Church of England BEnefice of Winscombe and sandford with Churchill
Putting the love of Jesus in the heart of our community
All Souls Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving
We remembered those we have loved as we came together at our All Souls’ Service on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd November. We had a thoughtful time of singing, readings and poems and the opportunity to place candles to represent family and friends , on a cross at the foot of the altar.
Celebrating Harvest in Winscombe
Harvest Festival was celebrated in Winscombe on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October.
On Saturday evening a Harvest Supper was held in the Church Centre with some 50 guests attending to enjoy food and fellowship. Cold meats with a selection of salads were served followed by generous portions of homemade apple crumble and cream. There was a quiz and an after-supper activity, both on harvest themes, to make us use our little grey cells too!
On Sunday morning members of all three churches in the Benefice gathered in the Church Centre for our Harvest Festival Service.
The hall was beautifully decorated with seasonal arrangements by our talented team of flower arrangers.
An informal service included time to give our gifts of non-perishable food to our local food banks, and lots of singing including ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’ to slightly different words.
We Plough the fields with tractors
With drills we sow the land;
But growth is still the wondrous gift
Of God’s almighty hand.
Our reflection was an interactive one involving the children in using the letters of the word HARVEST to make new words and explore the meaning of the celebration – EARTH, EAT, STARVE, SHARE, HEART and STAR!
The children made baskets of play dough food, coloured in the letters of HARVEST and decorated paper plates after sticking a children’s grace in the centre.
After the service we all shared our Harvest Loaf with a cup of tea or coffee.
St James’s has supported this charity in the past especially the shelter that they run for abused women.
Spring of Hope provides 8 beds each night for women who would otherwise be rough sleeping, as well as providing a safe and welcoming space for women who have experienced trauma.
CHURCHES IN THE AIR (CHOTA) 2024
Saturday 14th September saw our CHOTA 2024 (Churches and Chapels on the Air) Amateur Radio activation from the Church of Saint James the Great. Before I go on to report the events of the day, I must first say a big thank you to the church for allowing us to operate on the day. In particular I’d like to thank Derrick Claridge and Scott Smart for their support and help, not just on the day, but also in the lead up to it. We were made to feel very welcome, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and I know I speak for all of us when I say what a privilege it was to be able to use such a beautiful building for our hobby.
Things on the day didn’t start as planned. Two days before (Thursday) there was what we call a Coronal Mass Ejection (solar flare) that hit the earth. This significantly disturbed the ionosphere. Radio Amateurs rely on bouncing radio signals off the (undisturbed) ionosphere and the earth’s surface to get beyond just line of sight communication. And on Saturday morning the ionosphere was still disturbed. We managed to make contact with the station at All Saints Church in Kingston Seymour, they reported radio conditions as very bad. But we persevered, and it paid off, after lunch conditions improved and by 4pm, when we dismantled the station, conditions were good! According to our log we had made contact with 34 other amateur radio stations, 12 of which were also located in Churches or Chapels. We had made contact with stations in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, France and The Netherlands. Not as many contacts as we had hoped but more than enough to make the day a very enjoyable experience for us all.
On behalf of Warren, M7RVD, Dave, G4CXQ, Richard, M7AMP, and myself Sean, G7NJX, Thank you again for allowing us to use the Church and making us feel so welcome.
73 Sean G7NJX
Saying Goodbye to Reverend Andrew Hiscox
On Sunday 1st September, members of St James’s, All Saints and St John’s, together with members of the local community, gathered together to say ‘goodbye’ to Reverend Andrew Hiscox after seven and a half years first as curate and latterly as vicar in the Benefice.
A special Benefice Service took place at St James’s at which Reverend Andrew preached and presided over Holy Communion. The service included hymns specially chosen by Andrew and a joint choir sang several special pieces to mark the occasion finishing with a sung blessing.
This was followed by a lunch in the Church Centre, attended by over 80 people. A selection of savoury food was followed by cake. Anyone who has been in Andrew’s company over the past few years knows he has a particular fondness for cake!
The lunch concluded with a presentation of gifts to Andrew and his family.
Andrew was presented with a cheque; Corinna with flowers and a token to say thank you for her support for Andrew; and Owyn and Carys received Book Tokens to wish them well in their further studies at university and school. The final gift was a Photobook containing pictures of Andrew’s time here and messages of thanks and good luck from the Church communities.
The family are moving to Andrew’s new Benefice in the Diocese of Gloucester and this was an opportunity to wish them all well with their move and future ministry.
6th June 2024 marked the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings a time to remember and honour the brave people who risked their lives for freedom and peace.
Several events were organised to mark the occasion in Winscombe throughout the anniversary week.
The Flags and Festivals group organised the flying of D-Day 80 flags and Union Jacks throughout the village and several shops had special displays.
D-Day Coffee Morning
About 50 people gathered for a special Coffee Morning at the Church Centre on Tuesday morning. The tables were decorated on a patriotic theme and several people enjoyed sharing memories of wartime including photographs with others. Music from the World War 2 era accompanied the morning. One attendee even brought along his own ration book!
Beacon Lighting on Millennium Green
On Thursday 6th June, the anniversary of D-Day the village was proud to be part of the National Beacon Lighting event.
About 300 people gathered on the Green at dusk for the event, some of whom had attended a documentary fils show at the Church Centre.
A parade of members the Royal British Legion, Girl Guiding, the Scout Association and the Fire Service signalled the start of the event.
Before the lighting of the beacon, Lois Brenchley, Chair of the Millennium Green Trust, spoke about life in Winscombe at the time of D-Day and Scout Leader, Mark Caddy outlined the role that cubs and scouts played in the local community during wartime. Reverend Andrew Hiscox read ‘The International Tribute’ which was followed by the lighting of the beacon by Archie Forbes, Chair of the Parish Council, and the singing of the National Anthem.
Nostalgia Night
On Saturday 8th June the St James’s Events team held a sell out ‘Nostalgia Night’ at the Church Centre. Many of those attending chose to come along dressed to represent the World War 2 era which added greatly to the atmosphere of the evening.
Entertainment was provided by the trio, Harmonic Motion, and by Nigel Carson from Winscombe Folk Club. The music had a largely nostalgic flavour and included the opportunity for community singing of sing-along favourites.
The supper of ‘Rations’ included spam sandwiches and bread pudding and was surprisingly enjoyable!
Although the evening was generally lighter in mood than the official events of the week, time was also taken to reflect on what D-Day meant for a serving soldier through a reading of eye-witness diary extracts.
On Saturday 27th April it was ‘eyes down for a full house’ as the St James’s Events team hosted a Bingo and Bangers evening.
Several intense rounds of Bingo were followed by a hot dog supper. Afterwards as well as more Bingo we played ‘Heads and Tails’ and ‘Higher and Lower’ games.
A fun evening when it was great to welcome many new people from the local community to the centre.
We’re very grateful to all those who made a donation at February’s café service. A total of £530 was received (Including gift aid). Your gifts demonstrate our willingness to stand in solidarity for justice, equality and dignity with our global neighbours.
The local Christian Aid group are preparing for this year’s Christian Aid week. Every Christian Aid Week, people across Britain and Ireland raise funds, act and pray united in hope for a fairer world.
This year’s appeal runs from May 12th to 18th and is focussing on the organisation’s work in Burundi, one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa. There will be more information about the project we are featuring in next month’s Signpost.
This Christian Aid Week (from May 12th to 18th) supporters are once more stepping up, knowing that every prayer, every gift, every action helps transforms lives. You can be part of the team fundraising or taking on your fundraising challenge
There are seven days and so many ways to make a difference – find out all the ways you can support Christian Aid Week by visiting the Christian Aid website.
You can already donate directly to the Winscombe, Sandford and Churchill Christian Aid Week appeal here: https://fundraise.christianaid.org.uk/envelope-2024/winscombe
We also have an exciting fundraising event coming up.
Friday 7th June – Joyful Spirit Choir
Sidcot School, Large Meeting Hall.
Joyful Spirit – a community gospel choir based in Wrington. With a live four piece band and around 40 singers they’ll perform a range of songs inspired by gospel music from artists such as Abba, Jackie Wilson, Dusty Springfield, Marvin Gaye, Simon & Garfunkel, Toto, ELO, Earth Wind & Fire, etc.
More details on how to obtain tickets to follow in next month’s magazine.
