MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE
PARISH CHURCH OF
St MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS, RUNCORN.
www.runcornstmichaels.org.uk
ISSUE 77
OCTOBER 2014
Giving thanks
Giving thanks to God for all the good things He gives us is really important. It reminds
us that we have something good to be thankful for, and stops us taking them for granted.
Have a go at listing 100 things to be thankful for sometime. It takes a while to think of
them all, but it‘s amazing how many good things we all have in our lives that we can
give thanks for.
At the end of September we celebrated the annual festival of
Michael and All Angels. Since as a church we are named
after them, they are called our patron saints although they are
angels not saints! Each year we have a Patronal Festival,
when we celebrate being a church. As part of this in the past
we have tried to thank everyone who works to maintain St
Michael‘s Church and provide the services week by week.
We‘ve attempted to include everybody, although we always
seem to leave somebody out.
This September we changed to a different way of doing this.
We have been following the Natural Church Development guidelines, and their
suggestion is to focus our thanks on those groups that have contributed to the church‘s
highest factor in our annual survey. Last year, our highest factor was Inspiring Worship
Service, so this was the theme of this year‘s thanksgiving. The reason for focusing on
one area of church life is to affirm those who have contributed to our highest factor in
the church survey. This matches the work we have been doing all year on our lowest
factor – Passionate Spirituality. It is not that this is more important than the other areas
of church life, but that it is the one we need to concentrate on in order to improve the
overall health of St Michael‘s.
The way we gave thanks this year meant that some areas of church life were completely
left out, including the PCC, the maintenance of the building, the maintenance of the
gardens, the Treasurer‘s work, the church booking system for weddings, funerals and
baptisms, the Wednesday evening Fellowship Group, the Tots group, Sunday Club,
Thursday Messy Church, Sunday Messy Church, Choir Club, flying the flag on the pole
outside, the Fundraising committee and the Crafters (and I‘m sure I‘ve forgotten some
more.)
Running a church as well as we do at St Michael‘s means a lot of work from a large
team of people, most of them volunteers. We are very grateful for all the work that is
done, and done so well and lovingly.
Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard for St Michael‟s this year, your
work is very much appreciated.
d Prayers
With love an
,
VICKI
In GROWING TOGETHER:
CHURCH SERVICES FOR OCTOBER
WHAT‟S ON IN CHURCH
HUMOUR
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PUZZLE PAGE
CELEBRATIONS
CHURCH SERVICES OCTOBER
Children are extremely welcome
at all our services. Sunday Club
meets in the Meeting Room
during the service for children
primary school age, and those of
secondary school age. If you
have a younger child who gets
restless or cries during the service please DO NOT
WORRY—it‘s only natural. There are toys for the
young child in the Meeting Room.
Wednesday 1st October
10.00am
Holy Communion
Sunday 5th October(16th Sunday after Trinity)
8.00 am
Holy Communion
10.00am
Morning Celebration
11.15 am
Messy Church
Wednesday 8th October
10.00am
Holy Communion
Sunday 12th October (HARVEST)
8.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am
Holy Communion
Wednesday 15th October
10.00am
Holy Communion
Sunday 19th October (18th Sunday after Trinity)
8.00 am
Holy Communion
10.00am
Holy Communion
4.00pm
Choral Evensong
Wednesday 22nd October
10.00am
Holy Communion
Sunday 26th October (19th Sunday after Trinity)
8.00 am
Holy Communion
10.00am
Holy Communion
Wednesday 29th October
10.00am
Holy Communion
St Michael‟s „Mini-Vision‟ Statement to Passionate Spirituality
“For the next 6 months we will encourage each other to make God more important in our lives through
our worship and through our relationships.”
BIBLE READINGS FOR OCTOBER
Sunday 5th October
Philippians 3: 5-14
Matthew 21: 33-46
Sunday 19th October
Psalm 99
Matthew 22: 15-22
Choral Evensong
Psalm 142
Proverbs 4: 1-18
Mark 10: 35-45
Sunday 12th October
Psalm 65
Luke 17: 11-19
Sunday 26th October
Colossians 3: 12-17
Matthew 24: 30-35
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Barbara's October Blog
Hello everyone, first I must apologise for not writing a blog for September. I would like to tell you the reason
why. Some of you will be aware of this so please forgive me. It was all because of a bad decision I made &
subsequently regretted. Isn't it true that all of our lives we are subjected to making decisions, some turn out to
be good & some turn out to be a mistake? Decision making in itself can be made very tricky if we are feeling
unwell, stressed or depressed. During my 72 years I have made countless decisions, some great & some
disastrous. Most of the disastrous ones were connected to the state of my mind & my inability to think clearly.
I made my bad decision after I had to stop singing in the choir. Because of my ill health the choir was the only
thing I had left that made me feel useful & when I stopped singing which I had done all my life I spiralled
downhill mentally very quickly. I felt that I was just a burden at home because my physical body was in such a
state that I could barely do anything for myself. What happened was, I gave up & decided that I needed to be
in a Residential Home! I knew about Ryan Care attached to Elaine Price Court & had heard wonderful things
about it. I rang them up, went to visit & within a week I was moved in as a full time resident. I had thought it
would have taken a lot longer than it did. If it had I may have had time to think more & change my mind.
However, in I went. It is indeed a wonderful place to be in. It re-opened two years ago & is run by a large
extended family who are fantastically kind & caring. There are only 15 beds & it is run like a big happy family
home. Nothing is too much trouble & I would recommend it to anybody. They were intuitive enough to know
that I wasn't ready for full time care & they gradually put me back together again. I fell in love with all the
staff & the residents who ranged from mildly confused to dementia. It took about a month for me to sort my
head out & realise that I could do a lot more for myself than I thought I could. One morning, a light bulb went
off in my head & I thought, ―what on earth have I done?‖ From then on I couldn't wait to get home.
Apparently, the staff knew that I wouldn't be staying. I think bets were taken about how long I would stay.
They were all so kind to me & I will never forget them. So, here I am back home again & the old saying,
―home is where the heart is‖ is certainly true. I am feeling much more positive & determined not to let myself
make any rash decisions again.
This has been a very self-indulgent blog. Next month I will try & tell you a funny story. I will end will a very
short one:
A man goes into the doctor's surgery and says, ― Doctor, please help me I only have 58 seconds to live‖.
― Take a seat for a minute‖ the doctor replied!.
Until next month, keep smiling
Barbara
[email protected]
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
October Birthday
Congratulations to one
of our own congregation
who celebrates his 80th
birthday on October 6th,
he is our own Tom Booth.
Want to stay ten years fitter than someone else your own age?
Get a dog. Dog owners over the age of 65 have the same fitness
levels as someone a decade younger. In fact, some researchers
suggest that public health officials should even introduce ‗dog
loaning‘ schemes, to enable more people to benefit from having a
pet. Not only do dog owners achieve exercise levels the same as
those people 10 years younger, dog owners also have significantly
lower levels of anxiety and depression. Blood pressure and heart
rate are, on average, lower. As a senior lecturer at the School of
Geography and Geosciences explained, ―Dog ownership may
motivate personal activity and enable older people to overcome
many potential barriers such as lack of social support, inclement
weather and concerns over personal safety.‖
Time to celebrate National Chocolate Week!
Monday 13th October marks the start of National Chocolate Week. For the real
chocolate lovers, there is even The Chocolate Show, being held 17 – 19 October at
Olympia West, in London. We are asking everyone to bring some sort of chocolate to
church on Sunday – how about that recipe you have that includes chocolate?
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CHURCH SERVICES FOR NOVEMBER
Sunday 2nd November (4th Sunday before Advent) Sunday 16th November(2nd Sunday before Advent)
8.00am
Holy Communion
8.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am Morning Celebration
10.00am
Holy Communion
11.15am Messy Church
Wednesday 19th November
Wednesday 5th November
10.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am Holy Communion
Sunday 23rd November (Christ the King)
Sunday 9th November (Remembrance Sunday)
8.00am
Holy Communion
8.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am Holy Communion
Wednesday 26th November
Wednesday 12th November
10.00am
Holy Communion
10.00am Holy Communion
Sunday 30th November (ADVENT)
8.00am & 10.00am
Holy Communion
1st October Remigius - praying for ill children
If you‘ve ever prayed for the ill children of non-Christian friends, then you are following in the steps of Remigius
(d.533).
Remigius was bishop of Reims late in the 5th century, and the king‘s son was ill. The queen, Clotild, was a
Christian, but the king of the Franks, Clovis I, was not. Then Remigius prayed for their ailing son, and he was
healed. The king was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he decided to acknowledge and honour the Christian
God. In his enthusiasm King Clovis seems to have turned his royal household into something akin to the aftermath
of a Billy Graham rally/Alpha course, for he commanded that all 3,000 members of the royal household and
followers become Christians at once, and be baptised. Under the protection of King Clovis, Remigius carried on
preaching the Gospel throughout the Frankish kingdom. He did some extensive church-planting - founding
bishoprics and churches - and was greatly loved by the people up to his death in Reims in 533.
Activities at St Michael’s Church
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Tots Group
Tots Group meets in the Meeting Room.
Every Friday morning 9.00am to 10.30am.
October Birthdays
Congratulations to Robert
Withington who celebrates his
birthday on October 1st, to Keith
Lowe who celebrates his birthday
on October 3rd and to Joyce
Dykes who celebrates her
birthday on October 18th.
St Michael‟s Fundraising Committee
Tea & Toast in the Meeting Room
Next Tea & Toast is on 4th October & 1st November
@ 10.00am to 12.00 noon
Admission: £1.50
Quiz Night on Saturday 25th October @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £5
Crafters Group
Crafters Group meets in the Meeting
Room every Tuesday from 10.00am to
12noon.
Everyone is welcome.
CONGRATULATIONS
To
CONGRATULATIONS
To
Robbie & Lisa Littler
All Angel Artists
Next meeting of the All Angel Artists is Saturday 25th
October, looking at Autumn colour using different
Media. Future dates 22nd November & 13th December
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who are celebrating their
Wedding Anniversary on
30th October 2014
Calling all choirs: sing Silent Night!
This Christmas choirs all over the country can help communities to remember a remarkable World War 1 event.
Peace broke out in the trenches. There was no fighting for 24 hours. Enemies sang the much-loved Christmas
carol, Silent Night, then they ventured out across No Man‘s Land to exchange gifts – some even played football.
To mark the centenary of the 1914 Christmas Truce, a new verse and chorus has been written for Joseph Mohr‘s
famous carol, Silent Night, originally written in German as Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht. All over the country in
schools, sports stadia, cathedrals and churches, choirs, congregations and sports fans will sing Silent Night as part
of Silent Night Carols events.
The events have the backing of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, who is President of the Football Association.
He says: ‗Even in the bleakest of times, Christmas offers peace and hope. This Christmas, the Silent Night carol
services are a powerful way to remember the sacrifice made by so many in the Great War and to celebrate the
peace we enjoy.‘ Silent Night Carols are part of HOPE‘s Greater Love campaign, helping churches to serve their
communities as the nation commemorates the centenary of the First World War. They have the backing of Sports
Chaplaincy UK.
Through Silent Night Carols, HOPE is asking churches to raise funds for
God who shows his care
the work of Tearfund - as it brings hope to those affected by the war in
We will hold your hand in silence
Syria, particularly women and children. Copies of the free Silent Night
Place our arms round you in prayer
Carols programme are available from www.silentnightcarols.org.
The words, music score for the carol and more information about holding a That our heart-thoughts may bring
blessings
Silent Night Carols event are available at www.hopetogether.org.uk/
From our God who shows his care
christmas
In the suffering of our Saviour
Who faced death upon a Cross
Please remember the following people in your prayers who were
married at St Michael‘s during the months of August
& September
August 30th
Steven Howells
& Alyson Mulholland
September 6th
Shaun Matthew Gavin
& Samantha Eden-Franklin
September 20th
Wayne Watson
& Hannah McKee
September 26th
Matthew Quayle Hughes
& Danielle Marie Nuckley
September 27th
Michael Chandler
& Gemma Jones
To show all who will but see it
That our death is not the loss
Of the life that comes from heaven
Or the love of every heart
But the journey of a life-time
In which we all play a part
As we share each other‘s burdens
And ease each other‘s load
Till angel wings return us
To the state of God‘s abode
Where our place is well-prepared
And our welcome guaranteed
By the Saviour who lives in us
And through prayer fulfils our need.
By Sam Doubtfire
We welcomed the following into the
Church Family through Baptism
We welcomed six children: David Roy Simpson, Louri Louise Daniel,
Samuel Andrew Formby (14th September), Emily Lucia Hignett, Mark
Lewis Shevlin (21st September), Daisy Grace Hives (28th September).
Please pray for David, Louri, Samuel, Emily, Mark, Daisy
that they may grow up to love and follow Christ. Please
pray for their parents and Godparents, pray that they may
seek to know Christ and to worship regularly.
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Don‟t stop now!
Noise
Elderly people will live longer and be happier if they continue
working instead of retiring at 65, the new Government ‗champion‘
for older workers has said. Too many people ‗write themselves off‘
when they are still fit, according to Ros Altmann, a former directorgeneral of Saga. Many people find they miss work because it not
only reduces their income, but also gives them less contact with other people. Working longer, on the other hand, improves people‘s
health and wellbeing. They don‘t waste their talents and experience.
If everyone worked just one year longer, it would bring in an extra
£16billion, or add one per cent to the economy. ―Older workers have
a huge amount to bring to any workforce and are a vast, untapped
talent in the British labour market... it makes sense for employers to
train someone in their fifties, as they are likely to stay on for 10
years.‖ The writer of Ecclesiastes points out that ―everyone should
eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God‘s gift to
man.‖ (Ecc. 3:13)
The wheel of my grocery cart was making
a horrible scraping sound as I rolled it
through the supermarket. Nevertheless,
when I finished my shopping and saw a
cartless woman, I offered it up, explaining,
"It makes an awful noise, but it works."
"That's okay," she said cheerfully,
taking it. "I have a husband at home like
that."
God, St.Michael‟s and those missing toilet rolls!
Care-taking in the church on Mondays (and not ‗Mrs Mopp-ing‘ as Colin would describe it) I get to
thinking about how God touches our lives and reminds us constantly of his presence. Toilet rolls now
occupy a proportion of my thoughts; them and bin bags!I walked into church last Monday and looked
at the pile of toilet rolls in the disabled cloakroom and thought to myself ‗bloomin‘ eck, they have gone
quickly‘ and then I smiled, not a wry smile you understand but a real joyful smile as God reminded me
why they had gone so quickly! Our church is being used….not just on Sundays but all week long by
various groups. Be it crafters on Tuesday or messy Church on Thursday, Choir club on Friday, Choir practise on Thursday night and not to mention my own charity hiring the place three times a week and indeed Tots Group, which I run
with Vicki and who buy all of the toilet rolls and cleaning stuff anyway so who am I to worry?
It is easy to forget when we come together in church on Sunday that St Michael‘s more and more is becoming a little
hub of the community and is being used by many people. Out-reach in many forms and doing God‘s work in many
forms also. I worry about church; not just ours but church in general. Churches are dying around us and passionate
spirituality is needed by the bucket loads to ensure our survival and yet even that is not enough. We need to be
passionate about community, about what God is asking us to do in our daily lives! I believe that God has a purpose for
all of us and he has dictated how heavily embroiled I have become in the day to day work at St. Michael‘s as much as
the Vicar and the PCC. I feel duty bound to align my charity Victoria Music with our church building as the rent we
pay and the fundraising we have done for the church here is helping it to survive alongside the generous increase in
planned giving by our regular congregation! Just as I believe that the ‗Shaw Centre‘ when realised will ensure that St
Michael‘s remains here for another century. All congregations are smaller and shrinking by the year and we are no
different. Church in its traditional form has lost its appeal to many in the younger generations but we can still do God‘s
work by using the gifts that he gives us as individuals to spread the message and to sustain this beautiful building. I
have put some effort into Tots group when able and we are now about to buy a new coffee machine for the kitchen and
new shelving for both Tots group and the crafters in the meeting room cupboard – the funds have just arrived in the
Tots Group account! Also by year end Victoria Music will have contributed £3000 to the church funds in 2014 through
rent and fundraising. So you see that is the legacy left by the missing toilet rolls and why my heart leaps when I see
them disappearing! It means the building is needed, is used and what better message can we give out as Christians.
‗Come join us‘ in all our forms because St .Michael‘s matters here and always will.
Robbie Littler
A Summary of Sunday Link in October 2014
(Sunday Link is on the back of the Church Weekly Notice Sheet)
5 October. A prayer to our passionate God. After the harvest. Dementia, 800,000 people
th
12th October. A banquet, Good Friday, Christmas Eve, and Harvest Festival
19th October. Who‘s your messiah? Short term memory loss. Being happy.
28th Sept. ‗You shall be holy‘. The God of resurrection. Can we make good use of the ‗extra‘ hour?
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PUZZLE
PAGE
7
CROSSWORD CHALLENGE
Down
1 Give an account of (Mark 4:30) (8)
2 ‗I — — the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free‘
(Psalm 119:32) (3,2)
4 ‗He took the ephod, the other — — and the carved image‘ (Judges 18:20) (9,4)
5 ‗You are a chosen people, a — priesthood‘ (1 Peter 2:9) (5)
6 The meek, the merciful and the mourners are all this (Matthew 5:4–5, 7) (7)
7 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (1,1,1,1)
8 He was the son of Nun (Deuteronomy 34:9) (6)
13 ‗Let the little — come to me‘ (Matthew 19:14) (8)
15 ‗About three thousand were — — their number that day‘ (Acts 2:41) (5,2)
16 In John‘s vision, the wall of the new Jerusalem was made of this
(Revelation 21:18) (6)
18 ‗Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly — a Saviour from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ‘ (Philippians 3:20) (5)
20 ‗Glorify the Lord with me: let us — his name together‘ (Psalm 34:3) (5)
21 Young Men‘s Christian Association (1,1,1,1)
See how you get on with this crossword. There is no prize,
but whoever gets it back to the Editor by October 22nd
will be entered on a
Roll of Honour in the next edition of
Growing Together.
Across
1 ‗Those who were standing near Paul said, ―You — to insult God‘s
high priest?‖‘ (Acts 23:4) (4)
3 They were assigned to guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24) (8)
9 ‗Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the — of — , the son
of Zuph, an Ephraimite‘ (1 Samuel 1:1) (3,4)
10 Surrender (Joshua 24:23) (5)
11 Where American livestock can be reared (5)
12 Listen (anag.) (6)
14 Alternative name for Kiriath Jearim (2 Samuel 6:2) (6,2,5)
17 He founded Westminster Abbey, — the Confessor (6)
19 Hebrew word for the place of the dead (5)
22 Allies of Persia in the fifth century BC (Esther 1:3) (5)
23 Where John Wesley was forced to preach a lot (4,3)
24 Rebellion against God; abandonment of religious belief (8)
25 Note (anag.) (4)
October Crossword
answer
ROLL OF HONOUR
Congratulations
to
Jim & Shelagh Goffin,
&
Glenis Dutton
on
Completing the
October crossword
ARTICLES
News or articles for the next edition of
Growing Together should be given to Colin
Keam by October 22nd. I am looking for
articles for the newsletter like people‟s
Birthdays, Wedding Anniversaries,
praying for people who are sick or in
hospital or any interesting or funny
anecdotes.
THANK YOU
Please Pray
Please remember the following people in your prayers
throughout this month.
Romy & Linda Tiongco
Lily Grace Dockerty
Glenis Dutton
Agnes Stockton
Graham & Nicola Aylett
Adele Marshall
Marjorie Spooner
Ken Egerton
Madge Hassall
Annie Daniels
Trevor Mainwaring
Gerald Cook
Keith Lowe
St Michael‟s Fundraising Committee
SPONSOR A CARPET TILE
The Carpet tiles at the back of church are to
be replaced and we are asking people to
Sponsor a Carpet Tile. The cost is £5 per
tile. So if you can help by sponsoring a tile,
there are numbered envelopes at the back of
church. Please take one, put your money in
the envelope with your name and hand it to
one of the Church wardens. Or if you don't
come to church and still want to sponsor a
tile please contact us.
Thank You
INFORMATION
Vicar
Revd Vicki Schofield
The Vicarage
145 Greenway Road,
Runcorn
WA7 4NR
01928 500993
(But not Tuesdays)
e-mail: [email protected]
Revd Helen Browne
can be contacted on
01928 575633
(But not Mondays)
So if you want to book
a wedding or baptism
please phone
07956585514 and ask for Robbie
Churchwardens
Colin Keam 01928 576293
Vince Whitehead 01928 898353
If you would like us to pray for someone close to you please let
the Vicar know. Or if you would like the Pastoral Care Team to
visit someone at home don‘t hesitate to let them know.
….and the recently bereaved, especially any
families known to you
Arthur Braddock
Zip Wire Challenge
Recently, one of our congregation took
his life into his own hands and took the
Zip Wire Challenge down a Liverpool
street. He did this on behalf of our
Fundraising Committee to raise funds.
He is still waiting for some money to
come in, but he thinks it will be over
£400.
He would like to thank
everyone who sponsored
him.
SPONSORSHIP
Grateful thanks so far to the people who have generously given
in supporting the publications of Growing Together.
We are still looking for people to sponsor the
editions of Growing Together. Perhaps you‘d
like to help us by sponsoring or part sponsoring
a future edition. For more details please have a
word with Colin Keam or give him a ring on 01928 576293.
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