Hope Church has a new fund-raising venture - a Soup 'n Pud Lunch.

The first is to held this week on Wednesday 20th April from 12 noon to 2 pm and it is hoped it will become a monthly event on the third Wednesday of every month.

You will be served with a choice of home-made soup with a roll, followed by a choice of tasty home-made puds plus tea or coffee.  All for only £5.

Do come along and support this event.

Those who came along to the Welcome Afternoon yesterday were able to admire the beautiful floral displays adorning Hope Church ready for Easter Day.  On Easter Day itself the congregation also showed their appreciation of the artistic talents of our band of flower arrangers.  Remember the church is open every day if you would like to visit.

David and Sue Pickering also made a generous contribution towards the 100 year anniversary, by purchasing a silhouette of a WW1 British soldier, commonly known as ‘TOMMY’.

TOMMY was placed in the churchyard, as an act of remembrance to those who gave their lives for us. Unfortunately TOMMY was soon to disappear from the churchyard, without trace, and has been missing for over 3 years.

On Friday 11th February 2022, David and Sue Pickering remembered their own very sad loss, the second anniversary that their son, Nick, died. When David visited the churchyard on this sad anniversary, where Nick is remembered, he was amazed to see that ‘TOMMY’ had been returned, and placed at the bottom of the main church steps. For David to find TOMMY on such a day is almost miraculous and certainly sent tingles down my spine when he phoned me to inform of the return.
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It is hoped that rather than hiding TOMMY away to keep him safe, David would like to have him displayed, in order to be a constant reminder of those who paid the ultimate sacrificed for our freedom, and also to show that God Moves in a Mysterious Way!

If you feel that you are struggling or know of someone who is and would
welcome a foodbank voucher, Hope Church is now a registered referrer. 
​Contact  the church by email at editor@hopeparishchurch.org

Today we have had to bid farewell to Rev Gareth Erlandson who is leaving to take up an appointment to the churches of Old Colwyn, Llanelian and Betws yn Rhos.  At the farewell service a presentation was made to him by a grateful congregation.
 
Gareth served his curacy here with us in Hope and endeared himself to all he came into contact with.  Our parish has benefitted greatly from his ministry and pastoral work and he will be hugely missed.
 
Our very best wishes to Gareth, Shavonne and the children as they leave for this new chapter in their lives.

A big thank you to everyone who supported the MacMillan Coffee afternoon this week.  Hope Church Hall was opened for refreshments and the cake stall did a fine trade resulting in around £350 being raised, a tremendous effort for an excellent cause.

The event gave us a taste of how it will be when we return to the weekly 'Pop-In' afternoons which begin again on Thursday 7 October, 1 pm to 3 pm.
 
Also, it is pleasing to announce that the church will be open daily again from Monday 27th September. With special thanks to David Ellis and David Hughes for their commitment to locking and unlocking the doors on a daily basis. 
If you do visit, please ensure you follow Covid guidelines.

Adam has spent his last Sunday morning with us in Hope Church having previously taken his final services at Emmanuel, St John’s, Hope4All and Hope Evensong.  A collection had been taken across all the churches and congregations and this was presented to Adam, Rachel and the children as a token of our appreciation for all they have done in the parish.

As reported elsewhere Adam and his family have now relocated to Welshpool where Adam will be Priest-in-Charge in Pool Mission Area and will take responsibility for setting up the new Diocesan Mission Hub initiative.

It was exactly eight years earlier that Adam began his ministry in Hope and he has been a cheerful and encouraging presence in the parish.  We know that in some ways he is reluctant to leave us but we understand that God is calling him and that he feels this move is right.  Our loss is Welshpool’s gain.

Thank you for all you have done, Adam.  You will be much missed by all of us.

[Adam’s licensing service will be held at St Mary’s, Welshpool, at 3 pm on Sunday, 7 November and all are welcome to attend.]

Welcome to this week's online service, the last in this format for our three churches, which will be explained toward the end of the service.

This week, we return to Mark's gospel and consider Jesus's teaching on the importance of placing God before tradition.

You can view the service here.


Addendum from Adam

At our church services today, we also had two important announcements to make. 

Firstly, congratulations to Gareth on completing his curacy and his new appointment as Vicar of Old Colwyn, Llanelian & Betws-yn-Rhos on the north coast.  Gareth's last Sunday with you will be 17 October.  We keep Gareth, Shavonne and the children in our prayers as they seek to end well with us and prepare for this new venture in mission together.

Secondly, congratulations to Canon Martin Batchelor, our mission area leader, on his new appointment to Mold and Northop.    Martin is with us until 7 November and his licensing will be on Advent Sunday 28 November.  We also keep Martin, Jill and family in our prayers.