Harvest! This Sunday, join us in person for our All Age Harvest Service at 10am at St James, or, also at 10am, our Harvest Songs of Praise Service will be broadcast on the radio by our friends at Castledown FM. We look forward to thanking God for His generous gifts to us, in all their forms!
🌽🥦🥫🍎🍐🫑🍆Harvest festival is nearly here! As usual we welcome harvest offerings of food which will be gathered in church and then taken to the food bank after the weekend. At harvest, the food bank welcomes all produce, fresh fruit and vegetables as well as the usual longer life items, so we will be delighted to receive a wide range of beautiful offerings. If you want to bring something to offer, you can place it in front of the nave alter anytime from now until Monday. The church is open every day, but with the added bonus of the flower festival displays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Or bring your offering along to the service on Sunday at 10am. Thank you! 🍎🍐🍊🍇🍅🍑🍆🫑🧅🌽🥦🧅🥫🥖
Three beautiful new benches now adorn our churchyard, donated by members of our community in memory of dearly missed family members. Last week, Nigel, Terry, John and Mike undertook the final task of adding the anchors to secure them in place. Thank you to the families who donated them and our volunteers for doing this work. The benches continue our efforts to make our churchyard hospitable as a place to sit and enjoy some peace or some company, a place for prayer and enjoyment of this space. ☀️
We are excited about the coming weekend: Friday 24th, Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th September, 10.00am to 5.00pm each day!
🌼🌸🌺FLOWER FESTIVAL – Harvest around the World.🌺🌸🌼
We are really excited that we are able to hold a Flower Festival, and as we are tying it in with Harvest Festival, we’ve called it ‘Harvest Around The World’.
BUT……IT’S NOT ONLY A FLOWER FESTIVAL……… as restrictions have eased, there is the opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a delicious piece of cake, in good company. There will be a raffle and a bric a brac stall full of bargains!
So why not visit the Church Hall after you have had a good look at the flowers and exhibits in the Church? See you there!
Tomorrow, all are welcome to join us at our first back-inside-the-church Sunday communion service, at our usual time of 10am. Children’s Church is also on, gathering in church before heading out for our activities.
The radio service will be available at 10am also, broadcast by our friends at Castledown FM.
However you choose to worship, we wish you a very happy Sunday!
🥾🥾🥾🚴🏼🚴🏼🚴🏼Ride+Stride Update🥾🥾🥾🚴🏼🚴🏼🚴🏼
Following the change to the flu jabs now back on for the 11th Sept the Ride and Stride Walk will be on the 18th Sept leaving St James at 10am. The walk was scouted out this week and it is approximately 5 miles. The terrain various from paths, tank track, fields and grass. We think it will take us about 3 hours including a stop at Holy Trinity on the way. Please bring stout shoes/boots, long trousers, and a water bottle. A walking pole is always useful if you have one, and if it is a nice day on the 18th, please bring a picnic lunch as the Mortuary Chapel is in a beautiful spot and we will arrive there at about lunchtime. All are welcome to join in!
Transport back from the Chapel has been arranged for all participants. If you want to walk back to Ludgershall, it’s about another 3.5 miles and mostly up hill to start with! Walking home would be at your own responsibility.
If you would like to sponsor our walk, or Tim’s Deanery cycle, you can do so online here: https://pay.collctiv.com/ridenstride-62553 Thank you! 🥾🥾🥾
We are delighted to let you all know that this Sunday we will be holding our in person service inside our beautiful church building for the first time in more than a year. A specially tailored service has been prepared for this significant day for our congregation and all are welcome! The service will start inside the church at 10am.
Also at 10am, our radio service continues to be brought to you by our friends at Castledown FM for those who prefer. There is a service sheet here for responses and hymns so you can sing along where you are: https://stjamesludgershall.com/service-sheets/
However you choose to join our worship, please consider supporting our church financially with an offering. This can be done online here: https://stjamesludgershall.com/donations/
Lots of folk have asked us about what practical things can be done with regard the situation in Afghanistan, and for the new arrivals in the UK. We have now received this link: https://www.afghanwelcome.org/home, and information on the images below, concerning donations of clothes, money and the accommodation needs for refugees. Our church continues to be open daily for prayer. The votive candle stand and words of prayer are in the Brydges Chapel in front of the Hope and Glory Window.
A little advance notice about Ride+Stride: This year, our community at St James will be doing two separate efforts.
1) cycling: Rev’d Tim plans to cycle a route taking in as many churches in our Deanery of Stonehenge as he can on Saturday 11th September, and invites any keen cyclists to join him. More detail to follow on his intended setting off time from St James.
2) walking: we plan to walk from St James, over to Holy Trinity, and then along the road to visit the chapel in South Tidworth and then back again over the hill via the scenic route. This will happen on Saturday 18th September, one week after the official Ride+Stride date because locally we have the flu vaccination drive happening on the 11th, and a lot of our keen walkers will be going to that then. However, we have arranged for the churches on our walking route to open for us on our revised date of the 18th. Again, our setting off time is to be confirmed. The more the merrier-all welcome!
Please sponsor our efforts! The money is split equally between church ministry and the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust. You can donate online here: https://pay.collctiv.com/ridenstride-62553 All donations gratefully received.
Each day at 4pm we are holding a short time of prayer concerning the ongoing situation in Afganistan. All are welcome to join us, or to come at anytime as our church is open daily, perhaps light a candle at the votive candle stand, and pray. There are some words provided in the chapel to lead you into prayer, for anyone to use. As well as praying for the many facets of the situation, we are also responding to a prayer request from the Church in Afganistan to join them in praying for themselves and for their country.
Lord, have mercy.
