By Father Bob Bates
As the summer nears its end and the slightly cooler days of autumn are with us, St Vincent’s Chaplaincy (The Church of England in the Algarve) welcomes back its wandering people and we see our worshipping numbers once more on the increase.
The autumn holds much to look forward to. We have just collected and given more school bags to the children who cannot afford their own than ever before and we are now planning our Harvest services and the receipt and distribution of gifts for the hungry and the needy.
Our Harvest services will be at St Luke’s Church at Monte da Palhagueira (near Gorjões) on October 2 at 11.30am, and at Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Almancil (near Quatro Estradas just off the EN125) on October 9 at 9.30am.
At Nossa Senhora da Luz, Harvest is celebrated with an evening service on October 2 at 6pm.
Also on October 9, but this time in our church in Tavira at 6pm, we have a special service of readings and hymns – but with a difference.
The readings will all be from the King James Bible, in celebration of its 400th anniversary this year, and the hymns will all be by Charles Wesley as we celebrate his skills as a hymn writer, and also the 150th anniversary of “Hymns Ancient and Modern”.
The service will take us through the Church year as we start with Advent and move through the great seasons finishing at All Saints – tide all in one evening!
Our Church is within the grounds of the Vila Galé Albacora Hotel, set within the Ria Formosa.
Children’s Church
We are delighted that our Children’s Church is now steadily growing at St Luke’s, with a monthly service and Sunday School on the last Sunday of each month. If you would like to know more about this or if your children would like to join us, please let me know.
Thinking ahead, but planning now, in early November we have All Souls’ Eve and once more will be praying for our departed friends and loved ones and we will be lighting candles and singing gentle hymns in their memory. If you would like us to remember someone close to you, please let me know, or even better come to join us at 6pm at Nossa Senhora de Fátima.
Details of the above and other events, together with full directions to our churches, can be found on our website www.stvincentsalgarve.org – or please phone me for details. All are welcome to our services and to join our social life.
With greetings from all our people.
Call me on 289 366 720 or email revbobbates@sapo.pt
