The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.

Coming Events and Announcements

An invitation to afternoon tea, with John and Rosemary - Friday 1st September 2017 at 2.30pm

A chance to have tea and cakes at 1 Vicarage Close, raising funds in aid of The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society on Friday 1st September 2017 from 2.30pm - 4.30pm at 1 Vicarage Close. Please come and support this worthwhile cause.

Holy Rood at the D'Urberville Centre

New for Autumn 2017 - Starting on 6th September - Holy Rood at the D'Urberville Centre.

On the first Wednesday of each month, Holy Communion will be held at 10am in Small Hall, followed by Coffee/Tea and chat afterwards. Also every month on the 3rd Wednesday from 10am-12noon in the Small Hall, a chance for Coffee/Tea and Chat.

[The Wednesday Communion service will no longer be held in the Methodist Chapel. The dangers of crossing the road to the Chapel are increasing, especially for people of restricted mobility using walking aids and crossing slowly. The parking opposite the Chapel is sometimes proving difficult. Using the D’Urberville Car Park and the Small Hall should make access for everyone both safer and easier.]

Ride and Stride for Church Funds—Saturday 9th 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 your local/Deanery churches (or even further afield) 50% of the money you raise is returned to your church. For more information, contact Jenny Hunt on 01929 462570 or visit www.dorsethistoricchurchestrust.co.uk

BBQ hardware free to a good home

FREE BBQ - Large Capacity BBQ with shelf under and side shelf. Mounted on two sturdy wheels, for easy movement. Can be viewed outside of shed within churchyard. There are also other bits if anyone is interested - Contact Brenda.

Holy Rood's cheque details - a small but important bit of admin

Please note that if you write a cheque for Holy Rood Church please make it payable to “The PCC of Wool and East Stoke” which is the official name of the Holy Rood Bank Account.

(Recently a cheque was unfortunately refused by the bank for having the wrong payee name.)

Thank you as always for your support.

Invitation to anyone who may be interested in helping with ‘Open the Book’

Please see the notice board at the back of church, the article in ‘Church Without Walls’ newsletter, and/or speak with Rev Carol.

Girls in Fellowship Together (GIFT)

This is a young mums group that meets in term time at the home of Mrs Pauline Matthews (01929 462128). From 7.30pm until 9pm on the first and third Tuesdays each month, we chat, have tea or coffee and cake. We end with a thought for the day and a prayer. All mums are welcome. Next one 5th September 2017.

Homegroups

Our homegroups meet during Term time only for Bible study, discussion, prayer and fellowship - Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. They have now broken up for Summer holidays and will recommence week beginning Monday 4th September. See Pew Sheets for more details.

News and Events

[For earlier events there is a menu with earlier years and months at the bottom of this page.]

Staycation - ‘A 1950’s Day at the Seaside’

Thursday 17th August 11am - 3pm

All the fun of a day at the beach at Holy Rood Church to include: picnic lunch (provided), deckchairs, sandcastles, knobbly knees competition, making postcards etc.

This event was aimed at anyone who could actually remember the 50's but attracted a wider clientele. It was much enjoyed by all who came - and here are some pictures (thank you, Gill Webb!) to give the general idea:

The knobbly knees competition - and the clear winner:

More good news from the swallows in the porch -

- their second brood has not only hatched but appeared to be flying round the church at the 8am Sunday Communion Service on 13th August.

Now all these babies need is enough sense of direction to find their way out again, and they can begin to sort out the route of their trip from here to South Africa - leaving in 4-6 weeks time.

Picture from Revd Carol

For more details of what their next moves are likely to be, see the RSPB page at:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/s/swallow/migration.aspx

Churchyard Maintenance - Saturday 5th August

Luckily, the rain held off until the end of our work session on 5th August, so we got plenty of jobs done. Some of us were clearing out the wooden shed while others were out in the fresh air, tidying the Calvary mound, strimming nettles and shaping the saplings along the top boundary - you can now see the new hedgerow taking shape, with a handful of saplings left to grow into full size trees. Now, I know we’ve only just had the Summer Fete, but John was busy measuring up the area next to the church ready for next year’s event - obviously not letting the grass grow under his feet! - Tony Smale.

The Shoebox Coffee Morning and Lunch - Tuesday 8th August

Our prayers for a fine day were answered (for that part of the day at least!) and it was a great success with many people attending and helping raise funds for the hundreds of shoeboxes with gifts within, that Pauline and her helpers will send to underprivileged children once again this year.

A total of £870 was raised on the day which is a staggering amount and a huge tribute to everyone's generosity as well as a wonderful result from all the work that went into it. (Since then more funds have been donated or given directly raising the total to over £1,000.)

_____________________

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supported this event. The total so far £1,005 and counting (13th August 2017).

- Pauline and Gren

_____________________

Here are a few pictures from the day -

Other Events in May to July

Teapot Club Summer lunch - Tuesday 18th July

Many thanks to Revd Carol for taking these pictures

Wool Primary School Summer Fete Saturday 15 July

A beautiful day on the D'Urberville field (even if just a touch windy)! Several people from Holy Rood went to lend a hand with running stalls to support children, staff, and parents and of course the hard-working PTA who did all the organising.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (with a very good number of people attending). We hear that the fair was a financial success, which is very good news for the school.

Wool C of E VA Primary School

On 12th July, Wool Primary School year 5-6 pupils came to Holy Rood to learn about Holy Communion.

Many came forward for a blessing.

Church Fete - Saturday 1st July 2017

Many thanks to all who helped and especially to John Williams who again has done a wonderful job of organising it all.

There was a good attendance on a beautiful day, and funds raised were as follows:

Stall	Money raised on the day	Money coming in later	Total raised
Plants	£42.81		£42.81
Cross Bows	£29.50		£29.50
Bric a Brac	£81.20		£81.20
Tombola	£183.10		£183.10
Trebuchet	£37.00	£6.50	£43.50
Cakes and teas	£229.59		£229.59
Cake Stall	£129.12	£10.00	£139.12
Teddies from the Tower	£11.00		£11.00
Raffle	£207.00		£207.00
Cakes and Lollies	£13.40		£13.40
Duck Stall	£36.50		£36.50
Coconut Shy	£37.50		£37.50
Books	£72.10	£23.00	£95.10
Donation	£40.00		£40.00
Face Painting		£15.00	£15.00
Totals	£1,149.82	£54.50	£1,204.32

LESS expenses	(£50.00)	Tent
	(£25.00)	Tables
Final Total	£1,129.32

The total is to be equally divided between a donation towards the proposed Purbeck Admiral Nurse; and a much-needed upgrade to our unreliable sound system.

(The upgrade should make our Parish Church much more helpful to those with hearing disabilities.)

Church Fete - A Big Thank You . . .

Many thanks to all who helped setting up, running staffs and clearing up after the Fete. Thanks also to those who baked, cooked, grew seedlings and plants, turned out pre-loved bric-a-brac and books, and made beautiful crafts for the stalls. A special thanks to those providing teas and cakes who worked non stop to keep us going. It was a really successful afternoon with lots of sunshine fun and laughter, all made possible with your support. Thank You - John Williams

. . . and another

Many Many Thanks to everyone who organised and helped at the Church Fete last Saturday. A great afternoon with over £1100 raised for the Admiral Nurse for Purbeck and a new PA system for the church - Rev Carol

New Life in the Porch

The Vicar has photographed several new recruits for Sticky Church . . .

(picture taken by Revd Carol on 29th June 2017)

Girls in Fellowship Together

GiFT now meets 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the Month at 3 Lampton Close. See here for some more details, or contact Mrs Pauline Matthews (01929 462128)

Coffee Morning (Saturday 10th June)

A beautiful sunny morning for coffee and cake, generously hosted by Revd Carol and Mark in their garden on Saturday 10th June.

It was to raise funds for the Fete Prizes, and raised £165 - many thanks to them, and all who helped and contributed.

Ascension Day Pilgrimage to St Aldhelm's Chapel, Thursday 25th May

Bishop Karen, Bishop of Sherborne, led a Pilgrimage on 25th May 2017 to celebrate both Ascension Day and St Aldhelm's Feast Day. This was a part of the great worldwide wave of prayer 'Thy Kingdom Come' that happened between Ascension (25th May) and Pentecost (4th June).

What is a pilgrimage?

"Pilgrimage is a meaningful journey to a sacred place. It provides the opportunity to step out of the non-stop busyness of our lives, to seek a time of quiet and reflection. It gives us the chance to ‘walk through’ those issues that we have on our minds, whatever they might be. It is a time of simply ‘being’ rather than always ‘doing’."

What does it mean for Christians?

For Christians, some reasons for going on pilgrimage might be:

To set aside time for God and feel closer to Him

To discern his will and guidance at times of transition or difficulty

To be strengthened in faith

To feel inspired by the communion of saints who have gone before us

- from The Pilgrim's Way website (at http://www.pilgrimswaycanterbury.org/why-pilgrimage)

About 70 people, including a group from Holy Rood, walked from the Renscombe Farm Car Park (BH19 3LL) to St. Aldhelm's Chapel, about 1.5 miles each way. (Pilgrimages do not always have to be as long as The Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury, nor do they need to take weeks!)

At the tiny chapel, Bishop Karen conducted a short service of prayers and Holy Communion.

Afterwards there was an opportunity to picnic in the wonderful weather, whilst enjoying the views from the cliff top at St Aldhelm's.

The Norman chapel of St Aldhelm is about 800 years old, perched on top of high cliffs, and accessible only on foot. It is a very special place, and has an atmosphere of holiness all its own. St Aldhelm was the first Bishop of Sherborne; Bishop Karen is his direct successor 1,311 years later.

Consecration of the new Churchyard extension - Sunday 28th May 2017

There are some pictures below - for more information see the separate page.

The Rt Rev Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne, visited us on Sunday 28th May to celebrate Communion, to preach at that service, and then to consecrate the extension to our ancient churchyard.

New Choir

We have not had a church choir for some years so this innovation is something we can all enjoy and celebrate.

Thank you to everyone willing and brave enough to take part - your contribution was really good to hear during the Sunday 10am Communion service. Some members are pictured below, and apologies to anyone whom I had to miss out this time.

Other Coming Events

Tea Pot Club - Dates of future meetings in 2017

All "teapots" are held at the Methodist Chapel at 2pm except where stated

After the summer break, we are due to reconvene on September 12th:

Tuesday 12th Sept

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 26th Sept

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 10th Oct

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 24th Oct

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 7th Nov

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 21st Nov

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 5th Dec

Methodist Chapel

Tuesday 19th Dec

Methodist Chapel

Contact:

Gren Irwin

or

Pauline Matthews

23 Hillside Road

3 Lampton Close

01929 — 462742

01929 — 462128

Other Notices

If you are unwell or know someone who is . . .

Hospital Visiting

If you know of someone in hospital who would appreciate a visit from a representative of Holy Rood Church, do please let us know. We have no way of knowing who is in hospital unless you let us know. It doesn’t matter if they are not regular churchgoers.

Please contact the vicar (01929 462215, or refer to the Contacts page.)

Home Communion for the sick & house bound

If you or anyone you know is unable to come to any of the services, and would like to receive communion at home, please let the vicar (01929 462215) know, and she can arrange for a member of the Pastoral Team to visit.

Prayer Chain

If you have a specific issue that you would like the members of our Prayer Chain to be praying for you on your behalf, please contact Jane Newbury on 462134.

If you would prefer to talk through an issue in more depth or would like someone to visit you, please let the vicar know on (01929 462215).

Community Information and Announcements

SHARE AND CARE - PHONE NUMBER

07751 968 944

Having only one person to 'man' a landline phone we have had to introduce a mobile. If you want transport ring 07751 968 944 and leave a message - containing your name, your phone number, and a brief summary of your need. Someone will get back to you quite quickly.

Thank you.

General Notices

Pewsheet delivered direct to your inbox

You can receive the weekly pewsheet and quarterly "Church Without Walls" direct to you by email each week/month.

Please contact Jenny Hunt on THESKYPILOT [at*] sky.com if you wish to be added to the mailing list.

Information for the pewsheet

Please send to holyroodpewsheet [at*] hotmail.com by the preceding Monday for inclusion.

*You need to replace the [at*] by @ in the addresses above and remove any spaces.

Planned Giving

Thank you to all those who plan their giving towards the work of God’s Church. This really does help to structure the church budget in order to better prepare for and plan our mission in this place. You can give even more efficiently by Gift Aid if you are a taxpayer.

Please also consider setting up a Standing Order with your bank which again is more cost effective by saving on the cost of envelopes. Many of you did that last year and so we have been able to further reduce the number of envelopes needed. So those of you looking for your envelope will notice that your number may well have changed.

If you require further details about Gift Aid or paying through the bank or have any other questions then please do not hesitate to speak to Chris Corteen or contact her on tel. 462642.

Details of forthcoming Services

Are to be found above and also in the Quarterly Bulletin, "Church Without Walls", here.

(For more general service pattern details see the 'Services' page, here.)

Help Wanted

Help us clean the church throughout the year

Please consider giving an hour to help clean the church. Currently it works out about once a month but the more that help the less often it will be. Cleaning can be done at your convenience as long as we have a clean church on Sunday.

Please, please help; contact Sue Burroughs, tel. 01929 463803 or email sue@whomwah.com for more details.

Wanted - School Governors

There are currently three vacancies for Foundation Governors at Wool CE VA Primary School. Governors play an important role in the management of the school, supporting the Head Teachers, staff and pupils. They need to be able to attend 4 governing body meetings, sub-committee meetings and spend additional time in school, during school hours and supporting events outside of the school day too. It is stimulating and rewarding.

Foundation Governors need to be communicant members of the Church of England or another Christian church. We particularly need parents of children attending the school.

For contact details during the vacancy please refer to the Contacts page.

Share and Care needs Helpers

Share and Care is in desperate of volunteer drivers and a telephone Link person. If you are interested and would like to know more please contact Bridget on 01929 463835.

Church Maintenance

There are many small on-going jobs in the church and the churchyard that need to be done on a regular basis. A small group of volunteers meets on the first Saturday of every month at the church at 10.00am to carry out these tasks. If you feel that you could help in any way or you would like to know more details, please contact the Churchwardens - please refer to the Contacts page.

Future Services

See the Bulletins page for brief details of planned services and some other future events.

Earlier News and Events

Previous News and Events