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() Worship/ Liturgy

Good Shepherd Newsletter No. 67: March 2005

On a bitterly cold say it may be a bit premature to talk about Spring, but there are definite signs of regeneration that can be seen in the community, and it's hard to know quite where to begin! The roads have started to be resurfaced and the traffic calming is still to come. The area around the Beavers Lane/Salisbury Road junction has been landscaped with seats, the roundabout removed and the shopping precinct itself has started to have work done on it and not before time.

As I understand it, planning permission has been given for a Public Function Room, a Day Centre for the elderly and a Nursery Unit in the area of the old Spar. At the last meeting of the Beavers Estate Task Force it was suggested that rather than have another Nursery Unit, a pre school playgroup might be a better idea, and this Mr Dhami promised to consider. After years of cat and mouse with the Local Authority with no progress being made one way or the other, the granting of planning permission by the Borough at last gives the freeholder a chance to improve the shopping precinct to the benefit of the community and we must monitor progress. So far fencing has been erected and we are promised that the car park will be resurfaced, will then become a pay and display car park and with 24 hour security.

All this goes alongside the rebuilding of the Focus (now going well), the newly opened Medical Centre, the Neighbourhood Nursery in Chinchilla Drive , the Childrens' Centre on the school grounds and we wait with baited breath for the result of the football foundation bid for that final project to come to fruition. What a struggle it has been to get this far and by the time you receive this letter I will have gone to the Civic Centre with Dee Strange to discuss the continuing funding and budgetary needs of the School with the Director of Education. Much of this improvement work now starting has come about from efforts made by local residents and organisations, and remember this when you come to the ballot box sometime soon!

And finally on Community Matters, the Police Unit in the Vista Building is now up and running: at last! At the Good Shepherd, preparations are in hand for my departure on 11th April though I will be teaching in school until the end of the summer term. We have done all we can to put the process of finding a new Vicar into operation with the Bishop, so that the interregnum (the period between one vicar and another) is as short as possible. One very encouraging sign is that out of the 20 parishes in Hounslow Deanery, we are the only one in Category C, which means financially unable to pay its way but with a long term future, which I hope reflects the community we serve as well.

The next parish priest will be a Vicar, not a priest in charge, and that means everything to me: I started as a priest in charge in July 1997 and was made Vicar in 2002. This recognised what the community and the Church had accomplished so keep at it my friends!

On 2nd February, Bishop Michael confirmed 5 candidates, and on Easter Sunday, four of our young folk will be admitted to First Communion at the 10.00am service. Our Sunday School numbers are healthy, and more volunteers are needed to help: if interested please see me or contact Tom Hughes. We are trying to find enough volunteers to run an integrated Junior Ministry covering Creche, Sunday School and a 11-17 group: if you can help you know where we are!

The Youth Project continues as does the CBBC club and Tom is putting together a Summer Project for the holidays, and the Borough as our partner is working with us as we try and provide a summer of great activities for ages 7-17. Again volunteers are needed and please do not be backward in coming forward! The Community Minibus is now getting more used and hiring details can be found on our website(top of this letter) and click on the Community Page for details. The next letter at the end of March will be the last for a while but all the details necessary to keep you going for the next couple of months will be included for you.

I will save my thoughts on 8 years on the Beavers till then, except to say that for all the right reasons it is 8 years I will always treasure: personally speaking, the regeneration now taking place will I hope allow the estates to lose their unwarranted reputation and be able to face the future with unprecedented optimism. I have managed to retime the grant for the Drop In on Monday afternoons to end 2006 and it is now busy: we hope to enhance the Racial Equality Surgeries by having 3rd party reporting included and the Hounslow Homes Surgery details are attached as well. Our Holy Week and Easter details are attached: all that remains for me is to wish you all a Happy and Blessed Easter.

With every blessing and best wishes,



FAITHFUL DEPARTED:
Annie Hankins:Joan Canning:Wilf Brennan: Wilf Phillips:William Elderton: Peter Gould

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION:
Debra Ross; Sheena Maitland-Duncan; Tracey Robinson: Sule Piacenti: Lorna Brown.

PARISH STAFF
Fr Simon: Vicar.............................................8570 4035
Fr Paul Topham: Asst Priest.........................8979 4277
Wendy Fay: Parish Reader...........................8577 5141
Captain Tom Hughes: Parish Evangelist and Community Youth Worker.......8570 1116

WEEKLY EVENTS DIARY: NOTE CHANGES ON SOME OF THE DAYS
Sundays at 10.00am:
Sunday School Junior Ministry Sundays at 4.00pm: All Nations Bride Church
Contact The Rev'd Noble Gill, 8572 6149

Mondays: 1.30pm: Drop In Legal Advice: Surgery Details overleaf: 4.30-6.15pm
Kumon Maths and English: contact Taran Hans 8754 8171.
(ALSO THURSDAYS SAME TIMES)

8.00pm: Hounslow Light Opera Tuesdays:
10.00am: Short Mass in the Upper Room:
1.30pm: 50+Club Tuesdays and Fridays from 6.00pm:
KENSHUKAI Karate: Contact Peter Angell: 07958 926556
Wednesdays: 2.00pm Wednesday Club Mass followed by Tea and Bingo.

CHOIR PRACTICE NOW 9.30AM ON SUNDAYS:
7.30pm: Community Bingo: new members always welcome:
contact Rosina Wells on 0208 570 8793.
8.00pm: Good Shepherd Prayer Group: various locations:
ring 8570 4035 for details of venue.
Thursdays: Brownies from 6.45pm: contact Brown Owl on 8577 6365 First Thursdays:
5. 15pm to 6.15pm: Ward Councillors' Surgery in the Hall by appointment on 0208 583 2000

Saturdays at 4.30pm and Sundays at 2.00pm: Amsave Fellowship: contact Evangelist Manasse Obibi: 0208 754 9000 DAYTIME HALL BOOKINGS: 8572 3794
(ring between 6.00-7.00pm)


SURE START TIMES FOR THEIR PROJECTS IN THE CHURCH HALL: RING 0208 570 8156

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DETAILS OF OUR SERVICES FOR HOLY WEEK AND EASTER CAN BE FOUND ON THE ATTACHED POSTER COMMUNITY NEWS 8-11 Youth Club and the Big Breakfast Club
To enrol and for further information on meeting days for CBBC: contact Tom Hughes: 8570 1116 YOUTH CLUB: THURSDAY NIGHTS: 6.30-8.30PM AT THE SCHOOL CBBC:
SATURDAYS IN THE HALL FROM 10.00-12NOON
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SURGERIES AT THE GOOD SHEPHERD EVERY MONDAY EXCLUDING BANK HOLIDAYS
LEGAL ADVICE DROP IN FROM 1.30PM TO 4.30PM REFRESHMENTS WHILE YOU WAIT!

HOUNSLOW HOMES DROP IN: FIRST MONDAYS FROM 2.00 TO 4.00 pm

SECOND MONDAYS FROM 2.00PM TO 3.00PM
HOUNSLOW RACIAL EQUALITY COUNCIL DROP IN:
FIRST AND THIRD MONDAYS FROM 3.00-4.00 PM WARD COUNCILLORS SURGERY:
FIRST THURSDAYS BY APPOINTMENT ON 0208 583 2000

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NEED HELP?: RING THE NOBES ON 0208 570 8320      

IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER WHICH WILL BE THE LAST FOR A WHILE

DETAILS OF CONTACT POINTS DURING THE INTERREGNUM WHILST A NEW VICAR IS SELECTED WILL BE ATTACHED.

DETAILS OF WEEKLY SERVICES WILL ALSO BE GIVEN AND THE WEEKLY EVENTS IN THE HALL WILL BE ON PAGE THREE AS USUAL.

ALL THIS INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE POSTED AROUND THE PARISH AT ALL THE USUAL INFORMATION POINTS AND IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU IN THE MONTHS AHEAD.

DETAILS OF FUTURE EVENTS AS KNOWN WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED FOR YOU TO PUT IN YOUR DIARIES AND TRY NOT TO FORGET THEM AS THERE MAY NOT BE REMINDERS!  

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=> Newsletter: February 2005