The Wiltshire United Area

NOTICES 

ORGANIST REQUIRED AT MELKSHAM

At Melksham United Church we have a splendid  2 manual organ, much admired by all who play it, and greatly appreciated by the team of three volunteers who currently play for Sunday morning service at 10.30 am.   Hymns are from Combined Mission Praise or Hymns & Psalms.   We would like to add one more organist to the team, which would mean only one service per month for each member.   With only 3 organists, a great deal of swapping and changing dates is already done, and we would continue to be as accommodating as possible in this respect.   Weddings and funerals are generally catered for by our Principal Organist, but the ability to help with this would be a great asset.   If interested, please contact Melksham.   Click HERE if you are interested in organs! 

VILLAGE CHURCHES COMBINE. 

Following the closure of Melksham Forest Methodist Chapel and Broughton Gifford Methodist Chapel, the two "homeless" congregations decided to take their membership to Whitley.  This has created an enervating new congregation and Whitely has become the focal point  for village churches in the Area, extending its invitation to Chittoe Heath, Seend and Monks Chapel.   Coupled with the splendid refurbishment of Whitley, this lively church community do great things together.   The following three reports kindly provided by Gill and Eric Fletcher, give a "feel" for the new arrangement.

Joint Churches May Walk

It was a beautiful sunny but windy afternoon when we met at the Canal Bridge, Seend Cleeve.  A few of the party went directly to the Pavilion to chat and make ready for the hungry walkers to arrive later. Walkers set off at a gentle pace with some making it to the first canal lock gate where there was a convenient seat.  A few went to the next lock gate and the more energetic walking almost to Bowerhill. 

We were delighted on the way to meet friendly Barge owners, waved to barges going through the lock gates and seeing many wild flowers and families of ducks. Returning to the Canal Bridge, everyone was ready for tea and cakes, so we piled into cars and set off for the Pavilion where kettles were boiled and cake cut up. 

If the noise level at the Pavilion was anything to go by everyone had enjoyed the fellowship. What a super way to spend a Saturday afternoon.        Gill Fletcher

Good Friday at Chittoe

We enjoyed a delightful spring day blue skies and warm sun. The afternoon service started a little late as Revd. Ali Morley and her group of walkers from Melksham, encountered ‘lively’ horses, which meant they had to re route. When Ali got her breath back she gave us a thought provoking service.

This was followed by a sumptuous tea to which the walkers did full justice. Before the evening service started we had chance to wander round the church yard and chat to friends from Chittoe and St. Aldhelms.  

Revd. George Nuttall conducted the  Songs of Praise evening service, it was nice to enjoy worshipping with him again.  As we left the church we were treated to the magnificent views of Roundway Down in the evening sunshine.  An absolutely superb way to spend Good Friday.                 Eric Fletcher

Forest  -  The Finale.

Some while ago we were given the opportunity to have a look around the Chapel and see the alterations that have been undertaken to enable the premises to be used as a Vets. 

Most of the members of Forest together with a couple of ex-members met up at the Chapel one Tuesday afternoon, and were given a friendly welcome and a conducted tour.  The exterior of the building has been retained with obviously a new notice board ‘Chapel Vets’.  The grounds have been opened up to enable a surfaced car park to be laid.  Inside the Church a lot of the original building has been preserved, where possible.  The windowshave been retained and sympathetically repainted.  The interior redecorated and a new central heating  system installed.  The Church is now the reception  waiting/information area.  The boiler room is a minor operating theatre and the vestry a recovery/pet keeping area.  The toilets have been replaced and a new kitchen has been installed.  The schoolroom has been refurbished and rented out to a dance school, so unfortunately we were unable to see in there. 

After our informative tour we were given afternoon tea.  Everyone was grateful for the opportunity to visit the Church, which enabled closure of our Forest experience.   It was a pleasure to see the building being used by the community, and the heart of the premises  retained.

Elaine Greatwood.     (formerly Secretary at Forest Methodist Church)

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On the 1^st of September 2009 we became be part of the newly formed ‘Wiltshire United Area’,  an amalgamation of the former Mid Wilts and West Wilts United Areas.   

To mark this amalgamation  an inaugural morning service was held at Trowbridge United Church on 6th September 2009, at which both the Revd Ward Jones,  the Chairman of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church, and the Revd David Grosch-Miller, the Moderator of the South Western Synod of the United Reformed Church, took part.

Click  HERE for pictures of this most successful event!   These pictures have been reduced in image size for the web page. If anyone wants a full-sized copy by e-mail, please contact:-      webmaster@wiltsunitedchurches.org.uk 

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Information for inclusion on this page to webmaster@wiltsunitedchurches.org.uk please.