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6 April 2018
Dear Friends
Alleluia, Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Many of us will I suspect have used this traditional Easter greeting at our churches on Easter Day, and will perhaps go on using it throughout the Easter season that lasts up until Pentecost on 20 May, our next major church festival. It reminds us that because Christ is risen, we can rejoice, we can say ‘Alleluia’ or ‘Hallelujah’, which literally means ‘give thanks to God’. Christ’s resurrection changes things – it means that we need no longer be restricted by the old order or ways of doing things for he has defeated the old order of sin and death to bring us new life. What does that mean for us as individuals and churches then? It means that we are freed to try doing things differently (by the power of God that raised Jesus from death) in order to bring about change and transformation. As I often say, God is in the change or transformation business. We need not fear that but rather can rejoice that He longs to do new things through us as individuals and together through us as His church. He longs that we can find ways to reach out and share his transforming life and love withpeople, communities and indeed our nation and our world. We have a Great Commission, but we also have a Great God!
One of the ways in which some of our churches have attempted to reach out to others is through the Alpha course. Alpha, like many other Christian basics courses, has proved to be a very effective way of both renewing the faith of those inside the churches but also engaging faith in others outside of them. At the end of this month (on Monday 30April), the youth club which meets at the Oaks on a Monday night (in conjunction with Warrington Youth for Christ) will begin the latest Youth Alpha course which will run till Monday 16th July (apart from 7th and 28th May).
We are looking for a few extra volunteers to be part of the regular group of workers who usually spend one Monday evening per month /two evenings per half term to help run this. The Alpha Course would be a good chance to get to know the young people, and a DBS check would be required for each volunteer plus some basic safeguarding training. If you can offer your time to help, or any financial support for the food for the Alpha course, please contact Pam Addison at St.Paul’s (her details can be found on Church Suite, our team database programme). If nothing else, we can certainly all pray for the course and for the young people who are being invited to come on it and who attend it.There will also be a youth celebration evening, which will be led by the young people, but open for adults to come as well. The next one of these will be Saturday 14 July at The Olive Tree – all welcome – again do speak to Pam for further details.
So as we enter this Easter season, my hope and prayer for all our churches is that we find the confidence to do new things in order to share the liberating love of God in Jesus. Underpinning thatwill of course need to be prayer and to that end I would like to remind you of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative which runs between Ascension Day and Pentecost. Do come and join our prayer walk on that day, 10 May, even if it is only to pray (and not walk) as we travel around our churches together including this year St.Joseph’s as well (hopefully friends will be joining us from the other churchesin West Warrington as last year). Don’t forget the team celebration service in the evening at St.Philip’s at 7.30 p.m. as well, and of course the opportunity to worship God as part of the wider church at the Big Church Day Out at Capesthorne Hall, near Macclesfield on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd June. To book your tickets at the discounted rate, visit I’m going on the 2nd June and hope to see many of you there.
Alleluia, Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Jeremy Tear
Pioneer Team Rector
THY KINGDOM COME PRAYER WALK
ASCENSION DAY – THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018
9.00 amPrayers at St.James, Hood Manor
11.00 amPrayers at St.Philip’s, Westbrook
12.30 pmLunch at St.Joseph’s, Penketh
2.00 pm Prayers at St.Joseph’s
3.30 pmShort Holy Communion at St.Mary’s, Great Sankey
7.30 p.m.Prayer and Praise Service – St.Philip’s, Westbrook
NBThe walk will begin approx. 1/2 hour after prayers at each church