Bulletin - 23rd October 2016

Post date: Oct 20, 2016 5:26:1 PM

PARISH REGISTER – If you have changed or have a new mobile telephone number or email address please complete a Parish Register Form available at the back of church and hand to Fr. Harriott. Thank You

NEW PARISHIONERS - If you are a new member of the parish, would you please make yourself known to Fr. Harriott or a member of the Parish Council and complete a form available at the back of church.

OFFERTORIES - HAITI - £590.99

A retiring collection will be taken today (Sunday 23^rd October 2016) for World Missions.

Next Sunday 30^th Oct. 2016 there will be a retiring collection for the Clergy Training Fund.

6 MONTHLY FINANCIAL STATEMENT REPORT- ‘The Financial return for the 6 months ended 30th September 2016 shows that we have maintained our level of income, when compared to the previous year. However our expenditure rose as we incurred one-off costs in replacing a boiler and furniture. Overall our finances remain reasonable so well done to everyone!’ Derek Harrison.

Sunday 23^rd Oct. Readers – J. Craigie & C. Gibbs EM's – A. McInulty, M. Cowan & M. Mills

Hall Teas – Susan and Sian

Sunday 30^th Oct. Readers – M. Cowan & C. Dobson EM's – S. Harnwell, J. Coulson & V. Rooker

Hall Teas – Rob and Barbara

BAPTISM – P{lease remember in your prayers Lilly Isabelle and Antonio Rea who will be baptised this week

RAFFLE TICKETS – Several prizes from the MacMillan Appeal and the CAFOD raffle are unclaimed, please check the list on the notice board at the back of church.

THE ROSARY – Kathleen Dawson is giving a talk and discussing the Rosary every Wednesday during October in the Hall at 2pm. Everyone is welcome to come along.

CHRISTMAS SHOE BOX APPEAL – is upon us once again. Louise Roberts will be selling the boxes 50p at the back of church today. The collection date for the shoe box appeal is Sunday 13^th Nov.

EVENING CHRONICLE “WISH TOKENS FOR CHARITY” - Janet Memola will be collecting these over the next few months for the Air Ambulance.

COFFEE AFTERNOONS – The next two Coffee Afternoons will be Thursday 10^th Nov. 2016 and Thursday 8^th December 2016 at 1.30pm. These are open to ALL, not just parishioners, Please come along.

YEAR OF MERCY/FTiH – On the back of the bulletin is information for all parishioners, especially young families, to get involved in planned activities. Please read and contact Kathryn Maggs 07540 065414 or Jerry Laidler.

ADDITIONAL PARISH & DIOCESAN INFORMATION- can be obtained from the Parish website https://sites.google.com/site/stjohnsannitsford. Anyone experiencing problems accessing the site, please contact Jerry Laidler on 07801 452372 - continued overleaf

… FTiH - IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ …

Partnership Preference

Firstly, we want to thank so many for taking time in providing input to this current and important phase of FTiH – PLEASE keep having your say – You can do this by either using the suggestion box which is at the back of church, or using the suggestion slips that are in ‘TheHub@TheHall’ whilst you are having a coffee and a natter or by simply talking to Fr. Harriott, Kathryn or Jerry or any member of the PPC.

Last week’s input and meeting from you all was excellent and it was clear that the overall view was to opt for the Northumberland clergy proposal of staying in Northumberland and creating a partnership with Cramlington, Annitsford and Blyth wherein Blyth becomes the main church centre or hub.

There was a lot of positivity towards Sacred Heart with immense warmth & love, but the general consensus from parishioners was that we should opt for the Blyth/Cramlington/Annitsford partnership.

This was based on a number of factors:

1) The fact St. John’s would be going solo

2) The fact that a number of Newcastle parishes where strong in their own right

3) That leaving would possible be detrimental to some of the parishes in Northumberland (people were concerned for their immediate neighbours)

The decision wasn’t taken lightly, and we had good discussion at the meeting - but since we can only have one partnership then this meant that the Sacred Heart option had to be rejected.

That said, the discussion between St. John’s parishioners focused on maintaining contact and newly formed links with Sacred Heart in order to share good practice, promote & attend events, and learn from each other – as we don’t know where the spirit will take us in the future. In fact, it was clearly noted that a number of our parishioners live outside our own parish (North Tyneside/Newcastle) – which is interesting as St. John’s has always been a parish that serves beyond its own boundary. Also, a number of parishioners attend Sacred Heart Masses and a number of our young people attend schools in Newcastle and North Tyneside – which emphasises St. John’s outreach and inclusive nature.

It was also voiced that ‘... we would very much like to continue to make in roads and share good practice with all Newcastle and any other parishes …’ – a sentiment echoed by many St. John’s parishioners.

St. John’s have thanked Sacred Heart for their efforts, time, warmth and love in trying to develop a partnership with us. We prayer that their partnership is a success in the true spirit of Forward Together in Hope and we hope to forge closer links with them as the years go by.

Footnote: Sacred Heart were asked if they alone would join us in Northumberland, but they themselves were in a similar position and could not commit due to the neighbours they also support.

If there are any mistakes or the above is not accurate then please let us know.

#GodBless+ Fr. Richard B. Harriott

Events for You @SacredHeart:

Below are some events that you can get involved in – we will keep you updated with others but here are some that Sacred Heart are organising:

Fri 11th November: 7pm: Bereavement Service: “Lead, Kindly Light”. This is a quiet, reflective service which makes use of a variety of readings, music and symbols. We invite the families of people who have been buried from the parish in the last twelve months. However, the service is open to all. We've been running this service for 30 years. Over time it has evolved but, in essence, it remains the same - a chance to remember those who have died. While we name those who have died by name, it is essentially quite a private act of remembrance.

Mon 19th December: 7pm: Candle-lit Carols followed by social time in the hall.

Tue 20th December: 7pm: St Oswald’s School, annual Christmas Production in the Church.