To paraphrase Jesse from The Fast Show, “This month we have
mostly been eating soup”! After thoroughly enjoying our visit to the
Lent Lunch in Wellow Church Rooms on 11th March, our talented
soup makers seemed to decide that they were feeding the five
thousand, and on 18th March St Leonard’s was alive to the quiet
hum of seven slow cookers. With six different soups on offer,
visitors had tough choices to make and couldn’t be blamed for
sampling more than one. It was a joy to welcome so many from the
community and across the new benefice into the church, and their
generosity has led to over £500 being donated to UNICEF. Added to
the monies already raised by the five other parishes, a considerable
sum is going to help children and young people in perilous
situations around the world. This was our first event with all six
parishes working together and, with the recent news that the
planned pastoral scheme can go ahead, we hope it will be the first
of many that bring our churches and communities together.
April brings Easter, of course, and a plethora of events. Our usual
coffee morning will take place on Saturday, 1st April. The following
day we hope to welcome back some of those who were confirmed
a year ago on Palm Sunday for a celebratory Communion service.
This will double as Easter Communion, as the service on Easter
Sunday won’t have an ordained priest to distribute Communion,
but will feature an Easter Egg Hunt and a celebration of Christ’s
rising. In a slight change to our normal schedule, the next coffee
morning will be on 29th April. This will have a special Coronation
theme and will feature a display by our inventive Knit and Natter
team, who have been talking in riddles for some months now! We
hope to see many of you there.
I’ll end with a reminder that on Sunday 30th April we will be joining
the service at Wellow Wood Chapel, so there won’t be a service at
St Leonard’s on that day. The following week we welcome Reverend
James Pitkin for a special Coronation service, which (if all goes to
plan) will be his first official service as our brand new Rector. After
a long and protracted vacancy process you will forgive this tired but
happy Churchwarden a heartfelt “Alleluia”!
Clare Durham, St Leonard’s Churchwarden