Parish Jottings

Harvest Festival 2020

This was our first pandemic Harvest Festival, and we hope the last, nevertheless, the festival took place whilst we observed all the regulations. Packages and tins of food, displayed in the windowsills set the festive atmosphere, and were later donated to the Henley Food Bank.

During the service, Duncan gave an enlightening talk about the Parable of the Tenants to remind us that God trusts us with all the good things he has given us in this world, and that He looks to see what our response is to Him, and our neighbours. The Harvest Festival is one of our ways of thanking God for His goodness.

Annual Church Meetings

Our Annual Church Meetings took place on Sunday 18^th October, which was six months later in the year than normal, and they took place under pandemic conditions, with everyone wearing protective masks. The Reverend Duncan Carter chaired the meetings. Due to the pandemic restrictions, it was not possible to hold our usual Harvest Lunch this year.

At the Meetings, Barbara Williams and Michael Forsdike were re-elected for another year’s term of office as our churchwardens. This will be Barbara’s thirteenth year of office, and Michael’s seventh. The Reverend Sam Brewster announced that Trinity at Four’s afternoon meetings, postponed move to Christ Church, will now take place from next Sunday.

Copies of the church’s Annual Report for 2019-20 are available in church.

Bishop of Dorchester’s Retirement

The Right Reverend Colin Fletcher OBE, our Area Bishop, held two farewell services in Dorchester Abbey on Sunday 4^th October to mark his retirement. He was appointed Bishop of Dorchester in 2000, succeeding Bishop Anthony Russell who moved to become Bishop of Ely, and retires after serving for 45 years as a priest in the Church of England.

In 2008, Bishop Colin was awarded ‘The Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ in the Millennium Honours List, and in the same year, ‘The Cross of Saint Augustine’, for outstanding service to the Anglican Communion.

Autumn scene by the river in Holy Trinity church parish (2019)