St Lawrence Church...St Lawrence Church...
The church is in The United Benefice of Highnam, Rudford, Tibberton and Taynton.
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
‘Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown.’
And he replied:
‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’
I don’t often quote poetry but these words from ‘The Desert’ by Marie Louise Haskins have always made an impression on me, as they have on many others. For me this is not just another New Year but also a point at which I am moving on to new work. But even if there are no major changes in store, none of us can know exactly what a new year might bring. Personally, I find the image of being led into the darkness by God’s hand a very helpful one and I commend it to you.
So on January 3rd I shall be starting my new work as a Chaplain to the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Gill and I would ask for your prayers at this time of transition for us, as we prepare to move house into Gloucester. We shall be remaining in Highnam for two or three months, renting the Rectory form the Diocese, while we sort out house to live in. I do of course ask for your prayers too for the process of appointing my successor and for the next phase in the life of this Benefice.
It has been a privilege to be your Rector for over six years and both Gill and I have valued your friendship and support. The commitment of a large body of people throughout the Benefice to the life and witness of the Church has been heartening and I shall continue to pray for you all. The things that I have enjoyed about my time here are too many to list and the things I haven’t I probably wouldn’t want to mention anyway!
On Sunday 15th January, I shall be ‘returning’ to conduct my last service in the Benefice, which will be a Benefice Eucharist at Highnam Church at 10am, followed by a bring-and-share lunch in the Gambier Parry Hall. Gill and I hope that we can share that morning with many parishioners from across the Benefice. Later on, I shall be officially licensed for my new hospital work by the Bishop of Tewkesbury on Monday 6th February at 4pm in the Chapel at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital at a service to which any of you are welcome - just come along.
To return to my theme, none of us knows what lies ahead and that is one reason why faith can be so important. True faith is not just about certainty - it’s big enough to include both our doubts and our questions. It embraces, in the words of the well-known hymn, the ‘I cannot tell why’ as well as the ‘but this I know’ things. And so I leave with you the first verse of that hymn, which is usually sung to the well-known ‘Londonderry Air’. It says, in a more definitely Christian way, very similar things to the verse I quoted at the beginning and it is of course appropriate during this continuing Christmas season.
should stoop to love the peoples of the earth,
or why as shepherd he should seek the wand’rer
with his mysterious promise of new birth.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary,
when Bethlehem’s manger was his only home,
and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured,
and so the Saviour, Saviour of the world is come.
May God bless you all,
Martin Riley
Sunday 5th February Fourth Sunday before Lent
9.30am Highnam Family Eucharist with Bishop John.
Children’s Club
10.30am Tibberton Church United all-age worship
Wednesday 8th February
3.00pm Elderly residents tea party at
67 Maidenhall
Thursday 9th February
10.00am Tibberton Church Holy Communion
Sunday 12th February Third Sunday before Lent
9.30am Highnam Family Eucharist
10.30am Tibberton Church Family Eucharist
Sunday 19th February Second Sunday before Lent
10.00am Taynton Benefice Eucharist
5.00pm Highnam School ‘Five Alive’
Sunday 26th February Sunday next before Lent
9.30am Highnam Family Eucharist
10.30am Tibberton Church Family Eucharist
6.30pm Taynton Evensong
Wednesday 1st March Ash Wednesday
7.30pm Highnam Benefice Eucharist
Sunday 5th March First Sunday of Lent
9.30am Highnam Family Eucharist with Revd. M. Buchan,
10.30am Tibberton Methodist Church United all-age worship
News from the minister.....
Hello,
My name is George Parfitt and I am an Ordained Local minister in the Benefice of Highnam with Lassington, Rudford, Taynton and Tibberton. I have been building a website for our Benefice and it is now up and running. The sites URL is www.our-benefice.co.uk . It is still under construction but there is enough to make it of interest to visitors. At the moment we have benefice information and Highnam church built but it is intended to have all four churches included. This is mainly because of Highnam's 150 year celebration of its consecration at the end of this month. I am also intending to put in additional links to other websites.
George Parfitt.
Priest-in-Charge
Rev Martin Riley 01452 525567 The Rectory, 25 Maidenhall, Highnam, Gloucester, GL2 8DJ.
Ordained Local Minister.
Rev. George Parfitt 01452 301635
Licensed Readers.
Barbara Merrick 01452 504376 Graham Leaver
Wardens.
Mark Hammond 01531 821549 Roger Kerr 01452 790200
Organist.
Monica Sherratt. 01452 790359
Visiting and Befriending Scheme Co-ordinator.
Monica Sherratt. 01452 790359
Local Ministry Team
Ann Beaver 01452 380310 Beverley Biggin 01452 523156 David Booth 01684 276399 Pat Duggan 01452 501072 Janet Hogg 01452 380207 Barbara Merrick 01452 504376 Kathleen Perks 01452 790239
Committee.
| Martin Riley | - | Priest-in-Charge | Capt Peter Percy |
| Mark Hammond | - | Chairman | Mac Hammond |
| Lt Col Roger Kerr | - | Vice Chairman | Monica Sherratt |
| Rosemary Williams | - | Secretary | Donald Sherratt |
| Graham Lever | - | Acting Treasurer | Cynthia Griffiths |
The church was built during the Commonwealth and was dedicated in 1660. It replaced a Norman church that was situated half a mile away that was burnt down in 1642 by Royalists forces at the time of the siege of Gloucester. It was built on behalf of Thomas Pury the younger who was a Colonel at Gloucester during the siege and who lived at The Grove, Taynton.
In defiance of the Catholic tradition it was built on a north /south alignment instead of the usual east/west making it almost unique in England.
For a very interesting and comprehensive history read "Taynton Gloucestershire A Story of Two Churches" by Douglas J. Parker.
Available from: Court Publications, Tibberton Court, Tibberton, Glos. or Tel 01452790313. Price £3-50.
Church Roof Repairs 2002
In the summer of 2000 the churchwardens became aware of movement in the church roof and a structural engineer was commissioned to investigate. He found that the roof is sagging at the north end of the church and it is pushing the roof trusses off the wall plates and that the roof is in danger of collapsing.
Photographs of the work completed with further details can be seen here.