A Barbecue… with bells on!

After a Family Communion service at St Giles’, the sun peeped through the clouds and warmed the backs of those who had brought their coats expecting rain for our annual barbecue.

There was no bouncy castle this time (so no photos of the churchwardens testing it out, sorry). However we did have tours of the bell tower and tried out bell ringing. We discovered you have to be nearly as fit to ring the bells as you do to jump on the bouncy castle! Many thanks to Tower Captain Anne and Ralph for letting us have a go. If you would like to know more about bell ringing, follow this link: http://www.stokepogeschurch.org/groups/bell-ringing/ 

Thanks also to Mark and Andrew for cooking our barbecue and the many hands who made and coordinated the food and drink behind the scenes.

A formal welcome to Natasha

Welcoming a new vicar is a cause for great celebration and much hard work went in to making Natasha’s Induction an evening to remember. Leading the service was Bishop Alan with Archdeacon Ven Guy Elsmore, Revd Claire Haynes representing our sponsor, Christ Church Oxford, Area Dean Revd Rod Cosh. Many local clergy and guests from our community, as well as our own regulars, formed the congregation. Natasha’s guests from Rushden ran the gauntlet of the M1 and made it with only moments to spare!

Thanks to Simon McDowell for most of the photos…

 

 

 

 

Cleaning time… and a farewell

Saying Sorry to God is like washing your PE kit after it’s been “festering” all summer…

And it’s no good just identifying what needs to be cleaned…

It needs to go in the washing machine!!

Likewise, we know the areas we need sorting and cleaning…
We need to take those things to God so he can make us clean again…

No matter how long it’s been waiting to be done.

Farewell to TJ

An all age service was the perfect send off for TJ who has contributed so much to our children and young people’s ministry in her time in Stoke Poges.

She brought the band too! Herself on guitar, husband Richard on keyboard and good friend Malcolm Corden on clarinet/saxophone, with Tina and Heather singing.

Paul presented TJ with a good stack of reading material which will see her into her next phase of training and we prayed for her (and Richard) on her journey. She hasn’t gone far – Penn and Tyler’s Green Churches, so we hope to see her around soon. Bye for now!