An update for the Third Sunday in Advent

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
  • 10:30am-12 – 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

Upcoming services through Advent to Christmas Day

Can you believe we’re nearly at the end of 2022? What a year it’s been and as we race through December, here’s what is coming up at St Mark’s in our services…

  • 11th December, 10am – Morning Praise for the Third Sunday of Advent, with guest speaker from the charity “New Forest for Ukraine”
  • 18th December, 6pm – Carols by Candlelight service (note there is no 10am service this day)
  • 24th December, 4:30pm – Christingle Service for Christmas Eve
  • 24th December, 8pm – Christmas Eve Communion
  • 25th December, 10am – Communion for Christmas Day (note there is no 8am service this day)

Christmas Day Lunch, St Thomas Church

Our friends at St Thomas are hosting a Christmas lunch for those who may otherwise be alone on the 25th December. If you know, or are interested to attend, do please contact Nigel Lang via email (ngwlang104@gmail.com) with the names and addresses of anyone who would otherwise be on their own and would appreciate an invitation to this special event.

St Marks Church Christmas organ repair

Can you please help to ensure our organ can be played at Christmas? Our organ blower recently broke down and needs repairing – at a cost of at least £1,400. Without the blower it’s very difficult to work the organ so all donations large or small welcome towards the cost.

, or speak with Teresa if you are able to donate directly!

Donations for Ukraine

Supporting this year the locala charity New Forest for Ukraine, please find a box at the back of church for donations of food, bedding, baby supplies, pet supplies, medical supplies and so forth to support Ukrainian refugees. See Shirley for more details (01590 677628).

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

The St Mark’s PCC recently met with Debbie, the acting Bishop of Winchester regarding the next steps in interegnum for St Mark’s. Within this meeting, we discussed the challenges that face both ourselves, but also our neighbours St Thomas in Lymington.

Lymington will be appointing their incumbant initially with the intention to appoint for St Mark’s following. The intention here being to ensure complementary skill sets across both parishes. St Mark’s have been in suspension (having a ‘priest in charge’) for over a decade, due to a desire from the diocese to see closer ties between St Mark’s and St Thomas’s – with this roadmap for moving out of intergnum in both parishes potentially helping a closer knit between our churches.

During these early days, our church wardens along with St Thomas church wardens are meeting regularly with the area dean. Combined events with St Thomas’s, including prayer groups, and messy church are already seeing combined success across our churches. Our PCC is also engaging with Christians together, Lymington and Pennington – helping our name be known across the wider Christian community.

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.

Monday study group

Our Monday group continues on Monday via Zoom at 10.30am, moving on now to look at Mary – If you would like to join the group, do please contact Jane (enquiries@penningtonchurch.uk) and she will be happy to give you more information on our studies.

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

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