Our lockdown continues and, sadly, churches have to be closed for the time-being. Clicking on the link below will take you to a short service for Sunday 31st January. The service celebrates Candlemas, when we recall Mary and Joseph presenting baby Jesus in the Temple and the elderly Simeon recognising in the baby a ‘light to lighten the Gentiles.’ So you might like to have a candle handy to light when you watch the service.
https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Parish-Church-1831283450525212
Dear friends,
Sadly, it is necessary to have another period of lockdown. Let’s hope and pray that it will not last very long but, for the time-being (and there will be a review in two weeks time), we will not be able to gather for worship in church.
I have recorded two Bible readings, my sermon and some prayers to form a short service which I have uploaded to Forest Parish Church Facebook page. Even if you don’t use Facebook you should be able to watch the service (if you would like to!) by clicking on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Parish-Church-1831283450525212
I do hope you are all well and not too devastated by the new lockdown. Although I cannot make any visits, I am very happy to have a chat on the phone (tel. 01481 238815) or respond to emails if you would like to get in touch. If there is any person or situation that you would like prayer for, please let me know.
With every blessing,
Claire Claxton
Some pages from our January newsletter:
Do come and join us for one of our Christmas services.
There is a Crib Service at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve especially for families. It will be short and very informal, with a puppet play, songs and instruments and creating the nativity scene under the altar.
At 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve we will have a traditional service of Holy Communion, otherwise known as Midnight Mass (because it will be midnight in Bethlehem!) or the First Communion of Christmas.
At 11 a.m. on Christmas Day we will have a Family Communion Service as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
You are very welcome to any or all of our Christmas services!
‘Little Town, Big Story’
You are invited to join our Advent Group which will meet on four Tuesday evenings in the church from 6.30 p.m. – 7.30 p.m. on: Tuesdays 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd December
‘Little Town, Big Story’ is an Advent Bible Study based upon the hymn ‘O little town of Bethlehem.’ All welcome, even if you can’t make all 4 sessions. It would be great to have a crowd!
Sunday 6th December Christingle & Opening of Christmas Tree Festival
Join us at 11 a.m. for a family service. The church will look stunning, as we declare the Christmas Tree Festival open; we will make Christingles together and have a puppet play.
Christmas Tree Festival
Our annual Christmas Tree Festival starts on Sunday 6th December and continues through to 3rd January. The theme of the Festival is ‘Christmas around the World’ and each tree will be decorated in the style of a different country. The church will be open from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. every day. There will also be a craft and gift stall with lots of home-made items for sale.
We will be holding our Autumn Flower and Harvest Festival in the church from 1st October to 4th October, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
The festival will be opened by a local celebrity at a short service at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday 1st October, followed by refreshments. There will also be a craft and gift stall.
On Friday 2nd October there will be an hour-long concert, starting at 7.30 p.m, followed by a glass of wine and nibbles. Guest performers will be the State of Harmony choir and a clarinet and piano duo.
Our Harvest Festival Thanksgiving service will take place on Sunday 4th October at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a ‘bring and share’ lunch in the church.
All are welcome!
This coming Sunday we are holding our annual Tumaini Family Service. Tumaini is a charity which supports children (often orphaned) in Kagera, Tanzania. Many of these children have very little, often not even clothes or a blanket to keep them warm at night. Throughout the year a team of knitters make jumpers, blankets, hats and toys and we decorate the church with all these items before they are blessed and then packed up to be sent out to Tanzania.
Mrs Sarahjane Allen, our guest speaker, will talk about the work of the Tumaini Fund and everyone is welcome to come along and support the work of this amazing charity for which there will be a retiring collection.
.
“I’m going to Rumania.” That used to be a witty reply to the question “Where are you going on holiday?” if you were not going away. Now ‘staycation’ is the new Rumania! If you aren’t able to travel to the other islands perhaps you are planning a ‘staycation’ on Guernsey by booking into a local hotel or campsite for a night or two.
It is important to take time off and, if we are someone who finds it hard to stop working, then maybe a staycation will prevent us answering that work phonecall or email, or doing those chores around the house or garden.
Even if we end up staying only a short distance from home (or even at home) becoming a tourist can give us a completely different point of view of our island. It is good to spend time enjoying and visiting the beauty spots, museums and other attractions because it is too easy to miss out on all that historical and cultural heritage.
Although I was born in Guernsey and have lived here most of my life, I know that there are certain places I have only visited when I have had family or friends to stay. I remember putting a stitch into the St. Andrew’s panel of the Guernsey Tapestry in the late 1990s and I haven’t been back to see it since soon after it was installed! Another visit is long overdue, especially as admission is free to Bailiwick residents during August!
The fourth of the Ten Commandments says, ‘You and your family are to remember the Sabbath Day; set it apart, and keep it holy. You have six days to do all your work, but the seventh day is to be different; …’
Our Sabbath does not necessarily have to be a Sunday, but whether we are employed, unemployed, a homemaker or retired, it is vital for our physical, emotional and spiritual health to put aside time to delight in those things which nourish our soul.
You are welcome to come and worship God at Forest Parish Church!
Our main service is at 11 a.m. every Sunday. The 1st Sunday of the month is a more informal all-age service. September 6th is our annual Tumaini service. The church will be decorated with all the knitted items that will then be sent to Kagera in Tanzania. It always looks stunning, do come and see!
If you have young children you might like to come to our monthly Puppets & Praise at 9 a.m. on the 3rd Sunday of the month (next one will be on September 20th). We start with breakfast together and then have fun with puppets and musical instruments as we hear a Bible story and sing songs.
More traditional services take place at 9 a.m. on the 4th Sunday of the month and 6.30 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
We are so grateful that we are able to meet together again to worship God in our lovely church! In July our pattern of services will be:
Sunday 5th July 11 a.m. Family Communion – all-age worship
Sunday 12th July 11 a.m. Parish Communion
Sunday 19th July 9 a.m. Puppets & Praise – an informal breakfast service with songs, instruments, puppets, for families with young children Sunday 19th July 11 a.m. Parish Communion
Sunday 26th July 9 a.m. Holy Communion from Book of Common Prayer Sunday 26th July 11 a.m. Patronal Festival Celebration with Holy Communion
Evensong services will resume again in August on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
We celebrate Sainte Marguerite, our patron saint, on Sunday 26th July with a special service in the morning and a cream tea in the garden of Le Bourg de Haut (opposite the church) from 3 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. The cost is £5 per adult, no charge for children. All are welcome!
This Holy Week and Easter 2020 when Christians would normally gather together to walk with Jesus along his journey to the cross, it is very hard to be unable to physically get together.
If you are asking yourself, ‘If we can’t gather together, how can we celebrate?’ Well, let me tell you – we can! It won’t be the same but what we are celebrating will be! The truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus never changes. The angel’s message to Mary and her friends all those years ago is the same message to us today. “Fear not. He is risen …” So let’s make sure we celebrate!’
Churches are managing to still feel connected and worship together in different ways.
Forest Parish Church services and puppet plays are accessible on the Forest Parish Church Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Parish-Church-1831283450525212/
and on the Forest Parish Church Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjXgCgEcW-mwTfOaKsSTqPg
And if it is not possible to access them, then just sing the words of your favourite Easter hymn, whatever it is, ‘Jesus Christ is risen today’ or ‘This joyful Eastertide’ or my favourite ‘Thine be the Glory’ (see below).
Thine be the Glory
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory, thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.
Refrain: Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Refrain: Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, thou o’er death hast won.
No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Refrain: Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, thou o’er death hast won.
I pray that it won’t be too long before we are able to gather together again in our lovely church but, until then, I pray that God will bless you and keep you safe.
Remember we are still the Church!
Forest Parish Church 