NEWSPAGE - reports on recent events

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Welcome Rev Eric

On Sundays August 15th and 22nd St Peters welcomed Rev Eric Ashby as celebrant and preacher at the services. The Vicar and Heather were away on holiday. Rev Eric was a mainstay among the visiting clergy during the last interregnum, and is a very well-known and popular figure in the local communities. There was a special moment at the 9.30 am communion on the first Sunday, when Jackie Douglas-Kellie presented him with a bouquet and Zoe Burton, our curate, congratulated him and his wife Maureen on their golden wedding anniversary. It was amusing that for a while at the beginning of the service the induction loop sound system that helps the hard of hearing was switched off. But with Eric's forthright and booming delivery, it didn't matter a bit.

welcome to our new curate

July 4th was a day of celebration at St Peter's and not a Stars and Stripes in sight.

Instead of the usual 9.30 and 11 am services, the congregation attended Southwell Minster, where Zoe Burton was ordained deacon, with nine others, and licensed as curate at St Peter's by the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, Rt Rev Paul Butler. Though the service was long, the ceremonial and music were moving and impressive and the Communion beautifully organised and administered. In Ravenshead a welcome buffet lunch was given in the church hall for Revd Zoe, her family, friends and new fellow-parishioners. A fine cake had been made and was duly cut by our new curate.

At 6.30 pm in the church there was a Celebration of a New Ministry, when Mrs Burton made a declaration of assent and Keith Unwin, Marcia Leaver and Kathryn Browne presented her with a bible, prayer book and water vessel as signs of her ministry. Peter Rose, Church Warden, and Ron Walker, Cornwater Club chairman, welcomed her on behalf of the St Peter's Church family and the community of Ravenshead. The church choir accompanied by Leslie Green added to the occasion with a setting of Psalm 150 and some spirited leading of the hymns and songs.

Rev Chris Rattenberry preached the sermon and added his own personal welcome to Zoe and her husband Nigel. In her off-the-cuff response, our new curate thanked everyone for their "magnificent welcome, love and support" which "overwhelmed and humbled" her. "I'm conscious of the new weight of responsibility", she said. "My ministry has taken a new form, to work together in Ravenshead and to grow in our relationship with God."

Zoe completed her third and final year on the East Midlands Ministry Training Course at Nottingham University in June. She will work here for two days a week plus Sundays.

On Sunday 11th July, our new curate officiated at the 8 am Holy Communion, her first duty at St Peter's, when she preached the sermon and read one of the scripture passages. At the 9.30 Parish Communion Zoe preached again at slightlly greater length, relating the parable of The Good Samaritan with the start of her own ministry in Ravenshead.

golden camp

The annual St Peters camping weekend, July 16th to 18th, was held as last year at the Golden Valley caravan park near Ripley, Derbyshire. A motley array of caravans, campers and tents, plus a number of temporary visitors, made up the St Peters corral of about 75 people for the Saturday barbecue. The weekend weather delivered a fair amount of sunshine and there was no doubt of the success of this increasingly popular event.

All age service and parish picnic

Also on 11th July, the 11 am Family Service was held at Ravens Lodge, the Scout HQ: the vicar led and gave the address, Karen Turner read the scripture and led the prayers, Nikki Logan and Woolley performed a sketch, and the Worship Band, led by Jeremy Hill, provided excellent accompaniment to some lively hymns and worship songs.


Rev Chris invited everyone to join in an activity: illustrating the theme of being true to yourself - the self that God sees. Nikki gave the Power Pack children present colouring books in recognition of their good attendance. And after the service, around 60 St Peter's people enjoyed a Parish Picnic in the fields adjoining the Lodge. We welcomed an unexpected guest.

More on July 11th photos page

summer fair success

The summer fair has a history of success, but the 2010 event, possibly helped by the seasonably high temperatures, was a record. Vicar Chris commented: What a wonderful response from our community! Over 30 groups and organisations took part and more people than ever visited the event. Though the object is primarily a social one, this year it raised over GBP1600 for St Peter's Church funds.

A programme of performances was staged in the church building throughout the day. Among the groups to play, sing, act or dance were Ravenshead C of E and Abbey Gates primary schools, the Youth Theatre Group, St Peter's Church Choir, A J School of Dance, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, and Ravenshead Swing Band.

The sales stalls cover an equally wide range: books, home made sweets, gifts and cards, plants, and produce. Tombola, pick-a-straw and various raffles offered the chance of a flutter, and among the novelties were flower arranging, a bouncy castle, an ice cream van and face painting. To keep the kids additionally happy, there were plenty of children's outdoor games and even Rattle Rhyme Roll fun for babies and toddlers run by Ravenshead Library.

The information stands included Neighbourhood Watch, First Responders, Rotary Club Aquabox, Probus, Ravenshead ReadyCall, Longdale Nursery, Nottinghamshire Police, Ravenshead Community Transport, Welcome to Ravenshead Group, British Disabled Water Ski-ing, and the Patient Participation Group.

The Happy Scarecrow competition was one of the highlights, with weird effigies to be seen all round the village in front gardens, drives and forecourts. Scarecrow with Friends from Oz won the adult prize for Neil and Brenda Bowler, while Chloe and Daniel Whitmore were the junior winners with Happy Children on Bikes.

For the first time in several years, the team providing St Peter's bacon butties, traditionally a sell-out, managed to meet all the demand.

More on Summer Fair photos page

money matters

The Vicar writes: "The Promise Programme is over. Well done and thank you! These are difficult times in which to be asking people to give. There is considerable uncertainty around, we are in an economic recession and many of our Church family are on limited and/or fixed incomes. The Programme though has been successful and our target has been reached. It was an outstanding effort and we should now have the funding we need for the next three or four years.

Regular giving promises now total GBP80,246 per year, a significant increase for us. Against this, we must remember that the total cost for all the clergy in the diocese is shared between the parishes in proportion to their congregation and members. At St Peter's our annual contribution to the diocese is GBP70,000 and this will continue to increase. We also have to cover running expenses for the church and hall, the maintenance of buildings and the cost of worship and parish work.

Ravenshead has a strong community feel and the Parish Church is part of that. This has been a big help during the programme and we will look to build on this, continuing the work of mission, in the coming years."

From the PCC

Tony Machin reports on some of the topics discussed at the meeting on 8th July.

The Church's financial situation is healthy and new promises are coming in. (More information on the subject above.) Approximately GBP1640 was raised at the Summer Fair, with expenses only 148!

A Children's and Youth Worker is to be appointed. The plan was for a Job Description and Person Specification to be drawn up a shortlist agreed by 26th July with interviews taking place on 2nd August. More news on this to follow.

The Worship Committee have decided on the Autumn programme. Things to note are the bringing forward of the Harvest Festival to 26th September and the reinstatement of the Advent and Carol Service at the end of November. Marcel Leaver's licencing as Lay Reader will take place on 9th October and the Christmas Fair will be held on 27th November.

The situation with the planned St Peter's Community Centre is that there are no grants forthcoming, so the scheme is to be worked up by the architect and then mothballed pending more favourable financial circumstances.

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