More than twice as awful as what happens in room 101 [203]

My dear friends,

‘tis I- Bertram the Mouse Reporter- with better plus-fours than Tintin and an even nicer quiff. I bring you exciting news- straight from the Rectory printer I have seized the Lenten Booklet Richard has been working on all day and I have scanned it in and now I will send it to you so you can get it straight away.

You mustn’t tell Richard, because he still thinks people are listening to him when he does the Notices at the end of a service. That has to be our little secret- that at that very moment the National Grid records a small power surge and an extra Nuclear Power Station has to be connected because everyone leaves to put their kettles on, ready for the Zoom Coffee. Anyway- enjoy- it comes in two helpful flavours- printable for those who want to print it out and normal for those who will read it on the computer.

It is my pleasure- now all I have to do is work out where to put my Pullitzer when it comes. Instead of my Somerset Under 9s cheese rolling trophy in pride of place or not- actually, I should explain- I wasn’t actually rolling the cheese- I was pursuing it…

News and Important Things

1. Several people have asked me to send them Fr Richard’s Sermon from Sunday morning- I found it in Church on the legilium so I have rubbed out all of the illegible pencil markings, scanned it in and send it on to you. Here is a small quote from near the end: “Planets spiral. Stars dance and twinkle. Time telescopes around us. And at the centre of it all, at the centre of everything, in the apple of God’s eye, in the tender and beautiful heart of Jesus, hidden safe in the Spirit’s wings, you and God always, since before the beginning of time and beyond the ending of the world and for all eternity… held by inseparable, constant, redeeming love. If God is with us, what else matters? Held by inseparable, constant, redeeming love.”
2. My friend Jim and I (Bertie) would like to remind you that we are still collecting milk bottle tops for charity in St Paul’s Church- do please drop them in when you are passing.
3. My friend Louise has asked me to remind you that we start again with the prayer list at the start of each month- if you would like a name to stay on the prayer list please could you email Louise to let her know before 9am on Friday- church.office@spauls.co.uk
4. My friend Jane has sent in the answers to the TV quiz which was sent out in an email last week- so you can stop worrying about it and check how many you got right and then explain to yourself why you know so very much about tele.
5. My friend Chris Townsend has sent in more suggestions for the collective noun for clergy– a benediction, an argument: and for a gathering of churchmouse, a Bertification. I rather like that.
6. See email 202 for details of what we are collecting this week for the Wokingham Foodbank.
7. Continuing the where were you at the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, here are John and Jenny’s three children in the front row at a street party. John and Jenny are my friends too.

Forthcoming Events

1. Don’t forget Morning Prayer on Thursday at 8.30am
2. Saturday sees the final Saturday at 4 for the moment- Penny Williams is going to lead a conversation around “Books I love.” Please come along to this Zoom address with either an answer on “Which book will you be reading or re-reading in 2021?” or an eager and inquisitive heart:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82498989632?pwd=VWhFZDVZUHJiUDBQbksweExyQWlrQT09

Meeting ID: 824 9898 9632   Passcode: 007776

3. We have been sent this message about a Zoom meet-up with people from Sweden, including the Bishop: everyone would be welcome:

“The latest on a St Sigfrid service is that Akeman Parish in Oxfordshire and its link are having a service including Bishop Frederik which is open to anyone at 5.00pm GMT on 15th Feb.  The Zoom details, which you might want to make available to some people,  are  https://zoom.us/j/97834929985  Meeting ID 978 3492 9985.”

4. Don’t forget that there is a Pancake Party on the 16^th of Feb from 6.30 to 7.30, followed (at 7.15pm) by the first in our exciting Lent Course on fulfilling our duty to creation. Do invite your friends and family along.

So there you have it- all of the news, right from the mouse’s mouth- or keyboard-                                                              I’ve been Bertie Churchmouse. Goodnight.