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 'Maureen's Musings'
November 2009
November is
the month of remembering in so many, many ways.
Remember, Remember the 5th of November; Gunpowder, Treason
and Plot!
Well I hope there won't be too much of the latter around Pattingham
in November, but I am sure there will be a lot of remembering.
We begin on All Saints' Day - November 1st - with a Family Service
Sunday at which we will be baptising two little - ones, Emma
Louise Hughes and Travis Cooper. And Travis is going to bring
along his Dad to be baptised too - which will make it rather
special (No jokes please about the Vicar trying to lift him up!)
I think Daniel is doing a splendid thing - sharing in his son's
baptism, so we will have a wonderful opportunity to welcome these
two families into our church family and to give them both a day
to remember.
In the afternoon
I shall be attending the welcoming service in Lichfield Cathedral
for our new Archdeacon - Chris Sims. Chris has until recently
been Vicar of Shrewsbury Abbey, in which role I got to know him
slightly in my previous existence, so it will be good to be part
of the welcome he and his family receive into the Walsall Archdeaconry
(of which the Trysull Deanery and Pattingham & Patshull Parish
are a part).
Then in the
evening (of the 1st November) we shall again be holding the special
annual service at which the names of departed loved-ones may
be remembered as they are read out, and a candle lit in their
memory. The list gets ever longer - which is sad in some ways,
but I know brings comfort to many. Next year (2010) we shall
be inviting those whose loved-one died more than six years ago
to let us know if they want them still to be featured in the
service, but for this year all remains as it has always been.
As we move
through the month we come the following Sunday - 8th- to Remembrance
Sunday itself. I think this annual event, paying respect to those
who have made the ultimate sacrifice for 'Queen and Country'
- and for all of us - has become even more significant in recent
years with our forces engaged in such dangerous theatres of war
as Iraq and especially Afghanistan - 'Lest we forget'. It will
be good to welcome the uniformed organisations into church and
to share this day with you. When I was first ordained, I worked
in another St Chad's - in Shrewsbury, and each year we hosted
a big Remembrance day service with members of the KSLI past and
present, and RAF personnel from Shawbury, and sometimes a representative
of the Navy too ... so hopefully I can make it as memorable for
the Beavers and Cub Scouts etc., of our own community...
All that and
we won't even be half-way through the month ... then before we
know it the strains of Christmas Carols will be upon us ....
With all that coming up, perhaps I need to get into training
(brain training?) in plenty of time - there's a lot to remember!
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