Parish Magazine, April / May 2023

by | Mar 28, 2023 | Magazine Letter

Dear Friends

As we approach Holy Week, I would like to invite you all to engage in the drama, the highs and the lows of this most special week in the Church calendar. It starts, of course, with the joy and the hope of Palm Sunday as the crowds welcomed Jesus, the prince of peace into Jerusalem, riding on the back of a donkey. How that divided city still desperately needs the arrival of peace. and justice, this year. But the joy of Palm Sunday soon gives way to the darkness of Maundy Thursday as Jesus is betrayed by Judas, arrested in Gethsemane, and denied by Peter. It gets even worse, of course, as Jesus is crucified on the cross on Good Friday and his body is removed and sealed in a tomb. Any signs of hope are truly dead and buried. And yet…and yet death doesn’t have the last word. Jesus is raised to new life on Easter Sunday, and fresh joy and hope are given again.

I think that throughout our lives we too experience something of the highs and lows, the emotions that are connected with Holy Week. Those moments of great joy at a wedding, the birth of a child, the passing of an exam, the gaining of a new job. But we also know those moments of sadness and despair – the breakdown of a relationship, being made redundant, the death of a loved one. This week therefore mirrors something of our experience as human beings. The good news for us though is that whatever the highs and the lows we may face in our lives, God is with us. And He is the one who is able to transform even the darkest situation into something that can be used for good.

So do come and join us in our Holy Week and Easter services this year. Don’t simply move from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday but join us on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Eve to make the week even more meaningful.

With my best wishes and prayers for a very Happy Easter when it comes.

Jeremy Tear

Pioneer Team Rector

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES
Palm Sunday 2 April Holy Communion, 8 a.m.; All Age Worship, 10a.m.
Maundy Thursday 6 April Holy Communion, 7.30 p.m.; Vigil, 9.00 p.m.
Good Friday 7 April All Age Worship, 10am; Service at Honiton Square, 12 noon; Last Hour at the Cross, St.Philip’s, 2.00 p.m.
Easter Eve 8 April Easter Vigil, St.James, 7.45 p.m.
Easter Sunday 9 April Holy Communion, 8 a.m.; All Age Communion, 10 a.m.

Parish Magazine, February / March 2023

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Magazine Letter

Dear Friends

I wonder how the New Year has started for you? Have you been able to keep any resolutions you might have made so far? One resolution I made a number of years ago was not to make any New Year’s resolutions, as I didn’t want to end up failing to keep them! However, there are some things I do think about at the turn of a new year. Not resolutions as such but more of a review about the past year with the opportunity to reflect about the new one.

I’m pleased to report that the scaffolding which has been up outside St.Mary’s for our quinquennial repairs has now come down as these have now all been completed with the exception of the painting of our window guards (which should have been finished by the time you read this) and the replacement of a window in the upstairs ‘bell room’ which is due to take place in February. I’m hoping also that by February or March we will have heard back from the council about our application for planning permission for the extension, and that (all being well) we can then get on with the process of going out to tender for the work. I’ll keep you updated in my next letter.

Lent is on the horizon, and we will begin that this year with a service of Holy Communion at St.Mary’s on Ash Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. along with friends from other churches in the West Warrington area. We shall also be joining together for Lent study groups once again, with groups running on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Thursday evenings. If you would like to join a group, please sign up on the list at the back of church (further details to follow).

With my prayers and best wishes.

Jeremy Tear

Pioneer Team Rector

Team Letter, January 2023

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Team Letter

Dear Friends

I do hope that you had a good Christmas and that this New Year has started well for you. If you were struck down with a cold/the flu/Covid, my commiserations and I hope that you are now feeling much better.

As a team, all three of our Local Missional Leaders have been recommissioned by Archdeacon Simon since I last wrote two months ago; Marise Seville at St.Paul’s, Paul Smalley at St.James’, and June Dunning at St.Philip’s. It’s good to have them continuing to serve in our churches and if you would be interested in finding out more about what they do, please have a word with them or one of the clergy or look at the diocesan website Being a Local Missional Leader is a real privilege – Diocese of Liverpool (anglican.org).

I’m pleased to report that St.Mary’s and St.Paul’s have finally been successful in their desire to appoint a youthworker, in conjunction with Youth for Christ, who will work in local high schools and in our churches. The person appointed is due to begin in mid-March, subject to references and a DBS check, and I hope to be able to share more details in my next letter.

One other significant development that has recently taken place in the Church of England concerns the proposals issued by the bishops following the end of the Living in Love and faith (LLF) process. You may recall that we ran three study groups across the team back in the autumn of 2021 to look at the important issues of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage which LLF addresses. The proposals are to introduce prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and blessing for same sex couples. The bishops also reaffirmed the Church’s traditional belief in marriage being between one man and one woman, and hence same sex marriages are not being proposed.

The proposals come before the General Synod at its meeting in London from 6-9 February. Please do pray for wisdom for our bishops, clergy and lay people who will discuss these and make decisions about them. I am very conscious that within our team churches there will be those who support these proposals, as well as those who do not, and perhaps some who are currently unsure what they make of them. Whichever group you find yourself in, I do hope that we can respect one another’s viewpoints, even if you disagree strongly with someone else. Archbishop Justin has spoken about the need for us to learn how to ‘disagree well’ with each other within the Anglican Communion, and I want to suggest that it is possible for us to do that if we listen, love and respect each other, just as we tried to do through the study groups back in 2021.

With my prayers and best wishes.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Team Letter, November 2022

by | Dec 1, 2022 | Team Letter

Dear Friends

The season of Advent is almost upon us, and perhaps for many of us that signals the beginning of a headlong rush towards Christmas. There can be so much to do at this time of year – presents to buy, cards to write, food and drink to be ordered, etc. But in that busyness, we can easily fail to recognise the gift of this season. The opportunity to prepare ourselves once again for the coming of Christ into the world, and indeed his coming again at the end of time.

So how might we use this season wisely? One of the things we can do is to make time to speak to someone about our spiritual lives. That might be one of the clergy, a spiritual director (if we have one), or another wise and trusted Christian that we know and respect. Sharing our spiritual journey with another person at a deep level can be one of the most liberating and helpful things we do as Christians. We also might like to take time to read our bibles, to read a devotional book, and to pray. For some of us, these may be activities we do regularly, in which case why not make some extra time for this during Advent? For others of us perhaps that is not so, in which case it’s never too late to start. If you are looking for some advice on reading and praying, do contact one of the clergy. Another thing we might want to consider doing is joining an Advent course. This year, I will be taking part in the course being organised by Sabeel-Kairos, a Christian human rights charity working for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. It’s called ‘Challenging Apartheid in Advent’ and will run on the four Sundays in Advent on Zoom at 7pm. Further details can be found here. We may find the idea of apartheid in relation to the Holy Land a strange one – in South Africa in the past maybe, but not in the land of Jesus’ birth now? However, if you have visited the place and taken time to speak to those concerned for human rights who live there – whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim or of no faith – then you will have realised that all is far from well. If you are Palestinian, you face daily challenges in relation to freedom of movement for work, education and healthcare. So much so that Amnesty International have recently published a report entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians – Amnesty International. Do look at this link and join the course if you can, for part of our calling as Christians in this diocese is to work for justice, to be part of a bigger church making a bigger difference.

Finally, do pray for Marise Seville at St.Paul’s who is being recommissioned as a Local Missional Leader by Archdeacon Simon this Sunday, as June Dunning at St.Philip’s will be in January. Might God be calling you to serve His church in this way also? Do speak to Marise or June, or to one of the clergy if you would like to explore this further.

With my prayers and best wishes.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Parish Magazine Letter, November 2022

by | Nov 18, 2022 | Magazine Letter

Dear Friends

As we begin the season of Advent this year, it’s good to be reminded that the word Advent is derived from the Latin word ‘Adventus’ meaning ‘to come’. It’s a season of preparation to get ourselves ready to remember Jesus who came into the world that first Christmas; to get ourselves ready for His coming amongst us now; and to remember that He will come again one day at the end of time.

I guess we are all getting ready making preparations for celebrating Christmas this year – thinking about gifts to buy, family and friends to see, ordering food, writing cards. But are we making time for the coming of Jesus into our lives once again? It’s so easy to get caught up with the busyness of this season that we forget the ‘reason for the season’, i.e Jesus. So how about making some time to pray, to read your bibles, or you might like to join in the Sabeel-Kairos Zoom series on ‘Challenging Apartheid in Advent’. This is a reference to the dire situation in Palestine, the land of Jesus’ birth, which Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have described as apartheid due to the inferior way in which Palestinians are treated. See Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians – Amnesty International to read their report.

Thinking about things that are coming (I hope!), I promised to give you an update in a previous letter about our plans for an extension. I’m pleased to say that we have now been granted  a faculty by the Diocese for this. This is subject to three conditions however. Firstly, that we have all the funds in place for this and/or available for the entire cost before we commence any work. Secondly, that any headstones disturbed by the works are re-sited at a position to be agreed by the DAC (in consultation with Historic England if appropriate). Thirdly, that we obtain planning permission from Warrington Borough Council within six months of the grant of the faculty. So there is still plenty to be done before any work might start but this is an important step in the right direction and I will keep you updated on developments as and when these are available.

With my prayers and best wishes.

Jeremy Tear

Pioneer Team Rector