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
- 10:15-10:30 – Morning Prayer at St Mark’s Church
- 10:30-11am – Coffee at St Mark’s Church
Thursdays
- 9-9:30am Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 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
PCC Update
As the new church year comes around, we’d like to update you as to who your PCC representatives are. Teresa Nivison, standing committee, church warden, treasurer and PCC vice chair; Eve Jolly, standing committee, church warden, health and safety officer and safeguarding officer; Rebecca Rickaby, standing committee, PCC secretary, electoral roll officer, Deanery Synod and Pastoral team; Paul Young, standing committee, Data Protection officer; Sue Beech; Shirley Saunders (Deanery Synod), Sharon Lloyd; Jane Nicholson; Christine Scott. Supporting the PCC is John Nivison, Gift Aid secretary.
Parish Profile
As part of the journey to welcoming a new Associate Minister at St Mark’s, the PCC have confirmed a draft for our profile – a short document that serves as a guide for prospective candidates. This has been shared now with the diocese and once approved will be made available on our website too.
Summer Fair
The date for the next St Mark’s Summer Fair is planned for the 5th August, so please make a note in your diaries! Further details to come in the coming weeks, but if you’re able to help in any way, do let any of the PCC know.
One idea that is confirmed is a children fancy dress competition! Prizes for the best dressed and most original costume.
Choralia: A Choral Rhapsody
A summer concert at St Mary Magdalene Church, New Milton on Saturday 24th June from 7pm! Featuring music from Faure Requiem, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Summertime and Karl Jenkins’ ‘Ave Maria’. Tickets online from www.ticketsource.co.uk/choralia-milford, the Oxfam shop in New Milton, the Milford on Sea community Centre – and from our director of music and organist, Leigh here at St Marks!
Pirates of Pennington
August 9th and 23rd and free entry at St Mark’s Community Hall! For ages 3+, drop-in for 11am to 12:30pm. St Barbes Museum have shipped out to Pennington, bringing pirate themed crafts and hands-on activities. Different ‘yo ho ho’ activities each week; please see their website for more details. www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk / 01590676969 / learning@stbarbe-museum.org.uk
Coming out of COVID – Holy Communion and the common cup
In early 2020, COVID19 hit the UK and changed how we conducted our daily lives. Following lockdowns, we implemented changes to how we conduct in building services, in an aim to keep all in our church buildings safer: one such change was to remove the common cup during Communion – the priest intincting the wafer in wine instead. Restrictions implemented following COVID have now been largely removed and the Church of England’s guidance regarding the common cup has now also been updated. Their guidance encourages for churches who have not returned to Communion with the common cup to consider returning to this practice now.
Where communicants for particular personal reasons do not wish to receive Communion in both kinds (the wafer and the wine), the Church’s teaching has always been an inherited theological understanding that to receive the consecrated bread alone is to receive Christ in all his sacramental fullness. Therefore please feel under no obligation to receive Communion in both ways, should you have any concerns in sharing from the common cup – simply receiving the wafer alone is absolutely fine.
During lockdown and the subsequent relaxation of restrictions following there was one upside through respecting social distancing, the need for good hand hygiene and the need to keep away when unwell. You may have heard others reporting – or noticed yourself – that the seasonal coughs and colds in winter 2020 / 21 were not as prevalent as in previous years. Although the requirement to self isolate due to COVID is no longer mandatory, we would ask members of our church family to join the service online from home, if unwell: this can help prevent the spread of infectious illnesses from COVID to the common cold.
Ecochurch Recycling
We are pleased to say that medical blister pill packs are now being collected again together with foil (please flatten), printer ink cartridges, water filter cartridges, used pens, batteries and milk bottle tops.
Collection boxes for the Children’s Society
If you would like to donate to the work of the Children’s Society through the year, collection boxes for you to add your pennies to through the year are now available at St Mark’s! Please speak with Dorothy at our 10am services, or Paul or Eve at the 8am!
Community Hub at Community Hall
Citizens Advice Outreach available for advice. Step Up Safe Space for clothes & toy swap.
Other services will be added based on your feedback of what would help your community.
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