September 2025 Church News
September Church News
Greetings to you all from the congregation at St. Mary’s Church.
Traditionally September is known as the season of mists and mellowness. This year, autumn seems to have arrived earlier with the trees already shedding their leaves. September is also a time of change for our young people as they change schools or move up to another school year. It can be a very unsettling time for them, leaving old pals behind and making new friends, very often far from where they are living. It is all called “part of growing up” and we as a church wish them and their teachers well, knowing that they will come to enjoy the new school year.
The month of August has been a busy one for those of us connected to St. Mary’s. We are so often complimented on how well looked after your church and grounds are kept. Mike keeps the grass cut, the paths swept and bushes removed. Before you enter the church, you know that great care is taken of this jewel in the community. Inside our visitors are again amazed at how well presented the interior is. Our lighting scheme plays a part in this, highlighting certain parts – the wall monuments to the Thomas family of Wenvoe Castle, the Rood Screen, the reredos at the altar. We opened the church on Saturday afternoons in August for visitors to explore our church. Numbers varied, but the volunteers who were present, reported the appreciation shown by those who came. There will be more opportunities for OPEN CURCH during September.
Church Hall with a New Look
The report in last month’s “What’s On” of the refusal of the local authority to support our application to extend the church, has spurred us on to look afresh at the Church Hall, known locally as the Reading Room. Money that had been kept in reserve for the church extension has now been released to refurbish the Church Hall to “make it fit for purpose” for today’s use. So far, the lighting has been renewed in the lobby, the toilets and main hall. The reveals of the windows have been repaired and painted. The damp in the Gent’s toilet will be eradicated and the fittings etc. refitted when the building work is complete. Hot air hand dryers have been fitted in all three toilets.
This current work has also been possible due to some generous donations received. The most generous response is the offer to decorate the hall and exterior woodwork. The kitchen area will have a revamp to bring it in line with today’s food preparation regulations. Finally, it was time to tackle the store cupboard/room which had over the years become a dumping ground for all sorts of things. Many black bags later, the space is now usable for the things that are needed. So, thank you everyone – you did a great job. Thank you also to those who donated towards this phase of the refurbishment, knowing that there are other works that are planned, which will need local authority agreement.
The Church Hall is sited, in a most prominent part, of the centre of the village and has been greatly enhanced by the development of the garden around the bench seat by Mike Tucker and will be the setting for the Village Show on September 6th. The hall has been valued in the community ever since it was given to the church by the Randolph family for use in the then parish, having been provided by Mrs Laura Jenner of Wenvoe Castle for her tenants to read the newspapers, warm themselves by the fire, chat to each other and generally as a place to meet and relax. Our long-term plan is for this to continue to be a place for hire for family occasions, parties and other meetings.
VJ80 A Day of Solemn Reflection
This took place on August 15th. HM the King paid tribute to all who suffered greatly under their captors and moving ceremonies were held around the UK. The main ceremonies took place at the National Arboretum away from London, though a lone piper played a lament at the Cenotaph in the early morning in Whitehall. The war ended by the dropping of two atom bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a tremendous loss of life and injury to the Japanese people. Their suffering is still present in the population to this day and many retold how their current ailments are related to those terrible events of 80 years ago.
There have been two funerals at St. Mary’s during August. On the 14th Barbara O’Grady was laid to rest in the community cemetery. The church was full to support her grieving family, and our condolences go to Mike and his children. The congregation was saddened to hear of the passing of Ian Moody after a short illness. Ian’s funeral was held on the 26th August and he was buried with his late wife Carole in the community cemetery. Ian was a well-respected and active member of the community and our condolences are sent to Kim and her family.
Dates for your Diary
Ministry Area Barbeque will be held in Rhoose on September 6th
Harvest Thanksgiving is on September 28th
An afternoon concert by Sian’s Singers will be at 3.00 pm on October 19th.
For those of you who may be unable to attend church in person, all services at St Mary’s are live streamed at http://www.ipcamlive.com/stmarys church
Thank you for reading,
Parry