January Newsletter
Parish Newsletter January 2018
Happy New Year!
A very happy and blessed 2018 to you all. I pray that for you and your families and for the congregations of this parish the year ahead will hold hope, joys and opportunities, an ease to worries, comfort for sorrow and a deep consciousness of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in your hearts and lives.
The turn of the year is a time for looking back and looking forward. Here are some of the highlights from 2017:
- The opportunity we had through hosting the Count your Blessings Boards in St John’s, using them not only with the church, but with the community and the school to speak of God’s grace and generosity towards us.
- Establishing a ‘fresh expression’ of church known as Jacob’s Ladder, by Dave Hitchcock who was also licensed as a pioneer minister in October.
- The arrival of Chris and Georgie Haywood in July and their ministry within the parish. Our prayers for a full-time curate were well answered!
- The further development of the Healing Ministry within the parish. Christine Hall lead us through an excellent exploration of Christian healing and a team was commissioned in the autumn. There will be more to hear about this ministry in the new year.
So what does the year 2018 hold for us?
The first event is a celebration! It is now ten years since the old benefice became the united Parish of Hugglescote, Donington, Ellistown and Snibston.
This happened in February 2008, right at the end of Jeffrey Hall’s ministry and about ten months before I came into the parish as the new Rector for the whole parish. Most of my ministry here has been concerned with developing and shaping the parish to become a single entity, helping the parish to function as a whole, yet with different churches and ministries within it.
I think it has been a kingdom journey! I think we should be proud of what this parish has become. So, we are going to celebrate the ten-year anniversary with a special service led by the new archdeacon, the Venerable Clare Wood, followed by a shared lunch and other parish activities on February 18th. Please keep that date free in your diaries.
Another event already planned for 2018 is a community theatre performance based on the story of the first fifty who went off to World War One which will take place is St John’s in the few days before Remembrance Sunday next year which happens to fall on 11th November. 2018 will mark 100 years since the end of that terrible conflict.
You may know the story of how some of the first recruits in the whole country to join the war effort in 2014 attended a service at St John’s in Hugglescote and then walked to Coalville to catch a train to take them to their training camps. Many of their names are on the war memorial at St John’s.
The Commemorative Community Theatre event will be staged by Andrew McWilliam of Chorus Theatre and will be an opportunity for all of you who enjoy amateur dramatics to be involved. It will be followed by a Churches Together Remembrance Service in St John’s on the afternoon of Remembrance Sunday.
I’m sure there will be many other great events and good opportunities that come to us through the next twelve months but I just wanted to highlight these two which are already planned.
Lastly, I want to thank you all for your support during Christmas services and events across the parish. Here are some photos of some special moments.
The Christingle at St. Christophers\'s
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Hugglescote School Christingle
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Diary for January 2018
Sunday 7th January 1st Sunday after Epiphany 8:00 am Holy Communion at St. John’s 9:30 am Family Service at St. John’s 3:00 pm Messy Church at St. Christopher’s Tues. 9th January 2:00 pm Mothers’ Union in the Broughton Lounge Weds. 10th January 10:30 am Holy Communion at St. John’s 7:30 pm Churches Together Planning Meeting at The Oasis Café Sat. 13th January 9.00am Coalville Churches Praying Together at Greenhill Community Church Sunday 14th January 2nd of Epiphany 8:30 am Holy Communion at St. Mary’s 9:30 am Parish Communion at St. John’s 1:15 am Parish Communion at St. Christopher’s Mon. 15th January 7:30 pm P.C.C. Meeting at St. Christopher’s Weds. 17th January 7:30 pm Mission Partnership Workshop Thurs. 18th January 9:30 am Holy Communion & Coffee Morning at St. Christopher’s Sat. 20th January 9-10:00 am Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at the Oasis Café 3:00 pm Ellistown Community Cinema at St. Christopher’s Sunday 21st January 3rd of Epiphany 8:00 am Holy Communion at St. John’s 9:30 am Parish Communion at St. John’s 11:15am Parish Communion at St. Christopher’s 3:00 pm Holy Baptism at St. John’s 6:30 pm Jacob’s Ladder, Hugglescote Social Club Weds. 24th January 10:30 am Holy Communion at St. John’s |
Sunday 28th January 4th of Epiphany 8:00 am Holy Communion at St. John’s 9:30 am Parish Communion at St. John’s 11:15 am Parish Communion at St. Christopher’s 3:00 pm Holy Baptism at St. John’s Weds. 31st January 2:00 pm Ellistown Afternoon Social Group at St. Christopher’s Every month we note down the weddings, baptisms and funerals that have taken place in this parish. Please pray for the wedding couples, the baptism families and those who are grieving. FROM THE REGISTERS BAPTISMS at St. Christopher’s 19th Nov. Albie James Sidney age 3 months FUNERALS and INTERMENT OF ASHES Funeral at Bretby Crematorium 28th Dec. Shirley Margaret Walker aged 79 years Advance Notice Special joint Service at St. John’s 10:30 am on February 18th when the new Archdeacon of Loughborough will join us for a 10 year anniversary of this United Parish. Lunch and activities afterwards. please put this date in your diary. 
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