders and Striders in Dorset raised an amazing total of £107,000 on just one day from hundreds of sponsors. 50% of the funds raised are returned to the church nominated by the participants and the other half is then available to the Trust to grant-aid churches, helping  to conserve Dorset’s churches. Over £100,000 went to help Christian churches of all denominations in Dorset that are open for public worship to maintain their fabric and widen their usability by the communities that they serve.  

After 2021’s Ride and Stride £535.00 was raised here at Holy Rood with £267.50 being returned. This year one of our riders will be our own Rev Canon Richard Bartlett who will welcome your sponsorship.

Alongside those who will be taking part I would like to encourage others to help us staff the church that day so that we will have people there to welcome the Riders & Striders to our parish church. 'You need only be there for an hour: we well be open between 10am and 6pm'. As usual water/fruit juice and biscuits will be available to those who visit.  

If you want to learn more about the Trust, log onto www.dhct.org.uk and follow the links to Ride + Stride.

Or if you prefer, please contact your local Parish Organiser for Holy Rood Church, who has the required paperwork:   Jenny Hunt at: theskypilot@sky.com

Many thanks,

Jenny Hunt - 01929 462570

Teapot Club

Teapot will take a break in August but we plan to return on 13^th September.

The dates for later this year are now in, as follows:

Wednesday Services at the D'Urberville Hall (held on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month)

Wednesday services are in the main hall. There is accessible access and usually plentiful level parking (and toilets) - as well as coffee and cake after the service.

Decoration completed

The Holy Rood Church Building was decorated inside earlier this yearand looks whiter and fresher as a result. Thank you to the decorators and to those who cleaned and moved (and cleaned and moved again afterwards!).

And thank you to those who generously contributed to the cost.

Recent Events

Benefice Service

Our last Benefice Service was on Sunday 31st July, 10.30am in God's Pocket, Chaldon Herring. Led by the Vicar with all the clergy of the benefice as well as our newly formed Benefice Choir, over 80 people joined in to worship in this unusual outdoor setting.

The gusty wind left us in no doubt it was an outdoor service and the sun was a welcome bonus along with the dry weather.

The Vicar preached on the Parable of the Talents - which were then distributed (£1 each !)

After the service some enjoyed a trailer ride, seeing wonderful views of West Purbeck, and also delicious cream teas, in the afternoon.

Teas - with the band

We hosted Wareham Town Band on the 2 July to play between 2-4pm at Holy Rood. We'd hoped for teas and stalls outside in beautiful summer sunshine. The iffy weather and windy conditions didn't really meet our hopes so we adopted Plan B -inside if wet!

It turned into a different but still very enjoyable and popular event. Thanks to the excellent Wareham Town Band, to everyone who worked hard providing teas and stalls, and all who came.

June 2022 - Celebrating The Platinum Jubilee of H.M. The Queen

On 6th February this year Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch in our history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, events and initiatives have taken place throughout the year, culminating in a four day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June.

The four days of celebrations included public events and community activities, as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service.

Here in Wool we celebrated with The Queen

(With thanks to Sue Burroughs for most of the the pictures)

Thanks to those who decorated the Church -

And at a special Service in the D'Urberville (jointly with the Methodist Church)

which was quickly followed by The Big Jubilee Lunch!

The Vicar and Churchwarden checked the Master Plan

Decorations all in place and tables laid -

Oh yes - and the cakes!

And away we go -

A few lucky people even got to meet Her Majesty . . .

Including Revd Jenny who had a tiara with her, just in case . . .

. . . and she wasn't the only one!

Jubilee Sunday, Wool

Our Jubilee Sunday was a great success. Over 60 people attended the Celebration Service and over 75 brought a picnic for the Lunch.  The hall looked amazing, the number of cakes was astounding, the filmshow and music added brilliantly to the atmosphere. Additionally we raised £82 for Ukraine from donations whilst offering a free 'cuppa and cake'. Huge thank you to everyone who helped set up, donated cakes, flags, bunting, cleared away or attended and ate so many cakes. It was good to be working again with our friends in the Methodist Church.

Jubilee Café Church, Winfrith

Having moved the time from 10:45 to 9:30 we were not expecting a crowd, but God is full of surprises, and we were full to bursting with adults and children and had to ship in picnic tables.  Jan did a sterling job making crowns and we reflected on Serving Others using the Queen as a wonderful example of selfless service for others.

St John the Baptist, Bere Regis

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the marvellous exhibition in the church to celebrate the Jubilee.  It was a wonderful display of local talent.  Special thanks to Alison, Jill, Diane, Clare, Glo and their teams for all the hard work.  Thank you to everyone who visited and supported, if you missed it there is a lovely video on Bere Regis Facebook page thanks to Rodney Osmond.  Donations will be given to the Thomas Williams Educational Trust which supports young people in the village. Rev Sandra.

Walking the Way of the Cross and the Resurrection

From the Vicar -

Dear friends

What a start! It has been really good to be able to meet so many of you during the first few days of ministry here in West Purbeck as we walked, talked, worshipped and enjoyed food together around the churches of the benefice during Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week.

The congregation at St Laurence Affpuddle on the Monday morning was the largest crowd I have ever worshipped with on a Monday of Holy Week, and the food provided at St John the Baptist Bere Regis at the end of the walk that day was a delicious surprise – thank you.

As we set off from St Christopher, Winfrith Newburgh on the Tuesday it was good to see the work at the back of the church progressing so well, and then to pray together in St Nicholas Chaldon Herring. We then enjoyed a beautiful walk to Holy Trinity West Lulworth where we celebrated Holy Communion together in the intimacy of the chancel. On Wednesday I was thrilled to be presented with a hand crafted stick at St Andrew’s East Lulworth, which proved very useful in the walk back to Holy Rood, Wool, where we celebrated Holy Communion and then picnicked in the comfort of the west end of the church. A fantastic few days – thank you. What a start!

The Gospel readings used in the services during those three days retell the drama of the final few days of Jesus’ life, leading to his crucifixion. They are powerful and challenging. Powerful, as we reflect on Jesus’ final days, which must have been almost impossible for him to bare. Challenging, as we reflect that we are called to walk the way of the cross with him in our Christian lives too. Many of us continued this in acts of worship on Good Friday – literally walking in the way of the cross and prayerfully considering what this might that for each of us in our lives today?

But the good news is that we are called to walk the way of the resurrection with Jesus too. The amazing Gospel passages of the resurrection which we read Sunday by Sunday in the Easter season remind us time and again of how the risen Jesus brings hope out of despair, joy out of sorrow, life out of death. This is Good News - Gospel! We read how gradually for Jesus’ friends and disciples the situation of defeat they thought they were in after Good Friday is turned into faith in the risen Jesus, as he appears to them and transforms their lives again. This is not some ‘papering over of the cracks’, the death and resurrection of Jesus is God taking seriously the pain of sin and evil, suffering and death, and transforming them through the death and resurrection of Jesus into life and hope and a promise of eternity.

We are called to walk in the way of the resurrection: to be bearers of this Good News! Where are the situations of despair and sorrow and death where we are called to bring the light of faith and hope and joy? Maybe they are in our own lives, or in our families, or in the communities we are part of, or perhaps we can consider this on a more global scale, as we continue to pray and act for justice for the people of Ukraine, and other places of suffering.

My prayer in this Easter Season is that together we will walk in the way of the resurrection, and as we do, become Good News for those around us. Surely that is good reason to repeat the Easter Acclamation time and again: Christ is Risen, he is Risen indeed, Alleluia!

Your friend and Vicar

Richard

_________________________

Holy Week 2022 Walking round the Benefice

There are some pictures to go with the Easter message, and see the Benefice website here.

Benefice Office hours (link to contacts page)

(Covid-19 restrictions: Please do not call in without an appointment. Not manned during lockdown.)

Office contact number is 07729 484866

Email address: westpurbeckoffice@gmail.com

(Telephone messages will be dealt with during office hours only.)

NOTICES

For services in Wool….some disabled parking

There are now 3 disabled parking spaces through the electronic double gate in the Wool School grounds leading to the church,. You will need to display a blue badge.  The pedestrian path at the back of the school that leads to church is wheelchair-friendly.  It would be very helpful to check if you can, with the benefice office in advance, to ensure that there will be a space available.

Remember that the gates are opened 15/20 minutes before a service. All other parking is in the school staff car park.

JustGiving

We also use JustGiving to enable people who wish to, to donate to Holy Rood via the web.

Go to the JustGiving site by using the button below (or use your smartphone camera with the QR code):

Online Services

We are still holding some services online on some Sunday mornings. Anyone may take part in this service using your laptop, ipad, or phone (smart or otherwise).

You would be most welcome to join in and if you would like to have more details please email the Church Office.

The contact arrangements are emailed in advance and you would need to give your contact details including an email address and phone number to the Benefice Office. We can't publish the Zoom contact details here for security reasons, but you are still very welcome.*

It is highly recommended not to 'arrive' at the very last minute as most people enjoy it more by taking a little while to get a good connection sorted out and iron out any queries. Also arriving in good time prevents you being excluded inadvertently by the security lock (see next paragraph).

* The service is locked down soon after the start time to prevent abusive internet behaviour which sadly has happened occasionally to other churches using online worship.

                  Other News

Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Information

Pastoral Care

If you need to self-isolate, do inform the church office together with your contact phone number. A member of the church will be in contact to check on your welfare and to offer practical support with shopping etc.

Best hygiene practice and safeguarding procedures will be observed in all pastoral contacts.

Medical Advice

For up-to-date medical advice, the place to go is:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

For specific Church of England advice look at:

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches

A Prayer For All Those Affected By Coronavirus

Keep us, good Lord,

under the shadow of your mercy.

Sustain and support the anxious,

be with those who care for the sick,

and lift up all who are brought low;

that we may find comfort

knowing that nothing can separate us from your love

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Daily Prayer

Each day the Church of England publishes audio and text of the Prayer for the Day.

Earlier News and Events

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Last modified: Thursday, 15 September 2022