Feb 2007

The Parish of Sandal Magna
St. Helen’s, Sandal  •  St. Paul’s, Walton

Above: The Spring Volunteers Party. Left to right, Terry, Jane, Rupert, Joan and Sue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking back

Last year we took some very significant steps of faith in launching two major new initiatives:

In all this we give glory to God and thanks to his people as we share the excitement of moving forward together in God’s grace.

It would be wrong to paint just a rosy picture, without sharing some of the areas in which we are struggling at present.  For ten months now, we have been without a Treasurer, and whilst the finances are in a reasonably healthy state, we are way behind in our book-keeping for last year.   So this is very much a subject for prayer that this year God provides us with a Treasurer to oversee the accounts. (See also the article ‘God-given gifts).

Similarly, the growth of new ministries and new worship services has put extra pressure on our dedicated staff team, who shoulder considerable responsibility with such willingness.

Just to give you an idea of the sheer volume of work involved, you can look at the figures adjoining which show how many Christmas services and events we held, and how many people we reached with the good news of Jesus’ birth. What we offer as a churches during the Christmas season is the culmination of our ministry throughout the year, a ministry that affects and influences far mor people than the faithful who worship on Sunday.

 

Date	Event	Adults	Children
1	Diocesan Advent Worship with the St. Helen Singers	200	0
10	Youth Church Christmas Party	10	35
12-13	4 services of worship for Sandal Endowed School	100	300
14	Over 50’s Christmas Party at Rainbow Cafe, Portobello	20	0
17	Christingle, St. Helen’s	60	90
	Carols by Candlelight	250	10
	Christmas Service at Walton Manor	20	0
	Christmas Service at Ashgrove	30	0
19	Toddle-in Christmas Nativity	10	15
20	Carol Singing & Nativity Play in Portobello	30	40
21	Boogie Woogie Christmas Nativity	30	50
24	Christingle, St. Paul’s	130	100
	Midnight Communion, St. Helen’s	175	0
25	Family Communion, St. Helen’s	100	10
	Family Communion, St. Paul’s	50	10
	Christmas Day lunch at The Spring	50	10
Total		1250	660

 

Looking forward

Let me encourage you with all my heart to join a group this Lent and see what a great difference it can make to your faith and your capacity as a Christian to serve God’s purposes alongside one another.

Small groups are the building blocks of church life and the most significant part of any growing church.   So if we belong to a group, whatever size it is, let’s make the most of its potential by doing this course together.   And if you don’t belong, let us know when you could meet and we will be happy to create new groups to accommodate the different timetables and needs of every person in the church. We need to be encouraged with the response so far, with 150 people signing up to participate in 14 groups. There is plenty of room for more, but even if during this season of your life, you can’t join a group, do take part by reading the book and worshipping on Sundays.

As well as these key areas of church life, we will be continuing to develop our many caring, teaching and evangelistic ministries to all ages and all abilities in our parish and beyond, in order to fulfil our mission so that with Jesus,

Let’s go forward together with grateful hearts and determined minds to make our contribution to the work of God in the church, in the workplace and in our homes.

    With all God’s goodness and grace,
                            Rupert

It’s amazing how many people are involved in putting their God-given gifts to good use, serving Christ in so many areas of church and community life as well as in the workplace.   In one of His parables, Jesus says to the servants who made the most of what was entrusted to them:

I would like to echo these words and encourage everyone in the Body of Christ to continue exercising their gifts to God’s Glory.

At the same time I would like to encourage people to come forward as God calls them into a new or first time ministry.    In the last week, we have already had offers in our youth work, with Andy and Louisa supporting the fortnightly Youth Church, and in our P.C.C. with Helen Gill agreeing to offer her services as P.C.C. Secretary.  Thank you so much.

Other areas of church life that need help at this time include:

I am writing this article in relation to the vision statement of our church which is

So, I guess you could say that God’s LAW INSISTS on our fulfilling His purposes for this church but it’s HIS GRACE that INSPIRES it.   Okay, what exactly does GRACE inspire us to do as a church in the community.

GRACE inspires us to GROW in our love for Christ.......

In other words, we believe that GRACE makes disciples like us want to become more and more like GRACE GIVERS.   Our love - our admiration -
of Jesus compels us to try and live every moment just as He would.   Being Jesus’ follower means that we embrace Paul’s passionate life motto by saying:

Now how does this happen?   How do we become more and more like Jesus?   Well, we know that this is not instantaneous.   It’s a process that comes as a result of a life-long commitment, and hence becoming a disciple
of Christ.   You see, discipleship is more of a marathon than a sprint.  It’s more than just a desire.  I mean WANTING to be like Christ isn’t enough.  I have to commit to training myself to learn to walk and talk and act like Him.  

You know, Michael Jordan is probably the greatest basketball player ever to play in the history of the game.   I wish I could play basketball like him, and I think I’m not alone.   A whole generation of basketball players is growing up wanting to be just like ‘Mike’.   They want to shoot like he does, jump like he does, jam like he does... FLY like he does!!

This is way I strongly believe that as we gather together around the Bible and study it together in our small groups this Lent period, sharing insights and experiences, we do grow - we become more and more like our master.   God custom-made each of us... and what He made us to be, determines what He intends us to do.   In the coming “Better Together”course, we can help each other GROW in the LOVE of Christ.

Hello, and hope the goodness of the Lord has kept you well.   As for me the Lord has been so good to me this year, that looking back, I can’t help but praise His name.   We’re just about to come to the end of our semester;  actually I’m in the middle of my exams.   I finish on the 20th and this far I can say that God has been my Ebenezer.

Just to say that last Monday evening, we had a dinner session with Mim Friday, former Careforce Worker, and it was good meeting with most of the Careforce volunteers that had served God back in the UK.   We reflected on the faithfulness of the Lord to us while we were back there and even how He’s been faithful to each one of us in our individual lives.   One of the things I remember I really thanked God for, was for sending me and Eric to such a caring community of believers and for sure I’ve never taken that for granted.

God bless your caring hearts.

 

My regards to all at the church.

Maurice and Eric also send their warmest regards to you all in the Sandal and Walton community.

Dear All,

I can’t believe George is embarking on his 4th and final year at university.   He has done exceptionally well and not wasted an opportunity.   A VERY BIG THANK YOU as you give towards this important venture.  

A particular thank you to Pam Payling’s Bridge Day and for the generous donation and to Noreen for making and selling lovely scarves for this fund.

Cheques should be made payable to Julie Hay & Sally Martin/Kenya

Lent 2007 will be the fourth of our Lent appeals and it follows the remarkable achievement of last year when, with the sum of over £92,000, we were able to help pull Mara back from tragedy and also give significant support to help ease the appalling conditions at the school in Georgia.   We are now looking to the 2007 appeal and we hope we can build upon our experiences last year.

From the beginning I have been committed to giving part of the appeal funds to Mara each year.   In 2007 we are intending to direct half the money raised towards work to help mitigate the effects of malaria in Mara diocese.   More people die of malaria than die of Aids in Tanzania and throughout Africa.   People in Mara have a tragically short lifespan;  dying either in their childhood or in their early middle age through malaria.   The setting up of clinics throughout the diocese, together with basic equipment such as mosquito nets for beds, can lead to a real saving of lives.

Last year’s appeal made a real difference and transformed lives in both Mara and Georgia.   Could I ask you to give generously again this year in order to achieve a similarly amazing result?        

The beneficial effects of marriage - both for society and the adults and children involved - are well documented.

In Britain today many are bringing up children alone, couples are increasingly cohabiting and it has become acceptable for gay and lesbian partners to raise children together.   Although several influential organisations recognize strong links between family stability, in the absence of child poverty and other social problems, most do not want to support marriage in case this amounts to discrimination against these alternative patterns of family life.

While all kinds of families need support, those headed by married couples should continue to receive due affirmation and encouragement.   However, they are often unfairly disadvantaged through the tax system - as those living apart may receive £5,000+ in extra tax credits.

1    Marriage benefits society as it provides the best environment for family     life

2    More use should  be made of the excellent church-based resources     available to prepare couples for marriage and encourage them in their     parenting

3    The tax credit system, which discriminates against married couples,     needs restructuring - this could be done when the government     overhauls the Child Support Agency

4    While all sorts of families need support, those headed by married     couples should continue to be affirmed and encouraged as before.

Thanks to the initiative of a parishioner in Bristol diocese, an on-line petition is now available on the Downing Street website, encouraging the Government to provide more financial help for repair of Church of England church buildings.  The challenge of funding repairs to church buildings goes much wider than the CofE alone, and the Church's documents have made the case for all listed places of worship. However, this local initiative is broadly in line with the motion passed at last February's General Synod calling for greater government support, and with discussions currently taking place with government departments. The petition reads:  "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to arrange for the cost of repairs to C of E church buildings to be reimbursed to help preserve our archeological & historic heritage for the future.  "Churches are a valuable part of our heritage and a major tourist attraction, yet the funding of repairs is left to the parish in which the building is situated. Thus the cost of maintaining a national asset is left to the minority.  This is grossly unfair and should be rectified."

 

Do you own a bread making machine that is no longer in use?   If you would like to give it a good home please contact Terry Hollands at The Spring on 01924 242593.

In December we moved our Barclays Subscription account to NatWest.  Most people will not notice any change but we have had some reports of standing orders not going out.  Please do check your bank statements this month to make sure we are receiving your gift and you are paying the right amount.  Please note the wrong sort code in the letter posted recently.   If your standing order has been cancelled you can instruct your bank to pay your regular gift with the following details..

Thank you for supporting God’s work in the parish through your generosity in service, worship, prayer and giving.

Each year we publish a review that reflects the life of the church.  It is a very important document as it allows us to see as a whole the different ministries of the church, some of which are hidden and not seen by the majority.  It is also a chance to look ahead at future plans and say thank you to people for their hard work and dedication.

This year we will need to work on the review a little early.  So if you normally produce a report can you get it to the Parish Office as quickly as possible and certainly no later than the 19th March.  The review will be published in time for the church AGM on the 24th April.

If you use email, this is the preferred method of providing or sending us the information, otherwise Carol will be happy to type up notes for you.  Also if you have any photographs we will be pleased to try and include them.  Finally, if you can keep your reports to a couple of paragraphs and some key bullet points, that would help us save trees and keep the whole report consistent.   With thanks,     Bob Bailey and Carol Fairclough

Sing and sign (for 7-18 months) shows you how to  help your baby communicate BEFORE speech.   Ir’s easy!   Learn the fun way with traditional and original songs, nursery rhymes, puppets, props and instruments.   For details of classes in Castleford, Pontefract and Wakefield contact:  Ruth Knowles on  01977 516405.

The RC Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle Youth Team are hosting an    extra-ordinary conference with Sr Helen, the nun behind the book and the film, speaking about the power of Jesus’ ministry today.  This will be a truly remarkable event.

The organizing team can be contacted on 01207 592244

If you are looking for something exciting for your child to do on a Monday evening between 6 and 7pm and they are aged between six and seven and a half, then why not come and join us at 23rd Walton Beaver Scouts.   Boys and girls are welcome.  

They can have fun, meet new friends, make fun things and go on outings - plus lots more.

If you are interested please contact Kim on 01924 781875.   The meetings take place in St. Paul’s Church, The Balk,  Walton.    Your child is never too young to go on our waiting list!!

On Saturday 10 February at 7.30pm the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Wakefield presents James Bowman CBE (International Counter Tenor).   Also performing with him will be the Wakefield Cathedral Choir with orchestra.   Music by Purcell including Te Deum & Jubilate for St. Cecilia’s Day 1694 and Sound the Trumpet are in the programme.   There will be a retiring collection.

Ann Morisy, Director of Commission on Urban Life and Faith and Author of ‘Beyond the Good Samaritan’ and ‘Journeying Out’ will speak about Mission in Your Community at Heckmondwike URC, High Street, Heckmondwike, High Street, WF16 0DY on Saturday 17 March 9.30am-12.30pm.   Fee £4.   Ask Sally for more details.

Feb  4	9.15am	Holy Communion	St. Helen’s
	10.45am	Family Praise	St. Helen’s
	11am