Welcome - This website was last updated on 20th June 2021 at 12noon
A Trinitarian Image from an altar frontal at Lincoln Cathedral
See PEW NEWS page for weekly notices including the times and places of services, details of the new Diocesan vision for ministry and sustainable growth (RSC), the new CD by one of our Church Wardens, and any faculty notices.
News from Rev 'Captain' Chris Harrington - Rector
Rev Chris on the Mount of Olives Sept 2018 - Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Yes its still lockdown, but things are starting to lift.
Four of our churches now have regular Sunday services each month Great Hale, Helpringham, Heckington & Swaton with more to follow by July we hope. Heckington and Great Hale, are open every day for private prayer, though masks must continue to be worn and please use the hand sanitiser available. Wild Church has also returned on the second Saturday of each month at 4pm in Great Hale churchyard. Sadly, still no hymn singing, masks must worn and social distancing still maintained.
Our extensive book stall at Heckington has now reopened too. Please use the hand sanitiser after browsing the books.
THE CHURCHES THAT ARE NOW OPEN FOR WORSHIP ON SUNDAYS
Please note - Masks still need to be worn, there is no singing, and social distancing rules must continue to be observed.
Great Hale - Open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 9.30am. Please book with Elaine Huckle (461704)
Heckington - Services held every Sunday at 10am + a midweek communion on Wednesdays at 11am
Helpringham - Open on 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month at 9.30am.
Swaton - Services held every Sunday at 9.30am. Please book with Bill Marshall (421148)
THE CHURCHES IN OUR GROUP THAT ARE OPEN FOR PRIVATE PRAYER EACH DAY
Heckington Church - Open daily from 9am to 5pm - Masks must be worn. Please use the hand sanitiser provided at the door. The book stall has now reopened. Books are £1 each. Please sanitise hands after browsing the book stall. Thank you
Great Hale Church - is now open daily from 10am to dusk for private prayer.
KINGS & QUEENS FESTIVAL AT GREAT HALE
Great Hale are holding a Kings and Queens themed patronal festival on 26th & 27th June from 10am to 5pm each day. There will be a historic costume parade around the village on Saturday 26th June at 2.45pm and a Thanksgiving service at 6pm on Sunday 27th June.
CHURCH WARDEN RELEASES NEW CD
Elaine Huckle the Church Warden at Great Hale who is also a singer in the operatic style has released a new album called 'Timeless Favourites'. Watching the beautiful dragon flies at Flag Fen Peterborough gave Elaine strength before her own cancer operation. All the profits from the sale of the album are going to MacMillan Cancer charity. Copies are available from Elaine priced £10.
PASTORAL PHONE ROTA
The weekly pastoral phone round of those in our Prayer & Care Directory who like one is still happening. If you want to be added our pastoral phone rota then please give me a ring (01529 460904) as your name might not be in our Prayer & Care Directory. We are also praying for everyone in it by name too.
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP on 'HECKINGTON LIVING COMMUNITY RADIO' at 11am each Sunday
Our Sunday morning broadcasts continue each week. Each week I put a Sunday Morning Service on the 'Worship from the Rectory' page. It has the readings set for that week along with prayers, hymns and a sermon, so you can join in at home if you want to. I record the service at the Rectory either on Friday or Saturday to be broadcast live on 'Heckington Living Community Radio' at 11am that Sunday and afterwards put a podcast on this website (though sadly the sound quality for the music is not as good as the live broadcast). In order to add variety, and include the ministries of others, Rev Stephen, Canon Beverley and David Stark contribute sermons every other week, and those who usually lead the intercessions in our churches send in their prayers which I read out on their behalf. To hear the service on a Sunday just Google 'Heckington Living Community Radio' and click on the play symbol - If you don't hear the service straight away don't worry you are on the station just wait for the music to finish which sometimes is 11.05am.
LIBRARY OF SUNDAY MORNING BROADCASTS
There is now a growing library of Audio PODCASTS of the radio broadcasts available to download from the 'Worship from the Rectory' page. There are 75 from the start of the Corona Virus pandemic in March 2020 right up to, and including the Third Sunday after Trinity - 20th June 2021.
Daily Prayer
If you want to join in morning prayer and evening prayer at home there are service sheets you can download in the links below and other prayer resources. Please do feel free to phone me for personal prayer and spiritual help if needed (01529 460904).
There is the usual 15 minute daily service from the BBC on Radio 4 LW at 9.45am each morning (Monday to Friday) with plenty of thoughts for each day. Its always worth a listen with a different contributor each day including hymns and songs.
THE CALL TO PRAYER IN OUR GROUP OF CHURCHES
MORE PRAYERS FOR USE DURING THE PANDEMIC
Other resources
Please do look at the Church of England Website - (churchofengland.org) where there are national updates and lots of resources for prayer and worship at home + links to live-streaming of services around the country. There is also the website of Lincoln Diocese (lincoln.anglican.org) with local news, letters and updates from our Bishops.
In addition to our Sunday Service on Heckington Living Community Radio at 11am every Sunday, there is a daily service on BBC Radio 4 LW at 9.45am each morning with plenty of thoughts for each day. Songs of Praise on Sundays at 1.15pm on BBC 1. Choral Evensong on Radio 3 at 3pm on Sundays and 3.30pm on Wednesdays.
BBC Sounds App has lots of resources too. It's a chance to catch up with some great radio programmes you may have missed in the past. In this digital age we are certainly not short of resources!
Financial and Practical Help is available
Please see the 'Practical Help' page on this website for details about help with local shopping and the community larder in Heckington and the Church food bank at Helpringham along with details of charitable trusts for hardship grants.
WHO WE ARE
The Heckington & Helpringham Group of Parishes are a group of eight Anglican Parish Churches who are part of the Lafford Deanery within the southern part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The churches in our group are:
St Andrew's Asgarby
St Andrew with St Nicholas & The Blessed Virgin Mary, Burton Pedwardine
St John the Baptist Great Hale
St Andrew's Heckington
St Andrew's Helpringham,
St Andrew's Scredington
St Michael's Swaton.
They each have their own pages on this website. Do browse the site and if there is anything you are looking for but can't find it please do contact me.Keep safe & enjoy life despite the circumstances.
Rev 'Captain' Chris Harrington