March Newsletter
Is the season of Lent just a journey from pancakes to chocolate eggs via hot cross buns and simnel cake? or does the supermarket version of the season leave us spiritually undernourished?
Lent centres around a journey of preparation: a preparing to celebrate those transformative events of Jesus' death and resurrection at Easter. This preparation involves an inner journey where we acknowledge our failures and sins and in doing so are reminded again of the enormity of God's love and mercy. It is a journey where 'giving things up' and 'taking things on' can draw us into a deeper understanding of Jesus' Journey to the Cross.
Here in our Parish, our Lenten journey begins with services on Ash Wednesday at 10.30am and 7.30pm. At both there is opportunity for imposition of ashes (a simple and powerful sign of both our penitence and mortality).
Throughout Lent there are many different resources which can nourish us spiritually on our journey. Our own "Footsteps through Luke" daily Lenten reflections guiding us through Luke's Gospel, the National Church has produced, Living Hope (cofe.io/LivingHope ) and lastly but not least our Lent Course on Monday nights exploring "Holy Habits".
On Sunday 30 March our journey through Lent takes a pause, a day of refreshment, with the celebration of Mothering Sunday and the distribution of flowers. Then as we move from March to April, our focus turns to the Passion of Christ - the journey to the Cross and Easter.
We are, as the introduction to our Ash Wednesday services says: All invited in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy word.
In this month's newsletter
Church News
APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting)
On Sunday 23 March following the 10.30am service, it will be our Annual Parochial Church Meeting. This is the meeting at which new Church Wardens and PCC members are elected, it is where we hear and receive reports on different areas of church life including safeguarding and finance and it is also where we say thank you! and celebrate the wide range of ministry and activity within Church life. All will be done in time to be home for lunch.
St Peter's at Foxhill
Tuesday 3 June 10am-4pm
We are planning a day at Foxhill, the Chester Diocesan Retreat House on Tuesday 3 June - a day to spend in guided reflection and prayer, and an opportunity to refresh our church friendships, enjoy together the quiet and beauty of Foxhill's gardens and woodland, to maybe read, walk or try our hands at something creative. The day will conclude with Holy Communion in the Foxhill Chapel. Find out more about Foxhill here:
Foxhill | Retreat House | Foxhill House and Woodlands, Frodsham, UK
The details of the programme are still being planned, and will be led by either Revd David or Revd Lucy Brewster, resident managers of Foxhill. There will be refreshments available throughout the day and a two course lunch will be provided. Foxhill is fully accessible. The cost will be in the region of £40 per person.
Foxhill is about a 50 minute drive from Prestbury. If you would like to come but don't have transport or don’t want to drive, speak to Anne, and similarly, if you are able to offer a seat in your car.
How to sign up for the day
Email or telephone Anne Stirling to secure your place. We are asking for a £10 deposit per person, with final payment nearer the time.
annestirling@hotmail.co.uk
07999 862 035
Lent Course: "Holy Habits"
Drawing on ancient monastic traditions and connecting with the four spiritual disciplines represented in our Monastic Garden, our Lenten course will be a multi-sensory Journey of encounter that will lead to:
March 10th Hospitality
March 17th Prayer
March 24th Work
March 31st Healing
April 7th Centred
All are welcome!
Lent: Footsteps through Luke
Explore the Gospel of Luke alongside members of St Peter’s church family by daily email throughout Lent and on St Peter’s Facebook page
Building on the popularity of last year’s Lent Reflections on Mark’s Gospel, we are delighted to extend the range of authors, and have invited a number of St Peter's church family members to contribute their reflections. We have a wonderful range of contributors spanning eight decades - from those in their twenties to those in their nineties.
It will be fascinating to have our church family members signposting our footsteps through Luke, interspersed with ministry team reflections. Who knows where this journey will take us?
All the contributions will be anonymous, so an additional challenge might be to try to spot who has written what!
Keep an eye on your email inbox – the reflections will be delivered daily from Ash Wednesday 5 March and posted on St Peter’s Facebook page at 7pm each evening.
We will read the whole of Luke’s Gospel during the evening of Wednesday 16 April, in Holy Week, and sign up sheets to take part in this popular event will be available in due course.
Bunching for Mothering Sunday 
Saturday 29 March 10.00am-12noon
Join us for the happy task of bunching daffodils and greenery for distribution on Mothering Sunday. Always a joyful morning full of chat and laughter. Please bring plenty of small leaved greenery if you are able, everything else will be provided, including refreshments of course!
Mothers’ Union
Monday 10 March 2.00pm
Revd. Sue Hawkins - “What can you see?”
Sue will join us with an interesting question! Everyone is always welcome to join us at Mothers’ Union meetings – no need to be a member, just turn up. Worship first and refreshments later on as usual. Why not bring that friend or the neighbour you were always meaning to ask…
Worship for families
Our next Young Church will be on Sunday 2 March during the10.30am service.
The Young Church team have some wonderful activities planned as they explore Ash Wednesday and Lent. All ages of children welcome.
Our next Breakfast Church 
will be on Sunday 16 March at 9.15am.
Breakfast Church is an informal space for parents and their children to worship together.
PLEASE NOTE: we will begin serving breakfast at the slightly earlier time of 9.15am. Our worship will begin at 9.30am and we will draw to a close at 10.15am.
Newsletter Survey
Thank you to everyone who filled out the newsletter survey, the results and information gathered is being analysed and will be shared in the next newsletter.
Publication of the 2025 New Electoral Roll
The newly prepared Electoral Roll for the Ecclesiastical Parish of Prestbury (both St Peter's and St John's) is now required to be displayed and can be found on the noticeboard in the South Porch.
Money Matters
It's that time of year again to look at how the church's finances are shaping up. It's not perhaps not the most exciting subject, but it's a necessary one. Our accounts have now been prepared and approved and we look forward to the Annual Meeting on 23 March. I promise to make it interesting, relevant, challenging and perhaps most important of all, short! Please come along if you are on the Electoral Roll to see how things are shaping up. You can collect a copy of the accounts from the Parish Office a week before the meeting if you just can't wait until the 23rd.
Steve Saunders - Treasurer
Outward giving from St Peter's
The money which the church receives from the congregation not only supports the church but enables it to support selected charities in keeping with our purpose of "Seeking to live out the love of God - in all we do, by making Jesus known, by building His kingdom and by bringing hope to a broken world". Each year the Social Justice and Environment Hub advises on the choice of three Christian charities, which are broadly one local, one regional or national and one international.
This year the chosen charities are the Pantry at CoRe in Upton Priory, the Boaz Trust in Manchester and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). These charities will be familiar to many readers of this Newsletter - Fabienne, who runs the Pantry, spoke at church recently and a number of church members volunteer there and support them in their purpose of providing fresh food and groceries to members for a small weekly subscription. Recently we also heard from Keith Davies from CSW about their work advocating for those who are persecuted for their faith. A very positive postscript to Keith's talk is that Pastor Lorenzo in Cuba, one of the cases Keith mentioned, has been released after over 3 years in captivity.
We have also heard from Boaz Trust in church before. Their chief executive, Ros Holland, when thanking us for our gift, has asked for our prayers: they worked with over 500 refugees and asylum seekers in and around Manchester last year and have over 300 on their waiting list. Please pray that they will have the resources, wisdom and creativity needed to offer safe accommodation and specialist support for people seeking sanctuary across Greater Manchester.
The church was able to give each charity just over £2000. Please continue to hold all these charities in your prayers.
Kate Collins, Steve Hill and Richard Collins
Social Justice and Environment Hub
News From St John's
Coffee Shop Volunteering 22 March 2pm-4pm
The Coffee Shop at St John's is a wonderful community activity, running from Spring to Autumn on Saturdays and special days. The team are holding an open day to try to attract new volunteer baristas and bakers. The aim of the Open Day is for anyone who is at all interested in volunteering to come and take a look around the kitchen and have a chat with us about what is involved.
Volunteer baristas work in pairs and each shift is only half a day. They can volunteer for as many or as few shifts as they want. Bakers just volunteer to bake on a week by week basis, again as frequently as suits them.
The coffee shop is a wonderful link between Church and community, volunteering is a great opportunity to have fun, meet others and do good as Arthur explains below.
St John’s Coffee Shop
Can you believe that on Saturday 5 April St John’s coffee shop will be opening again for its fifth successive season ! It will be open each Saturday until the end of October from 10.30am until 4.30pm.It is now so well established that it features on google maps and on maps within the cycling and walking fraternity. 😳
People come from far and wide to enjoy our specially selected coffee beans expertly prepared by our highly trained volunteer baristas and homemade cake which wouldn’t look out of place on Harrods patisserie counters! The shop has served to raise the profile of St John’s and our increased congregation are reflective of this, not to mention the much needed funds in maintaining and keeping a tin hut warm! This of course being our 'Raison d'être'.
The team of volunteers continue do an amazing job and the fact that we have never once closed due to staff shortages is testimony to their team commitment and flexibility. The volunteers all get on so well and there is always a buzz in the new kitchen where the norm is fun and fellowship. If you would like to be part of our team why not pop along to St John’s on Saturday 22 March between 2pm and 4pm for an informal chat with our volunteer managers and other volunteers and find out more. Basically there are two roles within the shop, that of a barista and 'front of house' serving our customers with our delicacies.
We look forward to welcoming you either as a volunteer or customer. 😊
Arthur Bell (In charge of washing up, bins and unruly customers! 🤣)
This Month's Worship
Ash Wednesday 5 March
Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes
10.30am and 7.30pm
at St Peter's
St Peter's Sunday Worship
|
|
8.30am
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9.15am
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10.30 am
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4.30pm
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March
2nd
|
Holy
Communion
|
|
Holy Communion
Behold the lamb
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Cathedral
Evensong
|
March
9th
|
Holy
Communion
|
|
Family
Service
|
Cathedral
Evensong
|
March
16th
|
Holy
Communion
|
Breakfast
Church
for families
with children
|
Holy
Communion
|
Cathedral
Evensong
|
March
23rd
|
Holy
Communion
|
|
Holy
Communion
|
Parish
Evensong
|
March
30th
|
Holy
Communion
|
|
Mothering Sunday
Service
|
Cathedral
Evensong
|
St John's Sunday Worship
|
|
11.00am
|
March 9th
|
Morning Worship
|
|
March 23rd |
Holy Communion |
Church of the Resurrection Worship
|
|
10.00am
|
March 2nd
|
Holy Communion
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March 16th
|
Morning Prayer
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Weekday Worship
Day and Time
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Activity
|
Place
|
|
Monday 9.00am
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Morning Prayer
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St Peter's Rooms
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Wednesday 10.30am
|
Holy Communion
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St Peter's
|
|
Thursday 9.30am
|
Morning Prayer
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St John's
|
|
2nd & 4th Thursday in term time 10.15am
|
Pram Service
|
St Peter's
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Community News
Resound Worship comes to Poynton
St George's Church, Poynton (SK12 1NH) is hosting a concert of songs from Resound Worship's double album Downcast Souls, Expectant Hearts on Friday 14 March at 7.30pm. The album holds together themes of sorrow, grief and lament with confidence and hope.
If you don't know them, Resound Worship is a collective of British worship songwriters, established in 2006, seeking to resource the church with songs that engage heart, mind and soul. (Find out more at https://resoundworship.org/) They have led worship on Diocesan lay and clergy conferences.
Here at St Peter's we sing numbers of worship songs that they have written especially in the season of creation and at harvest. Perhaps their 'every narwahl and sea otter, every son and every daughter is most memorable.
It would be great to see others from St Peter's and St John's there and share thoughts about what would be good to add to our worship repertoire.
The event is open to all. Tickets are only £5 for adults and £2.50 for children available here: https://poyntonparishchurch.churchsuite.com/events/lacxkudy
New Volunteer Role at the Food Pantry
Many of you will know how the Pantry at Upton has grown since it started 5 years ago. We have a great team of volunteers serving our customers in a wide variety of roles at the moment.
We now believe that the Pantry needs someone who can devote their skills and time to become the Secretary to the charity . We are looking for someone who is an organiser and also has reasonable IT skills.
If you are keen to know more, please contact Steve Saunders through the Parish Office or at the Pantry. Steve will be happy to meet with you and cover what the role involves.
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
|
Church
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Community
|
World
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March 2nd
|
The Church remembers
St Chad and we pray as church and individuals we would show his
wisdom and gentleness.
|
We pray for those celebrating
Shrove Tuesday with pancakes
that they would remember why and what it means
|
We give thanks for places that draw
Christian pilgrims to
worship and pray.
and pray for those making pilgrimages today.
|
March 9th
|
Heavenly Father
your son battled with the powers of
darkness, and
grew closer to you
in the desert: help us to
use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer
that we may witness to your saving love. Amen
|
We pray for God for those wrestling with the darkness
in all its forms that might know the liberating saving love of Jesus.
|
We pray for Christians driven from their
homes by war,
persecution and violence.
Particularly for Palestinian
Christians in Gaza.
|
March
16th
|
Almighty God,
by the prayer and discipline
of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ's sufferings,
and by following in his way may we come to share in his glory. Amen
|
We pray for those
who are suffering physically, emotionally, mentally.
that they might seek and find the God who heals, forgives and restores all that is broken
Amen
|
We pray for medical teams
and missions doing life
changing operations in developing countries.
Praying for skilled medical staff to volunteer time for such work.
|
March 23rd
|
Almighty God
give us insight to discern
your will for us,
to give up what harms us, and to seek the perfection we
are promised in Jesus our Lord.
Amen
|
We pray for all who serve
as School Governors in the schools within the parish,
giving thanks for their commitment of time and skills, and asking God to bless their work.
|
We pray for those working in our local pubs and restaurants.
|
March 30th
|
We pray for all mothers who are members of our Church life and for Church to mother and care for all her Children. |
We pray Lord for those in Our Community for whom
Mother's day is a time of sadness or a reminder
of past hurts. That you
would surround them with your love. |
We pray for mothers
across the globe
who carry the heavy
loads of work and family responsibility.
That their voices
of wisdom will be heard, bringing change and transformation. |
Those who are sick
Steve Murphy
John Syner
Les Manchester
Those who have died
Caroline Ackroyd
Rodney Thornley
Robert Charlesworth
Elaine Goulsbra
Closing Thoughts
All That's Left
When all the stains of human life
When all the dross it leaves behind
When everything that we regret’s
Unprocessed and left unexplained
When what we were and what we are
Are unforgivable but to you
We do our best to make amends
To undo all the hurt we do
When tears and fears subside at last
And clarity succeeds despair
We look into our inmost souls
And find you waiting for us there
What you forgive absolves our sad life story
Till all that’s left of us is purity.
Newsletter Information
Church or community news to be included in the newsletter needs to be sent to the Parish Office or Vicarage by the last Tuesday of the month.