St Mary’s Church news
The month of June has been a time of many commemorations, the Queen’s Birthday Parade, the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, and 2015 is the year that the times of our Sunday Services changed from the beginning of the month. A time of change can be difficult for many people, we gain some and we lose some, but the new arrangements, whilst in the early days, seem to be working and congregations have held up in numbers. We held our All Age Family Communion service on the 28th when our Pebbles Children took a major role in the liturgy.
The result of the Christian Aid Collection in the three churches of Sully, Wenvoe and St Lythan’s amounted to £2112.58. This is a good result and it is thanks to all the street collectors and money raised at the Lent Lunches etc. that we were able to send such a handsome cheque to Christian Aid this year. We have also supported other calls for financial help during the year for disasters across the world.
Work in the churchyard has continued, with overgrown bushes removed, the ivy taken off the boundary walls, the unsafe table tomb by the churchyard cross lowered to ground level due to Health and Safety issues, remedial work on the entrance to the Nell Family vault near the tower, and we are progressing the work on the boundary wall between the churchyard extension and the Community Council cemetery, where the vegetation, once removed, clearly showed that the wall needed rebuilding. This will be a dry stone wall to allow for movement of the trees which have made a home on the top of the wall. The large poplar tree near to the churchyard cross is to be taken down as the roots are causing all sorts of problems, and finally we are applying for a faculty to repair the ceiling and the stone flagstones within the porch. The cost of this work will be paid for by raiding our reserves, which we trust will be replaced over the years ahead.
We are already looking ahead to the autumn when we are planning to hold a Scarecrow Festival at the time of our Harvest Celebrations on the 26/27th of September. We invite entries from children, organisations and individuals to enter the scariest, the prettiest and the sportiest scarecrow. So get your thinking caps on and make this the most talked about event in the village.
Later in the year a Barn Dance in the Village Hall on the 14th November is being arranged to raise funds to support the recovery of Romeo Hadley, who will have many health issues ahead of him as he grows. More information later when all plans are finalised.
Don’t forget the 4th Sunday in the month, a service of All Age Worship with Holy Communion lead by our Pebbles children, followed by coffee and the drawing of the 200 club. Parish Picnic at the Rectory on July 5th from 12.30 – 2.30 pm. See posters in the church porch.
Parry Edwards