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Ian celebrates 30 years in the Parish with his good friend
Bishop Bill Ind.

St Peter in the Wood holds regular services and a family service every month.

A popular church for both Weddings and Baptism.

Visit this page for information on Church Services.

The Parish of St Peter in the Wood in the Benefice of Appleshaw, Kimpton, Thruxton, Fyfield and Shipton Bellinger in the Diocese of Winchester.

Services
January 2010
February
7^th Parish Communion 11am
14^th Sunday Children's Club 10.30am
Parish Communion 11am

Notes:
Parish Communion means a Communion Service with hymns.
Family Worship means a service for the family of the Church at which children and their parents are particularly welcome.

The Rector Writes

I really enjoyed Christmas 2009.  The services were well attended and lively throughout the benefice; the churches were beautifully decorated; many people helped with the preparations, read lessons and, in the case of Appleshaw, Tom and John Lee mastered the carols on the organ well enough to lead the singing on Christmas Day.  This was a grand gesture, arising out of the appeal in the last edition of ARC.   Some readers thought that there would be no organist for the carol service, but Gordon Verity was able to play for the traditional carols to complement the readings by local parishioners.  It was lovely to see so many there, especially the youngsters with their parents.  Perhaps next year we can start an hour earlier to encourage even more families to come along.

There is no lack of plans for development in the work of the parish church in Appleshaw in 2010.  I would encourage anyone who would like to participate in the worshipping, social, financial or heritage aspects of our life together to contact the churchwardens or me and let us know what they can offer in terms of help or resources.

Ever since the twelfth century (and I guess well before then) there has been a sacred focus in our village shrine, and it is our privilege, in our time, to keep the lamp burning, literally and spiritually, to which Melville Child’s local history makes reference: …the grant by William de St. John… to establish lights in the said church (1217 – 1221) [Appleshaw: Township and Parish p.15]

Another delightful link was the recent gift by Christopher Cowlard to the Rectory of the original pencil sketch that adorned the front of the Christmas 2009 edition of ARC, entitled Our Village Church and in the corner the artist “Caroline” dated 1843.

I have been very fortunate to live here as incumbent, and God Willing to set out in ministry for my last years here, having enjoyed my thirtieth anniversary with so many acts of kindness and supportive good wishes, which I return with a greeting of Happy New Year to all ARC readers!

   

Sunday Club

Family Service: new format!

At the PCC, we are always reviewing the way our Church services are run, and have decided to make a small change to the Family Service: as of January 2010, we will adopt a new format: the Sunday Club at 10.30 will stop; instead, we will focus on the 11.00 service, with a particular emphasis on encouraging the younger members of our congregation to participate by ringing the bells, reading the lessons and taking collection. At the end of this service, which lasts approx. 40 minutes, we invite you all to join us for coffee and tea, and squash and biscuits. We hope that in this way, we will encourage all those who attend the service to stay and have a chat! And of course we hope that lots of little people will enjoy it too…
I hope that you will like this new format; please remember that children are welcome to all the other Services at St Peter-in-the-Wood as well!
Please please please contact me if you have any thoughts or questions! I have talked about this with some of you, and we have come up with some great ideas… so lots more to come. This is just the beginning!Of course, I am always happy to talk to anyone about ideas, so please contact Letitia tel. 772360 email: Letitia@cooks-farm.fsnet.co.uk.


St. Peter-in-the Wood Appleshaw Refurbishment Plan 2009  

There are three categories of work that the Parochial ChurchCouncil
hope to complete in this plan:   

1) Quinquennial Inspection Requirements

• Repair vestry external door    
• Realign gutter to down pipes    
• Redecorate and make good plaster/render internally and externally    
• Render/mortar repair to tile aisle, porch plinth and tower parapet     
• Repair glass fibre roof finish on tower 

2) Specific Projects

• Replace carpet in Chancel and Sanctuary with terracotta tiling
• Install corona lucis, made by Kurt Linssner, in memory of Charles Shirley     
• New west inner doors and plaque in memory of Lt. Col. Kidson-Montgomerie, given by his family, made by Berry Leighton-Boyce
• Construct archway and lamp at entrance to churchyard path to be made by the Linssners    
• New path to west door     
• Install loop and sound system for hard of hearing in memory of Sir John Clark  

3) Other     

• Repair west window     
• Adjust bells    
• Review and, if recommended, remove yew tree belt    
• Lantern bases and tops in memory of Don and Mary Philpotts
• Biological lavatory     
• Catering unit installed 

During the last year, plans and estimates have been followed up by the appointed architect to present to the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches.  Over £13000 has been raised so far for the project.