January 2021 Chapel Newsletter

 Dear Members of St Patrick’s, 

Thank you to our excellent Ministry Broadcast Team As physical services have been discontinued for the foreseeable future, we are grateful to Maggie Verster and her team who broadcast services every Sunday at 10am. Please visit our webpage www.stpatrickonthehill.co.za to enjoy the services. The services are led by the minister for the week: 

• 1st Sunday Afrikaans (Leon or Hendrien); 
• 2nd and 5th Sunday Liz; 
• 3rd Sunday Norma/Ann; 
• 4th Sunday Barry. 

Thank you to those in the congregation who continue to tithe and so enable the chapel to pay its assessment to the Diocese and donate to some of our beneficiaries. I am afraid that, until we have ‘herd immunity’ through the majority being vaccinated, we will not be able to have chapel services and therefore receive collections again. The chapel income is dependent on our tithes. For those who have not yet tithed to the chapel to do God’s work, we ask you to consider doing so. It’s easy: just pay your contribution to our chapel bank account mentioning your name and the word tithe: 

• St Patrick’s Chapel Council, Std Bank, 050319, a/c 082147493. 

Our gardens and chapel continue to be cared for beautifully and are still visited by passersby and tourists. Their complimentary comments show the impact a visit to St Patrick’s makes on them.

Our resident ministers. Liz Thomas, our parish priest, is recovering from surgery in Johannesburg. We look forward to her return. Welcome to Father Matthias who is from Uganda and staying in Hogsback on sabbatical. 

A very warm welcome to Rev Barry and Linden Wittstock who have been part of St Patrick’s since he was the priest in Fort Beaufort many years ago. Of recent years he has travelled from St Mark’s in Cambridge to lead the 4th Sunday service each month. He and Linden are now living in their retirement home, On Eagle’s Wings, and gardening, along with their son, 2 Jonathan. 

Welcome to Charl Botha, a trained DRC dominee. After leading a number of congregations, he moved into online music ministry and motivational speaking. He has now moved to Hogsback where he lives at Serendipity. He will broadcast daily Christian messages on the St Patrick’s webpage next week. Please look out for the announcement. 

We are aware that some of our congregation have been seriously ill. We wish them a speedy recovery. We thank members of the congregation who have been able to help the needy in many ways. 

The next Council meeting will be on Thursday 11 February at 3:30 at Hidden Away. We had planned Vestry (AGM) to be on Sunday 14 March but as we do not have services, we shall probably have Vestry virtually and send out the reports of the treasurer, chapel warden and priest. We need to ask our councillors if they are prepared to stand for another year and if there are further proposals for members to be councillors. 

The Monday Bible Study continues to be active on Monday afternoons – any interested are welcome. 

Trevor Webster 

Chapel Warden