| A 2/- Church |
| Our Reader, Pete Burke, announced to the congregation last Sunday, in his whimsical way, that St Luke's is to become "a 2-Bob Church". |
| He was telling us that on Wednesday 18 October 2006, St Luke's Day, at 7.30pm, there will be a special service to license the Revd Robert Pestell as Priest-in-Charge of the parishes of St Luke & St John and St Michael. |
| At the same service, the Bishop will license the Revd Rob Merchant as an Assistant Priest, to serve in the parishes on a part-time basis and for a fixed period of three years. |
| We look forward eagerly to this new stage in the life of St Luke's, as an opportunity to regroup and take a fresh view of our work and mission. One thing is certain: things will be different. Revd Robert Pestell will be guiding us towards a closer and more effective relationship with St Michael's, Whaddon, and, in due course, with Holy Apostles and St Mary's, Charlton Kings, the other churches in the West Cheltenham Mission Area. Revd Rob Merchant's role, is to "work himself out of a job", so that by the time he leaves we will be equipped with the skills and resources we need. |
| And talking of money ... |
| We have been greatly encouraged during the uncertain times of the interregnum that our giving to the work of the church has generally remained high enough to cover our expenses. We have been economising to some extent in that we have not been in a position to pursue major projects, but we have maintained our Parish Share (our contribution to the work of the church across the Diocese - mainly clergy stipends and housing) and also our giving to the specific charities we support. Nevertheless, our Treasurer, Chris Foy, has advised the PCC that we cannot meet these budget commitments this year without a further injection of funds... |
| The churchwardens will be writing to everyone in the next few weeks announcing a stewardship week from 10th to 17th September. And who knows? We may be able to balance the books and be ready to recommit to stalled projects by 18 October! |
| READY FOR A REST? |
| The last few weeks have been both hot and busy. Many helpers rallied round for the Bumper Booksale on 24 June and for the Summer Fair on 8 July, two successful and happy events that have contributed about £1,000 to church funds. Members of the church also helped at the St John's School Summer Fayre on 1 July. To keep things boiling there has been a picnic in the park and various home group socials. But Wes Bell, our Youth Worker, will be working harder than ever as he supports two Christian camps! |
| IVY COLLIER |
| On Friday 23 June, the Revd Richard Cleaves, Minister of Highbury Congregational Church, came to St Luke's to lead the funeral of Ivy Collier who died at the age of 99. The service was attended by friends from St Luke's and Highbury Churches and the Salvation Army and from the Winstonian Home where Ivy spent her last months. Ivy, and her late husband Fred (married over 70 years) were loyal and loved members of St Luke's. |
| PYRAMID ROCK |
| Come and have fun in the Egyptian Desert with the Pyramid Rock holiday club at |
| Highbury Congregational Church - August 31st - September 2nd 2006 - 10am to 12noon. |
| This Holiday club is for Reception to Year 6 children and is jointly run by Highbury Congregational Church and St Lukes Church, Cheltenham. There will be a Pyramid Rock Service at Highbury Church at 10.30am on Sunday 3rd September 2006 |
| TO ARGENTINA WITH LATIN LINK |
| In August, I am going as a volunteer to Salta, north west Argentina, for three weeks. We shall be a team of twelve, working to improve the facilities of a local church by enlarging and refurbishing one of its buildings. We shall also participate in the life of the congregation and help with the children and young people. |
| Other teams are going to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Cuba. |
| Please pray for all the 50 participating, especially the team leaders. |
| Sue Garcia |
| What is Latin Link? |
| It is an international community serving local churches throughout Latin America. (www.latinlink.org) |
| You need to read this |
| Read your Bible often - remember, after all, it stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth! |
| St John's Church of England Primary School |
| The summer holidays are approaching fast and the year seems to have flown by. However, this is one of the busiest times in the School calendar as we prepare to wave goodbye to all of our Year 6 leavers. This year they are going to many different schools including Winchcombe, Cleeve, Balcarras, Pittville, Bourneside and St Edwards. |
| Before the children leave us they will be treated to a special Leavers Dinner which is a delicious buffet kindly laid on by the PTFA. They will also be sharing their memories with us at the Leaver's Church Service which the children prepare themselves. On the flip slide we are also preparing to welcome the new intake into the Reception Class. They spent 2 afternoons in School and I am busy visiting them all at their respective nurseries and playgroups. |
| The Summer Fayre was a great success with almost £1,000 raised. Many thanks to all who supported the event and especially thanks to the PTFA committee for all of their hard work, many of whom were at School at 8am to set up. The weather was fantastic, although a little hot if you were on a stall! Entertainments included Country dancing, a cello recital, Indian dancing, the choir and the Reception class danced the 'Magic scarf dance'! |
| We have just installed a new interactive screen in the Hall for assemblies. This has been networked and now enables us to access pictures from the internet to act as a stimulus for our assemblies. |
| Finally, we wish you a lovely summer holiday and we are looking forward to recharging the batteries before the start of the new academic year! |
| Fiona Hadden (Reception Class Teacher) |
| Get aboard the Big Red Bus! |
| 4th and 18th August at St. Luke's Church Hall |
| Liz Yates is running two parent/toddler workshops called 'Childsplay' on Fridays 4th and 18th August for children aged 12 months to 2½ years at St Luke's Church Hall. Each session the group will board the Big Red Bus and set off on a journey to places of interest like the seaside, the zoo and the countryside using drama, movement and music to explore the locations. |
| Liz is a trained theatre practitioner who has worked in theatre and education for many years. She has recently moved to Cheltenham with her family and has an 18 month old daughter. |
| Please contact Liz on 07721 376076 or email LJtheatrearts@hotmail.co.uk for further information. Grandparents very welcome! |
| Garden Party |
| To celebrate 21 years of the MS Information and Therapy Centre At Bishop's House, Staverton On Saturday 5th August from 2.00 pm |
| The Lady Mayor of Gloucester, Councillor Sue Blakeley, will be present |
| Stalls, games, bouncy castle, martial arts display, face painting, cream teas, 'guess the weight of the crushed car' and more! |
| Parking will be in the field next to Bishop's House. Disabled parking available but limited |
| Please support this worthwhile cause. |
| Annual Sponsored Walk/Bikeride for the Historic Churches Trust - Saturday 9 September |
| We have supported this event for over 20 years. This year several church members will be taking part. Please sponsor them if you can. This can be a very enjoyable day out at a beautiful time of the year. Walk around Cheltenham and visit as many churches as you can or cycle around beautiful Cotswold villages. Sponsorship forms now available at the back of church - contact Simon Barton (515890) for more details. |