May sees the start of a trial service pattern for our parishes.  The end of April brought the end of the existing rota, and so we’ve used this opportunity to have a rethink.  We’ve considered what would suit each parish best and how we can work together as a benefice, to come up with the following pattern, which we are trialling for the next five months with a review at the end of July.

The aims of the new pattern are to have: more Sunday services across the benefice and in each parish; more predictable services times; and that every parish will have a range of services, alongside a monthly midmorning Sung Holy Communion.

This has meant that we’ve had to move some of the service times, to accommodate more services on a Sunday morning, and each Parochial Church Council has decided what pattern of services, and which of the available times, they feel would be most suitable for their parish.

At certain times of the year, seasonal services and Benefice services will alter specific services, but the general pattern is based on each Sunday in the month.  It will operate nine times out of ten and looks like this: