From the Vicar
Parish Magazine, June/ July 2024
Dear Friends,
At the end of May, we will have celebrated Trinity Sunday, the annual reminder to us that the God we believe in is one yet three – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity paints a powerful picture of unity in diversity and isn’t that one we need in the Church and in the world today? That it is possible to be united whilst holding onto our differences. We need that as the Church of England as we wrestle with our differences over same sex relationships. We need that as a world in which there is endless conflict, especially in Gaza and Ukraine at present. We need to be reminded that what unites us as human beings is stronger and more powerful than what divides us.
One of the ways in which we as a church at St.Mary’s have been uniting together in recent months is around the raising of funds for our extension. The Gift Day on Easter Sunday brought in nearly £18,000 (including Gift Aid to be reclaimed) – a very encouraging response. We have now had two successful fundraising events – the pie and quiz night in April, and the Boy Band and Bingo evening in May – which have between them raised nearly £1,700. (Our next event is on Saturday June 8th – see elsewhere in the magazine for details). And we have so far been fortunate to secure two grants worth £24,000. Please do join with me in praying that the remaining grant applications will bring in the necessary £20,000 by the end of June to enable us to give notice to our contractor to start work at the end of July.
Whilst we have been busy raising funds for the extension, our regular giving to and fundraising for the church remains important. And hence on Saturday 20 July, we shall hold our annual summer fair between 12 noon-4 pm to raise funds for the church. Please do come and join us, and lend a helping hand if you can, to make this a successful afternoon.
Looking ahead to Fit for Mission and the creation of one new larger single parish for the Deanery of Warrington, we are invited to submit our ideas for a name for the new parish by Sunday 16 June. Please do fill out one of the response slips available at the back of church and put it in the box provided. From week beginning Monday 3 June, our small groups will also be running the SHAPE course, which is designed to help us to discern the gifts God has given us for mission. If you have not yet been to your small group and would like to join it for this course, please let your small group leader or myself know.
With best wishes
Jeremy Tear
Pioneer Team Rector
Team Letter, March 2024
Dear Friends
I do hope that Lent is going well for you and that if you are part of one of the Churches Together Lent groups or other Lent groups within our team, that you are finding this helpful. As we move toward the climax of Lent with Holy Week, let me tell you of the different services that we shall be hosting across our team:
| Maundy Thursday 28 March |
Holy Communion | St.Mary’s 7.30 p.m. |
| Vigil | St.Mary’s 8.45 p.m. |
|
| Good Friday 29 March |
Churches Together Service | Honiton Square 12 noon |
| Last Hour at the Cross | St.Philip’s 2.00 p.m. |
|
| Easter Eve 30 March |
Vigil | St.James’ 7.00 p.m. |
I encourage you to come and participate in the above services. If you have never been to a vigil before, then Maundy Thursday will provide the opportunity to hear readings from the bible plus long period of silence as we wait with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died. On Easter Eve, the vigil service includes the lighting of the Paschal (Easter) candle from a fire, the renewal of baptismal vows and again various readings from the bible. Why not give them a try this year?
The Fit for Mission process is continuing at a steady pace. We have had offers from people across the deanery to serve on the Right Buildings and the Cultivate teams, and we are now keen to hear from people interested in serving on the Communications and Support Services Teams. As ever, if you are interested in anything to do with Fit for Mission, please email the navigation team at warringtonnavteam@gmail.com for further information or to arrange a conversation with Sarah Peppiatt or Ann Cheung, the deanery Fit for Mission facilitator. We have recently had a finance meeting with representatives from all of the churches plus many of the clergy to get to know one another and to understand the nature of the questions which parishes have. There will be a follow up meeting next month. We have also appointed Mara Livingsone McPhail, the deanery synod secretary and member of St.Elphin’s, as the Project Administrator.
In terms of other Team news, St.Mary’s has just launched its appeal to raise money to build an extension (visit www.stmarysgreatsankey.org.uk for further information). St.Paul’s is continuing to see its inter-generational Lifetime service on a Thursday morning thrive, and St.Philip’s has 14 of its school children being confirmed by the Bishop of Liverpool (with 3 adults from St.Mary’s) this Sunday at 3 p.m. – all welcome! Finally, do please continue to pray for Martin and the people of St.James’ as he approaches his retirement this summer and the PCC continue to explore the provision of future ministry there.
Wishing you a very Happy Easter when it comes!
Jeremy Tear
Pioneer Team Rector
Get In Touch
ST Mary's Church of England
Liverpool Road, Great Sankey,
Warrington WA5 1RE
HOW TO GET HERE
Travel by Bike: There are cycle racks to lock your bike to in front of our extension.
Travel by Bus: The number 14 and 15 services run from Warrington Town Centre to near the church and take about 15 minutes.
14 - Warrington - Hood Manor - Penketh/Gt Sankey (Circ) | Warrington's Own Buses
15 - Warrington - Hood Manor - Gt Sankey/Penketh (Circ) | Warrington's Own Buses
Travel by Train: The nearest station with a regular service is Warrington West. Trains from both Liverpool and Manchester take around 30-40 minutes. It takes 15 minutes to walk from the station to St.Mary's.
Warrington West Station | Trains to Warrington West & Times | Northern
Travel by Car: The church is situated just off the A57 road from Warrington Town centre to the M62 motorway at Junction 7. There is a small area to park in front of the church, which takes about 5 to 6 cars. Otherwise, there is parking at the Sankey for the Penketh train, which is a 5-minute walk away.