General photos

Sunday 2nd November 2025
There are plans on display just inside the church regarding the proposed work to be done. The wording on the photo below isn't very clear but these plans can be viewed after the 9.30 am service or if you attend the Meditation and Refection time on Tuesdays between 5 pm and 7 pm.

Sunday 12th October 2025

Thank you so much to Malcolm Harrison for taking these fabulous photos of the font in church.

Thank you to Lynn Castillo for embroidering these hangers for the pillars in church. They're beautiful. (A couple of them were made by Marg Wood.)

Sunday 21st September 2025
CONFIRMATION SERVICE

Welcome to all candidates who were confirmed by the Bishop of Wolverhampton, The Right Reverend Dr Timothy Wambunya, this evening.

Heavenly Father, we pray for all confirmation candidates presented at our service this evening. Give them your Holy Spirit to fill their hearts and minds. Help them to know and follow Jesus as your faithful disciples. Enlighten their understanding of the Scriptures and fill their lives with the fruits of the Spirit. May they always choose what is right, and grow in faith, hope and love. Amen

Sunday 3rd August 2025

It was a privilege to witness the baptism of Azra Bibi during the 9.30 am service. Her family were there to witness it, too. Welcome Azra. Also in the photo are Mario and churchwarden Rob Yardley.

Sunday 6th July 2025

It was lovely to see Marg in church this morning with her daughter Jenny who is visiting from New Zealand. We wish all of the family happy times together before they return home.

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

NEW CHURCHWARDEN
Rob Yardley was sworn in as a Churchwarden on Wednesday 2nd July at Lichfield Cathedral. He was among many other Churchwardens from the Walsall Deaneries of Trysull, Walsall, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton and Wulfrun, as well as from the Lichfield Deaneries of Lichfield, Penkridge, Rugeley and Tamworth. Rob was joined by his wife, Lynne, their 3 daughters Kay, Claire and Helen, his granddaughter Darcy, Carol (Helen's mother-in-law and family friend), and his neighbours Mandy and Pete. Also there to witness the occasion were Canon Ben, Mario, Lynn and Wendy from church. The service started with a message from the Dean of Lichfield, The Rt Revd Jan McFarlane. The Archdeacon of Walsall, the Venerable Liz Jackson, gave a very interesting sermon.

Tuesday 24th June 2025

Look at this wonderful flower display created by Joyce for a funeral. Thank you Joyce.

Saturday 24th May 2025

What a wonderful evening of music. Well done to all members of the choir (Voices Entwined). Well done to the leader of the choir, Louise, who is so enthusiastic and inspiring. Thank you to Mario who, as always, entertained us during the interval and at the start of the second half when he and Louise did a duet.
A BIG thank you to everybody who helped organise the event and a special thanks to those who served the refreshments (and who made the delicious cakes).
Thank you to everybody who supported this fundraising event.

Sunday 11th May 2025

Thank you to Carol Downton for giving us 2 small hangers for VE Day on 8th May. We are thankful for the lives saved, the freedoms enjoyed, and the enduring legacy of those who served.
(Thank you, also, to Marg for making the hangers stable for hanging.)

Sunday 4th May 2025

Congratulations to John and Linda Stockall on 58 years of marriage. Linda had lost her wedding ring so today Canon Ben blessed her new ring and we were all privileged to watch this. May you have many more years together.

Sunday 20th April 2025

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY TO ALL OF YOU

Jesus is alive!
What a lovely service today (and the sun shone, too!) There were beautiful flowers in the porch to greet us. These were arranged by Alison in memory of her mum this week.
Upon entering church, you could see a beautiful banner welcoming us (made some time ago by Marg). The church looked lovely. Thank you to everybody who, on Saturday, helped clean the church and tidy up. There were some lovely flower displays (arranged by Joyce); unfortunately the lilies hadn't opened in time but next week they will look beautiful (and will smell wonderful, too). The Easter garden display (donated by Wendy last year) showed the open tomb along with figures depicting Jesus and Mary Magdalene. There were two 3D shadow box pictures with the clear Easter message that Jesus had risen (all layers cut by hand, by Wendy).
The service was special today as it included a baptism, too. Congratulations to Leanne. It was a pleasure to welcome her into our church (although she has been attending for some time). Leanne was able to receive her first communion.

Saturday 12th April 2025

Thank you to the Sedgley Ukulele Strummers who performed a most entertaining concert in our church tonight. There was audience participation with a lot of hand jives and singing along. Thank you to all involved in making tonight happen from promotional materials to organisation, refreshments, raffle and so on. Thank you to those of you who turned up to support our fundraising and to support the band.
You might recognise Ben, our interim vicar (sitting at the back behind the lady in pink) who was playing base guitar.

Saturday 5th April 2025

The photo above was taken after the prayer service when Bishop Michael (Bishop of Lichfield) visited during his pilgrimage. Since 3rd April until 12th April, as part of his Lenten Observance, Bishop Michael has been walking through all four archdeaconries of Lichfield Diocese.

Sunday 12th January 2025

A service of Licensing and Welcome was held on 12th January to welcome Canon Ben to this parish and the parish of St Paul with St Luke. The service was conducted by the Bishop of Wolverhampton, The Right Reverend Dr Tim Wambunya. After the service, refreshments were available in the church hall.

Ben (Whitmore) will be with us for about 12 months, in his role of Canon Missioner for Lichfield.

He is, also, currently the Rural Dean for Wednesbury.

WECOME TO CANON BEN
The Revd Preb Ben Whitmore became the Rural Dean for Wednesbury on 1st October. As Canon Missioner (a post which provides a base for a priest within the cathedral but with a role largely outside it, extending across the diocese), he has now taken up his position as Interim Minister for St Bartholomew’s Wednesbury and St Paul’s Wood Green with St Luke’s Mesty Croft, on 19th January. This parish is the first place in which he will exercise his role as Canon Missioner.
We look forward to working with Canon Ben over the next 12 months.

Sunday 8th December 2024

We were pleased to welcome Bishop Michael, Bishop of Lichfield, on Sunday 8th December. After the service, some of the congregation had photos taken with him.

(Image by tamaratorres on Freepik)

CHRISTINGLE COLLECTION - THANK YOU The money raised from the collection at the end of the Christingle service (on 8th December) came to £68.76. I rounded that up to £70 and gift aided it. So, the total collected for The Children's Society was £87.51. I've received an email from Andrew Moran (Head of Supporter Experience) to confirm the £70 has been received by The Children's Society. Andrew says that the money we raised means they can empower young people to make positive changes and rediscover their hope. He said that we should all feel incredibly proud of the difference our gift is making to the lives of children now and in the future.
Thank you.
There are photos of the Christingle Service on the 'Photo of the Week' page. You can use this link to view them.

Sunday 8th December 2024

At our Christingle service, we had an introduction from the team about the origin of the Christingle. We used 2 children to demonstrate a 'human' Christingle. Then everybody split up to do a variety of craft activities, make their own Christingle and have a go at handbell ringing (thank you to Melanie). Everybody returned to the pews for the 'Elf' and Safety Talk from Marg, aided by Faith. Everybody stood around the church and the Christingle candles were lit, then the main lights were switched off. We sang 'Shine Jesus Shine' and it was so magical. We finished with a short prayer. As the children left, there were gifts of a small chocolate bar, candy canes, pens and glow stick bracelets. Thank you to all of the team and the extra helpers.

Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December 2024

Sunday 24th November 2024

A Christmas village has popped up in church - a big thank you to Mal and Debbie for assembling it and thank you to Debbie for allowing the collection to be viewed in church. Below are some photos for you to enjoy (click on them to view them more easily). See if you can find a very important family, reminding us of the real reason for Christmas. You can view a short video reel on our Facebook page, too, using this link. https://www.facebook.com/StBartsWednesbury/

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY - 10th NOVEMBER 2024

Sunday 3rd November 2024

The church exterior is looking lovely, ready for Remembrance Sunday. (More photos next week.)

Tuesday 29th October 2024

Wendy visited the 'Where Angels Tread' display at Lichfield Cathedral on Tuesday. In early October some stunning silk voile panels of angels were installed in the Cathedral. It's the last day of the display on Sunday 3rd November (visitor opening is 12 midday to 5 pm on Sunday). Below are some photos to show you the panels.

Sunday 7th July 2024

Thank you to Malcolm Harrison for another 3 lovely photos of our church. We are very grateful to him allowing us to use these photos. For those of you who are not aware, the lectern in most churches will be an eagle. In St Bartholomew's Church, we have a fighting cock, and this reminds us of an old sport that brought people from miles around to the cock fighting pit in Potters Lane.

Thank you, also, to Wendy for the photo of the rose tree that was planted to mark the occasion of King Charles' Coronation on 6th May 2023.

Sunday 9th June 2024

A lovely lady, Joanne Udall, has gifted a beautiful cross stitch picture to our church. Wendy has framed it and it now sits on the altar in the Lady Chapel. Do, please, have a look at it next time you are in church. Thank you Joanne.

Sunday 25th May 2024

WHAT A GREAT PHOTO OF ST BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH Thank you so much to C R Drone Services Limited for allowing me to use this photo of the church. It's so different to other photos we have of the church. The person who took the photo said s/he was brought up, literally, in the spire's shadow, on Wellcroft Street. S/he lived there with her/his parents until s/he bought her/his own first home, aged 23, and said that both St Bart's and St Mary's churches bring back special and fond childhood memories.

(Photo © C R Drone Services Limited)

Sunday 5th May 2024
There is quite a lot of colour to be seen alongside the path leading up to church. It looks lovely.

Saturday 27th April 2024

Thank you to Kellie Slater for this lovely photo of the blossom tree with the church in the background.

February 2024

FILMING IN OUR BEAUTIFUL CHURCH Well done to all involved in the filming of a video in our beautiful church. The band and Helen James sound wonderful. Use this link to listen to some of their recording. https://www.facebook.com/john.kennett2/videos/1741087776387383

Sunday 25th February 2024

A SIGN THAT SPRING IS NOT FAR OFF The borders along the path up to church are starting to burst into flower. Such a welcome sight as we approached church this morning.

Sunday 18th February 2024

The porch was very welcoming this morning with a lovely display from Joyce Turner and, also, a floral tribute by Alison O'Neill in memory of her late mum and dad on their wedding anniversary (19th February).

December 2003 and January 2004

Recent photos of our church painted by talented local artist, Matthew Pritchett. These images are of the side and back of the church, which many of us probably never see. I have permission to use the photos.Well done (again) Matthew and thank you.

24th December 2023

We had a lovely Christmas Eve Service which was in 3 parts. Firstly, the Advent section when the 4th candle was lit. This was followed by the Communion service and finally the St Bart’s Storytellers performed ‘The Noisy Neighbour’. It told the Nativity story about the animals who were in the stable. Marg Wood was a detective mouse with huge ears, and she wore cheese earrings, as well as a wedge of cheese round her neck. Wendy Bird was the narrator. Mario Castillo was the donkey, Lynn Castillo was a sheep and Linda Russell was the camel. The angel in the story was performed by Linda Stockall. The congregation had parts, too, as they had to do actions when they heard certain words during the story, as well as make the noises of a crying baby and the ee-aw of the donkey.

Sunday 10th December 2023

(Image attributed to: https://www.freeimages.com">Freeimages.com

Thank you to everybody who donated money at the Christingle Service in December. I waited until now, in case any other money was handed in from the children's collection boxes. I am now pleased to tell you that £78 was paid online last night to The Children's Society. I have had thanks and confirmation of receipt of the money from the charity. They will use this money to enable them to empower young people to make positive changes in their lives and to rediscover their hope for the future.

Wow - what a lovely event we had at our Christingle. There are some photos below of the activities. We must thank so many people (and I hope I've not missed out anybody).
Thank you SO MUCH to:

Mario and Jackie for entertaining us and leading us in the song as we held our Christingles with the candles lit.
All of our St Bart's Storytellers and helpers - Marg, Linda, Lynn, Joyce, Alison, Faith and Wendy.
Our friends from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (Baitul Muqeet Mosque in Walsall) who generously donated the Celebrations chocolates and gave us some extra chocolates and a plant.
Gill Rea and Carol Downton for donating the crafted gifts for the children.
Thank you also to ALL OF YOU who attended the event. Without you, we wouldn't have had a Christingle. Thank you for making it so special for us.

We hope you all enjoyed making your Christingle and the craft activities.

The photos are not in order:

9th December 2023

A delicious special Christmas meal was served. Mario entertained the diners and Father Christmas arrived with gifts.

Monday 4th December 2023

Thank you to everybody who attended the Carols and Cake event. Thank you, also, to Suzie's community choir for entertaining us with excellent performances.

Saturday 2nd December 2023

Thank you to everybody who turned up to help decorate the church this morning. We are so grateful to you. What would have been a much longer job for 5 or 6 of us was made so much easier (and quicker).
Thank you to David Hopkins and Janis Pheasant for assembling the stable. It looks lovely in the chancel.
Thank you to the following people for decorating the church: Jennifer Stanley, Kerry Kerr, Kay Kerr, Wyn Wilkinson, Kalee Greenhill, Jake Greenhill, Leon Roomes, Esmae Roomes, Kaycie Roomes, Richard and Emma Bennett, Barbara Breakwell, Glenys Foley, Alison O’Neill, Claire Yardley, Lynn and Mario Castillo, Marg Wood and Wendy Bird. We all did a great job and the church looked wonderful before we left.

Below are some photos from this morning’s activities. More photos above that were taken on Sunday, showing the church off better. The photos are not in any particular order. The Nativity scene was made by Lynn Castillo and the 3D shadow box framed pictures were created by Wendy Bird. The decorations are looking lovely in the porch and inside the church. The Christingle pictures were made by Marg Wood.

Sunday 12th November 2023

Upon arriving at church, the gates and porch were decorated for Remembrance Day and the altar looked wonderful. The short Memorial Service was lovely and we held a 2 minutes silence in the Remembrance area where the Rolls of Honour are. Thank you to Joyce and Wendy for the decorations. Thank you to Malcolm and Wendy for the photos.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

Saturday 11th November 2023

The lunch on 11th November for Armistice Day was baked potatoes with minced beef and onions or cheese or just with beans. Dessert was jam sponge with/without custard. Delicious.

Wednesday 1st November 2023

Wendy visited Lichfield Cathedral on Wednesday 1st November to see the Gaia exhibition (by Luke Jerram). This exhibition shows our fragile blue planet, a scene only astronauts normally get to experience. It looked splendid in the cathedral. There was a talk by Ian Hall (FRAS – Astrophysicist), Dane Pavitt (Natural Historian) and Elsie Dennis (TAS Academy Yr 8) on the planets and moons in our Solar System and the search for Exoplanets in the Universe. It was very interesting.
There was, also, a display of crafts created during the summer. Some spaces were transformed into mini-installations celebrating the Earth and the stages of its creation.
In addition, there was a new art installation called ‘Wellspring’ (by Carolynn White), featuring representations of abundant water cascading and bursting from the font, symbolising the well of living water talked about in the Bible.
Here are just a few photos taken on the day (you might want to click on each photo to see more detail.)

Saturday 21st October 2023

A big thank you to Joyce, Linda, Marg, Alison, Lynn, Mario, Ian and Kerry (plus granddaughter Nevaeh) and Wendy for cleaning the church this morning. A grand job - well done. Thank you to Alison for making a much needed cuppa half way through.

Saturday 14th October 2023

The lunch on 14th October was sausages, mash and mixed vegetables. Dessert was bread pudding or chocolate sponge with/without custard.

Sunday 1st October 2023

Sunday 1st October 2023

As you enter church, you are greeted by a wonderful Welcome board. It features a colourful banner made by Marg Wood and there are drawings by children from a local primary school. Also, there are some lovely paper flowers at the bottom (not sure who made these).

Sunday 24th September 2023

It was our Harvest Service on Sunday 24th September. Some donations of tinned and dried food had been collected already but more items were added before the service. Thank you to everybody who donated food. Thank you, also, to Wendy for the display of knitted vegetables and to Joyce for the lovely flower arrangement in the porch.

Saturday15th September 2023

Open Table Lunch Club served corned beef hash (vegetarian option: Quorn hash), with potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. Dessert was a choice of apple crumble or rhubarb crumble, both with custard.

Sunday 3rd September 2023

The porch looks lovely with these beautiful flowers. The vase of flowers on the right is from Alison and family (hover over the photo, or click on the photo, to see the wording). Thank you to Joyce for the other arrangements.

Monday 28th August 2023

IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL CADWALLADER - Ian Cadwallader and his family have fond memories of his dad, Michael, who would have been 75 today. Michael was a campanologist at the church for many years. There is a plaque dedicated to him near the altar and he is buried by the cross outside the church.

Saturday 12th August 2023

The Open Table Lunch Club enjoyed another meal on 12th August - photos are below and are on the Open Table Lunch Club page, too. Link to their page.

Friday 11th August 2023

Wendy enjoyed a visit to the Mary Jones World exhibition in Llanycil, Bala. Mary Jones, was born in 1784 in Llanfihangel-y-Pennant. In 1800, she did something extraordinary that changed the course of history, not only in Wales, but the world. Mary Jones World is on the edge of Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala). The exhibition is based in the historic St Bueno’s Church and explains the story of Mary walking 26 miles from her home to Bala after saving for 6 years, to see The Revd Thomas Charles in order to buy a Bible. Thomas Charles was inspired by Mary and became one of the founder members of what is now The Bible Society (formerly called the British and Foreign Bible Society).
Here are a few photos with captions on most of them (hover over each photo to read them). If you struggle to see the captions by hovering over the images, you can click on each individual photo to read them.

Sunday 6th August 2023

Thank you to Malcolm for the following photos that he took in church after the Sunday service. They are fabulous photos.

Sunday 6th August 2023

This lovely felt picture with knitted people was made by Lynn Castillo and is on display in church.

Saturday 5th August 2023

Congratulations to Michael and Chantelle Hartshorne on the occasion of their wedding in our church. May they have a wonderful life together.

Sunday 23rd July 2023

On arrival at church, there were some lovely flower displays in the porch. One is a special display of flowers from Tom and family wishing their mum and dad (Millicent and Thomas Griffiths) a heavenly 100th wedding anniversary. Lovely.

The other arrangement is the usual flower display we have in the porch, in support of Ukraine. Joyce has changed the flowers today and the display includes sunflowers, the Ukrainian national flower.

Saturday 22nd July 2023

Congratulations to Richard and Emma on their wedding on Saturday 22nd July. There were some lovely heart displays on some of the pew ends and the couple have kindly given us one of them to keep in church. The heart features 2 church mice in wedding outfits. Wonderful. Thank you to Richard and Emma. We hope you enjoyed your special day and wish you many happy years together.

Friday 14th July 2023

Some of our ladies joined their Muslim friends from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at the Baitul Muqeet Mosque on Friday 14th July. They chatted whilst enjoying a light lunch and drinks. Our thanks to Bushra and the other ladies for their hospitality. (From left to right: Jacqui, Linda, Wendy, Marg and Lynn.)

Saturday 8th July 2023

Forty people enjoyed a meal on 8th July which was Quiche (2 choices - see menu), new potatoes, salad and coleslaw with a bread roll and butter. Dessert was peach flan and dream topping. It looks delicious. Well done to everybody who was involved with preparation, cooking, serving and clearing away.

Sunday 25th June 2023
The garden either side of the path was all about the roses. As the weeks pass, it's lovely to see different plants flowering.

Saturday 17th June 2023

For photos of the Craft Exhibition in the Library, please go to the Craft Club page. You can use this link. Our own craft club took part by working on crafts during the day and provided samples of work done.

17th June 2023

The Open Table Lunch Club served up a meal of Cottage Pie, carrots and cabbage followed by iced lemon cake with strawberries.

Sunday 11th June 2023

On Saturday 6th May, a rose tree was planted in the church garden to commemorate the significant royal occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III and his Queen (see post lower down for the photos). It is currently in flower and looks beautiful.

Sunday 21st May 2023

Congratulations to Jennifer Stanley, Sharon Drinkwater and Darren Drinkwater on being confirmed by the Rt Revd Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry, at Saint Michael’s Church in Tividale on Sunday 21st May. We wish you a life full of faith and love. May you be blessed in all that you do. May God bless you with true happiness and hear you as you pray.

Saturday 6th May 2023
A short prayer service to commemorate the Coronation of our King took place at 9.30 am. It was a lovely service and then we went outside to watch Keith, our gardener, plant a tree rose. Afterwards, Fr Mark blessed the area. Like many parish councils, groups, businesses and individuals, St Bartholomew's planted the 'tree' to commemorate the significant royal occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III and his Queen. We finished by singing the National Anthem.

Sunday 30th April 2023

Despite the miserable wet morning today (30th April), it was lovely to see lots of beautiful flowers lining the path. The daffodils are finished but there are so many other flowers to enjoy. The tree near the porch has been full of blossom and there is still some blossom to see. Unfortunately, the wind and rain has caused much of the blossom to fall. However, every cloud has a silver lining - the fallen blossom looks like confetti.

Sunday 16th April 2023

The Hall roof is now completed and is looking great. A big thank you to our PCC for agreeing to the work on the roof and to Fr Mark for arranging this work to be done.

Sunday 9th April 2023

Our service on Easter Sunday was well attended. There were Easter eggs and sweets for us - thank you to Fr Mark and Shannon. The porch was welcoming with beautiful lilies - thank you to Joyce. Thank you, also, to Lynn for the photo taken of the church and the welcoming approach along the path with the beautiful spring flowers. Thank you to Wendy for the Easter Garden display.

Sunday 9th April 2023

SPRING FLOWERS WELCOME US TO CHURCH It has been lovely to see the colourful approach to church at each of the Holy Week services. Thank you to Keith for maintaining the grounds for us. We really do appreciate it.

Sunday 26th March 2023

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! The approach to church is looking wonderful, thanks to the hard work Keith continues to do in the church grounds. We are very grateful to him.

Saturday 25th March 2023

Ray Bennett, was a regular member of our congregation for many years. A plaque in his memory was put on the January memorial board today. He is now united with his beloved wife, Irene, who died in 1999. Both of them were confirmed at our church.

Saturday 25th March 2023

THANK YOU The church is looking a lot cleaner now, ready for Easter, after the wonderful teamwork on Saturday. Thank you to Joyce Turner, Lynn Castillo, Mario Castillo, Linda Russell, Julie Hughes, Alison O’Neill and Wendy Bird. Thank you, also, to Mike Baugh for helping to put a plaque on the January memorial board in memory of Ray Bennett. Mike helped Joyce clean some of the brass ornaments, too. (Thank you, also, for the offers of help for next time - we are very grateful.)

19th March 2023

THANK YOU to Joyce Turner for providing the daffodils for this morning's Mothering Sunday services.

As you arrive in the church porch, you are greeted by a simple but beautiful Easter display. No explanation is needed - it is wonderful. Thank you to Joyce Turner for arranging this. Thank you, also, to Wendy Bird for making the Spring Wreath for the church door in the porch. A lovely colourful welcome to everyone who visits the church. Thank you ladies.

12th March 2023

Marg Wood has made a beautiful 'Welcome' banner for church, depicting stained glass windows [she was very shy (?) and didn't want her face in the photo]. Wendy Bird created the Easter garden scene, depicting our church, path and garden, as well as the sandy area around the tomb with the crosses on the hill in the background. Thank you ladies.

Thank you again to Matthew Pritchett for doing another painting of our church. This is acrylic on canvas board. Thank you for allowing us to put the photo on our website and Facebook page.

26th February 2023

Thank you to Matthew Pritchett who has sent me this photo of a wonderful painting, in acrylic on canvas board, that he has done of our beautiful church. It is so atmospheric. He has given me permission to post it on our website and Facebook page.

18th February 2023

On Saturday, a group of us from church, together with many other community groups, were invited to a meeting at the Baitul Muqueet Mosque in Walsall. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association had invited speakers to share what they saw as the biggest threat to civilisation. It was a lovely opportunity to meet with friends old and new and, despite the serious topic, there was a lot of laughter and great food. One of the speakers, Balbir Seimar, a multi award winning long term volunteer in the community, turned out to be a friend of our very own Mario. Who knew he moved in such exalted circles?

24th December 2022

We've had 2 lovely services today (Christmas Eve). Firstly, at 3 pm we had a crib service and it was wonderful to have some families with us. The children helped to put the nativity figures in the stable and we sang children-friendly carols including, of course, 'Away in a Manger'.
Then at 6 pm we had a Communion Service with carols. As I was about to get in the car, it was lovely to see the stained glass windows lit up.

Sunday 18th December 2022

The Carol Service on Sunday 18th December was lovely. We were joined by Suzie's Singers Community Choir (that practises in our church each Monday evening). There was a wonderful solo performance by one of the choir members and Jacqueline Burke played a flute solo, too. Refreshments were served after the service. Thank you to those of you who attended. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas Decorations 2022

The church is looking beautiful after Lynn and Mario Castillo, Wendy Bird, Linda Russell, Jacqueline Burke, Jennifer Stanley and Karen Bennett decorated it with trees, lights, nativity figures, decorations and several wreaths made by people in the community. I don't have photos of all of the items but for those I do (in the slideshow) I have annotated each image to say who made them. Janis Pheasant and David assembled the nativity stable ready for the nativity figures to be placed in there. Thank you to everybody.
The slideshow will automatically move from one photo onto the next (every 6 seconds) but you can also navigate the show yourself by using the thumbnails at the bottom of the slideshow or by clicking on the arrows on the photos. You may need to press play first.
Photographs by Jacqueline Burke and Wendy Bird.

Friday 16th December 2022

INTERFAITH CHRISTMAS LUNCH: Marg, Linda, Wendy, Lynn and Jacqui welcomed some of our female friends from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association at the Baitul Muqeet Mosque in Walsall, as well as a lady from Pleck Baptist Church, on Friday 16th December. The ladies brought with them delicious samosas, vegetarian sandwiches and spicy rolls. We provided drinks and cake. It was lovely to eat and chat with them. They loved the church all decorated for Christmas. We swapped gifts before they went. We look forward to continuing our friendship in the New Year.
Thank you to Bushra for taking the photos.

Sunday 27th November 2022

We had a lovely reflective Memorial Service.

Saturday 26th November 2022

The Christmas Lights Switch On was a great day of community spirit with live entertainment, as well as market stalls by the clock tower and in Union Street. Apart from artists performing and the guest appearance of Mikey North (Gary Windass in Coronation Street), there was a wonderful lantern parade. All lanterns were made by people/groups in the community. Well done to everyone involved. The event was attended by the Mayor of Sandwell.

Sunday 6th November 2022

We have been awarded a Wednesbury Community Award for everything people do for our church and the community. We are so grateful for the numerous work that volunteers do for us. Such work as: Craft Club, the daily social media work done on Facebook and the website; the regular volunteer work done in the church hall in addition to church hall bookings; the Open Table lunch club volunteers who provide a meal once a month; our small music group (and in their absence somebody operating the CD player), the volunteers who read Bible Readings and write the prayers on a rota basis; Safeguarding; PCC members; volunteers who decorate the church, do flower arranging and making drinks after some services; the gentleman who keeps the church garden tidy, etc. A lot happens but not without those volunteers. Congratulations to all of you and THANK YOU.

Sunday 2nd October 2022

We had a Harvest Festival service and people gave generously. We have passed these on to the Food Bank via Joyce. Thank you.

Saturday 1st October 2022

Thank you to Bushra Naureen and others friends from the Walsall branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Baitul Muqeet Mosque) for inviting us to join in with their Centenary celebrations of Lajna Ima’illah on Saturday 1st October. The Mayor, Councillor Rose Martin, attended the event. A number of ladies gave informative talks about the association, its aspirations and achievements.

The organisation was established by the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 1922 and is now established in 206 countries of the world. It was set up to give women a voice in the administrative affairs of the community and a degree of independence.

We were told about Centenary projects of the Association and one of these was to plant 100,000 trees across the UK. At national level 55,000 trees have been planted so far of which 20,157 have been planted in the Midlands (and the Walsall branch have planted 5,287 of those trees todate). Well done ladies.

Once the speeches were completed, the ladies brought vegetarian food to our tables and we were very well fed! It was delicious. There were a number of stalls around the room with activities (eg Mehndi and painting) as well as some items for sale and stalls showing some art and craft work that members had created. There was a lovely framed cross-stitch which said: ‘Happy times, Praise God; Difficult times, Seek God; Quiet times, Worship God; Hard times; Trust God; All times, Thank God’ – wonderful words.

Before we left, we were presented with a plaque. It was lovely to see many familiar faces. Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation, speeches, food etc.

2nd July 2022

On Saturday evening the Community Choir and Suzie’s Singers put on a fundraising concert to raise much needed funds for church. Like most places, our church has suffered financially over the last 2 years with very little money in offertories and, of course, we could not put on events to raise money. Yet bills still had to be paid.

Thank you to Suzie for offering to do this fundraiser. It was a wonderful evening of singing. Thank you to the Community Choir and to the solo performances by Suzie’s Singers. The children who performed solo were wonderful. A big thank you to Mario for not only singing in the choir but, also, playing a bongo-type drum (apologies as I am not an expert on the types of drum there are) and for organising the backing tracks and amplification. Mario also played guitar and entertained us prior to the concert and during the interval.

We wish to thank the following people:

Members of the choir (and Alison from church) who made cakes to have with refreshments.
Sharon and Glenys for donating biscuits and wrapped cakes.
Marg, Wendy, Lynn, Linda, Glenys and Suzie for donating tea, coffee, sugar, milk, squash, etc.
Alison, Alison and Lynn for serving refreshments and clearing up afterwards.
Linda, on the door taking the entrance fee.
Marg, for running the Marbles in a Jar activity and donating the prize. Also, for running the other activities that the choir had donated prizes for.
Wendy for running the raffle.
Many people who donated items for the raffle.
Tony Breakwell for a £50 donation.
To Suzie and the choir for the beautiful flowers presented to me.

Thank you to our esteemed guests: the Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Jackie Taylor and her consort, husband Mr Marvin Taylor.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who supported the event.

We are very grateful to all of you. In total, you raised £458.68. Thank you!

Here is a slideshow of a few photos from the event:

22nd June 2022

A few photos taken by Tomasz Lewandowski early on Tuesday morning before work. Thank you, Tomasz, for allowing me to use them.

12th June 2022

We were happy to welcome Leanne back to church for our 10 am Sunday service. (She is a member of the congregation and team at St Matthew's Church in Tipton.) Those of us in the photo were all team members in the Open the Book group. Unfortunately, Claire left after the service so we were not able to include her in the photo. However, those of us in the photo were the original team members who were videoed at St John's C of E Primary Academy in the summer of 2017 when we were privileged to be chosen to be filmed by the Bible Society. As a result of that filming, we were featured in a training video and training materials, banners and the Open the Book newsletter. We still feature occasionally, even now, in some training materials.

L to R: Mario, Lynn, Wendy, Marg, Linda and Leanne (with Grace at the front).

11th June 2022

On Saturday 11th June, the lunch club enjoyed a United Kingdom themed Afternoon Tea. There was a strawberry flan with cream representing England, Scottish shortbread, Welsh cakes and Fifteen from Northern Ireland. (I am told by Linda that 'Fifteen' is a very sweet dessert that is very popular in Northern Ireland. It contains 15 digestive biscuits, 15 glacé cherries and 15 marshmallows blended together with condensed milk and is then refrigerated.) In addition, sandwiches were served on cake stands along with mini sausage rolls, quiche, etc. It all sounds delicious! Thank you to all the ladies (and Mario) for the hard work planning, preparing and serving the meal. Thank you, also, to Claire for taking these photos.

5th June 2022

The church was decorated for the Jubilee. These are just a few photos to show you how lovely it looked.

14th May 2022

Alison and Linda served up another delicious lunch on Saturday 14th May. The menu was gammon, french beans and lightly toasted boiled potatoes served with a choice of parsley or cheese sauce. The vegetarian option was Linda McCartney chicken style roast. Desserts were home-made rhubarb crumble with cream or custard or raspberry swirl cheesecake with optional cream. Soft drinks were available with the meal and tea or coffee was served after. Sounds delicious! Thank you to the volunteers who helped serve, wash up and clear away.

May 2022
We recently received this Certificate from Sandwell. Well done to all involved, especially Fr Mark.

Sunday 1st May 2022

It was lovely to welcome Mukesh and Seema Gill on Sunday. They are Rakesh Gill’s cousin and sister-in-law from India and are staying for a while with Rakesh, Liza, Brandon and Bradley. We hope you enjoy your stay here before you return home. The photo was taken by Liza and shows from L to R: Wendy, Linda, Seema, Mukesh, Mario and Marg.

Saturday 30th April 2022

Four of the ladies from the Baitul Muqueet Mosque visited some of our ladies in the Church Hall on Saturday 30th April. They brought us food and flowers and Marg presented them with some plants. Thank you so much to them for their generous offerings. The food was delicious and the flowers look lovely in church (in Marg's mum's vase). We hope all of our friends from the Moslem Community enjoy their Eid celebrations after their period of fasting.

24th April 2022

At the moment, not only do we have beautiful spring flowers welcoming us to church but the blossom on the trees is wonderful to see, too. Then, as we enter the porch there is an arrangement of lilies in place of the previous yellow chrysanthemums on the left for us to remember and pray for Ukraine and, also, a vase of lilies on the opposite side of the porch.

17th April 2022

It was lovely to see some of the girls and their leaders from the Guides, Brownies and Rainbows on Easter Sunday. They presented their flags in a procession to the altar.

Sunday 3rd April 2022

The spring flowers are a joy to see as we attend church.

Sunday 27th March 2022

What a lovely Mothering Sunday service we had at 10 am on 27th March 2022. The uniformed organisations (Guides, Brownies and Rainbows) and their leaders joined us and the girls presented their flags to the altar. It’s been such a long time since they were able to do that.

Sunday 27th February 2022

My daughter and I took my grandson to see this installation on 22nd February. Luke Jerram’s ‘Floating Earth’ installation known as Gaia, measures 7 metres in diameter and is currently on display at Millennium Point in Birmingham. The artwork provided an opportunity to see our planet floating in three dimensions.

Sunday 27th February 2022

Marg and I attended a Community Artwork project by Multistory on Wednesday 16th February and Lynn and Mario went on 23rd February. We all had a great time helping to create our memories about the the history of the town, present and future. There will be a community installation, at the Clock Tower in a celebratory event on 26th March.
The images below show what we created (you might need to click on the images to see them fully).

Sunday 27th February 2022

As we arrived at church this morning for Sunday worship, the sun was shining and there were several flowers brightening up the borders. After the rain and winds we've had, this made a lovely sight. It was a great opportunity to thank the Lord for reminding us of how blessed we are.

Sunday 13th February 2022:

Thank you to Tomasz Lewandowski for allowing me to share some of his photos with you. They are fabulous. He took them early evening and he has included some monuments in the churchyard. Have a look through the slideshow. It moves on automatically to the next photo or you can click on the arrow. Alternatively, you can click on the thumbnails below the slideshow.

Saturday 12th February 2022

The Valentine's theme lunch on Saturday 12th February was successful. Thank you to the Linda R and Alison who worked hard to prepare and cook the lunch. Alison provided balloons and Mario was in charge of making the room look lovely. His fabulous folded napkin table decorations (with chocolates) completed the look and he showed a DofE participant and Linda S how to do this so they could make some. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped prepare the room, serve and clear up. A great team effort.

Friday 11th February 2022

Thank you very much to Bushra Naureen and other ladies from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Baitul Muqeet Mosque in Walsall) for their very kind and generous donation to the Food Bank in Wednesbury. We appreciate their support.

Tuesday 8th February 2022

CHESTER CATHEDRAL EXHIBITION - 'THREADS THROUGH CREATION':

On Tuesday 8th February, Wendy visited Chester Cathedral where there is currently an exhibition of 12 beautiful silk panels inspired by the first pages of the Bible. It is called ‘Threads through Creation’ and the panels were made by artist Jacqui Parkinson whose work took nearly 3 years to complete and required miles of black thread and 8 million stitches. Scientists don’t usually deal with the ‘why?’ or ‘who?’; they strive to find better answers to the ‘when?’ and ‘how?’. Jacqui explains that the theory of evolution is elegant and plausible but leaves questions for debate. She finds it hard to believe that no one was behind it all.
The photos I took don’t do the work the justice it deserves. Seeing the panels up close is wonderful – there is so much detail in them.
In many of the silks Jacqui depicts God as a spiral.
You can hover over the images to see an explanation about each panel. If you click on the caption you can see the image and caption at the same time. You might need to click on each photo to see the full image, in which case, if you hover over the photo, you can use the arrow to move on to the next photo.

Saturday 5th February 2022

THANK YOU:

A huge thank you to Joyce Turner who has donated the new sign for the church hall. We are very grateful to Joyce for all the work she has done over the years for our church. The sign looks great now it is in situ. Thanks Joyce.

Saturday 5th February 2022

Pete Worton and his wife Yvonne regularly attend our craft club (yes, gentlemen are welcome to join us!). Pete is an accomplished maker of jewellery but since he retired he has taken up other craft pursuits too, such as basket weaving and macrame. During our meeting on 5th February he made this plant pot hanger whilst we were crafting and chatting. Soon he will do a workshop at one of our monthly meetings to enable us to learn the craft. More information to follow once I know the month that Pete can offer this workshop. In the meantime, here is a photo of the work he did.

Friday 4th February 2022
WILLIAM AND DORIS MEREDITH:

It was lovely to welcome the daughter (Pat) and son (John) of William and Doris Meredith when they visited the church on Friday 4th February, as well John’s wife. They brought with them some flowers in memory of Bill who would have been 100 on 2nd February. Joyce Turner put the flowers in a vase and this was placed by their memorial board in church.

Both Bill and Doris were stalwarts of our church for many years. Bill was a sidesman and later became a churchwarden, a position he held for several years. He was the mainstay of the Restoration Committee which organised many fundraising events, raising much needed money for the church. Bill and his wife were involved in the Sale of Work which used to take place at the Town Hall years ago. Later, those events moved to the church hall when summer and Christmas fayres were held for many years.

The wording on the memorial board in church describes Bill as a ‘man of faith held in high esteem’ and those of us who remember him couldn’t agree more. It is a most fitting description of him.

Bill and Doris were very much family people and they were extremely proud of their children and grandchildren.

Thank you to Pat and John who kindly donated some money to our church during their visit. We really appreciate your support. (You might need to click on the right photograph to see all of the wording.)

Saturday 29th January 2022

Congratulations to Liam and Alice (Lynn and Mario Castillo's daughter) who were married in church on Saturday. It was a lovely service. We all wish you a very long and happy marriage together. Once Alice forwards some of the official photos I will share those on our Weddings page. You might need to click on the photos to see them fully. Alice used to attend Sunday school when she was younger. More recently, when visiting Wednesbury she has sung in church with her dad.

19th December 2021

The Advent Memorial service was lovely and families lit candles during the service. We hope all the families who attended, to remember their loved ones, gained some peace from it. Thank you to Fr Mark and volunteers. A special thank you to Mario for singing 2 hymns - The Lord's my Shepherd and Abide with Me.

December 2021

Fr Mark wishes to thank those who have helped to decorate the church and assembled the crib. Your help has been very much appreciated. He also thanks those of you who have so generously given donations to the church instead of sending Christmas cards. Perhaps this is something that we can all consider in these challenging times.

7th December 2021

Thank you to the ladies (and Mario) for decorating the church on Tuesday 7th December. Marg Wood, Linda Russell, Lynn and Mario Castillo, Lynn and Claire Yardley and Wendy Bird were joined by some of the ladies from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Baitul Muqeet Mosque in Walsall) as well as Shaz Akhtar (Black Country Near Neighbours Coordinator) and Ritu Sharma (Women Empowerment Ambassador and author). We have built up a wonderful inter-faith connection with these ladies over the last few years and we were very grateful when they offered to join us. Here are a few photos from the day (one showing us having a well deserved cuppa!). Thank you to Carol Downton for knitting the angels.

28th March 2020

Although I am not posting regular photos at the moment whilst the church is closed during the Coronavirus pandemic, I want to share this photo taken by Malcolm Harrison. Great photo Malcolm. Thank you.

8th March 2020

Further to the photo posted a couple of weeks ago, we are now pleased that the beautiful banner (about God’s natural world), made by the Craft Club, is hanging in the church for everybody to see. Thank you to the talented people who helped contribute sections of the banner and a special thank you to Lynn Castillo and Marg Wood for organising it all, from design to completion. It enhances our already beautiful church.

1st March 2020

A few photos from today's All Age service.

It was a joy to see some colour along the pathway and in the porch as we arrived at church this morning. (No, the service wasn't at 3.35 am - the clock rarely shows the right time.) We welcomed Claire Gwynne, Service Manager for Barnardo's, who talked about the services they offer nationally but especially locally. Claire was presented with a cheque for the charity at the end of the service. Our Open the Book team, as part of their Children's Ministry, have chosen Barnardo's as their charity focus for 2020 so we were particularly grateful to Claire for giving up her time. As usual, some of us stayed for refreshments after the service.

23rd February 2020

We are pleased to show you a banner that members of the Craft Club have made over the last 2 years. This has been something they have done in addition to their usual crafting projects. It was presented to the church this morning and is about God’s Natural World. A lot of love has gone into the making of this beautiful piece of work. Please click on the photo to see the whole of the banner.

16th February 2020

Our photos this week were taken by Malcolm Harrison. Some were taken a few days ago and others were taken this morning after the service. Thank you Malcolm.

1st February 2020

Our photos for this week are presented in a slideshow on the Open the Book page. They feature the team presenting the story of 'The Boy in the Temple'. Please use the link to go to that page. (You will need to scroll down the page.)

26th January 2020

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is every year on or around 27th January and marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. This year’s theme, ‘Stand Together’, reflects on the complex roles of Christians during the Holocaust and is both a sobering reminder to us as Christians as well as an encouraging inspiration. The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury said “. . . I am inspired by the story of Corrie Ten Boom, the Dutch Christian woman who hid Jews from the Nazis in occupied Netherlands and is an emblem for so many of this year’s theme. She was sent to a concentration camp where her sister died. Through all that suffering, though, Corrie Ten Boom persisted in a message of truth and forgiveness, whatever the cost. At the same time, I am ashamed of the long history of Christian antisemitism and those moments when, even to this day, Christians have failed to speak out and have just stood by while others have suffered . . .” I wrote a short article about this lady portrayed in a play called The Hiding Place (almost at the bottom of the Noticeboard page of the website). (Use this link if you wish to read it.)

The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation and genocide must still be resisted every day. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we should not be complacent. Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred exists.

HMD is for everyone. Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future. When people learn more, hopefully they can empathise more.

Hundreds of groups around the country have been creating their own Memorial Flame artworks that mark 75 years since the end of the Holocaust, the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews in Europe. From art groups to faith groups and charities to schools, groups of all kinds have come together to make their own Memorial Flames. More than 300 groups from across the country registered to take part in a nationwide project which encouraged groups of all kinds to come together to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Below are images of the flames that some groups have created:

“Don’t be content in your life just to do no wrong, be prepared every day to try and do some good.” (Sir Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Europe)

There are a number of things which Christians can do to mark this important date. Firstly, we can remember those who, during the Holocaust, embodied the courage of standing together, even in the face of Nazi brutality. Secondly, we should remember those who were murdered or who had their lives uprooted because their neighbours did not stand together with them. We can also remember genocides subsequent to the Holocaust. And, holding all these genocides in memory together, we cannot fail but to think about the steps which led to genocide during the Holocaust and in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur.

As Presidents of the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ), and in respect of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the people listed in brackets ask our churches to join in the use of prayer on the Sunday closest to Holocaust Memorial Day 2020: (The Rt Hon and Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster; His Eminence Nikitas Loulias, Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain; The Rt Revd Colin Sinclair, Moderator of the Church of Scotland; The Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, Moderator of the Free Churches).

“God of all people everywhere, You reveal yourself in myriad ways, speaking through different voices to enlighten our world and enrich our lives. All are created in your image but, in the face of prejudice and persecution, too often we fail to stand together. So we gather today in memory: we remember the lives of those who were murdered in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides; we give thanks for those who have courageously shared their stories; we recommit ourselves to transform the world through your love. Amen”
“God of justice and of peace, you call your people to stand together, in solidarity with those who suffer. We remember before you in sorrow: all who perished in the horror of the Holocaust, all who were persecuted, and all whose suffering continues. Turn the hearts of all who persecute and oppress and of all who seek to divide. Open our own hearts and minds, when they are closed in fear and hatred, so that all your people may stand together and reflect your image. Amen”

(HMD 2020 also marks the 25th anniversary of the Genocide in Bosnia. If you want to find out more, use this link: https://www.hmd.org.uk/learn-about-the-holocaust-and-genocides/bosnia/)

Finally, the following poem sums up this year’s theme, ‘Stand Together’:

19th January 2020

Thanks to John Kennett (Iowa Media) for taking these photos in the Bell Tower on Friday. John contacted me during the week to ask if he could go along to a bell ringing practice to do the last bit of footage for the puppet show he has been working on for Tracey Rhodes (Our Trace), a comedienne. (You may remember a previous post of some filming he did in September.)

John wishes to thank Gordon Birks (Tower Captain) for arranging the photo session during the bell ringing on Friday 17th January. He said that the views were amazing. The photos show ‘Access to the Bell Tower’, ‘Clock Works’ and ‘Bells’ and you can see the great engineering. I have also included some screen captures from a video John took during the evening (apologies for the quality of the images of the bell ringers who were, of course, moving as I took screenshots). You can view the video John posted separately (on our Facebook/Community page:(https://www.facebook.com/pg/StBartsWednesbury/community/?ref=page_internal)

For more information about the bells please use this link to the Bell Ringing page of this website. https://www.stbartswednesbury.com/bell-ringing.html

5th January 2020
EPIPHANY AND THE FOOD BANK

Our nativity scene is now complete.

Epiphany Sunday is the Feast of The Three Kings. Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas (celebrated this year on Sunday 5th January 2020) and is the time when Christians remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) and marks their visit to the baby Jesus offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These kings were religious scholars known as the Magi; revered Babylonian astronomers and astrologists. They studied the stars and planets, interpreting the meaning behind cosmic events. Anything very unusual was considered an omen, so the star must have been both rare and visually spectacular. It would have had a very clear message for the Magi.

The word 'Epiphany' comes from Greek and means ‘to show’, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world - a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being - and the six Sundays which follow Epiphany are known as the time of manifestation.

It seems only fitting that, like the Wise Men offering gifts to Jesus, that I should mention ‘Breaking Bread’ (the food bank here in Wednesbury). Over the last few months many people have donated generously to the food bank, enabling them to help feed people in our town who are struggling. Thank you to the volunteers who give freely of their time. This is, sadly, a much needed service. Also, on Christmas Eve, I posted about a generous donation of food from 2 local gentlemen (please refer to the separate post about that).
The season of Christmas is summed up in a couple of the verses from Cliff Richard’s song ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ and the words ‘a time for giving’ are specifically poignant:
‘A time for living, a time for believing
A time for trusting, not deceiving,
Love and laughter and joy ever after,
Ours for the taking, just follow the master.’
'A time for giving, a time for getting,
A time for forgiving and for forgetting.
Christmas is love, Christmas is peace,
A time for hating and fighting to cease.’

As we now move forward in 2020 please remember, though, that the food bank feeds people throughout the year and any donations you can offer will be so useful to them in their work.

29th December 2019

The true message of Christmas is found in the Bible. Before Santa, the presents and Christmas trees was the original story of the Nativity - the birth of Jesus. Christians will tell you that Jesus was born in a manger, in complete poverty. When crucified on the cross some 33 years later, He would save humanity. Advent wreaths are circular, representing God's infinite love, and are usually made of evergreen leaves which represent ‘the hope of eternal life brought by Jesus Christ’. The first Advent calendar is the ‘hope’ candle.

This ‘hope’ also extends to humanity. Christmas is, also, the season of giving. Not only giving gifts but giving back to the community. Some people are less fortunate than others, for a number of different reasons. It was a pleasure to meet Ian Cadwallader and Richard Pearce on the afternoon of Christmas Eve when they generously donated a Christmas lunch package which we were able to deliver to a family in need that afternoon. The family were very grateful to them.

Ian said that his dad, Michael, rang the bells for many years at this Church. He even rang them at his own wedding to Ian’s mom! Michael has a plaque of remembrance in the chancel of our church (photo below). He is acknowledged, also, on our website on the Bell Ringing page (https://www.stbartswednesbury.com/bell-ringing.html). Apologies for the quality of the photo but the lighting made it difficult to get a clearer picture without my reflection being in the photo.

May God bless your families with prosperity, good health and happiness in the New Year.

22nd December 2019

A simple photo today of the baby Jesus and the Wise Men. Why not attend the remaining services we have to see when they will appear in our Nativity scene?

15th December 2019
This week our Nativity scene includes the arrival of Mary and Joseph (awaiting the birth of Jesus) plus the shepherds.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'

8th December 2019
A few photos on this second Sunday in Advent showing our church looking even lovelier. There are Christmas trees by the altar and a memory tree which you can decorate with stars on which you can write something to remember loved ones you no longer see. The Nativity scene is waiting for the shepherds, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and, finally, the visit by the Wise Men. The scene will change over the next few weeks.
(Thank you to Wendy and Malcolm for these photos.)

1st December 2019

During this morning’s All Age service our Open the Book team performed 'With love from God to you'. The story started in the beginning with the the first humans, Adam and Eve; then looked ahead to when God sent his son, Jesus. The story was told by 'Planet Earth' (read by Linda) and it was a different way of telling the Christmas story on this first Sunday in Advent. Father Mark was the voice of God (typecasting at its best!); Rob was the evil Satan and gave an Oscar-winning performance; Faith was an angel (of course) and Mandy played an Innkeeper. Wendy multi-tasked in the background before performing her favourite part as a Wise Man with her beloved camels. (In case you didn’t know, those camels are world famous - seriously. See photos below.) Thank you to Lynsey, the cue card monitor and holder of the star, and to her son Ben who played the part of a Roman soldier (he was very convincing and performed really well). Thank you, also, to 2 of the guides who played the parts of, firstly, Adam and Eve and then of Mary and Joseph. In addition thank you to another guide and Liz for playing the other wisemen. The camels were very well behaved and interacted with members of the congregation. They just love the limelight. For photos of today’s story please see separate post on the Home page. The image below is from the Open the Book's September 2017 newsletter:

The Open the Book team were filmed at St John's C of E Primary Academy in 2017. The film was used in the Bible Society's 'Open the Book’ training sessions across the country. Members of the team were interviewed, also, and those were used online and in training sessions. The photo above was on the front page of the Open the Book Newsletter in September 2017. There are those camels again - they crop up everywhere!
This photo shows the team who were filmed on the day (Wendy, Leanne, Linda, Lynn, Marg and Mario):

A number of posters were done by the Bible Society including the above photo, following the filming at St John’s school and are often featured at various Open the Book training sessions across the country, such as the following image. (One of those camels making another appearance with Lynn. Those camels get everywhere!)

Another training poster is shown below taken by Wendy at a Training session in Old Hill. The lady by the poster is Lynn Satchell, Training and Development Officer for the West Midlands.

The image below of a page on the Bible Society website shows the filming at St John’s school. Lynn Satchell, Training and Development Officer for the West Midlands, can be seen at the back, watching the story.

The following photos were taken by Wendy whilst watching the video at the training session at Holy Trinity in Old Hill. Claire and Wendy were invited in order to share ideas and show some of our props and costumes. The video on display that day featured our story filmed by the Bible Society in 2017. A very proud moment.

26th November 2019

Thank you to Matthew Pritchett for allowing us to publish some photos of paintings he has done. Thank you Matthew.

17th November 2019

A few more photos of our stunning church, provided by Malcolm Harrison a few weeks ago. Thank you Malcolm. The flowers enhance the beauty of our church (thanks to the ladies who do the flower arranging).

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN CHURCH AND THE CENOTAPH
Sunday 10th November 2019

As we all know, Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Remembrance honours those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life. We unite across faiths, cultures and backgrounds to remember the sacrifice of the Armed Forces from Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Royal British Legion this year asks us all to ‘Remember Together’ the service and sacrifice, friendship and collaboration of the men and women of Britain, the Commonwealth and Allied nations who fought together in 1944.
The painting featured below was done by a very talented artist, Sue Kinsey, who has kindly given me permission to use it today. Thank you Sue.

Our service this morning was a Eucharist Service with guest preacher, the Revd Mal Hawksworth. Within the service, there was the traditional two-minute silence and an opportunity for the laying of wreaths (on behalf of our Church, Friends of Wood Green Cemetery, the Royal British Legion, the Women’s Section of the Royal British Legion and the Labour Party). Whilst it is, of course, very important to remember the uniformed services who have died in wars and who continue to serve our country today, it is also important to remember that Jesus Christ died for all of us on the cross. In life and in death we are with the Lord. Let us turn to the Lord who is full of compassion and mercy, and ask that he will forgive us our sins, and extend his healing love upon our broken world.
“We pray for all who in bereavement, disability and pain continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror. We remember with thanksgiving and sorrow those whose lives, in world wars and conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away. Amen”

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.

The following photos were taken at the Cenotaph this morning following the service in Church:

The photo below was taken quite a number of years ago when we had a very successful Flower Festival in Church and the memorial area was displayed appropriately:

3rd November 2019
During this morning’s service our Open the Book team performed the story of ‘Walking on Water’. Marg narrated the story; disciple Peter was played by Linda whilst Wendy, Claire and Mandy were other disciples in the boat; Lynn was Jesus; Faith was a ‘wave’ that wet Peter when he tried to walk on water to Jesus. Thank you to a young lady from the uniformed organisations who helped make the water ‘move’.
The sea was gently lapping but suddenly it became choppier. The disciples were worried when the boat started rocking wildly (and there was a lot of ‘Oscar winning’ performances when they were sick!).
Peter noticed a man walking across the water towards them. When Peter pointed this out to the other disciples one of them screamed (very loudly!) thinking it was a ghost. Jesus told them not to be afraid as it was only him . Peter jumped from the boat and strode across the water towards Jesus but suddenly a huge wave slapped him and he almost choked. He sank under the waves. All the disciples shouted for Jesus to save him.
It was typical of Peter to want to walk on water, like Jesus did. He was always the one to take risks but that day he learnt a very important lesson about trusting Jesus. The Bible says we can trust God to help us too. (Hover over the photographs to read the captions.)

27th October 2019
Following on from the photos posted last week that were taken by Malcolm Harrison, I’m using a few photos this week that were taken by him. They are great views of our lovely church. Thank you Malcolm

20th October 2019
I’m using a few photos this week that were taken by Malcolm Harrison, who has kindly agreed to let me use them. They are fabulous views of part of our lovely church. Thank you Malcolm.

Sunday 13th October 2019

This morning we had our Harvest Festival and All Age service when it was lovely to welcome some children from the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides and their leaders to the service. Father Mark conducted a lovely simplified Eucharist service appropriate for the youngsters but, also, suitable for the adults and families who normally attend. Following the Gospel reading our Open the Book team (assisted by Artur, Faith and Matthew) performed ‘The Marvellous Picnic’, a story about ‘Feeding the 5000’.
Marg narrated the story; Rob was Jesus; Wendy and Lynn portrayed the disciples Philip and Andrew; Linda, Claire, Artur, Faith and Matthew took on the parts of some of the followers of Jesus. Andrew found a girl (Faith) and a boy (Matthew) in the crowd. They had 2 loaves (we started off with 5 but 3 had obviously been eaten!) and a fish (of shark proportions!). Jesus broke up the bread to feed the crowd. Some of the helpers went into the congregation to distribute the food. As always with our stories, the audience (congregation) also had to participate in the story by patting their stomachs, struggling to their feet, wiping crumbs from their mouths and burping (!) after they had been fed. Some people carried out the burping participation rather too well! We are a health and safety aware team and, as Marg pointed out prior to the followers of Jesus distributing the food, it was, of course, palm oil, gluten and lactose free.
After the story, Father Mark used one of the girls from the guides (Freya) and Marg to test their knowledge on some fruits and vegetables. He ‘randomly’ picked them from a bag and (surprise surprise) Freya was able to answer correctly all of the ones Mark presented to her. Poor Marg had some very obscure samples and was unable to identify them accurately. He asked Mario if he would be able to make soup with just one of the items and, of course, the answer was ‘No’ to which Mark pointed out that a successful soup would need many different vegetables to make it tasty. God made all of us beautiful and, whilst we are perfect to him, we work better as a whole church rather than as individuals.
Following Communion Sharon gave everybody a chocolate. During the service our small music group led us in song and we sang 3 lovely songs - ‘Morning has Broken’; We Plough the Fields and Scatter’ and ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’.
After the service we enjoyed a Bring ’n’ Share lunch and a drink and had time to chat to people. The fellowship was wonderful.
(Photos above)

25th August 2019
This week I am featuring a photo of a bookmark that Father Mark has had done. It has an image of Saint Bartholomew and below it is a prayer.

28th July 2019
Our Open the Book team delivers a programme run by the Bible Society and they visit primary schools in our area telling Bible stories, using drama. Our team has been in operation for 4 years and during that time they have used costumes, props and humour to tell stories in a way children can remember. One particular prop the children love is Norman, our puppet.
Our camels, along with their handlers, became world famous when our team was chosen to be in an Open the Book video for the Bible Society. (Check us out on Youtube - look for Open the Book.) They feature, also, on training banners.
Our current team is Marg Wood, Linda Russell, Wendy Bird, Mario and Lynn Castillo, Claire Yardley and more recently Claire’s dad, Rob Yardley. We are always looking for new members to join the team. Acting skills are not necessary and you do not have to learn lines. If you prefer not to have speaking parts then we are always in need of people to be part of a crowd, friends of Jesus and so on. Or, if you have talents or skills to make props perhaps you can help in that way although, over 4 years, we have managed to make quite a lot of props already. We guarantee you will enjoy the fellowship and laughter but will also find it rewarding. Please speak to one of the team if you want more information.
Our team became journalists for The Premier Youth and Children’s Work Supplement, published by the Bible Society. As Linda said, “Open the Book doesn’t infringe upon our lives; it enhances them.” That just about sums up our experience of being part of such a worthwhile activity and team.
Thank you to Marg for creating the excellent board (image below) promoting what the Open the Book team does. (Can’t you tell she was a primary school teacher before retiring?) Please zoom in on the photos to see more detail.

21st July 2019
It was a lovely surprise upon arrival at church this morning to see some boards covered in red carpet. This was a gift from the Craft Club - a big ‘thank you’ for their generous donation to enable it to be done. It makes a much nicer sight upon entrance.

7th July 2019:
Norman, the Open the Book's puppet, visited church this morning and had a great time. Firstly, he had his photo taken with his Open the Book team members (from left to right: Mario, Wendy, Marg, Lynn and Claire) and Marg's granddaughter, Faith. Norman had a look at the font; stood on the lectern where the Readings are done each week; went into the pulpit; sang with Mario and, finally, he sat on Faith's lap and read from the Bible. He had a wonderful morning.

26th May:

This photo is of a banner we have in Church. I believe it is a banner for St Andrew’s Church. (Some years ago we had a ‘sister’ Church - St Andrew’s in Kings Hill - the building is still there.) I do not know, for sure, the thinking behind the making of this banner but I offer the following meanings that I believe may be correct but it is possible there could be other reasons.
A saltire, also called St Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is an heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman numerals. The association with St Andrew is a development of the 15th to 16th centuries.
The sun represents the radiance and glory of Christ.
Water is an important symbol to Christians. It is symbolic in baptism. It may also mean cleansing or purity. The seas may also represent the nations.
A fish symbolises fertility, feelings, creativity, rebirth, good luck, transformation, health, abundance, serenity, intelligence, happiness, strength, and endurance. And, of course, it is recorded in Mark 1:16-18 - ‘As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me," Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.’
Also, during times of persecution, early Christians would scratch a fish symbol on the ground as a means to distinguish friend from foe. (see image) ‘Icthys’ is Greek and means ‘fish’ and is an acronym for the phrase ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour’. Christians used it to recognise churches and other believers through this symbol because they were persecuted by the Roman Empire.

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN CHURCH AND THE CENOTAPH​Sunday 10th November 2019

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN CHURCH AND THE CENOTAPH
Sunday 10th November 2019