Church Officers
Rector: The Revd Derek A Baines– Tel: 01772 641521; Email:
Churchwardens
Mr Eric Barker OBE JP – Tel: 614385; Email:
Mr Robert Hawthornthwaite – Tel: 612952
PCC Secretary
Mrs Andrea Susnik – Tel: 615336; Email:
PCC Treasurer
Mrs Barbara Wood – Tel: 617679: Email:
Deanery Synod Representatives
Mrs Jane Elphick & Mr John Clarkson
Stewardship Recorder/Gift Aid Secretary
Mr Philip Norton – Tel: 07970 798345; Email:
Magazine Secretary
Mrs Elsie Kirkham – Tel: 615832.
Flower Secretaries
Mrs Althea Slater – Tel: 614966, Mrs E Wignall – Tel: 615675
Electoral Roll Secretary
Mrs Julie Tanham – Tel: 612992
Verger: Mrs Irene Pickles – Tel: 615708
Assistant Verger: Mr Stuart Tighe – Tel: 612963
Weekly Giving Envelopes: Please contact the Churchwardens.
Organisations
Sunday School – meets 10.15 in School, first three Sundays of the month.
Leader: Mrs Kathleen Leigh – Tel: 612196. Email:
Hoole Church Ladies’ Group – meets 7.30pm, 3rd Tuesday, in School.
Leader: Mrs Erika Penrose – Tel 613816; E:
St Michael’s Men’s Fellowship – meets 7.30pm, 2nd Tuesday, in School.
Secretary: Mr Ted Hopkins – Tel: 617002.
Friends of St. Michael’s – Caring for the fabric of our ancient church
Chairman: Mr Eric Barker – Tel 614385.
Secretary: Mr David Turner – Tel 617485.
Social Committee – Contact: Sheila Taylor, Tel: 616850
Hoole StMichaelCEPrimary School
Head Teacher: Mrs Jo Duckworth – Tel: 613219.
1st St. Michael’s Hoole Scout and Guide Groups – Group Scout Leader: Mandy Clark –Tel: 617761; E-mail:.
Church Web Sites:
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The Rector’s Ramblings
As you can imagine, our house is in a frenzy of getting jobs done, sorting out prescriptions and laying out essentials for packing. (I must admit that we are taking ½ a pharmacy to Uganda! Anything that we don’t use – hopefully most of it, will be left for the hospital to use).
Most people with children are busy preparing for the school holidays and getting ready in the same way as we are for a well earned break. I should imagine Grandparents are ‘girding their loins’ in preparation for their summer ‘work’ with the kids and the frenzy continues in houses throughout the villages. I hope that for those of you who cannot get away on holiday for whatever reason that the sun shines and you enjoy some time with the family and get a break from work or chores.
It is important to remember that God took a rest after he had created the world – that is why Sundays used to be very quiet with no work, open shops or transport being available. Church had a greater say in our lives than it seems to today. Is that really the case?
When we prepare families for Baptism of their children or couples for weddings I have found that many are very aware of the importance of God the creator, his son Jesus who taught us the message of love and the Holy Spirit who carries us and gives us power to pray and get through life on the straight and narrow. It seems that in a village church this is much more prevalent than those in towns such as my previous parish & it is important for us to pray for those communities.
Within all communities we remember those less fortunate & I am thankful for your continuing support of the food bank at Kingsfold – indeed if you know of any families who struggle after redundancy or other difficulties point them to Kingsfold on a Friday morning when the food bank is open at the Community Centre. We continue to pray for them and especially those trapped in the cycle of depression where a holiday is the last thing on their minds.
As the sun shines this week we should enjoy the countryside with its lush green as the crops grow and the meadows filled with buttercups and other flowers which seem to be doing so well this year. We should never forget the bounty that God gives us and a moment listening to a skylark, the hum of bees and flies or the forlorn cry of a buzzard reminds us that within the noise of our lives is peace, a spiritual peace that, through our faith, is given to us by God.
So amidst the hurley burley of life take time to stop for a while, and enjoy a bit of a rest in God’s beautiful creation and pray for those who cannot enjoy it for whatever reason.
The peace of the Lord be with you all.
Your brother pilgrim,
Derek
Looking back, with a glance forward!
We have welcomed Rie Walker, our Ordinand, into the parish and she has started to play a part in our worship. You will recall that Rie’s own parish is in vacancy and she has the support of Sharon as mentor for written work and sermons and the Parish’s support in learning about ministry and liturgy. Hopefully she will have a Vicar at St James’s by November.
On 4th July Derek and Sharon attended the service of thanksgiving for Women’s Ministry in the Church of England; a wonderful service recognising the ministry of all women whatever their role in church life.
Because of Sharon and I going away early in the month most of what follows is my glance forward and I hope and pray that all events go well.
School Leavers’ service Thursday 18th July, in church and this will be led this year by Mrs Duckworth.
The Revd Alistair McHaffie, Vicar of St John’s Earnshaw Bridge and Area Dean, will look after the Thursday morning Eucharists.
The Revd Nick Procter and the Revd Barbara Wilson, both Assistant Priests at St John’s, will cover our Sunday morning worship and Baptisms and Mr Ian Wells will lead our BCP Evening Prayer on 21st July.
On Saturday 20th the Diocesan Cursillo is having a gathering and picnic at St Paul’s Caton; all are welcome.
The ‘Event of Witness’ that replaces our walk of witness on Sunday 21st July will follow a similar pattern to the previous year’s walks with the band, Morris Dancers, Scout group followed by Tea and then ‘Songs of Praise’ which Carole has been co-ordinating.
I know that you will be interested to know that Skipton hosts this year’s “Yorkshire Day” festivities with activities running from the day (1st August) for three days to Sunday 4th August. So Happy Yorkshire Day everybody, get over there and enjoy some fun. (Your turn will come – do any of you know when Lancashire day is? Clue – it is on a Wednesday this year).
And finally, England has started the Ashes series against Australia…
Ministry Team
It is now 12 months since the Ministry team met. Many of the things that were discussed and mooted have been introduced into the parish.
Now is the time to start having a new look at the parish Mission Action Plan and the way that we interact with the villages. We also need to think about new ministries as we look to the future and the changes that are taking place within the Church of England.
To this end I propose a meeting from 9.30 to 12.00 in school on Saturday 14th September. I have contacted the original team but would really like to see a few more members who are willing to share ideas and discuss our way forward as Christ’s people.
Liturgy Group
Our church liturgy group met last month and we have suggested a revision of the Morning Prayer service.An outline has been shared and we will discuss this in church for about 1 hour at 7.00pm on Wednesday 7th August. Any parishioner who would like to join us and influence our liturgical practice is welcome to join us that evening.
The group has noted the style of music that we use and has come up with a list of suggestions that combine the ‘old’ traditional hymns with modern songs. This will be combined with a list of songs to try,which children in school know within the liturgy, and encourage an open style of family worship that will encourage more families to become regular worshippers.
Services for August:
4th August – 10th after Trinity
9.00 BCP Holy Communion
10.30 CW Holy Communion
3.00 BCP Evening Prayer
4.00 Holy Communion (Old Mill Court)
11th August – 11th after Trinity
9.00BCP Holy Communion
10.30Morning Prayer
18th August – 12th after Trinity
9.00BCP Holy Communion
10.30CW Holy Communion
3.00BCP Evening Prayer
25th August – 13th after Trinity
9.00BCP Holy Communion
10.30FAMILY PRAISE
1st September – 14th after Trinity
9.00BC Holy Communion
10.30CW Holy Communion
3.00BCP Evening Prayer
4.00Holy Communion (Old Mill Court)
Monday Evening prayer, every week at 7.00pm.
On Thursdays a Said Communion service (CW) will take place every week at 10.15am.
Here is a bit of news from the church in Uganda
From the Editor of “Parish Pump”: This year the Church in Uganda celebrates a milestone in the development of theological education in Africa....by Daniel Button, Secretary (UCU Partners UK)
Ugandan theological college celebrates 100 years
This year marks the Centenary of one of the oldest and most well-known Anglican Training Centres in East Africa, the BishopTuckerTheologicalCollege. It was founded in 1913 in Mukono, Uganda, but its roots go back even earlier, to the ministerial training begun by Bishop Alfred Tucker (CMS) at Namirembe (Kampala) in 1903. This was only a few years after the first Christian Martyrs were burned on a pyre by order of the Bugandan King Mwanga II, setting off a period of extraordinary Christian growth, and celebrated to this day every 3rd of June. Perhaps less well-known is that in 1997, BishopTuckerCollege was transformed into Uganda Christian University (UCU), which has since grown exponentially to encompass over 11,000 students spread across 4 campuses, with 6 faculties, and more than 40 graduate and undergraduate programmes from Diploma to PhD.
Yet in the midst of all this, the BishopTuckerSchool remains at the centre of the University, both physically and spiritually, continuing to faithfully serve the Church of Uganda as it has done for 100 years – even through the tumultuous period of post-colonial independence and the difficult reign of Idi Amin. The motto of Bishop Tucker College – ‘called to serve’ – has never changed, and well reflects the sacrificial service of both missionary and Ugandan personnel who together have worked, trained, and ministered throughout East Africa. While that motto continues, the emergence of a prestigious ChristianUniversity has entailed a new and broader vision, to transform the whole nation through Christian service in every vocation, from law, to medicine, to mass media. UCU’s vision is to be a centre of excellence in the heart of Africa, and already it is ranked amongst the top 100 universities in the whole of Africa. BTTC has come a long way!
UCU Partners was formed in 2008 to support the work of the university from the UK, and on 1st June held an historic event to celebrate and give thanks for 100 Years of God’s Faithfulness. This brought together people who have served at BTTC / UCU from 1962 to the present, as well as family descendants of the earliest pioneers. Celebrations continue in Uganda on 5th July, including various events to end of the year, under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor, Dr John Senyonyi. If you would like to learn more about UCU or join the work of UCU Partners in facilitating partnership links in the UK, we welcome you. Website:
or
email:
Our other friends in Africa
At the moment all attention at St Michael’s is focused on the new church in Tididiek Okorom and the blessings that have been delivered on that community which has been helped so much by our church mission giving.
However we must not forget the other project which is going on in Malawi. Mary and Keith continue to garner support from the people of Preston and South Ribble and have been sending wonderful news of the FOMO school project and the work going on in the land around Mulanje. This project is one that St Michael’s has taken to heart, especially with the political turmoil that has only recently begun to clear. Work has been ongoing with the school and following the recent changes in government the people have now been given back their land and FOMO is helping them with farming.
As we see, the sponsored youngsters are now back cultivating the land they were denied the use of since 2008; these are seeds that Mary and Keith took with them in April, you can appreciate how they missed the crops from here, they have also reinstated bee hives and replanted banana trees.
The desk appeal is going very well: we are 78% there, and Mary and Keith would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported this appeal, but they still have a little way to go. They have purchased the first batch of desks.The finishing touches (painting) are being done to Phase Two, the second block, so the building schedule is well on target for September.
So while we rejoice that God’s work continues in Uganda we also rejoice that he continues to bless the people of Mulanje in their return to self sufficiency and we give thanks to God for all missionary and aid work that goes on in Africa.
Prayer intentions
We pray for all who travel
We pray for parents and Grandparents
We pray for those who cannot manage a break away from home that they find peace and get a rest from the busyness of life.
We pray for those less fortunate than ourselves that they can find peace and difficulties are helped by the power of the spirit
We pray for those suffering mental illness & their families and carers
We pray for our National Health Service as it goes through another series of changes and ask that God strengthens the staff who are under such pressure.
We pray for our schools and ask God to enable the staff to rest before they prepare for the autumn term
We pray for the Mission Aviation Fellowship and Médecins Sans Frontières as they continue their work in areas of need throughout the world.
Saint(s) of the month
11th August - Clare of Assisi
In the year 1212 Clare, the 18 yearold daughter of a local Count, heard a young preacher called Francis. A few years earlier he had caused a sensation in the centre of the town where they both lived, Assisi in Italy, by stripping himself of his wealthy clothes and declaring that from now on he would live the life of a peasant. This, he said, was in obedience to the call of Christ, for whom the poor were ‘blessed’ and the rich were in peril of judgment. He gathered a group of seven men prepared to embrace what he called ‘joyful poverty’ for Christ’s sake, but that day he was to enlist a female disciple. ‘You are a chosen soul from God’, he told Clare, when she expressed her eagerness to embrace the same strict rule as his male followers.
In due course, after a period in a Benedictine convent, Clare and her sister Agnes moved into the church of St Damiano, which Francis and his friends had restored, and gathered there a group of like-minded women. Eventually Francis made Clare the abbess of a religious order, at first called the ‘Order of Poor Ladies’, eventually, and universally, to be known as the ‘Poor Clares’. Unable to operate an itinerant ministry like the men, Clare’s sisters concentrated on a life of prayer and simplicity. In fact, their dedication to poverty was such that it affected the health of many of them.
Francis and Clare remained friends and colleagues over the next 14 years in this remarkable movement of renewal and mission. During the preceding century (as we can learn from Chaucer, among others) the religious Orders had in many cases substituted indulgence for discipline. Francis and Clare found this scandalous, and despite opposition from high places, set out to demonstrate that an effective Christian message required an appropriate Christian lifestyle. For them, poverty was not a burden but a joy - a release from the delusions of power and ambition. Their witness made an enormous impact on the poor people of Umbria and beyond, who saw an authenticity in their lives which spoke as eloquently as their words.
Clare helped to nurse Francis through his final illness, which lasted several years. She lived for 27 years after his death, like him suffering from the effects of long years of strict austerity. She died in 1253 and was canonised two years later. She is buried in the Basilica of St Clare in Assisi, a few hundred yards from the Basilica of St Francis. In life they proclaimed the same message of sacrificial love and service, and in their deaths they were not divided. Her special day is 11th August.
31st August – Aidan – the man who brought Christianity to England
Aiden is a strong contender for the title of the first English bishop. Not that honours meant a great deal to this austere but captivating character.
In 635 he came to Northumbria at the invitation of the local ruler, Oswald. Oswald had spent several years of his childhood on Iona, and when he succeeded to the throne of his northern kingdom he was shrewd enough to realise that the Christian faith would be an ideal unifying force to pacify rival tribes of warlords.
Oswald's invitation was not immediately successful. The first missionary from Iona returned in despair, claiming that the barbarity of the Northumbrians made them unconvertible. But as Aidan listened, he felt the unmistakable call of God to try again.