Welcome to the Lordsbridge Team
Monthly Newsletter
March 2024
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Saviour,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
Worship with us across the Team
Details of services across the team, as well as our worship at home resources, are available each week on our website.
Our Sunday Zoom Church meets every week at 11.00am at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82311473640. Everyone is welcome.
Prayer during the week
Alongside our weekly services, prayer takes place regularly throughout the week at different venues, including on Zoom. Everyone is welcome to attend, either in person or online. Please see our services page for more details.
Lent Quiet Morning
Saturday 2nd March, 10.00am – 12.30pm
Dry Drayton Church
Everyone is welcome to this time to reflect, pray and focus on God during Lent.
March Events
Team Council AGM
At our recent Team Council AGM meeting we heard updates about the work taking place across the parishes in the Team. For more information and to view the annual report, please see here.
The Team Council thanked Erica for her many years of work as Team Treasurer, as she steps down from this important role. Sue Chase was elected as the new Team Treasurer. The Council also appointed a group to put together the profile for the next Team Rector. This is the first step in the recruitment process for a new Team Rector.
Update on St Mary’s Church, Hardwick
We are excited to let you know that our building repair project is getting underway in the middle of this month! Early in February, our contractor, Alastaire, from AJ Restoration came to conduct a thorough plaster survey of the entire ceiling and walls. On the first day he met with Bat expert, Chris Vine, who advised us regarding the bat population. We also met with the Diocese of Ely Advisors Graham Pledger (retired Surveyor) and David Grech (retired Architect). We are very grateful to them for their help and advice, and they will be continuing to help us as the project proceeds. We have also been working closely with local Scaffolders, Marlow Scaffolding, and we are grateful for their help and advice.
The plaster survey revealed both good and bad news. The good news is that the Chancel ceiling (the east end of the church) is in good condition and needs only limited repair work. We will also need to re-bed the misaligned mould stone which sits above our beautiful stained glassed window in this part of the Church. However, a significant number of ceiling panels will need repair throughout the rest of the Church.
We are delighted that now that we have received List B consent for these works Alastaire will be returning to commence the repair to the ceiling from mid March. He will also repair other internal wall cracks as well as undertake external works to the east end of the Church and to the porch. We will be scaffolding outside to the east end of the Church later on this Spring, in order to carry out these repairs safely. This will affect our Garden of Remembrance on the north side of the Church. We have already written to all families whose loved ones are laid to rest there. Please be reassured that we will be treating this area carefully and respectfully. We anticipate the project will take at least two months, and we will keep you informed as to our progress. We can’t wait to re-open in the early Summer!
Congratulations Chris!
For the past two and a half years, Rev’d Chris Westgarth has been serving her curacy with the Lordsbridge Team, working primarily at St Mary’s, Comberton. We are delighted to share that she has now passed her curacy.
A bit about Chris in her own words… Chris lives in Comberton and in a former life has been a charity worker and school inspector. She doesn’t run, camp, knit, bake cakes or flower arrange but she’s passionate about rural life and ministry. Chris works part time as the administrator for Papworth Team Ministry. Her faith is central to her being and she loves sharing it in relevant and down to earth ways. In her spare time Chris loves gardening, rugby, Scottish music, whittling, biltong, koeksisters, haggis and a wee dram of whisky, but probably not together!
Congratulations Chris from the whole Team – we wish you every blessing for your future ministry.
All Saints, Haslingfield
Restoration on Track
We are pleased to tell you that work on the nave restoration at All Saints Church is on track so far. The picture shows the scaffolding inside the nave.
The Nave will unfortunately not be ready in time for the Easter Services, so Easter Saturday Service of Light (8.00pm) will be held at Haslingfield Methodist Church. Our thanks to Rev’d Charity and the Team there for making us so welcome.
An Easter fire pit will be lit to light the candles on Easter Saturday and the children’s choir with trumpet and drums will lead us into the darkened church.
Our Easter Sunday Holy Communion (9.30am) will be held in Haslingfield Village Hall.
Whilst the nave is being restored services are being held in the chancel.
WCCYM Weekend
15th – 17th March
It’s not too late to book for WCCYM’s weekend away. If you know a young person who would like to join WCCYM for a fun-filled weekend, please do encourage them to sign up by 1st March. For further details, click here. To get straight on to booking, click here.
Retirement – Rev’d Howard Bigg
On Easter Day, St Mary’s Hardwick will be marking the official retirement of Rev’d Howard Bigg, who has had permission to officiate in the church for a number of years. This year also marks 50 years since Howard was ordained!
Howard’s ministry career has involved working with a number of different churches, alongside working as a solicitor for 25 years. He recalls that one of his most rewarding periods of ministry was in four village churches just to the south of Cambridge; Fowlmere, Foxton, Shepreth and Thriplow. Between 1986 and 1989, Howard also taught New Testament at Romsey House, a small theological college in Cambridge – again an experience he greatly enjoyed. Howard and his wife, Clare, have been an active part of St Mary’s, Hardwick since 2013 and between them have led many a Sunday service.
We join with St Mary’s and the wider Team to thank Howard very much for his many years of service to the church and wish him every blessing for his retirement.
Vocations Exploration Day
There is a day coming up run by Ely Diocese, hosted at Ridley Hall, for women who may be considering a call to ordination. The day is for people who aren’t sure whether it’s ordained ministry that’s nagging at them, as much as for those who think it is but they haven’t yet found a place where they can own that, and for those who’ve started exploring seriously but would like to meet others.
There will be speakers, theological reflection, and practical advice, time to mingle, prayer stations, chance for 1:1 conversation and after lunch a Q&A panel with women at various stages of their ministry.
If you would like any more information please contact Canon Wendy Thomson, vicar of Chatteris: wendy@chatteris.org
Have you ever considered a call to Spiritual Direction?
Does the idea of supporting someone in their spiritual journey appeal to you? If so, the course below might be for you. Do get in touch with them at the address below for more information, or speak to your Team Vicar.
Holy Week across the Lordsbridge Team
24th – 31st March
For details of services and events taking place across the Team for Holy Week and Easter, please see our page here. You are always welcome at any of the churches across the Team.
Dates for your diary!
To get in touch with the Lordsbridge Team and for links to our Facebook and Instagram pages, please see the Contact Us page.