Church letter

June 2025

Click for the church letter from May 2025

It’s midsummer and there’s never a dull moment.

We’re halfway through the year this month – how the year marches on, the church year also. We celebrated a lovely Holy Week and Easter together; even the clouds cooperated on Easter Sunday and we watched a glorious sunrise from the east end of the churchyard at St Nicholas in Sandhurst just before 6am. We followed that with bacon sandwiches, croissants and coffee. What a great way to start the day and the celebrations of the risen Jesus. If you were there through Holy Week or the Easter services, thank you.

We have also had our annual church meetings: the annual parish meeting, where you can elect your churchwardens for the coming year; followed by the annual parochial church meeting, where the business of the church is reported upon, other elections take place, and the opportunities for the coming year are discussed. Some 24 people attended, with 12 apologies – from a new electoral roll membership of 106. If you were there, thank you for sharing your time.

This year we also had, for the first time in many, many years, a Patronal Service at St George’s Church, remembering and celebrating our patron saint, St George. Attendance was 72 people, which was wonderful. Again, thank you. This was followed by a social time and a presentation on the progress of the church project.

This coming month, apart from the regular services, we have ‘Teas in the Churchyard’ on Sunday 1 June at St Nicholas (12–5pm). We have the special services of Pentecost (on 8 June) and Trinity Sunday the following week (15 June). In June and July, Russell Anderson joins us for a time. Russell is training to be a lay reader in the CoE. During his time with us, he will get experience of preaching and leading worship in different church settings to his home church of Headcorn. So we welcome Russell and his partner, Teresa.

On 14 June the Benenden Fete in support of St George’s is on The Green from 12–4pm. Come along, have a great time at a traditional village fete while supporting the work of your parish church.

Following that, there are two opportunities for us to worship and celebrate together in our cathedral. On Tuesday 17 June at 5.30pm there is a ‘visitation service’ within the daily choral evensong service. The cathedral choirs are wonderful, so please come and experience that, but the visitation service is where your churchwardens are sworn into office and others who serve our churches are prayed for. Please come along and support your churchwardens.

Then on Saturday 28 June, at 2.30pm, Vicki Young – who was ordained as a deacon last June – is being ordained as a priest. She will then be able to conduct the sacramental ministry of baptisms and the Eucharist. Our churches have been an important part of Vicki’s journey for the past seven years; please come and show her your support and your love as she takes this amazing step on her faith journey.

As you can see, your church is here, alive and active. Please come and join us.

Revd David Commander, Rector and Area Dean