March Services at Ansley Churches
| 3rd March
World Prayer Day |
St John’s | 10.30 a.m. | Special Service |
| 5th March
Lent 2 |
St John’s | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship |
| 12th March
Lent 3 |
St La urence’s | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship |
| 19th March
Mothering Sunday |
St John’s | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship |
| 26th March
Passion Sunday |
St Laurence’s | 10.30 a.m. | Morning Worship |
From the Registers
Funeral
The funeral of Valerie Evans, aged 71, took place on 9th February at St Laurence followed by burial in the churchyard. Valerie was a very generous and social person who enjoyed Bingo. She supported the many events at St John’s. She also greatly appreciated her holiday coach trips in this country and once a year to Benidorm.
We send our condolences to her family, especially her husband and daughter as well as to her many friends. The regard people had for her was demonstrated by the large number who came to church for her service.
Interment of Ashes
The ashes of Brian Lewell were interred in a family grave on 10th February.
We remember his family and friends in our prayers.
An Apology from the Magazine Team
We do apologise for the delay in distributing the February magazine. Unfortunately there was a fault with the printing equipment which took a few days to put right.
Announcement from Coventry Archdeacon Missioner, the Venerable Archdeacon Barry Dugmore.
The following statement was announced in all the parishes named below on Sunday 5th February 2023.
‘Fillongley and Corley with Ansley and Arley have had a lengthy appointment process without finding a suitable candidate.
As a result of this, further consultation with the PPCs around a ‘partnership for mission and ministry’ was explored which sought to offer a creative approach to helping find a sustainable pattern for future ministry.
The detail of the proposal explored, discussed and unanimously agreed by the Parish Representatives is:
The Revd Gail Philip becoming Priest-in-Charge of Ansley & Arley and Fillongley & Corley (in addition to Exhall).
- The Revd Jo Parker to be licensed as Assistant Curate of Ansley & Arley and Fillongley & Corley (in addition to Exhall).
- The Revd Steven Medley becoming Associate Minister of Exhall, Ansley& Arley and Fillongley & Corley for an interim period of two years.
(Steve is presently Ordained Lead at Urban Hope Coventry).
All are full time and will now develop a ministry plan which will enable a good, viable ministry across the parishes.
In due course there will be a special ‘launch’ event for the partnership involving all the churches.
We are working on a commencement date to the partnership and will be able to share more information soon.
We give thanks to God for providing an exciting pathway and look forward to seeing how this develops under The Mission & Ministry Partnership team (MMPT) for the Leys Group with Revd Gail’s oversight.’
Important News from Revd Gail Phillip
In an email dated 11th February, Reverend Gail expressed how much the MMPT members, herself, Jo and Steve are looking forward to working alongside us all. Their licences will not come into effect until 1st March and our service arrangements will stay as they are until at least the end of May. Gail is recovering now from a recent planned operation but the MMPT will begin work with the Leys Group during her recovery. The Team has already developed Working Agreements for Revd Jo and Revd Steve which identify key priorities and objectives with an emphasis on familiarisation in this first phase. The MMPT will begin operating from 12th March 2023. Generally speaking Revd Jo will be a main point of contact for Ansley & Arley, whilst Revd Steve will be a main point of contact for Fillongley & Corley.
World Day of Prayer Reminder
Brenda Cart will lead this service at St John’s on Friday 3rd March at 10.30.a.m. There will be light refreshments afterwards.
Mothering Sunday
This year’s service will be held at St John’s and posies will be distributed. St Laurence church will be open on Saturday 18th March.
Prayer Meeting
The next meeting will be in St John’s Hall on 28th March at 2 p.m. Katrina Mays will lead this meeting. You are welcome to come along, listen and/or join in as you wish.
Open Church Reminder
The church re-opens on Tuesdays for prayer and contemplation from 11.00 a.m.to 4.00 p.m. This was first arranged 12 months ago when the invasion of Ukraine commenced. It was clear that people did come into church last year and appreciated that quiet time.
Ansley Village Church Hall
The first meeting of the freshly convened Committee took place on 8th February. The new committee has representatives from groups using the hall, the caretaker and PCC members. The committee is making a start on sorting some of the issues that have arisen over the past few disrupted years.
The first and easiest task was to review and reallocate storage space for the different groups using the hall. The opportunity was taken to remove and dispose of items that were broken or inappropriate for current activities.
The reason for the internal peeling paint on the outer walls of the kitchen and toilets will be investigated and rectified.
The planned work to stop water collecting outside the hall had to be delayed because of road works nearby which had a higher priority. The work by the hall entrance is now planned for 22nd March.
From the PCC
Interregnum: It is encouraging that we will soon have three full time ministers working as a team in Exhall, Fillongley & Corley and Ansley & Arley Parishes. (See the Announcement above) We thank you for your prayers over the past months and for continued prayer as plans are discussed and these ministers prepare for their new roles that will start officially in a month or so. We also send our best wishes for a speedy recovery from her operation to our new Priest – in – Charge, the Reverend Gail Phillip.
Finance: Special Collections
At St Laurence
A plate will be put out during Lent for donations to the charity Water Aid that we have supported for several years. After Easter there will be a plate out for three weeks to collect for the DEC appeal for people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
At St John’s
All the cash collection on 5th March and additional extra donations on 19th March will be for the Earthquake Appeal.
Churchyard: Thank you to everyone who helped to clear Christmas wreaths and faded flower displays from the churchyard on or before 20th February. The ground is now clear of obstructions for the first grass mowing in a few weeks.
At the same time all the stones were checked to ensure they were safe. We will try to contact the family or have a letter placed on any that were found to be unsatisfactory.
Annexe: The piano is now in place and has been played during services. We are very grateful to the volunteers who brought it to the annexe.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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 following.
Margaret Antill 018 2787 4520
Margaret Oliver 014 5582 2822
Diana Kealey 024 7639 5089