Calling all cake makers
Open Garden’s weekend in Desford is on 26th & 27th June this year. We’d love to be able to sell some refreshments over that weekend, and so we’d like to ask for bakers to make a few cakes. If you are able to make a cake and bring it into church between now and then (on a Sunday, at Craft Group, or to Coffee & Chat) then we will freeze it so it can be used on 26th or 27th June. One request is that you also supply a list of ingredients so that those buying the cakes know if there would be any allergies. Thank you.
Desford Scarecrow Festival
We’re hoping to make a scarecrow scene for the festival this year (28th to 30th Aug), and would love any ideas for what we could do – the theme is ‘stories’. If you have any ideas or would like to help out making a scarecrow then do get in touch with Gareth or Maggie G.
Garden Party Saturday July 3rd
Groups Starting up again
Coffee & Chat
On Tuesdays from 10.30am to 12pm in St Martin’s Church Hall you are invited to come along to Coffee & Chat. This is an informal social group, open to anyone, just turn up and stay for as long as you like. Please bring a facemask.
Rainbows Toddler Group
Calling all toddlers, on Wednesday mornings from 9.30am to 11.30am, we have fun, games, snacks & some songs in St Martin’s Church Hall. Do bring your parent or carer along and join in the fun. There is a charge of £2, but we think that’s a bargain, so do come along! Adults please bring a facemask.
Craft Group
The craft group has now restarted on Thursdays in St Martin’s Church with socially distanced tables of 6 max. The group meets from 10am until 12pm in church for chat and all sorts of crafts, just bring along a project you’d like to work on, we’d love to welcome you. Please bring a facemask
Shaped By God Together - IMPORTANT UPDATE
Since September 2020 our diocese have been leading a process called ‘Shaped By God Together’ as we seek to discern our future structure and ministry. On Tuesday 4th May there was an online Zoom Deanery meeting which set out three potential options/models for what this might look like.
These three models are not yet fixed, and so we have been asked to host ‘local conversations’ at which these models will be shared and feedback sought. This will have a significant impact both for our diocese but also locally, so if you can come to one of our local meetings please do so.
We will be having two local meetings, as follows…
• Tuesday 8th June @ 1:30pm in St Bart’s church
• Wednesday 9th June @ 7:30pm in St Martin’s church
You are welcome to attend either of the above regardless of which church you normally attend, both meetings will be identical in substance.
The format will be a sharing on what has been outlined by our diocese, following which we will then seek to collect feedback, this will then be passed back to our diocese for review. We will not be asking you to make any decisions at the above, it’s an information gathering/feedback meeting. If you do have any questions please get in touch with Gareth.
Services for May inside Church
Sunday 9th 11.15am
All Ages Service
Genesis 28: 10-17
Sunday 16th 11.15am
Holy Communion
Exodus 20: 1-17
Sunday 23rd 11.15am
Encounter
Pentecost John 15: 26-27; Acts 2: 1-21
Sunday 30th
Service of the Word
Trinity Sunday Isaiah 6: 1-8, John 3: 1-17
Tuesdays: 8am weekly service using the Book of Common Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_B0Evb69xYeevGbVtX5tBA
We will continue to have online services on Sundays, these will be available by 5pm on the Sunday.
Join Our Facebook Page Here
St. Martin's Desford Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/145136167480
Shaped by God Together
We are facing both exciting opportunities and significant constraints upon us as a diocese and Church as we continue to seek to be ‘Shaped by God Together.' We have constraints of finance, including the use of our historical assets as well as our current patterns of giving, of ministry, including the developments of pioneers, the retirement and recruitment patterns of clergy and lay ministers, and the development of the whole people of God, and of buildings, including our churches, our halls and facilities. However, our planning for the future cannot be solely dominated by these constraints. God is a God of movement, who calls us to growth and change – and so we need to notice and be open and attentive to the new and exciting things God is doing amongst us and through us - how can we be ‘Shaped by God Together’?
Since September 2020 our diocese have been leading a process called ‘Shaped By God Together’ as we seek to discern our shared future structure and ministry. The next stage in this process is a Shaped By God Together online meeting via Zoom on Tuesday 4 May at 7.30pm. The purpose of this evening is to set out the three possible options or ministry models which have emerged out of previous sessions, and also to explain the next phase of the process. You can attend this by confirming your attendance by registering using this link:
https://leccofe.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_is9bgCoCSSOFnzYi1Axwgg
After this we will be hosting two local discussions on the 8th and 9th June to talk about what we think and to then offer our feedback to our diocese which will help shape the next stages. I will provide more detail next week on the local events, but please do come along to the Zoom on 4th May if you can make it, and if not please check back here next week for more information on our local events on 8th and 9th June.
Online Weekly Monday Night Prayers 7.30pm (20-30min)
This is a chance to come together to pray for our communities and for those further afield. Please do join Gareth and Rob as we gather to pray. This will be hosted on Zoom, which is a free videocall platform, so if you’ve not used Zoom before please do let Rob or Gareth know and they’ll be happy to offer some advice.
These are the login details…
Meeting ID: 881 9851 0430
Password: eveprayers
Tuesday Morning Book of Common Prayer (BCP)
We are hoping to resume our weekly BCP Holy Communion services in church from Tuesday 13th April. St Martin’s at 8am. Booking is not required, but facemasks should be worn.
Wednesday Prayer During The Day
Each Wednesday at 12:00pm (mid-day) we will be hosting Prayer During The Day, which is a more liturgical style of prayer (similar to Anglican Morning Prayer). These will be hosted on Zoom live at 12:00, you don’t need to bring anything, just come yourself via the following link…
Meeting ID: 846 4970 9272
Passcode: 967799
A recording of these prayers will then be available on our YouTube Channel on Wednesday by 1pm for anyone who wants to take time to pray with us but cannot make the live service. Here’s the link to our YouTube Channel where the recording will be available…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_B0Evb69xYeevGbVtX5tBA
This recording will only show the ‘leader’ (i.e myself or Rob) so if you’re planning to come along to the live service on Zoom, don’t worry you won’t be recorded.
Thursday Social
Join us on Zoom at 7:30pm with your own drink and nibbles and we’ll do the rest (no need to arrange a team or anything). Here’s the link…
Thursday Social Link
Meeting ID: 869 9998 1971
Passcode: 072086
Saturday Private Prayer
St Martin’s will be open from 10:30am to 12:00pm (mid-day) on Saturday's for Private Prayer. This will be an opportunity for a person, or single household, to enter the church and pray on their own. Please be aware that due to current Lockdown restrictions aimed to stopping the spread of Covid-19, facemasks will be required and we are not able to pause or socially ‘mingle’ in the church.
St Mart’s & St Bart’s KIDS ONLINE 
We will be doing a bi-weekly Kids Online service. As with our regular online service, this will be found on our YouTube channel
When? Every other week on Sunday…
What is it? a 10-minute, child-oriented service, with worship, story and activity
Please do spread the word and let us know what you think.
Users of the Church Hall 2021
(Times may vary due to changing Covid-19 rules)
Monday:
Pre Diabetic Clinic every Monday 9am – 1.30pm (except bank hols)
Table Tennis – January – March 7.00pm – 10.00pm
Tuesday:
Coffee & Chat: weekly 10.30am – 12 noon
Lunches: 2nd Tuesday in month 12.30 – 2.00pm
Loving Hands: 4th Tuesday 1pm – 4pm
Rainbows (5 – 7 year olds) 4.45pm – 5.45pm term time
Brownies (7 – 10 year olds) 6pm – 7.30pm term time
Guides (10 – 14 year olds) 7.30pm – 9pm term time
Wednesday:
Rainbows (weekly Mums & Toddlers) 9.30am – 11.30am term time
Living Sober 6pm
Thursday:
Forget me Not - 4th Thursday 10.30am – 12 noon
Community House craft/cooking weekly 12noon – 3pm (term time)
Friday:
Saturday:
Occasional bookings for parties etc
Sunday:
Messy Church: 4th Sunday in month 4pm
Awesome Youff in church 4pm
Important Notice, all material on St. Martin’s Website is Copyright © of St. Martin’s Church Desford and may not be used on other sites without express permission. If you would like to use any images then please email me so I can give you a high resolution copy.
P.Stokes (Website Editor)
Email: webmaster@stmartinsdesford.org.uk
www.stmartinsdesford.org.uk