Weekly Notice Sheets and Circuit Plan
Christmas Fayre 2011
[Photos:Tony Prichard]
The Fayre was well attended and raised £1060.
27/11/11
Secondhand book sale
[Photo:Barbara Wilcox]
A book sale, organised by Dianne's Cell group, raised another £107
towards the Mamas' Houses at the Turning Point Trust farm in Kenya. Many
thanks to all who supported on the day.
29/10/11
Will & Kate's Family Fun Afternoon
Pictures from the Family Fun Afternoon clebrating the marriage
of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday 29th April 2011.
Games for all ages.
The winning 'Lego Wedding Cake" and the Wedding Breakfast.
[Photos:Tony Prichard]
30/04/11
Charitable Status & The Governing Document
This year's Annual General meeting approved the Church Constitution and application for Charity Status.
Copies of the model constitution were available but if you were unable to see one it available as a pdf document here.
19/4/11
Christmas & Easter for local schools
Children from our local schools came to St. Paul's & St. Timothy's to
hear the Christmas and Easter Stories via an activit sessions called 'Christmas
Unwrapped' and 'Easter Cracked Open'.
You can see a short presentation of Christmas Unwrapped below.
15/4/11
A History of the Dorcan Church
Christine Parsons has been gathering material about the history of the Dorcan
Church. Tony Prichard has edited what there is into a single document which
you can view here.
We would be grateful for any additions or amendments which you may have. Look
for dates and question marks. You can send your comments via this e-mail
address.
Sadly a lot of the work by Nigel Sharpe has been lost. If you know its whereabouts
we would be pleased to receive it. If you contributed anything to Nigel please
consider resubmitting it to dorcan.history@dorcanchurch.org.uk
30/11/10
Ballroom & Latin American Dance
Want to learn to dance?
For fun, fitness or that special occasion
* Ballroom and Latin American dance classes starting at St. Paul's Church
on Monday evenings
* Private Lessons also available
* No Partner? - No Problem! Have fun learning Cha Cha, Jive, Salsa and Samba. Morning classes starting soon. Register your interest now.
Please contact Amanda Gibson (AISTD)
Tel: 07882-882-030
See the World
Of Dance website
26/10/10 updated 28/2/11
Church Floor Renovation.
At the end of the Sunday services on 24th. October all the chairs and furniture were removed and the front section of the dais lifted so that renovation of the floor could begin. It was planned for half term when the Church and Centre have the least use. Advice was sought from Rev. Derek Collins who had masterminded the renovation of the Hall Floor and a plan was drawn up. It was hoped to complete all the work by Thursday evening.
This was the state of the floor before work commenced. Note the reflection
of the lectern.
The team busy stripping off the old polish and varnish then applying the first
coat.
The finished job
Now note the reflection of the lectern. Three coats of varnish and three coats of polish have been applied and buffed. The opportunity was taken to repolish the hall floor while waiting for the last coat of varnish to 'cure'. The whole job was completed by Wednesday evening one whole day ahead of schedule. If you are interested in the schedule of work you can view it here - schedule of work
27/10/10
Harvest Gifts 2011
This year our gifts were distributed between the Broad Green Breakfast Club, the Swindon Food Bank, the Swindon Women's Refuge and the Filling Station. Breakfast Club are always in need of cereals, tins of beans and tomatoes, sauces, salt and pepper, sugar and orange squash. The Food bank and Women's Refuge require UHT milk, cereals, long life fruit juice cartons, sugar, biscuits or snack bars, and pasta sauces. Tins of the following are also welcome, baked beans, potatoes, spaghetti,vegetables, meat and fish, soup, rice and sponge puddings.
29/11/11
Showstoppers
Nearly 90 local children attended The Dorcan Church Holiday Club entitled "Showstoppers". The children enjoyed a fantastic week led by Abi and Helen, singing, dancing, hearing stories, playing games, and taking part in workshops and crafts. All this was made possible with the held of 28 adults and 15 young people. A big THANK YOU, you were all the stars of “Show stoppers”. Sandra
The Showstoppers set
22/8/10
Pentecost Sunday at Dorcan
On a rare, bright Sunday morning some twenty young people from our VYBE group
served breakfast before our morning service. This was followed by a lively
and meaningful service led by Rev. Tony Knapp and Rev. Beth. Brown. Tony explained
the roots of the ancient Jewish festival of Pentecost and Beth gave us an
insight to the thought and feelings of Peter and his fellow disciples following
their awakening through the Holy Spirit. An interesting drama was played out
by Stuart and Brenda as interviewer and eye-witness to the events of the day
now celebrated as the birth of the Christian Church.
Breakfast on the lawn
Breakfast in the hall
23/5/10
Bristol - Uganda Link
Janet & Tony Prichard recently visited Uganda and were able to re-establish friendships created when a group from the Dioceses of Kampala and Luweero visited the Dorcan Church some years ago.
Duncan & Marion collected us from Entebbe Airport and took us to their bungalow in Kigaasi Village North of Central Kampala. It was midnight but they offered us a meal as we had been travelling all day. On the first day we visited Rev. Canon Micah Bwami who showed us around his church and project office. We also visited Namirimbe Cathedral and central Kampala.
We took with us several sets of reading books donated by Covingham Primary School. Those for younger pupils were given to The Alpha pre-School and Kindergarten.
Alpha pre-school and Kindergarten
Children with reading books donated by Covingham Primary School
Turning Point Visit
A group from Dorcan visited Kenya recently and spent some time with visits to Turning Point and also local initiative projects. For some it was their first time in Africa, so many new experiences were taken in and adjusted to. They enjoyed their trip and spen a few days on safari.
Jon, Jo and Family visited the Dorcan Church for a weekend in the Summer.
Some of the group's photographs can be seen by following this link.
24/01/10 updated 22/8/10
in:School
Church and School working together for the children of East Swindon
Abi has been busy working with our local schools. In a typical
week she will take several assemblies and R.E. lessons. Abi is also
involved in running a number of clubs as well as attending various
meetings to keep everything running. Please pray that the assemblies
will be well received by children and staff, the clubs will be
successful and Abi will have inspiration and good time management for
her planning and preparation.
See the in:School page
for details
16/11/09 updated 29/3/10
Christmas Fayre 2010 Pictures
The event raised approximately £1000. Well done everyone.
Stalls at the Christmas Fayre
[Photos:Tony Prichard]14/11/09
Blue Wave Rally
You will have heard by now about the Blue Wave Rally which happened in London on 5 December 2009. Churches, congregations and Christian relief agencies are in the forefront of drawing attention to the need for action in response to Climate Change. The rally - and assemblies for prayer and worship that accompanied it - are aimed at persuading the UK Government and the world's leaders to act collectively and positively during and after the Copenhagen Summit. What you may not know is that there was also a cycle ride from Bristol and Swindon to London over 3-5 December which attracted interest and publicity. The details can be found at bristolbluewave. Please draw this to the attention of your congregations. This is a key opportunity for Christians to bring their influence to bear on a crucial issue of care and justice which affects everyone on this planet. Yours in Jesus +Lee
23/10/09 updated 14/11/09
Parish Weekend at Lee Abbey
A party from the Dorcan Church recently spent a weekend at Lee Abbey in North Devon.
Lee Abbey
View from a Lee Abbey bedroom The Octagonal Lounge
A program of talks and workshops for all ages was arranged with plenty of time to explore the area and meet guests from other churches and the host staff.
Cinderella, Kung Fu Panda, The Lord of the Rings, The Film 'Bucket List', and The Tales of Narnia were all worked in to an explanation of Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.
Earnest discussion In the queue for morning coffee
Relaxing in the Gallery The Tea Cottage
Members enjoyed the weekend and look forward to similar events in the future.
Thanks are due to Brenda for all her work in organising the weekend.
More information about Lee Abbey can be found on their web site
12/11/08 updated 23/8/09
£180,000 programme to strengthen local churches.
The Arthur Rank Centre has launched a £180,000 training project to strengthen churches in the countryside in response to an urgent call from church leaders, in early May. "Rural Life and Faith" could benefit 13,000 rural churches of all denominations, and will equip them for a modern role in villages and the countryside. ARC will spend £180,000 over 3 years to fill major gaps in training provision which threaten the life and work of the rural church.
Full details on The Diocese of Bristol Web Site.
12/5/09 updated 27/1/10
'Filling Station' needs volunteers
Filling Station is a soup kitchen charity which has been running for approximately 15 years in the Town Centre. It currently takes place on a Tuesday and a Thursday evening from 7pm to 8pm. The aim is to meet with the hungry on the streets of Swindon, providing them with a bit of food and other essentials, some friendly conversation, and acting as a platform for the Outreach Workers from local homeless charities who provide some much needed knowledge and experience. Currently we are in need of some more volunteers. I lead the Tuesday night event and urgently need a person over the age of 25 would be willing to drive and load the van (a Ford Transit) on a by-weekly basis, which is approximately a 2-2.5 hr. commitment every other week. In addition to this both nights need people who would be willing to serve and just come down to chat with our clients. You can do this as often as you like, although it'll be much more beneficial in building relationships if it can be on a regular basis (either every week, or by-weekly), as this adds some consistency and familiarity to the situation. There is no upper age limit, although it is preferable if you are at least 18 years of age (although this is variable based upon the individual and parental consent). If you're interested or have any questions then please email me or phone me on 07834271497. Thank you, Gareth Hutchinson
1/5/09
Do you miss reading the Three Crowns?
Now you can get the latest news from the Diocese here. Diocesan news
18/9/08
Christmas Unwrapped
Classes from Covingham Park Primary School and Nythe Primary School visited St. Paul's to experience Christmas Unwrapped. The children formed small groups to visit a series of tables where members of the Church In:Schools team explained the Christmas Story.
Preparing the church
The scene is set Children enjoying the story
12/11/08 updated 28/07/11
Barn Dance & Supper
Our popular Barn Dance and Supper which took place on Saturday 29th. November has almost become a tradition of the Dorcan Church. John and Therese have been doing the calling for twentyfive years. The usual arrangement of bring your own drinks and glasses to go with the Ploughman's supper provided works well and over £180 was raised. 'Off The Rails' dancers entertained us while we ate our ploughman's.
Waiting to start
Barn dance under way
Time for the Ploughman's
'Off The Rails' provided the entertainment during the supper
[Photos:Tony Prichard]24/11/08 updated 1/12/08
Advent Day
The Swindon and Marlborough Circuit of the Methodist Church organised a Day of Activity for Advent Sunday 2008. Nearly two hundred and fifty people took part in the day at St. Joseph's Catholic College on Sunday 30th. November 2008. The day started with Worship and breakfast followed by various activities catering for the whole family.
The Lunch Break The Quiet Room
The Quiet Room Posters
1/12/08
WANTED: Musicians, Singers and Technicians
St. Paul's as required. See separate page
Could you help lead the Sunday Morning Worship at St. Paul's? Can you sing, play an instrument, help with the sound system or perhaps act in a bit of drama? If you can then you are invited to occasional Friday evening meetings at St. Paul's. We will be trying new songs, new ways of singing and playing old songs, or maybe a bit of drama. As well as singers and 'band members' we would also love to see you if you could help with the microphones, OHP or laptop. Oh! and we also hope to have a bit of fun as well. Details from Dave Jones.
29/10/08 updated 14/11/09
Hall floor resurfacing
Derek Collins with a little help from John Stott and Tony Prichard recently spent several days stripping, repairing and resurfacing the hall floor. The finish has been chosen to suit premises used by anyone who may be unsteady on their feet. It is hard wearing and marks should buff off easily. It is hoped that the Church floor may be treated in a similar fashion early next year.
Derek repairing a damaged section of the floor [Photo:Tony
Prichard]
The repaired section and the complete job [Photos:Tony
Prichard]
5/9/08
Word Live Goes Live
The wordlive website has been launched by Scripture Union to bring the Bible into the digital age. www.wordlive.org allows users to access audio Bible passages, video clips, worship songs and prayer activities as well as a daily Bible reading. It is described as a Multi Media Bible reading experience
1/1/08 updated 1/12/08
X:Site at St. Paul's
X:Site is a bi-monthly fun packed event for anyone aged 8-11(School years 3-6) who have some contact with a local church through Sunday Clubs; Mid-week clubs; Uniformed organisations; school links and their friends. They join together to make friends across the town and have loads of fun learning about Jesus with live bands, videos and messy games. The event takes place at St. Paul's starting at 6.00pm. Volunteers are needed for everything, from working with the children, serving drinks, car park duty, welcomers, setting up the event and tidying up at the end to praying regularly for the event, the children and the staff. Details and offers of help to Lianne Smith the X:Site co-ordinator.
6/1/08 updated 27/1/10
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