The following activities are taking place each week. All are welcome to join us:
Sundays
- 8am – BCM Communion Service
- 10am – Contemporary Service (Communion service on the first and third Sunday of the month, informal morning praise on the second and fourth Sunday of the month)
Mondays
- 9-9:30am Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- From 10am – Zoom Study group on Pennington Church general zoom link
Tuesdays
- 9-9:30am Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 1.30-4pm – Strictly Come Crafting. 2nd & 4th Tuesday at the Community Hall. Contacts Dorothy Davies 01590 676163 or Shirley Saunders 01590 677628
- 2.30-3.45pm – Friendship Teas 1st Tuesday in month at the Community Hall. Contacts Shirley Saunders 01590 677628 or Pat Wright 01590 678416
Wednesdays
- 9-9:30am Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 10:15-10:30am – Morning Prayer at St Mark’s Church (4th Wednesday only)
- 10:30-11:30am – Coffee at St Mark’s Church (4th Wednesday only)
Thursdays
- 9-9:30am Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 12-1pm – Advice Outreach, from NFDC and Citizens Advice
- 1-2pm – Fareshare Larder – St Mark’s Community Hall Car Park
Fridays
- 9-9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
Saturdays
- 9-9:30am Parish prayers at St Thomas Church
31st December …no 8am service
Whilst we are awaiting for our new Priest in Charge Mike to be licenced to join us, we are relying on the availability of Clerical Registry and retired clergy to lead our services. Unfortunately we are unable to find cover for the 8am on the 31st December, but invite our 8am congregation to join us on New Year’s Eve at our 10am service to be led by Anne Elliot.
Coffee Mornings
There will be no coffee morning at St Mark’s on the 27th December, but we are grateful and invite all to join us in January at Belmore Lodge – for coffee morning with the residents on Wednesdays from 10am in their Botanical Lounge. The 4th Wednesday Coffee morning will still take place in St Mark’s Room from 10:15am.
Notification of Appointment: Priest in Charge
Good news for St Mark’s. The Rev. Canon Michael Burson-Thomas is to be officially Licensed to be Priest in Charge of Pennington by the Bishop of Winchester on January 24th 2024 at 7.30pm in St Mark’s Church. We look forward to welcoming him at this service.
Pennington Community Café
Pennington Community Hub Café within the St Mark’s Community Hall will now start in January 2024, welcoming all residents to a warm space every Thursday between 2pm and 4pm until March 2024. Free tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.
Funding new play equipment for Pennington Junior School
Pennington Junior School, a Church of England school associated with ourselves at St Marks, are raising money for some new play equipment. Unfortunately what they have now is unsafe and has been condemned, so for the time being they have nothing to play on. More details on their Just Giving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/PenningtonJuniors
Hampshire Home Library Service
did you know that Hampshire Libraries have a home library service? If you can’t get to the library due to ill-health, disability or caring responsibilities, the library can come to you. They arrange to deliver your library items to your home on a regular basis, for free. Find out more at Lymington Library, or by visiting https://tinyurl.com32ecujkx
Monday Study Group on Zoom
The study group continues after a December break in January from the 8th – and will be studying the “Rose Guide to the Epistles. An excellent reference book series, we hope you will join us as we start the new year together!
Ecochurch Recycling
Milk Bottle tops: we are no longer collecting these tops. Please put them on your empty bottles and put out in your kerbside recycling bags.
Medicine blister packs: we are also no longer able to collect these packs at the moment. If you know of anywhere these can be recycled please let Eve know.
Parish and Giving Update
St Mark’s PCC would welcome your help as we journey forward, with any volunteers who may be able to help in the aspects of our church life. Such as joining teams for parish visiting, events and refreshments or helping with our study groups; we are also wanting to fill a health and safety role – and would welcome any interested individuals to help in this position.
Financially, we are facing challenges as a church as many of our congregation and community likewise see. We are in the unfortunate position of seeing a large increase in our utility costs. With a rise of over 400%, we will be potentially seeing an increase exceeding £8,000 per year over church and hall. Although we appreciate the financial position of our congregation varies, if you are able to support us further now this would be most welcome. Many of our congregation donate through the Parish Giving Scheme; if you do not currently do so, we ask if you would consider starting – this is a great way for us to manage our finances. Alternatively, our weekly envelope scheme is available as an option too; details for both schemes are available from our treasurer and church warden, Teresa.
You may also want to give through alternative methods too, which won’t cost you to do so. For example, supporting us through services such as Amazon Smile or Easy Fundraising is a great way to use services you may already be using: with a percentage of the price you pay coming back to St Mark’s.
Our PCC would love to hear from you if you have any thoughts for how we may save money, or indeed increase finaces into the church. Do speak to any of your PCC members, or email ‘enquiries@penningtonchurch.uk’ with your thoughts – we’d love to hear from you.
Our thanks to all for your support; our church is not a building, it’s the people within it who meet in a common love of Christ – and it’s together that we can move forward.
Daily Prayer
With St Thomas in Lymington, we continue to ‘pray for our nation, for its leaders, its health and essential services and all those who suffer’ this week at 9am on Zoom. Led by members of St Mark’s and St Thomas congregations, this now runs Monday through Friday.
Daily prayer is also taking place in St Thomas church from 9am on Saturdays
Coming together, we offer daily prayer for the situation in Ukraine.
Please do join them either by computer or phone:
- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
- Meeting ID: 895 2990 2640 Passcode: 2020
- Dial in from a landline phone: 0131 460 1196
St Mark’s Flower Decoration
If you would like to give flowers to commemorate an anniversary or other special day, or remember a relative or friend, please enter your name on the poster at the back of church against the date you would like your flowers to decorate the church and/or contact:- Lin Haley on 01590 677904
YouTube and Facebook
All our services can be found on our YouTube channel here. We also post details about or services and events on our Facebook page too, here.
Online Connection Information
Zoom Details
- Pennington Church General Zoom link:
- From a landline phone: 0203 481 5240 Meeting ID: 944 5816 8956 Passcode: 1839
- Parish Prayer Zoom Link:
- From a landline phone: 0203 481 5240 Meeting ID: 895 2990 2640 Passcode: 2020
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PenningtonChurch
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMarksChurchPennington