Magazine and Events, February 2011
February 2011Current priorities of St Thomas’- as agreed by Church Council, September 20041. 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 FriendsI’m sure that with me you are appreciating the fresh feel of the Chancel now that the background of the walls and ceiling have been patched with new plaster (more than we expected) and re-painted. The work has highlighted the dark wood of the beautifully carved lectern, pulpit and choirstalls and above all the altar and its rich series of frontals, the east window, saints’ symbols in the ceiling and the golden angels. Have you ever stopped to notice the different symbols of the saints? They are all identified by name. To avoid getting a crick in your neck it’s probably easier to sit in a rear choir stall and observe the symbols on the other side, and then change over! Hearty thanks are due to Graham Lees, as Churchwarden, in particular and all members of the Fabric and Finance Committee for implementing the decisions of our Church Council in that project. We now forward to the replacement of the church boiler after which we will be able to carpet the Chancel steps so to make firm the new handrail. I have written elsewhere in this month’s magazine about ‘Life calling’, the Lent course, recommended to all Anglican churches by Bishop Nigel which we will together with St Paul’s. The scene will be set for this first by a joint meeting of both our Church Councils. We will review parish residents (ethnic backgrounds and age range), commerce, industry, schools and other public institutions. We will think about what our two churches are doing. Some of this work we will do all together and that which we do separately we will report to each other. On Sunday, 13 February, at 10.30, the Revd Jayne Prestwood, Local Ministry Officer, will preach at St Thomas’– she preached at St Paul’s in the autumn. Jayne will outline some of the roles which Bishop Nigel can authorize nowadays in the life of a church in Manchester Diocese: for example, Ordained Local Minister (age limit at start of training usually 60) and Reader (lay preacher, age limit at start of training usually 66). Many churches also have pastoral assistants (with various titles) trained and authorized locally – like Barbara Duxbury in St Thomas’ – no age limit!
Other dates for the diaryFriday 18thFebruary: Churches Together in Oldham Annual Dinner Speakers: Adrian Plass, author of ‘Sacred Diary’, & Bridget Plass.At Salt Cellar, tickets £15 from Biddy Dawson. Deadline: 30 January. Thursday 24th February, 7.30 pm: Deanery Holy Communion at Oldham Parish Church to conclude Bishop Mark of Middleton’s two day visit to parishes in Oldham West Deanery. Saturday 5 March: Church Unity Quiz at Holy Trinity, Bardsley – book with Mary Fairhurst, tel 624 0356, to be a team member, or spectator. £2. Ash Wednesday, 9 March: 9.30 am at St Paul’s, and 7.30 at St Thomas’: Holy Communion at the start of Lent.
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Christian Funeral‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life … nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ – St Paul to the Christians in Rome 8, 38 – 39 20th December David Smalley 56 years |
