| Who is Revd Rob Merchant? |
| Our new Associate Priest who has made an appearance already in our church and will be officially working at St. Luke's in October is almost a local. A published academic, Rob is currently researching a PhD on religion and health in older people at Staffordshire University where he is Principal Lecturer in Spirituality and Health in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, having previously studied at Keele, Wolverhampton and Oxford. His work, in social care and mental health, mainly with MENCAP, and his ministry, including work with young people and the Evangelical Alliance, have taken him to Shropshire, Birmingham, Malaysia, and latterly here in Cheltenham as Associate Minister (assistant curate) at St. Mark's and Emmanuel. |
| Married to Tamsin (Chaplain at Gloucestershire University, who has led our SundayONE services), Rob enjoys books and dinghy sailing when he has time. Rob will be working with us part-time, while continuing his work in Staffordshire. He will be with us for a fixed term of 3 years and will not be replaced. His role is to work with Revd Robert Pestell and help us develop the skills, the resources and strengths we need for the future. |
| We and St. Michael's are delighted and honoured that he is coming to share in ministry and leadership with us. |
| Next month, meet Revd. Robert Pestell...... |
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| POSTCARD FROM ARGENTINA |
| Sue Garcia writes from her project with Latin Link.... |
| "finally got here only 8 hours late and with ALL our luggage! Thursday was first working day - much knocking down of dividing walls, by Saturday there was enough rubble to fill a skip using a human chain and lots of buckets - all good fun. That day children, women and young people helped too. Sunday service was held in our house, but they hope to inaugurate the new enlarged room at the church before we leave!.. (They have been praying for help with this project for FOUR years). On Sunday morning we went up a nearby hill which had a cable car- the surrounding Andes are truly majestic(More next month, including midnight tango lessons)" |
| CONNECT - St Luke's Praying Together |
| Monday 2 October - 7pm in Church |
| BAKED POTATO SUPPER |
| We're planning a BAKED POTATO SUPPER again this autumn, followed by guided meditative silent prayer. Last year many people found it helpful so we invite you to join us even if you haven't been before. There will be a list at the back of church to sign up for the meal - sooner rather than later please for catering purposes. (No charge but donations gratefully received) |
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| ST LUKE'S GIFT DAY - 17 SEPTEMBER |
| Have you received a letter about this? If not, please do ask about it. We try to keep our address lists up-to-date, but inevitably some people may have been missed out. |
| What's it all about? We are just trying to get our finances into shape to launch the next chapter in the life of St Luke's from a firm footing. |
| A year ago we were facing a period of uncertainty with the publication of the Deanery Mission Plan. At the root of this was the question, "how many churches can Cheltenham afford?" We were able to demonstrate that we were a healthy church, and our financial health - the willingness of church members to support sacrificially the work and mission of the church - was certainly a part of this. |
| Our current budget is £68,000. A major part of this, £43,000, is our contribution to the Parish Share. This is allocated at present on the basis of what churches can afford: there is no discount for an interregnum, and we don't expect a discount in future for moving to a position where we share our priest-in-charge. |
| The main reason for the Gift Day is to allow us to meet our budget commitments for the year. We need to be confident that we can hold our own as a church. But this is not enough. As we look to the arrival of our new priest-in-charge we need to be ready to move forward; vital projects that have been put on hold may need to be taken down from the shelf and dusted off. New projects may be needed. We need to be ready to meet new challenges. |
| Simon Barton |
| SALTMINE THEATRE COMPANY |
| The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis |
| Friday 17 November at 7.30pm |
| The Bacon Theatre, Cheltenham, 01242 258002 |
| This award winning* satirical comedy brings to life C. S. Lewis' classic book, in which a senior devil, Screwtape, instructs his junior apprentices in the fine art of temptation. With David Robinson's "impressive Screwtape" and Nigel Forde's "sparkling script" (The Stage 2005) this adaptation remains faithful to the original text, exploring the characters and themes created by Lewis, including perhaps the most serious subject of all, damnation. |
| *Edinburgh Festival Fringe Sellout Show Award 2004 & 2005. |