2019 January to June in the churches
We started the year with Epiphany in both churches. The St Edmund's Nativity figures have been renovated, so three splendid Wise Men arrived. We replaced the evening service with a Celebration in the Church Hall, with David on the organ, our choir and some readers. 52 people enjoyed it. The following week we celebrated with a Christingle at St Matthew's.
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On 20 January we welcomed Richard Dawson from Safe Families for Children to St Edmund's, and then baptised William (here with parents Benjamin and Victoria, and brother Thomas). In the afternoon we hosted the Songs of Praise for Allestree Churches Together. The following Sunday we baptised Charlie (here with parents Richard and Charlotte, siblings Lily and Harry, Godparents and Sponsor)
February starts with the Festival of Candlemas. so we celebrated with candles in the morning and a joint Evensong later on. On 10 February we baptised Olivia (with parents Steven and Natalie, and lots of Godparents). We ended the month with a Saturday of Peter's Railway Films - and raised £165 for the British Heart Foundation.
At the beginning of March we welcomed youngsters from Portway Infants into St Edmund's on three occasions, and had Pancake Lite in the Church Hall - also an opportunity to photo the wonderful Chinese Dragon made by the Pre-School. On Ash Wednesday we had a 10 am service at St Edmund's (as we do every Wednesday), then a service at St Matthew's for Walter Evans School, and a joint Evening Communion at St Matthew's. Baptisms don't often take place in Lent, but we had had so much difficulty finding a convenient date for Poppy's at St Mathew's, no one minded (photoed here with parents Rachel and Luke, and the Godparents).
St Matthew's Bicentenary celebrations started with a Bach and Baroque Evening (Saturday 16 March) with the organist Nigel Allcoat. The audience of about 80 people enjoyed it enormously. (Photo by Nigel Tissington). The following day there was a Choral Evensong at St Matthew's, and that was followed by another party.
On Tuesday 19 March the Friends of St Matthews had a Beetle Drive, on Thursday the Ladies Thursday Group at St Edmund's met for the final time - remembering 50 years together, and friends who have gone before. On Saturday we had a Big Book Sale, this time raising money for the Ronald Macdonald Houses - providing accommodation for families who need to stay with sick children in some of our big hospitals across the country. Sunday 24 March was 'Stewardship Sunday' at St Edmund's. We had one service at 10 am, with a congregation of 85, and talked about money - the material is filed in the Archive section of this website. It was an encouraging service as we re-committed ourselves to the work of God in our community.
We ended the month with Michael and Alice's wedding at St Matthew's. The blossom in the village is lovely. As Mothering Sunday was the fifth Sunday, we had one United Service at St Edmund's.
Straight after the wedding we took deliver of a Loom, an art work made by Spiral Arts - the Fact and Fabrication display working its way down the Derwent Valley. Work also came from Walter Evans School. Church was open five afternoons a week for the first fortnight of April, and people came to admire.
On 10 April, Paul Screen of Screen Photography came with his drone and got some excellent photos of St Matthew's. The photos he took are on a separate page under the News tab. Our thanks to him. These photos by Jo Stevens and Nigel Tissington.
Both Old Vicarage and Walter Evans schools came into St Matthew's for Easter Services, and Pre-School and Toddler Group to St Edmund's (Peter borrowed a story book from the University Library). At St Edmund's we hosted a Lent Lunch for Nagpur in India. On Palm Sunday we read the Passion Narrative at St Edmund's and had a Family Service at St Matthew's. The Annual Parish Meeting took place at St Edmund's - Michele and Patrick were re-elected as churchwardens, and all the various reports were received. At St Matthew's we had the painters in.
During Holy Week we had Morning Prayer and Compline, reading the Passion Narrative (the story of the last week of Jesus' life) and poems by George Herbert. On Maundy Thursday evening we commemorated the Last Supper and on Good Friday the Last Hour of Cross was commemorated at St Edmund's. In the evening the choirs sang Faure's 'Requiem' - with some Herbert poetry, and two paintings by Nicholas Mynheer (the Order of Service is here). The painters were in Allestree too.
Easter Sunday was as special as ever. Peter took the 10 am service at St Edmund's (with about 120 people in church), Neil Broadbent was at St Matthew's (with about 90). Then we baptised Noah and Grace (with mum and dad Caroline and Dave - Caroline is our church administrator. Photo by Just Jenna Photography). Then the wedding of Mark and Sophie. Choral Evensong later, a joint one with over 40 people and the 'Hallelujah Chorus'. On Monday we married Lee and Emma.
On Saturday 27 April we had a 'Steam and Pipes' concert in the Church Hall. We had a programme of music on the Compton organ, some prose and poetry, films and song. 65 people came and £260 was raised for the Air Ambulance. St Matthew's had its Annual Parish Meeting the following day - David and Peter were re-elected as Church Warden, Rachel joined the PCC and, after last year's Stewardship Campaign, the financial report was given by a smiling treasurer. A week later Ashley and Michelle got married at St Matthew's.
Both churches have been working to get defibrillators installed - on the Fellowship Room wall in Darley Abbey and by the back door of the Red Cow in Allestree. At St Edmund's we had a CPR training day on Thursday 9 May with a team from the BHF.
On Saturday 11 May we had a Voices choir concert at St Matthew’s. 113 in the audience, £450 raised for MIND, and the music was excellent - they sang superbly. Photos by Nigel Tissington.
We baptised Oscar (with parents Charles and Alicia) at St Edmund's on Sunday 12 May, and on Tuesday 14 May the Luncheon Club celebrated their 28th anniversary - here are the helpers in the kitchen. On Friday 17 May we had a full church at St Matthew’s for a celebration of Chris Dyer’s 25th Anniversary of Ordination (Chris was Vicar here before Peter. Caroline Rhodes and Peter Mallinson (two previous curates) were both present - photoed here with John Gratton, the organist).
The Vicar's Railway Films marked the Bicentenary with films of 200 years of railways - from the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway opened in 1819 to the new Azuma units (photo by Nigel Tissington). Isabella was baptised at St Edmund's on 19 May (here with parents Tom and Hannah and the Godparents).
As one of the Bicentenary events, the choir of St Matthew's (with a few friends from St Edmund's) went up the Derwent Valley to sing Choral Evensong at St Mary's church, Cromford - one mill church to another. (Photos by Nigel Tissington). Lots of people were away for Ascension Day, but we still managed a Sung Eucharist at St Matthew's led by our friend John Goldsmith.
St Matthew's choir and friends performed at Darley Abbey Wine Bar on Thursday 6 June (photos by Nigel Tissington).
Alex and Matt married at St Edmund's on Saturday 8 June. As the Vicar had not organised the weather, the post-service drinks and ice cream (from Just-Ice ice cream in Derby) were served in church. Then the reception took place in the Church Hall.
Pentecost saw the glory of a stunning rose on the north side of St Edmund's. At St Matthew's we were getting ready for the Bicentenary - the school display was coming together and the Noticeboard looked full. The Friends of St Matthew's had a trip to Welbeck.
On Friday 14 June David and Catherine were married at St Matthew's. The bride and bridesmaids arrived on a London bus, then everyone went on it to the reception at Darley Mill. They had to go via Little Eaton roundabout as the bus is too heavy for the Derwent bridge!
The Churchwardens were all sworn in at a service at All Saints' church Breadsall. Patrick and Michele, Peter and David.
The last week was St Matthew's Bicentenary Week, and all the photos are on a separate page. On Saturday 29 June, Richard and Charlotte were married at St Edmund's. (2019 will continue on a new page).
