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And St Cross, Appleton Thorn www.stcross.org.uk www.stmatthewschurchstretton.org.uk For all articles and enquiries: secretary@strettoncofe.org.uk From the Vicar Please don’t turn to the next page because I have mentioned the “M” word. No, not the fictional character in the James Bond movies or even the word “Mummy”. I’m going to have to say it, so I hope you’re sitting down – we need to talk about MONEY. Reach for the chocolate Hob Nobs to calm your nerves if you must but the reality is that we need to think seriously about our giving and today is the day to start. In our magazine we have two articles; one giving us the stark reality of our giving so far at St Matthew’s and the other shows ways of how we might give. Throughout the whole of Lent we will be mentioning different aspects of giving at all of our services so we will have plenty of opportunity to think, reflect and pray. Yes prayer is a huge part of giving because we need to ask God to help us decide what can give sacrificially. We all know the constraints of the credit crunch but if we are really honest we probably haven’t raised our giving for some time, despite our best intentions. So it is simply this - an opportunity, to give and perhaps to consider what we might find in our shopping baskets knowing that £1 doesn’t get us very much. An English breakfast for four without the hot drinks: Hovis loaf £1.25 Four pints of semi skimmed milk £1.18 6 medium free range eggs £1.48 8 rashers of bacon £1.98 500g own brand Corn Flakes £1.04 500g own brand olive spread £1.39 The First Sunday of Advent – think that all these have to last until Christmas day and we hope we will have some left over for other occasions. One box of Advent Candles £10.67 Additional purple ones £3.20 each One Box (12 bottles) of Communion wine £91.75 50 Communion wafers for the priest £3.67 250 Communion wafers for the congregation £3.06 860 candles for the congregation £70.77 Our outgoings include repairs, heating and lighting, replacement bulbs, toilet rolls or paper towels as well as many other items we use in our services week by week and this does not even begin to consider what we really want to do with our mission to the community. Can I ask you to seriously, think, reflect and pray about your giving to our Churches? Thank you. With every blessing Elaine Notes to Note · Thursday 2nd at 9am. Parent’s Prayer meeting in the staff room at St Matthew’s School · Sunday 5th at 2 - 4pm. Final Marriage Preparation Session (Conflict) in the Church Hall. · Monday 6th at 9.15am. Pastoral Care Group meeting at Avril Moore’s · Monday 6th at 7.30pm. Faithcourse at the Vicarage. · Wednesday 22nd at 10.45am. Ash Wednesday service for KS2 children from St Matthew’s school in church. · Wednesday 22nd at 7.30pm. Ash Wednesday service in St Matthew’s Church. Parish Communion and imposition of the ashes. · Tuesday 28th 9.30am to 2.30pm. Women’s Day retreat at Foxhill Conference Centre. Mothers’ Union We had our annual general meeting on 23rd January and look forward to our meeting in February when we welcome Mr Robert Jennings who will be coming to speak to us about Bee Keeping. Honey will be on sale. All welcome to come and join us on February 23rd in the Church Hall at 2pm. Faithcourse As part of our exploration of Sowers and Reapers, we will be looking at the Gospel of Luke. We meet at the Vicarage at 7.30pm. We have only one session this month on 6th February. All welcome. ACF We met for our first meeting of the New Year in St. Matthew’s Church where the Vicar kindly took a Communion Service before the AGM was held. All the officers and Committee were willing to stand again, and were duly elected. Our treasurer, Barbara Broomfield, gave her report and indicated that some Fund raising would need to be done in 2012. It was suggested that we could possibly use the members night in July, for this purpose. Our leader, Wendy Homer thanked all the Committee for their hard work and encouraged members to bring friends along. Our next meeting is on February 2nd at 7.30pm in the Church Hall when our Speaker is Mrs Jean Shepherd who will talk about “Grandparents” and we warmly welcome members and friends. Elaine Johnson (Sec.) Church Finances - 2011 In order to keep parishioners informed of St. Matthew’s Church finances relevant figures for the year to 31 December 2011 (unaudited) are as follows:-
Receipts from Offertories, Planned Giving and Fees fall 20% short of costs. Hon. Treasurer
Planned Giving Two thousand years ago St. Paul had advice on planned giving for the congregation in Corinth, which is still pertinent today. “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” 1 Corinthians 16:2 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Our money is one of those taboo subjects about which we don’t talk. However, the church relies on giving by its congregation. The church’s costs amount to about £2,000 a week. Our current level of giving falls short of this, and the church is therefore constrained in what it can do. So how much should each individual member of the congregation give? The Church of England encourages “church members to set the target of giving 5% of their income to and through the church, and a further 5% to other organizations that help build God's kingdom”. Quite challenging? It doesn’t say whether this is gross income, or after tax. How does our giving measure up? What percentage do we give? Have we reviewed our level of giving recently? The total inflation over the past five years exceeds 20%. If that is too complex, then maybe a simpler approach is the advice from over 60 years ago, that giving “shall always bear comparison with the amounts spent on personal pleasure.” What might we include in our personal pleasure and entertainment: a bottle of wine, a box of Milk Tray, a pub lunch, the Sky package, holidays? Methods of giving The preferred method of giving is by Standing Order. This ensures that the Church receives regular giving, even while you are away on holiday. It also saves remembering to take collection to church. For those who still like to put something in the collection bag, tokens are available at the back of church. Simple forms are available to set up a Standing Order. Weekly envelopes are available if you wish. Simply put your gift in the envelope each week, and put it in the collection bag. (Note: If you use the weekly giving envelopes and have missed a week or two, you can simply put several weeks’ giving in one envelope. You don’t have to return all the envelopes or put equal amounts in each envelope.) For occasional giving there are envelopes in the pews. If you are regularly using the pew envelopes switching to the weekly envelope scheme will save you filling out the envelope each week – or you might like to consider a standing order. (Note: If you are using the Pew Envelopes please only put one name on the envelope, as we can only claim the tax back for one person, not the couple.) If you pay tax, please consider completing a Gift Aid form, as we can then claim back the tax you have already paid on your gift. Please contact me if you wish to discuss any aspect of giving. Stephen Edwards Churchwarden 01925 211982 Kneeler Group Report for 2011 We are a group who meet informally, fortnightly, on the first and third Thursday afternoons of each month from 2.00 – 4.00pm in St. Matthew’s Church Hall. We have a membership of 14 people – new members are always very welcome. Throughout the year we have had visitors who were interested to see what we were doing, including a Canadian lady who passed on one or two new ideas. We are still working on the Noah’s Ark Tapestry, joining together the animal squares, but there is progress. We are also continuing to renovate St. Matthew’s Church kneelers and have been asked by St. Cross to help with the renovation of some of their kneelers, the work on which has been partly completed. The kneelers are a constant reminder to the families of loved ones when they attend church. People do ask about them from time to time, the last query being at the Christmas Eve midnight Communion Service in 2011. On September 4th, 3 new kneelers were dedicated by the vicar at the 10.30am service. One in memory of Jim Smith the Church organist for 32 years, one in memory of Mrs Ivy Wallwork a former member of our congregation, and the third for Fred Owen who is currently a stalwart member of the Sunday morning choir. We have recorded information about existing kneelers as far as possible. Funding is provided by donations and the proceeds of the Cheese and Wine Evening held annually in March. This year it had a French theme and was very well attended. People really entered into the spirit of the Evening, with its background-café atmosphere music, decorations and national dress, not to mention the choice of cheese and wine. Our members also have a significant input into the organisation of the Church Harvest Supper, the distribution of Harvest Gifts in October and to the Autumn Fair in November. In December we enjoyed an excellent Christmas lunch at Statham Lodge Hotel, where we were exceptionally well looked after. Our aim is to provide a warm, friendly and caring atmosphere within the church community, where people are welcome, can see what we are doing, can bring their own needlework or knitting if they are not currently working on the tapestry or kneelers, or just call and have a chat, a cup of tea and a biscuit. Margaret Hart MARTHA'S GROup Brother, Sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to You. Please do not hesitate to contact one of us if you need short-term help, whether it be picking up a prescription, a lift down to the village to shop, a visit to the library, dentist or doctor. We are here to try to make life easier for you. Val Fryer 264015 Carol Rylett 730986 Wendy Duckworth 266555 Praise and Play
Praise and Play meets at 2.00pm in Church and is a service especially for young children from birth to school age and their carers. We have a time of praise followed by a short talk and a craft activity and refreshments. Go kidz
We gather in church for the start of the 10.30 service and then head off to the hall for our own Junior Church sessions. Please contact Catherine Edwards 211982 or just come along. For family service, we all come together as a family to worship for the whole service in church. Lights, Camera, Action
This group meets at the Vicarage for 1 hour every Thursday in term time starting at 5pm. We have popcorn and drinks and using the medium of film, take some time to think closely about our faith and how it impacts on our lives. This group is ideally for young people in year 7 and up. Contact Nicola 730276 for more details or just turn up at the Vicarage. Jam Sandwich This is a new club at St Matthew’s School on Thursday lunchtimes starting at 12.30. All children are welcome as they explore their relationship with Jesus. Please speak to Mrs Fryman if you are interested. Adult helpers welcome. A valid CRB form is necessary. Please speak with Elaine. This will start after the half term holidays. Appleton Thorn Primary School After a lovely Christmas and New Year holiday, staff and pupils have returned for a busy and exciting term at Appleton Thorn Primary School. Already, Year 6 pupils have recently enjoyed a trip to Spaceport, where they developed their knowledge about the Solar System and became virtual astronauts! They also enjoyed the new and exciting Wallace and Gromit in Space exhibition. This term will also see Year 3 and 4 pupils off on a three day residential trip to Conwy. The children will take part in arts, dance and drama activities, all with an Olympic theme. Pupils on our Healthy School’s committee are already discussing ideas and preparing for the school’s annual Farmhouse Breakfast event. The children will plan and cook a healthy breakfast for parents and carers to raise awareness of the most important meal of the day! Children are also looking forward to the theatre company visit and performance of the pantomime Snow White! By Gayle Hughes Verger We are sad to announce that Pat Terry has indicated her desire to step down as the Verger for St Matthew’s church. She has unstintingly given of herself with dedication and cheer and has enabled people to feel at ease during both the celebratory and more solemn services in our Church and we want to thank her. This means that her post becomes vacant and the PCC are looking for someone with a pastoral heart who is reliable, organised and punctual and who can keep a clear head in a crisis. We need someone who is compassionate with life experience who understands that not everyone feels relaxed in a church setting. This role requires them to set up for and be present at weddings and funerals (where a fee is paid) and also be prepared to open the church for florists and school visits and services. An enhanced CRB is necessary for this post. For an informal discussion and an expanded description of this role to Elaine on 730276. The closing date for applications is 29th February 2012. Sidespersons The sidesmen and women assist the churchwardens during services primarily by giving a friendly welcome when handing out service books, and assisting with the collection. We could do with a few more volunteers to join the rota. The rota is constructed so that sidespersons assist at the services they usually attend, and so the duties are not very frequent, perhaps once every 6 – 8 weeks. If you would like to serve the church in this way, please speak to either Stephen Edwards or Barbara Hamilton. Church Cleaning Those people who visit St. Matthew’s very much appreciate how clean the church is kept. This duty is undertaken by teams of two or more people, each team selecting its own members. There is a rota system which requests each team to clean twice a year, each occasion taking about half a day. The rota offers a three week period in which to clean and members can agree a time within this period to suit themselves. The duties can therefore be chosen to fit in with other commitments. The present rota runs out in February 2012 and we are urgently looking for new people. After many years dedicated service some people wish to resign due to ill health, or other reasons, and so the Vicar, the wardens and the P.C.C. would be very grateful to hear from volunteers willing to help in order to reduce the work on those remaining. Please contact David Hart (263080) who will update the rota. Annual Parish Meeting reports - reminder Can all those involved in leading groups/being part of church groups in both parishes make every effort please to write a report on what’s been happening over the last 12 months up to and including December this year. It doesn’t have to be an exhaustive list but perhaps highlight the successes, the hopes and the dreams of what you have been doing. Can you send these reports by email preferably to the secretary: secretary@strettoncofe.org.uk or drop the written article through the door of the Vicarage? Thank you. St Matthew’s School I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Headteacher of St Matthew’s C.E. Primary School and to wish you a very happy and successful New Year ahead. I am delighted to have been appointed to this exciting post and I look forward to working with all the children, parents, staff, governors, members of the Church and all involved with the Stretton and Appleton local communities. It is my aim to ensure that all the children at St Matthew’s enjoy being educated in a safe and stable environment where they feel valued and where they can learn and achieve. I am excited about the prospect of leading St Matthew’s in its next phase of development and I feel privileged to be the Headteacher of this truly unique school which has such a strong involvement with its community. So, to all the children, your parents and carers, families, friends and members of the local community who are central to the life of St Matthew’s CE Primary School, I look forward to meeting you in the near future and look forward to a happy and successful relationship with you over the coming years. Mrs Fryman Headteacher To Be a Canon I had a thoroughly lovely morning at St. Matthew’s Friday Celebration assembly when we said goodbye and thank you to our wonderful Chair of Governors, Mrs Christine Hyatt. Also I was thrilled to receive some flowers and so many gorgeous cards and poems from every class to celebrate my appointment as Honorary Canon of Chester Cathedral. I loved them all but I have chosen one acrostic poem to share with you in the magazine and I am happy to let you see the others, including some drawings where I actually look like me. Chester Cathedral have gained a fun, cool Vicar! An amazing canon! Now you have a chair! Out of this WORLD Now you have a pew! By Jake Burke Mid day Assistants This role is open to anyone with a real heart for children. We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic and caring and who feels they can really help at lunchtimes to ensure that the children enjoy their meals and can be helped to clear away and enjoy a time of play afterwards. This may appeal to someone with school age children, recently retired or someone who wants to put something back into the community. This is a paid position and will necessitate CRB clearance. In the first instance, please contact Mrs Fryman, head teacher, for further details on 01925 730371. ST CROSS February CALENDAR
Coffee Time at St Cross St. Cross Church is open every Tuesday from 10.00 am to 12 noon for a cup of coffee, a friendly chat or for your own quiet time. Everyone is sure of a warm welcome. We would be very glad to see you. Appleton Thorn Christmas Fayre It seems a long time ago but we just Once again a huge thank-you to everybody involved in our recent Christmas Fayre. The work before, during and after the event contributed to our most successful fayres to date, raising in excess of £800. The event was opened by Mr C Burgess, Headteacher of Appleton Thorn Primary School, and the School Choir entertained us with some magnificent singing under the expert guidance of Miss H Millward. Judith Brown (Churchwarden) Queen’s Diamond Jubilee This seems to be a long way off but our two parishes are keen to do something special for this momentous occasion. If you are interested in forming a small working party then can you be in touch with your church wardens who will be arranging a date for everyone to meet up. In the meantime we have a special project lined up. If you are someone who simply enjoys singing then this is for you. Radio 4 has commissioned a brand new choral work which will be performed by choirs across the country at Easter 2012. This nationwide premiere will unite singers in a moment of national harmony to perform this stunning new work with music composed by Sasha Johnson Manning and lyrics by the poet Michael Symmons Roberts. You can download the music and an MP3 to hear this amazing work by clicking on http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/peoples-passion/. We hope to be singing two pieces from it at the Easter Evening Celebration service but want to sing the whole mass over the Jubilee weekend and the provisional date is for Friday 1st June. We would love as many people as possible to become involved. Please email Elaine if you are interested on petera.hall@ care4free.net From the Registers …
Altar Flowers donated BY
Anyone can donate money towards the flowers either in celebration or in remembrance of a loved one or important occasion. We do not expect you to arrange the flowers yourself. For further information please speak to Anne Burgess on 262231. We want to express our thanks to those who put together our floral displays week by week. Connections On Thursday evening 9th February 2012, we look forward to visiting the Brindley Theatre. It is the Bentley Operatic Society's Centenary Year and George Barnes has been fortunate enough to secure 18 tickets for their performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore, commencing at 7:30pm. All these tickets are now sold. Car sharing will operate from the St Matthew's Church car park, departing 6:30pm. For this event, please liaise with George Barnes 860475 or Ian Buckley 261088. February Calendar
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