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IN MAY this year there are two significant events with the same message. Christian Aid Week (13 - 19 May)
focuses attention on the needs of the whole human race and our mutual responsibilities. Second, this year’s
prestigious Reith Lectures, given by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, an internationally-renowned economist and
advisor to many governments around the world, takes the theme that because of vastly increasing numbers and
complexity, our global society desperately needs to discover new ways of how we live together and care for one
another.
Christian Aid Week centres on El Salvador, a part of the world with extreme poverty and the constant threat
of hurricanes and natural disasters. Details of some of the projects there to provide wells and clean water
were included in last month’s magazine. El Salvador is also remembered as the place where archbishop Oscar
Romero was martyred in 1980. He called the 80% of El Salvadoreans living in poverty a crucified people. He was
fearless in giving a voice to the voiceless in his country which brought him into conflict with the government
and the military and was why the army assassinated him.
Christian Aid has never been only about money (though during the week we are invited to give generously and
consider what we do with our money and whether we use our financial resources selfishly or to help others). We
know the huge contrast between rich and poor, affluence and the third world, what we have received and what we
have to give. Christian Aid also underlines our interconnected global economy. The week raises the age-old
question, Am I my brother’s keeper? to which the answer
has to be Yes.
Mutual responsibility across the world is no longer optional in the 21st century. It has to be a primary
perspective which none dare ignore. Jeffrey Sachs uses the title
Bursting at the seams for his lectures and focuses on the immense population explosion which
presses on us all raising the urgent need to find new ways of living together on a planet with finite
resources.
In his first lecture, he warns that if we are to avoid a path of self-destruction we need a global
conversation. He quotes words of President John F Kennedy: Let us not be blind
to our differences but let us also direct attention to our common interests and the means by which those
differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe
for diversity, for in the final analysis our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet,
we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children’s future, and we are all mortal.
 Fr Paul
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MANY CONGRATULATIONS to Fr Grant who has been appointed Chaplain to St
John’s College, Cambridge, a very prestigious position. Fr Grant takes up his new post on 1st September
and so the family anticipate moving during the summer. Please keep Fr Grant, Chris, Bethany and Sarah very
much in your prayers as they sort out housing, schooling and so on in preparation for their move. We will, of
course, make ample opportunity to express our thanks and say our farewells nearer the time.
At the Annual Meeting of Parishioners on 25 March, Jerry Porter and Margaret Holman were elected as
Churchwardens for Prestbury and Sue Bolton and Margaret Compton were elected as Deputy Wardens with
responsibility for St Nicolas’. We congratulate them on their appointment and assure them of our prayers and
support during their term of office.
At the meeting very grateful thanks were expressed to Marion Beagley who stood down as Churchwarden after
three years in office. Marion has made an enormous contribution to the life of the Parish since joining us and
has been a very active and dedicated Churchwarden (wonderfully supported by Alan). Marion assures us that she
will continue to offer her skills and her time and was later elected to serve on the PCC for a three-year
term.
 Fr Michael
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WE ARE MOVING FORWARD on the recruitment of a new Team Vicar. The post was advertised in March and
interviews will take place on Thursday 17 May. We hope someone will be in post by September! The new Team
Vicar will live in Prestbury Vicarage and will be Team Vicar in the North Cheltenham Team Ministry (when it is
legally formed). He will be working mainly with the 9.30am Celebrate! congregation and the 11am
congregation at St Mary’s; however, he will also have a Team-wide role, which will depend on his particular
gifts and skills. Please pray for all those who will be involved in the interview process on the 17th and pray
that God will guide us to make the right appointment.
Things are moving slowly towards the creation of the new North Cheltenham Team Ministry. A draft Scheme
(the legal document which sets up the new Team) has been circulated to all the concerned PCCs as well as
Parish Patrons and clergy. We are expecting this to come back to the PCCs for a second ‘informal consultation’
following an amendment before it is sent to the Church Commissioners. They will then send it out to all
relevant parties for a ‘formal consultation’ and approval before it goes to the Privy Council.
This means that we are still not in a position to give a date for the closure of St Peter’s, Tewkesbury
Road, or the commencement of the new Team Ministry. However we are taking lots of opportunities to meet
together across the parishes of the North Cheltenham area. At the end of March the Clergy, Readers and Wardens
all met at Glenfall House for an evening which was both a sociable ‘getting to know you’ occasion and also an
opportunity to talk together about the future.
Fr Michael
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VERY MANY THANKS to all those who worked so hard over the Easter period to prepare our churches for the
festivities. A great deal of work goes into preparing for and running the different services and we greatly
appreciate the contribution of flower arrangers, sacristans, servers, musicians, readers and intercessors,
sidespeople and welcomers, those who serve refreshments, and those who produce the service material. There are
also people who faithfully clean our churches (more people are required please!) and those who this year
organised the different crosses which were put up on Palm Sunday and then ‘dressed’ with crowns of thorns and
then garlands of flowers.
This year, for the first time, we travelled together as a Team Ministry through the Triduum – the three
great services of the Christian year. I have been very encouraged by the number of people who have told me how
positive the experience has been for them this year. The contrast between the intimacy of St Nicolas’ on
Maundy Thursday, the starkness of St Mary’s on Good Friday and the richness of the ceremonies in All Saints’
on Holy Saturday certainly made this a very memorable Holy Week and Easter.
Always there is the sadness that more of our congregation do not join us for these unique services. I was
especially disappointed by the poor attendance of members of the host church for the Easter Vigil and we will
have this in mind when we plan for next year. I appreciate that the Easter Vigil starts late, but then it has
to be dark, and I cannot help reflecting that at Christmas Midnight Mass starts even later. I also realise
that it is a long service, but then cannot help thinking that two hours just once a year is surely not too
much time to offer to God as we celebrate, in a service which dates back to the time of the early Christian
church, the joyful truth of our risen Lord Jesus.
Fr Michael
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ON WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH children from the Junior School came to St Mary’s church for a Prayer Maze. The
previous day the Infant School had experienced a slightly different Prayer Maze, with stations more suited to
their age. Some stations from the Junior Maze were set up again on Palm Sunday afternoon.
These comments are from Junior School children aged eight to nine years:
- I think the Prayer Maze was very enjoyable and would do it again next year. It
made me think, that why would you betray a friend for money? James W
- I thought the activity where you had to make the rainbow with the crystals and
the torch was the best but I also enjoyed the one where you got to eat chocolate mini-eggs. I really
enjoyed waving the flags while singing Our God is a great big God. Amelia M
- My favourite was the fossil one because it shows that we are all different.
Overall it was great. Samuel E
- My favourite Prayer Maze station was the one that had bread because it reminded
me of the last supper. (no name)
- My favourite prayer maze station was the one where you got to write down
something then stick it on the road, because you get to know who other people could be having feelings
for. Overall I thought it was brilliant, because it really brought over the real meaning of Easter.
Christopher
- I really enjoyed shredding my bad thoughts away. It felt really good getting
them out of my head and into the shredder and making a fresh start. Kirsty W
- My favourite station was the one where you had to wash someone’s hands because
we got to think what it was like to be Jesus and how he felt washing somebody’s feet. Overall I thought
it was amazing. Kathryn
- I liked everything because I don’t normally go to church. It made me think
about Jesus on the cross and when he rose. Chloe L
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Nineteen members were present on Wednesday 28th March with eighteen apologies.
Margaret Waker gave her financial report and it was noted that there was a deficit of £110.30 on the year.
Noel Brick had audited the accounts.
Everyone was thanked for their efforts in the past year and a special thanks to Lindsey McGowan, who
oversees the weddings, and the ladies who help her. Lotte Rule was thanked (in her absence) for organising the
Mothering Sunday Posies. There was a profusion of posies on that day to which many people had contributed.
Sadly three members have had to retire owing to family commitments or failing health. Cards and thanks had
been sent for their service and hard work over many years.
Some discussion took place on whether the donations for a lily at Easter should be recognised in a book or
cards. It was thought this would be difficult to manage and it was decided that the present mention in the
Magazine should continue. Various members agreed to say a few words at all the services a week or so before
any Festival reminding the congregation of the beautiful arrangements and the cost involved and especially as
there had been a deficit in this year’s accounts. Easter was a trial run and the personal approach worked
wonders.
A flower pedestal was gratefully received from Clare Hutchings, which was in a better condition than some
already in our possession.
 Sheila Beer
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We held our Tower AGM at 2030 on Tuesday March 20th, after a shortened ringing practice. Fr Michael was in
the chair. The meeting thanked Mary Lynch for her five years’ service as Tower Captain and welcomed David
Lynch as the new Tower Captain. Mary now becomes the new Quarter Peal Organiser. Jenni Scruton remains Tower
Secretary and Treasurer, Jonathan Sweetman remains Steeplekeeper and Anthony Smith continues to be Quarter
Peal Secretary.
The bells of St Mary’s were used on the afternoon of Saturday March 17th for the teaching of ringing as
part of the Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association Training Day. There were four learners and six helpers
from towers within the Association. The method being learned was Plain Bob Doubles. Those who were learning
the method made good progress and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.
 Jenni Scruton
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Classes for children who would like to receive communion start on Tuesday 5th June 4.00 to 4.45pm at St
Nicolas’ Church. As was mentioned in March’s magazine, there is now no age limit and we are expecting at least
a few pre-school children. Parents are encouraged not to think of Communion as something we ‘get ready for’ as
we grow older and more mature but rather as a wonderful free gift from God that he gives to all who want to
follow him.
There will be four sessions (5th, 12th, 19th and 26th June) with the children making their First Communions
in their own church on Sunday 24th June. We hope to have a number of groups all meeting at the same time, so
that children can be prepared with those of a similar age.
To book a place or find out more, contact
 Fr Grant
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IT IS PALM SUNDAY in Prestbury United Reformed Church with just the quiet murmur of pre-service chat, when
Celebrate! bursts in, having held up the traffic and frightened a horse with their hallelujahs through the
village. Revd Maz and Fr Michael dedicate a large wooden cross, adorn it with palm branches and then erect it
outside the chapel. Some of us move on to St Mary’s, others head home and the URC regulars continue their
service.
In the afternoon I have tea and cakes in St Mary’s and try out some of the Prayer Maze. That evening I don
a cassock for the first time to join the choirs in Stainer’s Crucifixion at All Saints’. By the end of the
final tenor recitative the conductor has laid down his baton, congregation and choir are standing in readiness
for the last hymn, and as those immortal words ‘he gave up his spirit’ die away the conductor drops on
one knee, head bowed. For a few moments this vast church is filled with total silence.
Holy Week, and I attend Morning Prayer and the Eucharist each day (my first visit to the Tuesday morning
service at St Nicolas’ – thank you for your friendly welcome!) and Stations of the Cross on Wednesday. Then
the Triduum, where I find the services make more sense as a progression than when previously attended in
isolation.
I experience the full roller-coaster of emotions, starting with an exuberant Eucharist on Thursday at St
Nicolas’, seated in the round, each administering communion to our neighbour, followed by the sadness of
moving to the ‘garden’ as the lights gradually go out. I forgo a lift home because I want to sit here on the
floor just a little longer… Later I go to St Mary’s and stay till midnight.
On Good Friday we congregate outside the URC again, and the phrase ‘is it nothing to you, all ye that
pass by?’ becomes so real as we sing and pray while the traffic drives past. I cannot stay for all the
readings and music in St Mary’s but I return for the Liturgy. How different from my previous experience! No, I
still cannot bring myself even to touch the cross, let alone kiss it, but somewhere beyond the symbolism there
has to be meaning: perhaps the realisation that I can never repay God for what he did that day so long ago.
I emerge into the sunshine feeling quite light-hearted, full of that incongruous sense of relief and
completion which sometimes comes when one has been waiting for a death which has now finally happened. It is
as if one is suddenly free to get back to ‘normal’ now that the waiting is over. I enjoy the rest of Good
Friday and all of Saturday with no lingering sadness.
And so back to All Saints’ on Easter Eve for the Vigil Mass – what a wonderful service and what a superb
building to hold it in! The following morning it is equally stirring to hear the singing from Celebrate!
sound out across St Mary’s churchyard (yes I am deliberately a few minutes late!), and then to join in
praising God with jumping and flag-waving. Briefly I return to the URC where a garland of flowers replaces the
barbed-wire crown on the cross, before completing my Easter Experience with the Easter Day Eucharist in St
Mary’s.
 Frances Murton
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I AM SURE that anyone who attended some or all of the services at any of the churches in our Team
throughout Holy Week would like to join me in thanking Father Michael and his colleagues for their preparation
and leadership.
It was certainly a Team journey as each church hosted a service on each day during Holy Week. The seating
and ceremony was different at each one, which stopped us sitting in the same place as Sundays. There were
people from other congregations in ‘our’ church.
What a great experience it was and I am only sorry that more didn’t attend. Those who didn’t attend for
whatever reason missed out on a wonderful shared experience of a Team journey.
 Simon Taylor, All Saints’
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The 2007 Prestbury and Pittville Youth AGM on 25 March did not quite follow the Parish AGM this year as it
has done in the past. There was a pause while members joined the Executive Committee for a glass of wine and a
showing of highlights of the young people’s video film ‘Our Voice’.
The Annual Report and Accounts were circulated and the Treasurer, Gill Wood, explained that most of the
balance of £44,218 being carried forward was allocated to particular areas of work with young people and to
support employment costs. The Chairman stressed that the level of financial support from grant-making trusts
was an acknowledgement of the very high quality of the youth work provided by Andy Macauly, Youth Development
Worker, and his teams of volunteer workers and young leaders.
Andy Macauly presented his report on their work highlighting the need to be creative to keep PPY running
well and describing the projects being offered to all groups. Most young people had contributed to ‘Our Voice’
in 2006. Under the project ‘Challenge ’07’, everyone was being encouraged to set a personal target and, with
support, work out how to achieve it. In 2008, an Art and Music Project would be run.
All the places on the Executive Committee were filled. The Revd Michael Cozens continues as the Chairman
and Tricia Wilson as Hon. Secretary. Gill Wood was re-elected Treasurer for three years. Linda Biggs, Charlie
Chan, Julia Hook, and Daphne Philpot were re-appointed and Julie Lane and Liz Greenhow were elected.
 Tricia Wilson
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On 17th March Sarah Lyle gave a very inspiring talk on her expedition from the Dead Sea to Mount Everest,
illustrated with many slides.
Two things which moved me were Sarah’s ability and humility to appreciate what she was experiencing,
sometimes not quite believing she was there, and her description of the generosity of the people she met, who
gave them hospitality along the way, a generosity we in the west seem shy of showing.
In a materialistic world where we read of people seeking fame it is refreshing to see a young lady doing
good deeds for the benefit others. We in Prestbury can be proud of Sarah.
 Colin Gay
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Do you search on-line? Did you know that if you do your searches through
www.everyclick.com you can raise money for Prestbury and Pittville
Youth at the same time? This website gives half the revenue it makes from advertising to charity. All you have
to do is register PPY as your nominated charity and they will give local young people 1p for every search you
make. It is very easy to register. You just put in the full charity name, Prestbury and Pittville Youth, when
asked.
Apparently, about 50% of people who use the site do not register a specific charity and their share of the
funds is divided between the charities that have been registered, so even if you don’t use everyclick.com very
much, if you register on it, PPY will qualify for a bigger share of the unallocated funds. It is possible to
see how many people have registered and how much has been raised by clicking ‘charities’ at the bottom of the
site front page.
Some of the bigger websites give even more generously to everyclick.com. If you access ebay through the
site then PPY can earn approx 5p for every bid you make. Access Amazon, Expedia and Hertz through
everyclick.com and they will pay 2.5% of each sale they make.
Please consider making www.everyclick.com your search engine and help Prestbury and Pittville Youth raise
funds.
Tricia Wilson
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IT IS JANUARY and the evening is cold and wet. In the centre of Cheltenham people are hurrying towards St
Mary’s Church. As we enter we are met by the warm glow of thousands of candles, lighting the building. We are
directed to the back of the church and as our eyes become accustomed to the candle light we realise that it is
very full.
This was one of the services organised by Churches Together for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The
form being used was based on that of the Taizé Community, which crosses the
boundaries of our different Christian traditions so easily. The distinctive character comes from the chants
with their attractive simplicity. When they are used at services in church or heard on the radio we may not
know that they come from Taizé. However, a number of chants are familiar to many Christian worshippers. ‘O
Lord hear my prayer, when I call answer me’ is used as a refrain to intercessions; ‘Bless the Lord my soul’
may have a familiar ring and ‘Eat this bread, drink this cup’ is used at the time of receiving Communion.
Though some chants are widely known a Taizé style service, such as the one in January, is not often to be
found.
These chants are very short, consisting of a few words which are usually taken from the Bible. They are
sung over and over again to music which is so attractive and may be sung unaccompanied. We are drawn in to the
meaning of the words as we sing them and the repetition becomes a form of meditation. Take for example the
words, ‘Jesus remember me when you come into your Kingdom’. They are the words of the penitent thief on the
cross next to Jesus. They can help to concentrate our minds on the crucifixion and Jesus’ suffering. Other
chants express the joy of the Resurrection, or the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. ‘Veni Sancte
Spiritus’ (Latin for ‘Come Holy Spirit’) is like a pulse as we repeat it insistently, daring to believe that
the Spirit is among and within us.
There is no set liturgical form to Taizé worship. It will usually include a reading from Scripture which sets
the theme for the service; a psalm or canticle, eg Magnificat, may be used. There will be a time of
intercession, but no preaching – no sermon nor address!
Always an essential part of Taizé worship is Silence. Chants and silence together create Stillness –
Stillness which we sometimes long for and all need. Even if we only find ourselves thinking our own thoughts
at least we are doing that in the presence of God. Towards the end of the service everyone has a lighted
candle and all sing with the Joy of the Resurrection ‘Jubilate Deo’ or some similar chant.
We may ask ‘How do we pronounce that word Taizé?’ I suppose most people would say something like tezzay.
It is a small village in France, where the Community has its home. It was founded by Brother Roger, who was
tragically killed in 2005. But its international work goes on and I hope to give more of that inspiring story
in another issue of this magazine.
 John Gann
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As part of the Bishop of Gloucester’s initiative to raise the profile of Easter, St Mary’s and Prestbury
URC jointly raised a Cross on Palm Sunday outside the URC in Deep Street where it could be seen by the many
people passing along the busy street. Both Churches are extremely grateful to Mike Aldridge for making such a
fine Cross.
Celebrate! sing their way across St Mary's churchyard
heading for the United Reformed Church
picture by Stephen Murton
Before our Palm Sunday Service, palm-waving children and adults from Celebrate! at St Mary’s walked
in noisy procession to the URC where they were joined by about 20 or 30 other members of St Mary’s. In front
of a packed church Maz and Fr Michael Cozens led a short service where the Cross was dedicated and decorated.
Before the Cross was taken outside and fixed in position the congregation was invited to come up and touch it.
 On Good Friday Fr Michael conducted a short service
at the foot of the Cross where a barbed-wire circle representing the Crown of Thorns was hung on it. As
before, the congregation of about 40 was invited to touch the barbs and pray for victims of suffering.
On Easter Sunday members of the congregation of St Mary’s were again present in the URC. A garland of
flowers (made by Lindsey McGowan of St Mary’s) was carried out by four of the children and placed at the foot
of the Cross. After another prayer, the garland was hung on the Cross as a symbol of the Resurrection. This
service was led by Revd Ernest Marvin and Fr Paul Iles.
The Cross remained outside the URC until the following weekend. The Cross is not only a reminder of the
Death and Resurrection of Our Lord, but it is also a symbol of the friendship that exists between Prestbury
URC and St Mary’s and St Nicolas’.
 Fiona Hall, URC
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Some of you will know that I am currently under taking a two-year course called Training for Learning and
Service. Four times a year I attend a residential weekend with fellow students. The last weekend was based on
meeting the needs of Society and evangelism. Part of our time was spent preparing presentations on how we
would engage with a typical family who thought Christians were “Godbotherers”. How would we help this family
to see that we are ordinary people like them, however we have a faith, a belief and most importantly a special
relationship with God which we wanted to share with them.
This exercise made me realise how alien the world of church is to most people: all the traditions which we
follow – standing up, sitting down, singing hymns which are very different from pop music, reading the bible
and then a sermon. In the end it became very clear that we would need to do something that provided the
typical family and the community with something which it wanted – not what we thought it needed.
Interestingly, Prestbury URC held its AGM and meeting on the future of the church the same weekend. The
building is riddled with damp and over £100,000 needs to be spend to repair it; 70% of this money needs to be
raised by the membership i.e. £70,000! Seven options were placed before the church meeting:-
1) Go for it!
2) Go for part of the project
3) Rent worship-space elsewhere
4) Integrate with St Andrew’s and Warden Hill
5) Form a Local Ecumenical Partnership
6) Disband
7) Do nothing
Every member and adherent or friend has been given a pledge form and asked to consider what they are able
and willing to commit to financially. The aim is not to put a price tag on coming to church but to understand
what money we will have to make a decision about the future. We need to be realistic.
In June the church meeting will make a decision. We ask that you will hold the church and its congregation
in your prayers.
What will happen? One hundred and forty one years ago Highbury felt that Prestbury needed an alternative to
the then very high Anglican Church. It built a chapel as its witness and mission to the community. What do
Prestbury village and the people of Prestbury need now? What is the mission of Prestbury URC? These are the
important questions which need thoughtful prayer.
 Julie Jefferies, URC
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The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the
reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and
brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s
manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:1-3 (NIV)
Beginnings and Endings are important. They are what you tend to remember – how you first met a dear friend,
a prospective boss at your job interview, the joke at the opening of a sermon. You only get one go at a
beginning.
In this opening passage the scene is set for the whole book. We learn of Isaiah’s mission, the prophet
himelf, the setting of the historical context and the Israelites’ situation and problem.
Isaiah had a vision – a message from God to His rebellious people – a calling, an inescapable task.
Individually you or I may or may not have a clear and specific vision like his. However, for us corporately,
vision is important since ‘Without vision the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18). What is our vision?
We discover Isaiah’s name, meaning ‘Yahweh is salvation’. He lived and prophesied through the turbulent
times of four kings of Judah, a period of some forty years, approximately 740 - 700 BC. A number of other Old
Testament prophets, for example Amos, Hosea and Micah, also lived at that time and together bore witness to
the decimation of the ten tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel.
With King Uzziah’s death a two-generation period of peace came to an end, and the southern kingdom of Judah
and the northern kingdom of Israel were harried and dominated by kings from Assyria bent on expanding their
empire. There are similarities between Isaiah’s time and ours. The influence of individual countries continues
to wax and wane. Powerful rulers still seek to expand their territory. People are downtrodden and moral values
falter.
For Isaiah verses 2 and 3 set the scene of a crisis situation brought about by the rebellious choices made
by the Israelites. Further into the book are more familiar verses: the moving and inspirational passages we
hear at Christmas, ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel’
(7:14) and the words we hear at Easter about the Suffering Servant, ‘But he was pierced for our transgression,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are
healed’ (53:5).
These are familiar passages, yet so very hard to get our human minds around the meaning of the depth and
breadth of the love of God contained within them.
Lord, forgive my rebellion, help me to hear, and begin to understand your love for me. Amen.
 Sue Read
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I stayed before the Altar of Repose in St Nicolas’ until about half past nine. As I walked home past the
racecourse the funfair was in full swing, and I thought how apt it was – life goes on around us even while we
struggle with deep sadness.
And surely that is how it must have been that night in Jerusalem: most people who were there to celebrate
the Passover were doing just that – celebrating, having a party with friends and family, some of whom they had
not seen since last year. They were completely oblivious to what was happening in the Garden of Gethsemane,
just as the people enjoying the funfair were oblivious to the sad quietness in the darkened church barely ten
minutes’ walk away.
Editor
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Bible Study and Hospitality
The Bible Study Group will be continuing to explore St Matthew’s Gospel at 7.00pm on the
second and fourth Tuesdays of each month and look forward to welcoming new members. Study guides are still
available from Jennifer Swinbank.
In the week after Easter members of the group met together and enjoyed a wonderful evening
of good food and good company. Many thanks to John and Anne for their generous hospitality.
 Jennifer Swinbank
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PLANT SALE
Saturday 12th May 2 pm
St Nicolas’ Church, Swindon Lane
In aid of Church funds
Plant Sale at St Nicolas’
Please remember the Plant Sale on Saturday, 12th May, 2.00 pm in aid of Church funds.
We hope to have all sorts of plants on sale, and will be grateful for donations of bedding
plants, herbaceous perennials and vegetable and herb plants. If you are able to supply anything, please ring
me by 10th May and I will collect, or deliver to St Nicolas’ on 12th May between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm.
 Janet White
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Parish Quiz Night
St Nicolas’ Hall
Saturday12th May 7.15pm
Teams of 4 maximum at a price of £2 a head
Come and enjoy the occasion!
Questions suitable for all ages
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Ecumenical Service
Do join us at the United Reformed Church in Deep Street on Sunday 13th May at 6.30pm for an
ecumenical service celebrating Christian Aid Week. The service will be followed by refreshments and a time of
fellowship.
Christian Aid Week May 13th-19th
We shall need many volunteers to help with the house-to-house collection. We hope that most of our usual
faithful helpers will be available, but some will be away and some others are unwell. Do consider giving up a
little time if you possibly can. No-one need spend more than two or three hours. Please get in touch with us.
Gill Ashman for St Mary’s
Paddy Spurgeon for St Nicolas’
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Church Cleaning and Churchyard Tidy-up
Thank you to the small but enthusiastic band of helpers who turned out to spring clean St
Mary’s and tidy the churchyard. In spite of numbers of volunteers being down,  a good job was done. Mid-morning we
enjoyed coffee and biscuits together with large hot sausage rolls courtesy John Fogarty at the Bakery Stores.
Matthew and his barrow were invaluable, clearing up for us all.
Photo by Nigel Woodcock
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Skip & Chips
At the churchyard tidy-up in March there was no opportunity to clear the heap, so members of
Celebrate! have organised a skip on Saturday 19th May. If you can come and help from 10 o’clock you
would be most welcome. At least there is no clash with the football this time! The more hands the merrier,
particularly as we would like to be finished well before the wedding at 3.30pm. Oh, and there are chips at
lunchtime!
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St Mary’s Bakestall
This month’s bakestall at St Mary’s is on Sunday 20th May with contributions from those with
surnames N-Z. Do contact one of us if you would like to join the rota.
Margaret Waker & Linda Matthews
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Mothers’ Union
Our speaker on Tuesday 29th May will be Mr Nicholas Clark who will show slides of ‘Beyond
Bangkok’. We meet in St Nicolas’ Church at 7.30pm and all are welcome.
Marion Beagley
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Prestbury Open Gardens
Saturday, 16th & Sunday, 17th June 2 – 5 p.m.
With Cream Teas available in St Mary’s Church, 3 – 5 p.m.
All proceeds to Church funds
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Glastonbury Pilgrimage 2007
The next pilgrimage at Glastonbury Abbey is on Saturday 16th June, at which the intention
will be for those without water and for the work and partnership with ‘Water Aid’. The principal celebrant at
the Eucharist will be the Bishop of Plymouth and the preacher will be the well known Anglican catholic
evangelist Lindsay Urwin, Bishop of Horsham.
Jen Swinbank
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Parish Fete – Date for your Diary!
This year’s Parish Fete will be held at St Nicolas’ on Saturday 30 June at 2pm. PLEASE sign
up to run a stall – don’t just assume someone else will do it! We would like donations of items for sale –
bathroom treats, books, CDs, bottles, cakes, white elephants(!!?) and more. If you can help, please contact a
member of the fete committee: Janet Ford, Jeanette Behenna and Hazel Langley.
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Education and Nurture across the Team
Those who joined us at St Nicolas’ in Father Paul’s Garden of Delights experienced a
combination of food, fellowship, worship and a presentation on a seasonal theme. Thank you to Father Paul and
to all whose efforts helped to make this a success.
Jennifer Swinbank
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Going Up
Exploring the Ascension through
workshops and worship for
8-14 year olds
Sunday 20th May
3pm to 6pm
Ss Philip and James Church
Up Hatherley, Cheltenham
For further information and a registration form contact:
Carol Raven 01242 699846
email: frraven.ssc blueyonder.co.uk
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