October Newsletter

The Season of Creation draws to a close with the celebration of Harvest at both St Peter's and St John's. Everyone is encouraged to bring produce, but one of the changes from our Harvest collection of years gone by is that instead of marrows, apples and sheaves of corn - the need is for produce that has a long shelf life. The distribution of goods via the Food Pantry and the Food Bank is an important dimension to Harvest but this "horizontal dimension" of what we do needs to hold in balance a "vertical dimension". The vertical dimension of giving thanks and praise to God the creator, who is outside of creation.
It is when the Harvest is gathered in that decisions need to be made and preparations begin for next season's crops. When we think of the 'horizontal dimension' we think of reaching out into our community with the love of Christ and of course there are many good things that we could do, but what is the "God thing", what is it that God is calling us to do? This is impossible to answer without the 'vertical connection', allowing God to find us, call us and equip us as individuals and as His Church.
 

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In this month's newsletter

• Church news

• This month's worship

• Just for fun

• Community news

• Prayer resources

• Closing thoughts

  Look out for Photos of some of last month's highlights dotted through the Newsletter

Church News

Harvest Bring and Share Lunch

After the Harvest Festival Family Service on Sunday 13 October there will be a bring-and-share Church Lunch to which all are invited. What to bring and share? Rather than being restricted to finger foods, there will be plates to serve onto with French bread, butter and margarine provided as the basis for a "Ploughman's Lunch". So please bring cheeses, salads, ham, pickles, etc plus suitable dessert items.  Church bring-and-share meals are the perfect opportunity to get to know those we don't know, as well as to catch up with those we do. Please pop the date into your diary.

Harvest Donations

Harvest Festival is on Sunday 13 October this year. As has been the case for the last few years, our Social Justice and Environment Hub will be taking your donations to a couple of local social enterprises, for distribution to those in need in our local community. This year we will be supporting Silklife Food Bank in Macclesfield and the Pantry at Upton Priory. Please note that long-life grocery goods are what is needed - there is no capacity at all to accept fresh produce. All kinds of tinned goods (of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, ready meals) are very welcome as well as store cupboard staples such as pasta, pasta sauces, rice, cooking oil, tea, breakfast cereals and coffee, as well as hair and dental products and baby wipes. We are always amazed by people’s generosity so please give generously again!
Thank you from the Social Justice and Environment Hub.

Baptism and Confirmation

Exploring Baptism and Confirmation has begun! We will continue this Monday (7 October) in St Peter's Rooms at 7.30pm. This is an informal group and very welcoming so please feel free to come along and join in the fun and there is no pressure to be baptised or confirmed.
For the first time Exploring is being delivered both in person and on Zoom - it was very exciting for the group meeting in the Rooms to be also joined from Sardinia! It's not too late to join the group so for more information contact Beverley Angier on 07779 516048 or via the parish office.

Advance notice of the Bishop at St Peter's

Our Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev Mark Tanner, will be coming to St Peter's 10.30am morning service on 17 November. This is the first time Bishop Mark has joined us for worship and it is made more exciting by it being also being a Confirmation Service. There will be Young Church and a bring-and-share meal afterwards. My hope is that everyone who is part of St Peter's or St John's will be able to attend, share in wonderful celebratory worship, hear the Bishop preach and be encouraged and strengthened in their  faith.

Electoral Roll Renewal

Every six years each Parish (Ecclesiastical) is required to prepare a new Electoral Roll. Over the forthcoming months, preparation for this new Roll will begin. Members on the previous roll need to apply to be included - inclusion is not automatic. New people can also apply by filling out an application form. Application forms for completion will be available at the back of church from this month.
Sue Parker
Our hope is that everyone who is part of our church life whichever service they worship at will join the electoral roll so that it accurately represents our worshipping community . Patrick

Holy Communion at Prestbury Beaumont

We celebrate a short service of Holy Communion at Prestbury Beaumont Care Home once a month and would welcome anyone who would like to come along – to assist with the service or just to join in. The residents would welcome some contact from other members of St Peter’s and love to chat after the service.
Upcoming dates are as follows:
Tuesday 8 October 11am
Tuesday 12 November 11am
Tuesday 10 December 11am
 
Please let Anne know if you would like to come along by contacting the Parish Office: 01625 827625 parishoffice@stpetersprestbury.org.uk

Holy Dusters

Thursday mornings

Have you ever wondered how St Peter’s manages to look so lovely all the time? Our cheerful group of Holy Dusters meets every Thursday morning to sweep, shine and dust as well as masterminding church decorations for Harvest, Christmas and Easter. We work for just one hour each week, then share our latest news, chat and have a laugh over tea and biscuits. Fancy joining us? No experience is needed and you don’t need to come every week either. Contact the Parish Office if interested.
 

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The Church Clock

As many of you will have noticed, the timber clock dial has been removed. The scaffolding was erected on the very wet Wednesday 11 September and the next day, which was dry, the Clock Makers removed the dial. The clock and the chimes are now out of commission until the end of November when the new dial will be installed .

The clock dial was found to be beyond repair after it was inspected by the Diocesan Clock Advisor, the clock maker and me . A new timber dial identical in design and construction to the old dial will be produced.
Thank You
The village has been wonderful in responding to the appeal for the money required for the work, however we do still need to raise over over £1000. Any donation to the Parish Office for the “Clock Fund “ would be appreciated.
Chris Sealy

Exploring the Bible

Our epic journey of exploration through the Bible continues after the 4.30pm service on the fourth Sunday of this month. Last month we jumped out of the Old Testament and into the New Testament; this month we continue in the New Testament looking at two of St Paul's letters. One is the earliest and the other is the most written about. Can you guess which they are? If not - why not come and find out? This is just an hour, friendly and informal - and there will be refreshments.

Work Party

Our Autumn and Spring work parties have over the years been not only fun and hard work but also a wonderful opportunity for fellowship. They enable those from the different congregations in Church life and those who are on fringe of Church to work together for the benefit of everyone who enjoys the wonderful green space. It takes us all to keep this beautiful space at the heart of our village, as gorgeous as it is. The next work-party is on Saturday 19 October from 10.00am to 12.30pm. There are activities that suit all ages and abilities. Please sign up on the list at the back of church.
 

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Worship for families

In October both Young Church and Breakfast Church!
Young Church on Sunday 6 October are exploring some familiar parables over this term with an exciting mixture of fun and activities.  Looking ahead don't miss out on the extra Young Church in November when it will be held on both the 3rd and the 17th.
Breakfast Church is an informal space for parents and their children to worship together and this will be back on 20 October. PLEASE NOTE: we will begin serving breakfast at the slightly earlier time of 9.15am. Worship will begin at 9.30am and we will draw to a close at 10.15am. 

Signing up for Rota duties

Don't forget to sign up for Rota duties (Welcoming, Reading or Chalice Assistant). If you would like to lead Intercessions on a Sunday morning  please speak to Patrick  If you would like to join any of the other rotas or if you need help signing up, please contact Judith in the Parish Office parishoffice@stpetersprestbury.org.uk

This Month's Worship 

St Peter's Sunday Worship

 

	8.30am	9.15am	10.30 am	4.30pm
Oct 6th	Holy Communion		Holy Communion Behold the lamb With Young Church	Cathedral Evensong
Oct 13th	Holy Communion		Harvest Festival + bring and share meal	Cathedral Evensong
Oct 20th	Holy Communion	Breakfast Church for families with children	Holy Communion	Parish Evensong
Oct 27th	Holy Communion		Holy Communion With Baptism	Cathedral Evensong

 

St John's Sunday Worship

 

	11.00am
Oct 13th	Morning Worship
Oct 27th	Harvest Holy Communion

Church of the Resurrection Worship

 

	10.00am
Oct 6th	Holy Communion
Oct 20th	Holy Communion

 

 Weekday Worship

 

Day and Time	Activity	Place
Monday 9.00am	Morning Prayer	St Peter's Rooms
Tuesday 9.00am	Morning Prayer	St Peter's Rooms
Wednesday 10.30am	Holy Communion	St Peter's
Thursday 9.30am	Morning Prayer	St John's
2nd & 4th Thursday 10.15am	Pram Service	St Peter's

 

Just For fun 

Holiday Parish Magazines

Thank you to everyone who sent in parish magazines, welcome cards and even sermon copies from the churches they visited over the holiday. It showed the wonderful variety of places we go on holiday to and styles and types of worship.

The best jokes from these visits are:
"Don't allow anxiety to kill you. Let Church help"
"A talk on drugs will be given at next month's Mothers Union meeting. This will be followed by a bring and buy sale."

Community News

Wedding Fayre

You may have caught the buzz of excitement on Social Media or noticed animated conversations over after-church coffee.  The news is out! St Peter's very first Wedding Fayre is happening next year on Saturday 26 April from 2pm - 4pm. 
There has been excellent support from local businesses and we are looking forward to a wonderful crowd of engaged couples, or those thinking about getting married, coming along to discover that a Church Wedding is the perfect way to celebrate that big day.
For more information contact out wedding clerk Jo-Ann Chambers or the Parish Office.
 

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Core Pantry Good News

The Core Pantry was set up during covid lockdown and has developed and grown considerably since those early days when we were handing out and delivering food parcels from surplus supermarket stock.
The Pantry now operates on Wednesdays and Thursdays and has just over 200 registered households who are regular shoppers and it’s staffed with a part time manager, a part time driver and 30 volunteers which all in all makes it a sizeable operation.
Each week there is an impressive supply of goods on display from which  customers can choose 15 items for £3.50, plus fruit, vegetables and bread which are all free to our shoppers.
As you would imagine, the costs of running this operation are growing all the time, and we are very grateful to those church members who regularly support the Pantry with cash or food donations. We have also been successful in obtaining grants from Trusts, Foundations and Government bodies over the last 12-18 months, however to keep the Pantry running we need around £20,000 in grants and donations each year.
The great news is that we are just about on target to achieve £20,000 this year, and in addition we can now claim gift aid on individual donations which we hope will encourage more people to donate. There are information packs available in church with the Pantry logo on the envelope and a leaflet inside summarizing the valuable work the Pantry does.
We can still take food and cash donations through Banquet and Just Giving, but donating money direct to the Pantry’s bank account will be better as in most cases we can claim an extra 25% on the donation.
I am one of the Trustees of the charity, so please talk with me, Patrick or David Hawkins, who are also Trustees, if you would like more information or are interested in donating, or just take one of the packs available in church.
Thank you
Steve Saunders
 

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Prestbury Village Show

This year's annual Village Show was a great success and a lovely opportunity for the village to come together. Home-made cakes and preserves, paintings and crafts, mingled with gardeners' finest finest flowers and vegetables. As well as Church members busy helping out or enjoying tea cake and chat there were a number of successful church entries across the different categories and age ranges. Well done to Clarissa who won the Children's Cup, Jean who won the Dawson Cup and Chris who won a table of cups and prizes!
'It's not just about the winning, but the taking part', said the Vicar, who got two second places. Why not put it in the diary for next year? It will be on the first Saturday of September, at the Village Hall.

Saying Goodbye: Baby-loss support service

Sunday 20 October at 2.30pm at Manchester Cathedral

This service is for anyone who has either personally lost a baby at any stage of pregnancy, at birth, or in early years, or who has been affected by family members' or friends' loss.  Whether the loss was recent or 80 years ago, everyone is welcome to attend. The organisers also gladly welcome anyone who is grieving the fact that they haven't had children. This may be due to circumstance, infertility, or for other reasons - but all are welcome. To read more on the charity, please see the Saying Goodbye website, which you can find at: www.sayinggoodbye.org If this has struck a chord with you and you would like to talk, or find out more, please get in touch with Anne Stirling via the Parish Office 01625 827625 parishoffice@stpetersprestbury.org.uk.

Prayer Resources

Weekly Prayer topics

Please use the weekly prayer topics below for your own prayers, alongside the monthly Prayer Diary, which is available at the back of Church. 

Week starting	Church	Community	World
Oct 6th	We remember William Tyndale Bible translator and pray that the Bible would be read more.	We pray for our Village Parish Council members as they make difficult decisions.	We pray for Israel & Iran, for their leaders and people that there would be a growing desire for peace.
Oct 13th	We remember Teresa of Avila. Pray for the Church to have a longing for holiness.	We pray for the local doctors and dental practices in the Parish.	For the work of Mercy Ships bringing medical aid and operations around the globe.
Oct 20th	For the families attending Breakfast Church.	Pray for those who don't believe in God, that eyes and hearts would be opened	The people of the United States as they prepare to vote in their Presidential election.
Oct 27th	Pray for Church prodigals, that God would find them and bring them back.	Pray for Brocklehursts, our local undertakers, their staff and work.	The Church in Uganda as we remember Bishop James Hannington and the Ugandan martyrs.

 

Those who are sick

Liz Potter
John Syner

Those who have died

Mary Houseman (Funeral at St John's, 21 October 11.00am)

Those whose ashes are being interred

Gordon McGregor Ramsay (25 October)
Susan Green (28 October)

Looking ahead, the Service for Those Who Mourn will be at St Peter's on 3 November at 4.30pm.
 

Closing Thoughts

One of the poems read on the Season of Creation walk from St Peter's to St John's was written by our own Keith Ravenscroft and produced below for everyone to enjoy. 
God's Second Bible

As we walk the world around us
We sense the Word of God
 
In every sight in every sound
We tread where He has trod
 
Here is God’s second Bible
His gentle holy voice
 
Singing a sacred message
Beyond febrile human noise
 
Our flesh and blood bound up in His
Our very breath God-given
 
A living breathing universe
A mirror of his Heaven
 
This world is God’s great act of love
A sign of true rebirth
 
The precious gift of His Creation
God’s Heaven here on earth.

Newsletter Information

Items to be included in the next month's newsletter should be sent to the office by the last Tuesday of the month, or to the Vicar by the last Wednesday.
 

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