Parish Jottings

Parishioners having lunch after the Annual Church Meetings

Annual Church Meetings 2017

With the Reverend Duncan Carter in the chair, the annual church meetings took place after the morning service on Sunday 9^th April 2017. There was a good attendance by parishioners.

During the first meeting, The Annual Vestry Meeting, churchwardens Barbara Williams and Michael Forsdike were re-elected to serve for another year, Barbara for her tenth year of office, and Michael for his fourth.

At the second meeting, the Annual Parochial Meeting, Mike Hails was re-elected as a Deanery Synod representative, and John Street is standing down from the role, prior to his move to Oxford; this leaves one vacancy on the Deanery Synod.

John Smiley was elected to serve on the P.C .C., and Paul and Lyn Clayden are standing down following completing their three-year terms of office. There are now three vacancies on the P. C. C.

It was reported that there are now 58 members on the church Electoral Roll. Peter Jones was elected to serve as Electoral Roll Officer for another year.

The current Sidesmen were all re-elected to serve for another year.

Jasmine Weaver is standing down from her term of office as a verger. A volunteer is sought to fill this vacancy.

In his closing words, Duncan referred to his motto for the year (1 John 3:16-18), and challenged church members, as their goal for the coming year, to make the church a place to use, to pass on the good news and let the secret out.

Finally, churchwarden Barbara Williams, on behalf of the church, thanked Duncan, for his continued leadership of our church.

For a review of church activities over the past church year, readers are referred to the Holy Trinity Church Annual Report for 2016-17.

Pancakes at the Vicarage

It was ‘pancake time’ at the vicarage on Shrove Tuesday 28^th February. A contingent of parishioners celebrated the occasion by enjoying pancakes, all individually cooked by Duncan. Cooking is certainly a desirable qualification for a vicar to have, and we are pleased to confirm that Duncan is certainly gifted with this talent. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent, a time of abstinence, begins. It is therefore the last opportunity to have a feast, and use up all the perishable food in the house that will not last the forty days of Lent. The religious significance of Shrove Tuesday is that it is a day of penitence, a day to clean one’s soul by confessing one’s sins to a priest and getting absolution for them; the priest is said to ‘shrive’ you.

A Red Nose Day for Little Chimes

Holy Trinity’s Little Chimes held a charitable initiative on Red Nose Day, 24^th March, when they raised £70 for the Comic Relief charity. Red Nose Day is a countywide wide fundraising event held by the charity Comic Relief every two years. On Red Nose Day everyone is encouraged to cast inhibitions aside, put on a Red Nose and fundraise. The charity helps to improve the lives of people living in the poorest communities, in the UK and the across the world, by tackling poverty and injustice.

Posies for Mothering Sunday

At the Sunday morning service on 26^th March, as is usual custom at Holy Trinity church, Mothering Sunday was observed, by the giving out of posies of colourful spring flowers. The posies were made by flower ladies Mary Burton, Ruth Forster, and Maureen George.

Ian Awarded Henley Town Medal

One of Holy Trinity’s long-standing members, and a member of the P. C. C., Ian Forster, has been presented with this year’s Henley Town Medal for dedicated community service over a period of around 50 years. The presentation was made by our local MP, the Right Honourable John Howell, at a ceremony on 6^th April at the Town Hall.

Ian is the longest-serving member of Henley’s Lions Club, having joined the club 45 years ago. He was previously chairman of Henley Round Table, a member of the ‘41’ Club, one of the original volunteer drivers of the Henley Handybus, a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, and he also helps to organise charitable events in a whole host of other ways, including playing the role of Father Christmas at Toad Hall Garden Centre children’s grotto.

Primrose time in the lower churchyard at Holy Trinity church
(March 2017)