Monthly | Newsletter | St George

THE BENEFICE OF ST. GEORGE OAKENROD AND ST. CLEMENT, SPOTLAND - July 2021

Well here we are at the beginning of July and still in lockdown!!!

As I look out of the window it is raining but the gardens do need the water. We are promised that things will “get better" by the end of the month.

Karen officially left us at the beginning of June and was licensed as our Area Dean at the Cathedral on June 6^th. Please pray for our PCCs as we work on our parishes profiles ready to submit to church house. Goodness knows how long it will be before we are able to have a new priest but we know that things will not be the same and we will have to share with at least one other church. Unfortunately, numbers attending services have dwindled over the last 10 years and combined numbers are no longer enough to warrant a full-time priest.

A note from Sylvia at St Clements

Firstly, may we wish Karen our best blessings and prayers on her new journey as Rochdale's new Area Dean.

Great minds think alike! St Clements congregation also bought Karen a Sheila Fleet voucher, also prosecco, whisky and flowers – didn’t she do well.

The stain glass East window has now been renovated and replaced in church. The windows look so lovely and the colours have been enhanced.

We are now in Interregnum, and the future is uncertain for both churches. However, we must be positive in the future. What will be will be!! Hopefully, better days are coming. Coffee after services soon. Wow!!

As Sylvia says in her note we will soon be able to have Coffee after church. In fact, we could have had coffee for the last few weeks but we wouldn’t have been able to stand/ sit together and chat. It just wouldn’t have been the same so we decided to leave it until things are back to near normal. As soon as we are able I intend to arrange a get together so we can all meet and catch up.

Sylvia is doing several services for us and we have managed to arrange cover up to advent for those she is not covering. We must not overwork her!!! Many thanks Sylvia for all you are doing, without your things would be a lot more difficult.

If you have any items for the August letter please send it before 24^th July.

Sheila.

THE BENEFICE OF ST. GEORGE OAKENROD AND ST. CLEMENT, SPOTLAND - May 2021

Hi everyone, well here we are at the end of an era, Karen has done her last services before taking up her full-time appointment as Area Dean and Robert has left to take up his new appointment as parish priest for 3 churches in Yorkshire. Thankfully we still have Sylvia but she mustn’t be overworked and we will be having visiting priests during our interregnum. Thanks for sticking with us Sylvia. We know things must change especially after the past months of COVID, we will NOT be entitled to another full-time priest as our numbers are so low and continue to drop. Goodness knows how everything will end up but please pray for your PCCs as the fight for the best deal that can obtained under the circumstances.

Many thanks to the congregations of both churches for their donations to the leaving gifts for Karen and Robert. St. George’s gift to Robert was a black stole and Karen was given a bottle of Jura whiskey and a gift voucher for her favourite Jeweller, Sheila Fleet.

Sorry no more news for St. Clements but if you have any for future issues please send it to me.

When I read this week’s cascade news I thought whoopi coffee after church, but after contacting Freda, (PCC chair) we discovered all the precautions that would have to be taken, so no coffee until we are completely out of lockdown when we can get back to near normal, hopefully only another month away!!! I intend to arrange a coffee morning so that we can all get together for the first time.

A note from Gill Holt. Gardening has started again but we need more volunteers to help tidy up the garden after 12 months of inactivity. Please contact Gill if you are able to help. Once we have had a big tidy up it should be easier to keep neat. Also, a great thank you from the PCC to Kate and Derick Phillips who have done the mammoth job of cleaning the hall and porch, especially the porch which has had rain pouring in for months (but is now repaired)

Any questions please contact myself, Jennifer or if it is spiritual Sylvia.

If you have an item of news for the next letter please let me have it before 23^rd June.

Sheila.

Useful Links