| A Declaration of Hope for 2008 |
| (Used in the Joint Service with Highbury Congregational Church on 20 January during the 2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity) |
| With God's help: |
| I affirm that in 2008, I intend to bring:- |
| Harmony in place of discord |
| Opportunities out of challenges |
| Praise instead of criticism |
| Encouragement to replace despair. |
| We affirm that in our Church, 2008 will be a year of:- |
| Holiness and wholeness |
| One purpose for many people |
| Prayer that leads to action |
| Everyone finding a place to belong. |
| We pray that for our community, 2008 will be a year of:- |
| Healing for those who are broken |
| Order where there is chaos |
| Protection for the vulnerable |
| Enterprise for all. |
| We pray for our nation, that 2008 will be a year of:- |
| Health of body mind and spirit |
| Open-hearted attitudes |
| Passion for justice and mercy |
| Expectations and visions fulfilled. |
| We pray that The God of all Hope will give us the faith and courage to live lives that will release HOPE this year. |
| I make this declaration and pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen. |
| © World Prayer Centre, Birmingham and HOPE 08 Ltd |
| Leap into Lent! |
| The Presentation of Christ in the Temple or the Feast of Candlemas occurs on Saturday 2nd February and marks the end of the 'Christmas Season' within the church's calendar. Usually there is then a 'Pre-Lent Season' and a time to adjust from thanksgiving and celebration to the more reflective and penitential season of Lent. This year's calendar gives no such breathing space as Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, falls on 6th February meaning we have just one Sunday between Epiphany and Lent. No wonder the Easter Eggs have already arrived in the shops, for an early Lent means an early Easter, this year on the 23rd March. |
| Coming so soon after Christmas, Lent and Easter could pass us by very quickly (where does all that time go anyway?!), and so we need to be proactive if we are to make the most of a season that provides opportunities for growth and development in Christian understanding. |
| This year we are going to be using some Lent Group Study Material prepared by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. 'Pathways of Prayer' has been written to link in with material that will be broadcast on BBC Radio4 and Local Radio. This will provide opportunities for many people to hear and participate in the Lent material and I hope that you will consider joining in one of the study groups. |
| There will be opportunities to meet during the day as well as in the evenings and some of the groups will be joint ones with St. Michael's. |
| I hope that you will also consider other ways of making use of this Holy Season, perhaps by spending more time in prayer, reading a devotional book or by fasting and giving the money saved to the Lent Fast Appeal supporting the work of Christian Aid. |
| I hope that will find this Lent to be an important stage in your journey of Christian Pilgrimage, |
| With every blessing, |
| Robert |
| Notes from the January PCC meeting |
| The first PCC meeting for 2008 was held on Monday 14th January. |
| Much of the meeting was given over to discussing the restructuring of the church groups. to enable us to focus our energies into a number of key areas that were identified during the PCC Away Day in 2007. A structure had been proposed by Robert Pestell (Priest in Charge) and it was agreed to reduce the number of groups, with fewer teams holding a wider remit. It is proposed to launch the new structure as soon as possible, with a whole church day of prayer on the 8th March. The purpose of the day of prayer is to allow us space to focus our thoughts on where we as individuals can use our gifts within the new structure and to seek God's direction for the future. |
| The post for a part time administrative assistant for Robert Pestell has been advertised and it is hoped to interview prospective applicants from mid January, with a view to appointing by the start of February. |
| The Fabric Group reported that the project for the tea station and disabled toilet at the back of the church is progressing, with applications for grants to fund the project being made. |
| It has unfortunately been necessary to postpone running the "Way In Course" used to relaunch the Home Groups until after Easter. It is proposed to run some joint home groups with St Michael's during Lent, using material to celebrate the centenary of Churches Together. |
| Our links to other churches were also discussed: Joint services are to be held with Highbury Congregational Church on 20th January. Getting involved in Hope 08 - St Luke's, St Michael's and Highbury are looking to link together various community projects under the combined Hope 08 banner. Highbury are also getting involved with the St Luke's Open the Book team, enabling new teams to go into Whaddon and Lynworth Primary Schools . A Health and Wellbeing Day is to be held at Highbury on 21st May 2008: anyone who would like to get involved in the organising team should please contact Robert Pestell or Richard Cleaves at Highbury. |
| The meeting concluded with a time of prayer and the grace. |
| St John 's Church of England Primary School |
| Happy New Year to you all! |
| The Year has got off to a brisk start and despite the dark, cold days the children are full of enthusiasm for their new topics and the new term here at St John's. |
| A wide variety of clubs are on offer for the children this year including Crazy Golf, Country Dancing, Drama, Sign Language, Art and Craft Club, Chinese Club, Astronomy Club to name but a few. The School Council polled the views of the children in the School and finalised a list of clubs the children wished the Teachers to run. |
| This month will see the erection of a canopy outside the Reception and Year 1 class rooms which will enable the children to still access outside play even if the weather is a little inclement. |
| Just before Christmas the Whole School held a Curriculum Day focusing on the Humanities. The Reception Class studied the Local area which culminated in a trip to KoKo's Hair Salon in Albion Street to find out all about hairdressing. |
| Fiona Hadden (Reception Class Teacher) |
| WOMEN'S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER |
| Friday 7th March 2008 |
| There will be three services in our local cluster: |
| 11.45am at St Michael's: which will be preceded by coffee at 10.45 |
| A short informal service when we hope some children from local schools will join us |
| Time TBC at Highbury: Like the morning, a short informal service with children from St. John's Primary School |
| 8pm at St Luke's: A more formal service for those of us unable to attend during the day. |
| All are welcome including men and children. We hope you will feel that you can come to a service at the time that suits you best. Any offers to do readings, serve refreshments, make cakes, at any of the services will be gratefully received. |
| Details of services at other churches in Cheltenham on that day available later. |
| Material this year will be focused on the women of Guyana. |
| Sue Pestell |
| SOUP AT THE CORNERSTONE? |
| On Thursdays at the Cornerstone Centre soup lunches are served, when many members of the Whaddon community gather together. At the moment they are short of people to serve soup. |
| If there is anyone willing to offer some time to this project please speak to Sue Pestell on 01242 694985 |
| Buy a Sheep |
| The Diocese of Gloucester has links with Dornakal Diocese in South India. |
| The Sheep Fund is aiming to buy 100 sheep, at the cost of £15 each, which will be given to widows in Dornakal. They will be used for wool, breeding and milk and so the gift goes on and on. |
| Each widow's sheep will produce 2 or 3 lambs a year and one of these will be given back to the diocese to give to another widow. The other will be kept to increase her herd. |
| This way, the women will become financially secure. |
| Donations can be made by parishes or individuals. More information should be available on the Diocesan web-site. Donations can be made by cheque to GDBF (Sheep Fund). |
| c/o 38 Sydenham Villas Road |
| Cheltenham |
| GL52 6DZ |
| DEEP CLEANING THE CHURCH |
| Friday 22 and Saturday 23 February |
| We will be having another "deep clean" of the church, reaching the parts that don't get cleaned week by week. Please do try to come along on Friday 22 Feb 6.30 to 9pm or Saturday 23 Feb 9.30am until noon. If you can't manage either of these but would like to do something specific, please speak to the wardens. |
| TRAIDCRAFT |
| helpers wanted |
| Could you sell from the stall after Sunday 10 o'clock - regular or occasional basis? Please let Sheila know tel: 704216 ("training" available!) |
| Howard Marshall running the Berlin Half Marathon for The Rendezvous Society |
| (UK Registered Charity 293357) |
| As he told us in the last edition of The Link, on 6 April, Howard Marshall, our Sacristan, is going to run the Berlin Half Marathon (www.berliner-halbmarathon.de) to raise funds for "Rendezvous". To reduce his carbon footprint, he will be travelling overland rather than by air to take part in this event. Please sponsor Howard and help him raise funds towards the £140K needed to repair the roof and rendering of the Rendezvous Shop at 16, Portland Street , Cheltenham . GL52 2PB. Tel 01242 577893. Website: www.global-footsteps.com. For more information contact Howard Marshall. stlukes@tiscali.co.uk Mob: 07903968185. |
| The World's Biggest Christmas Stocking |
| Many thanks to all who contributed such beautiful knitting to the Children's Society appeal; a dozen squares were sent off with a donation. This is what happened to your squares. Heather. |
| On Friday 14th December, the Children's Society set a new record for the World's Biggest Christmas Stocking. An adjudicator from the Guinness World Records measured it at 32.56m (in the leg) by 14.97m (heel to toe), smashing the last record set by a group in Canada just weeks ago. Thousands of knitted red squares were sent in by supporters who were sponsored to raise money for the Children's Society, beating the target and raising a staggering £14,000 which will be used to ensure that every child has a good childhood. |
| The massive stocking weighed the equivalent of 5 reindeer, was as long as 3 double decker buses and contained nearly 1,000 presents. The presents will be given to children in projects around the country. |