From St Bartholomew’s Church
First Steps’ This lively group for babies, toddlers and their carers is always pleased to welcome new members. It is run by the Methodist and our own church and includes the opportunity for chat, refreshment, and also a short Bible story, with singing and activities for the children, including games and craft. It meets at the Methodist Church Hall and the next meetings are to be held on
Wednesdays, 12th and 26th January from 9.30 to 11.30 am.
Otford Guild of Bellringers We thank our Ringers for the committed work they put in over the year. Their AGM will be held on Thursday , 20th January at 9.00 pm in the Church Centre, following ringing practice.
Messy Church. The next Messy Church event will take place on Sunday 23rd January at 3.00 pm. An enjoyable afternoon is promised for all who come. It is particularly suitable for families with children up to the age of 11.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The traditional service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place at Otford Methodist Church on Sunday, 23rd January at 6.30 pm.
‘Bartholomew’ Concert by The Bartholomew Wind Band, conducted by Jean Kelsey, will take place in Church on Saturday, 5th February at 7.30 pm.
Church Hall We are delighted to report that the Church Hall is now back in action. It has been a long process, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused to our hirers. The problem began back on the night of 22nd/23rd August after an exceptionally heavy downpour. Damp penetrated into the parquet floor, causing large sections of it to lift. The investigations into what caused this took longer than we had hoped for, but we needed to make sure that we had done our best to prevent the problem happening again. Remedial work has been done to improve the way water is carried away from the narrow passageway between the hall and the store. The new floor is an engineered floorboard type with a hardwood surface (in technical parlance it is known as a “floating floor”). It is easier to clean and maintain than the previous floor, but still suitable for all current activities held in the hall. We are very grateful to Ecclesiastical Insurance for meeting the cost of the replacement floor.
Church Tower At the beginning of last year we were set the target by English Heritage of raising the sum of £70,000 towards the cost of essential repairs for the Tower. The good news is that the appeal has been successful and we are very grateful for the generosity of all who have supported this project. Stage 1 has now been completed, with initial work by our appointed architects, the reception of tenders and the appointment of contractors. English Heritage are now being approached for the Stage 2 grant and work to remove the render is scheduled to start in the Spring.
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