News2007

To re-coin a phrase, “Inflation waits for no man”! There is some important financial news to pass on, and this ‘season of expenditure’ seems an appropriate time to do so!

Some of you will be familiar with the system of Parish Share. Under this long-established scheme, each church in the Chester Diocese pays a certain amount of its income to the diocese centrally, which then apportions the money between all the parishes as needed. The benefit of this scheme is that the financially stronger churches can support those who are struggling, especially those in poor areas. Because of the financial squeeze being experienced at the moment for a number of reasons, there is having to be a significant increase in the parish share across the board. At St Paul’s, our annual share will go up from £44,791 (this year) to £46,359 (next year, with effect from January). That’s a rise of £131 a month (or £1568 a year). That’s going to put further pressure on our own finances at St Paul’s.

I mention this so that we can all be aware of the reality of the situation, and respond accordingly. Can we all please ensure that we look carefully at our level of giving (as indeed we should do regularly, because, as I said at the start: “Inflation waits for no man”!). Are we keeping up with inflation? Could we be giving any more? And don’t forget that the most efficient way to give is by standing order (as a great many of us now are doing). And if we pay tax, then filling in a Gift Aid form will help the church to the tune of another 23%. Standing order and Gift Aid forms are available in church.

We’re greatly blessed to have so many generous people in our church. Ultimately, it’s not the amount of money we give, but the attitude with which we give it – out of gratefulness to the loving God who has given us so much, and in whose service there is so much work to do.
Many thanks Richard

2007/11/14 Booth Street Centre Christmas Card Appeal

You may know that we support the Booth Centre based at Manchester Cathedral, which offers activities, ad vice and support for homeless people.

They are issuing a Christmas Card Appeal, to help the 200 homeless people who will visit the Booth Centre this Christmas. The idea is to give each person a personal Christmas card and present, and the Centre is inviting people to send them a card with a message of your choice (unsealed), and if you want to, to enclose a £5 note to buy that person a Christmas present.

You can send your card to Amanda Croome, Christmas Card Appeal, The Booth Centre, Manchester Cathedral, Manchester M3 1SX.

2007/11/14 Diocesan Youth Road Show Saturday 8 December

Are you involved in some sort of youth work, or do you think you might want to get involved in some way? Maybe the Youth Roadshow could be for you!

The Chester Diocesan Youth Committee decided a few years ago to focus its training on a series of day workshops, one in each Deanery, called "Anyone can do youth work." The idea is to get people to think about what they could start doing, or on how to build on what is already happening. It demands no previous experience, just an interest and enthusiasm.

Why not go along and find out more? The roadshow is at the “Meeting Point” at St Barnabas Church, Hattersley, from 10.00am till 1.00pm, on Saturday 8 December. If you’d like any more information, please give me a ring. Or just roll up!

Richard

2007/11/14 Prayer Day for St Paul's - Saturday 12 January

We’ve decided there could be no better way to start the year than with a day of prayer for our church. We’re going to hold this on Saturday 12 January, and I’d like to encourage every (mobile!) church member to come into church at some point that day, even if just for 10 minutes. We’ll give out a little sheet of paper with suggested things to pray for, and people can just slip in and out as is convenient for them. All prayer is important and effective, but to do so together, in a concerted way like this, should be particularly fruitful. Please do note it in your diary, and drop in for whatever time you can spare. We haven’t yet finalised the starting and finishing times, but they’ll be advertised soon. But that’s just one special prayer day: in the meantime, please keep praying regularly as well!

2007/11/02 Usage of St Paul's website

Here are details of visits to the church website over the last twelve months.

MONTH	VISITS
Oct-07	650
Sep-07	535
Aug-07	580
Jul-07	702
Jun-07	542
May-07	570
Apr-07	495
Mar-07	456
Feb-07	404
Jan-07	379
Dec-06	340
Nov-06	349
Total	6002

2007/10/21 New churchwarden

Congratulations to Janet McBride who was appointed churchwarden at a meeting in church last Sunday.

2007/10/15 Alpha Course 2008

Many of you will now be familiar with the concept of the Alpha Course. We’ve been running Alpha for five years now. Our next course starts in January, and already some have signed up!

For those who are unfamiliar with it, Alpha is a one-evening-a-week, 10-week course, offering a chance to explore elements of the Christian faith, to chat about them in a relaxed and informal environment, and ask some of the questions we all inevitably have. Each evening consists of a meal, a DVD presentation on a particular theme, and group discussion time. It’s a chance to learn and make new friends at the same time! And long-standing members of church have enjoyed it just as much as newcomers.

Our Alpha Course will again run on Wednesday evenings (7.15-9.30pm), beginning on 9 January 2008. The course is open to any interested adults – existing church members, baptism parents, marriage couples, those considering confirmation, or people who’ve never had any contact with St Paul’s at all - anyone is welcome!
Please consider it for yourself, or suggest it to a friend.

Forms will be available in church (or from me direct), giving information on the content of the course, and how it works. Or for more information, please ring me on 338-2514.
Richard

2007/10/15 Ecumenical Service in Mossley

Last year we celebrated a joint ecumenical Carol Service with the other local churches here at St Paul’s. This year, instead of an ecumenical service in Stalybridge, we’re all invited to join with others at a special Methodist service in Mossley, their “Circuit Advent Service”. This is on Sunday 2 December at 6.00pm (time to be confirmed in due course), and will explore some of the traditions of Advent and Christmas in churches around the world. All are very welcome.

2007/10/15 Joint Advent Services

A new venture this year is a short series of three Advent Services shared with All Saints, Micklehurst and St James’, Millbrook. There will be one service in each church, on 3 consecutive Tuesday evenings, beginning on 27 November, at 7.30pm, at All Saints. They will be reflective services, offering a space in the week to pause for worship and meditation, and helping us with the Advent process of preparation and waiting. Please note that the service at St Paul’s, on 4 December, will start at 8.00pm.

2007/10/15 Christmas Fair : 24 November 11:00 - 2:00

Don’t forget that our Christmas Fair is on Saturday 24 November. It’s always an event not to be missed! There will be a wide range of games and stalls as ever, and refreshments of all sorts that would be worth queuing round the block for! It starts at 11.00, and finishes at 2.00. And if past fairs are anything to go by, tremendous amounts will be raised for church funds. Bring along a friend or two!

2007/10/15 Remembrance Day and "Remembering" November 11

The morning service will be on the theme of “Peace and Remembrance”. Traditional elements of the Remembrance Service will be interwoven with readings and music to aid prayer and reflection. Among other items, the choir will be singing two anthems, setting appropriate Biblical texts to music.

The evening will be our Service for the Bereaved, to which all are invited, and especially those who have lost loved ones in recent times. This is intended as an act of worship, thanksgiving, remembrance and healing. We hope you’ll be able to join us for one or both of these services.

2007/10/15 Fairtrade Christmas Fair

Albion United Reformed Church in Ashton are holding a Fairtrade Christmas Fair on Saturday November 10th, from 10.30am – 3.00pm. There will be Traidcraft, Tearcraft, and Oxfam stalls etc. Admission is free, and refreshments will be on sale.

2007/10/15 The Holy Land : illustrated talk by Richard Lawry 13 November @ 8 pm

When I came back from my pilgrimage to the Holy Land at the end of March this year, several people asked if I might show some pictures or give a talk about it. I decided the best thing to do would be both together! It’s taken rather longer to get round to than I’d anticipated, but eventually I’ve got things organised! And on Tuesday 13 November, at 8.00pm, in the church lounge, I’ll be sharing some of my experiences with any who’d like to come along. All welcome!
Richard

2007/09/21 Pictures of St Paul's from Tameside's Image Archive

We have now added a page of links to over 70 photographs which are part of Tameside Libraries' Image Archive. You will find them by following the Pictures link from the bar menu on any page - or by clicking on this link. If you have any pictures of St Paul's - especially pictures of events at the church - and would like to let us use them on the website, please use the contact form to let us know.

2007/09/15 "White Hart" dinner : Thursday 29 November

We have planned a major fund-raising and social event, which is coming up soon: dinner at the White Hart Inn in Lydgate. The White Hart is a marvellous place on the edge of the countryside beyond Mossley, and it’s renowned as a splendid venue with superb food. We have booked it for dinner on Thursday 29 November (7.00 for 7.30pm). It will accommodate a maximum of 160 people, so we hope to raise a spectacular sum for our Restoration Fund.

This as an opportunity to invite friends from outside church to enjoy themselves and help in our restoration campaign. The tables will be arranged to seat about 10 people each. So you may want to book a whole table and fill it with friends, or simply book for one or two and help to make up ‘mixed tables’ with others.

The tickets are £37.50, which may sound a lot! But every ticket sold will raise £20 for the Restoration Fund. This will be a 4-course dinner (including coffee and home-made chocolates!) – a fixed menu, with a vegetarian option – and the cost covers everything but drinks. As it’s such a special occasion, we’re suggesting “smart/formal” dress (black tie optional but certainly not mandatory!)

We’re also planning to do a cheaper fun night out at another less posh venue nearer home on another occasion before too long!

If you would like any further details, do talk to any member of the Social Committee or Restoration Task Group. The main organiser/link person is Stuart Hobday (330-2740). Stuart will have tickets, and he can also tell you anything else you’d like to know.

There is a fuller version of these notes here. (You will need - the free - Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file).

2007/09/15 Memorial plaques

With the new Memorial Garden now largely completed, we are able to start the process of moving plaques from the temporary board in church, and can now discuss the permanent siting of individual plaques. (As before, unfortunately, we will still have to restrict plaques to those with a particular connection with St Paul’s).

If you would like to have a plaque transferred outside, please speak to Richard to discuss the positioning of it.

Want to be a sleuth for the evening? Then come and watch the drama unfold and see if you can work out who dud it. No acting involved. Saturday 23rd June at 7.30pm. £6 per ticket inc buffet and soft drinks. Bring your own alcohol. See Heidi Booth or David Stockwell for details or phone 0161 303 7160.

2007/05/18 Yanks

Some of you will remember that the 1979 film Yanks was filmed - in part - in this area. An enquiry about the film came with a still from the film of a scene shot in St Paul's. It shows an orchestra performing in St Paul's in front of the rood screen and the sanctuary. The rood screen was later moved to the balcony. You can see the still on the opening page of our pictures section. More information about the locations used in the film can be found here.

2007/05/16 Confirmation - 17 June

Our Confirmation Service this year is on Sunday 17 June, at 6.30pm. At the time of writing, it looks like we will have 5 adult candidates and 4 teenagers. If you are able to, please do make sure you come along for this important and celebratory service, and support those taking this step. The Bishop of Stockport, Bishop Nigel Stock, will be presiding. If you can’t be there in person, please do be praying for the group as they prepare to take this step on their Christian journey.

2007/04/24 Contacting St Paul's through the website

We have removed all email links from the website and replaced them with a contact form - click on the CONTACT US link on the menu to see it - for visitors to use when getting in touch with St Paul's. This has been done to improve the security of the website.

2007/04/22 Rose Queen

Rebecca Stone has been chosen to succeed Queen Anastasia as St Paul's Rose Queen for 2007-2008. Her reign will begin in July.

2007/04/11 Whit Walks - 27 May

Make a note in your diary for our Whit Walks on the afternoon of Whit Sunday (Pentecost) – which falls on 27 May. As ever, we will be processing through the streets, with banners and brass band, into the town centre, where we will gather with our brothers and sisters from the other churches in Stalybridge for a united service in Armentieres Square, by the canal. After the service, we’ll walk back to St Paul’s, and enjoy a well deserved cup of tea! It’s always a lovely occasion for the churches and the town, and the more people walking, the better!
We will be leaving from outside the vicarage at 1.45pm, getting into town in time for the service at 2.30. We hope as many people as possible will be there to swell the procession. And we hope for fine weather again!

2007/04/11 Archdeacon's visitation, Monday 21 May

The Archdeacon’s Visitation this year is on Monday 21 May, at 7.30pm, at St John’s, Dukinfield. This is the annual service for all the churches in the deanery (in our case, the Deanery of Mottram), where the Archdeacon come to preach and receive official paperwork after the separate churches’ annual meetings. All churchwardens and sidespeople are supposed to attend, and I would strongly encouraged everyone to do so if they can. It’s a chance to get together, and also for people to be thanked for all the good work they’ve done and commissioned for their work over the coming year.

2007/04/22 Christian Aid Lunch 13 May 2007

This will take place on 13 May which is the beginning of Christian Aid Week. The frugal meal - soup, a roll and tea and coffee - will cost £2.75. The meal will be preceded by a showing of a relevant video and a short quiz - the winner of which will receive some Fairtrade goods. Proceeds of the meal will go to buying ducks - vital for people living in areas of the world affected by frequent flooding. Tickets are available before the event in church from Jacintha Manchester.

2007/03/07 Holy Week and Easter

This year, April starts with the most important week of our church calendar: Holy Week.

We will celebrate Palm Sunday with the usual (Parade) service at St Paul’s in the morning, and then join the other churches in Stalybridge for a united walk – starting from the Methodist Church at 2.15pm and walking to St Peter’s, where there will be a short service.

As always, we will hold a Communion Service on Maundy Thursday at 7.30pm, to remember the Last Supper. And as last year, this will be in the upper room at church, just as Jesus’ last supper was in an upper room.

On Good Friday we will be offering a 3-hour service of meditation in words and music, starting at 12.00 noon, which people are welcome to come for all or part of.

There will be a short service of Compline at 9.30pm on Saturday, Easter Eve, to help prepare for the great day following.

And Easter will be celebrated with a BCP Communion at 8.00, and a Family Communion service at 10.30. I hope those of you who are active will be able to share in at least some of those acts of worship, and that your journey through Holy Week will be a rich and deepening experience.

The children will be preparing as well! On the first three mornings of Holy Week, some of them (having invited a friend along who wouldn’t normally come to church) will be taking part in “Easter Activity Week”, a chance for them to discover more about Easter while having fun.

2007/03/07 Restoration Update

It’s been a bit of a time of snakes and ladders on the restoration front recently!

Earlier this year we had some disappointing financial news, in that English Heritage turned down our appeal for financial support with the next phase of our restoration scheme. They helped us significantly last time round, and we were hopeful that they would do so again, but sadly there were just too many applicants for limited funds, and we missed out. So we are having to delay the next phase, which we had hoped to tackle at the beginning of next year.
On the positive side, our new boilers are now working well. We had a teething problem when the new, more efficient boilers ruptured a weak joint on a pipe under the floor in church, causing steam to rise from the grating (a little alarming to those who were unaware of the cause!) But at the time of writing, that seems to be all sorted out!
Richard

2007/03/07 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

We’re repeating the experiment we tried last year of holding our annual meeting on a Sunday morning after church, which enabled more people to attend. It will be on Sunday 22 April, at 11.30am, following a shorter than usual Morning Prayer service at 10.30. Do join us if you’re able. This is the meeting at which we elect churchwardens, PCC members and others, and when we look back over the year just ended, and look forward to the year ahead. (All those on the church Electoral Roll are elegible to vote.) For any of you who are not able to be there, Once again there will be a booklet of reports from all the groups active in church, giving an overview of activities over the last 12 months, so do pick up a copy or ask someone to bring you one if you’re house-bound.
Richard

2007/03/07 Pastoral Visiting Group

We’ve set up a new small team to help with pastoral visiting. This supercedes the Pastoral Visiting Scheme which we commissioned two years ago, but which has not functioned as anticipated, and which we feel it’s best to disband. This new group exists to support me in pastoral care and visiting of people in the church and community, on an ad hoc basis, as particular needs arise. As before, there will undoubtedly continue to be plenty of ‘unofficial’ visiting of others by church members, which is as it should be. But this new set-up is an attempt to meet a variety of pastoral needs more efficiently as they arise.

Richard

2007/03/02 Easter Activity Week at St. Paul's

Have fun finding out more about Easter!

Three mornings of activities for St Paul's Sunday School children - each bringing a friend from outside church. Children welcome from Year 2 to Year 7

Monday 2nd, Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th April from 10.00 - 12.00 in the church lounge.

Hands-on activities - crafts, drama, cooking, games and much more!
See the sign-up sheet in church or enquiries to Margaret Leitch (01457-765526)

2007/02/10 Grand piano update

The plan is to go ahead with a simpler, cheaper scheme (removing some pews in the South Transept only) to accommodate the Steinway grand which we have kindly been given. The diocese has sanctioned this new scheme, as have the Victorian Society and the local authority, both of whom have to be consulted on such matters. At the time of writing - 7 March 2007 - we are coming near the end of the period of public notice for this proposal, and all being well, hope to be in a position to welcome in the piano soon.

Richard

2007/02/10 New electoral roll

This year, every local church in the Church of England has to renew its Electoral Roll. The electoral roll is the list of full members of the church, showing who belongs to the church, and giving people the right to attend annual meetings and have a voice in how the church is run, and so on. This renewal of the roll was last done in 2002. Usually it happens every six years, but this time, due to a change in the regulations, it’s being done after five. This means that everyone over 16 who is baptised and a regular attender at St Paul's and who wishes to be on the roll, even those who have been on the roll for years already, have to fill out an application form. You do not have to be resident in the parish to be on the roll, just a regular attender (or a past regular attender if you are now house-bound). It's very important we all do this, so we'd be very grateful if you would do so yourself and make sure that everyone else knows about this requirement. The forms are available from Eileen Frith, our Electoral Roll Officer, and have to be completed and returned by 25th March. It will not take long to complete the form! Any queries, please phone Eileen on 01457-762552 or Richard Lawry on 0161-338 2514. Thanks very much for your cooperation

2007/01/22 Auction of Promises - 21st April

We are planning an auction of promises - to be held on 21st April - to raise money for the Restoration Fund . People are being asked to pledge a promise (e.g. gardening, trip to the airport etc.) which can then be bid for at auction. We are also approaching local businesses to donate "lots" to be auctioned. Further details available in church.

2007/01/15 Lent Course : "Chocolat"

Chocolate in Lent? Are you serious?

Lent courses are intended to provide a space in the week when we can pause for breath, take stock, and be challenged to consider some issues of importance. Lent is a season for reflection and self-examination in the light of our faith. And this year’s course will be a bit different!

As last year, we’re providing a Lent Course jointly with All Saints, Micklehurst and St James’, Millbrook. And this year we’ll be following a course based on the book and film “Chocolat”. Each week the session will include a clip from the film (about a woman who opens a chocolate shop in a small village in France), and there’ll be the chance to discuss a variety of issues about consumption and abstinence, from a novel perspective! It promises to be stimulating (as chocolate is supposed to be!).

The idea of the sessions is to challenge us to think more radically about the real purpose of Lent. It’s good practice to put aside some extra time during Lent for reflection, and this is one way to do that. The meetings are at St James’ Church, Millbrook, on Tuesdays at 7.30pm, starting on 27 February. They will now extend into Holy Week, incidentally, with the last session on 3 April. They are open to all. Even if you can’t make all of the sessions, you are very welcome to join us for any you can come to.

Read a review of the film "Chocolat" from the BBC Movies website here.

2006/12/17 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

One of our now traditional joint services each year is that to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, towards the end of January. This year we’ll be gathering at the Congregational Church on Baker Street, in Stalybridge, and celebrating with the other churches in the town. The service is on Sunday 21 January at 6.30pm.

2006/12/17 New Grand Piano

In the autumn, St Paul’s was offered a wonderful gift. Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester offered us a Steinway grand piano for nothing! It’s one of their concert pianos which is being replaced. Being a Steinway, of course, it’s a very fine instrument. It would need just some standard work to bring it back to tip-top condition, but we expect that the cost of that would be defrayed by the proceeds of a concert, once in situ. It would be a marvellous asset to St Paul’s, both for use in some services and for concerts, (not to mention as a financial asset!). We’re very grateful to Chetham’s for their generous offer.

The discussion about the best way to accommodate the piano in church has given rise to another unexpected opportunity. To make room for the piano, we would need to remove a couple of pews. The PCC considered this, and decided that the best place for the piano would be in the South transept. So, if all goes ahead, we are hoping to take this opportunity to move the font to a position more in the centre of the church, which would be a much better position for baptisms (at the moment the font is rather tucked away), and would help to remind us all more regularly of the importance of our own baptism. We await to hear the outcome of our application to the diocesan regulatory body concerned, whose permission is required for changes of this sort in church. These things can take time, and raise unforeseen issues, so the word is: “Watch this space!”

2006/12/17Quiet Day

On Saturday 20 January, I will be leading a ‘Quiet Day’. This is for St Paul’s members, but we’re holding it at All Saints, Micklehurst, as it’s such a good venue for this sort of thing. The purpose of it is to provide a few hours of peaceful reflection – a sort of mini-retreat! – during which there will plenty of opportunity to read, pray, think, and listen. I’ll be providing some thoughts and written material for us to reflect on, some guided Bible reading, and so on. We’ll break for (a quiet!) lunch in the middle – so please bring a sandwich (but drinks will be provided). We’ll need to limit numbers to around 25 or so, so please sign up on the notice board in the lounge (or ring me if you prefer – 338-2514). I hope it will be a haven of post-Christmas peace, and a vehicle for spiritual growth for us all.

Richard

2006/12/17 Alpha Course

Starting soon: our next Alpha Course! In fact, it’s starting on Wednesday 10 January.

Have no fear - it may be called the Alpha “Course”, but it’s not work! There are no tests to do, or assignments to write! On the contrary, it’s relaxed and enjoyable. Just a chance to learn and explore in the company of friends. We’ve just finished a “Senior Alpha”, which has been very much enjoyed by a group of church members on “the top side of 55”! This evening Alpha is open to all adults of any age.

Alpha is a one-evening-a-week, 10-week course (free!), offering a chance to explore and chat about many of the essential elements of the Christian faith. Each evening consists of a meal, a DVD presentation on a particular theme, and group discussion time. It’s a chance to learn, absorb, chat, enjoy yourself and make new friends.

Our Alpha Course will again run on Wednesday evenings (7.15-9.30pm), beginning, as noted above, on 10 January. The course is open to any interested adults – existing church members, baptism parents, marriage couples, those considering confirmation, or people who’ve never had any contact with St Paul’s at all - anyone is welcome!
Booking forms are available in church (or from me direct), with more information about the course, how it works, and how to book. Or do just give me a ring on 338-2514.

Thank you. Richard

2006/12/17 Songs of Praise - 21 January

On 21 January, our main 10.30 morning service will be a little different. Usually, we choose the hymns and songs for the service according to the themes in the readings or the calendar. But on 21 January, the hymns and songs will be chosen by the congregation! It will be a sort of ‘Songs of Praise’ service, and revolving particularly around our singing. I’m inviting people to put forward their favourite hymn or song, along with a sentence or two about why this is their favourite. I’m also hoping that many people will be willing to stand up and introduce their song themselves (much more interesting than me doing it all!). If you’ve got a song or hymn that’s special to you, please let me know. I hope it will be a festival of song, and an encouragement to all of us taking part.
Richard