St Matthew’s Church

Plants for the churchyard

There are two flowerbeds in the churchyard (by the Lyon tomb and at the road end of the car park), for which we are seeking small evergreen or perennial plants.

If you intend to divide or discard any suitable plants or if you have any surplus self-seeded plants, then please contact Stephen Edwards or Christine Ellson.

We are hoping to grow a selection of foliage plants suitable for using in church flower arrangements, and hope that with continual cutting they will not get over-large.

Suggested plants:

• Any variety of euonymus

• Eleagnus

• Griselinia

• Golden privet

• Sedum

• Hebe

• Ceanothus

• Skimmia

• Pittosporum

• Leucothoe

Close

Notices

Dear All

Please find Parish Notices for this week and a reminder of the Stretton Jubilee Lunch  on Sunday 5th June from 12.30.  Further details of it are in the notices.

We would be grateful of any volunteers who could help with setting up from 08.30am and also clearing away from 5.30pm. Also more assistance is needed throughout the day.

If you could help please email me and I could give you any more details.

Best wishes

Laura

Work, Rest, and Play...

One of the strange things about my job is what happens when I have to fill in an official form that asks about my work status. I am not employed, and I don’t have a contract. I don’t get paid to work: I receive a stipend. (I am ‘given a living’.) Technically, I am an ‘office holder’. I hold the office of vicar, but I am not employed by the Church or anyone else.
Since 2011, all new appointments of clergy have been under something called ‘Common Tenure’. This is an attempt by the Church of England to ensure that office holders have rights and responsibilities like those who are employed and who do have a contract. It came about partly because the Government has the power to give the rights of employees to those in work who are not employees and to impose employment legislation on the Church. Common Tenure is the Church’s attempt to ensure that it follows best practice, comparable to other professions.
Alan Jewell