October 2021
Welcome to our What's On page. Here you will see a list of activities that are going on within and across our three churches. If an item relates to a particular church, it will be indicated at the start as follows:
CTS: Christ The Servant, Digmoor
SMD: St Michael's Dalton
STM: St Thomas The Martyr, Up Holland
UP HOLLAND COMMUNITY HUB - HELP REQUIRED
The formal opening of the Up Holland Community Hub took place on Friday 30 April. The Hub involves the Post Office and Becket's Café at St Thomas The Martyr Parish Church, and the food bank at St Thomas The Martyr Primary School. Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the support - if you can help in any way, or would like to find out more, please email hubsecretary@uphollanddalton.org.uk
Sunday Worship
We wanted to let you know that our three churches are now open for Sunday services. Whilst restrictions have officially been lifted and there is no legal requirement to wear a mask, please feel free to do so if this makes you feel safer. Hand sanitiser is available in church. Peace is not shared physically, and only bread is given at Communion (no sharing of wine just yet).
As at the start of September, we have revised our Sunday service times to make them more accessible:
• Christ the Servant, Digmoor: Eucharist with hymns: 10.30am
• St Thomas the Martyr, Up Holland: Eucharist 9am & 10.30am
• St Michael & All Angels, Dalton 10.30am. From 26th Sept, Eucharist with hymns 9.30am, All Age Worship 10.30am.
There is a variety of weekday services taking place at each church, timings of which can be seen on our home page. We also have plans for cafe style services - watch this space for more information.
SMD All Age Worship at St Michael's, Dalton
We are excited to have launched an All Age Worship service at St. Michael's, Dalton on Sunday 26 September: 140 attended this first event, which was superb! This will be very child and family friendly, designed to make church more accessible and to welcome those new families whom have moved into the surrounding new estates. Services will be led by Rev'd Jack Shepherd, so you will be in for a fun time! More information to follow. The services will be run every fortnight until December, and weekly thereafter. Next service is Sunday 10 October, 10.30am.
Online Services
We shall also provide a live streamed service from our parish each Sunday. This will mainly be from St Thomas The Martyr, as we can share the words for the service on screen, along with the hymns and choir contribution. We shall occasionally broadcast from St Michael's Dalton once the All Age Worship services commence. Please note that there will be no live stream on Sunday 12 September as our technician is at a family wedding.
Funerals, Baptism and Weddings
These can now take place, following Covid guidance. Please use the forms in the above menu to make a request and contact the clergy. Baptisms and weddings are now booked until the end of this year, so please submit any requests for slots and discussions via the Contact Us page, or the links at the bottom of the Home page.
Morning & Evening Prayer
Prayers are said every day (except Sunday) via Zoom at 9am for Morning Prayer and 6pm for Evening Prayer. Mail Rev'd Paul Lock at Paul.uph.dal@outlook.com for the Zoom link.
CTS & STM Cafe Church
A cafe church is being planned for all our churches, where you can sit, drink tea / coffee, eat cake, and relax in the presence of Gid and your friends. This will be a very informal form of worship, and a welcoming one to bring friends to. the next sessions are:
Sunday 10 Oct 4.30pm at Christ The Servant
Sunday 17 Oct 5pm St Thomas The Martyr.
Parish Vision and Planning Day: Saturday 13 November
Bishop Paul has asked us to think and plan carefully to enable our churches to reach out in mission at all levels. We are having a day to think, pray and plan on this day from 9am to 3pm. All welcome Please come and be part of this important time. It will be held at St Michael's, Dalton.
Panto is back...oh yes it is!
2022 will see the return of the CTS pants, but this time bigger and better! Lots of helpers are needed - actors on stage, including chorus members, making costumes, back stage, welcoming...and lots more! This is a great way to meet new people and engage with those from the wider community. Auditions start Sunday 17 October 2pm at CTS, then weekly rehearsals follow. Contact Paul Givens (paulgivens68@outlook.com) for more information.
MONEY COUNTING
We are making arrangements so that all collections and money paid to the churches and parish can be counted and banked centrally. We need people from all three churches to volunteer to do this (one day on the week), at the moment planned for Tuesday morning. Please speak to a churchwarden if you would willing to help out.
FOOD BANK
Please leave donations in any of our churches and they will be sent to a local food bank where food and other items (e.g. toiletries) are desperately needed. Please be as generous as you can in these challenging times. Weekend supplies can be found from 10am onwards at St Thomas The Martyr church, with a donations tin available for those whom are able to contribute. These donations allow the Food Bank volunteers to buy goods that are not donated by stores, e.g. toiletries, nappies.
BIBLE STUDY
Every Thursday, 7.30pm via Zoom. All welcome. Please email Rev'd Paul Lock for the meeting number and password. Each session is stand alone, so please come if you missed the last one. At the moment, we are looking at readings for the following Sunday.
PARISH MAGAZINE
We have set up a separate page for our Parish Magazine. Go to the page here or via the menu button. September's edition is now available.
NEWSLETTER
You can catch up with all the latest news by visiting the Newsletter page. You can see the current Notices and the service sheet for the last Sunday service, the recording of which can be viewed on the Services page.
CHURCH BUILDINGS
Our three churches, like others across the country, are operating under restrictions. Please keep an eye on this page for updates, and for Paul's regular newsletter. See the top of this page for current details.