The Right Reverend Dr. Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury
will be leading the licensing service for Rev'd Suzie Allen
as Associate Priest
at St. Lawrence Church and Hope Church.
St. Lawrence Church
Tuesday 23rd April
at 7pm
All are welcome to join in this joyous occasion,
after which refreshments will be served in the Reading Room.
Church and Graveside Service
Thursday 25th April
11.00am at St. Lawrence Church
We will meet in the church then process, weather permitting, to the WW1 Commonwealth War Graves in the churchyard, where 26 Australian soldiers,
one Australian nurse and 5 New Zealand soldiers are buried.
During the service the children of Stratford school will lay posies on the graves of the Anzac soldiers and a wreath will be laid at the Cross of Sacrifice by a representative of the Australian Army.
Everyone is most welcome at the service, especially those who have connections with Australia and New Zealand, past or present. Anzac Day is a solemn day of remembrance for those Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who have fought and died for their country. It is marked annually on 25th April, the anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.
We are delighted that our newly licensed Associate Priest,
Rev'd Suzie Allen, will be leading this special service.
EVENSONG AT ST. LAWRENCE
will take place on the
2nd Sunday of the month
From April until October the time of Evensong will be 6pm and
between November-March the service will take place at 4pm.
There will be no Evensong in December.
Our Fundraising Talks have proved to be very popular. The Friends would like to thank everyone who bought tickets for Richard Griffiths’ February talk ‘Speaking Legally’, and to Richard himself for making it such an entertaining evening.
For our next event on Friday 26 April we are fortunate to have as our speaker another Stratford resident who has offered to share some professional experiences, this time of a more unusual nature. Andrea Hamel is a Marine Archaeologist who in 2008 joined the Coastal & Marine team at Wessex Archaeology, Salisbury.
Andrea will provide the answer to the question ‘What is a Marine Archaeologist doing so far from the sea?’ in the Reading Room at 7.30 pm on Friday 26 April. She has described this talk as ‘An evening exploring our underwater cultural heritage’.
In January 2023, Andrea appeared in an episode of the BBC2 television series, ‘Digging for Britain’, commenting on her involvement in the excavation of a 16th century ship in Kent. Details on the village website: https://www.stratfordsubcastle.org.uk/post/stratford-resident-appears-on-bbc2-programme-digging-for-britain
Andrea Hamel (left) with the programme’s presenter Professor Alice Roberts
and Antony Firth of Historic England
In her spare time Andrea enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and exploring heritage sites and museums. The family are well-known to the congregation at St Lawrence Church but Andrea’s occupation may come as a surprise to many!
All FOSL talks are followed by an opportunity to ask questions, after which drinks (included in the ticket price) are served, making the evening a sociable occasion too.
Tickets for this event are now available, £10 FOSL members; £15 non-members; no charge for tickets for Under 16s accompanied by a ticket-holding adult.
Please contact Rosemary Winson 01722 325183
or email rosemary.winson@gmail.com
Revision of Church Electoral Roll
The Church Electoral Roll of St Lawrence Church will be revised by the
Parochial Church Council beginning on Sunday 31st March 2024
and ending on Sunday 28th April 2024.
If your name is on the roll you need do nothing. If you wish your name
to be added to the roll, please contact me.
Jeff Long
Electoral Roll Officer
Ascension Day
in the benefice of St. Francis &
St. Lawrence Churches
A service of Holy Communion to celebrate Ascension Day
will be held in the grounds of
the Old Cathedral Ruins at Old Sarum
on
Thursday 9th May
at
7.30am
The service will be followed by a simple breakfast
at the home of
Jim and Heather Platt, Portway Fosse, The Portway.
Please RSVP to Heather at 01722 416946 or jimandheatherplatt@gmail.com
if you would like to join them for breakfast.
The service will take place come rain or shine.
Bring fold-up chair if required.
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting
will be held on Sunday 12th May at 11.15am,
following the 10am service at St. Lawrence Church.
All are welcome at this meeting.
Please come along - reports will be available covering all aspects of the work
at St. Lawrence, together with a chance to meet the many people involved.
FORTHCOMING MARRIAGES AT ST. LAWRENCE
Danielle Waters & Richard Miles - May 25th at 13.30
Lizzie Lawrence & Oliver McBain - July 6th at 13.00
Please pray for these couples as they begin this new chapter in their lives.
God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.
1 John 4:16
FORTHCOMING BAPTISMS
PRAYER BEARS FOR BAPTISM CHILDREN
We give a knitted Prayer Bear to every child baptised at St. Lawrence. If you would like to knit one from a simple pattern or know someone else who would enjoy creating one, please contact Heather Balston for details - 01722 411628.