Good afternoon dear Friends of The Valley
These Thoughts from The Vicarage are once again arriving early as this week as we have further wonderful events and news that I am so thrilled and thankful to share!
Let’s celebrate
Let’s celebrate … the Lychgates of All Saints East Garston will be hung and blessed on Sunday morning following the 9.30 service. All are welcome to come along and join in this very special moment in the life of the village. This watercolour is by Jon Hing, who helped Christopher Vaughan and Helen MacMaster in the design & construction of the new gates. Share the news with friends and come along to this historic moment in the life of All Saints.
Thank you to all those who supported the Baptism of Carol, Lucy and Stefan last Sunday. What a joyful service it was culminating in the singing outside of Shine Jesus Shine fill this earth with the Father’s glory. It was certainly filled with glory on Sunday!
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On Sunday 27th Lucy and Carol will be joined by Amelia as they are confirmed by Bishop Olivia at St George’s in Newbury. It’s a pity the restrictions weren’t lifted – otherwise I’m sure we’d have turned out in a goodly number to support them. Please pray for them, their families and friends at this very special time as their faith is confirmed and they receive the Eucharist, Holy Communion for the first time.
If you’d like to find out more about Confirmation and Baptism – or if you’d like to ask the questions you thought you really ought to know please do simply ask either myself, Christine or any of those who are being confirmed. There is no such thing as a silly question!
This week sees two more Lambourn weddings as Jay and Ollie, Ann-Marie and Keith are married on Friday 2pm and Saturday 3pm – as usual all bride watchers welcome in the churchyard We continue to hold them in prayer and wish them every joy and happiness as they journey into married life.
Again – if you would like to make an enquiry about having you wedding in any of the Valley churches please do ask . . . even if it’s only ‘for a friend’.
Coming down to earth
Coming down to earth, a little but also worthy of news – please do remember the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in St Michael & All Angels following the service on Sunday 27th followed by a brief Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting – and then we’re off to Confirmation! And then on Monday evening the PCC of St James will be meeting at 7pm.
Abbreviations
Have you ever noticed how abbreviations some take for granted can often flummox you? No need for hands up – but I’m in that category and feel rather excluded when I’d like to be included and interested.
Patient Participation Group
The PPG is the Patient Participation Group linked to the Dr’s surgery in Lambourn. I am on that group. As a Priest with the cure of souls throughout the Valley I volunteered to join in representing everyone.
The Chairman of the PPG is Alan Breadmore from East Garston who has been most ably leading, guiding the group and connecting with the surgery throughout the Pandemic. You might have noticed volunteers from the PPG helping out at the ‘flu vaccination sessions and at covid vaccine sessions along with many others.
The PPG has been asked to support Lambourn Surgery with a questionnaire regarding the surgery as the pandemic restrictions are gradually lifted and we enter this recovery phase.
The PPG is working with the surgery team to understand how to best make appointments in the future. As you probably know, because of the pandemic, for the past 12 months patients have been encouraged, if they can, to use an online form via the Surgery website. This has been good for some people and not for others and has also significantly increased the workload for the doctors but had to be introduced to keep everyone safe.
It would be super if you were able to answer a few questions that will be used to help make the process better for everyone in the future. Your answers will be completely anonymous and only shared with the Surgery staff and Patient Group members in summary form after they have been analysed.
All is confidential – of course if you’d like to answer in person do please ask me and I can fill one in for you. There’s also an opportunity to fill it in online. Please click here to participate in the survey. Results will be collated and shared. It’s an opportunity for you to contribute your thoughts and experiences as well as influence the future of the surgery – which, after all is there for us all!
And finally
And finally apart from the three, yes, three hedgehogs in the Vicarage garden we spotted, just today, a day flying moth identified by Christine as a 6 Spotted Burnet! Do look it up it was absolutely beautiful!
Looking forward to seeing you soon meanwhile,
God bless
Julie