Parish Magazine, June / July 2023

by | May 27, 2023 | Magazine Letter

Dear Friends

If you have been in church on a Sunday morning during the past couple of months or so, you may well have heard of the phrase, ‘Fit for Mission’. Just in case you haven’t heard about it, I wanted to use my letter this month to explain what it is all abouFit for Mission is a diocesan initiative aimed at getting churches across our deaneries to work together as part of one or two larger parishes with the intention of helping us all participate in the mission of God more effectively. By having only 1 or 2 PCC’s (rather than the 11 we have across Warrington at present), this will reduce time spent on governance issues at a local church level and so free up time for mission. There will still be the need for a leadership team for each congregation to address local matters such as what worship takes place, what particular mission initiatives should be engaged in and how money is spent. But there would be a central PCC and a central buildings team to oversee how buildings are used.

At heart, Fit for Mission is about people though because it is focused on mission. That is why its 4 main mission priorities are:

  1. Introducing people to Jesus
  2. Deepening discipleship
  3. Developing Christian leaders
  4. Working for justice

Part of this would involve giving church members the opportunity to participate in ‘Cultivate’, a successful local missional leadership programme, designed to equip people to plant new worship communities and justice initiatives. I gather that in St. Helen’s deanery, there are currently 100 people from across their churches involved in this programme, helping to start new things. How exciting is that?!

As part of the PCC’s discernment process to decide whether joining Fit for Mission might be right for St. Mary’s, the PCC held an open meeting with the archdeacon Simon Fisher, back in February. We held the second congregational meeting on this subject at the end of May and there will be a further meeting on July 9 at 11.30 a.m. In addition, Archdeacon Simon will be coming to St. Mary’s to speak on this subject as part of his archdeacon’s visitation on Tuesday 13 June at 7.30 pm, as well as addressing our 8am and 10am services on Sunday 25 June. Do make the most of these opportunities to find out more about Fit for mission and do let the PCC know your views at the congregational meeting. The PCC will need to vote on this issue in the autumn, so please do pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for them.

Finally, a quick update on the extension. The deadline for the council to report on our application for planning permission has now been put back from the end of May to the end of September this year. This is very frustrating and we have asked the council if they will reconsider how long the deadline is pushed back by. I will update you when I have any further news.

Best wishes.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Team Letter, May 2023

by | May 26, 2023 | Team Letter

Dear Friends

It’s nearly two months since I last wrote – how time flies! It was good to worship together as a team of churches during Holy Week, with communion and a vigil at St.Mary’s on Maundy Thursday, the Good Friday afternoon service at St.Philip’s, and the Easter Eve vigil at St.James’. It was also good to worship together as part of Churches Together in Warrington at Honiton Square on Good Friday lunchtime.

That sense of praying and worshipping together as Christians in our locality continued with the Thy Kingdom Come prayer walk on Ascension Day last week. I do hope that you are praying for 5 people who do not yet know Jesus to come to know Him and that God blesses you with some good conversations as you seek to share with and demonstrate faith to them. And as we gather in our own churches to celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, may we know the empowering of the Spirit to enable us to continue to share our faith for the year ahead.

As we prepare to move into June, so the Church of England prepares to ordain people as deacons and priests up and down our land, and across our world. Do pray for all those being ordained at this time, particularly in our Diocese of Liverpool, and especially for Rebecca Lloyd from St.James’ as she prepares to be priested. Do also pray for the young people from St.James’ recently confirmed by Bishop John at St.Andrew’s, Orford last Sunday and for the young people and adults from St.Philips’ and St.Mary’s respectively who are preparing to be confirmed at St.Philip’s on Sunday 9 July at 4 p.m.

At the end of March, some of you will have gone to the Parr Hall for the Church Warrington service to hear the evangelist J.John prepare us for a year of mission across our town. This will continue with the production of flyers this summer to distribute to each household across our town in September, informing them of the carols event at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Thursday 14 December at 7 p.m. at which J.John will speak. Do please play your part in helping to distribute these flyers, and be thinking and praying who you might invite to come to that event with you.

Finally ,a reminder that you are all very welcome to attend the deanery visitation at St.Mary’s on Tuesday 13 June at 7.30 p.m. Archdeacon Simon will not only commission churchwardens for their responsibilities but also talk about the diocesan Fit for Mission initiative (NB This meeting relaces the one originally planned for Sunday 11 June). Please do make the most of this opportunity to learn more about Fit for Mission and to ask any questions that you might have about it, as we continue to discern what God is calling us to as churches at this time.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

P.S. Churches Together in West Warrington are hoping to have a stall at the Penketh Carnival on Saturday July 8, 12 noon-4 pm. If you can help either set up, staff the stall or take it down, please let me or Sarah/Martin know by Sunday 4 June.