Newsletter Number 223 - March 2024

Although it has been the wettest start to the year for many years, it's lovely to see the spring flowers coming through and the occasional bursts of sunshine. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. A time to put the short winter days behind us and look forward to the warmer longer days of summer.

Over the last few months the restoration work at St Edmunds has continued. The dark wooden screen between the shelf and the south chapel has been stripped back and repainted to restore it to it's original colour. The bench on the right side of the porch was so badly damaged by rot and insect activity that it could not be repaired, so it has been replaced with a length of recycled oak that should last for many years to come. Limewashing the walls is an ongoing process and will continue into the summer. .

Services at St Edmunds start at 9.30am every Sunday

The 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month are Holy Communion from the Book of Common Prayer.

Morning Prayer is on the 2nd and 4th Sunday, and on the 5th Sunday there is Common Worship with Communion, tea and coffee is available after these services.

Details of all the services in Holy Rood and St Edmunds are in the weekly Parish Update.

The Church is open on the 18th of every month, from 10.00 to 12.00, for visitors or for private prayer.

Forthcoming Events

On Wednesday 13th March we are holding Soup & Sandwiches starting at 12.30 at the Rotary Club Wheelhouse. Tickets are £7 and space is limited. There will be a raffle and a Quiz.

Saturday April 6th is the Friends of Crofton Old Church AGM. This is held at St Edmunds and starts at 10.30. The calling notice can be found here and a nomination form is attached here. If you are interested in joining the committee and would like more information, please speak to one of the committee.

I shall leave you with this.

One evening a retired doctor noticed that his kitchen sink was not draining properly. He promptly called a local plumber to come and fix it.

"I'm sorry," the plumber said, "it's 6.30 and all my staff have gone home. I can get someone to come tomorrow morning and get it sorted."

"It's very inconvenient. Couldn't you come out tonight to do it?" the doctor asked. "When I was working, I would go out at anytime to help my patients."

The plumber thought for a while and said, "You're right, give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, he arrived at the doctor's house. He went through to the kitchen and had a look at the sink. Opening his bag, he took out a small bottle, tipped out two tablets and dropped them into the blocked sink. As he repacked his bag he turned to the doctor and said, "See how that goes and if it's not better, call me in the morning."

Until next time

Sincerely yours

Peter Gladwell