Dear Friends

It was great to have Canon David Banbury come to our Mission and Multiplication Forum in mid-October. He spoke on how to make our PCCs more mission minded and suggested that most PCCs spend far longer discussing maintenance issues surrounding their buildings and finance issues than they do discussing mission and worship, and celebrating what God has been doing in their midst. So, the challenge for our PCCs, and for us as churches, is what do we want to be investing our time and energy doing? It’s not that maintenance and finance are not important – they are; they provide  a very important basis for our mission and worship as churches. But if that’s what we spend most of our time talking about and doing, then we can end up with lovely buildings and being financially solvent, but making little or no impact upon our communities with the good news of Jesus. As David said, we need to ensure that we “make the main thing the main thing”. Jesus didn’t say go into all the world and construct lovely church buildings. He did say, ”Go into all the world and make disciples”. So let’s encourage each other in that task.

Our team ‘Time to Remember’ service at the beginning of November provided a well-attended and well-received opportunity for the families of those we have taken funerals for this past year to come to church to remember their loved ones who have died, as well as for members across our churches to do the same. And then the following weekend, the Sankey and Penketh Community Remembrance service at St.Mary’s cemetery provided another opportunity to remember, this time those who have given their lives in the service of our country during conflict. The good turnout of people from the local community suggests that this still an important act of remembrance for many, and that we as the church have an important role to play in facilitating and shaping this.

As I write, Advent is almost upon us and so the inevitable rush towards Christmas. But if you can, may I encourage you to try and take a step backward in order to look forward this season. To step back from the busyness in order to think how you might prepare yourself to celebrate the birth of Jesus once more, and indeed to prepare yourself for his Second Coming one day. Maybe you would like to join us for Team prayers on a Monday at St.Paul’s, a Wednesday at St.Mary’s or a Friday at St.Philip’s, all at 9am? Half an hour just to focus your thoughts around a couple of bible passages with the opportunity to pray for the needs of the world, our churches and communities, and for others. Or perhaps you would like to read a good spiritual book, such as Archbishop John Sentamu’s ‘Wake Up to Advent!’, described as ‘the perfect antidote to the stress and commercialism of our preparations for Christmas. Here is simple but satisfying food for prayer and reflection, shot through with personal stories and enlivened by a deep faith. This is soul food in which all can feed'(Sir Philip Mawer, Canon Provincial of York). Or, maybe you could take a quiet day, an opportunity to allow God to speak to you by slowing down for long enough to actually hear Him. However you might approach Advent this year, don’t let it pass you by without noticing!

Finally, a reminder that we have our Team All Age Communion service on Sunday 29 December at 10am at St.Mary’s and then looking further ahead we have our Team Celebration with Bishop Bev, the Bishop of Warrington on Saturday 1^stFebruary between 10am and 1 pm at St.James.

Wishing you a holy and helpful Advent season.

Jeremy Tear, Pioneer Team Rector