Dear Friends,
We have been celebrating the season of creation over the last few weeks in our church life. Creation season is a time dedicated to God as creator and sustainer of all life. It is a time when we are called to pay special attention to our own responsibility for the earth and for all that lives on it. It is an especially good time for us to give thanks to God for our beautiful world, and to renew our commitment to caring for our planet. Here in Dry Drayton we are committed to maintaining our beautiful, rural churchyard sensitively and more sustainably, and we are grateful to all who help us look after it. Many of us already make a wide range of lifestyle choices, reflecting our own personal commitment to environmental care and conservation. What small, good things can we do as church communities and as individuals to make a big difference? Caring for our world involves us giving something up or prioritising other things which sometimes calls for sacrifices in order to build a better future.
Like caring for the environment, following Jesus, is not the easiest choice but the right choice. “Take up your cross and follow me” are some of Jesus’s most famous words. By choosing to follow Jesus, we are choosing a new way of living. As CS Lewis put it (in Mere Christianity): “the more we get ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Jesus take us over, the more truly ourselves we become.” Jesus gives us the strength and courage to become truly ourselves and he guides us to become more like him. By embracing a simpler life we can rediscover a happier simpler and higher quality existence. A bit like reconnecting with nature, whether out walking in the countryside or pottering in the garden, we can feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. For me, following Jesus has the same effect because it enriches my life and gives me strength and great joy. Following Jesus is not always easy but in doing so, we can gain the ability to live in the present and have inner peace.
God Bless,
Clare
Revd Clare Coates,
Lead Minister for Dry Drayton, Hardwick and Caldecote with Childerley
clarecoates@lordsbridge.org
07818618795
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Services in October
Sunday 6 October
5:30pm Choral Evensong with Revd Clare and Revd Lucinda preaching.
Sunday 13 October
9:30am Holy Communion with Canon Sue.
Sunday 20 October
11:00am Morning Worship for all ages with Revd Lucinda Howard and a guest speaker from A Rocha tbc.
Sunday 27 October
9:30am Holy Communion with Revd Clare.
3:00-4:00pm Forest Church, with Revd Clare and Revd Lucinda.
Zoom Services
Worship at Home – All Lordsbridge Zoom Service
Every Sunday, 11.00am. Join any time from 10.50am: https://zoom.us/j/82311473640.
Curate on Placement:
During October, we are being joined by the Curate of St Andrew’s Stapleford, Revd Lucinda Howard. In addition to reflecting on her experiences and conversations with me, she may be asked to submit written theological reflections as part of her Curacy. In these, names of people, contexts, and identifying details will be changed and made anonymous so as to preserve confidentiality. Please do email Revd Clare if you wish to opt out.
What’s On
First Wednesday of every month
Coffee morning in the Village Hall 10:00am – 12:00noon. Drop in for a cuppa, cake and a chat!
Tuesday Toddlers in the Cabin (St Mary’s, Hardwick)
All welcome to join us for free play, craft, story and fun!
Saturday 12 October 10-12noon Nature Walk at RSPB Fen Drayton
All are most welcome to join us for a morning’s guided nature walk, led by John Harding. We will be meeting in the Car Park at RSPB in Fen Drayton. There is a charge for parking; RSPB members can park for free. Please bring your binoculars! Please let Revd Clare know if you are planning to come or if you need a lift.
Sunday 20 October, 2-4pm Musical afternoon
Diane and Neil Harris are hosting an informal music afternoon at their house in Dry Drayton on Sunday afternoon the 20th of October from 2 to 4 pm. They write:
“We will have all sorts of music for you to enjoy from classical to blues and (soft) rock: Jeanette Langford will be joining us once again with several of her musical friends, Rachel Gardner will sing, Duncan and Theo will be back, plus some surprise guests! We’ll be serving fizz, coffee, tea and treats to go along with the music. The afternoon is free but we will be collecting donations for the Church. Numbers are strictly limited so please email da_harris_2000@yahoo.co.uk to reserve a seat. We will take names on a first come first served basis.”
Monday October 28 at 7.30pm Village Book Group in the Church
All are warmly invited to join us in the Church this month, as we learn more about Rosanna Moseley Gore’s new book: Songs from the Suitcase: Inhabiting an Inheritance. Rosanna will be talking about her experiences of exiled Russian identity lived out in a domestic setting and will explore the influences on her use of language, on her cooking, and on her world view. In her book, Rosanna writes about the gifts, the cultural riches and the inherited trauma that came with her family. What has it meant for how she thinks, what she believes, where she feels she belongs (or not)?
Rosanna Moseley Gore lives in Ely and is a personal friend of Jean and John Harding. Rosanna grew up in suburban London in the 1960s and 1970s but her background was not a typical English one at that time. Her father escaped from Berlin on a Kindertransport in 1939 and her mother was Russian, born in Harbin in Manchuria in 1923. Rosanna’s childhood and upbringing were hugely influenced by her Russian background, particularly because her beloved grandmother Olga lived with them, and taught her Russian as well as many, many other things.
Useful Contacts
Assistant Ministers:
Revd Canon Sue Wyatt, sue.e.wyatt@btinternet.com
Lordsbridge Team:
Revd Claire Robertson, Lead Minister for Coton, Barton, Harlton and Haslingfield: 01223 874194; clairerobertson@lordsbridge.org
Revd Charles Fraser, Lead Minister for Little and Great Eversden: 01223 264974; charlesfraser@lordsbridge.org;
Team Administrator: Becca Herrick; rebeccaherrick@lordsbridge.org
St Peter and St Paul's Church 