The Bereavement Support Team. One of the many essential pastoral ministries offering support to those in need.  See inside for more details.

 

At Easter we remember the extremes of Pain and celebrate the utmost Joy.

This year we can choose to follow each cross from 5pm from
        -    St. Peter & St. Paul’s
        -    Sandal Methodist Church
        -    Portobello, Rainbow Cafe

Sandal Castle with its skull-like ruins, reminds us of the hill of Golgotha outside the city walls, and this will be the tenth year that we have remembered the Crucifixion as an act of devotion and witness.

 

Friday 19

Saturday 20

Sunday 21

This is a great opportunity to invite people to join in, and we will be creating a beautiful invitation for you to distribute as you did last year.  

 

The pastoral work of our Church exists wherever one person cares for another and this, of course, happens throughout our congregations that only those involved know about.  However certain specified ministries are in place which we hope people are aware of and we would encourage anyone to take advantage of these ministries if they have need or desire any of them.  There are people available and a telephone call to Rupert or myself would enable us to arrange a visit from someone involved in the particular ministry.

We are also more than happy to take Communion into people’s homes if they are unable to get to  Church, or take it to them in hospital.   Please just ring the Parish Office, Rupert or myself should this be wanted.  Peter Moulding heads a small team of people who take a Communion Service in Walton Manor Residential Home and Ashgrove Residential Home once a month.  Communication is vital in the work of Pastoral Ministry and unless we are aware of situations where pastoral care is required we cannot offer it, so please don’t hesitate to let us know if any of the above ministries can help.   Confidentiality is always observed.

 

The Wakefield Express phoned me last week and asked – “What is Dove house?  We have never heard of you.”  I know many of you support Dove House. We use our room at St Paul’s for counselling & I know we are supported prayerfully, but if you aren’t aware or would like to know more..

Dove House is an interdenominational Christian Counselling Service, affiliated to BACP and ACC, working to their code of ethics and practice. Our counsellors are all qualified or in supervised training on accredited courses. We do not give overtly Christian counselling, but work from the place that all our counsellors are Christian, and if the client asks, but only at their request, we will willingly give Christian input.  The Wakefield Express had heard that we have just been awarded a grant from ‘Awards for All’ to enable us amongst other things to put on ‘Listening Days’ for the community. Listening Days will consist of day workshops to consider how we listen to ourselves & others. How much do we really hear? Through deepening awareness & skills, we hope to challenge & encourage you both personally & in your interactions with others.  If you would be interested in such a day at St Helen’s/St Paul’s, or would like a place personally on a day that is already being planned, please contact us.

There are leaflets & newsletters at both churches. Please take one for further details, or phone our confidential phone line – 01924 240488.

Sadly we ran out of editorial space last Grapevine. So here is some more information on people and organisations we support as a church.  Thanks again to the Mission and Mara Group for keeping us in touch with all that is happening.

Catherine Lee has worked for the Church Missionary Society for many years.  Her current job is based at St James’ Church Taichung, Taiwan where she has taught at St James kindergarten since 1999.  As well as teaching a lively group of 4/5 year olds Catherine also helps at the church office and teaches English to adults and children.  Learning Mandarin has been a challenge which has been well documented in her link letters which are also a fascinating insight into life in Taiwan.  Before going to Taiwan Catherine was based in Tanzania.

What does the Church Mission Society (CMS) do?

CMS supports people in mission in 30 countries, including Catherine Lee in Taiwan, and is also involved with many types of mission work in 60 countries, plus there are CMS offices in; Abuja, Kampala, London, Lusaka and Nairobi.  There is also partnership with sister CMS organisations in Australia (who support Helen Hoskins in Bunda), Czech Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria and USA.  CMS understands its mission in every part of the world as existing in four dimensions, namely:

The future ministry of CMS is clearly focused on Evangelistic Mission as outlined above, particularly in parts of the world ‘Where the name of Jesus is rarely heard’.

Helen Hoskins has lived in our link parish of Bunda since 1982 she is National Secretary of the Girls' Brigade Tanzania. She works with a committee training GB officers, opening and encouraging companies, preparing programmes for company meetings, and running camps and conferences. There are 22 GB companies in Tanzania.  Helen is also involved in lay training ministry in village churches.

 

This is the meeting when we elect our Wardens, Deanery Representatives, and Parochial Church Councillors, which this year means that overall there can be nominations for eight people, four Wardens, three Deanery Representatives and three Parochial Church Councillors.  Three of the serving Wardens are prepared to stand again, Derek Coombes, Richard Hay and Susan Parkin, leaving one vacancy to fill;  the three Deanery Representat