August 2011 Monthly Magazine and Events

Current priorities of St Thomas’- as agreed by Church Council, September  2004

1.  Evangelism/Church Growth out of love for people and because we need new members.

2.  Worship, including Sunday School, Healing, Prayer and Music.

3.  Witness to Asians through individual friendships and through shared work with the community.

4.  Presence, that is letting people know that C of E Christians live and/or worship on the Coppice.

5.  Working with St Paul’s, as we have been requested by the Diocese.

Dear Friends

Every summer I imagine it will be a quiet time – this hardly ever turns out to be the case, except when I’m on holiday. One activity on holiday is reading books – I recommend ‘We are Muslim, please’ by Zaiba Malik.  I have published an extract and reviews elsewhere in the magazine.

August events

Sunday 7th:  8 am and 10.30 –

                   Holy Communion for The Transfiguration

Saturday 13th:  2.30 pm at Bethel Church, Waterloo Street

                         Baptism by Immersion of Alireza, Niloofer,

                         Syed Ali and Afsana,

Sunday 14th at 10.30: Baptism of baby Lukas

Sunday 21st:  at 8am no Holy Communion

                     at 10.30 Holy Communion, Revd Averil Cunnington

Sunday 28th: at 8am no Holy Communion

                     at 10.30 Holy Communion, Mrs Dorothy Haynes and

                             James, Diane and Beth Jennings from Bangladesh

You may have noticed that we have bought 2 copies of large print Mission Praise and have printed 3 enlarged large copies of our Morning Worship.  We are in the process of making large size copies of the Holy Communion.  Do make use of them and if other people have picked them up before you arrive, please let me know.

Aswell as the new handrail and carpet at the Chancel steps, I have been encouraged by the revival in using the green Trinity banners at the Chancel arch.  Have you noticed their message?  We also have banners, all handmade some years ago by church members and friends, for Christmas and Whitsun.  It would be good to have some Easter, and after that Advent/Lent?

Please pray for the right appointment of a Mission Support Priest in Interfaith Education.  This is a half-time appointment for both Oldham Anglican Deaneries but working in co-operation with Oldham Interfaith Forum.  The diocese has allocated funds for approximately 5 Mission Support Priests and so this does not affect directly the allocation of priests in Oldham.  In the Deanery synod we reasoned that since Mission Support Priests would be appointed somewhere we should have one of them!  The interviews are in September.

Whether or not you are able to go on holiday, I do hope everyone has some time for enjoyment and relaxation.

               Yours sincerely,

                          Andrew Dawson