Dear Friends
Today has been dubbed ‘Freedom Day’ by some sections of the media. Whilst it is true that in theory most of our freedoms have been returned as we have reached step 4 of the unlocking process, in practice I think that is something different. For we are all being urged to continue to be cautious in the face of the ever-rising coronavirus infection rates, and also mask wearing is being expected and recommended by the government in crowded areas such as public transport. I think the key thing for me in all of this is that as Christians we should continue to be good neighbours to those around us, particularly those who may be fearful or cautious about this final stage of the roadmap. Sometimes, limiting our freedoms for the benefit of others is a sacrifice we are called to make.
How all of this translates into practice for our four team churches is being discussed by PCCs at present. Different PCCs may come to different conclusions. What Bishop Paul has constantly said throughout the pandemic is that local churches are best placed to make local decisions within the law but also that safety should come first. Please do pray for wisdom for our PCC members at this time.
One development within our team that I wish to share with you all concerns St. Philip’s. As most of you will probably be aware, we have been in a sharing agreement with the Methodist Church at St. Philip’s since its inception. This was a bold attempt some thirty years ago to create one church to cover the new housing that was springing up in the area following the closure of the Burtonwood air base. The agreement has worked well in many ways but increasingly the Methodist Church have found it difficult to resource this as their numbers of stipendiary clergy have fallen. Therefore, having consulted the church members, and both churches’ Mission and Pastoral Committees, the difficult decision has been made that the Methodists will withdraw from the partnership at the end of November. There will be a service to mark this on 21st November at 3 p.m. The withdrawal of the Methodists will of course pose challenges for us as a team in terms of staffing all the services at St. Philip’s and the core team have already agreed a plan for dealing with this which means the stipendiary clergy will be working further across the team. Do please keep all at St. Philip’s in your prayers as they approach this transition time.
One other thing I would like to mention is a request for help for the post of Team Treasurer. This is a role which we have been seeking to fill for a number of years now without success. We are looking for someone who can give an hour of their time (on average) every week to look after the team finances. You don’t need to be a chartered accountant just have a basic numeracy and literacy, and be willing to learn! The role description can be found on the St. Mary’s website. Click here or further information: Team Treasurer | St Mary’s Great Sankey (stmarysgreatsankey.org.uk)
Finally, please may I encourage you to sign up for the Living in Love and Faith course which we are running as a team this autumn. Details are below and there are sign up sheets at the back of each church. Please sign up by the first week in September at the latest as we need to order course books for those wishing to take part. Click on this link for further information Living in Love and Faith | The Church of England.
With my prayers and best wishes
Jeremy Tear
Pioneer Team Rector
LLF Course Dates
Tuesday Evenings, 7.30 – 9.00 p.m., In-person (Venue TBC)
14 September, 21 September, 28 September, 5 October, 12 October
(NB The session on 5 October may not go ahead in which case there will be an additional session on 19 October)
Wednesday Afternoons, 3.00 – 4.30 p.m., Zoom
15 September, 22 September, 29 September, 13 October, 20 October
(NB No session on 6 October)
Thursday Evenings, 7.30 – 9.00 p.m., In-Person (Venue TBC)
16 September, 23 September, 30 September, 21 October, 28 October
(NB No sessions on 7 October and 14 October)
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