Latest News
There is plenty going on and we want to keep you up to date with all our news! There are links to the latest Pews News and Magazine to the right, and also to the Bishop's Letter for the month. Please send news of your courses, events and happenings to thedorchestermessenger@gmail.com
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St. Osmund's School. We are looking for 2 Foundation Governors to join our board. We also have a vacancy for a Chair. As a Church of England school, we seek governors who can offer support and help promote the Christian foundation our school is built on. Our school values of Hope, Respect, Community and Love are the backbone of everything we do at St. Osmund’s and as a Board.
Governors will be guided in offering challenge and support to the school’s leaders to help improve the standards and outcomes for all pupils and ensure we live the school's vision of 'no one left out, no one left behind'.
We need self-motivated and enthusiastic individuals who are willing to belong, the rest can be learnt through our induction programme and training available from both the Diocese, National Governance Association and Wessex Multi Academy Trust.
ABOUT US:
St Osmund’s is a middle school with 720 pupils. We are part of a group of local schools under the Wessex Multi Academy Trust. Our governing body meets 6 times per year for 2 hours. The monthly commitment needed for the role is around 5-8 hours, which is loosely made up of 2 hours for meetings (not every month), 3 hours reading and the remainder for training and school visits.
For more information on the role or application process, please contact Emily White (Vice-Chair of Governors) via email ewhite@stosmunds.wessex.ac or 07779263554
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NEWS: The Prince Of Wales Patient Participation Group. Click to read.
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NEWS FROM CHURCHES TOGETHER
Thanksgiving for Being Churches Together
The life and witness of our churches together were celebrated at the AGM of Churches Together in the Dorchester Area. We gave thanks for all that we do together in shared prayer, worship and serving our community. There were displays and information about Poverty Action, the Churches' Ecology Group, Town Chaplaincy, the Quiet Space and Christian Aid.
Anne Read was succeeded in the Chair by Ben Martin of Dorchester Family Church and we looked to the future, including 'Light Up Dorset', a time of focused mission and witness across the county, expected to happen late next year.
From the Annual Reports:
Poverty Action: A busy year with the charity distributing £56,000, grants to 183 local individuals and families, £14,000 in Co-op vouchers to 13 caring agencies, £1,700 for school uniform and shoes. Thankyou for the generous donations from local individuals, churches, businesses, community groups and fundraising efforts.
Grant referrals include the need for a new washing machine when you have a young baby, furniture for a young person moving out of the care system into their first home, car repairs for someone living in a village with no bus to get to work, furniture for someone homeless who is moving into a new home or a family escaping domestic violence.
Wendy Hilton,Chair, Dorchester Poverty Action info@dorchesterpovertyaction.org.uk
www.dorchesterpovertyaction.org.uk
The Quiet Space: This special place is becoming known and appreciated by an ever widening range of individuals, church groups and community users. The weekly Christian Meditation group (Thursdays, 6.30-7.30pm) remains popular and more groups now offer times of reflection, mindfulness and stillness, nurturing mental health and wellbeing. The Acorn Prayer for Healing group continues to offer prayerful support to those with mental as well as physical challenges. office@thequietspacedorchester.org or 01305 264416 for details & contacts for groups and activities
Town Chaplaincy: Dorchester Chaplaincy Team offers support and encouragement to shop workers, market traders and visits to the various local workplaces. Retail today faces many challenges and Chaplains have time to listen and take an interest in the pressures that any of the people they talk to may be under. Chaplains believe everyone is an individual of value and, like anyone else, benefits from a smile and a friendly word of encouragement and the opportunity to be listened to. We estimate that some 200 outlets in Dorchester have access to a visit from a Chaplain. Robin Rowles.
The Churches’ Ecology Group: We met our new W. Dorset MP, Edward Morello, to discuss river water pollution, sustainable farming and the Plastics Treaty. He encouraged us to maintain contact with him and to invite him to events if it would help to publicise the issues. We had a good day working on the community farm, and held a candle-lit gathering in the Quiet Space to mark international Earth Hour, highlighting the beauty and fragility of our planet. There were litter picking sessions and the group again offered activities in the Dorset Show Church tent. We continue to encourage churches to work towards Eco Church awards.
New members are always welcome to meetings (4-5 a year) and join in any of the activities.
Contact Val Potter 01305 264416 and valrobin22@gmail.com
Christian Aid: Christian Aid not only relieves the immediate impact of famine and war, but also helps people to develop their own sustainable self-governing projects (“a hand up rather than a hand-out”) and campaigns on issues such as climate change; tax justice and the humanitarian treatment of all people. It spoke out against recent stringent cuts in the national foreign aid budget.
Church collections for crises are very generous, alongside our six-monthly street collections and annual carol singing. Good fund raisers have included an evening of poetry combined with a fish and chip supper, a bingo evening, the Annual Market and the Walk to the River Jordan.
Thankyou to Tony McDougal from our committee who spent 3 days walking 80 km on the Jubilee Trail to mark the 80 years that Christian Aid has operated. Tony Boyden
Finding Information in the Future
The Facebook page of Churches Together in the Dorchester Area can be a source of notices of events.
dorchesterpovertyaction.org.uk the website of Dorchester Poverty Action
www.thequietspacedorchester.org for the Quiet Space
www.christianaid.org.uk has worship material as well as information on campaigns.
Our partner churches; enjoy exploring their websites to find out more about them:
unitedchurchdorchester.org.uk Dorchester United Church (Methodist and United Reformed)
dorchesterbc.org.uk Dorchester Baptist Church (at the Dorford Centre) with the foodbank
www.holytrinitycatholicchurchdorchester.org.uk Holy Trinity Catholic Church
www.salvationarmy.org.uk/dorchester Salvation Army base and shop
www.dorchesterquakers.org.uk Quakers
www.dorchestercommunitychurch.org.uk in Poundbury
www.dfc.org.uk Dorchester Family Church
thestorehousechurch.org.uk The Storehouse with the Food Store
churchestogetherindorset.org is the newly designed website of Churches Together in Dorset, which supports and shares information about what other local groups of Churches Together are doing across the county.