Category: Parish news

Recycling

Posted on by Peter Toon

Thanks to all those who have brought in pill blister packs for recycling. We got three boxes full in the first fortnight, far more than expected. 

Please keep up the good work with this scheme. There are two other specific recycling schemes in aid of charity you might like to take part in:

Inkjet cartridges – in aid of National Trust – just deliver to Ilona DeSousa (idesouza@btinternet.com) at 10 Claremont Place, Wincheap, CT1 3SU.  OK to post them through the door.

Crisp packets – being collected by Wildwood wildwoodtrust.org – just deliver during opening hours. 

If you want to recycle these but delivering them is difficult or would involve an ecologically unfriendly special trip please contact petertoon@aol.com or phone 01227 451 991 to discuss other possible arrangements

Update on progress on improving access, beauty and biodiversity in St Stephen’s Churchyard

Posted on by Stephen Barker

Following the public meetings in July and August  and a site visit by a council officer the PCC of St Stephen’s has agreed to the work recommended to remove or prune unhealthy and dangerous trees and the legal process to allow this to take place is underway.  All being well we hope this work will be completed by the end of the winter, changing the appearance of the churchyard and making it much more open and accessible.  We can then start to think of a longer term management strategy.

The PCC was also in favour of the idea of encouraging wider involvement of the community in caring for and enjoying the churchyard, and we are currently exploring the best legal framework to enable this to happen.  Our new organisation will also need a name – there was concern that the working title “Friends of St Stephen’s Churchyard” might cause confusion with the existing Friends of St Stephen’s.   Email petertoon@aol.com if you have any bright ideas for a good title for the group. 

The PCC also welcomed the  idea of an “adopt a grave” scheme under which individuals, families and groups could take responsibility for planting and managing one of the many graves no longer tended by families in ways which will enhance the beauty of the churchyard and also its biodiversity. Again there are procedural and organisational issues to be sorted out, but we hope that by early spring next year we will be able to launch the new organisation and an “adopt a grave” scheme.  If this all goes well we plan  a  celebration on Rogation Sunday, May 17th, a traditional time when the church gives thanks for nature and prays for a good harvest. 

Further updates will be circulated when there is more news, and we are applying for permission for a temporary noticeboard in the churchyard where information on plans for the churchyard can also be posted.

A Guided Sensory Meditation for the Autumn Season: Nuts and Seeds

Posted on by Stephen Barker

Everyone is welcome to join us in St Stephen’s church at 7.30pm on Thursday October 24th for a guided sensory meditation led by Sally Musker.  Sally is an experienced leader of meditations and is completing a postgraduate degree on sensory mediation at Canterbury Christ Church University.  The meditation will last approx. 40 minutes and will include some silent reflection and optional sharing.

St Stephen’s Lent Appeal – Toilet Twinning

Posted on by Stephen Barker
CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

2.3 billion people don’t have somewhere safe and hygienic to go to the toilet. (WHO/Unicef)

Almost 1,000 children die every day from preventable diseases linked to dirty water and unsafe toilets. (UN)

663 million people live without safeChildren worldwide miss 443 million school days each year because of dirty water and poor sanitation. (UN)

The lack of a loo makes women and girls a target for sexual attack as they go to the toilet in the open, late at night.

Every year, women and girls spend 97 billion hours finding a place to go. (World Bank)

How Twinning Works

For a donation, you can twin your loo with an impoverished family’s household latrine, in a country of your choosing.  Your smallest room becomes the proud owner of a certificate, complete with a photo and GPS coordinates so you can look up your twin’s location on Google Maps.  Your donation will be used to provide clean water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education.

We aim to raise £240 to twin the Church Hall toilets this Lent – but why not twin your own loo this Lent for £60? 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Daphne Godwin from Flald y Brenin visiting Canterbury

Posted on by Stephen Barker

Ffald y Brenin retreat house in Wales

Ffald y Brenin is a retreat centre in far-flung west Wales. In recent years, the community living, working and praying there have seen hundreds of remarkable miracles, and have learnt what it looks like to bless your local community so powerfully in prayer that the local economy strengthens, society changes and lives are transformed. Roy and Daphne Godwin, who lead the Ffald y Brenin community, have released two books telling the story (“The Grace Outpouring” and “The Way of the Blessing”).
Daphne is bringing a small team to Canterbury next weekend, and there are a couple of ways you can meet them and hear some of their stories:

Half-night of Prayer at the New Life Church Hub, Roper Close, CT2 7EP
7:00pm till midnight Friday 10th Feb (come for any or all of it) – Daphne and her team will share stories of what God has been doing in their communities in Wales, and then they’ll help us pray blessing for Canterbury.

Healing on the Streets, Best Lane
11:30am-1:30pm Saturday 11th – Daphne and the team will be joining the HOTS Team to pray for people in Canterbury city centre.

10:30am Sunday 12th – Daphne will be speaking at Canterbury Vineyard, Canterbury Academy, Knight Avenue, CT2 8QA

For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us:
contact@canterburychristianstogether.org.uk

Lyndall Bywater
Moderator, Christians Together in Canterbury

New Priest in Charge

Posted on by Stephen Barker

On Monday 1st September, a new chapter began in the life of St Stephen’s with the Licensing and Installation of Reverend Kevin Maddy as Priest in Charge. The service was led by the Bishop of Dover, and Kevin was Installed by the Archdeacon of Canterbury.

>