| SHOULD ST LUKE'S CLOSE? |
| The History of St Luke's Church tells how Revd Norman Haddock came to St Luke's in 1959. The church had been proposed for demolition, but the congregation was keen and the bishop was prepared to let him have a go. There followed a revival, a merger with St John's and, sadly, the demolition of that church. |
| Another generation, and questions are again being asked. Revd Mike Lodge never received the freehold, and, over 12 years remained as priest in charge while various proposals for reorganisation came and went. |
| Bishop Michael noted in his response to last year's Deanery Plan, "St Luke's has been anxious about its future, but it is a strong community and it would be foolish, simply because the church building is close to others and because its style of church life is not so very different from others close at hand, to close it." He confirmed this view when he attended our PCC on 19 December - he recognised us as a healthy church and said he did not believe in closing healthy churches. |
| There are particularly strong churches in the town but everyone agrees that, overall, the town has too many church buildings. Seen from the outside, St Luke's appears to be as good a candidate for closure as any. The PCC has been prepared to discuss closure; we recognise that our preoccupation should be with God's will and God's work, not clinging to things that, while precious to us, may distract us from that mission. |
| Under Mike Lodge's leadership we agreed that: |
| St. Luke's Church is here to be, through the Holy Spirit, a living expression of the love of God in Christ. We are here to respond to and reflect that love: in worship, in holiness of living, in sharing the word of God, in serving and caring for others |
| A challenge then - a challenge now. While we now face the stress of an extended interregnum, and the prospect of sharing a priest with another church, we should understand that this is likely to be the pattern for many churches. We may feel that we are not being treated fairly. Jesus never promised that the way would be easy. It is the way we bind together as a community, the way in which we seize the challenges facing us, that will prove whether we can be a distinctive and vital part of the church in this town. |
| Simon Barton |
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| Angels and Artefacts |
| Art Exhibition - in Church |
| Syliva Lauder, our artist in residence, will be putting on another art exhibition in the church just before Lent. Please see dates and times in the February Diary Dates section inside. |
| The exhibition is part of Sylvia's final MA examination. Her work deals with memory and traces of cultural history. This particular series of work has been created in response to her immediate surroundings. |
| Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust |
| 2005 Sponsored Ride/Walk |
| As reported in December, Sue Garcia, Sam Rogers, Pauline Bewsher, Hellen Harrison and Heather Barton raised £360 in sponsorship. This was the highest total among Cheltenham churches and £50 more than the average. We came about 30th out of the 109 participating churches, who collectively raised a grand total of £33,125. Well done all (and all who sponsored them!) Next ride/walk on 9 September. Simon Barton |
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| Notes from PCC Meeting on 16th January 2006 |
| The agenda for this meeting was changed to cover just the Bishop's proposals for St Luke's Church, with the Bishop of Tewkesbury, John Went, in attendance for the majority of the time. The Bishop's visit had been arranged to allow him to feed back to us the outcome of the Diocesan Pastoral Group meeting on 4th January. |
| The Cheltenham Deanery is not the only one whose future is being considered at this time, and it is one where the plan is still not clear. The diocese wishes to act quickly to formalise and legalise any decisions, but recognises that there is a perceived lack of involvement by laity in the outcome so far. The diocesan view is that doing nothing is not an option. |
| The Diocesan Pastoral Group felt that the proposal to unite the two parishes of St Michael and St Luke & St John was the right way to go, and it would release the vicarage for alternative use by the diocese. There is a possibility of short-term non-stipendiary assistance for the united parish. The Bishop was keen to ensure that the proposals were even-handed for all churches, and stressed the need to do what's right, not what's easy. |
| There was some discussion about the effectiveness of team ministries, and the Bishop confirmed that the proposals in discussion for the Cheltenham Deanery were quite different from the examples where team ministries have not worked well. |
| Links between St Luke's Church and the hospital were also discussed, but the Bishop considered the issues associated with a more formal link would be too difficult to administer. Links with other churches and extra support were also discussed, especially in relation to the combined size of St Michael and St Luke & St John. |
| The Bishop outlined the process to be followed. The Deanery Pastoral Committee meets on the 26th January, followed by the Deanery Synod on 14th February and Diocesan Pastoral Group on 20th February. The Bishop's Council meets on 13th March, and if the proposals are approved, they will be released for consultation for a period of weeks. The Church Commissioners' Pastoral Group will also be involved, and the Privy Council has the final say. The complete process is unlikely to be completed before the summer. It might, however, be possible to start the recruitment process for a priest for St Michael, St Luke & St John before this time if the response to the proposals has been positive. |
| The PCC continues to consider the proposals, and comments from the congregation and parish are welcomed as we look to reach a conclusion on this significant issue for us all. |
| WOMEN'S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER |
| First Friday in March |
| Informed Prayer, Prayerful Action for over 100 years |
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| The Day of Prayer begins as dawn breaks over the islands of Tonga in the Pacific and continues across each continent until the last services of this special day are held back in the Pacific on the islands of Samoa, circling the world in prayer for about 36 hours. The service is translatd into over 60 languages and 1,000 dialects. |
| In the UK there are over 3,000 branches holding 5,000 services (attended by men and children as well as women). |
| This year's focus is on SOUTH AFRICA and services in Cheltenham on Friday 3rd March are as follows: |
| 10.30am: Charlton Kings Baptist Church & St.Mark's Methodist Church |
| 2pm: St.Gregory's Roman Catholic Church |
| 7.30pm: Warden Hill United Reformed Church |
| You are warmly invited to join this eucumenical and international act of worship at any of the above. |
| (submitted by Hellen Harrison) |
| I asked God for strength, that I might achieve; |
| I was made weak, that I might learn to humbly obey. |
| I asked for health, that I might do greater things; |
| I was given infirmity, that I might do better things. |
| I asked for riches, that I might be happy; |
| I was given poverty, that I might be wise. |
| I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men; |
| I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for God. |
| I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life; |
| I was given life, that I might enjoy all things. |
| I got nothing I asked for; but everything I hoped for. |
| Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. |
| I am, among men, most richly blessed! |
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| St John's Church of England Primary School |
| The cold weather seems to be continuing which, although not terribly pleasant when standing out on Playground duty, fitted in beautifully with the Reception class's Assembly on Winter. The children walked around the Playground looking for all the tell tale signs of Winter and followed up with ice experiments and drawing pictures in the Frost. Parents and Grandparents thoroughly enjoyed the Assembly which was full of action rhymes and songs accompanied by musical instruments. |
| The proposals from the children on how to make our School even better have been put into action. This followed from a P.S.H.C.E. curriculum day earlier on in the academic Year. The appointed playground monitors now have brightly coloured caps to wear which makes them easily identifiable to the younger children. These monitors are from the top 2 classes and help to diffuse small disagreements in the playground and find someone to play with for those who are anxious. Other monitors include children who are responsible for the milk and fruit distribution and those for putting the toys out and supervising the use of the toys. We are keen to promote responsibility from the children so that they feel a sense of ownership and pride in the School that they attend. |
| 2 This month has been a very busy time in School. Year 1 celebrated the Chinese New Year in style with a trip and workshop at the Museum and Art Gallery. They dressed up in Chinese costumes, heard stories and practised Chinese Lettering. They also found out which animal year they were born in. Year 2's History topic is 'The Great Fire of London'. This was brought alive to the children with a talk from a firefighter and a visit to school by a fire engine. The children had a fantastic time using the hose pipe, dressing up in the uniform and flashing the lights and using the siren! |
| Year 5 and 6 visited Ottakers book shop to listen to Author Julia Golding who wrote 'Secret Sirens' and 'The Diamond of Drury Lane.' This was super opportunity for the children to hear about the role of an author and the school were given a copy of her new book for the library. The children were all given extracts of it. |
| All in all a very exciting time. |
| Fiona Hadden (Reception Class teacher) |
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| Parish Prayers |
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| Prayer for February |
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| Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3 |
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| Week beginning 5th February |
| Theme: The Church & Community |
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| Pray for the work done by Family Space based in Hester's Way at St Silas and St Aidan. The project was awarded extra funding last year and is committed to providing help within a local community supported by the local church. |
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| Week beginning 12th February |
| Theme: Education |
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| This is Education Sunday and we pray for schools in this town, especially those coping with staff and curriculum changes. Remember especially our church school of St John's. Pray for the staff and Head teacher, pupils and parents. |
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| Week beginning 19th February |
| Theme: The World |
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| Next Sunday is Poverty Action Sunday. Despite the Make Poverty History campaign of last year, there is still much to be done. Pray for those directly involved in working out ways to decrease the gap between the wealthy and poorer countries and bring greater justice to those who need it. |
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| Week beginning 26th February |
| Theme: Lent |
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| Give thanks for this time given to us, where we can reflect on the great love shown to us by Christ, may we use the time wisely. May God help us to create a right spirit in us and explore a deeper faith. |