Author: Michael Teague

Over the years Brown Clee Group have collected considerable numbers of used postage stamps. These have been checked and forwarded to The Leprosy Mission for England and Wales for onward collation and eventual sale. The proceeds of their sale being used in the main to change lives of people affected by Leprosy.

During 2015 a total of £136,153.34 was raised from the sale of used stamps and collectables. In fact since 1983 £1.4 million has been raised and used by this Registered Charity.

I would like to thank everyone who has donated used stamps to this very worthwhile charity and ask that you continue to leave your stamps in Ditton Priors Church for my collection.

The Leprosy Mission request that all donated stamps are left on their backing and not soaked off. It is also requested that the backing of used stamps is trimmed with a maximum of 5mm of single thickness paper border around each edge.

Thank you again for your donations to date. I look forward to this good work continuing.

Babs Brown
Leprosy Mission Local Organiser

 

You may be aware that Church Stretton UNA group is continuing to offer financial support to the Pazapa project in Jacmel, Haiti

This is a medical & educational facility for children with special needs that was devastated in the 2010 earthquake. You may read more about the rebuilding & ongoing work on their website http://pazapa.org/. The Little Big Band have already played for this local fundraising group several times and are delighted to have been invited to play once more on Friday 18th March at the Church Stretton School from 7:30pm. Their poster is on the website Noticeboard. Please consider buying tickets, coming along and supporting them in supporting disadvantaged children in Pazapa, in this one of the poorest of countries and having a good night out! Pazapa (Creole for “Step by Step”) The band’s website is at www.toot-sweet.org.uk

SAFEGUARDING TRAINING

Basic Safeguarding Awareness Training

Saturday, 5^th March 2016 – 9.30am-12 noon St Peter’s Church, Peterstow, Nr Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR2 0RS

Thursday, 10^th March 2016 – 1-4pm Conference Room, Diocesan Office, The Palace, Hereford HR4 9BL

Thursday, 17^th March 2016 – 6-9pm Training Room, Ludlow Diocesan Office, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow SY8 1FD

Safer Recruitment Training

Wednesday 23^rd March 2016 – 2-4.30pm St Michael’s Church, Madeley, Telford TF7 5BN

Managing Offenders in Worship Training

Saturday 9^th April 2016 – 9.30am-12 noon

Training Room, Ludlow Diocesan Office, Ludlow Eco Park, Sheet Road, Ludlow  SY8 1FD

There are 16 places allocated on each training session – please book your place by contacting Cheryl Combstock, c.combstock@hereford.anglican.org 01432 373340/373300

If you require training and cannot make any of the above please contact Cheryl with details of which course you require. This will assist in planning. If you have a venue that we can use please also get in touch.

A National Conference to identify what communities can do to support those who are bereaved.
9.30am– 4pm Saturday 7th May 2016 at Leominster Priory, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 8NH. £25 per delegate. For further information go to

http://www.hereford.anglican.org/churchgoers/social_action/good_grief/index.aspx

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wild Fund for Nature [WWF]. This event has been held annually since 2007 and last year more than 10 million people took some part. The Hour begins in Samoa and ends in Tahiti and has grown to include 162 countries and territories. The Earth Hour encourages individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential electricity for ONE hour. The idea is to raise awareness of climate change and to demonstrate that we care about the planet. The Dean and Chapter have agreed that the Cathedral will participate and our floodlighting and other non-essential lighting will be switched off for one hour. Inside the Cathedral there will be a candlelit meditation and prayer for the planet.

Please join us for ONE Hour to show you care for the Earth!

The parishes in the diocese were wonderful in helping achieve the target of sending 10,000 teddies to the children of war torn Syria in June and in fact with everyone’s help, we actually sent 12,500 teddies!

The response from the Syria relief agency who distributed the teddies on our behalf once they arrived have sent amazing feedback together with photos of the children receiving their teddies and apparently, the consignment was such a success and made such a difference to the lives of the children that they have asked if we can send more.

Bags/boxes of toys can be taken either to the Holy Trinity Church Team Office, Whitecross Road, Hereford between the hours of 10am and 12am Monday to Friday or to Ludlow Diocesan Office during normal office hours (for those parishes in the northern part of the diocese).

There has been lots of controversy in the Media re the planned showing of a video promoting the website www.justpray.uk.  The controversy has allowed a million people (or whatever the latest figure is) to see the advert.  Hopefully that has driven people to the website, and inspired them to engage in creating and sharing prayers online in a new way. It’s certainly worth visiting the site and viewing the video.

The Bishop, in consultation with the Cathedral Chapter, has made the following appointments:

As Prebendaries and members of the College of Canons

The Revd. Dr. John Daniels  – Local Ministry Officer and Warden of Readers

The Revd. Nick Helm – Continuing Ministerial Development Officer

The Revd. Dr. Mark Johnson – Rector of the Benefice of the Wormelow Hundred

The Revd. Pam Row  Minor Canon, Hereford Cathedral & formerly Chaplain, Hereford Cathedral School

The Revd. Nicky Seabright -Associate Minister of the Ledbury Team

The above will be collated and installed at evensong in Hereford Cathedral on Sunday 31 January, 2016 at 3.30pm

As a Lay Canon

Mrs Anna Nugent,  Herefordshire County Ecumenical Officer

Anna will be installed at evensong in Hereford Cathedral on Sunday 7 February, 2016 at 3.30pm.

The Social Responsibility Network is producing a series of short Briefing papers  over the next 12 months on topical issues that aim to both inform and give ideas for action and support that individuals and churches can take.  The first of these briefings is on climate change, as we move towards the talks that will be held between nations in Paris in December this year  This briefing gives some ideas about small actions that can make a difference.  The second briefing in November will be looking at Funeral Poverty.