Welcome to St. Luke's Church, Cheltenham - a living expression of the love of God in Christ.

1 May 2007 - News from The Link

ST LUKE'S & ST MICHAEL'S

EMMAUS COURSE

Our next 6-week Emmaus Course is starting on Tuesday 22nd May. It is aimed at the very new to faith, or those who are outside of Church but wanting to know more.

Interested? Or know someone who is? More details are available in leaflets in church, or by contacting the Revd Rob Merchant on 430265, Sallie Mumford on 239425, or Sheila Clifford 704216.

CONNECT

St Luke's praying together

The next Connect meeting will be on 21 May, later than usual because of the Bank Holiday and to avoid the PCC meeting on 14 May. This will be a ?Connect Special? and will include a short talk by the Revd Rob Merchant and some discussion, as well as prayer. Look out for more details!

The Connect meetings for June and July will be concentrating on the Societies that we support as a church. Do join us in praying for these societies if you have a particular interest in them or if you would like up-to-date news of their work.

These two meetings will take place on Monday 4 June and 2 July between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

Revd Robert Pestell writes

Now that I have successfully come through my first Annual Parochial Meeting at St. Luke's, as well as the major festivals of Christmas and Easter, I feel as if I might be getting the hang of things! There has been a great deal to absorb and learn and I am well aware that there are some activities that I have not been able to be part of yet, although I hope to put this right in the not too distant future. The task that I have been given is not an easy or straight forward one, to be responsible for two busy parishes who are entirely different as well as a Church School and a Youth Project - Mission Impossible? - it just might be!

However, I am not one to sit back and just hope that somehow or other we muddle through; there has to be some purpose and direction to what we are doing and the proposed 'structures review' along with input from the newly formed PCC will, I hope, begin to put together a framework that will enable us to renew the vision God has for us and enable goals and targets to be identified. This is all about looking forward with enthusiasm and expectation to what can be achieved at St. Luke's (with St. John's), but with a sense of realism and without burdening or overstretching people.

At the heart of all that we are planning for the future should be prayer, as we seek to discern the will of God and pray for one another and for others as we seek to build up the community of faith and minister to others. Prayer has been described as 'the heartbeat of the Christian' and it is essential that prayer should be at the centre of all that we do both corporately and individually. Please make the most of supporting the opportunities for prayer that exist within the life of the church.

Thank you to all those who have served faithfully over the past few years, especially Peter and Linda Ralphs who have given so much in their different roles, and thank you to Guy Woodcock for willingly taking on the role of Church Warden to serve alongside Simon Barton.

During this month I hope that you will enjoy getting to know Sallie Mumford who is with us on placement as part of her reader training. Sallie normally worships at St. Michael's, so it is a bit 'in house' but Rob will oversee her placement so that she has the opportunity of having independent advice and supervision. I hope you will give her a warm welcome. As Rob will need to be present to oversee Sallie's placement, you may well find that you see a little less of me for the next 8 weeks, but this means I can give more time to the folk at St. Michael's who also need encouragement and nurture at this time of change.

May God bless you all and have a good month of May.

Robert

Revd. Robert Pestell

Priest-in-Charge

St John's Primary School - Where Children Flourish

The Easter Holidays have been and gone and the beautiful weather has meant that we have all come back refreshed! Before we broke up we were lucky enough to have a visit from the Easter Bunny who kindly filled baskets made by the children with mini eggs.

The Reception Class had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to the Art Gallery and Museum for an Indian workshop. The children listened to stories from India, dressed up in traditional costumes and made Rangoli patterns.

The Reception Class performed a play about Goldilocks and the 3 Bears to parents and Grandparents. They used masks and used musical accompaniment of tambourines, claves, woodblocks and hand chimes.

The Art Gallery is celebrating the Museum's 100th Anniversary this year and their Exhibition of work from local Schools is slightly different this time. They wanted work on the theme of 100 so please look out for our Anderson Shelters, pictures of the trip to the moon and paintings of toys from 'olden days'. The Exhibition runs from 5th May - 2nd June and will be well worth a visit.

Fiona Hadden (Reception class Teacher)

The Annual Meetings 2007

The Annual Meetings took place on Monday 16 April and, as usual, were very well attended. The Revd Robert Pestell was in the chair for the first time. The Meeting of Parishioners elected Simon Barton and Guy Woodcock Churchwardens. Peter Ralphs had stood down as Warden after 5 years, having served a year beyond the normal term of office on account of the interregnum. Unfortunately Peter was absent on business, but this did not stop expressions of gratitude and prolonged applause for his long service and strong leadership. This Meeting also received the report of the Trustees of St Luke's Church Hall, which again showed a strong financial position, with resources being made available to support the funding of the St Luke's Youthworker post, held by Wes Bell. Margaret Bristol, Chair of Trustees, and Robert Pestell thanked David and Jane Johnson for their service as Hall Coordinators. There is a vacancy for a Trustee.

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting followed. Most of the meeting was occupied with receiving reports on the activities of the PCC, the Church Working Groups (Committees) and other groups that contribute to the life of the church. Most reports had been available before the meeting and were ?taken as read?. Chris Foy as PCC Treasurer, however, presented the church accounts and financial position in more detail, explaining various subtleties that needed to be understood by the Meeting to allow the accounts to be approved. Thanks to a very successful Gift Day the Church had ended the year in a strong position, with funds being transferred to the project for the building of a toilet for the disabled and improved coffee making facilities at the rear of the church. Marjory Brightwell noted with pleasure and gratitude the final repayment of the loan that had been taken for the church lighting project. Briony Smith presented her last report as TearFund Coordinator and received a bouquet to wish her well as she moves to a church closer to her new home after many years at St Luke's.

In the elections, Howard Marshall was elected to the Cheltenham Deanery Synod, becoming an ex-officio member of the PCC. Wes Bell, Vaughan Kerry and Peter Ralphs were elected to the PCC. Others were elected to various Church Working Groups, but it was accepted that the priority was for the PCC to make progress on a ?Structures Review?. St Luke's needs a clear vision of where it is going and what it is trying to achieve - and we need to bring people together into formal structures, be they committees or working groups, only as necessary to meet these objectives.

Simon Barton

Double Standards?

The measurement of silver used as money in the Old Testament is the shekel. But there were two different types of shekel; one, the royal or sanctuary shekel, was heavier than the other one. The light one was used in everyday life, the heavy one contained 2 grams more silver and was used for making Temple offerings. So when you offered the sanctuary shekel you were giving that bit extra to God.

It often seems that people forget to offer their best to God. We offer him our excuses for not doing the things we should, instead of giving him our best. If we have two standards in the way we do things shouldn't we always give the best, to our heavenly Father who loves us so much?

Intercessory Insights

'Prayer is powerful. The devil smiles when we make plans. He laughs when we get too busy. But he trembles when we pray?'

Corrie ten Boom

'Prayer is the slender nerve which moves the muscle of Omnipotence.'

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

'Fervent prayer, like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.'

Source unknown

'Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results.'

E M Bounds

'There is a power in the name of Jesus; we believe in His name? At His name demons flee. At His name captives are freed. There is no other name that is higher - than Jesus!'

Noel Richards

'None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by personal experience.'

Martin Luther

'Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.'

Dwight L Moody

From Care's Concise Prayer Guide - Spring 2007; Celia Bowring - Prayer Guide Compiler.