TYPO3 4.1 Released
06 March 2007TYPO3 Version 4.1 is now available! See the official announcement on TYPO3.org for more details.
A new version of the WEC Starter Package based on TYPO3 4.1 has also been released. In additio...
From the Parish News: July 2008
If you go down to the shops today you’re in for a big surprise!
A look in the shop windows and business forecourts in Warsash will reveal about 20 new residents of the village. We’re grateful to a good number of local shops and businesses who have entered our first Warsash Festival Business Scarecrow Competition!
Do comment on the colourful characters to the owners who’ve joined in this village fun ahead of the Warsash Festival on 5th July from 1230 on the Strawberry Field. The firms are listed in this magazine to see if you can spot their scarecrow!
Besides celebrating the contribution local businesses bring to the village, the Festival has drawn together nearly 60 local groups, societies and institutions in a wonderful expression of our community. My colleague vicars elsewhere can tell us how not every community is blessed with such diversity of interests and with so many committed volunteers. For this we must be grateful and not take the rich life of our village for granted. The Festival allows us to recognise and celebrate all that is added to our local life through the interests and commitment of so many people.
This sense of belonging and of celebration then continues through our ‘Shore Hymns of Praise’ at 6.30pm on Sea Sunday 13th July when we are welcoming Bishop John Otoo and Bishop Abraham Ackah from Ghana ahead of the Archbishop’s Lambeth Conference; and with the ‘Warsash Ball’ in support of the Victory Hall on 19th July. Are the seeds of a wider festival week being sown for the future?
I’d like to thank my colleagues on the Festival Planning Group for all their hard work on our behalf and, as a committee, we all extend an invitation to you to come on down and visit the festival on 5th July. If you haven’t been before then you’re in for a big surprise!
Yours, Andrew
From the Parish News: June 2008
From the Vicar,
Hospitality is a beautiful gift. Listed as one of the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit, the gift of Hospitality brings such a blessing to a guest and honour to a host. Or should it be the other way round for surely a guest is honoured and a host is blessed too! So, with the BBQ season upon us why not set some time aside to express this gift.
Our Archbishop Rowan was anxious that the church in Britain shows such hospitality to all the bishops and guests at the Lambeth Conference in July. We he has travelled he’s received such warmth overseas that sometimes our welcome in England can seem cold. So, we’ve been encouraged to ‘warm up’ a bit and reflect the generosity shown by the church in so many other parts of the world!
As part of this, at St.Mary’s we have been invited to host two Ghanaian Bishops and members of the church in Fareham Deanery for the afternoon of 13th July. Let’s give them a blessed time as we welcome and honour them. Following the opportunity for the Bishops to explore our river by boat, we shall host a tea in the Church Hall before taking them to the Sea Sunday Service on the shore at 6.30pm. Please join us for the tea and at the service—let’s make a great occasion of it and know the blessing of hosting them.
A few days later they will be off to The Lambeth Conference with 10,000 other people. It is a gathering of Anglican Bishop’s from the worldwide Anglican Communion. It will be an important meeting for the unity of the church, please pray for them. They will also spend a day seeking to take a lead in considering how Climate Change is impacting upon the communities and nations which will be represented.
But before all that, enjoy your BBQs and I’ll look forward to seeing you at Warsash Festival on 5th July—visit us for tea at the Church Fete within the festival!
Andrew
From the Parish News: May 2008
From the Vicar,
Whatever groups we belong to in the village we’ll be doing the round of annual meetings, making the books balance, appealing for volunteers and eagerly anticipating future activity, growth and celebration as Spring turns to Summer.
That is no less true of the church too. St.Mary’s Church annual meeting was held on 22nd April. New Churchwardens were appointed along with members of the Church Council and the new look Deanery Synod. Among the topics to be addressed by the new Parochial Church Council will be:
- The Environment and our response to Climate Change
- Our Buildings under the Diocesan ‘Kairos Buildings’ initiative and what we do to complete our ‘Imagine’ plans (disabled toilet etc).
- Disability and the Church
- A new way of working together with the other churches in the locality in mission and ministry.
- Partners in Mission and especially forming a link with a parish in Ghana through IDWAL (the Inter Diocesan West Africa Link)
It is through IDWAL that we shall welcome two Ghanaian Bishops to Warsash for our Sea Sunday celebrations on 13th July when they are visiting Fareham Deanery ahead of the Archbishop’s Lambeth Conference.
The church annual meeting led on to our Stewardship Thanksgiving Sunday at the end of April. The focus was on a response of our giving to the church of our Time and Talents, along with our Money. May I express my gratitude and thanks to all who have responded so generously through the giving both of yourselves and your pledges of money. I hope you feel it is a response made out of love and thanksgiving to the Lord even though your gifts are greatly appreciated for the life and ministry of the church locally. I was also pleased that our accounts showed we gave away over £6000 to other charities during 2007. We seek to raise the sum equivalent to at least 10% of our gift income to give away; this sum was over 14%.
Therefore, thank you all for your generous giving in so many different ways within the church and as you serve within the wider village community.
Andrew
