News Archive - 2006

25 Dec 06:  Have a very joyous Christmas and a peaceful new year.

17 Dec 06:  We're definitely into Christmas mode now.  Last Sunday's Christingle service raised £382 for Tearfund, but did not raze the church to the ground (always a worry with 300 lit candles).  Today has the Zone Nativity and the Carol Service (candle-lit again).  If you'd like to find out more about why the birth of Christ is worth celebrating then why not try the Alpha Course in the new year.

27 Nov 06:  The Bishop of Sherwood, Tony Porter, joined VIPs and pupils from Nottingham Emmanuel School today at the 'ground-breaking' ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new school buildings.  Emmanuel is in our parish and many members of the church family are involved with the school, including David as school chaplain.

25 Nov 06:  The latest Quiz Night went well with teams having to dig winning facts out of the dark recesses of their memories.  The competitive spirit led to some firm (but fair) rulings from the judges and a keen contest.

18 Nov 06:  With 40 cars and one minibus washed and generally spruced up on Saturday morning (while the owners enjoyed a coffee in the much warmer conditions inside the church hall), the Men's Breakfast team are now £215 on their way towards sending a cow to a family in Africa.  Other fund-raising ideas are being thought up to see how near they can get to the £750 target by Christmas.  (Anyone can make a donation through the church office by the way - you don't have to own a car!).

4 Nov 06:  Saturday's Fair Trade Sale was both well supported and record breaking.  Over £3,300 was generated for fairly traded Traid Craft and TearFund produce, clothes, jewellery and other goods.  The café did a roaring trade too.  Pixie and Lindsey send their thanks to everyone who turned out for the sale and the fashion parade.

Oct 06:  A huge thank you for your generosity throughout October.  Your support of the Macmillan Big Coffee Morning held at South Wilford School raised £312.  In addition, the harvest money boxes from the school, added to the Harvest Sunday collection have raised nearly £1,000 for Tearfund projects in Bolivia.

7/8 Oct 06:  During Saturday's enjoyable, shared Harvest Supper and in Sunday's parade service we looked at the work of the Tearfund Glorious Food campaign in Bolivia.  The collection and also the contribution from the South Wilford School's harvest service will go to help fund greenhouses and health programmes for poor villages where the inhabitants have very meagre diets.

1 Oct 06: At 5.30 pm today, over sixty exhausted teenagers (and twenty even more exhausted adult helpers) returned from the Youth Weekend Away at Dyke House near Ledbury.  Although the weather had been wet, it didn't stop the worship and group sessions, 'Hunt the Leader' in Hereford, the banquet, the gameshow or the 'bonfire reflection'. There was great food throughout and, most importantly, chance to develop relationships with God and each other.

17 Sept 06:  This morning's holiday Club "Great Gold Rush" reunion service at South Wilford School saw many of the children who enjoyed themselves in July come along with their parents to celebrate the good times they'd had - and to look forward to the next few months.  The Zone starts a new term next Sunday and Youth Housegroup is back on Tuesday.  Have fun.

5 Sept 06: Well, the holidays are over.  The vicar is back, the children are (nearly) in school, the church office is open again and the first of a new season of committee meetings is today.  But it's time for you to do something too.  Get Year 7 and older children signed up for the Youth Weekend Away and sign yourself and the whole family up for the Church Weekend Away.  Then start thinking about joining one of the new housegroups that will begin in October.

27 July 06:  Another great holiday club day.  It started with loads of children arriving in wild west costumes for dressing up day.  It included a visit from Bishop George Cassidy (no relation to Butch!), all the regular fun and games - and even a jigging granny.  It ended with the community BBQ at which parents had a taste of what their children have been doing all week.

24 July 06:  It's begun.  The Great Gold Rush of 2006 is underway in glorious sunshine.  Over 300 children enjoyed a day of fun and games, crafts and sport, praise songs and Bible stories - and they're back for more tomorrow.  Why not come along, pick up a daily newsletter and enjoy a drink at our (Fair) Trading Post and Cafe.

21 July 06:  The marquees are up on the paddock, the paint is nearly dry on the scenery and the building phase of the Wilford Church Holiday Club is well under way.  For the next ten days the site will be occupied by our dedicated team of security volunteers at night and by 400 children and helpers during the day.

9 July 06:  South Wilford Primary School joined us in church to celebrate their Founder's Day, followed by a picnic on the paddock.  The Holiday Club resource list is also out - can you help?

1/2 July 06:  On Saturday our curate Ruth Bushyager was ordained as a priest at a special service in Southwell Minster.  On Sunday we celebrated this as Ruth celebrated her first (impeccably done!) communion.  Congratulations Ruth.

25 June 06:  As preparations accelerate for the summer's Holiday Club, from today the registration forms are also available for the Church Weekend Away to Scarborough from 23 to 25 February 2007.  Contact Krista Millett if you want more information or to join the savings scheme.

17 June 06:  A working party met to start the planned improvements around the church hall.  A new drain was fitted to stop the car park flooding - we now need a torrential downpour to test it out.  The decorating also started and will continue over the next two Saturdays.  Please come along if you can help out.

4 June 06:  Application forms for this summer's holiday club "The Great Gold Rush" are available in church from today.  You can also get one from South Wilford School after Monday 5 June.  Remember to pick up the right form for your child's current school year.

14 May 06:  New churchwarden Mike Penney and his wife Janet celebrated the baptism of their daughter Hannah with the rest of the Wilford Church family today.  After the service we joined them and their other daughter Laura in polishing off the christening cake!

9 Apr 06:  A day of good news and bad news.  The bad is that the church boiler has now completely died and will need replacing (or we're going to freeze!).  The good is that a well-attended Annual Review heard about a significant increase in giving after Pledge Sunday, that Eddie Mason and Mike Penney are elected as church wardens, that Amy Periam and Alison Place have joined the church council - and that our new Parish Development Plan has been launched, setting out our shared vision for Wilford Church to 2010.

26 Mar 06:  A full church of family and friends supported twenty two of the Wilford congregation as they were confirmed today by Bishop George.  This is the first of a series of busy Sundays over the next few weeks - with our financial 'Pledge Sunday' plus the church family photograph on 2 April, followed by the annual review, parish meeting and shared lunch on 9 April.  Then it's Easter!

18 Mar 06:  The call has gone out for volunteers for next Saturday, 25 March, to work on the Paddock improvements.  Starting at 8:30, we need people to prepare the soil for seeding, to 'plant' the perimeter fence posts and to make sustaining tea.  Contact Simon Massarella for details.

5 Mar 06:  Lindsey and Pixie thanked everyone for making yesterday's Fairtrade Sale possible ... and for it being such a success.  A total of £1,800 was raised, which includes a donation to the church hall funds to help with the disabled access project.  Your continuing support for Fairtrade does make a real difference.

12 Feb 06:  Alison Fletcher paid us a visit, spoke at the morning service, shared lunch and shared her inspirational experience of working for three years as a physiotherapist in Uganda.  Alison is with the Church Mission Society and we sponsor her work at the Christian Kiwoko hospital (pronounced Chiwoko by the way).  After a short period in the UK, Alison returns to Uganda later in the year.

22 Jan 06:  The Summer Holiday Club dates are announced, so now you can keep 24-30 July free in your diaries.  To join "The Great Gold Rush" as a helper you need to pick up a Helper's Application Form and return it to the Church Office by the end of February.  Only those helpers who have returned a completed form can be accepted so don't delay.

12 Jan 06:  Two new initiatives get underway this week.  On Tuesday the church council started reviewing the results of the 'Sharpening the Focus' groups in order to develop the new Parish Development Plan - more on that soon.  Today marks the start of our Alpha Course, giving you the chance to explore Christianity and to ask the questions you've always wanted to ask.

30 Dec 05:  Bad weather (and creaky limbs) led to the cancellation of the Dads v Kids football match - a new fixture will be set up some time soon.

18 Dec 05:  The Zone collections over the last term have enabled the children to send a bicycle to Africa, so that a doctor or nurse can travel to meet patients.  The Men's Breakfast group stumped up enough money to send two oxen and two kids (the goat variety) to African families through the 'Send a Cow' scheme.

11 Dec 05:  The first of the Christmas service is enjoyed by everyone - and nothing is set alight other than the Christingle candles!  A wonderful total of £341.60 is raised for the Tearfund appeal.

4 Dec 05:  Christmas preparations are underway.  The Nativity rehearsals have started, the leaflets are ready for delivery to every house in the parish and the time is set for decorating the church (which is Saturday 10 December from 9am to 12 noon).

18 Nov 05:  The Men's Breakfast group enjoyed its first outing this morning with a visit to the transport caff next to the BP garage.  But no-one had the courage to try the full "Trucker" breakfast, which seems to come on a plate the size of a dustbin lid with a separate bucket for the tea.

13 Nov 05:  Today's Remembrance Parade Service with the local uniformed groups raised over £300 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.