April Services at Ansley Churches
| 2nd April
Maundy Thursday |
St John’s
|
3.00 p.m. | Holy Communion |
| 5th April
Easter Day |
St Laurence | 10.30 a.m. | Holy Communion |
| 12th April
Easter 2 |
St Laurence | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship
|
| 19th April
Easter 3 |
St John’s | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship |
| 26th April
Easter 4 |
St Laurence | 10.30 a.m. | Holy Communion |
PLEASE NOTE: St Laurence Church will be open for private prayer and reflection on Good Friday 3rd April from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
From the Registers
Interment of Ashes,
Following the death of Mrs Ruth Feather at the age of 95, a service was held at the Heart of England Crematorium in Nuneaton on 21st January 2026. Her remains were buried with those of her husband in the Cremation Garden at St Laurence on 3rd March 2026.
Preparing for Easter Day
Help with preparing the church for Easter Day would be much appreciated on Saturday 4th April from 9.00 a.m. The church will be decorated and then cleaned, hopefully by lunchtime. Many hands make light work!
Easter Day
The Reverend John Langlands will conduct the Easter Holy Communion service at St Laurence. We look forward to celebrating this special day in the church’s year, surrounded by the beauty of flowers.
Draw Nearer – a follow up to this year’s Lent Course, “Draw Near”.
At the last meeting of the Lent Course two of those present suggested that it would be good for similar meetings to be held through the year. Everyone agreed, so the following arrangements have been made. The group will meet on second Mondays of the month at the Barn in Old Arley and on fourth Mondays in the Annexe at Ansley. There will be no meeting on Bank Holiday Mondays. You are welcome to arrive from 7.00 p.m. for a 7.30 p.m. start. Meetings will end at 9.00 p.m. The theme for 13th April and 27th April will be Easter, in line with the Church year.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
This meeting will be on Thursday 23rd April in the Annexe at 2.00 p.m. The PCC will be meeting at 1.30 and a short PCC will be held after the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
Anyone who is on the church electoral roll or who lives in the parish and is on the local government register of electors can propose or second candidates and can vote.
Agenda
Meeting to elect churchwardens
Welcome and opening prayers from the Priest in Charge
Election of two churchwardens.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Approval of the Minutes of the last meeting (APCM 10th April 2025).
Reports will be given on the previous year’s actions and activities, including numbers on the Electoral Roll, reports on the church building and churchyard, the church halls, the proceedings of Nuneaton Deanery Synod and the financial state of the parish.
Two PCC members will be elected as representatives to Nuneaton Deanery Synod, to serve for a period of three years.,
An independent examiner will be appointed for the PCC until the next APCM.
Prayer Meeting
The next meeting will be Tuesday 28th April in St John’s at 2.00 p.m.
From the PCC
Church
The carpet style runners along the pews have been in place for many years and are showing a significant amount of wear and tear. The PCC is planning to replace them with latch hook rug strips. Any volunteers, with experience or willing to learn, will be very welcome to help with this task! More details later.
Churchyard Wall
Now that permission has been received from the Diocese, it is hoped that work will soon start on repairing part of the churchyard boundary wall by the lime trees below the tower. Then the improvement of the ground gutters of the church itself will be addressed. As with all old buildings it is important to be carrying out repairs as soon as possible to prevent any issues getting worse.
Ansley Village Church Hall Maintenance and Repair
The wet winter had highlighted some developing problems with damp affecting the walls and floor. Work to improve drainage of surface and ground water from around the Church Hall has been completed at a cost of £3,600. Advice will now be sought regarding the floor. It is hoped that a grant may be obtained to help with this. The internal walls and the Gentlemen’s toilet will also need attention. This work will take a little time. Once completed it is hoped that the improved condition of the Church Hall will make it more presentable for all users.
World Day of Prayer 2026
This service was advertised to take place at St John’s Hall. At the last minute it was moved to the Annexe at St Laurence. This proved to be a good alternative space. The error was due to church members forgetting that a new regular booking was in place for the day and time of the planned service!
It was lovely to welcome a few visitors from other churches and their contribution to the singing and the content was much appreciated. The service had been prepared by a committee of women from a range of churches in Nigeria.
We heard of the experiences of three different women. They expressed what it meant for them to respond to the theme, “I will give you rest. Come.” Matthew 11:28.
Although some hymns were unfamiliar, the singing went well. Refreshments and a time to chat followed the service.
Thank you to Brenda Cart for organising and leading the service and to all who contributed, both before and on the day.
We are pleased to report that £150 has been sent to the World Day of Prayer organisation for their work around the world.
Mothering Sunday
Thank you to Marie Cove for organising the posies for distributing to the congregation.
Parish Giving
There are many ways that people can give to the church. Helping at events and tidying in the churchyard and around the halls is always appreciated. We also, however, need funds to pay the bills that enable the church to function.
If you pay tax, then to use Gift Aid is a great help. An easy way to do this is to use the Parish Giving Scheme. You state how much you want to give. The Scheme takes your planned amount by Direct Debit on the first working day of each month. This amount appears in the church account a few days later and the Gift Aid sum shortly after.
Standing Orders and BACS are other ways to give as well as cash.
But no rusty washers please! Speak to M. Antill if you need more details.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluiah!
Happy Easter to all our readers.
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Prayer Requests
If you would like someone, or a particular situation, to be remembered in prayer, please make contact by email or phone one of the contacts on the front cover.