Dear friends,

This email is coming to you early again this week as we have the military show this weekend at which we are running the Coffee/tea and cake stall – an enormous thank you to Norman Ede for masterminding this and Leigh Smith for overseeing all the cake baking. I know many of you have volunteered to help so I look forward to seeing you all there. The weather forecast looks reasonable and not too hot.

This week, as it’s such a busy weekend we have the following service:
10.30am Parish Service Capel
3-5pm Church teas Ockley

For those who would like a quieter afternoon on Sunday we are doing church teas at Ockley away from the noise and razzmatazz of the military show – do come and support them, enjoy splendid cake and good company.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped at last weekend’s Vicarage fete we have raised £2,374 for our local schools. That is such a wonderful achievement particularly as the economic climate is so difficult a the moment. I personally would like to thank, Suzanne Cole, Helen Burt, Gill Christie, Jessie Sutcliffe and Joy Harman (who made all the cakes even though she was going away before the day). These events take a lot of organisation and these ladies were there helping from day one.

Lastly, our photo of the week is the newly erected church tea tent at the Military Show.

With love and prayers

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com <mailto:debbievonbergen@icloud.com>
07774 784008

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‘The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your hands’.  Psalm 138.8

How true this is for us all currently  … we certainly are not abandoning the works of our hands!  There are so many lovely local events that we are taking part in!  News in this issue of the recent Vicarage Fete, our participation with refreshments at the Capel Military Show and of course the upcoming Capel Classic Car & Flower Show, plus all the regular features.

Enjoy July!

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Dear Friends,

This email comes to you a day earlier than normal as we have our vicarage fete tomorrow afternoon. Do come along to see all the action if you can I can guarantee a warm welcome and lots of fun things to buy and eat. We have deliberately kept prices low this year as we are all ‘feeling the pinch’, so burgers will be £2.50 and hot dogs £2.00, all tea and cake will be sold for donations.

This Sunday sees St John the Baptist celebrate its patronal festival and so there are different readings from the once published by the Church of England. Ockley will still be using the normal readings. I have attached both to this email. The services are as follows:

9.30am Matins Ockley
10.30am Family Communion Capel
The 10.30 service will be taken by Rev Jo Elvidge as Rev Liz is having a short holiday.

Looking forward to next weekend and we are again out in force supplying coffee/tea and cake to the Military Show. If anyone can help set up the marquee on Thursday 30 June from 10-12 we would very much appreciate your assistance. Please reply to this email if you are available. Thank you to everyone who has been baking cakes and have offered to help over the weekend. I shall be emailing all volunteers shortly.

Lastly, our photo of the week is a ‘before’ picture of the vicarage garden looking resplendent with its gazebos ready for tomorrow.

With love and prayers

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com
07774 784008

Readings-26.06.22.docx

Readings-26.06.22.pdf

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Dear friends,

Well, the last couple of days have certainly been the hottest this year so far, I do hope you’ve managed to find some shade to sit in. We spent a lovely day yesterday with the littlest grandchild sitting in the shade whilst she played in a makeshift paddling pool – we all stayed cool and she had a great time.

This week’s services are as follows:

9.30am Matins Ockley
10.30am Family Communion Capel
3-5pm Church teas Capel

Do come and celebrate father’s day with us – most Dads love a piece of cake!

The Vicarage fete is now just one week away and all our preparations are falling into place. You have all been so kind with your donations so I just have one last request: the bottle tombola could still do with some more bottles, in this regard anything goes so wine is lovely but it could just as easily be squash, bubble bath, or tomato ketchup – anything in a bottle counts! Please leave any donations in the boxes in our churches.

We also hope that some of you will come to the fete next week and bring your families, there will be lots for children to do, but we also have some great stalls for the adults, a delicious BBQ with burgers at only £2.50 and hot dogs £2 and tea and cakes for donations. Entry is only £1, I have attached a flier – we look forward to seeing you there.

Looking forward to the following week we are running the coffee/tea and cake stall at the military show, Leigh is still looking for cake bakers so please contact her on 07732 825908 if you can help. We are also asking for 8-10 helpers to join us on Thursday 28 June between 10 and 1pm to put up the marquee and decorate it. Please sign the sheet in church.

Thank you for all your help.

Lastly, this weeks photo of the week is the beautiful display outside the Crown pub in Capel – thank you Vanda and Vicki for making it look so lovely

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com
07774 784008

Readings-19.06.22.pdf

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Dear Friends

“For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.” Christmas 2014

Words spoken by our Queen in one of her annual Christmas broadcasts. What a wonderful statement of belief this is. Do you know where I first heard this? It was at our local church school Scott Broadwood’s Value Assemblies which I was observing, both in my role as a school governor and parish priest just a few days ago. What a privilege it is to be able to join the children as I do on a regular basis for assemblies. However you go into school feeling – maybe stressed or tired – just being in the childrens’ company for a few minutes lifts your heart and mind. They have an amazing energy which cuts through the everyday cares of our world. In fact I would describe them as an inspiration and of course their wonderful teachers. The school goes from strength to strength with a record number of families choosing Scott Broadwood as their first choice for Reception Class next year. As the school prepares to join the Good Shepherd Trust we do so in very good shape which is very welcome news.

There are many wonderful quotations around at the moment by the Queen as several have been collated to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee. As a Christian and head of The Church of England, Queen Elizabeth has made no secret of her faith and is a practicing Christian. These words above demonstrate just how much her faith means to her in day to day practical terms as she has reigned so faithfully and without complaint, often in very difficult circumstances, for these past 70 years. I think most of you will agree with me that the Queen herself is for us an inspiration and an anchor and we pray that we may be blessed by a few more years to come! Yet as Christians we acknowledge that though she is a great Queen, there is one greater than even Her Majesty, as we together turn to this Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. In our troubled times it is easy to forget that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and how we are called to pray for peace in our world.

We will be giving thanks to God for our Queen’s long reign at two special services on the 5th June, where we will be hearing more wonderful words and quotations. The first service will be at Ockley on the Green near the Cricket Pavilion, held outside in the marquee at 9.30am. Coffee and croissants are available before and after the service. At Capel the service will be held at our usual time of 10.30am where we will join together in words and songs of celebration and praise. Our churches will be decorated to mark the jubilee which will no doubt be glorious and I hope both services will attract many to come and metaphorically raise the roof in worship!

On this same day we also celebrate something else truly magnificent; also an inspiration and an anchor; and that is the day that God’s Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit is the same Spirit that sustained, led, guided and inspired Jesus’ apostles as the church was born that day. The same Spirit that inspires and anchors Queen Elizabeth in her life and reign today. The same Spirit that inspires and anchors us in our lives today. The same Spirit that is inspiring and energising our children today – these children who are our future.

We are also looking forward this month to welcoming the community back to the Vicarage Garden for the fete after a two year break. A fairground organ is promised to grace our front lawn amongst lots of other lovely stalls and games to raise money for all our local schools. The Vicarage Fete is always held the Saturday nearest to the date of the birth of our church’s patron saint St John the Baptist and we will be celebrating his birth at church the next day. So much to look forward to this month, to give thanks to God for and lots of opportunities to get together. I hope you are able to join in the various celebrations whether that is with others or in different ways. Whichever you choose remember that we are here for you and if you need company or assistance in any way now or in the future your churches are always here to serve you in Jesus’ wonderful name.

With my love and prayers as ever

Rev Liz