Greetings from Newala
We received a message from The Diocese of Newala in Tanzania on St Michaels Day which reads as follows:
Dear Friends at St Michael & All Angels, Bramhall,
Greetings from Anglican Communion Diocese of Newala.
This are specially prayers from the Diocese of Newala for St. Michael and All Angels Christians Bramhall Parish during this pandemic season of Corona Virus.
To our brothers and sisters who have contracted and are suffering due to the Corona virus Disease, we pray that God’s healing hand may rest upon them.
To medical doctors, nurses and the supporting staff who are in the front line of the fight against COVID-19, may the Good Lord sustain you and inspire you to render your lifesaving services with due care, love and compassion.
To all those who have lost their loved ones due to the Corona virus outbreak,we convey our deepest sympathies.
We pray that their souls, through God’s mercy, may rest in eternal peace.
We pray that God may grant all bereaved families his consolation and strengthen their faith and hope in Jesus Christ.
Let us foster respect and solidarity with others, especially those who are weak or poor.
In sadness and grief, for those who don't have anyone to hear their suffering and pain, for those who don't have anyone to love and care, for those who don't have anyone to tell their stories and especially for those who have been suffering due to this pandemic and struggling with corona virus to see another day in their life.
We pray for their courage of heart and strength of mind and body. Keep them safe from harm.
Lord, we pray for those who need ongoing medical treatment who are forced to wait at this time.
God, please watch over their health and help them to stay positive and patient.
We pray that we overcome this global crisis and that after this pandemic, we build a more just and humane world.
Amen
Yours in the love of Christ.
Revd Canon. Jackan Waweru.
Diocesan Information Officer
Message from the Vicar - Coronavirus Update
Dear Friends,
Following on from the Prime Ministers statement I write with a further update on how this affects us as a church. First, I apologise for not being in touch sooner – I have been waiting for some official guidance from the Church of England which was released moments ago. The Bishops led by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have suspended all acts of public worship. In their words:
‘Churches should be open where possible but with no public worship services taking place. Prayers can be said by clergy and ministers on behalf of everyone and churches should consider ways of sharing this with the wider community.’
You can read the full letter from the archbishops here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/17%2003%2020%20Joint%20letter%20from%20the%20Archbishops%20of%20Canterbury%20and%20York%20re%20coronavirus.pdf
What this means for us directly is
All Sunday services and midweek services are suspended for the foreseeable future
Mothering Sunday will not be happening – Jess and I have postponed Samuel’s baptism.
Lent groups and any other church groups will not meet
The APCM is postponed until further notice.
All Easter activities are suspended.
The Archbishops are using language such as ‘the church is not closed but will look radically different’. I am not sure personally whether this is helpful language, I feel a sense of loss, maybe even grief, at not being able to meet with you my church family. I am sure we will all look for the positives and for the hope but these next few months will be different and will be a challenge.
The PCC met last night and agreed a number of actions they were happy for me to take, so I want to share them with you.
I will say Morning Prayer every day at 9am and Evening Prayer every day at 5.30pm. I invite you to join me in saying this at the same time. Attached you will find copies of the Order of Service I will use.
The Churchwardens and I are in contact to work out how we can open the building for people to come and sit in it quietly and offer private prayer. When we have a plan we will make people aware of this.
Today I have been working on setting up a Communication Network for the church. The PCC have agreed that maintaining communication amongst our dispersed community is a priority. Every member of the church is to be assigned a responsible person, who will make contact with a group of people at least once a week. We have a duty to care for one another at this difficult time and talking is a key way. I hope to role this system into action within the next 24 hours.
Over the coming few days I will produce further worship resources which I will print copies of to be made available in the Parish Centre but these will also be uploaded to the church website for you to download.
Mothering Sunday will not be happening as usual, but the Archbishops are calling the church to pray for the nation. I invite you on their behalf to join in and in particular to place a lit candle in your window at 7pm this Sunday evening as as a sign of solidarity and hope in the light of Christ that can never be extinguished
As guidance changes, I will let you know, and I will endeavour to continue to communicate with you all as often as possible. Jess, Samuel and I are already missing you, please be assured you are very much in our prayers at this time.
Last night at PCC I shared words from Romans 8:31-39
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have a God of Love, we have a God of power who raised Jesus from the dead. All is not lost, God will overcome. These words may sound trite right this moment – but trust in God, allow your faith to carry you, and when you are struggling, remember your brothers and sisters in Christ, let our faith carry you!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at the vicarage – we are working of diverting the parish office phone to the vicarage but that may take some time.
With my prayers and the assurance we will gather again to worship our Lord Jesus Christ!
Calum
Autumn Update from The Vicar
Following on from a busy summer, Calum shares an update on life at St. Michael’s with some information about upcoming events and ministry.
Dear Friends
Autumn Update
I can’t quite believe how fast the year is moving with the schools now returned, and the leaves starting to change colour and fall. 2019 has certainly moved fast. The last few months have been full of activity at St. Michael’s including the setting up of a youth group and summer camp at Soul Survivor; a small scale refurbishment of the lounge in the parish centre; an update to our welcome pack; the relaunch of meditation under the name mindful space; the creation of a bereavement care ministry team; as well as all the other important and vital aspects of our church ministry faithfully and passionately continuing.
There are a number of roles and activities coming up at St. Michael’s that I want to make you aware of as well as some changes in ministry too.
Pastoral Care
The churchwardens and I have set up a Pastoral Care Core Group that is looking at how we offer pastoral care in a holistic way that encompasses the whole church and not just to those who are sick. As a group we hope to be implementing something new by 2020 but in the meantime Andrea Millington, one of our Pastoral Workers, has very kindly offered to take a lead in Pastoral Care. Please don’t hesitate to contact her, or speak with her if you have a concern for yourself or someone else in our congregations. You can find Andrea’s contact details on the back of SMT
Information Point
As part of the refurbishment of the lounge we have rearranged the bookcases and are in the process of creating an information point. This will be an area where we can place resources and notices for the wider church and our visitors. Do keep an eye on this area in the lounge as it continues to be developed in the coming weeks. If you have any suggestions of resources to be placed there – let me know.
New Roles – Youth Leaders and Care Home Volunteers.
Just after Easter we set up a new youth group that meets twice a month on a Sunday evening which has been led by Jo Oughton and myself. We would love to grow the team of leaders for this group and the young people would love to get to know more of the St. Michael’s family. When it started to become obvious I was going to need to do youthwork, everything within me said I couldn’t do it and that I would hate it. Being a youth leader has been one of the most rewarding things I have done – could this be something you could join in with?
For a number of years, John Baker, Marina Bennett and David and Tricia Daniels have been leading the ministry of St. Michaels within the residential care homes in the parish. I am incredibly thankful for all that they have been doing but for various reasons all them have been limited in what they can do recently and may be so going forwards. We are looking to recruit a number of people to be Home Communion Assistants who would be part of a team that would visit a care home each month to lead a service of Home Communion by extension. This is certainly a very different ministry to youthwork but equally as rewarding and as important.
For both these roles, role descriptions have been created and they are available at the information point in the lounge. If you are interested or feel a reluctant nagging to be involved please speak with me, or with a Churchwarden.
Wonderland 2020
‘Who is Alice?’ That is one of the many questions we will be asking between the 3rd and 9th February next year as we hold the Wonderland Festival. Off the back of the great success of the Narnia Festival in 2018 – it was decided to do it again. Please put the dates in your diary and be prepared to get involved. What I discovered as Narnia came to a close, was numerous people saying – “I wish I had been involved from the start” - this is your chance.
Later in the year we will be asking for more support with props, setting up the festival, helping run things from welcomers to guides, to craft activity supervisors and of course, cake bakers. This will be one of the major missional activities of the parish for 2020 – it will be the church of St. Michael and All Angels opening it doors to the community in a very different and exciting way – please be a part of it.
Pray at Midday
A few weeks ago in a sermon on Sunday morning I invited you all to join me in praying everyday at midday. My invitation came from a place of frustration with politics nationally but also with a desire to be bringing God into the everyday and asking him to show me where he was at work within the streets of our parish. I continue to extend that invitation to pray Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your Name, at 12pm every day, wherever you, whatever you are doing.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2020
Plans are well underway for 2020, and we hope to hold the APCM on Sunday 5th April, Palm Sunday. Looking to the future, Louise Richardson has served nearly 5 years as churchwarden so will have to stand down as warden in 2021. I am therefore looking for someone that might succeed her and look to appoint them as a Deputy Warden at the APCM in 2020. The role of warden has changed much since February this year, with the appointment of a vicar. If you would like more information about the role, please speak to Louise or David Walker, they and I would be very interested to hear from you.
At the time of writing, Jess is still working and the baby hasn’t arrived, that may have all changed by the time you are reading this. Thank you for your continued prayers and support for us as our family goes from 2 to 3. Thank you also for your continued support, love and prayers as members of the St. Michaels family. It is a delight and privilege to minister with you and see the love of God at work among us.
With peace and blessings,
Revd Calum Piper
Vicar