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IN OUR increasingly urban context, where food comes from the supermarkets
and the countryside is a place we visit for a refreshing walk, harvest has
lost some of its significance to many of us, yet it is a time of theological
importance to Christianity. In the world, it is a culmination of the new
life celebrated in spring; in the church, of the new life celebrated in the
Cross and Resurrection. It is a time of celebration of the gathering in of
the produce, physical and spiritual, which we have nurtured over the past
year. Although harvest may be more difficult to tie into an urban context,
for those who started new jobs or school years, this time is one for
building on the life experiences that have brought us to where we are.
This summer I was ordained deacon, an initial summation of five years of
exploration and formation. Having had a relatively gentle settling time,
October now heralds the beginning of a reaping of what was sown in that time
of training. When the harvest is gathered in, it is the end of the job of
sowing and growing, but the beginning of the job of turning that harvested
produce into something useable. Wheat is turned into bread, grapes become
wine; likewise, my theological training needs to become an ingredient of
something greater. This is therefore an exciting time for me, though also a
daunting one.
Similarly, this is a time of harvest for the parishes of the North
Cheltenham Team. Over the last two years, people have negotiated and
nurtured the proposed Team through various levels of consultation and
decision-making locally, in the diocese, and finally at the Church
Commissioners in London. Clergy and laity from all the churches have met and
consulted and prayed, and the result is: we have a Team.
But the Team is not an end in itself: we have to do something with it. It
has also not been a cost-free exercise: despite all that we gain from each
other, we have also lost one of our churches. Cheltenham St Peter will close
this month, following a service to give thanks for the role that church has
played in the local community. There has been cost in bringing this crop to
harvest, and we now have the responsibility of ensuring that what we gather
in is put to good use to make something new that exceeds the sum of its
parts.
This is not a task for clergy alone: the church subsists in us all
working together to further the kingdom of God, and so if we want to
flourish as parishes we now have to recognise that our distinctive parish
churches are a part of the wider Team, which is itself a part of the wider
Church of England, which is a part of the Anglican Communion, which is a
part of the great Church Invisible, the Church Catholic, under the head of
our great high priest, Jesus Christ Our Lord.
 Fr
David
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 The
2009 Passion Play launch meeting is on Wednesday 22nd October at 8pm at
St Nicolas’ Church, Swindon Lane, when we shall read through the script,
distribute the rehearsal schedule and start the process of casting.
If you are interested in taking part in any way do come along to this
meeting. Anybody and everybody is invited.
 Daphne
Philpot, Director
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ON 1ST SEPTEMBER the new North Cheltenham Team Ministry came into legal
existence. This means that the parishes of Prestbury and All Saints’ are now
members of a Team Ministry which joins them with the new parish of Swindon
Village and Cheltenham St Peter and the parish of Elmstone Hardwicke with
Uckington.
The staffing of this new Team looks, on paper, to be quite generous. Fr
Michael is now Team Rector and Fr Daniel is now officially a Team Vicar. Fr
Stephen Eldridge, formerly priest-in-charge of St Peter’s, Cheltenham, is
now also a Team Vicar in the new Team Ministry. Our other licensed clergy
include Fr Paul and Fr David Eady, both Associate Priests on a House for
Duty basis and Fr Peter and Fr Mike French, both priests in the Team on a
non-stipendiary basis. We currently have our two curates, Fr David and
Fr Andrew and also Andy Macauly who is our licensed Youth Minister. We also
have the benefit of the ministry of four Readers: Linda Biggs, Neil and
Sarah Jones and Ralph Griffin. Quite a lot of staff representing a wide
breadth of experience and gifts!
The next challenge is to make the best use of all these people! The
intention is to reach a point where all of the main Sunday congregations in
each church in the Team will have the continuity of being led by one person
– their ‘own’ priest or minister – whom they will see regularly. Fr Daniel
will be the principal minister for the Celebrate! and 11 o’clock
congregations at St Mary’s. Fr Stephen will take this role at 10.30am at All
Saints’. Fr David Eady will continue in this role at St Lawrence’s Swindon
Village and St Mary Magdalene Elmstone Hardwicke, where he is assisted by
Neil and Sarah Jones and Ralph Griffin as Readers. Fr Michael will be the
principal priest at 9.30am at St Nicolas’, which will also allow him time on
a Sunday to go on to join one of the other congregations in the Team. Our
assistant clergy, curates and Readers will support this pattern on a Sunday,
moving between congregations to preside when appropriate and to preach.
Although on some Sundays a ‘different face’ will appear, the aim is to
establish a more settled pattern of ministry. The other Sunday services and
weekday Eucharists will continue to be taken on a rota basis. Obviously we
will keep the working of the new Team under constant review and would
welcome any comments or observations you might wish to make.
As you will be aware, St Peter’s church is due to close. From 6th October
it will officially be ‘redundant’: closed for public worship. The exciting
proposals for the building are that it will be transferred to ‘The Rock’, a
newly established trust which will use it as a venue for a wide variety of
youth ministry. There will be a closing service, conducted by the Bishop of
Gloucester, to give thanks for the Christian witness of the community at St
Peter’s throughout its life as a parish church. This will be on Sunday 5th
October at 6.30pm. As an expression of our concern and support for the
current congregation at St Peter’s there will not be any services in St
Mary’s or All Saints’ on that evening. It is very much hoped that as many
people as possible will attend the closing service. Please make it a
priority.
 Fr
Michael
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The first time I met Bob was twelve years ago when I came to Prestbury to
be interviewed. Gill and I were scheduled to have lunch with Bob and Barbara
and so had our first experience of their hospitality and generosity.
Needless to say, we over-ran our allotted time with them!
At that time Bob was churchwarden of Prestbury, a position he held for
forty-six years. He first served under Canon Norman Kent, who noticed that
when Bob and Barbara first attended St Mary’s Bob did not receive communion.
Canon Kent arranged for Bob to be confirmed and then very quickly after that
he invited Bob to become Churchwarden. We celebrated those forty-six years
of devoted service in June 2002 when Bob decided it really was time for him
to retire!
I know how much Bob’s wise counsel and loyal support have been valued by
those clergy he has worked with over the years, and also I know how
practical his contribution has often been. We have many physical things to
remind us of Bob: the wooden ciborium which contains the reserved sacrament,
the staff for the processional cross in St Mary’s, the staves for the
Wardens at St Nicolas’, and I and a number of others have a wooden cross and
candle holders which we take with us when we take communion to the sick and
housebound. All made by Bob.
We have recently begun preparations for the 2009 Prestbury Passion Play.
Bob has been heavily involved in all of the Passion Plays since Fr Ian
Hazlewood was inspired to produce the first one. Bob has taken a key role in
production but has also taken acting parts – perhaps most memorably as the
Roman centurion in his impressive costume! He was very committed to ensuring
that we would produce the play again and the last time I was with him was at
a planning meeting: Bob there with his notebook, keen to get on!
Bob’s Christian faith was firm and sure. For his funeral he had chosen an
extract from Pilgrim’s Progress which seemed to speak of the
certainty of Bob’s faith, his belief that at the end of his earthly journey
he would finally be face to face with his Lord and Saviour. And Bob truly
lived out his faith; he was a tremendous example to us all of someone whose
faith underpinned the whole of his life. And so Bob’s Christian service was
not restricted to his church but extended out into the community through his
work as a GP, in his work with young people through scouting, our local
church schools and also through many other things, such as the work of the
Prestbury United Charities, of which Bob was chairman.
In the Funeral Mass, which was attended by over 400 people, the fullness
of Bob’s life was reflected and celebrated. We thanked God for Bob’s unique
life, we thanked Him for all that we have shared with Bob, for all the ways
in which Bob has touched our lives, and we commended him into God’s love and
care, praying that he may now share in that great banquet in heaven which is
his very well deserved reward.
Fr
Michael
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Bob and Barbara cut the cake at Bob’s Retirement Party as churchwarden
in June 2002.
In the background is Fr Ian Hazlewood.
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Bob Lyle
My first experience of Bob Lyle was the day I moved in. There I was with
a group of friends when we were suddenly interrupted by a loud buzz. Finding
noone at the front door it took us several moments to realise that there was
a buzzer at the back and there was a kindly, slightly confused-looking old
man with a shock of white hair, a ruddy face and a shy smile, who promptly
informed me that he had a key for the house but thought it best to ring!
Within weeks I’d learned that Bob always came to the back door – the only
caller ever to do so – and over the past months it has always been to give
me things I need: vegetables that are still growing in the garden, an
extension lead for my hedge-trimmer (complete with goggles and gloves), a
bird box I still haven’t put up (complete with instructions on how to build
another one), even a Cornish pasty picked up on holiday.
From the very beginning Bob and Barbara made it clear that I was welcome
any time, embodying perfectly what it means to be a neighbour to others, and
I soon found that they were helpful and reliable. I was even able on one
occasion to leave Bob in my front room drinking tea with a gentleman of the
road while I rushed off to a PCC meeting!
For all those who have encountered this gentle and untiring man, whether
they have known him for many years or only a few months, he leaves a legacy
that is more precious than gold: a footprint of Christ that will remain for
a very long time to come.
 Fr
Daniel
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Dear Friends,
Thank you for the wonderful sense of fellowship I felt at Bob’s uplifting
service with so many of you. Its strong message of resurrection left me
strangely calm and peaceful. Now the tasks ahead are being eased by so many
family and friends giving their support.
I am most profoundly grateful to you for the many kind messages of
sympathy and warm tributes to my dear Bob. The task of replying to them all
personally is so daunting that I trust you will not take amiss this printed
token of my personal gratitude and that of my family.
In all sincerity and love,
Barbara
Life is eternal and love is immortal and
death is only an horizon and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our
sight.’
Bishop Thomas Brett
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SATURDAY 13th September dawned bright and fair for my cycle ride. All
Saints’ was first, and I called before it was open, so I left a ‘witness’
note. At St Luke’s a CODS member was setting something up and signed my
list. A short pedal to Emmanuel and Ss Philip and James, then up the A46 to
St Christopher’s, Warden Hill. Back on the A46 for two miles to St Paul’s,
Shurdington, where a co-MU member welcomed me, then off to Holy Trinity,
Badgeworth, a lovely quiet church, where drinks had been left for thirsty
travellers.
In Churchdown I called at the Chapel Hay Methodist church, then St
Andrew’s, one of the two parish churches, with its adjoining hall and
well-used parish centre. A downhill run through Pirton Lane led me towards
Longlevens, where I used the cycle track, coming to Holy Trinity, Victorian
built, celebrating its centenary next year.
Moving towards Gloucester I called at St Catharine’s at Wotton where I
couldn’t resist the coffee, a lovely welcome! Next was St Mark’s, Kingsholm,
via Denmark Road, and then I zigzagged up to St John the Baptist in
Northgate Street. For the three heritage days all the city churches had put
on interesting historical displays, with stewards and refreshments, so it
really made quite a day out!
The Cathedral was buzzing with visitors and the youth choir was
rehearsing John Rutter’s arrangement of All things bright and beautiful –
lovely to listen to. At St Mary de Lode, built over an earlier Saxon church,
I saw the exposed section of Roman pavement, the early Norman arches and the
16th century pulpit. St Nicholas’, Westgate Street, another early medieval
parish church, was open especially for the heritage days, visitors being
welcomed by a young stewardess in Puritan costume.
St Mary de Crypt, Southgate Street, displayed information about the
Sunday school founder, Robert Raikes, and other Gloucester notables of the
16th, 17th and 18th centuries, including the founders of the Crypt School.
It had a striking, tall east window and wall paintings. Nearby was the
Friends Meeting Place in the old Greyfriars hall, and at the end of
Brunswick Road, very near to the site of two schools I attended when young,
was Christchurch, another Victorian building, with a painted cupola, and,
more importantly, a nice welcome from the stewards!
Now I had to turn homeward, via St Peter’s Catholic church in London
Road, and on towards the other Churchdown parish church of St John, where I
was quickly signed out as a wedding was taking place! Back in Cheltenham I
called at St Mark’s – again a nice welcome – and St Stephen’s, very busy
with a display of church robes and copes and a large amount of information,
much of which was about John Middleton, architect and designer of several
Victorian churches in Cheltenham.
This was a most enjoyable day, and I sincerely thank all of my sponsors
for their generosity. I am uncertain about the total raised, but it will
amount to more than £250, half of this going to St Mary’s.
 Gill
Ashman
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Charlton Kings and Naunton Park
I ARRIVED in good time at Linda’s house and off we started with son Sam
in tow. A brief halt to refit the handlebars on his bike and in no time we
were greeting visitors in the porch of St Mary’s. This is what makes our
sponsored ride so interesting as one meets up with total strangers who
frequently have a good story to recount. A little later we dropped off Sam
at Simon’s house and the two of us sallied forth. Later I was able to show
Linda a little piece of Cheltenham’s aviation history in that most unlikely
of locations, Carlton Street; the clue is ‘Meteor’.
We soon found ourselves in the depths of Charlton Kings, mixing with road
resurfacing gangs, and a respectable number of churches under our proverbial
belt. Linda has a nice new bike with a multitude of gear ratios and we
proceeded to gobble up a number of different churches, by which time the sun
broke from behind the clouds.
Linda has a useful knowledge of the geography of the Naunton Park area
and she unearthed a couple of places of worship I didn’t know existed, which
was a bonus. We stopped at Cheltenham College hoping we might meet up with
our old friend Nicholas Lowton (I love his sermons!!) but no such luck. With
St Matthew’s heaving into sight we were pretty much at the conclusion of our
target figure.
Linda, I am certain, will be coming again next year; after all, her new
bike will be nicely run in by then and we can include an extra few churches.
We visited 27 churches, met some interesting people, watched a wedding and
covered approximately 18 miles.
 Nigel
Woodcock
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Northleach in the Rain – on Friday
AS AN EXPERIENCED cyclist I thought I should set myself a worthy target
and decided to visit all 28 churches in the Northleach Deanery. The closest
to home are at Dowdeswell and Whittington, so they would be my first and
last, and the furthest are at the Barringtons. The best route worked out to
be 70 miles and hilly, in places very hilly, which you must realise has its
rewards.
I knew I was required to be at the parish fete, the railway station and a
wedding in St Mary’s on the Saturday so I decided to ride the day before – a
big mistake! All started well and I got up the hill at Dowdeswell and on to
Shipton Solers, particularly enjoying riding at Yanworth. As I ate my lunch
on a bench at Coln St Dennis the sky turned dark. Sure enough, on the way to
Northleach there was rain and as I waited under a tree for it to pass a
puddle formed at the side of the road, which quite soon spread to join
another from the other side of the road as the rain got heavier and heavier.
This was no place for cyclists and I was only a third of the way round my
route. After 40 minutes there was a misleading lull and I tried to make it
to Northleach. A nice cup of tea and a cake do wonders for morale and when
the rain stopped I prepared to set off again. By now I had lost so much time
and being wet through I thought it better to head for home with the option
of visiting some of the churches on the homeward leg.
I hadn’t got to Hampnett before the rain returned. There comes a time
when one is so wet there is no point trying to stay dry. Wet glasses are
worse than no glasses and trying to read a map in a deluge is impossible. A
quiet word with God gave me the strength to meander to some more churches
and return home in the dark with the rain just as heavy.
Nineteen churches and 50.89 miles. Better luck next time, perhaps!
 Brian
Wood
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Thank
you to all of you who sponsored us on our rides. Half of the sponsorship
money is given to the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust to help
preserve the churches we visited. The other half goes to our own churches in
Prestbury.
Change of Time
Morning Prayer at St Nicolas’ on Tuesdays is now half an hour earlier, at
9.00am. The Eucharist remains at 10 o’clock, followed by coffee. Do feel
free to join us for either or both of these short services whenever you can.
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This summer’s holiday project focused on the transition to secondary
school. It built on work the youth team had done with Year 6 students from
local schools in preparation for their move to secondary school. Sixteen
young people, four young leaders and four adult leaders got stuck into team
activities, cooking, low ropes course, raft building and discussions about
the move to secondary school.
The raft stayed together!
It is such a privilege to be able to work with young people throughout a
whole week – relationships and trust build amazingly. One participant summed
up their experience: ‘This project is energetic, enjoyable, worthwhile and
I’d go again and again and again.’
The other great aspect of the project was the involvement of young
leaders – bringing great energy, creativity and their current experience of
school life. One young leader reflected: ‘working with younger children made
me feel worthwhile, made my summer enjoyable and unwasted’.
Please pray for all those starting and restarting school or college at
this time
Photos by Andy Macauly
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Pittville Youth Action Group has a new Team Worker, Ryan Martin, to work
alongside Sharon Macauly on the project. The project works with young people
at risk of being excluded or leaving Pittville School with ‘No Employment
Education Training’ options. All those who ‘graduated’ last year achieved
their bronze and silver ASDAN qualification.
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Re-Create! Saturday 15 November 7pm at St Nicolas’
Following on from the success of the Alternative Fashion Show last year,
PPY will be presenting a creative arts evening on Saturday 15th November,
including live youth performances and an exhibition zone. Please do put the
date in your diary!
 Andy
Macauly
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I hadn’t camped since I was fifteen years old, so it was with some
trepidation that I borrowed equipment from my daughter and set off with a
small group from Synergy to Soul Survivor which was being held on the Royal
Bath and West Showground.
Soul Survivor is a five-day Christian event for young people with the
emphasis on worship and teaching. There were two acts of collective worship
in each day, held in the big top tent, and various seminars on all aspects
of Christian life; all were well attended. There were nine and a half
thousand people at Soul Survivor when we were there and eleven thousand were
expected for the following week.
It was wonderful to experience the enthusiasm of the young people for
their faith. It sometimes felt as if the big top would take off with the
amount of energy being generated within. But they could be quiet; the
teaching element (sermon) during worship often lasted almost an hour and
they sat on the floor and listened. Who said young people only have a short
attention span?
I have been a volunteer with Synergy for about a year. Usually we have
about fourteen or fifteen young people at a meeting. Soul Survivor made me
realise that there are groups like ours all over the country. Young
Christians learning and growing in faith. It also highlighted how important
it is for older Christians to support and nurture these young people. They
are already part of the church today. They are the church of tomorrow.
 Clare
Wyatt
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Soul Survivor
Our select few turned up at Soul Survivor in great anticipation as it was
a venture that had not yet been experienced by Synergy. On the first night
we realised the magnitude of the event; the opening meeting was held in a
huge tent with several thousand people all joining together in worship.
During the day the main focus was on the various seminars and talks going
on, which was rather different from what we were used to at Greenbelt where
it was the music that seemed to take precedence.
Soul Survivor – mud and all!
There were two meetings a day in the big tent when everyone would gather,
one in the morning and one in the evening, and this was a chance to connect
with God and hear from His Word. It was a really powerful experience to see
thousands of young people giving everything in worship. I learnt a lot
during the week and came away with a renewed faith and awe for the work God
is doing. I would highly recommend Soul Survivor to any young people and
intend to return next year!
 Andy
Wood
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On Friday 5th September, I had the thrill of watching the
CHADS first performance in the
village hall as part of their cheese and wine evening. I was thoroughly
entertained by the sketches of comedy, speech, dance, drama and more. The
costumes and props were also fantastic. The atmosphere was incredible,
knowing that the community had come together to create an event as good as
this. As a relative of one of the actors of the evening, I know how much
commitment and hard work has been put into the making of this evening and we
thank CHADS very much for such a great evening of entertainment. The food
was very good at the end of the show as well!
As well as this excellent evening’s entertainment £465 was raised, £315
of which will go to ‘Let the Children Live!’ and £150 will go to Prestbury
Parish Hall.
Matt Bestwick
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One could debate whether church buildings should be used for anything
other than worshipping God. In Prestbury we do use our churches for all
sorts of things, but just occasionally one comes across an incumbent who is
not happy with secular concerts taking place in his or her church. Yet the
church is often the only building large enough to house an orchestra or
choir, and its acoustics seem made for music.
For over forty years the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra, formerly the
Sunday Players, has been taking music to places in Gloucestershire and the
Cotswolds which would not otherwise have live orchestral recitals, and we
usually play in the local church. This summer we went abroad for the first
time, and all three concerts were in churches.
We spent a week in Cheltenham’s twin town of Annecy in the French Alps.
Fifty musicians, with twenty friends/family to boost the audience, took over
a couple of hotels in the heart of the old town. Mainly pedestrianised, this
part of Annecy feels like a miniature Venice, with the river flowing through
from the lake in a series of narrow canals.
Our first two concerts were part of a local festival in the Bauges. We
played Smetana and Elgar in the modern church of Notre Dame de Plaimpalais
in Alby-sur-Chéran, with its lovely large stained glass wall panels.
The following evening we played Mozart and Beethoven in the more
traditional church of St Pierre in Faverges.
Our final concert was in Annecy itself, in a huge edifice called
St Maurice, which makes All Saints’ seem small, and which has one of the
many river canals flowing directly underneath. Here we made Rossini, Bruch
and Rachmaninoff echo around the rafters.
It was a most enjoyable week, and I think we played better together as an
orchestra because we were also living, eating, swimming, cycling, climbing
mountains and sight-seeing together.
 Frances
Murton
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For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is
from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honour; my mighty rock,
my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:5-8 (NRSV)
Driving down to Cardiff the other day with my son, on one of the many wet
days we have had, I was deeply concentrating on getting us to our
destination in one piece, when the well-known words of a song that was being
played sank into my consciousness:
He’s a real nowhere man, sitting
in his nowhere land, …
Doesn’t have a point of view, knows not where he’s going to,
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?
He’s as blind as he can be, just sees what he wants to see. …
Nowhere man, can you see me at all? |
I had probably heard these words hundreds of times before, but all of a
sudden they took on a different meaning. It is true: how many of us know
where we are going in life, or stand up for what we really believe in
strongly?
Every day we hear of a new place in God’s world which has been destroyed
by greed, man’s inhumanity or simply natural disasters. Peoples who are
unbelievably poor in material ways, but who have a richness of faith we find
hard to understand.
Do they look to God in a different way from the way we do? Is our
perspective blinkered by the comfortable lifestyle we take for granted?
Like the people of other parts of the world, who are suffering from Aids,
famine and persecution and yet can still praise God for the blessings he has
given them, and take refuge in the strength that he gives them to carry on
each day, how much more thankfulness should we be giving our God for the
many blessings he gives us?
And more than that, using the gifts that he gives each of us, to try to
stretch out a hand of support and love to those who have not heard of our
God, or who do not, or feel they cannot, put their trust in him?
Our strength comes from community and friendship, from sharing in the
gifts of bread and wine in church, from quiet times of prayer, from the
support of others; wouldn’t it be great to share this ‘refuge’ with those
who need it more and who have lost hope?
As we come to the time when ‘Harvest time’ is celebrated, spare a prayer
not only for those who have nothing to harvest, but also for the many
farmers in this country who have lost so much because of the bad weather.
May each one of us trust in God enough that we might be aware of where we
are going, and be strong enough to stand up for what we believe is right.
And now bless the God of all, who
everywhere works great wonders, who fosters our growth from birth, and
deals with us according to his mercy.
May he give us gladness of heart and may there be peace in our days… |
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(Ecclesiasticus 50:22-23) |
 Liz
Greenhow
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To be a Pilgrim
On Wednesday 1st October Father Brian Torode will present
Pilgrimage and Medieval Gloucester in All Saint’ Church. The evening
will start with a Eucharist at 7.30pm, which will be followed by the
presentation, refreshments and an opportunity for questions and discussion.
There will not be a Eucharist in St Mary’s on this evening.
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25 Years!
A celebratory Harvest Tea Party
on Saturday 4th October at 4pm
St Nicolas’ Hall enriches the life of the parish and the
local community
Come and join us, together with representatives of the many
organisations who have used the Hall and those who played a part
in its history, to mark this special occasion
All welcome
Tickets £2 from:
Janet White
Jackie Moles
Margaret Holman
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Harvest Festival Weekend –
4th & 5th October
Harvest celebrations in Prestbury start with the St
Nicolas’ Hall 25th Anniversary Tea Party at 4pm on Saturday 4th October
(details elsewhere in this magazine).
On Sunday 5th October all the morning services in the
parish will take place as usual. If you would like to help decorate the
churches please bring dry goods (tins and packets) on Saturday or Sunday.
These will be given to Cheltenham Open Door.
In the evening of Sunday 5th October there will be no
services in Prestbury or All Saints’. Instead we are invited to attend the
Service of Closure at 6.30pm at St Peter’s church, Tewkesbury Road. If you
need transport to St Peter’s please speak to one of the churchwardens.
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Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir
Saturday 11th October is the day to set aside for a good
concert in All Saints’ Church at 7.00pm. The now very familiar Welsh Choir
will entertain us yet again and, as the costs have been paid for by a
generous sponsor, all tickets sold will be profit. They are available at
£7.50 each from me and I hope you will support this venture which will be
put towards the costs of the Quinquennial repairs at St Mary’s.
 Marion
Beagley
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Bible Study Groups
The new daytime bible study group led by Father David will
continue to meet in St Mary’s church on Tuesday mornings at 11 o’clock. The
group led by Father Andrew continues to look at the book of Revelation on
Tuesday evenings 14th and 28th October in All Saints’ church at 7 o’clock,
followed by Compline or Mass at 8pm.
All are welcome at either group (or both!) even if you
have not been before. There is no commitment to come every week, just turn
up.
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St Mary’s Bakestall
On Sunday 19th October the proceeds from our bakestall
will be going to Everychild, a charity which originally supported orphanages
in Romania or Bulgaria, but which is now spreading world-wide. We welcome
contributions from the A-F team and thank you all for your support, both
baking and buying.
Linda Matthews & Margaret Waker
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Ecumenical Taizé Service
On Sunday 19th October the Revd Maz Allen from the URC
will lead a Taizé-style service in St Mary’s church at 3.30pm. Please do
join us for this time of worship and fellowship with our friends from the
other churches of Prestbury and North Cheltenham.
If you would like to be involved in the music, especially
if you are an instrumentalist, please contact either Fr Michael or Maz.
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Mothers’ Union
Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 28th October
at St Nicolas’ Church at 7.30pm. There is a change to our programme and our
speaker will be Mrs Lilian Bill, who will talk about her life as a
librarian. Do join us if you can. All are welcome.
Marion
Beagley
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All Saints’ Patronal Festival
This year we shall celebrate All Saints’ Day on Sunday 2nd
November with a united sung Eucharist at All Saints’ church at 10.30am,
followed by refreshments. There will be no service at St Nicolas’ that
morning and no 11am at St Mary’s, although Celebrate! and the 8am
will take place as usual. If you need transport to All Saints’ please speak
to one of the churchwardens.
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Team Pilgrimage to Walsingham, May 2009
A North Cheltenham Team Pilgrimage to the Shrine of our
Lady, Walsingham, is being planned for the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend
2009, i.e. from Friday 1st May until Monday 4th May. If anyone is interested
in joining us or would like to know more about Walsingham (the shrine,
accommodation, sample programme, transport, cost), please contact me.
Booking forms and more details will be available early in the New Year.
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‘Beating the Bounds’
Rain postponed play as far as ‘Beating the Bounds’ was
concerned. Many thanks to all those who put heart and soul into it. The good
news is that almost all of the preparatory work is done, which means when we
do it – at a time to be decided next year – we will have a really
first-class event that everyone can enjoy.
Fr
Daniel
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Church Fete
Thank you to all who helped, in whatever way, to make the
Church Fete such a successful event. Having to change venues because of the
persistent wet weather was somewhat unsettling, but on the day we raised
£1955 with just a few expenses still outstanding.
A really good effort and thank you all.
Marion
Beagley
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Thanks
Peter Greaves sends his thanks to the congregation and
choir of St Mary’s for the gifts and cards which he received when he left in
July.
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