2003/12/13
Restoration Fund - latest total2003/12/04
GivingChurch Treasurer Carol Wallwork writes:
Let’s start with the good news:
- We are blessed with a wonderful church.
- We have a large, impressive building – with some of the most beautiful stained glass in the diocese.
- We have lots going on in our church community , and a lovely, big and committed congregation to support it all.
- The Restoration Fund is making good headway towards the large target we need to complete Phase Two of the building restoration project. Church members are digging deeply and willingly to help achieve this goal which will benefit our children and future generations – and for this we give thanks.
But......
- the cost of maintaining our beautiful building is proving a constant strain on our resources.
- Whilst the Restoration Fund is growing, so are the general running costs of the church itself.
- At the moment we are having to dip into our reserves to meet our normal expenditure – reserves which we are unlikely to be able to replace.
- We are already tightening our belt wherever possible, but that in itself will not be enough.
- So we are asking everyone who has the best interests of St Paul’s in their heart to consider carefully what they give to the church.
- The Restoration project is important to us all, and it will be wonderful when the building is returned to its former glory, but we must not forget the everyday running cost of our church.
- Our
giving to the Restoration has to be on top of our normal
giving – not instead of it!
The Church of England suggests we make 5% of our income a target to aim for in what we give to God and the work of his church – could we all be giving more than we are at present?
There are a number of ways in which you can give to church and which maximise your giving:
- If you area tax payer, you could use Give as you Earn which is a tax effective way of giving more to church, via the Inland Revenue. You fill in a form at work with details of what is to be paid, to whom and how often, and it is then deducted from you pay with nothing more to think about. There is more information about the scheme at here.
- You could complete a Standing Order mandate so that your bank pays your contribution directly to the PCC without anything else to think about. You can print out a Standing Order from the website by going to our Standing Order page.
- You can join our weekly envelope scheme
- or still put cash on the collection plate.
2003/11/23
Harvest Fair Trade Petition - Chancellor's
reply We have received a reply to from H M Teasury on behalf of the Chancellor to our petition on Fair Trade signed at the Harvest. It opens:
Thank you for your letter and petition of 6 October to the Chancellor on the subject of fair trade. He has asked me to reply on his behalf.
The Chancellor is strongly committed to improving trade rules to benefit the poor. He sees this as a key pillar, alongside aid, private investment, and economic integration in driving forward sustainable economic development in the poorest countries of the world.....
to read the Chancellor's full reply click here
2003/11/13
Daily Prayer 2003/11/09
Choir CD 
2003/11/09
Friday night youth group 2003/11/03
Healing Services 2003/11/03
Remembering
: a service for the
bereaved - 9
November 2003/10/26
Restoration Fund2003/09/29
Restoration Comedy
: 24 OctoberThe event is a variety entertainment evening of fun and laughter, in aid of our Restoration Fund. The date is Friday 24 October, at 7.30pm. And the venue is - just for a change - at "the other end of the parish"!........ at the Roe Cross Inn, by the cutting on the way to Mottram.
We've a super line-up of people "doing a turn" (with one or two surprising faces appearing!)- and there should be a great mix of sketches, monologues and music - an enjoyable, relaxing and fun evening.
We hope it will be not just a chance to have some fun together, but also a good opportunity to introduce friends.
The Roe Cross have kindly let us have the whole downstairs area for the evening free of charge. It's an ideal place to stage a variety event of this sort (complete with "show corner", etc), with a carvery available upstairs for those who wish to eat during the evening.
Tickets are £5 each - and numbers will be limited to around 90, so hurry! Please contact David Stockwell (0161-304 8196) for tickets or more information.
And don't forget, it's all in a great cause - in aid of our Restoration Fund.
Do come along and enjoy youselves - and bring a friend!
2003/09/15
Next
Alpha Course 2003/08/07
Beyond
the Ring
I hope that most of us are now aware of the Canal Mission - "Beyond the Ring" - which is happening in the second half of September, and reaching its conclusion in Stalybridge on the weekend of 27th/28th September. This is the major outreach event of the year in our Chester Diocese, with a flotilla of canal boats making their way round the Cheshire Canal ring system. The main purpose of it is to share what we have to offer with others - to encourage the people in our communities to take a look at what we're about in church, and to feel welcomed. We have a great message to spread - that there is more to life than meets the eye, and a whole new world to discover in the love of God shown to us in Jesus.
All the churches of the area anywhere near the canal are putting on a huge variety of 'happenings', including curry evenings, concerts, services, entertainments, pub events and meetings of various kinds.
Here at St Paul's, various celebrations are planned.
The climax will be the jazz concert at 7.30pm on the evening of Sunday 28th. This is no ordinary jazz-band. 'Wellspring' are a unique outfit. They are all professional musicians from the North-West who are also Christians. I've heard them before and they are fantastic. The evening will include a glass of wine or other refreshment in the interval, and will be a brilliant thing to bring your friends to. Great entertainment - with a Christian flavour. We're selling tickets at 2 for £5. One for £5 would be good - 2 for £5 is a bargain! The principle is that the second person comes free. So church members buy a ticket and bring along a friend for the ride!
Earlier in the day, the 10.30am morning service will be a celebration Family Communion. Roly Bain the Clown will be with us, as well as Paul Brown, the Church Mission Society representative for the North-West, and guest preacher for the day.
At 3.00pm that afternoon, we'll be coming together with other churches in the middle of Stalybridge for a joint open-air service - weather permitting!.
Launching the weekend (if you'll pardon the pun!) will be the Saturday afternoon open event at church, where things will be given a special canal/water theme! I won't undermine the novelty by giving too many details away..... you'll just have to come and experience it! Many of the groups who meet at church or who use it will be in evidence to show what they do and to host activities and games. The main "outside" attraction will be the entertainer-conjurer Ian Otto, who will provide a show to delight and bamboozle. There will be refreshments, too, and various surprises. The afternoon will have a particular attraction for children, but is intended for "punters of all ages"!
It will be a super opportunity to bring friends along, partly to encourage them to dip their toe in the water (!) and partly just to have a good time together.
The whole weekend will be one of the major events of the year, and a great opportunity to have fun and serve God at the same time. Please make it a priority, get involved, and have fun!
2003/07/11
New
additions to the website
Alpha Course: John McGartland's thoughts on the first Alpha Course are now on the site : click here
New
link
: We have now put a link to the BBC's
Religion and Ethics website which covers Christianity
and other world religions plus news and discussion of
topical ethical issues.
2003/07/06
New
Rose Queen
2003/06/13
Trade
Justice Movement
2003/06/01
Annual
Sponsored Cycle Ride 19 July
Our
annual ride on the Longdendale Trail takes place on 19
July - for youngsters and 'notsoyoung'sters. More details,
and sponsorship forms, will be available in a couple of
weeks time from Stephen & Gillian Parkin.
2003/05/23
Deanery
Day 22 June
It's
the Mottram Churches big day on 22 June,
and this year we're hosting it!
The Deanery Day will be at St Paul's
(and over the road at the school), from 3.00-7.30pm, and
there's a very exciting programme in store. The theme
of the day is "Getting in touch", and
it's intended for people of all ages!
There'll be all sorts of things on offer: a drama workshop for children by a special outside drama group, discussions and workshops on baptism, the Bible, teenagers' needs, using our buildings, prayer, "Praise and Play" and similar ventures for small kids, and much more. People will be able to choose seminar options and activities. At 5.30, we'll break for a picnic (bring your own food - drinks provided)! And finally at 6.30pm, we'll join together for an all-age celebration service.
It
should be a terrific afternoon for everyone, and a great
opportunity to share with those from surrounding churches.
Please make it a priority in your weekend planning, and
come and join the fun! Let's give our brothers and sisters
in the area a great welcome
2003/05/16
Fund
raising
- The members of the Mothers Union would like to say a big Thank You to all who helped and supported their cream tea on Saturday May 10th. The total amount raised was £194.70 for the Restoration Fund.
- The
Christian Aid lunch held at church on Sunday 11th May
raised £167.00
Many thanks to all who stayed for lunch and to all who gave donations
2003/05/05
Music
Group
Does
anyone in the congregation (young or old!) play - now
or in the past - a musical instrument to about Grade 5
standard? We would like to form a small instrumental group
to play in some hymns in occasional services - Parade
Service / Evening Praise, etc. Nothing too difficult!
If you'd like to explore the idea, contact Brenda
Lawry (338-2514)
2003/04/20
St
Paul's church website goes live 2003/04/09
New
Parochial Church Council elected At the church Annual General Meeting 5 new members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) were elected to replace retiring members. The full PCC is:
Ex-officio members: Richard Lawry (priest in charge), Richard Steels & David Stockwell (wardens.
Deanery Synod Representatives: John Clements, Richard Steels, Helen Hobday.
PCC members: Viv Dawson, Keith Dawson, Jacqui Nield, Geoff Senior, Alison Monks, Carol Wallwork, Marjorie Ashton, Iain Frith, Harry Giblin, Barbara Jones, Derek Jones, Steve Parkin, Ruth Buckley, Barry Edge, Eileen Frith, Stuart Hobday, Steve Willis, Debbie Keating.
2003/04/09
Restoration
Fund 2003/04/04
Deanery
Childrens' Link 2003/03/16
Course in Biblical Spirituality
An eight week course on guidance and discipleship using the stories of some of the great Bible characters starts on Sunday 23 March at All Saints, Micklehurst. It's from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - and is free. Contact Richard Lawry for further details.
2003/03/16
St Paul's Annual General Meeting
2003/02/14
St Paul's joins Chester diocese Fairtrade campaign
In January St Paul's PCC agreed to support the Fairtrade campaign by using only Fairtrade tea and coffee at church events thus supporting producers in the Third Word seeking a fair return for their work. Church members are also encouraged to use Fairtrade products - available at many supermarkets - at home, too.
2003/02/05
Creche
Our creche is now up and running for those Sundays when Sunday School is held.
2003/01/12
Date of confirmation announced The Bishop of Chester will conduct a confirmation service at St Paul's on 8 June. Confirmation is open to all adults and teenagers (13+). Anyone wanting more information contact Richard Lawry
2003/01/09
Test version of
website live on the web
A working version of the website was uploaded to the web today and comments on the design invited from church members. Submit comments to George Maddock