Dear Friends

‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint’ (Isaiah 40: 31)

The core team of clergy and local missional leaders from our four churches have been thinking and praying the last couple of months, and agreed that the above will be our new team verse for the remainder of this year and moving into the next. I hope you will agree that this seems a very appropriate verse at present. We all need a sense of hope at the current time, and Isaiah assures us that if we hope in the Lord, we will renew our strength. That we will run and not grow weary, that we will walk and not be faint.

I don’t know about you but I have been feeling weary in recent weeks – wearied by the ongoing challenge of living life under restrictions, wearied by the challenge of maintaining church online and offline, wearied to some extent by the predictability of daily life. I haven’t always felt like this – during the first month of lockdown, life was quite exhilarating, finding new ways of working and doing new things (like Alpha) online. But, after 4 months of that, I am feeling weary. Maybe you are too? In which case, it’s important to remember that we need to put our hope and trust in the Lord, for he will renew our strength.

One of the things which I have mentioned in my team letters from time to time is the role of Team Treasurer. I have largely been doing this (by default) since Jan Plimmer stood down as Team Administrator at the end of 2017. I’m attaching a role description and person specification to this letter (link). It’s not a huge job, I estimate it takes 1-2 hours per week so if you think you might be able to help, please do let me know.

It’s good to note that this month all of our Team churches will have reopened, with St.Philip’s commencing worship again on 16^th and 30^th August, and St.James’ re-opening on 23^rd and 30^th August. St.Mary’s continues to open on Sunday mornings for Communion at 8am, and on Wednesday mornings at 10am, whilst St.Paul’s currently is open at 10.30a.m. on Sundays. If you have not yet ventured back to church, perhaps this month is a good month to consider doing that, however I appreciate that not everyone will feel ready to do that yet.

Finally, looking ahead to 2021, the core team are proposing a Team Celebration Communion Service on Sunday 16 May (the nearest Sunday to Ascension Day, when our team was officially launched back in 2014). An opportunity to gather as team churches around the Lord’s Table to be fed and nourished by him and, all being well, to share food together afterwards.

With my best wishes and prayers.                             Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Dear Friends

The process of easing the lockdown has certainly moved on at a pace since I last wrote on 12 May. Some of our team churches are now open for private prayer (and funerals) and all of our churches are currently awaiting the latest advice from the government and Church of England regarding the potential re-opening of our buildings for public worship and weddings. The earliest this could happen will be 4 July, but the important thing is that this happens safely and with the appropriate risk assessments having been done, so this may take some time yet.

My sense is that it still might be a while (that is months, not weeks) before we are anywhere near approaching a sense of normality in our public worship and occasional offices (baptisms, weddings and funerals). In the meantime, we may well choose as churches to continue with something of the alternative arrangements we have had in place during lockdown, whether on Facebook, Zoom or by email, and indeed those of us who have been experimenting digitally may well chose to continue beyond that but that is a decision for PCCs to take.

As we continue to come out of lockdown, I am very conscious that this is not going to be an easy process for many in our congregations, who may have had very limited, if any, physical contact with the outside world during these past three months. So let’s be aware that different people will be moving at different paces on the idea of coming back to church and that those who are shielding will not be able to do so before 1 August at the earliest.

Whilst lockdown has reduced physical contact for us all, it may also have increased a sense of loneliness and isolation for some. Hopefully, we have been able to address this through our church support systems but there may be those in the wider community without such structures in place. That is why I am delighted that we have been able to offer our Team Telephone Befriending Service and we already have a number of people from across our four churches who are making a weekly telephone call to others as part of this. If you would like to find out more about the scheme and might be interested in offering to help, Heather Copperwheat (the scheme co-ordinator) will be running a question and answer session on Zoom om Monday 13 July between 2-3 p.m. Please contact her at telephonebefriending@westwarringtonchurch.uk  if you would like to attend.

To finish, may I encourage us all to keep praying for those seeking to develop a vaccine for the virus, those people caring for those with it, as well as those who are grieving for loved ones who have died from it. As we continue to embark on our journeys into the new normal, let us remember that God is with is always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28: 20).

Stay safe and go well.                        

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Dear Friends

The Church of England’s  bishops met on 5 May to discuss how worship may begin in our churches once again. Clergy in this diocese are now allowed by Bishop Paul, if they wish, to pray or to live stream services from their churches. The reintroduction of public worship, however, would only begin to happen subject to government advice and appropriate social distancing/hygiene measures being in place. As you are probably aware, the Government has this past week issued information that places of worship may reopen at the earliest on 4 July if its 5 tests for easing the lockdown are met.  So currently we remain in a period of waiting to see how things develop.

That sense of waiting fits in very well with the church calendar as we move next week from Easter to Ascension Day, a time when the disciples were told to wait for the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49) who of course came at Pentecost.  The 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost are once again being marked by the global ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ (www.thykingdomcome.global) initiative this year, which gives us all an opportunity to pray for 5 people who we wish to become Christians. To begin that process, I will be celebrating a service of Holy Communion on Zoom on Ascension Day (Thursday 21^st May) at 7.30 p.m., which will be open to all in our team and the other churches in the West Warrington area. If you wish to take part, please email me (jeremy@westwarringtonchurch.uk) and I will send you the link. Speaking of prayer, there is also a Global Day of Prayer organised by the World Council of Churches this Thursday 14th May, inviting us to pray for an end to the Covid19 pandemic. I do believe that prayer makes a difference both in the lives of individuals and in the life of the world, so I encourage you to engage with it!

One of the very practical ways in which we, as a team, will be supporting those across West Warrington at the current moment is through the introduction of a telephone befriending scheme. This has been set up over the course of the past 3 weeks in conjunction with Councillor Amanda King and a local mental health charity called RISE. The scheme will provide an isolated or lonely individual a telephone companion who will call on a regular basis to check on their well-being and provide a friendly ear. Please consider joining this scheme, as we are looking for members of our churches to volunteer to make a weekly phone call. Your involvement really could make a difference to others at this difficult time. If you would like further details, please contact the scheme administrator, Heather Copperwheat, from St.Philip’s at telephonebefriending@westwarringtonchurch.uk

Stay safe and go well.                         Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Dear Friends

It was good to see a number of people from across the team at our Ash Wednesday service at St.Mary’s, plus folks from other churches here in West Warrington. The Lent groups are underway, studying the BBC drama ‘Broken’ about the life of an urban Roman Catholic priest played by Sean Bean, and I do hope that if you are attending a group that you find it helpful.

As we move through Lent, I would like to highlight a few forthcoming team events and services. On Saturday 14^th March, there is the community well-being day being held at St.Philip’s between 10 am-3 p.m. This will include – amongst other things – free pamper sessions, a family forest school session, tai chi for adults, a mindfulness session and eucharist, a prayer labyrinth, a community litter pick and performances by two choirs! Do pop in at some stage during the day and if you can help to meet and greet people, staff the West Warrington Churches stall or help with kids crafts, do let Heather at St.Philip’s know asap  at hcopperwheat@gmail.com

In Holy Week this year, we shall be meeting for the first time as a team at the new St.Paul’s church building for an agape and informal communion on Maundy Thursday (9 April) at 6.30 p.m. Do bring enough savoury or sweet food to share for two. Then on Good Friday (10 April), there is due to be once again the Churches Together Service at 12 noon at Honiton Square in Penketh, followed by a reflective service at St.Philip’s – The Last Hour At The Cross – at 2.00 p.m. Finally, on Easter Eve (or Holy Saturday as it is sometimes known) on 11 April, there will be an Easter vigil at St.James’ at 8.00 p.m. If you have never been to an agape or easter vigil before, why not give them a try out this year?

Finally, I wanted to update you all on the life of our team. I mentioned at the Team Celebration last month that we have been on something of a journey as a Team since it came into operation in 2014. At one stage, under the former team Rector (Sarah Baker) we were very much adopting a centralised approach as a Team, aiming to do as much as we possibly could together. Since Sarah’s departure in September 2016, we have gradually been moving towards a more decentralised approach where we undertake mission and ministry in our own churches but join together for events (such as the wellbeing day)  and worship (such as for Holy Week) where it makes sense to do so. This is where I and the core team of clergy and LMLs feel it is right for us to be at present. If you have any queries about this, do speak to us.

Yours in His service    

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Dear Friends

It was a great pleasure to welcome Bishop Bev, the Bishop of Warrington, to our Team Celebration at St.James’ on 1 February. She spoke movingly and honestly of her own faith journey, and encouraged us to keep meeting together (Acts 2: 42-47) and to abide in God’s love (John 15:9) as ways of sustaining ourselves for God’s mission and ministry amongst those whom we seek to serve. It was also very encouraging to hear testimonies of the different ways in which God has been at work through the lives of our congregations.

Then on Sunday 9 February, numbers of us from across the team attended the Church Warrington United Service at the Parr Hall. This was a lively event attended by approx. 1,000 people from our town’s churches. It was great to see a video outlining the different ways in which a number of different churches are engaging in mission and seeking to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. It was also inspiring to hear Andy Hawthorne, the founder of the Message Trust, share something of his remarkable story of coming to and expressing faith. Andy will be speaking again at the Parr Hall on Saturday 18 April at 7 p.m. on ‘The Power of Hope in a Messed Up World’ and we are encouraged to invite non-Christian friends to hear him. Tickets are available through Eventbrite (search: Church Warrington).

The season of Lent will soon be upon us and we will be marking this with two services of Holy Communion, open to all in our team, at St.Mary’s on Wednesday 26 February at 10am and 7.30 p.m. The Churches Together Lent groups will begin the following week and this year will be focusing on the ITV drama ‘Broken’  starring Sean Bean and the challenges he faces as an inner-city priest. Groups will be running on Tuesday afternoons at Penketh Methodist, Tuesday evenings at a home in Hood Manor, and Thursday mornings either at my home or at St.Mary’s (depending on numbers). You will be able to sign up for a group at the Ash Wednesday services or email me if you prefer.

A final thought as we have begun this new year (indeed new decade!): ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today & forever’ (Hebrew 13: 8). Whatever we may be facing at present, may we know the reality of God’s constant love surrounding and upholding us all.

Yours in His service

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

Dear Friends

We are currently in what I shall describe as the ‘season of hard slog’ in the lead up to Christmas! Our church Christmas Fairs are now all over but services are coming thick and fast, there are Christmas lunches to prepare for at the Oaks, chocolate coins to distribute at Sankey Station and local Sankey primary schools, and Christmas floats have been taking out the message of good news to those in Westbrook and Hood Manor. And, of course, there’s our own personal Christmas preparations too – presents to buy, gifts to wrap, cards to write, Christmas puddings and cakes to make. Is it any wonder that we end up heaving a sigh of relief when Christmas Day afternoon comes!

But whereas for most in our society, Christmas ends on Christmas Day, let’s remember that in the church calendar that’s when the season of Christmas begins! The twelve days of the Christmas season (made famous by the carol of the same name) run from Christmas Day to 5th January, or Twelfth Night, when we traditionally take down our Christmas decorations. I love the Christmas season, not just because it normally provides the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, but also because the quieter pace allows me to reflect on what it is really all about, God coming to earth in the person of the baby Jesus. There’s an amazing beauty and simplicity in that.  If we have rushed through Advent without taking the time to reflect upon the nature of God’s coming to us, do take the time to ponder this Christmas season. As the bible tells us in Luke chapter two, verse 19, ‘Mary (following the birth of Jesus and the visit of the shepherds) treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart’.

After the Christmas season is over, we turn our thoughts to the Epiphany and the showing forth of God’s glory to the world. The Epiphany season, which begins on 6th January and the visit of the wise men to the child Jesus,  is celebrated in most churches on the nearest Sunday which this year is January 5th. You may be wondering, haven’t we just celebrated their arrival at Christmas, and often we do. But let’s remember that the wise men embarked on a long journey to find Jesus and to bring him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That’s why we celebrate this symbolically later in the church calendar. Which leaves me with the question, how are you, how am I, going to show something of the glory of God to others in 2020? The Alpha course which has been running at St.Mary’s this autumn has been one very good way of doing that. A new Alpha course begins at St.Paul’s on January 10th. I commend this to you.

Which just leaves me to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector

P.S. Don’t forget that Bishop Bev, the Bishop of Warrington will be with us for our Team Celebration on Saturday 1st February, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at St.James’ Church. Please put the date in your diaries now. Further details to come in early January.