February 2024

Wellow Wood Chapel Sunday Services 10am

Please contact for information or transport Mr Graham Wigmore 01794

389000 or Miss S Caplen 01794 521774. A warm welcome to everyone.

4TH FEB MR LEE PHILIPSON

11TH FEB REV J MORGAN

18TH FEB MR G LEWIS

25TH FEB MR B NEWMAN

3RD MAR MR J KINGSLEY

2024— 120 Years of St Leonard’s Church

Dates for your diary.

3rd February, 10.30am-12pm

Coffee morning, craft and art exhibition

16th March, 12pm-2pm

UNICEF Community Lent Lunch

20th April at 6pm

Quiz Evening

19th May at 10.30am

Benefice Pentecost service, followed by a picnic

26th and 27th May, 10am-4pm

Wedding Dress Exhibition

8th June, 10.30am-12pm

Plant & produce sale at Churchfields, coffee and cake

29th June, 7pm

The Complete Works of Shakespeare, touring production

6th July, 10.30am-12pm

Coffee and cake in the garden at St Brelade’s

20th July, 2.30pm-4pm

Cream tea at St Brelade’s

3rd August, 10.30am-12pm

Knit’n’Natter display, ‘The Four Seasons’, coffee and cake

14th September, 10.30am-2pm

Church and Tower Open Day

19th October

Bellringers attempt a full peal*

20th October at 11am

Harvest Festival and Ploughman’s lunch

15th November at 7pm

A Comic Evening with Bob Blake

7th December, 10.30am-12pm

Christmas coffee morning and handbells

*Other bellringing events throughout the year include four quarter peals, and ringing a ‘touch’ for every bell ringer.

December 2023

December17th 2023

The bells were ringing and the path to St. Leonards Church door was candle lit. A lovely welcome to the Annual Carol Service. On entering, it was a ‘WOW’ experience, - each window beautifully decorated and even the pillars

were festooned. Sherfield English residents certainly showed their talents when given the theme ‘What Christmas means to You’. Red and green being the predominant colours for the foliage, floral arrangements, and

pom poms, but snow was clearly in evidence. A sleigh with reindeer gliding

across the frozen landscape, a beautiful old globe on which sat a dove, depicted ‘Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all men’. Knitted choristers made their way to church, as the bells above glinted in the starlight. A glowing fireside invited one to sit and enjoy the warmth whilst children played with their

toys. The next window showed a mouth-watering feast…..all knitted, including the sprouts and Christmas pudding, and the table adorned with candelabra. Above the altar -:-‘The Angel of the Lord Shone round about

them’…...beautifully displayed. So the service began……… the choir sang the opening verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ followed by the well

attended congregation. Lessons were read and more traditional carols were

sung, as written in our programmes. A very thoughtful poem was read and

‘Gabriel’s Message’ sung by the choir. In our prayers we were encouraged to think of the homeless, refugees and those suffering in child poverty, all

those less fortunate than ourselves. We also thought of the real meaning

of Christmas – Christ’s birth. After meaningful contemplation, a skit followed, - ‘While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night.’…..complete with washing bowl and socks, and the participants were ‘seated on the ground’. Hilarious. Still in light heartedness, the congregation was invited to

participate in the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas ‘with all the accessories, dancing shoes, pipes, gold rings and ,YES - A partridge in a Pear Tree! The

service closed with the Benediction read by Vicar James. A cup of wassail and a mince pie was offered to all. Another memorable Carol Service at St. Leonards in 2023.