Pews News – Sunday 24 May 2026

Pews News – Sunday 24 May 2026

This week’s Pews News for Sunday 24 May 2026, Pentecost, is available below.

You can read the main notices on this page, or download the full PDF including the readings, prayers, service details and parish contacts.

Pews-News-2026-05-24

The 10am service in the Parish Church on Pentecost Sunday will be multilingual, with prayers and readings in languages other than English.

This reflects the account in Acts Chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit empowered the Apostles to communicate the Good News to diverse peoples and cultures in their own languages. We too, in our day, are inspired by the Spirit of God and commissioned to step across divides, make connections and nurture community.

This is a reminder about receiving Holy Communion or a blessing.

If you are baptised or confirmed and wish to receive Communion, please come to the altar rail and hold your hands crossed, palms upwards.

If you wish to receive gluten-free wafers, which we have available separately for people who require gluten-free, please hold your hands crossed, palms downwards, so that the priest will know without you needing to ask.

If you wish to receive a blessing instead, please come to the altar rail with your arms at your sides and your head bowed.

Audio recordings of the Rector’s sermons are available on our sermons page.

If you haven’t yet seen our redesigned website, please take a look: parishofchingford.org.uk.

It contains lots of information and gives a good impression of what goes on in our parish. Huge thanks to Parish IT Administrator Sam Kerr for the work on this.

The magazine is out for May. Please take one and remember to pay £1 into the money box on the wall behind the magazines, or by the card machine.

If you would like to set up a subscription for the magazine, please contact Christine via the Parish Magazine contact form.

The Chingford Cemetery Café will take place on Friday 29 May at 2pm at the Old Church.

Come and join us for tea and cake and a talk by Gary on the fascinating life of Nemone Lethbridge, lawyer for the Kray twins who are buried in the cemetery, and lifelong friend of Gary.

Mother Marilyn will be leading preparation for First Communion for children aged 6 or 7 years old upwards.

The next session will be on 24 May, with children receiving First Communion on 21 June. The session will take place at 11.45am at the Parish Church.

Please contact Kirsty in the parish office if you wish your child to participate in this course.

Find hidden treasures and amazing bargains – clothes, books, home decor, toys and more – at the Queen Elizabeth, 95 Forest Side, E4 6BA, on Saturday 30 May from 10am.

All proceeds go to Social Bite, a charity working to end homelessness.

It is time to start thinking about the Christmas Bazaar.

There will be a brief meeting after the 10am service at the Parish Church on 31 May to make some initial plans.

Anyone who is even slightly interested would be very welcome to come along.

Claire C

There will be a meeting of the All Saints Eco Church group after the service on Sunday 31 May.

The main topics will be a briefing on our Nature Count event in June and a discussion on what to do next to get the Silver Award.

All are welcome.

Henry Huggins is organising a sponsored fundraising litter pick on Sunday 7 June at 12pm, meeting at the car park at Chingford Plain.

Adults and children are all welcome. The event will raise funds for Chingford Parish Church Choir and support improvements to the church grounds through the Jack Petchey Environmental Award Scheme.

Please view the event page for full details.

Margaret Vincent will be completing a first aid course at East Avenue, E17 9NG.

Booking is through St John Ambulance Community First Aid Courses.

The course takes place on Saturday 13 June 2026 at 1.30pm. The cost is £25 plus VAT, so £30.

If you would like to attend this course, please book online and let Margaret Vincent know so you can possibly join her.

The Old Church Social Club meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month in the hall from 1pm until 3pm.

The cost is only £3, including refreshments. A raffle is also held, and there is entertainment which may include a speaker, singer, quiz or bingo.

We are a friendly mixed group of people who enjoy getting together for an afternoon of fun.

New members are very welcome. Come along, have a good time, make friends, and perhaps see people you already know.

For more information about the Old Church Social Club, please ask Kirsty in the parish office to forward a message to Karon Fordham.

Minutes of PCC meetings will be made more easily available for all to see from now on.

A copy of the minutes most recently agreed by the PCC will be left at the entrance to both churches. Hard copies of all meetings are stored in the office and online, and are available to see on request.

If you have any questions, please contact the PCC Secretary.

We welcome any donations towards the annual cost of funding our Organ Scholarship.

It has been hugely successful having a good Organ Scholar assisting with our music at both the Parish Church and Old Church, providing the occupant of the post with a worthwhile experience and pathway into the world of professional music.

We are pleased to have been able to reappoint Luke for a second year and look forward to all his continued help.

The amount needed is again £5,500 for the year, and we are already well on the way, so a huge thanks to all our annual and one-off contributors.

Any amount given, no matter how small, is really helpful and appreciated.

If you are able to contribute towards the appeal at any time this year, please contact Mike Emerson for donation details.

Alternatively, please hand any donations to the Churchwardens, stewards or Director of Music. Thank you.

Cornerstone is a free Church of England tool that helps churches understand their finances and strengthen giving.

It provides:

  • Insights – a clear picture of our church’s financial health, trends over time and how we compare with similar churches, to help us see our strengths and where we can grow.
  • Pathways – nearly 50 simple, step-by-step actions, including templates, videos and guidance to help us make small and large improvements, at our own pace, to grow generosity and support volunteers.
  • Grants Database – access to over 650 grants tailored for churches, including buildings, heritage and repairs, community projects, mission and ministry.

We are invited to join a Cornerstone Workshop of 2.5 hours, where a small team from our church can learn how to use the tool, review our strengths, and leave with a practical action plan.

We are looking for 2-4 volunteers to be part of that small team. You do not need to be part of the PCC or have a role within the church already.

If you care about the future of our church and want to help us grow in generosity and financial confidence, this is a great opportunity. No expertise is needed, just a willing heart and a desire to make a difference.

Please see the Cornerstone Project Pack for more information and speak to Jacqui Neophytou.

We are in need of the following officers for the PCC:

  • Treasurer
  • Electoral Roll Officer

If you are interested in finding out about either of these roles, please speak to a member of the clergy, a churchwarden, or the current PCC Secretary and Electoral Roll Officer, Anne Clayden.

You can also contact Anne via the PCC Secretary contact form.

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