Vicar's Letter
Chollerton Vicarage
February Letter
Dear friends,
Valentine's Day will be soon upon us. It is the time of year when card shops turn pink; cuddly, soft toys appear; red roses double in price and the High Street does well during a fairly quiet time of the year. The cynics among us (the 'Bah humbug' brigade that comes out of hiding so soon after Christmas) think it's done in the spirit of making us spend money. For others it provides the opportunity to tell someone of their love. Mothering Sunday follows about a month behind and another opportunity presents itself to tell our mothers how much we love them.
It could be said that, to quote the old song, 'love is in the air' and that's a recurring theme in the church too. Ash Wednesday sees the beginning of a journey of forty days and nights of Lent when Christians give special attention to their devotion of Jesus. Signs of this are living more simply and fasting is a way of doing this; following God more closely day by day through a greater emphasis on prayer and the studying the Holy Bible; by dressing the churches more austerely by having no decorations or flowers; and, journeying with Jesus to the darkness of the cross of Good Friday and the light and joy of the empty tomb on Easter Day when every candle we have in church is lit as Christ's defeat over death and hell is celebrated.
A belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes Christians unique among other faiths who consider Jesus merely a prophet or a good, holy man. What sent him to the cross and suffering was his deep love for each of us. Not many of us know someone else who died for us, who took our place and died to enable us to live. If we do then we are indeed a special and blessed person. Christians will know how much Jesus loves them by his sacrifice of himself on the cross for them. It's a much more profound action than buying a card for someone close to us; Jesus' love has a deeper red about it than the pink of the cards.
My prayer is that you will come to know the love that God has for you through Jesus this coming Lent and Easter, especially if you think that nobody loves you and you long to be loved.
With God's blessing.
Mike
Chollerton St Giles and Gunnerton St Christopher Quinquennial Reports
Quinquennial reports have now been received from our Chartered Architect, Mr Christopher Downs. Very little work has been identified for St Christopher`s over the coming five years about which we are delighted. The story is not so happy for St Giles`s. Some 28 items have been listed including work on the tower to the pinnacles, parapets, lightning conductor, bells and weathercock; woodworm treatment; repairs to boundary walls and fences; repointing of stonework; stabilisation of headstones; some redecoration work and joinery repairs. Considerable work to the Grade 2 listed Hearse House and Stable on the roadside outside the church is needed. First identified some ten years ago the building now needs urgent structural work to preserve it from collapsing.
St Giles is a wonderful church and one admired for its fair appearance, position, Roman pillars and inverted altar. It is a place where the community has gathered over many centuries for special occasions in peoples` lives as well as Sunday by Sunday for worship. The Churchyard is much loved and often visited. The challenge is we simply do not have the resources within our current financial holdings to pay for any of this work even though some of it is urgent and essential. The Standing Committee of the Parochial Church Council has already met to discuss the Report on the fabric of the building and has decided on several initiatives to raise the awareness of our congregation, the wider community and various charities to seek financial and practical support. This will roll out over the coming weeks and months.
When you receive information about this and an invitation to support the church, would you be as generous as you can in order for us to ensure our Grade 1 listed church is fit for use and kept in good condition, to enable it to remain open for weekday visits and prayer, for us and future generation to come into for worship and those special occasions like baptisms, weddings and funerals?
If you would like to make a donation please send your cheque made payable to Chollerton PCC to the Vicar at The Vicarage, Chollerton, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 4TF. If you would send your address and post code and say you would like to gift aid it that adds 25% to the donation if you are a UK taxpayer. Thank you in advance for your help.
The Vicar and Churchwardens
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Last updated:
5th February 2012
The Chollerton Benefice
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Hadrian Awards 2007
Gunnerton Church has been given a prestigious Hadrian Award. Hadrian Awards celebrate and promote the best in architecture and design of the built environment in the North East and Cumbria.
To be selected for an award, schemes must meet a number of criteria, including being fit for purpose, and be an innovative trail-blazer. Both these aspects of the Award and more have been met.
The award is a tribute to Vincente Stienlet of Gosforth, our architect, who was sympathetic to the heritage of the church, the needs of the congregation and the community.
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