St Nicholas Southfleet

Church Wardens' Messages

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter March 2024

Dear Friends.

I would like to start by letting you all know of the joyous arrival of Alexander Jessie Benjamin Nevell on 13th March. Congratulations to Charlie and Simeon!

Simeon is therefore on paternity leave and holiday until 14th April. All services are being led by our very obliging team of “stand ins”, to whom we are most grateful. The only change to note is that the Easter Day family Communion service will be at 11.00, to enable the Ven. Andy Wooding Jones to dash between the services (8.00 at St. Nicholas, 9,30m at St. Barnabas then back to St. Nicholas for 11.00). Please do come and celebrate Christ’s resurrection with us!

There will be a joint Maundy Thursday service including the symbolic washing of feet at St. Nicholas church at 7.00 pm. On Good Friday, the worship will be held at 3pm at St. Barnabas.

We are continuing to hold a children’s activity time on the first Sunday in each month, and will again have a summer holiday children’s activity day. In addition, there will be something special for the youngsters during part of the Easter day service.

The Confirmation Service was held on 24th. It was a lovely service followed by a sumptuous tea. Adele and Josh are to be congratulated as they were confirmed by Bishop Simon.

The churchyard looks amazing, as usual, at this time of year. Our thanks as always, to the faithful team of gardeners. Do try to have a wander around!

The elderly piano in church has reached the stage when it is no longer possible to tune it adequately. Fortuitously, we have been offered a baby grand piano to replace it. However, this is expensive to transport and rebuild (in the region of £500), and we would like to invite donations to help cover this cost, please, if you feel able! We thank God for His timely provision! We do however plan to keep and display the lid of the old piano as it bears the evidence of a hit by an incendiary device in the second World War.

We are reviewing the Pastoral Care side of our church life. If you are aware of anyone in need of such ministry, please let me know. For the moment, we envisage that this will take the form of telephone calls by a member of the PCC, but we may be able to expand the support in the future.

Our APCM is on 5th May at 11.45, in church.

Blessings Sue


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter January 2024

Dear Friends

We are just about in time to wish you all a Happy New Year!

The Christmas season is but a distant memory. We held our annual St. Nicholas Day celebration at the beginning of December assisted by the children from Sedley’s school. Many people donated new toys that were then passed on to the Salvation Army who directed them to agencies in the area who could give them to the neediest children in the area. They were very grateful for our generosity. The Candlelight Carol service was well attended and provided a lovely, atmospheric service looking forward to the celebration of Christ’s birth, followed by mulled wine and mince pies – also much enjoyed! The Almost Midnight service at St. Nicholas and the Christmas Day service held at St. Barnabas were also offered as usual.

We joined with St. Barnabas on 31st December for a joint service including breakfast, but it was noted that many people were away visiting their families meaning that the attendance was a little disappointing. Then there was our Christingle service which again wasn’t too well attended as the children from Sedley’s were not back at school. We were able to give all who attended a Christingle orange, which was appreciated by adults who had never had one of their own!

Following feedback within the community, we discussed how we can make the Church more accessible to casual visitors. We acknowledge the difficulties of not having a Priest resident and visible in the parish. Simeon obviously has great pressures on his time as he’s now serving two parishes. The members of the PCC are committed to supporting him by providing assistance where needed. We there would therefore like to highlight that the Church is open every Tuesday from 9.00 – 12.00 and on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. All are welcome to visit the Church at these times and there will always be a member of the PCC present to whom you can talk, ask advice from or be directed to someone to assist. Tea or coffee will also be available at these times. We hope that this might be widely advertised and that the whole parish appreciates that we will be working as a team to provide pastoral support.

On an administrative note, we would like to work out as accurately as possible how many folk watch the service regularly on line. Please drop me a line if this is what you do, giving an idea if it is regularly or occasionally, and if you know of anyone else who follows our worship in this way. Thanks for your help in this!

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

We’re very pleased to let you know that this will resume from February. On the first Sunday of every month only, during the service, there will be a separate meeting for the children to join with Bible based stories, activities and art work. We hope, in time, that this may increase in frequency and the number of youngsters that are able to attend.

   

The next event of importance will be on Sunday 25th February at 4pm when St. Nicks is hosting the deanery Confirmation service. This is to be followed by refreshments in the village hall. We have 2 candidates and all are invited to come to support them. We will also be hosting the other churches from the deanery as there will be several others confirmed too. We would be most grateful for offers of cakes to serve at the reception. Please contact me (Sue) if you can provide something (by 4th February as we have a meeting then to plan the day).

As you know, Simeon and Charlie are due to welcome their new baby, probably early in March so there will be some changes to the leaders of the services, but all services should be as normal until Easter. It is likely that there will be some joint services as usual and occasionally service times may have to change. We will, of course publish these changes as soon as we can, but do check on line if you’re not sure, please.

Unfortunately. we have also had to change the date of the APCM too in order to ensure that Simeon will be available. Please note that it will now be held on Sunday 5th May 2024 at 12.00 after our 10.30 morning worship.



Blessings,


Simeon and Sue 



St. Nicholas Church Newsletter November 2023


Dear Friends,

 

As we’re nearing the Christmas Season we’re looking forward to our usual services to celebrate this special time, and look forward to joining together for these. There will be a service to celebrate St. Nicholas Day when we will collect new toys that will then be distributed by the Salvation Army to needy children in the area. This is very much appreciated as there is much deprivation in young families. We’ll of course be holding our atmospheric Candlelight Carol service (followed by mulled wine and mince pies), and the Nearly Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. 

 

There will also be other services that we are holding jointly with our sister Church, St. Barnabas Church to which all are most welcome. These include Carol Services, a Nativity service especially for the children, Christmas Day Worship and a Nearly New Year Breakfast. 

 

Both Churches will host a Christingle service when, along with the props of oranges, candles and sweets, we will remember how Christ came as a light to the world. Please do check the website for dates and times for all our services. 

 

We are delighted that the new pew cushions have arrived. These are certainly a warm and comfortable addition to our Church. (They were not cheap, so we would welcome a contribution towards the cost of their purchase – please have a word with Peter J!)

The organ again is giving cause for concern as the recent repair was so successful that the power it now generates damaged another component, unfortunately. 

 

However, we are in a position to make our usual Christmas donations to local charities, and have this year chosenGravesham Street Pastors, Gravesham Sanctuary and Pathways. The PCC feel that this is an important mission for our church. 

 

Some of you may be aware that we have had a ‘Just Giving” link. This is now to be discontinued as the donations were scarce and the new ‘tap and pay’ machine is working very well.  

 

We have had a small bookcase in at the back of church for some time. This has now been restocked and the sale of a wide variety of cards has been added as well. 

 

In Bean, along with the ‘Warm Spaces’ initiative, we are supporting the Bean Together Hub on 1st and 3rd Mondays, from 1-3pm in the community hall. If you would like to offer support to this, please contact Joan Gould who can let you know what is currently needed. 

 

With Blessings now and for the Festive Season

 

Simeon and Sue

 


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter September 2023


Dear Friends, 

 

Things have been quiet during the summer, with weekly services continuing in their usual pattern, with Simeon presiding over a weekly 8.00 service and alternate 10.30 services. The in-between services are led by one of a team, a couple of whom deliver a talk, or Simeon provides a sermon on a video link. This seems to be working well. The diocese has offered the assistance of a Licenced Lay Minister who will assist in taking services from the end of October, though possibly more often at St.Barnabas as we have a larger team of service leaders. 

 

Sadly, the children’s gathering has not been able to continue due to a lack of volunteers to lead this, but the youngsters will be provided with an activity bag which they can complete during services. If you feel you might be able to commit to leading once a month, please speak to Sue Martin or Joan Gould. The toddler group that meets on Thursday mornings has resumed after the summer break. They have been given a new, washable rug using a grant from Dartford Borough Council, for which we are very grateful and which has made the enclosed area more comfortable. 

 

We are looking into the possibility of employing a Parish Administrator to assist Simeon with his workload. This needs some planning but will hopefully be organised in the near future. 

 

The old cedar tree in the churchyard needed to be removed, but a stump of it has been crafted as a two-sided seat so it remains, in part! The organ motor failed, well actually it started smoking! Peter T did an amazing job supervising its removal, then he organised a repair and managed to replace it all within the space of a couple of months. We are incredibly grateful for his expertise which saved us from incurring a huge repair bill. 

 

The Bank Holiday Arts Festival was hugely successful and we welcomed many visitors who enjoyed both the artistic offerings, but also tea and cakes and many varied musical offerings. Thanks to  Sarah, who, as usual, coordinated this wonderful event. 

 

Our annual Harvest Service will be on Sunday 1st October, and you are invited to bring dried or tinned offerings to donate to the food bank, who report that there are still many people needing this service in the area. There will be a service of thanksgiving and remembrance on 22nd October, 3-4pm during which folk will be able to commemorate those who have died. The Church gives thanks for the lives of three past members, Marion Bennett, Terry Poole and Desmond Whitehead who served in very many ways and over very many years.

 

The next exciting venture which is new to St. Nicholas, is to host a Murder Mystery evening, entitled “Screaming Blue Murder” on 25th November. (Details on the website, but be quick, tickets are selling fast!). Then the Christmas season will begin!

 

If you would like to collect items for the Shoebox appeal, in which boxes are filled with goodies and distributed anywhere in the world where there is a need identified. These boxes may be collected from the back of church and need to be returned by the second week of November, please. 

 

Simeon’s day off will now be on a Saturday, commencing at 4.30 pm on Friday evening, so please try to respect this need for him to spend time with his young family, which he is excited to say will be increasing in size at around March next year!

 

Blessings 

Simeon and Sue


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter June 2023


Dear Friends,


We held our annual Church meeting towards the end of May and a joint PCC meeting with St. Barnabas to think about matters relating to both Churches. 


There are 82 members on the Electoral Roll. The PCC now is comprised of Simeon (Priest in Charge); Church Warden, Sue O’Connor; Treasurer, Peter Joyce; Deanery Synod representative, Joan Gould; and elected members Alison Coppitters, Brenda Horgan, Paul Bromley, Ian Brown (safeguarding lead), Lee Coppitters, Beryl Joyce and Sarah Youseman. We are therefore a little low on numbers! We say a huge thank you to Sue Martin who has needed to step down as Church Warden, and also to Louisa who has served as Synod Rep. for some time. We also expressed our very great thanks to the teams of helpers who regularly help to keep things running, such as the Marigolds (cleaners!) the gardening team, sides people, sound people, choir and many others who quietly work in the background to keep things running. 


At our meeting, we were able to report that there has been no change in the condition of the Church, however, there is some outstanding work needed to the stonework of the building which is not urgent and will be investigated over the coming few years. 


However, Peter, the treasurer has noted that our income is a little reduced which is a cause for concern as costs keep rising as we are all aware. As we now have a Priest, it is important that our contribution to the diocese (who pay his wages) is maintained. Also, both churches are keen to employ an administrator to help Simeon to manage the workload of two churches. Peter does suggest that it is a good time to review your giving if at all possible!


We are very pleased to report that new pew cushions should be arriving shortly which will make your visit to the Church far more comfortable! 


The regular Sunday Club, house group, baby and toddlers group continue and we are pleased to say that they are growing in numbers. New members are always welcome. 


Along with St.Barnabas, we have made plans for the best way to manage joint services and the times and venues of special services in order that both congregations are able to maintain worshipping in much the same way as before. We felt that this was achieved reasonably well last year, so have built on the plan. 


The main events to note are:


Childrens day  -TBA

Community Strawberry fair  6th July at Southfleet village hall

Bi-Annual Art Festival 25th – 28th August – in church

Joint benefice services on 30th July and 27th August. 

Community dog Show - 2nd September at Village Hall

Harvest BBQ lunch – 1st October – at church

Service of Remembrance & Thanksgiving 22nd October 3-4 pm

Murder Mystery evening – 25th November – in church

Toy Service – cakes for kids/families 3rd December

Candlelight carols – 17th December

Nearly midnight Mass 24th December

Christingle – 7th January 2024


(Some events are in the planning stage so may be subject to change!)


Please do contact us if you need any more information about anything mentioned


Blessings

Simeon and Sue


Simeon.nevell@gmail.com

churchwardensstnicholas@gmail.com



St. Nicholas Church Newsletter March 2023


Dear Friends,

 

Once again, following our PCC meeting, we’d like to update you on matters and things of interest. The services continue with their usual pattern whereby Simeon is present in person and leads the service on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and by video link on the 2nd and 4th, although other leaders occasionally step in too. However, Simeon does find that fitting the role of a half time priest into the expectations of being fully available to 2 churches at all times is not an easy task! We are therefore hoping to employ an administrator in the near future. 

 

The Easter services are noted on the website and we look forward to welcoming you at any of these. The extra event during that weekend is the “Forest Church” activity afternoon on Saturday 6th April. This promises a fun and informative afternoon, but places must be booked in advance, please. (Closing date for bookings is 26th March). There is a children’s time during almost every service with stories and craft. As ever, we would welcome additional leaders for this time (material will be provided), so please let us know if you can occasionally assist in this part of our church life. 

 

We are delighted to tell you that we are investing in new padded seat cushions for the church, which should be in place in 3 - 4 months time. If you would like to sponsor a cushion, please have a word with Peter Joyce who will be pleased to accept your donation. These will provide a warm and soft experience during worship! 

 

On Friday 28th April, there will be a day on which to consider loss. This is to be run by an outside group, The Living Well. It will be useful to all suffering any kind of loss, whether it is bereavement, illness, job related or others who feel a loss. It will be from 10am – 4pm at St.Barnabas Church, and will be open across the Deanery. Please let us know on the churchwardensstnicholas@gmail.com if you are interested and we will send further details when they are available.

 

We have received a donation from Dartford Borough Council towards a community lunch to be held on Sunday May 7th, open to the whole parish. This will commence at 12.00 in the churchyard – more information will follow, but for now, please “save the date”. 

 

The Church will be holding its Annual Church Meeting on Sunday 21st Maywhich is a time to review the last year. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting is renewed at this time and there are vacancies for which we would welcome nominations. We meet about 6 times a year and contribute to the working and management of our church. Please do consider whether you could give some time to this vital role, and speak to one of us if you would like more information. Sadly, Sue Martin is retiring from her post as a Church Warden, so there is another vacancy to be filled. We cannot thank her enough for the huge amount of time and effort she has given to the church, but we are so grateful that she will continue to be heavily involved in the children’s ministry. 

 

The other important weekend to note will be the August Bank Holiday weekend when the popular Arts Festival will be held. Start painting! There is also a plan afoot to hold a “Murder Mystery” event in the Autumn. The premises will provide an atmospheric backdrop to host this, we think. 

 

God Bless,

Simeon, Sue and Sue


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter January 2023

Dear Friends,

The Christmas season is almost a distant memory. There were some very enjoyable services to which there was a good attendance. The Candlelight Carol service was as atmospheric as usual and we enjoyed singing many old favourites as well as hearing and singing a couple of newer carols, led by our enthusiastic choir. (New members are always most welcome!). A joint Midnight Mass was enjoyed a little earlier to correspond with Midnight in Bethlehem. This was appreciated by many who were anticipating an extremely early start the following morning! On New Year’s Day we appreciated bacon rolls at a combined and more casual service with St. Barnabas. 

 

The children of both St. Nicks and St. Barnabas parishes joined together in an innovative Forest Church event to enact the Nativity as well as participating in a Christingle Service. It was a very happy time, which even included real sheep who could be petted. We will be staging other joint children’s activities in the future, probably near Easter, which will be facilitated by joining our resources and manpower (personpower!). 

 

There is a new Mums and Toddlers group who meet every Thursday in the term time, from 8.50 to 10.00, in the back area of Church. They enjoy a cuppa and a chat whilst the children play. Anyone is welcome to join them. 

 

The other group who continues to meet every Tuesday from 9.00 to 12.00 is the gardening team. They are more than happy to welcome new gardeners, but would also like to extend the welcome to anyone who would just like a chat, hot drink and biscuit or even cake occasionally (served at about 10.20 onwards). 

 

We have decided that it would be advantageous if we purchased padded cushions for all the pews. These will be softer and warmer to sit on, but are obviously not cheap. If you feel that you might be able to make a contribution towards these we would be most grateful. The total cost will be approximately £3500. 

 

Our Arts Festival will again be held over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This will be open to any who would like to contribute and will also include a children’s section. Plenty of time to prepare and create your pieces of work. 


We would like to wish you all a blessed and peaceful New Year.  

Simeon, Sue and Sue

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter November 2022

 

Dear Friends

 

We have now settled into our new routine of services whereby Simeon attends the church on alternate Sundays, the 1st and the 3rd. On the alternate weeks, he records a sermon which is played on the video screen, whilst the rest of the service is led by one of a team of assistants. When there is a 5th Sunday in the month, there is one service only at either St.Nicholas or St. Barnabas. (The 8.00 service remains unchanged and is led each week by Simeon at St. Nicholas). 

 

The new Bishop of Rochester, Jonathan, has been installed and he is looking forward to an exciting future in the area. He has three priorities for our lives and for our churches: Grow, Change, Serve.

 

Plans are well under way for the Christmas season. We will be pleased to deliver a Christmas card to everyone in both parishes which will have the times and venues of all the special services. Anyone and everyone are invited to join whichever service they would like. 

 

Particular services to make a note of are the patronal, St. Nicholas Day service on 4th December at 10.30, which will again be a toy service. You are invited to bring a NEW toy wrapped, (with the exact details of the contents and suitable age group pinned to the package). These are to be given to the Salvation Army for distribution to the needy. 

Families are invited to an outdoor/indoor Forest Church Nativity activity afternoon on 11th December at 2.00-3.30pm at St. Barnabas (Live Sheep and Shepherds to participate!)

On 18th will be the traditional Candlelight Carol Service, 6pm at St.Nicholas.

On 24th will be a Christingle Service at St. Barnabas at 4pm.

In a slight change from the past, we will host an Almost Midnight Communion service at 10 pm at St. Nicholas. (It will be midnight in Bethlehem!). 

We will join with St. Barnabas on Christmas day for worship at 10.00, at St. Barnabas. 

Finally, to welcome in the New Year, there will be a Café Style New Year’s Celebration service at 10.00 at St. Barnabas – wake up with a bacon roll and hot drink!

 

As a Church, we are thankful to be able to support charities at this time of the year and plan to make donations to The Sanctuary, Street Pastors, and those in need from the families of Sedley and Bean Schools. 

 

We are hoping to purchase new pew cushions for the church which will be warmer and softer to sit on as we enjoy Simeon’s sermons! We have had some small legacies to help fund these, but would invite further donations towards making this possible. Donations to Peter Joyce or Sue O, Sue M or Simeon

 

Please do remember too that our old building is not warm at the best of times, so do consider bringing a rug for your comfort. If you have any spare cosy blankets/fleeces we would be grateful to have these and we can then keep a supply available for use if needed. 

 

The other thing of note that we will need to consider in the New Year is that there is substantial work required on the fabric of the building which it is estimated will cost in excess of £150,000. There are grants available, but we will need to consider some 

fundraising activities too. Any assistance and ideas will be more than welcome. You’ll doubtless hear more of this in the future!

 

We would now like to wish you a very Blessed Christmas. 

 

Simeon, Sue and Sue

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter September 2022

Dear Friends,

As we have not had a notice sheet for some time, we thought that it would be useful to highlight some forthcoming dates and events.

1st OCTOBER, SATURDAY, 6:15pm
Harvest Supper. Tickets still available from churchwardens. Please do support this event with singer, Tony Rice. Please let us know ASAP.

2nd OCTOBER, SUNDAY, 10:30am
Harvest Thanksgiving Service. Donations are for the food bank (Hive Hope). 
The note below from Hive Hope may be of help regarding donations..

Monetary gifts are also welcome (please place in an envelope). You can also donate through Just Giving page:  https://www.justgiving.com/hivehope

 “On the website there is normally an up-to date list of what we currently need, but since your donations will be made over a period of time, I suggest that people give what they feel would be appropriate. That list generally contains but is not limited to, items from the following:

Pasta Sauces

Pasta, Instant Noodles, Rice

Tinned meat and fish

Tinned baked beans a spaghetti

Tinned vegetables

Non fridge puddings, such and custard, rice pudding, sponge pudding

Snacks and treats

Tinned soup

Tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

Long life juice and squash

Long life milk

Jam, chocolate spread, peanut butter, honey.

Cereal

 

We also give out items such as nappies, baby wipes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razors and shaving foam, laundry powder/liquid, washing up liquid and any similar useful items.

 

Obviously we are happy with other items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, as long as they don’t require refrigeration, which would be given to clients on our Wednesday morning food bank.”


2nd OCTOBER, SUNDAY, 12:00 ST. BARNABAS
Bring and share harvest lunch. Please give names to churchwardens ASAP.

31st OCTOBER, HALLOWEEN, MONDAY 10:00am

Spooky stories in the Graveyard – Sedleys Assembly. Parents invited and refreshments provided. This would need to have a small volunteer team as it is a special interactive assembly.

This is yet to be confirmed with the school.

Samaritan’s Purse, SHOEBOX APPEAL: A Shoebox gift is an expression of God’s love to a child. In fact, it may be the only gift a child receives. So you are invited to fill a shoebox. To make it easier this year the Samaritans have given us flat packed shoeboxes for you to make and fill. These can be found at the back of church with a leaflet that has all the information you need. The filled shoeboxes are going to be collected from St. Nicholas church on Sunday 6th November


6th NOVEMBER, SUNDAY, 3:00pm
All Saints Memorial Service for recently bereaved.

12th NOVEMBER, ST. NICHOLAS CRAFT FAIR
Village hall. Donations for raffle, tombola, cakes and HELPERS! Contact Alison. Tables for sellers available too.

13th November, 9:00am:  Parish Breakfast (croissants & pain au chocolat with tea or coffee).

13th November, 10:30am

Remembrance Day Service

DECEMBER
“Reverse Advent Calendar”. Please consider LOCAL groups that need prayer/ practical support/ donations. All will be explained! Suggestions to S, S or S.

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

4th DECEMBER – St. Nicholas Patronal service 10:30am (Possibly toy service as part of reverse advent calendar potentially supporting work of Gravesend Salvation Army) TBC
18th DECEMBER – 6:00 pm Candlelight Carol Service at St. Nicholas
24th DECEMBER 4:00pm Christingle/ Crib Service at St. Barnabas
24th DECEMBER 10:00pm (almost) Midnight Communion at St. Nicholas
25th DECEMBER 10:00am Christmas Day Worship at St. Barnabas.


SUNDAY CLUB: During 10:30am Sunday services

 

HOUSE GROUP meets on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month. All welcome.

 

KEEP WARM

As we are now in autumn if people feel they would like to bring a lap blanket or fleece please feel free to do so. Also if anyone would like to donate a fleece/blanket to be kept in church for general use they would be most welcome.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

1st JANUARY (Sunday) – 10:00am Café Style New Year’s Celebration Service with bacon rolls, hot drinks and squash, St. Barnabas Hall (Joint benefices)



FINANCIAL MATTERS

The CONTACTLESS GIVING DEVICE near the door has raised over £350 since May. Currently, these donations are not Gift Aided. If you do contribute this way, you may like to know that if you give the Treasurer, Peter, your name and the last 4 digits of the card you use, the Church will benefit by receiving a further 25p for every £1 you donate. Gift Aid forms available near the porch. You may prefer to switch to donation by standing order, which may also be done by filling in the form available. If you do not pay tax you cannot claim Gift Aid and the best way to donate is with cash, notes no bigger than £20 denomination.
You may already donate by standing order, and might wish to review your donation. Our costs are likely to increase substantially, sadly Churches are not as well protected as the household energy caps.

However, many thanks for all your donations, by whatever means. We wouldn’t survive without you!
Peter Joyce

 

BEAN PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

We Need You! 

Bean Primary School are seeking a new school Governor to work as part of an effect team in moving the school forward to provide our pupils with the best education possible.  

Personal Qualities Required:  

·  Care about children 

·  Have the ability to be objective 

·  Can work as an effective team member 

·  Have experience and skills that would be transferable to the governing body 

 

For more information, please contact the school office on:  01474 833225 or email - office@bean.co.uk

 

 

Blessings
Sue, Sue and Simeon


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter July 2022 

Dear Friends,


We are thrilled that our new Priest in Charge, Simeon, has now begun his ministry among us and St. Barnabas, though it has been somewhat curtailed as he caught covid unfortunately!

 

As a result, we have not found a clear way forward with the pattern of services. There are a number of logistical challenges arising from having one vicar for two benefices. There will be a meeting, open to all, this Wednesday the 27thof July in St Nicolas Church at 7.30pm to present the challenges and current thinking regarding possible ways forward and to listen to any comments you have. Also please do check the web site if you’re not sure of the time and place of the next service. We will keep it completely up to date. So far, we can confirm that on Sunday 24th July, Simeon will be leading both the 8.00 and 10.30 service at St. Nicholas. On Sunday 31st July, he will lead the 8.00 one at St Nicks, and will be at St. Barnabas for their 10.00 one. The 10.30 service at St. Nicholas will be led by Sue O with Simeon’s sermon being delivered either by video or read out. This is a time of experimentation while full discussions are being held, since these had to be postponed due to Simeon’s covid infection. 

 

We enjoyed a lovely evening parish barbeque at Peter and Beryl’s home and the weather co-operated perfectly! £350 was raised for parish funds, for which they and we were grateful. Many also attended the jubilee lunch at St. Barnabas and again enjoyed good food and entertainment. 

 

The parish breakfast that was to be held on Sunday 14thAugust has been CANCELLED, as very few people are able to come. 


The annual children’s day is on Wednesday 27th July and there are a couple of spaces left, so please contact Alison ASAP if you would like your child to attend. The theme is Jonah and the whale (which will also be present!) You are most welcome to come along and see what’s happening if you are passing. 

 

We are sorry to let you know that one of our past members, Marian Bennett has passed away. Her funeral will be onTuesday 2nd August at 11.00 at St. Nicholas Church followed by committal at Medway Crematorium. 

 

David has composed his bi-annual quiz to test your brains. The theme is COVID, so test your memory and knowledge. We have attached this to the letter and donations towards entering it, for a small prize, may be made to St. Nicks. 

 

The schools have broken up for the summer, so we wish all who are having a break elsewhere a very happy and restful holiday. 


God BlessSue, Sue and Simeon 


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter June 2022 


Dear Friends, 

 

A lot has changed since the last newsletter, and we have just welcomed Rev. Simeon Nevell as our new Priest in Charge who will start his work among us on 10 July at a joint 10.00 service to be held at St. Barnabas Church. 

 

We shared a joyful service at St. Nicholas when Bishop Simon of Tonbridge officiated and Simeon was Licenced and Installed. This can be viewed on the church website if you would like to see it. Simeon, his wife Charlie and two boys, Nathan and Jason, will move into the vicarage at Istead Rise towards the end of the month as he finishes his time as a curate at The Six Benefice in Sittingbourne and Rainham. We are all looking forward to an exciting new era as he begins his service amongst us. Please remember to keep him and the family in your prayers as they negotiate their move and new life here. 

 

We are not able to confirm exactly how worship will be organised as there are a couple of legal issues still to be agreed by the Bishop. It is likely that, although services at 8.00 and 10.30 will continue most weeks, Simeon will not lead more than one at 10.00/10.30, but will alternate between us and St. Barnabas. We will continue to hold occasional joint services at one or other of the churches.  Simeon is looking forward to meeting everyone in due course. 

 

There will be a children’s day on Wednesday 27th July which will be limited to 30 children so please book your place early. The theme of the day will be “Fishes”. As usual, adult help will be needed, so please let us know if you are able to spend some or all of the day with us. 

 

Our Parish BBQ will be held this year in the home of Beryl and Peter Joyce on Sunday 10th July at 6pm onwards. Burgers, sausages, nibbles and drinks will be provided. Just put donations for the Church, in the box. Their address: Red Street House, Red Street, Southfleet, DA13 9QE. 

 

There is now an electronic machine in Church to enable giving using a credit/debit card as we are aware that carrying cash is becoming more unusual. It is very easy to tap and donate, though it takes a little longer to register for gift aid! You’re welcome to give it a try!

 

Southfleet Village Platinum Jubilee event was very enjoyable and for the first time in many years, the Church bells were rung by an experienced group of bell ringers to celebrate Her Majesty’s reign. We found some interesting facts that you may not have known….

The first record of the bells was in 1552 when there were 4 bells hung in the tower and some 120 years later, a further Treble bell was added. Sadly by 1926, 3 were cracked and an Ellacombe was added which enabled the bells to be chimed with a hammer. Howeverthe record states that when the bells were repaired in 1930, it was as bad a job as could be imagined!

In 2005, some restoration was undertaken and we understand that the bells were rung in May to mark the Rector’s last service, after which they were returned to chiming by the Ellacombe. In 2006, extensive work was carried out on the masonry of the tower to strengthen it, as the weight of the bells when rung, would prove risky. 

They were then repaired which rendered them ringableagain, but only by the most experienced of bell ringers as there is little room in the belfry meaning that the ropes and bells can become entangled.”

 

Dates to remember:


19th June  Father’s Day (Sedleys joining worship)


10th July   Joint service with St.Barnabas 10.00 (no 8.00 or 10.30 service at St. Nicks)


10th July   BBQ at Beryl and Peter’s home 18.00 


27th July   Children’s Day


14th August  Parish Breakfast 9.00


1st October  Harvest Supper and entertainment


12th November  Autumn Craft Fair


13th November  Parish Breakfast 9.00


With Best Wishes,


Sue and Sue

 

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter May 2022 

 

Dear Friends, 

 

We recently held our Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and are pleased to tell you that all the Church’s affairs are in order. We are continuing as Church wardens for another year, supported by the PCC comprised of Ian Brown, Alison Coppitters, Lee Coppitters, Beryl Joyce, Sue Truzzi, Sarah Youseman, Sarah-Jane McAlonen, Elin Rogers, Brenda Horgan, Paul Bromley and Peter Joyce (treasurer). This does leave 3 vacancies. Our Deanery Synod reps. are Louisa Mercer and Joan Gould. 

 

There are 120 members on the electoral roll, which is a slight increase. The full minutes and reports will be put on the website when approved. 

 

We plan to concentrate much more on strengthening our children’s work and are committed to providing Sunday Club teaching and craft work during every 10.30 service. Sue Martin will take the lead in this ministry, but will be reliant on a team of helpers. We hope to revive Messy Church and are exploring uniting with St.Barnabas in this venture. 

 

Sue O’Connor will be taking the role of administrator. In order for this to be successful and not too overwhelming, the plan is that there will be teams that take the responsibility of different parts of the Church life. To this end, we will print a comprehensive list of jobs and activities that will be displayed in church and sent to everyone in due course. We would ask that if you have a question or comment relating to a specific job, then you address it directly to the person/team concerned as we have found the number of emails that we receive can be a little daunting!

 

The finances are reasonably stable, but we’re aware that inflation and the increased cost of fuel will make a dent in the accounts, as will the costs associated with having a new incumbent in due course, so please do ask yourselves that you consider whether you might be in a position to increase your giving to help towards the Church’s financial situation. It is extremely helpful if this is done by standing order as this enables more successful budget planning. 

 

Our future events are as follow. Please do note them in your diaries now and keep the dates free in order to support the activities planned, if at all possible. 

 

29th May: joint service with St Barnabas. 10.30 at St. Nicholas

12th June: Jubilee lunch and entertainment at St. Barnabas Church 12.00. Sign up form- essential, please. 

19th June: Sedleys school leading worship (Father’s Day)

10th July: Parish BBQ – churchyard

? date July – children’s activity day – churchyard

31st July: joint service at St Barnabas 10.00.   NO 10.30 SERVICE AT ST.NICKS.

10th September: Front Room Singers (tbc)

1st October: Harvest Supper – village Hall with entertainer

12th November: Autumn Craft Fair – village hall

14th August & 13th November Church Breakfast 9.00

 

Despite the continuing problems with COVID infections, we feel that we are reaching more normal times again. So we look forward to seeing, those of you who are able, at church in the near future. 

 

With best wishes

Sue and Sue

 

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter March 2022  

Dear Friends


Again, we’d like to update you on how things are at St. Nicholas Church following our latest Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting.

 

Lent began with the Ash Wednesday service at St. Nicholas jointly shared with St. Barnabas on 2nd March. The lent study course is being held at St. Barnabas on Thursdays where all from both churches have been made welcome. Palm Sunday is Sunday 10th April followed by Holy Week. The Maundy Thursday service, 14th April will be held at St. Barnabas at 7.30pm. Good Friday service will be at St. Nicks on 15thApril as will the Easter day services on Sunday 17th April at 8.00am and 10.30am.

 

We had a lovely Mothering Sunday service at our 10.30am service on Sunday 27th March led by Marion Fielder-White. Thanks have been given to a member of our congregation for their kind donation of primroses. They were given out to the ladies who were most grateful.

 

We celebrated the life of Richard (Dick) Cross at his funeral on Thursday 10th March. He will be sadly missed by all of us.

We also had interment of ashes and baptism services where we welcome families and friends to St. Nicholas. This included two baptisms on Sunday 3rd April led by our Archdeacon of Rochester, Rev. Andy Wooding Jones with a congregation of just over 100! A big thank you goes to our team of helpers at St. Nicks and volunteers on the day. They all helped the service to run smoothly.

 

Sedleys School celebrated their Easter service in St. Nicholas church on 31st March before they broke up for their Easter holidays. They will be leading our family worship service next on Sunday 19th June. 

 

Our chosen charities this year are Gravesham Sanctuary and Street Pastors. We have received thanks from both and they are most appreciative for the donations given.

 

A reminder of dates to put in your diary are Sedleys School May fair on Saturday 7th May.

St. Nicholas will be holding a bottle tombola stall so we will be very happy to receive donations of any bottles please.  

There will be a box at the back of the church for any bottle donations.Our Sunday club will also be running a stall for fun activities with the children. 

 

There is to be a community event to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the village hall on Saturday 4th June, in which St. Nicks will be running a BBQ in the village hall grounds and there will be some hand bell ringing.

 

St. Barnabas are inviting all from St. Nicholas to a parish lunch in their church hall on Sunday 12th June. This is a double celebration of HRH Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee and St. Barnabas Church Day. There will be crafts and entertainment (more information will follow).

Church BBQ at St. Nicholas is planned for Sunday 10th July (further details will follow);

Concert (tbc Saturday 10th September) in St. Nicholas church;

Harvest event on Saturday 1st October

Craft Fair on Saturday 12th November.

The continuing parish breakfasts are on Sunday 8th May, 14th August and 13th November. 

 

A reminder that the date of our Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) is Sunday 15th May 2022 at 11.45. 

At this time of year, we also review the members on our Church Electoral Roll. We would like this to be adjusted to be as representative of our church as possible. To this end, please do look out for an application form at the back of the church from Sunday 10th April 

(or contact us for one). If you are wanting to remain on the electoral roll please check your details are correct. We also ask that if you are not wishing to be on the electoral roll, that you inform us, in writing (email is ok too!). The process must be completed by Saturday 23rd April 2022. The purpose of the register is to let the Diocese know the number of active participants in our Church life and we can reassure you that if your name is not on it, it in no way affects your rights as a parishioner to use the church for important life events. 

 

As we are nearing the end of the church year, we are looking for more people to serve on the PCC, as we are somewhat depleted. Please speak to us or one of the members of PCC if you are considering serving your Church in this capacity and would like some more information. 

Also needed are tea and coffee makers, cleaners, flower arrangers and gardeners. This is vital to keep our Church up and running for the future.

 

We would also like to ensure that our email contact list is as useful as possible. Please let us know if you would prefer to be removed and not be contacted in this way. Also let us know if at any time you change your email address.

 

As the Covid restrictions are lifting, we would like to ask you all to remain cautious, bearing in mind that we do have some vulnerable folk in Church. Please continue to sanitise your hands and stay away if you have Covid symptoms. It is preferable for you to wear a mask if the church is full, also if you feel you want to wear one at any time. If you feel you need further precautions, please see one of the sides people who will direct you to a safer area of the church. 

 

To give you an update on the vacancy of priest in charge. Interviews were held last week. In order to avoid any speculation and to manage expectations the approved words from the Diocese are as follows….there is a preferred candidate. However, a formal announcement cannot be made until the Bishop approves and the candidate accepts the offer. Once that happens, the Diocese will inform the Churchwardens to let us know when we can make a formal announcement.

 

We continue to pray for peace and reconciliation in the Ukraine.

 

We are all looking forward to spring and warmer weather. This will be the last newsletter before Easter. So we would like to wish you all a very happy Easter in advance.

 

God bless,

Sue and Sue (churchwardens)



St. Nicholas Church Newsletter February 2022

 

Dear Friends

 

Again, we’d like to update you on how things are at St. Nicholas Church following our latest Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting.

 

In January we had a very enjoyable and uplifting service led by the children from Sedley school. They read and prayed beautifully and taught us their school song. They will continue to take part periodically. We have also approached Bean school who seemed keen to do the same, so we will be encouraging this. 

 

We were in the happy position to be able to make a donation of vouchers to both schools to be given to families in special need, as appropriate. They were most grateful as the pandemic has caused some great hardships. 

 

Lent begins next week, with at the Ash Wednesday service, 2ndMarch at 10.30am. There is a lent study course to be held at St. Barnabas, Istead Rise, on Thursdays, to which all are welcome. Contact us for more details. Then the Maundy Thursday service, 14thApril will also be at St. Barnabas, Istead Rise. The Good Friday service will be at St. Nicholas on 15th April as will the Easter day serviceon Sunday 17th  April at 8.00am and 10.30am.

 

Other dates to put in your diary are Sedleys School May fair on Saturday 7th May (at which we hope to have some stalls – ideas please!); community event to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the village hall on Saturday 4th June, in which St. Nicholas Church will have some input; a Church BBQ on Sunday 10th July; Harvest event on Saturday 1st October; Craft Fair on Saturday 12th November as well as the continuing parish breakfasts on Sunday 8th May, 14th August and 13thNovember. 


We are celebrating the life of Richard (Dick) Cross at his funeral on Thursday 10th March, 1pm at St. Nicholas.


As the Covid restrictions are lifting, we would like to ask you all to remain cautious, bearing in mind that we do have some vulnerable folk in Church. Please continue to sanitise your hands and stay away if you have Covid symptoms. It is preferable for you to wear a mask if the church is full, also if you feel you want to wear one at any time. If you feel you need further precautions, please see one of the sides people who will direct you to a safer area of the church. 

 

As we are nearing the end of the church year, we are looking for more people to serve on the PCC, as we are somewhat depleted. Please speak to us or one of the members of PCC if you are considering serving your Church in this capacity and would like some more information. We have also formulated a list of jobs that will help the smooth running of the Church, which we have attached. We would ask you to read it through and give very much thought to whether you could give some help as there are a lot of jobs and few people to fill them! We would like to highlight the need for a secretary, funeral manager, baptism manager and children’s helpers. However, we stress that all assistance is valuable in our Church. Also needed are tea and coffee makers, cleaners, flower arrangers and gardeners. This is vital to keep our Church up and running for the future. 

 

Please note that the date of our Annual Parochial Church Meeting has been changed to

Sunday 15th May 2022 at 11.45. 

 

There is no news yet on the recruitment of a new incumbent. There is currently an advert in the Church Times which we hope and pray will produce a suitable candidate. 

 

At this time of year, we also review the members on our Church Electoral Roll. We would like this to be adjusted to be as representative of our church as possible. To this end, please do look out for an application form (or contact us for one). We also ask that if you are not wishing to be on the electoral roll, that you inform us, in writing (email is ok too!). The process must be completed by Saturday 23rd April 2022. The purpose of the register is to let the Diocese know the number of active participants in our Church life and we can reassure you that if your name is not on it, it in no way affects your rights as a parishioner to use the church for important life events. 

 

We would also like to ensure that our email contact list is as useful as possible. Please could we ask you to let us know if you would prefer to be removed and not be contacted in this way. Also please let us know if at any time you change your email address.

 

Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the Pastoral Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York regarding the current situation in Ukraine and would urge you to be praying for peace and reconciliation. 

 

https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/pastoral-letter-archbishops-canterbury-and-york

 

With Best Wishes

Sue and Sue



St. Nicholas Church Newsletter February 2022

Dear Friends,


May we start by wishing you a Very Happy (and healthy!) New Year.

 

We were pleased that we were able to offer a range of worship “in person” during the Christmas season, although there was some disruption due to Covid, sadly. As many of you know, we do film and broadcast the service each week, at the moment. This can be accessed by logging in to the stnicholaschurch.org.uk website. 

We do, however, need to update our GDPR and safeguarding issues related to this and will be asking everyone to give their signed permission stating that they are happy to be seen in the service. There is an area in Church, the Sedley Chapel, where the camera cannot see you, so please do sit there if you do not wish to be filmed. For further guidance please refer to the Church of England guidance – https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/digital-labs/blogs/filming-and-photography-churches-consent-and-gdpr

Also the privacy document contained within it, which can be seen in Church.

 

We were able to get the star back on the Church tower in time for Christmas, which certainly added to the festive appearance of Southfleet villageThe children from Sedleys and Bean schools held nativity performances – there are some great singing voices amongst them! We will be having occasional, but regular services when the children will take part and lead some of the worship. The first of these will be on 30th January. 

 

A Lent study course will be led by Revd. Chris Stone, commencing on Thursday  3rd March (venue yet to be confirmed). Please let us know if you’re interested and if you’d like an accompanying book tooThe title is ‘I Thirst: The Cross – The Great Triumph of Love’, by Stephen Cottrell. 

 

Although there is no further news at this moment regarding a new Priest-in- Charge, we have been in discussion with the Church Wardens of St. Barnabas and have offered help with cleaning, redecorating and generally smartening up the vicarage there, in preparation for the future. If any of you feel you could offer some assistance with this, please let us know and we’ll contact you with dates and times. 

 

With Best Wishes for 2022.

Sue and Sue. Churchwardens

 

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter November 2021

Dear Friends,

We continue to worship each Sunday and are most fortunate to be able to welcome our visiting priests and lay readers. They have become a big part of our church family and we welcome them.

Our Sunday Club continues to run each week by our wonderful team leaders. We have started to spend some of the Diocesan grant fund money. To that end so far we have purchased a new laptop, printer/scanner and laminator. The children enjoy their activities, as do children from visiting families such as from baptisms. They enjoy sharing and showing the congregation what they have made before the end of the service. We have welcomed families into St Nicholas church family through baptisms, weddings and funerals and encourage them to visit us again.

Our Autumn Fair on 13th November was a great success, raising just over £1,000 made possible by the continual flow of visitors. It was a lovely atmosphere and people seemed to enjoy socialising after so many restrictions over the past eighteen months. Many thanks go to our organiser and team of helpers.

Our Remembrance Service was well attended and supported by Rainbows and local Veterans.

We continue our pastoral contact through our dedicated team. We aim to keep in touch with those who are not able to worship with us at this time. Please let us know if there is anyone who you would like us to contact, as they may not be on our list. 

We have met with Sedley’s school who are most positive in continuing our links. The school children and staff will be involved in the worship at St. Nicholas on planned Sundays through the year. We are looking forward to welcoming them on the first of these, at 10:30am on Sunday 30th January 2022. 

We are very happy that both Bean and Sedley’s schools will be using St. Nicholas for their Christmas services as well as other activities.

On Sunday morning of November 14th people from the 8:00am and 10.30am congregations met for breakfast. It was a lovely atmosphere, where we enjoyed chatting over croissants, pain au chocolatand coffee or tea. It went well and so future breakfasts are planned. The next one will be Sunday 13thof February 2022 at 9:00am.

There is no further news as yet in the securing of a new incumbent. The Archdeacon and Patron will keep us updated of any further developments. The church representatives are working alongside them. The process of securing the right person will continue into the New Year. Please continue to pray for a successful outcome to this process. 

Our Christmas services are imminently being advertised. Our first service of this Christmas season begins on Sunday 5th December. This year it is not going to be a toy service at 10:30am! We will be celebrating the Feast of St Nicholas, who was known for caring for the needy and recognising Jesus as the heart of Christmas. We welcome all ages to our service for St Nicholas where children will have a surprise! So come along and enjoy finding out about our special saint. All donations that Sunday will go to local families in need.  

We particularly look forward to seeing you at St. Nicholas over Christmas/New Year period. Details of services will be on our website, Facebook page, notice boards around the villages and in church.

Permission has been given from Rochester Diocese for churches and their PCC’s to decide whether or not to open on Boxing Day. Therefore, it has been agreed that there will be no services on Sunday 26th December.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and Blessed Christmas.


God’s blessings,

Sue and Sue Churchwardens - churchwardensstnicholas@gmail.com          


St. Nicholas Church Newsletter October 2021

Dear friends,

We continue to worship each Sunday and enjoy the different approach

made by the visiting priests and lay readers. During the 10.30 service this Sunday, the 31st October, we will observe All Saints and All Souls Day, when we will be remembering those who have died recently. We’ll make a note of the name of the loved one in order to read it out loud, and have a time of celebration and commemoration of their lives. (PS. Don’t forget to change your clocks!)

The Sunday Club has resumed and there’s a happy little group of youngsters who attend regularly, in the enclosed area at the back of the Church. We had applied for some funding from the Diocese to enable the purchase of new equipment, material and furniture and were thrilled to receive more than £2800 to support this work. There have also been several baptisms lately and there are new liaisons with Sedley (and soon Bean schools) which we hope will increase the ministry amongst the children. We soon hope to resume regular parade services when school children and Rainbows will have a chance to participate. 

For harvest, the children from Sedleys, (and some from Church), collected non-perishable goods which were given to the Hive foodbank in Northfleet, who were most grateful.

Pastoral contact continues to try to ensure that many friends are contacted on a regular basis even when not able to worship with us in person. If we have missed contacting you, please do let us know and we’ll put you on our list. 

There is no news yet on securing a new incumbent for the Church. The Archdeacon and Patron are continuing to advertise and the church Representatives are working with them in this task. There were no suitable candidates found in the recent months so the process will carry on until all are satisfied that the right person is found. Please continue to pray for this process. 

The PCC have been aware for some time that the 8.00 and 10.30 congregations rarely have a chance to meet together and chat so we will be starting to have quarterly breakfast meetings at 9.00 -10.00 on occasional Sundays, during which there will be tea, coffee and croissants etc available. The first of these will be on 14th November. Please do join this initiative. 

The Autumn Craft Fair is on 13th November, from 12-3pm. Please support this in any way you can. Donations of cakes, both for teas and for sale, bottles, raffle prizes etc. would be very welcome. There will be a range of exciting craft stalls on the day, games, a BBQ and afternoon tea. 

With good wishes and God’s Blessings,

Sue and Sue

Churchwardens

churchwardensstnicholas@gmail.com

St. Nicholas Parish Newsletter September 2021

Dear Friends, 
We are pleased to report that there is a gradual return to more normal times at Church with plenty of weddings and Baptisms occurring and a slight relaxation of distancing and collecting tracing details, although we still recommend the use of face masks and hand sanitiser if possible.

 We are looking forward to our Harvest Festival Service on 3rd October and would like to invite you to join us for a Bring and Share lunch (or Bring your own Picnic if you prefer!) This will be held in Church from 12.15 pm. St. Barnabas have invited us to join them for a Quiznight on 23rd October if that interests you.

The other big event is the Autumn Craft Fair to be held in the Village Hall on 13th November from 12.00 – 3.00 pm. If you would like to rent a stall (or know anyone who does), help with making cakes, jams, chutneys, or supplying raffle prizes or bottles or help in any way, please drop us an email and we will forward it. There will be a BBQ, teas and biscuits or cakes too. Please help us to make this day successful and enjoyable in any way you can.

The children were welcomed to an activity day in August which was hugely successful and enjoyed by all and the Sunday Club is again taking place during the Sunday 10.30 service, to which all primary school aged children are welcome. We also held a Welcome Back BBQ at the beginning of September and it felt so good to sit and chat together in the brilliant sunshine, especially after the rather dreary August! 

The Pastoral Team continue to contact many people approximately once a month so if you feel that you would like a chat, please do let us know. Our weekly services may be viewed on the website (internet connection permitting!) We’re even planning the Christmas services now too! 

The Archdeacon and Patron are continuing to work with the elected Parish Representatives and will let you know when there is any news with finding a new Priest in Charge of St. Nicholas and St. Barnabas churches.

 We are still very keen for someone to fill the role of Church secretary, so please have a chat with us if you are feeling led towards this valuable role.


 With best wishes and the Blessings of Christ
 Sue and Sue 
 Churchwardens  

St. Nicholas Parish Newsletter July 2021

Dear Friends, 

 

We are looking forward to the easing of lockdown later this month and are very hopeful that we will be able to resume having more “normal” services including hymn singing, which we’ve all missed very much. Mask wearing should be optional, the hand sanitiser will be available and its use encouraged. The services will continue to be led by a team of visiting preachers to whom we are extremely grateful, they offer a variety of approaches which have been most enjoyable. The 10.30 services continue to be available on the website. We hope too, to resume having a time for fellowship and coffee after the 10.30 service. Alison will be compiling a new rota and would be grateful if those of you who are on the rota could confirm your willingness to stay on it and let Alison know. Anyone who is willing to help occasionally please can you also let Alison know? 

 

We will continue to offer children’s worksheets until September, when Sunday Club will resume with organised activities taking place in the meeting area. There will be a children’s activity day on Wednesday 28th July 10am – 3pm. Look out for further details on the website.

 

T@2 (tea, cake and a chat) will begin again and housegroups will meet in person, so please do contact us if you are interested in joining one. We will publish the dates on the website nearer the time. On 5th September, we plan to hold our welcome back, Bring and Share BBQ at which we will provide barbequed sausages but invite you to bring other food that may be shared. 

 

We are very pleased to let you know that the Parish Profile has been completed and it now forms part of the advertisement for a new Priest in Charge of our parish of St. Nicholas and the parish of St. Barnabas.  It may be viewed, along with the one from St. Barnabas, on the diocesan website (rochester.anglican.org/vacancies). There will probably be changes to the weekly meetings and services as we work together with St. Barnabas to find the best working compromise enabling worshippers to attend at their convenience. All will be welcome at either church, but we will maintain our own identities and forms of worship, but may unite for joint activities on occasion. 

 

We sadly need to let you know that Bernard passed away after a short illness. He was a greatly valued member of the church, choir and PCC. He will be very much missed. His funeral is to be held on 27th July at 3pm, and all are welcome to attend. 

 

There is to be a short memorial service for Sylvia on 22nd July at 3pm followed by the interment of hers and Bertie’s ashes in the churchyard, and again, all are invited. 

 

There is a bright new flag flying, thanks to a kind donation. The churchyard is lush and green thanks to the generous supply of rain that we’ve had. It’s been a challenge to beat the growth with the mowers and strimmers! Any willing and able volunteers would be most welcome on a Tuesday morning. We did, however, lose a large branch from the cedar tree, making it somewhat lopsided, so we are taking expert advice about this. 

 

There are some other dates to put in your diaries. The harvest service will be held on 3rd October. This will be followed by a bring and share lunch in the church. There will be an Autumn fair in the village hall on 13th November, and in no time at all, we’ll be thinking about Christmas!

 

The Parish Magazine will again be produced in the early autumn, so please do think about any articles you might like to submit. We are looking for a volunteer to collate this, but again the costs of production will be covered by advertising slots. 

 

We look forward to a new normality and hope to see you soon.

God Bless

Sue and Sue

Churchwardens



Letter from Churchwardens May 2021

St. Nicholas Church Newsletter, 16th May 2021

 

Dear Friends,

 

Again, a short update following our latest PCC meeting. We hope and pray that everyone is coping with the seemingly endless lockdown. Maybe it’s coming near the end and we can meet together normally again. With that in mind, we would like to celebrate this on 4th July by gathering after the Church service for a ‘’Bring and Share” picnic in the Church grounds. We will provide barbequed sausages. (We will obviously review this nearer the time! Please keep an eye on the website.)

We enjoyed the service led by the Bishop of Rochester last Sunday. We have been experimenting and learning how to record the service so should anyone like to log in to it, the YouTube link is https://youtu.be/huqw_ggAT6s. There are some technicalities to iron out, but it’s a start!

He is retiring in 6 weeks and we have been invited by the diocese to make a contribution towards a gift for him. If you feel able to give something please send it to Peter Joyce or add it to the Sunday collection in a clearly marked envelope.

We can give you the good news that the Church clock has been repaired and is working and chiming normally. The old memorial garden has been cleaned up and new stones laid, around the memorial plaques, thanks to the gardening team, so it’s looking very smart.

We are pleased to tell you that we have an additional co-opted PCC member, Elin Rogers. We have been working together to form a Pastoral team who will ensure that those who are less able to be with us regularly, have the opportunity to be contacted so they still feel part of our church family. Please do let us know if you would like such a contact to be made (or not!) The team will be starting this in the next couple of weeks.

There have also been teams formed to be ready to resume the Sunday Club meetings during the church service as soon as it’s allowed. Messy Church too will resume, so we’ll let you know about that in due course.

We have identified a couple of areas in which we urgently need some assistance….

The PCC needs a secretary, (job share might be a possibility). Please have a chat with us if you feel that this might be something you would consider.

The other need is for a magazine editor and co-ordinator. The magazine will be published about 4 times a year and is collated and set out by existing helpers.

We are fortunate that the Services continue to be led by a group of clergy, both retired and working elsewhere, and lay Readers. There are please to say that there will be a few weddings and christenings during the summer months. Sarah is busy compiling a new rota of sidespersons, bible readers and prayer leaders, but the list is a little short at the moment. We have attached an outline of the ‘job description’ from Sarah.

God Bless, keep well and see you soon, we hope!

Sue and Sue



Letter from Churchwardens April 2021

St. Nicholas Church, Southfleet

Parish Newsletter, April 2021

 

Dear Friends,

We held our Annual Church Meeting last Sunday, when we consider everything that happened in 2020. Obviously, the reports were quite short! The Parochial church council now consists of the two Sues as Church Wardens; Reader, Joanna Barber; elected members Louisa Mercer, Bernard Barrett, Beth Archbutt, Alison Coppiters, Brenda Horgan, Ellen Barrett, Ian Brown, Lee Coppiters, Beryl Joyce, Sarah Youseman, Sarah-Jane McAlonen, Sue Truzzi also our verger. Jan Becket, a co-opted member, has retired as the PCC secretary, and we’ll miss her expertise and thank her for her support for the last 20 or so years. We are therefore looking urgently for someone to fill this role. If you feel that this is something you could do to help the smooth running of our Church, please have a chat with one of us. Many other things have continued to tick over and the churchyard looks marvellous as always, thanks to the faithful team of gardeners.  

We are glad to tell you that there is no major work outstanding that needs to be completed, just more minor bits and pieces. The flagpole has now been replaced and the clock has been repaired and is chiming again. Predictably, our income was lower which always gives some cause for concern, but this was mitigated by the fact that many now choose to give by standing order enabling us to budget more accurately. Thank you to all who give in this way.

The Church reopened, for services in person, on 21st March and as lockdown eases gradually, we look forward to more people attending as and when they feel comfortable. We are looking forward to being able to resume singing, but for now are managing by listening to CD’s.

The PCC continued to meet regularly to discuss the formation of the Parish Profile, which will be used to explain about the Church for a prospective new Priest in Charge. We hope to have this completed and displayed on our website shortly.

We are in the process of forming a Pastoral Team. The aim of this group is to identify and contact or support those in our Church Community, (initially), who are in need, lonely, unwell or feeling isolated. If you would like to be contacted about this, please do let us know.

 Although the children can’t yet meet during the service for their Sunday Club, there will be worksheets and colouring pages available which they can use whilst sitting with their parents during the service.

 Please do contact us if you have any questions!

God’s Blessings to you all.

Sue Martin and Sue O’Connor

churchwardensstnbicholas@gmail.com


Letter from Churchwardens 20 February 2021


Dear friends,

Public worship at St. Nicholas, Southfleet is  postponed until 16th March 2021. We will update again at that time continuing to follow CofE and government guidelines.

However, we would like to just let you all know that BBC 1 are televising a series of services for the season of Lent starting tomorrow. The services will be from 11.00am till 11.30am. The first service is Sunday 21st February taken from St. Cuthbert's Church, Preston.

Best Wishes,
Sue and Sue (churchwardens)


Letter from Churchwardens 20 January 2021

Dear parishioners,

The PCC met the Archdeacon yesterday evening when he presented the plan for the future of St Nicholas Church.
The proposal is that we will have a new Priest in Charge who will be shared with St Barnabas, Istead Rise. This is happening successfully in many parishes and is necessary because the financial situation of the diocese and churches in general is far less secure due to the pandemic and the fall in congregations and therefore income is worryingly low.
This will obviously involve some changes and compromises, but will also bring some new experiences and practices which have the potential to invigorate our Church community.
In order that the new incumbent is able to carry out his/ her ministry, the church members will need to be more active and supportive in the life and working of the Church, so we will all be considering how we may fulfil this need for the future. We have identified the need for a Deputy Verger and a Deputy PCC Secretary. Please contact us if you feel you could help with either of these roles.
The new minister will live in Istead Rise as the Rectory there does not lend itself to being rented out because of its location, whereas the Southfleet one does. We will work strongly to ensure that this does not disadvantage the Southfleet, New Barn and Bean side of our community.
We will also strongly support the link with the schools in the parish.
The process of finding a replacement will not be quick!

Other matters that were discussed were the temporary suspension of services which will be reviewed after 16th February.
The new Audio Visual system has been installed, which will allow live streaming and recording of services.
Further repair work is needed on some of the stonework of the building. An architect will assess the needs then we will need to ascertain how best to fund the work.
The old Garden of Remembrance is to be tidied and renovated.
The clock will be repaired when COVID restrictions allow
The flagpole, on which we mount the star at Christmas, snapped in the high wind. We are exploring our options for it’s future. It’s replacement may be funded partly by the insurance minus the obligatory excess!

Please do continue to pray for the work of the Church in this parish, especially for guidance and wisdom in choosing a new incumbent.

Best wishes
Sue and Sue
Church wardens.
  
  
  


Please See Important Letter Below From The Churchwardens Regarding Church Services - Covid Update

22 December 2020

Dear friends,

Unfortunately, we feel that it is necessary to cancel all Christmas services including ‘Visit To The Crib’ at St Nicholas Church, despite the fact that Church services are permitted, as the rate of infection in Southfleet, Longfield and New Barn is the second highest in the Borough. We know how disappointing this is.

We will review the situation weekly, so please visit this website to see when the services will be resuming, possibly on 10th January at the earliest. 

The church may be open for private prayer mid January, subject to a review.

The service of carols and readings is available on YouTube, this website (see below) and the Church’s Facebook page. 

The Diocese of Rochester are also broadcasting a wide selection of services that you may appreciate at home (rochester.anglican.org) as are one or two other local churches. 

We wish you a Happy Christmas, despite the fact that you may have had your plans severely restricted. Do contact us if you need to hear a friendly voice or would value other support. 

Our love and prayers for a safe and joyful Christmas.

Sue and Sue (Churchwardens)



St. Nicholas Church Newsletter

6th November 2020


Dear Friends,


We, the new Church Wardens, would like to keep you informed of details relating to the Church, now that we have entered an interregnum, as Josh left us last week. We gave him a small leaving gift, but he asked that if anyone wished to donate anything, he would like it to go to St. Luke’s, the charity supporting the clergy. (www.stlukesforclergy.org.uk


As we have again been prevented from meeting in person, we have produced a Remembrance Day service for Sunday, with our guest preacher, the Archdeacon of Rochester, Andy Wooding Jones. This may be accessed on line by visiting our Church Website and clicking the You Tube link on the ‘services’ page.


Future services will also be listed on the website depending on government restrictions. Our next planned service is scheduled to be on 5th December which will be the traditional Toy Service when you are invited to provide a new toy for a child in need. We are happy to accept donations for this even if we can’t meet together for worship. We are planning to reintroduce music and singing, which will be broadcast by recording and participation by the choir only. The Christmas services obviously remain in question, but we will always keep the web site up to to date.


For the weeks when we are not able to broadcast, there is a service of worship on line found by typing ‘churchofengland.org’. We will be opening the church for private prayer on Thursdays from 12th November 10.00 to 11.30am.


We are delighted that we will be installing a new audio-visual system thanks to the generosity of a legacy. This will include a screen, projector and should enable live streaming of the services for those unable to attend. We will be able to welcome outside groups to use these facilities too.


You will have seen in the media that Churches, especially the small parish ones, are struggling financially. Ours is no exception! Our income has dropped dramatically, but we also recognise that many individuals are suffering too. Any donations would help us enormously, with regular giving by standing order being especially helpful. If you do feel that you are in a position to support us, we would be happy to give you details or visit the web page.


As we enter this second lockdown, please do contact us if you have any specific requirements, need support or even a regular phone call. The church phone number is 07484 154613 or via email:-

churchwardensstnicholas@gmail.com


With best wishes for your health and wellbeing. Sue and Sue




Message from the Church Wardens - 27th April 2017


We would start by wishing you all a Happy Easter and a long, warm and enjoyable summer for 2017.

We have now completed the initial area in the Church graveyard for re-use, with graves stones over 100 years old removed, and appropriately placed along the west boundary. Please note that we have now posted on the noticeboard, a shortened version of the revised Graveyard Policy.

We have started to update the church website, to give more information and history about the church. This can be found at www.stnicholassouthfleet.org.uk

The screen at the back of the Lady Chapel which will hide the staging and chairs area, is progressing well and should be completed during the summer. This has been made possible by three kind donations.

1.       We have heard from the Heritage Lottery Fund that we have been unsuccessful with our bid for a Delivery Phase grant and whilst we have been granted funds from other foundations and Charities, we now have to review what repair and improvement work we can undertake.

2.       We have received notification from the Heritage Lottery Fund that they have awarded us the original grant of £134,900 towards the fabric repairs, conservation work and heating improvements. We are also pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £10,000 from Friends of Kent Church’s. This means that we have to raise a further £7,000 for the work we have agreed to undertake with the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are, however, still applying for grants from other sources to make up the difference and carry out the repair work originally specified.

3.       We are delighted to announce that the Heritage Lottery Fund have awarded us a grant of £139,900 to towards the fabric repairs, conservation work and heating improvements. We are also delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant £10,000 from Friends of Kent Church’s. This means that we have the majority of the funds to carry out the revised schedule of works, detailed within the Heritage Lottery Fund application. We are, however, still applying for grants from other sources to make up the difference and carry out all the repair and conservation work.

Whilst we have funds for the fabric works due to the nature of the grant from Heritage Lottery Fund we are restricted in the funds available for heating improvements, although as previously reported we have some funds from the Marshall Charities towards heating. These funds will only permit us to install new boilers and a gas supply to the Church and in order to install a complete modern heating system we will need to raise a further £40,000. The existing system is 100 years old, so has done very well. We will be distributing further details about an appeal for funds in the near future.

We have several events taking place this year associated with raising funds for the church and we hope to see many of you for some fun and enjoyment over the coming months.

Joanna and Mike

Churchwardens


  • St Nicholas Church
  • Church Street
  • Southfleet
  • Kent
  • DA13 9NR

01474 391677
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