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On the 11th of November 2018, the United Kingdom remembered the centennial anniversary of the end of the First World War. You may remember the wonderful display of poppies cascading from the Church Bell Tower to ground below.   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. 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!
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 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. Join us today for Adam's final Sunday Worship Online before he leaves for Welshpool, here. Today we are thinking about "Educating Conscience" in light of the "Hard Teachings" of Jesus presented in the New Testament. Adam leads from Hope Church, reflecting on John 6:56-69. Alternatively, join us in person (no need to reserve a seat) for Sunday Worship at
Please note - we continue to social distance and wear masks inside our church premises - but are delighted that we are now able to sing (with masks) again and enjoy refreshments together We also produce a hard copy text version of this online service, that we deliver to those who are not online. If you know of anyone local who would value this please get in touch and we can add them to our delivery round. Thank you! 
Everyone is very welcome to our online act of worship this week, where we are thinking about God doing the impossible and Mary's example of faith and hope in response. You can join the service here. The prayers, readings, and reflection from this service are available in hard copy and can be delivered to anyone who is without internet. Please do let us know if there's anyone you think would welcome it. Finally, if you'd like to attend a service in one of our churches this week, we have:
God bless, Gareth
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