St Mary's Church
Fairford

Lent

Lent began on Ash Wednesday, 22nd February. Lent is the most solemn season of the Church’s year and a real opportunity to take stock of our spiritual life. See the Lent page to find out more information on our Prayer and Bible Study Initiatives this Lent.

Fairford Men’s Society

Members are invited to bring partner or guest. Ring Gary Cook (07762478130) if transport is required to and from the Lunch.

Mothers’ Union

At a meeting on 25th January it was decided that Fairford Mothers’ Union will share some of its meetings with the Lechlade branch for the foreseeable future. These include a talk ‘From Belfast to Lechlade’ on Wednesday 14th March at 2pm, and a Lent Lunch on Wednesday 23rd March at 12 noon, both to be held in the Memorial Hall, Lechlade. Anyone needing transport please contact one of the drivers named on the circulated list.

We shall, however, hold our own interdenominational Women’s World Day of Prayer service here at St Mary’s with the other Fairford churches on Friday 2nd March at 2.30pm. Please do come and join us as we pray with the women from Malaysia to ‘Let Justice Prevail’.

The new arrangements may take a little adjustment time, but let us do all we can to maintain the good work Fairford members have done over the years.

South Cotswold Team Retreat
21st– 23rd September 2012

Our retreat is taking place at Nympsfield again this year, a delightful Cotswold village between Tetbury and Stroud. We have been returning here for several years, as the accommodation and facilities are so good, and it is very near to us. We leave Fairford 4:00-5:00pm on the Friday and return after lunch on Sunday. We all have our own rooms; and the cost of all this with excellent home cooking is £96 for the weekend.

The retreat leader this year will be Brian Atkinson who will lead us in study of a Bible passage.

This year it will not be a silent retreat, but there will be opportunities to be quiet and reflective if desired.

If you would like to join us, please let me know as soon as possible.

Joanne Roberts, 01285 711386

Charity of the Month:
Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (MSAVLC).

Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (MSAVLC) was established in 1965 as the Medical Aid Committee for Vietnam, and has operated since 1980 with only volunteer helpers. The charity’s main aims are to provide aid for the relief of sickness, the promotion of good health and the advancement of medical research.

The emphasis is on support for grass-roots and primary health care projects, generally in response to specific requests. Our support meets a wide range of needs but mostly focused on children.

Current projects include:

• Support for organisations giving relief, medical care and education to vulnerable children including dump-scavengers and street-children
• Long-term and short-term medical care and support for paraplegics, quadriplegics, the blind and the deaf
• An on-going programme to train midwives to work in the remote mountainous areas of North Vietnam
• Provision of essential medical equipment for hospitals in deprived areas
• Provision of equipment and medical supplies, for centres which support deformed and handicapped children affected by chemical weapons used during the Vietnam War

MSAVLC is registered with the Charity Commission and administered by a small group of Trustees who make decisions on funding, and who regularly visit South-East Asia to monitor and evaluate the projects.

For more information write to Peter Lidgard, Honorary Secretary, 3 Horsefair Street, Charlton Kings, CHELTENHAM, GL53 8JF. Website: www.msavlc.co.uk

Previous Charity Fundraising

Monies collected from the south wall box for the January charity, Biblelands, amounted to £23.56 to which the PCC will add further amounts.

Bingo and Supper

B&B Enterprises proudly present yet another Good Night Out!

Friday 2 March
Fairford Community Centre
6.30-9.30
Ticket Price £10
to include meal and one book for each game played

Transport (there will be a charge) available if booked in advance. Entrance by advanced ticket sales only. Proceeds to St Mary’s Church, Fairford.

Church Watch 2011

In spite of the poor weather in January 2011 when there were few visitors the Stewards braved difficult road conditions and carried on as usual. The number of visitors picked up during the year and the steady increase since year-round stewarding started has been maintained. The summer flower festival added considerably to the increase – 645 visitors recorded for one week in August.

We are indebted to the Flower Ladies, whose beautiful displays bring in so many visitors and result in so many compliments. Thanks are also due to our loyal Stewards – some have served for many years. Visitors comment on the fact that we have Stewards to greet visitors and answer questions when the church is open and say how much this service is appreciated, as it is apparently becoming rare elsewhere. Inevitably some of our longer-serving Stewards have retired and they are increasingly difficult to replace – but we have managed it so far!

During the year, a training course was arranged for Stewards and others who were interested in learning more about the church and willing to become Guides to meet the increasing demand for guided tours. The role of the Stewards is to ensure the security of the church while it is open, to welcome visitors, answer questions, give advice on request and to be accessible to visitors as necessary. Stewards are asked for information and advice about a wide range of things – from how to arrange a christening to how to find a particular item in the church or churchyard last seen on a previous visit many years ago.

We welcome additional names for the Reserves List, which is used when the normal Steward is not available for duty, and many of our regular Stewards have started in this way. We thank our Stewards for their dedication and regular commitment and for turning out in all weathers – although the church is warmer than sometimes in the past it is still not great fun sitting alone in the church on a dark/cold winter afternoon with no visitors and longing for it to be time to go!

Messy Space, Sat 17th March

Family Crafts and Coffee Shop

2.00 – 4.00 p.m. Fairford Community Centre

This month’s theme: 'Colours'

Adults & children (recommended 4 yrs upwards). £2 per child - maximum £5 per family.
A project of Churches Together Around Fairford.

Café Church

Sunday 4th March and Sunday 1st April 4.00 to 5.30 pm in the United Church, Milton Street.

Please join us and meet friends, play games, talk about issues, hear stories, do crafts, have informal worship & food.

We welcome anyone –any age!

For more information contact Joanne Roberts on 01285 711386. Organised by Churches Together Around Fairford.

News February 2012
News January 2012
St Mary's News Round-Up 2011