Diary

• Monday: Funeral of Phil Haighton 11am, Nantwich Christian Council 7.30pm

• Tuesday: Pastoral Group 9am, Branch Groups All Together 8pm Parish Hall

• Wednesday: Holy Communion 11am, Funeral of Matthew Murphy 2.15pm

• Thursday: Praise & Play 10am

• Friday: Soup Lunches at Parish Hall

• Saturday: Surgery (9.30-10.30am in the Church Office

Next Sunday: Easter Memorial Service 6pm – All welcome as we give thanks to God for our loved ones – families are invited to bring a lily in memory

Coming Soon

• PCC – Monday 30th April

• Diamond Jubilee Service – Sun 3rd June 10.45 followed by a Picnic Street Part

This and That

• Town Service with our Mayor Arthur Morgan – Sun 6th May at 10.45am

• A date for your diary – Sat 15th June at Chester Cathedral at 5pm – Tim’s Priesting! If you are interested in going please sign up at the back of church

Prayers

• For the street pastors project and the NCC preparations
• For preparations for Christian Aid Week – Pauline Beeby and all those collecting

I never cease to be amazed by generous acts of kindness that I see on an almost daily basis: people visiting those who are struggling, the gentle attention of a carer in a nursing home, a child giving from their pocket money or a young person doing voluntary work. For me these are all small reminders of God’s generous love towards each of us, and his putting his thumb print in our heart or his DNA in each of us so that we reflect our maker’s character.

I do occasionally meet people from whom it seems as if all generosity has been squeezed out and what is left is the bitter husk of a dried up lemon. I feel exceedingly sad both for the individual who has lost this divine spark and for those around them. I am left wondering what caused it?

We each have the choice how we live, how we react to the hardships and struggles that come our way, whether we respond with God’s grace or with resentment – one of these refreshes and the other drains. Ironically it is in gracious giving that, in my experience, we blossom. It is in persistent resentment that we are sucked dry.

We live in a society that says: “look after yourself – no one else will!” We in contrast, as followers of Jesus, need to learn to think differently: the world is inherently good but with bad aspects – God is loving and we are by so many standards, very rich. We need to recognize this and respond in attitude and behaviour.

In my experience living a generous life (not the same as being a doormat) is the best way to be. Seeing the best in others may mean I am, from time to time, disappointed but I never cease to be amazed by what people cope with and still keep on smiling. I also believe that if we cling on to what we have, be it our families or what we own, we suffocate and take all the good out. When we learn to be generous then we see things differently. This is not about what we “ought” to do with our time or our money, but doing things because we want to. I hope and pray that each us will continue to learn to live generously and in so doing will live life to the full.

Welcome to all attending worship today and especially those attending our Marriage Workshop. There will be no coffee after 10.45am today.

• Monday
  • PCC in the Parish Office 7.30pm
  • Lent Group at Nantwich Methodists 1.30pm
  • Funeral: Marion McGeough 2.15pm
• Tuesday
  • Pastoral Group 9am
  • Funeral: Doug Cook 11am
  • Lent Group at Nantwich Elim 7.30pm
• Wednesday
  • Peter, Tim and Stephen on a training day
  • Holy Communion 11am
• Thursday
  • Tim and Peter taking assembly at Brine Leas Sch
  • Praise and Play 10am
  • St Catherine’s NH Communion 2.30pm
• Friday
  • Soup Lunches at Parish Hall
• Sat
  • Surgery (9.30-10.30am in the Office)

Coming Soon

• Sun 11th – Easter Card count at Nantwich Methodists
• Flower Club AGM Mon 12th March
• Mothering Sunday 18th March 10am Parade Service followed by shortened Communion
• 22nd March APCM

This and That

• St Mary’s Church Weekend Away March 9-11th 2012 – please let us know if you’d like to take one of the remaining few places.

Prayers

• For this year’s Lent Course: Worshipping God and Living Faith
• For Casey Bluntstone following her lung transplant
• For God’s guidance about the St Mary’s Hospitality Project
• For the Street Pastors initiative
• For the Church Weekend Away Preparations and for our speakers and leaders

Today is our Patronal Festival when we celebrate the ministry of Mary the mother of Jesus. This afternoon there is a piano concert in church given by Robert Sword (Grandson of Joan Preston) at 3pm – you are warmly invited to attend – all proceeds in aid of St Mary’s Appeal.

• Monday
  • Thanksgiving Service for the life of Valerie Pimlot 12.30pm
  • Consultation regarding the future of Nantwich 12.30pm-7pm in the Civic Hall (to be confirmed)
• Tuesday
  • Pastoral Group meet in the  Parish Office 9am
  • Branch Group Launch: Come and find out more at 8pm in the Parish Hall (see This and That)
• Wednesday
  • Holy Communion 11am
  • Nantwich Merged Churchwardens’ Charities 7pm
  • Standing Committee 8pm
• Thursday
  • Praise & Play 10am in Church
• Friday
  • Soup Lunches 12 noon in Parish Hall
  • Mother’s Union meet in the Parish Hall: “Now and Then
• Saturday
  • Rector’s Surgery 9.30-10.30am

Today there will be an opportunity at each service to hear about St Mary’s Branch Groups: What are they? Who are they for? How can someone get involved? These and other questions will be answered today.

Next Sunday:

• 10.45am Service of the Word and 6pm Holy Communion with the Laying on of hands

Coming Soon:

• St Mary’s Challenge – Are you competetive? Would you like to spend a great afternoon out in the company of others? Do you enjoy a challenge? Then why not sign up for the Orienteering Challenge at Delamere Forest on Sunday 25th September. A flier is available at the back of church. You can come on your own and join a team or make one up (4 people) on your own. All welcome! No previous experience required. Prizes!

This and That

• Are you looking for a lively group to belong to? Do you value good company and lively conversation? Would you like to grow in your faith? Then why not consider joining one of our Branch Groups? Come and find out more this Tuesday evening at 8pm in the Parish Hall.
• This Month Magazine for September is now published and has some super articles including  one about our senior Reader: Harold Foster, and a feature on each of our Branch Groups – Do buy one at the back of church.
• Steve Clapham’s All Saints Church ArtsFest – Friday 30th Sept and Saturday 1st Oct: Drama, Music, Fine Art, Crafts, Workshops, Demonstrations, Refreshments and more!
• Welcome back to our Choir after their summer break and Thank You to our Bell Ringers, Servers, Holy Dusters, Flower Arrangers and Sidesmen Teams and others who continue to serve us and enhance our worship throughout the year – we do appreciate you and what you do for us.

Prayers

• Give thanks to the ministries of all involved in leading worship including our Choir, Holy Dusters, Servers, Bell Ringers, Sidespeople, Flower Arrangers and Welcomers
• For Lee and Lindsey and Darren and Laura married here in church yesterday
• For schools during their first full week back
• For all our church groups which begin again today and this week including our Sunday Club, Next Doors and Branch Groups

I don’t know about you, but most of us have a phrase which we pepper our speech with.  St Paul and St John are signatories to some of the greatest letters in the New Testament and both of them pepper their letters with the phrase: one another!
 
Neither of them use it as a cliche or turn of phrase but out of a passionate belief that stems from their grasp of God’s love – so wide and deep and high and long.
 
St Paul’s use of “one another” is for him an obvious follow on from all belonging to God’s family and therefore belonging to one another.
 
Here in St Mary’s (one small part of God’s church in the world) I sense that “one another” in very many and varied ways: the team work for the Festival of Flowers; the partnership between choir, servers, sidespeople and coffee makers on a Sunday; the pastoral care of our youngsters in Church Mice, Sunday Club and Next Doors and of the elderly in the ministry to the residential homes.  All of these reflect a commitment to “one another”.
 
As we begin activities after the summer break there are many opportunities for growing in our grasp of “one another”.  For example our Confirmation and Branch Groups begin soon (Launch on Tues 13th), we look forward to a Church Weekend Away in March next year (11th-13th- please put the date in your diary and start saving up now), we are planning various social events like a St Mary’s Challenge (Sun 25th Sept) at Delamere Forest, a Bible Party (Sat 15th Oct) and of course our Autumn Fair (Sat 12th Nov).
 
For St John and St Paul “one another” didn’t have a fixed boundary but his passion was for steadily expanding “one another” as others saw the love, support and care and wanted to be a part of that too.  As Rector, this is my longing for us that we too may grow in our love for God and for each other.
 
“Let us consider how we can spur one another on towards love and good deeds.  Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebs 10: 24)

As I write the last of the arrangements have been tidied away, the floors swept, the church restored to its usual way.  The Festival of Flowers has been a wonderful experience, as we have welcomed so many visitors and regulars into our building and I hope their spirits, like mine, have been inspired by the beauty.
 
“You must be tired” I said to one of the team of many hard workers after  the weekend.  “Its been worth every moment – it’s been so good to get to know more of our church family that I don’t normally meet, and to work together”
 
And I think that, for me, has been the added bonus of this Festival, as so many people have been knitted toegther into the body of Christ as we focussed on this task which welcomed people into our building.  Although our building was even more impressive than ever during the Festival, it is the warmth of welcome that will make a long term diference as we continue to work together.
 
This being part of the body of Christ, as we put aside personality, or differences over styles of worship, is part of what we were created for.  Our society encourages individualism with so much choice, even with us never needing to share, or sometimes learning to compromise for the sake of other people.  It separates us from one another, rather than bringing us together to form a community where we belong and are able to care for one another and support each other through all that life brings.  This is an important part of being the church together – family at its best – loving, not necessarily because we like each other but because we are family – belonging to God and all bearing the family image.
 
It is great to welcome into our new family Tim, Clare and Evie.  They have lots of us to get to know, so forgive them if they don’t get your name straight away, but it is a delight to have them, not as my curate and family, but as part of OUR family here at St Mary’s.
 
So let us rejoice in the creativity of the team who have so wonderfully reflected God’s creativity.  But let us also conintue to work together as the family of God in this place, that as we do so, we reflect more strongly His love for His world.