NOTICES - 26th March 2025

Annual Parochial Church Meeting March 27th - The APCM will take place at St Mary’s at 7.00 pm.  All are welcome to attend, but only those on the electoral roll are eligible to vote. 

Please follow this link for the Annual Review and Trustee Report.

See the Calendar for Church Services and the Summary below 

The Alpha Course

Please note the session this week starts at 11:00am and finishes at 12:30pm in the Funtington Church Room, and that lunch will not be provided.

Funtington Parish Bread and Soup Lunch raised £150 for our local charities, CYE, The 4 Streets and St Wilfrid’s Hospice. A big “thankyou” to Carolyn and team for their hard work. 

Sunday 30th March (Mothering Sunday) We are holding our 5th Sunday Joint Parishes Eucharist 10 am at Funtington and we are honoured that Bishop Martin will preside at this service. Our combined choir will be with us too.

The Octagon Parish Pilgrimage to the Cathedral will take place on 31st May and all are welcome. Half way there will be a Eucharist Service at St Andrew’s, West Stoke around 12.00. The intention is to arrive at the Cathedral and stay for Evensong at 5:30pm. We will be planning our own “mini “Parish pilgrimage and Cathedral visit later in the summer. Details will be announced soon.

80th Anniversary VE Day Celebrations 10th May from 12 Noon

Celebrations will be held at the Cricket Pitch West Ashling, with a Spitfire Fly Past. Bring your own picnic and rugs. Bar, Hot Dogs, Cream Teas, Competitions and Games. Entrance by ticket only. Adults £1 online, £2 on the day. Children free, from 

 
Church In Our Community Meetings

- The Prayer Meetings will be held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, from 5:00 - 6:00 pm in the St Mary's Funtington Church Room. Do come and join us for a short time of prayer for all aspects of our church and community life.

- The Ideas Meetings will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, from 5:00 - 6:00 pm.  Come and contribute your ideas and help plan our events to benefit the community in our Parish. 

Everyone warmly welcome!

Interregnum News - Update from the Parochial Church Council (PCC)

We have agreed the name of our new Benefice, namely:

The Benefice of Chidham with Hambrook, Funtington, West Stoke with Sennicotts

We are in the closing phases of the recruitment process for our new vicar and the interview panel been chosen by the PCC (Andrew Hughes and James Noble). The advertisement for the post went live on 8th January. Please pray for the speedy appointment of the right person to lead us in our spiritual growth.

Tuesday Evening Home Group

The Home Group Bible Studies has now successfully finished its study of the Book of James and we are planning the next course. Do get in touch if you would like to join: wattnwatt@gmail.com.

Car Parking

Please can we remind everyone that we officially only have 2 disabled parking spaces and we cannot use the top end of the vicarage drive to turn around. Unfortunately this is still not being respected. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sharing the Chalice during Communion

We have been reminded by our visiting priests that Bishop Martin instructed the Diocese last year that we should all be sharing the Chalice during the Act of Communion and not to intinct (dip our wafers in the wine). This is because drinking from the silver Chalice is less of an infection risk than dipping the wafer. We have been told that if we do not wish to drink from the Chalice we can take communion by sharing the bread only.

Chidham School are still in need of a Governor

If you are interested please talk to Jessica Reid (Rural Dean)

Invitation to try Bell Ringing at St Mary's Funtington

Have you ever thought of trying this fascinating hobby? The next "have a go" session is on Sunday 16th June. You need to be 12 years old or over. Come and see if you would like to take up this wonderful activity.

Data Protection Update

So that we are compliant with the Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) please would everyone complete the "Consent to Share" form at the back of each of our churches and return them to Deborah Hughes or the church wardens.

Vacancies on the PCC

We now have vacancies on the PCC if you think you may like to be more actively involved in the running of the Churches and the Parish in the New Year. No previous experience is needed. Please contact any members of PCC or Carolyn Watt for an application form.

Contactless Giving by Debit/Credit Card

We now have contactless giving machines in St Mary's Funtington, so you no longer need to bring cash to put in the collection plate. The St Andrew's West Stoke machine is having teething problems, in progress. You can donate by using your debit or credit card which will also help reduce Parish administration. If you are not sure how it works, please speak to one of the Churchwardens. Meanwhile, here is first QR code for online donations. Either scan it with your phone camera or click on the link to make a payment:

QR Code for donations

During the Interregnum the website is being regularly updated and any changes and future events will be there so please check from time to time. We also have a “WhatsApp” phone group to which information is also added. If you want to join this group please let Carolyn Watt know.


Annual Parochial Church Meeting 27th March 2025

Here are the documents for the APCM on 27th March 2025


The Alpha Course in Funtington - Q1 2025

Further background to The Alpha Course which started in Funtington on Wednesday 22nd January 2025


2025 - IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARIES

1,700th Anniversary of the Nicene Creed - 950th Anniversary of the Diocese of Chichester and Chichester Cathedral

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