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 'Maureen's Musings'
May 2012
The spring weather this year has really kept us on our toes.
Beautiful warm and sunny weather in March (unless you are a gardener
or farmer, desperately wanting rain for the new seeds and crops)
followed by cold and even snow at the beginning of April.....
who knows what May will have in store?
May does however bring round once again the festival of Rogation
- this year on 13 May, when we will once more be praying for
God's blessing on our work to come and asking that in due time
we are granted a good harvest. Sadly I doubt that we will be
able to use St Mary's, Patshull this year - although the Church's
Conservation Trust do have plans to repair the roof and open
the building to the public once more, I am not sure quite when
.... so our service will be at 4pm on Sunday 13 May in St Chad's
Church, Pattingham.
That same evening also sees us celebrating the 'first fruits'
of a different kind when 5 of our 6 confirmation candidates for
this year will be confirmed in Wombourne at 6.30pm by the Bishop
of Wolverhampton. Two are young people who have been attending
classes run in Wombourne this year, and three are adults, who
have attended preparation meetings here in Pattingham - some
before the New Year and others in conjunction with this year's
Lent course. Our final candidate, Trevor, will be on holiday
in mid-May, but we look forward also to his confirmation in early
July in St Bartholomew's, Penn.
If anyone else out there is beginning to think about confirmation
- or would like to discover what is involved - then please do
speak to me or Paul Snape or Ken Scott. No-one is ever too old
to be confirmed and young people from around the age of 11 can
be considered for confirmation in this Diocese.
I am writing this the night before our APCM - so fingers crossed
that God will call the right people forward for the various vacancies
and roles that we need to fill in our PCC. Many thanks to all
who give their time and energies for this important task in the
life of our church.
Being open to God's call is important for every Christian. We
have so many gifted and able people in our community - but sometimes
an extra 'nudge' is needed for someone to have the courage to
speak up and come forward. So if you have been thinking that
maybe there is something more you would like to do - be it helping
to visit young families preparing for their child's baptism,
or comforting the bereaved or housebound, or deepening your knowledge
of your faith with a view to sharing it perhaps with others,
or indeed helping with the practical side of church governance
or organising the fete? Whatever your calling, please do feel
free to approach me at any time. Spring is a fertile time in
lots of ways!
May all your efforts - in the garden, in work, in your family
and in life - be truly blessed.
Maureen
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