It’s Spring and already our southern hemisphere minds and hearts turn towards Advent and Christmas. But in our parish, closer than both of these Christian seasons is another significant event: the Amberley A & P (Agricultural and Pastoral ) Show – on Saturday 31st October. This occasion is almost part of the church calendar for us—not really! Continue reading
Category Archives: fundraising
Winter newsletter is out
The Winter quarter newsletter of the Amberley Anglican parish is now available to read here by clicking on this link to download:
WHAM Winter 2015 – online
Many thanks to the large number of people who hand-deliver the printed version to people in our local communities, often taking the opportunity to say hello and have a brief catch-up. Continue reading
Sunshine in a jar
Only one week to go before Amberley A & P Show on Saturday 1st November (Amberley Domain, Douglas Road). If you haven’t been to this small, friendly springtime country Show, now is the time to make a change.
Preparations in this parish have been ongoing for weeks as many people bake Christmas cakes and make chutneys, preserves and lemon curd for our ‘From the Church Gate’ stall at the Show. (I hope we will also have some of your delicious old-fashioned lemon cordial again, Patricia?)
This weekend beautiful lemons, free-range eggs, butter and sugar were turned into delicious lemon curd. Who can resist this golden delight, like sunshine in a jar?
On Friday, 31st October, volunteers will be needed at the parish hall to help wrap and present all the goodies, and co-ordinator Sue Atkinson would like to hear from you if you can help look after the stall at the Show on the day. Her phone number is in the parish directory.
Please keep making Christmas cakes — we need more.
Calling all cooks
Parishioner Sue Atkinson has (bravely?) taken on the role of co-ordinating the preparation of goodies for our
‘From the Church Gate’ produce stall at the Amberley A & P Show this Spring. This year we are raising funds
to cover the insurance shortfall on the restoration of the stained glass windows in Holy Innocents’ Church,
damaged by earthquakes and a small tornado!
East window above the altar in Holy Innocents
As the Show is not far off now – 1st November in fact – Sue is calling for help in three forms:
1. Making Christmas cakes – contact Sue for details, or simply do what you did last year!
The cakes were a great hit at the 2013 show and we could have sold more. Let Sue
know how many and what size you are prepared to bake.
2. Making chutney and pickle. This will be a team effort using the parish ‘Food Safe’
certified kitchen in the hall. Volunteers are needed for Saturday October 4th and/or
Friday/Saturday October 10/11th. Helpers will be treated to a Devonshire Tea.
3. Donating ingredients for the chutneys and pickles.
Please contact Sue Atkinson for details. Thank you for your help.
Spring 2014 Newsletter
The WHAM (Amberley Parish newsletter) for the spring quarter is now out.
To see this, go to the Newsletter page on this site by clicking on the
relevant link in the menu above.
From there you can download a pdf of the newsletter, and if you wish,
send us a contact form to add yourself to the newsletter emailing or delivery list.
Happy reading.
Saying goodbye (for now)
On Sunday we sadly farewelled our People’s Warden, Mary-Jane (“MJ”) Mumford. She’s returning to Auckland to take up a new and very exciting position. But it’s hard to be sad for long when MJ is around; she has a life-giving energy about her and a wonderful sense of humour. She sees opportunities where others see obstacles, and she has a kind and encouraging word for everyone. She is hospitable and generous.
In the relatively short time she was a member of our parish she instigated our brand of homemade produce — ‘From the Church Gate’ — launched at the A & P Show last spring; and she inspired and helped to organise a variety of social and fundraising events as well as special worship services such as the Pet Blessing service and Flower Power Sunday (to mark ‘Bee Awareness Week’). Also, she has been a great encourager of our foray into social media, here on this blog and on our Facebook page. Mary-Jane is often to be found with her camera in hand, which we are learning is fairly essential if you want to engage in social media!
We will miss her tremendously; but here’s the upside: MJ has family in the district so we know she’ll be back in this part of the world from time to time. We look forward to seeing her again in the coming years. In the meantime, she leaves a legacy of optimism, encouragement and warmth. Bye for now, MJ! Come and see us soon. God bless you.
Time to get stirring?
No, it’s not yet Stir Up Sunday (but that must be soon?), when we include a Christmas-cake mixing liturgy in our Sunday worship. That’s always fun, although not so much the part where we cream the butter and sugar! But this is a reminder to those who are offering a cake—or cakes—for sale at our ‘From the Church Gate’ Christmas stall at the Amberley A & P Show: the Show will be on Saturday 1st November, so it may be wise to start making them soon. Get in touch with our parish administrator or vestry members if you need help sourcing ingredients or subsidising the costs.
Last Spring, we took it in turns to look after the church stall for the day. Not only did we sell all but one of the cakes, but people enjoyed their time on ‘duty’ and had great conversations and laughs with locals and visitors alike. It felt really good just to be ‘our there’ and visible. Many older people living alone bought one of the smaller cakes—perfect for enjoying a slice with visitors over the festive season. And busy working families bought our largest cakes; they just don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen, but they still want the homemade taste.
Jams, marmalades and cordials also sold very well last year, and will be gratefully received again.
‘From the church gate’
Mid-winter social events
I have just been and bought two tickets to the ‘Spice up your Winter Lunch’. Have you got yours yet? A mid-winter social event after church this Sunday will be just the thing to cheer us up when the weather is conspiring against us. I look forward to meeting up not only with my fellow parishioners from Amberley and Leithfield, but also our friends from St Barnabas Anglican Church in Woodend. See you there.
‘Spice-up-your-Winter’ Lunch
Parish Hall, June 22nd
(after 9.30am service)
Come and celebrate Mid-Winter at this
Amberley Parish Fundraising lunch – a heart-warming affair!
Food for the soul followed by food for the body.
Just $15 buys you a ticket to warming food, fellowship and fun.
Contact Patricia, 314 9330 to book your ticket.
Winter 2014 newsletter
The parish quarterly newsletter for Winter 2014 is out now. Those who usually find this in their letterboxes should get theirs during the week (once it stops pouring with rain and we can get out to deliver them!). Let our parish administrator, Patricia Gardner, know if you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, or if you would like to receive an email copy in future. Her email address is ej.pdgardner@kinect.co.nz
Click on the link below to load a pdf version. Happy Pentecost!
Trash n Treasure Fair
A little reminder…
This Saturday (May 10), 9.00am–1.00pm
Parish Hall
7 Church St, Amberley
New and second-hand goods, including homemade produce, will be for sale—just in time for Mother’s Day. Click here to read more.
Items being donated may be brought to the church hall on Friday afternoon (many thanks in advance!).
amberleyanglican 