St Michael and All Angels Church

St Michael and All Angels Church, Eastington remains open for private prayer and reflection between the approximate hours of 9am-3pm (light and weather permitting) Thursdays to Sundays.

At the time of writing, it is unclear what the situation will be for Church services, both online and in Church buildings from December 2020.

For the latest updates, please check our Facebook page by searching for “St Michael and All Angels Church Eastington”.

Alternatively, you can contact any of the following people, who are also available for any help and support, or simply would like a chat:

  • Rev Steve Harrison 07466 858975 rectorstroudwater@gmail.com
  • Rev Liz Palin 01452 741147 tv1stroudwater@gmail.com
  • Rev Dave Bishop 01453 822332 tv2stroudwater@gmail.com
  • Mike & Jacky Naylor 01453 822728 mike@mikenaylorsurveyors.co.uk
  • Chris Amys 07867 482586 chris.amys@hotmail.com

CHRISTMAS AND CHRISTINGLE SERVICES

We are pleased to announce a Communion Service will take place in St Michael and All Angels Church, Eastington on Christmas Eve at 11pm, subject to any COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

Everyone is welcome to attend, although due to COVID-19, people in vulnerable groups are discouraged from attending.  Please don’t attend if you have COVID-19 symptoms and please wear a face covering unless you are exempt .

Although our annual Christingle service cannot take place in church this year due to COVID-19, you are invited to join us for an online family Christingle service on Sunday 13th December 2020 at 9am, which will be hosted on The Church of England’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
The link, downloadable Order of Service and how you can participate in the Christingle making will be shared in the week leading up to the service

CAROLS FOR CHARITY

This Christmas, the Cotswold Youth Singers under the directorship of Jane Williams, together with organist Chris Amys are embarking upon a fundraiser for charity, whilst also bringing some festive cheer to everyone in what will be a very different Christmas in 2020.

Between Advent Sunday and Christmas Day, for 27 consecutive days, videos will be uploaded via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter of Chris and the Cotswold Youth Singers, including a number of soloists, performing popular Christmas and Advent Carols and Anthems.

Just search for Eastington Church on social media.

In turn, we are asking members of the public to make donations to the Just Giving Page at   www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/eastington

Monies raised will be shared equally between the Children’s Society and St Michael and All Angels Church Eastington.

We hope that you thoroughly enjoy the music which will be uploaded this Christmas, whilst also being generous with your donations.

 

FUNDRAISING APPEAL FOR CHURCH ROOF

You may have recently noticed some scaffolding at the front of the church. This is in relation to a leak over the pulpit. Following some initial investigations, it is clear that a patch repair, similar to other leaks is not going to be possible. A large area of the roof is defective and in a very fragile condition. Extensive and costly repairs will be required, which will be well beyond our financial resources.

The situation is very serious and some action will be taken immediately. A local conservation architect is providing some very helpful and useful advice on how to proceed, together with further meetings to investigate in more detail the full extent of the necessary repair work.

The likely outcome is that we will have to provide some temporary protection to the roof before drawing up a specification of repair work and investigating grants. The architect suggests the process of raising funds and undertaking this work could take two years or so to complete. We will probably need to engage somebody (hopefully on a voluntary basis) who is competent to coordinate the fundraising.

If you are able to help us in any way, whether that be assisting us with our fundraising efforts, making a one-off donation or joining up to the Parish Giving Scheme, please contact Jacky Naylor on 01453 822728 or at jacky@mikenaylorsurveyors.co.uk.

Thank you to the many kind individuals and organisations from the village and surrounding areas who have been so generous.

REMEMBRANCE


On Remembrance Sunday a short service was held outside at the Village War Memorial, at which the names of the fallen from the village were ready out, a wreath was laid by Eastington Parish Council on behalf of the village, together with a minute silence, with the Last Post and Reveille being played by Gary Dingle.

ANNUAL MEETING
Following the annual meeting at St Michael and All Angels Church, Eastington on 22nd October 2020, Mike Naylor was re-elected Churchwarden. Jacky Naylor was re-elected Treasurer and Chris Amys re-elected as Secretary, although Chris will be stepping down at the next annual meeting in May 2021 and therefore we are looking for a replacement.

Beryl Frith, Robin Harris and Angela Reader were also re-elected to the PCC.

There are 3 vacancies on the PCC, so if you would like to offer whatever talents you possess to ensure our Church is conserved, maintained and enhanced for the enjoyment of present and future generations, please contact our Rector Steve Harrison on 07466 858975 and at rectorstroudwater@gmail.com.

STROUD FOOD BANK

Every year the Stroud District Foodbank lovingly prepares over 400 Christmas Hampers that go to local households. These hampers provide some extra treats to bring cheer over the holidays.

The Christmas Shopping List includes sweets, chocolates, luxury crisps, Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies, Hot Chocolate, Nuts, Savoury Crackers, Gravy Granules, Dried Stuffing, Tinned Ham and Christmas Preserves.

If you would like to get involved, you can make donations in the foodbank basket at the back of the church.(Donations of Christmas items by the end of November, if possible, please) You can also use the drop-off points in most local supermarkets, or phone 01453 367 077 for more information.

Thank you in advance for your generosity, as well as to everyone who kindly donated during the last couple of months for our Harvest collection.