As I write there are yet more announcements of redundancies, closures and financial crises. But we have decided that this would be a good time to pull our community together and remember that we have much to be thankful for. A time to revisit the joys of our past and rebuild our sense of community for our future. So we have decided to have a celebration for the church, which has served our community so well and will continue to do so for many years to come.
The Church of St Chad in Oak Street Coseley, was consecrated in March 1884, so we are celebrating our 125th Anniversary this year. We have many events planned, from St Chad’s Day, which we are celebrating on Sunday March 1st this year, to All Saints day, which we celebrate in November. We hope that many people with a link to the Church will be able to join us in marking this celebration.
Were you baptised or married at St Chad’s? Did you sing in the choir? Were you a member of the Mother’s Union, Young Wives, Men’s Society, Young Peoples Fellowships, Sunday School, Guides or Brownies, Net Ball or Football teams or one of the many organisations which have flourished here over the years? If so please get in touch. You will then be sent details of events during the year, and we hope to welcome you to at least one of them. From July 11th there will be a decorating the church with flowers and numerous displays focussing on the decades between the 1880s and the present day. To help us with this we would love to borrow any material you may have from, Christenings, Weddings, Fayres, Plays, Dances Special Services, Sunday School Outings, Pilgrimages or anything else of significance to the life of our church. I can put you in contact with the group of people who are organising this. We will need to know what you have to offer quickly! We already have an archive of early parish magazines and of course there is the book written by Beryl Wilkes that covers this church up to its centenary. However, if you would like to write or dictate interesting stories of the past we would be delighted to publish them. Please phone 01902 882285 or write to the following address. 3, Oak Street Coseley Bilston WV14 9TA or contact me on alan@heavensdoor.co.uk. You may like to look at our website at https://www.stchadscoseley.co.uk/. Certainly we will be publishing information about our events on the site, as we shall also attempt to publish in the local media.
Fr Alan Howes (Vicar of St Chad’s)
