August / September E-Magazine 2024
Please click below for a printable copy of the magazine:
Rector’s Reflection
I have been wondering what to say in my last reflection for the Parish magazine, but was then inspired by conducting one of our baptism preparation sessions last Sunday. In these sessions we focus on two of the major themes of the baptism service - the journey of faith and belonging to God’s family - and it occurred to me that these two themes apply throughout our lives and have resonance as Ruth and I prepare to move into the next chapter of our lives.
The point about the journey of faith is that it is an amazing adventure of discovery that continues throughout our lives. We are always moving on and discovering new things about God’s grace as circumstances change and we get older, and hopefully wiser. If we get stuck, then something is wrong and our faith will wither. But the more we venture onwards with God as our guide the more we discover about his goodness, faithfulness and love and the more our faith is nourished. The baptism service encourages us to support each other on this “journey of faith” and to see ourselves as part of a “company of Christ’s pilgrim people” so that we “may be daily renewed by his anointing Spirit”.
The time has come for Ruth and me to continue our journey of faith in a different place. It has been a wonderful privilege to journey with you these past eleven-and-a-half years, but the time has come to start a new phase of our Christian journey. Our time with you in Yate will always remain a part of our journey of faith and act as a springboard into the next phase of our lives and we want to thank you for graciously allowing us to journey with you through all the ups and downs of the past decade. It has been quite an adventure spanning six Prime Ministers, a pandemic, four bishops, multiple curates and training ordinands and a lot of new initiatives, including the introduction of the Mission Area with Fromeside. The Parish is |
not the same as it was eleven-and-a-half years ago and nor are any of us. Hopefully we will have grown in our trust in God as we have seen his hand at work among us bringing hope and healing within our community of faith and enabling us to make Jesus visible among us.
The point about the second theme of belonging to God’s family is that we also belong to one another. The climax of the baptism service is when we acclaim that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” and then declare that “we are children of the same heavenly Father, we welcome you”. Even though Ruth and I will be moving away we still belong to you and you to us. Yate Parish will always be part of us and holds many happy memories. We hope to sustain many of the friendships that we have built in our time in the Parish and you will be welcome to come and visit us in our new home when eventually we get there! We will remain interested in all that happens within Yate Parish and if you are holding any particular celebrations in the future will be happy to receive an invitation! Even though I will no longer be your Rector after the end of September Ruth and I will still be part of your spiritual family and the love that we have for one another in Christ will remain.
So this is not the end of the book. The exciting thing about the end of one chapter is that it leads into the next chapter as the journey goes on. There is much to look forward to as Ruth and I move into retirement and as you look forward to a new Rector bringing new energy for the next chapter of your lives.
Ian Wallace |
In 2021 St Mary’s Church and St Mary’s School joined together with Transforming Lives for Good, or TLG, which is a Christian charity started in 1998 that helps churches to bring hope and a future for struggling children.
There are children across the UK facing some of the toughest starts in life. We believe change is possible and that's why in all our work lies an unchanging resolve to transform lives for good.
TLG believe that every child deserves to feel loved, be safe and have an education. Achieving measurable and meaningful impact is a core goal for TLG, and they are continuing to expand theirresearch in order to inspire everyone about the difference they are making. As a result of being on the Early Intervention programme, 84% of children reported feeling more confident in themselves, and 97% of children said they are more hopeful about their future after starting one-to-one coaching.TLG have trained four coaches including myself to give one hour each week to one child for one school year. As well as teaching our coached children new things, I think we have all also learned a great deal from them and had a lot of fun along the way!Sadly, there will always be more children wanting coaching than coaches available. So if you think this is something you could do, please contact me at joanne@yateparish.org.uk, or on0775 864 8264.Reverend Joanne Hodge |
Curate to Associate Minister
It gives me great pleasure to announce that my curacy has now come to an end as, having received the blessing of the Bishop, I will now be an Associate Minister within the Parish of Yate and Fromeside. This is the next stage of my ministry, which began with a call to ordination over 10 years ago!
May I take this opportunity to thank you all for being the friendly faces in the congregations, as I began this journey with much trepidation, but buoyed up by my reliance on God.
I look forward to continuing to serve you.
Reverend Wanda Morris |
Confirmation Service 6th October
Confirmation 2024 We are delighted to be able to host a confirmation service in the Mission Area at St. Peter’s, Frampton Cotterell on Sunday 6th October at 10.30am. Fewer confirmation services are held each year now, so this opportunity may not be repeated for some time.
What is confirmation? Confirmation is the declaration of your belief in Father, Son and Holy Spirit and a public commitment to following in the way of Christ.
Many will have been baptised as children when these promises were made on their behalf - this is their opportunity to own those promises. |
It is an opportunity to have the gathered community join with the Bishop in praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit upon those being confirmed.
In young people confirmation is the generally-recognised pathway to receiving communion. Many adults who have not been confirmed will already receive communion - this is an opportunity for them to demonstrate an understanding of why they do so.
Confirmation is not part of every denomination and is not the pathway to communion in all denominations. This is often because baptism is seen as a gateway to communion and many denominations do not baptise children. Many in these circumstances find it helpful to confirm their place in the Anglican denomination.
What next? If you would like to explore whether confirmation is right for you then please email David.jones@fromesidechurches.org.uk with your name and contact details. You will be added to an email list and invited to attend preparation sessions during September. These sessions do not commit you to the confirmation. They are designed to help you understand more about the faith into which you may be confirmed, to understand the Eucharist and some basics about liturgy.
During October there will be follow-up sessions designed to help you understand how to live now that you are blessed with the Holy Spirit and have dedicated yourself to Christ.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Blessings, Dave
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630 Praise
630 Praise will begin again after the summer break on 1st September at St Mary’s Church. We are relaunching this Contemporary Worship Service, which is strikingly different from our traditional worship, yet seeks to do the very same thing – to prepare the people to hear the word of God and be transformed.
We work closely with Yate Methodist Church, who often provide a band to lead us in our singing.
Our new revamped service from September promises to be exciting: we will have a time of sung worship, listen to God’s word, have coffee (or tea!), reflect and pray together, preparing ourselves to enter the new week refreshed and eager to make Jesus visible in all we do.
Why not come along and see what goes on – bring a friend. We are a friendly bunch who love God and seek to do his will. If you would like more information, speak to Revd Wanda Morris. |
St James Village Breakfasts
The Village breakfast will be on Saturday 10th August & 14th September Come along to St James’ Church and place your order any time between 9 and 10.45am.
Last orders at 10.45am
All of these events are open to everyone, so please put them in your diary, and invite friends, neighbours and family to join you and enjoy good food and a very warm welcome in Westerleigh. Saturday 14th September Ride+Stride 2024,
Churches throughout Gloucestershire, Bristol and beyond will be opening their doors to welcome visitors on the annual Ride+Stride fundraising pilgrimage. Enjoying the final Village breakfast would be a great way to begin your fundraising pilgrimage, then join the sponsored walk around churches in Yate and Sodbury. All monies raised will go to GHCT (Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust). Sponsor forms available from Hywel or Kathryn. |
Mothers’ Union Project Prayers August 2024
Away From It All
We pray for fine weather and a happy day for the many families who will benefit from the MU Bristol Away From It All (AFIA) coach trips to Weston-Super-Mare. From the end of July and through August trips will be going from Kingswood, Yate and Mission Area, Brentry and Henbury, Swindon Penhill and Swindon Walcot. Mothers’ Union is delighted to be able to fund these special days for families across the Diocese.
Mary Sumner Day August 9th is the Anniversary of our Founder, Mary Sumner. Her vision recognised a need for spiritual support for mothers and their families, which led in 1876 to the creation of Mothers’ Union, which has now grown to be a global Christian movement with over 4 million members around the world. Mary Sumner’s personal prayer asks for God’s blessing on all that we do, and is a guide to how we live our life, to grow daily to be more like Jesus.
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The Mary Sumner Prayer All this day, O Lord, let me touch as many lives as possible for thee; and every life I touch, do thou by thy spirit quicken, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I breathe or the life I live. Amen
A Plea! Mothers’ Union Bristol is seeking a Diocesan Treasurer and a Minute Secretary. If you feel called to help with either of these roles, please contact Jacky for more information. Thank you!
Jacky Fredrickson DP MU Bristol 07501 670265 |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
October Magazine
The deadline to receive articles for the next issue
of the magazine is 13th September
Please send them in a Word format
to our new dedicated email address
ARUK Eco-Tips for August and September
August — Assist local wildlife during hot weather
Provide hedgehogs with a juicy snack like mealworms or canned dog food as their prey of slugs, snails and worms diminishes, and ensure a safe exit for them and other small mammals if you have a garden pond. Help garden birds by maintaining a filled bird bath and supplying supplementary food including black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins, currants, mealworms, waxworms, and a nutritious seed mixture, when natural supplies become scarce.
More tips can be found at arocha.org.uk/looking-after-wildlifein-the-heat/
September — Step outside this Season of Creation (1st September - 4th October)
Connect with nature and dedicate this time to God as the Creator and sustainer of all life. Choose an idea or two from our resource and encourage your church family to take part too!
Free to download at |
Services throughout the Parish
Sunday 4th August 10th Sunday after Trinity—Green Exodus 16.2-4,9-15 Ephesians 4.1-16 John 6.24-35
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am All Age Service 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Communion
St James 10.30am Communion
St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 11th August 11th Sunday after Trinity—Green 1 Kings 19.4-8 Ephesians 4.25 - 5.2 John 6.35,41-51
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Morning Worship
St James 10.30am Morning Worship
St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
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Sunday 18th August 12th Sunday after Trinity—Green Proverbs 9.1-6 Ephesians 5.15-20 John 6.51-58
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Morning Worship 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Communion
St James 10.30am Communion
St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 25th August 13th Sunday after Trinity—Green Joshua 24.1-2a,14-18 Ephesians 6.10-20 John 6.56-69
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Morning Worship
St James 10.30am Morning Worship
St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
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Services throughout the Parish
Sunday 1 September 14th Sunday after Trinity—Green Deuteronomy 4.1-2,6-9 James 1.17-27 Mark 7.1-8,14,15,21-23
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am All Age Service 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Communion
St James 10.30am Communion
St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 8th September 15th Sunday after Trinity—Green Isaiah 35.4-7a James 2.1-17 Mark 7.24-37
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 10.30am Morning Worship
St James 10.30am Morning Worship & Baptism
St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
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Sunday 15th September 16th Sunday after Trinity—Green Isaiah 50.4-9a James 3.1-12 Mark 8.27-38
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Morning Worship & Baptism 6.30pm 630 Praise St Nix 10.30am Communion St James 10.30am Communion St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 22nd September 17th Sunday after Trinity—Green Jeremiah 11.18-20 James 3.13 - 4.3,7-8a Mark 9.30-37
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise St Nix 10.30am Morning Worship St James 10.30am Morning Worship St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 29th September 18th Sunday after Trinity— Green
St Mary 10.30am Communion (Rev Ian Wallace’s Final Day)
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Readings for Morning and Evening Prayer The Table below and opposite have the readings for Morning and evening prayer. The Facebook prayers will read the Old Testament in the morning but you can chose either reading for morning or evening. Prayerbooks are available from the Parish Office. |
Find out more
about The
Connection and Those Vicar Blokes on our website at yateparish,org
under the heading
Explore our Faith
A Weekly Group at St Nix Friday Re:fresh runs from 09:30 - 10:30 on a Friday during term-time held at St Nix.
A warm and welcoming group for adults and children (babies to school age) to spend time together chatting, playing, singing and pondering a spiritual thought of the day.
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Morning prayer in Yate Parish
Do you find prayer a little difficult? Would you like some inspiration? Go to the Yate Parish Facebook page to join in Morning Prayer led by our ministry team. You can watch live at 7.30am Monday to Saturday, or watch at any time later in the day. Many people have found it a great start to their day.
Weekly at St Mary’s
Thursday Communion at 10.00am
Compline @8pm
Before the lockdown happened, we had recorded the saying of Compline. We ask that each evening at 8pm we light a candle in our window and pray together for our nation using the words of the Compline service - it takes just over 5 minutes.
Visit the parish website and click on the recordings to listen; you will find the words of the service there too.
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