I hope that you will find these reflections helpful as we journey together through this Holy Week.
With my prayers and love in Christ,
Sarah
IMPORTANT NOTICE – CORONAVIRUS
A Message from our Minister, Rev’d. Dr. Sarah McClelland
In the light of recent announcements from Government about restrictions on movement and interpersonal contact, and following a Statement from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York during the week:
All Church Services at St Francis’, Valley Park, together with all Church-related Home and House Groups and all
Church activities including the St Francis’ Rendezvous Café and our Alpha Course are cancelled until further notice.
For those requiring further information on the situation please email or phone the Church Office (Staffed between 09.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.: Monday – Thursday).
How are you doing? I must admit that for me, this week, some of the reality of the Coronavirus crisis has been sinking in, of the suffering and helplessness of so many all over the world. But this gives us an opportunity to pray and reflect on the events leading up to Easter in a new way and I hope you’ll join me in that.
Worship for Holy Week and Easter
10am Palm Sunday – make a palm cross!
Join in a daily reflection – this will be emailed to you each day, as a video clip and also the words.
7pm Wednesday Evening Prayer
10am Easter Sunday
Continue to pray the Lord’s prayer at midday each day
Church news
Thanks so much to everyone who is making virtual house groups and café work! It’s so vital to keep finding way to support each other. Join in Café on the same link we use for services – Wednesdays 10 -12.
Thanks too to those who are making their buddy groups work! I’m so encouraged by how you’re using them to care for one another. If yours doesn’t seem to be working for you, please contact Fiona Grove our pastoral head – pastoral@stfrancis-valleypark.org.uk
If someone in your buddy group isn’t receiving emails, and you are able to go out, could you print this off and drop it round?
Listening Line – Thank you, pastoral and welcoming team, who have agreed to provide a listening ear to anyone who could do with it! Just leave a message on the church answer phone (02380 271152) with your details, or email admin@sfvp.org.uk and they’ll get back to you.
It’s great to be able to have Chandler’s Ford Help use our building to make up food parcels and store non-perishable food.
Volunteers required!
Basics Bank are looking to open every day but will need a lot more volunteers. They have asked churches to consider staffing a day a week. Are you able to help? It would be very much appreciated! Please get in touch and I’ll pass your details on.
Vicaring and doctoring
As a recently retired GP I’ve volunteered to do some work with the NHS. This will be part time and this week at least, will involve doing some NHS111 shifts.
My first calling is to you, the church and parish of St Francis. For all of us at the moment what we’re called to do has changed – some are returning to help in previous vocations, some home schooling, phoning to check on friends and family, praying more… and for me at the moment, by using my previous training.
I continue to have oversight of the church, and will continue to pray and support you – I might just take longer to answer emails and have reduced availability for this time.
Resources: Free conference!
Spring Harvest can’t meet as usual but they’re offering ‘Spring Harvest Home’ – a completely free online conference programme with content suitable for everyone in the family. Lined up for the week after Easter (April 13th – 17th), the theme is
“Unleashed – The Acts Church Today“.See https://springharvest.org/spring-harvest-home/ for more details.
As ever please do let us know if we can help at this time.
With my prayers and love in Christ
Sarah
Sarah McClelland
Lead Minister, St Francis’ Church.
A Local Ecumenical Partnership of the Church of England, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church.
Pilgrim’s Close, Valley Park, Eastleigh SO53 4ST
Mobile phone or home telephone –
dial 0203 481 5240 then when prompted for ‘meeting ID’ enter using the key pad: 779 965 4356 # # then the new password 123456 # (a ‘participant ID’ is not needed).
NB: this is a 580MB file so please suggest it’s only listened to on unlimited broadband at home or WIFI on a mobile device. Watching Full Screen is better and removes the ‘Chat’ column – click icon (Shown left) in bottom right-hand corner of your screen.
Safeguarding those at risk: To find our policies on Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults, and with regard to Domestic Abuse and Violence please click here;
Our primary Safeguarding contact: safeguarding@stfrancis-valleypark.org.uk
Our Minister, Rev’d. Dr. Sarah McClelland reflected on her first impressions of our Church at our Annual Church Meeting on Sunday 7th April 2019. Click on this link to hear her comments:
Happening this week at
St. Francis’.
Note: St Francis’ School Breakfast Club (7.30 a.m. – 9.00 a.m.) &
St Francis’ After School Club (3.15 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.)
held each weekday in School Terms.
Saturday 4th April
Sunday 5th April: PALAM SUNDAY 10.00 a.m.: On-line Service: see notes on this page to join in.
Monday 6th April
Holy Monday
Tuesday 7th April:
Holy Tuesday
Wednesday 8th April:
Holy Wednesday 7.00 p,m.: On-line Evening Prayer: see notes on this page to join in.
Thursday 9th April:
MAUNDY THURSDAY
Friday 10th April:
GOOD FRIDAY
Saturday 11th April:
Holy Saturday
Sunday 12h April: EASTER DAY 10.00 a.m.: On-line Service: see notes on this page to join in.
Some of our Home Groups develop their studies around the central theme of our Sunday worship and study.
Please click here to go to all of our 2019 Lenten Course Study Material on Prayer and for a selection of recent sermons and homilies on current study topics.
Evening Study of the Book of Exodus:
During Epiphany and Lent 2020, our informal worship on 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings (@ 6.00 p.m.) will focus on a study of the Book of Exodus. To gain an overview of this important book of the Old Testament, in which God renews His Covenant with the Israelites, click on these links to watch two short videos:
Exodus Part 1: Chapters 1 – 18: The Israelites, who have settled in Egypt become enslaved and under Moses, and with God’s help, eventually flee from slavery in Egypt:
Exodus Part 2: Chapters 19 – 40: God re-establishes the Covenant He had made with Abraham, gives the Israelites a framework for living in harmony with God and each other, and commits to dwell among them in the Ark of the Covenant.
St Francis’ Church in action:
To find out more about what else we are doing through the coming year please look at our Parish Calendar and Weekly Notices pages.
What were we doing in 2018? To read about the Ministry, Mission and Witness we undertook, and how we used the Financial Resources gifted to us in 2018, please click on St Francis Annual Report 2018 – v1.0 Final
What are our strategic plans for Ministry and Mission in the coming months?
To read our latest Parish Mission Action Plan (pMAP) please click on: St Francis Valley Park – pMap 2017 – 2020 – v 2-2,
Data Protection:
To read our Data Protection Policies please click here. Please let the Parish Office know if you no longer wish us to hold your information.
To contact us:
For our contact details please click here.
Please note:
The Minister’s day off is Friday. For emergencies please contact a Church Warden on that day.
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR):
The new data protection regulations, relating to the holding, management and use of personal data by organisations came into force on Friday 25th May 2018. St Francis’ Church takes its responsibilities under GDPR very seriously. You can read our Data Privacy Notice here. If you are a member of St Francis’ Church, or wish to remain in close contact with us, you may give us consent to hold, manage and use your personal data by downloading a Full Data Consent Form 2018 – 27-04-18 and completing and e-mailing it to us at <admin@sfvp.org.uk>.
WESSEX SYNOD
