See sub-menu for our weekly news sheets, and Diocesan news 

CALLING all CYCLISTS !

This year’s Ride + Stride event, to raise funds for Dorset Historic Churches Trust, is on Saturday, 14th September. 

Last year our parish raised over £728 (plus Gift Aid) and overall with nearly 200 churches taking part, almost £90,000 was raised. 

Grants from Dorset Historic Churches, totalling over £100K were received by twenty three churches in Dorset, including £4000 to St Mary’s in Lytchett Matravers.

Ian Swinden has agreed to organise the sponsored cycling.  Please can you get in touch with Ian for more details or route.  
6/8/19

Upton Carnival - Saturday, 13th July.  If you feel you could be part of our church presence at the carnival or wish more details of what is involved, please contact Jeff & Karen N

16/6/19

 Christian Aid Week  May 2019
Many thanks to all who gave to Christian Aid  between the three churches we have raised £621.97

June 2019

  On 7th July, Ian Swinden is taking part in the Dorset Bike Ride to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support – hopefully doing the 48 mile route.  His mother died 50 years ago at the age of 59 from lung cancer and this has influenced his choice of charity.  You can sponsor him via the Just Giving link or pick up a sponsor form from church.

14/6/19

  On 27 July, Matt Reeds will be walking 26 miles overnight in support of the prostate and breast cancer charities, Prostate Cancer UK and Coppafeel! 
He successfully undertook this challenge last year and hopes to complete the walk in a much quicker time (tiredness and blisters permitting)!   If you wish to sponsor him, please follow the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mattreeds2019

23/5/19

Rev Canon Jean de Garis was licensed as Vicar of St Francis Church, Salisbury on 16th May.  Many members of our congregations attended the service.
17/5/19

Thank you - from the de Garis family.

Jean and Susan, Jonathan, Samuel and Benjamin want to say a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone for your love, prayers, gifts and good wishes as we prepare to leave Lytchett Minster.  You will continue to be in our hearts and prayers in the days ahead.
21/4/19

 'Naturally Supernatural' at Stafford Showground ST18 0BD
27th July – 2nd August 2019

We’d love you to join us this summer for a week of

wonderful teaching, worship and fun together.

https://booking.soulsurvivor.com/events/naturally-supernatural-summer-2019

You’ll need Jean deGaris' email address to camp with our party. (This is in our current Church Directory) .The Church can help to pay for children and young people to go.

3/3/19

Old News and a few non-time-specific items below...

After nine years of running MESSY CHURCH the time has come to end this ministry. It was pioneered by Allie Kerr and Karen Neagle and has served many members of our community with great love. Scores of church members have served in a host of ways over these years in running craft activities, preparing and serving food, providing welcome and sharing the love of Jesus. Thank you to everyone who has served so faithfully – especially Karen Neagle
3/1/19

 
Tools With A Mission (TWAM) is a Christian Charity that collects and refurbishes tools and equipment no longer required in the UK and sends them overseas to poor countries. This enables many people there to become self sufficient.
Please have a look in your sheds, workshops and garages for any items you no longer need and that can be refurbished.”

Contact Robin SeQueira who will gladly collect from your home (see church directory for contact details)

1/11/18

Thank you to all who generously supported our annual fund-raiser for the Dorset Historic Church Trust.  Ten people visited our Parish Church, four went 'striding' around churches in Wareham and ten cyclists went 'riding' up the Tarrant Valley to visit churches there.
Our many willing sponsors gave £728 and half of this will be returned for use in this parish.  Dorset Historic Church Trust will also benefit from Gift Aid on many donations.  Well done! Thanks to everyone.    Eric Stevens  
18/10/18

Harvest gifts 2018
Food gifts were given to Poole Foodbank

Harvest Sunday cash donations came to £324.50.  This was given to Routes to Roots

7/10/18

Routes to Roots is aiming to extend its service by providing a lunch each Sunday for about 20 homeless people. St Luke’s and St Mary’s Longfleet are already involved and, as a parish, we’d like to be able to commit to doing one Sunday a month.

We need a minimum of 5 people for each occasion and ideally we would like a total of 10-12 people involved to allow for absences on holiday etc.. Obviously this would mean that those involved on a particular Sunday could not attend our 11 a.m. service.

We would hope to start on Sunday 7^th October.

Would anyone interested in being involved see Karen or Jeff N
31/8/18

A big thank you to Denise Cuthbert who has been doing the flower rota at the Parish Church in Lytchett Minster for many years.  She is now retiring and handing over to the floral group who have agreed to take over. 
Thank you so much Denise!

28/07/18

Organised by Mark P and Dave H, men from the Men's Fellowship repainted the railings at Lytchett Minster Parish Church on Saturday, 21st July.

2018 Holes Bay Sponsored Walk and BBQ
in aid of Wau Diocese, South Sudan
Saturday, 7th July
Seven mile walk around Holes Bay
Start/Finish:      St Dunstan's, Upton  Anytime between 1pm and 2pm
Refreshments:  St James' Church in old Poole (half way)
Barbecue:         St Dunstan's from 4pm

13/6/18

 Dorset Historic Churches Trust fundraiser
will take place on 8th September 2018

Cyclists: see Men's Fellowship page
Walkers:  to be confirmed

Christian Aid Week - Sun, 13th May to Sat, 19th May

 Published in January 2018, a collection of poems by
Jodi Page-Clark, illustrated by Wendy Alcock.

“Poetry of an Appalachian pilgrim:
Reflections of a Fisherfolk songwriter”

Click the book cover to see details on Amazon. 
Available in kindle format and as a paperback.

These poems and reflections span Jodi’s life from recollections of childhood, her experiences of joyful worship, the impact of rejection and abuse, and her struggles with facing old age.
She combines musings about faith and human existence with insights from her psychotherapy training and the work she undertook with the discouraged and wounded people who often looked for help to the Christian community of which Jodi was a leading member for some thirty years.
With honesty and humour she writes simply about family life, falling in love, relationship breakdown, reconciliation and hope.  
Jodi is part mystic, which makes her reflections a refreshingly candid prompt for others who struggle with aspects of life and faith.
Many readers will identify, perhaps with a tear or a smile, with many of the phrases you will find within.  A collection of poems to warm the heart and stimulate the soul.

21/1/18

   Hilary Bond, Assistant Curate
Hi, I'm Hilary.  I am a Dorset native and have lived all my life in Purbeck except for a few years in London and Sussex for college.  I have a husband, a son and a daughter, all of whom are a lot taller than me!

I was brought up Methodist, but in my unsuccessful attempts to 'escape' from the church, I tried out a few different denominations.
 
About 10 years ago - having temporarily returned to my non-conformist roots - I found myself taking part in a play about the Wesleys. (a good Methodist play obviously) and it was through that play that I discovered the reality of God and Jesus.

It took a bit longer to find out what the Holy Spirit was all about but I got there eventually.  It was also through that play that God introduced me to the Church of England.

There is more to the story and I hope I might get the chance to share the rest of it sometime - telling stories is one of my favourite things; listening to other people's stories is another. 
So here I am - not sure what I have to give - but happy to give it - whatever it turns out to be.
Hilary :-)

Hilary Bond,  Assistant Curate  25/6/17

 10 new NIV Bibles have been bought for
each church. 
They are available from the back to anyone who would like to use during the services.

Do pick one up on your way in or bring your own Bible if you prefer.

6/5/17

CJ's in the car park of Lytchett Minster Parish Church can be hired by groups, clubs or organisations.  For a pdf of the main features, see here