So the time has come to change the heading photo! This one is, as usual, by Kevan who created the previous wintry panorama shot.

While I’m online, just to say that our Easter services are as follows:

Palm Sunday: April 1st: 9.45 Holy Communion
Maundy Thursday : April 5th: Holy Communion with washing of feet
Good Friday: April 6th: 2-4.30 Prayer Stations for private meditations and prayer
Good Friday: April 6th: 7.30pm “The Cross of Christ,” a chorale with hymns and readings
Holy Saturday: April 7th: 7.30pm Service of Light
EASTER SUNDAY: 9.45am HOLY COMMUNION (with Easter egg hunt to follow!)

And, finally, I’ve removed the Google Calendar for the time being (see my previous post) because it was interfering with another calendar I was running. I will see if it’s possible to bring it back.

Readers may be aware of the petition set up by the Coalition for Marriage: the petition seeks to prevent the ‘redefinition of marriage’ and can be seen, and signed of the Coalition for Marriage web site. This Saturday in the church at 5pm (17 March 2012), and at times to be decided during Holy Week, the Vicar will lead prayers for marriage. All are welcome.

I’ve added a calendar under the menu item “Our services” above. At the moment it just shows our Easter services but if people find it useful I’ll extend it. As always, please let me know what you think!

Kevan sends his latest version of our header picture and asks the question, “What’s missing?” So a small competition for you: be the first to tell me by email what’s missing from our current header picture and I’ll send you a bar of Fairtrade chocolate!

Kevan kindly rushed out into the snow to catch a view of All Saints’ winter-style! Many thanks to Kevan! I’m now looking forward to a warmer Springtime panorama, please!

We will hold a service of Holy Communion for Ash Wednesday, including the traditional imposition of ashes, at 6.00pm on Ash Wednesday, 22 February 2012. Please note that there will therefore be no midweek service that morning.

During the ‘ashing’ the priest will mark your forehead with the sign of the cross drawn with ash made by burning last year’s palm crosses. The ashes represent our mortality and are an outward sign of our sinfulness.

Why would anyone want to be reminded of this?

Because we are indeed mortal – we are dust, and to dust we shall return (Gen 3:19). We are sinful too. And in a world that constantly says “if it feels good, do it” and suggests that a guilty conscience is just one more thing we need a prescription for, we definitely need this healthy dose of reality.

There is something much more important that must go along with this, though. It always helps to put everything we do in the Church in context with the most important event – the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Easter.

In this case, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent which is preparation for Easter. And real preparation for Easter isn’t done with travel plans, fervour over the Sunday afternoon meal, and a resolution to eat less chocolate. It’s done in our soul.

When we look in the mirror on Ash Wednesday and see that black smudge on our forehead, we should be reminded that, no matter what, we are still sinners in need of constant forgiveness. And it reminds us of the forgiveness of God expressed once and for all on the cross of Good Friday and completed by the resurrection of Easter Day.
So please join us for this service, then wear your ashes humbly, in penitence and in faith, and as part of your preparation for Easter.

This is a little belated, but here’s a picture of our Churchwarden Sandy who with his colleague and with Kevan fitted new bell ropes after the installation of a new ringing floor in the tower over the newly installed toilet facilities. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds: to allow the sallies – the fluffy bits on the bottom ends of the bell ropes – sufficient travel, accurate four inch holes had to be drilled through both layers of the partition above the ringing floor, the channels thus created then being lined with plastic piping to protect the holes and the sallies.
But finally the work was done and here Sandy is about to celebrate by ringing the bells for the first time since the tower conversion was started.

The basics of the web site are now in place, so you are cordially invited to comment on it, either via the comments dialogue below, when any other visitor will see your comment; or directly by email to Trevor.
Then all we need is content: over to you!

That’s better! Now we have a panoramic view of All Saints’ Church, West Haddon, as our heading, with many thanks to Kevan for not only taking the pictures but also stitching them together.