Author: MarkSanderson

Following national developments today a large number of events have been cancelled. We are constantly reviewing the situation and have created a dedicated page on our website: https://rawchurch.org.uk/coronavirus.

We expect an update from the Church of England later this week after which there will be a further statement on changes to service patterns.

We are following the national guidance from the Church of England on COVID-19 in our churches. This is of course changing all the time but at the moment this means:

• Where the Peace is exchanged it is taking place with no person-to-person physical contact.
• Communion is being received in “one kind” i.e. bread only and with no physical contact.
• For the time being services are going ahead as advertised. Changes to the normal pattern will be advertised on our website.

For more information please see our dedicated page which is being regularly updated and https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches

You can read the latest on St Mary’s emerging vision in this update from Caroline Pascoe.

Wednesday 26th February is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

St May’s has a said Communion service at 11.00 am and a Sung Eucharist at 7.30 pm.

Ash, formed from last year’s palm crosses, will form a part of both services.

Join us at St Mary’s, with the Bishop of Ludlow, as we prepare to welcome our new Bishop of Hereford.

Monday, 9th March @ 11.00 am.

Throughout 2020 St Mary’s, Ross-on-Wye is examining the path that we are taking as a church and clarifying our vision. We invite you to be part of this season of praying, thinking, and talking together, listening for what we hear God calling us to be and to do as St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye today…

Visit our website to learn what’s happening.

https://rawchurch.org.uk/vision-2020/

Come and join us for a free family-friendly event in the lovely and welcoming Church of St Mary’s, Ross-on-Wye. Listen to Claud talk about her experiences of rations and what she learned, have some wartime-inspired refreshments, and chat about what we can learn from 1940s thrift in the run-up to Lent and beyond. Copies of the book will be available to buy, or bring your copy if you would like to get it signed. 

About The Rations Challenge

Food is always a hot topic – Food waste, food banks, food miles, local versus imported. As we all need food, we can’t ignore it. But as some families struggle without enough food to live on, others are challenged to consider how much they throw away, or how to make the food they have go further. 

Which is why Claud Fullwood set herself the challenge of living on World War Two rations for Lent. It opened her eyes not only to issues of hunger and waste, but also to the many ways in which we have the power to fix our groaning food system, make our families stronger and our communities whole again. 

The Rations Challenge takes the wisdom of World War Two and looks at how it can help us revolutionise how we live now. By learning the lessons our parents and grandparents lived by in the ’30s and ’40s, we can build a future that works for everyone.

About Claud

Claud Fullwood has worked as an editor and copywriter for longer than she cares to admit. She has worked in both publishing and in the charitable sector, where issues around hunger and food first caught her attention. She hates waste and loves food. Most of all she loves her family, community and looking at how sharing what we have improves everyone’s lives. She lives with her husband, two children and an axolotl.

It was wonderful to have the Revd. Nicola Caine presiding at our 9.30 service in St Mary’s on Sunday morning. Nicola is the newly ordained daughter of our very dear and oldest congregation member Rhona, who has just turned 101. Nicola grew up in Ross and attended St Mary’s in her younger years and is now a priest in Lichfield Diocese. This  morning we were privileged to have her with us, she was able to preside over the Eucharist for her own Mum, as well as the rest of the congregation. 

Sing out Strong is back, and on a regular basis!
WEDNESDAY 8TH JANUARY (and every 2nd Wednesday of the month) at 2PM. £3 EACH ON THE DOOR

Come and join us for an hour of singing and useful breathing exercises, followed by tea/coffee. A great opportunity to blow away the New Year blues! Get a wellbeing boost in your busy day with our Quick Sing! With Emma Rowlands.

http://www.singoutstrong.co.uk/quick-sing-sessions
hello@singoutstrong.co.uk

Setting our spiritual compasses together

A parish day of thinking, praying and talking together to listen for what we hear God calling us to be and to do as St Mary’s Anglican Church in Ross-on-Wye today.

Saturday 25th January | 9.30 am – 3.30 pm | St Mary’s Church

Please book your place here.

Our next major service of the Christmas season takes place on Christmas Eve at 4.00 pm. This one is entirely appropriate for, and aimed at, young children and their families, but always attended by many people unaccompanied by children.

Again, it’s always a “standing-room-only” occasion so come early.

Full details, with user friendly descriptions and pictures of all our Christmas services can be found on our website: https://rawchurch.org.uk/christmas.

Come and see us at some point over the next few days. Happy Christmas!

Join us tomorrow (Sunday 22nd) at St Mary’s for the annual candlelit service of lessons and carols at 4.00 in St Mary’s Church.

This year there will be mulled wine and mince pies after the service. Come early it’s usually standing room only by the time the service starts.

This year’s popular candlelit carol service takes place at St Mary’s as usual on the Sunday before Christmas (22nd) at 4.00. This year there will be mulled wine and mince pies after the service.

This is always a full service service so come early for a good seat.

… Then this may fit the bill for a discerning Ross resident. A framed (or not) copy of Thomas Wakeman’s 1823 map of the parish and / or town. Full details and historical background here: https://fosmross.org.uk/1823-map/

The Friends of St Mary’s have recently had this fascinating map scanned and high quality copies are now on sale. If you want it for Christmas though you’ll need to be quick as there are only a few left. We’ll be doing more print runs but only after Christmas.

Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Mozart’s “Sparrow” Mass are the two works for Ross Choral Society’s concert, “Mercy and Mayhem” on Saturday, 7.30 pm at St Mary’s.

Tickets (£15 for adults, £5 students) are on sale at Rossiter Books and River Music or you can pick them up on the door on the night.

In July 2020 we will welcome Tiffany who will begin her ministry as a curate in our Benefice. She is originally from America and has been in the UK for 8 years. She is married to Stephen, and they have a 3 year old son, Liam. She comes to Ross-on-Wye after 2 years of training at Trinity College Bristol. Before that, she ran a community centre working with north African and Middle Eastern immigrants in London.

St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival was a great success last weekend, thanks to all the generous organisations and individuals in the town who provided trees, came along to see it, sang in the choir or played in the band for the Saturday concert, or just helped to spread the word. We raised £4250 which was the best effort yet.

We are also grateful to Ross Photographic Society for some great photos which you will find on our website: https://rawchurch.org.uk/christmas-tree-festival/

Looking forward to 2021!

There’s less than a week to go now to the launch (on Friday 22nd) and the Concert (on Saturday 23rd) in St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival.

We are well on our way to having 100 Trees in the church, all beautifully decorated by local organisations, businesses and individuals. This will be a great whole community effort.

You can reserve tickets for the preview evening or for the concert with Ross Town Band (both £6) or book a place in the Come & Sing choir for that concert (for free) at http://www.rawchurch.org.uk/christmas-tree-festival

Or if you don’t fancy any of that, just come along during the day on Saturday, Sunday or Monday to see the trees in a magical setting.