Wed 1st

All Saint’s Forum

Thu 2nd

(CANDLEMAS - kept on Sunday 29th January)

Choir Practice

P.C.C. Standing Committee

Sun 5th

THE THIRD SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

Family Hotpot (All Saint’s 2.30 p.m.)

Mon 6th

Bible Study

Wed 8th

St James’s Forum

Thu 9th

St James’s Mothers’ Union

Sun 12th

THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT

Mon 13th

St Francis’ Ladies’ Club

Tue 14th

Men’s Group

Thu 16th

Choir Practice

Sun 19th

THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT

Mon 20th

Parish Prayers

Wed 22nd

ASH WEDNESDAY

Joint Ash Wednesday Eucharist (St Stephen’s, 7.30 p.m.)

Sun 26th

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Church Family Eucharist (All Saints’, 9.30 a.m.)

Wed 29th

Lenten Eucharist followed by Study Group (All Saints’, 7.30 p.m.

From the Vicar

A whole month of 2012 gone already! It only seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the New Year, but life moves on quickly and we’re already at the end of January and beginning to move into February. This month we will be holding our parish forums – opportunities to raise questions or issues about our churches and our parish, and a chance to discuss ideas, policies and plans for the future.

These particular forums – on the 1st February at 7.30pm at All Saints, and the 8th February at 7.30pm at St James’ – are especially important, as I will be sharing with those attending a presentation about the Parish Vision process we will be undertaking over the next few months. The aim of the presentation is to set the last 6 months in the context of the history and traditions of our churches, and to kickstart the discussions about what really matters to us, why we do the things we do in our worship and other activities, and what our priorities for the next five years should be. All of this, of course, needs to be set in the context of prayer and the ongoing growth of our spiritual life as followers of Christ, seeking to discern and follow God's will for our life and mission as a parish, and as communities of faith in our distinct communities in Brandlesholme and Woolfold.

We will also be discussing several other important issues – our policies on Baptism, Confirmation and Communion; the Experience Easter outreach project in March; and thinking more about our worship and the physical arrangement of each of our churches in terms of their welcoming aspect for visitors or new people, and how they can best continue to serve the needs of the faithful members of each of our congregations. I will also be encouraging people to stand for the PCC from both churches as we look ahead to the next APCM – while also continuing to look with you for ways to improve communication across the parish.

At St James’ I would like to discuss our worship in more detail, thinking about the timing of our Sunday service, what we sing in the service and what the role of the server or lay assistant should be. At All Saints I would like us to continue to reflect on the music we sing, the layout of the church and the issue of a font. Lastly, as we look ahead to Lent and Easter, we will begin to think about how we keep the season with opportunities for prayer, for a weekly Lenten Eucharist, and a discussion group taking its cues from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. If you have never read Nehemiah – or remember it vaguely from Sunday School, may I urge you to read it again as it’s a great story of faithfulness and also a story about building a future.

Building is at the heart of the recent history of both St James’ and All Saints – with major projects undertaken and completed. I believe that now, as we look to the next five years, God is calling us to build again – but this time not with bricks and mortar. If we believe that God has called St James’ as a fellowship of Christians in Woolfold, and All Saints as a fellowship of Christians in Brandlesholme, then he must have a plan and a purpose for us in our distinct communities, and in our united parish. That plan will involve our own spiritual growth just as much as any outreach or mission activities in and to the wider population of our area. And it begins with prayer and with God’s word to us in Scripture, because through these channels we can listen for God’s voice, and hopefully hear what he has to say to us – and then put it into practice.

Every blessing

Simon

The next issue will be available on Sunday 26th February. Material or suggestions should be given by Sunday 19th February.