Serving the Community
On one of the occasions that I have attended Catholic mass I noticed that the
priest ended with the words "mass is over, but the service begins" .
Too often in the church's history we've forgotten that we exist not to
serve ourselves, but to show God's love to the world, and in particular to
the communities in which he places us. For that reason I am happy to tell you
about the following activities coming up during June:
ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP MATCHES ON A BIG SCREEN
For the World Cup in 2006 Lode Chapel created a family-friendly space for people to get together and watch the England matches on a big screen. This year we're doing the same in Bottisham. We'll follow England all the way through to the final (if they make it), but here are the details for the matches that we're certain they're playing:
- ENGLAND v USA, Saturday 12th June. Venue: Bottisham Primary School. Doors open 7.00pm.
- ENGLAND v ALGERIA, Friday 18th June. Venue: Bottisham Primary School. Doors open 7.00pm.
- SLOVENIA v ENGLAND, Wednesday 23rd June. Venue: Queen's Court. Doors open 2.30pm.
Children will need to be accompanied by an adult, but as it's always better to watch these big sporting occasions in a crowd why not join us. Entry will be free, there'll be cheap soft drinks and snacks, and we'll have face-paint and some special tournament guides available. See you there!
QUEEN'S COURT SUNDAY
In December of last year I began work as chaplain at Queen's Court and I'm happy this year, on Sunday 13th June, to be leading a special service to celebrate the life of older people in our community. Many of the residents at Queen's Court, which is managed by Methodist Homes, have lived locally and I've seen firsthand the high standard of care that is given by the staff, many of whom are also local. A variety of groups benefit through use of the Day Centre facilities at Queen's Court, and I'm hoping that a good number of people will turn up to show their appreciation of the home's contribution to the life of the local community. After the service there will also be an opportunity to find out more about volunteering at Queen's Court. Some residents don't have any relatives to visit them, and even half an hour once every week or two to sit and chat with a resident would make a tremendous difference. There are also practical ways you could help - perhaps editing the Queen's Court newsletter or teaching residents how to access the internet on the recently purchased computer. If you think you can help contact me directly, come along to the service on Sunday 13th June, or pop in to the volunteer fair afterwards.
Celebration Service in Queen's Court Day Centre at 3.00pm, followed by refreshments and a Volunteer Fair at 4.00pm.