Page 81 - apr2023

April 2023 April 2023

LOCAL HEROES OTHER CHURCHES NEWS
A new series with interviews from Janey Gordon
BERE REGIS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Pat Wharf Sundays 10.30am Morning Service, Taken by visiting preachers, or our

‘If you want something done, find the busiest person you know and ask them to Youth Worker, John Williams.
do it!’
Our services also go out live on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/
In Bere Regis there are a number of people who give their time and energies to BereRegisChapel or search ‘Bere Regis Chapel).’
support the local community and individuals who live here. They are the busiest
people you will ever meet. They contribute freely to the village and make full use Mondays at 7:30pm STS (Search the Scriptures) Youth meeting, via zoom.
of everything the local area has to offer. Tuesdays at 7.30pm Bible Study and Prayer, meeting in the Manse and

They are our ‘Local Heroes’. also on zoom.
The parish magazine is running a short series about some of these people to find Wednesdays at 9.30am Chapel Toddler Group, contact Suzie on
out a little more about them. In the second in this series, I spoke to Pat Wharf, who 07962142552
told me about the main things in her life.
During spring our calendars contain several patron saint days of the home
Janey: Pat, what is most important to you? nations. Early in March there is St. Davids day, the patron saint of Wales. In mid
April we have St Geroge’s day, the patron saint of England, but in-between is
Pat : “My motivation is my faith. perhaps one of the most widely celebrated patron saints day across the whole
I am particularly interested in church outreach and giving people a space in globe; that of St. Patrick's day.
church. I feel that the church should care about its non-members as well as its St. Patrick was a remarkable person. Despite being celebrated in Ireland, he was
members and in particular give space to children. actually an Englishman. Around the age of 16, he was captured by Irish pirates

So, there are three areas that I am most deeply involved with our own church, St and effectively forced into slavery. Six years later, he managed to escape and
John the Baptist, Bere Regis’. These are Junior Church; the Bible Society’s ‘Open return to his family in England, after which, he converted to Christianity and
the Book’ Bible Stories and most recently our Thursday Tea and Toast. I also help became a minister in the Celtic church.
out at the West Purbeck Benefice Messy Church, which is once a month at 4.00 Shortly after becoming a
on a Sunday afternoon. It is just fun crafting with a short message at the end minister, Patrick decided that
followed by tea. It rotates around the local churches. he would become a

I left school at 17 with A level maths at a time when computer programmers were missionary, returning to
wanted and being trained. They needed people with maths and so I became a Ireland and taking the
programmer. When I was 31, I decided I needed a change of direction, so I did a transformative message of
Maths degree as a mature student (Note from Janey - No mean feat!). Then I the gospel back to the very
went on to do a year’s teacher training and became a secondary maths people who had enslaved
teacher. him. Most people would find
it natural to hold a grudge
As an ex-teacher I feel keenly that children are very important and should be and fell nothing less than
involved in the church in ways that will engage them. I feel that even if they move bitterness, resentment and
on and away from the church as they grow up, if it has had an effect on them as hatred to their former
a child, they have something to turn to or return to later on. I feel that church persecutors, and perhaps
should be lively for children, so I got involved with Junior church in 2005 and Patrick felt that at one point.

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