| ADVENT HOPE |
| The Revd Robert Pestell writes: |
| The Season of Advent, through which we travel to the festival of Christmas, is a time of waiting and watching with a real sense of expectation for the future. It is also a time of mystery and wonder as we reflect upon God's amazing love and sacrifice in sending Jesus into the world as part of his plan of redemption for the human race. |
| It is during Advent that that we have the opportunity to prepare ourselves to meet with our Lord, not merely in the new born babe in the stable at Bethlehem but more importantly as the Saviour of the World returning to gather up into God's Kingdom his faithful followers and servants. |
| 'Lo, He comes, with clouds descending', begins Charles Wesley's powerful Advent Hymn, a hymn not about the events of the first Christmas but rather of an event yet to come. 'Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the Kingdom of thine own.' It is a call to us all to be ready for the second coming no matter when it will be. Our lives need to be in order and we should have expectant hearts ready to meet with our Lord. |
| We live in difficult times, much of which is of our own making, conflicts in different parts of the world, the effects of climate change, divisions within the church, financial instability and the breakdown of the family, to name but a few of the challenges that face us. |
| I believe that it is time for Christians to stand up and speak out in our communities and to demonstrate that there is an answer to all the problems and difficulties in the world and that is to recognise and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Jesus cannot wave a magic wand and suddenly makes things better but he can transform lives to give a positive outlook and this should be our aim and prayer for the future. Jesus came to seek out the lost, to rescue those who were in despair and had no hope. Advent is a time to look forward with hope and expectation as we await the return of our Lord and it is also a time for us at St. Luke's to be hopeful about the future. |
| Hope'08 is a national initiative to demonstrate God's work in action in the lives of Christians who serve their local communities. It is about raising the profile of the work that we already do and joining with other churches to promote and share the Good News of Jesus. There are already some plans to share with St.Michael's and Highbury in hi-lighting the role that Christians play in the community, so look out for further details. |
| Hope in 2008 will also be about St. Luke's journeying forward and developing the targets that were identified as priority areas from the PCC awayday. This means a strengthening of the leadership team, the development of home groups, improving the pastoral care, celebrating and growing our work with children and young people and a deepening in our relationship with God and with one another. Please pray for the church family as we prepare to set out on a new voyage of discovery together and let there be 'hope in our hearts', through knowing Jesus, God's gift of love, as Lord and Saviour. |
| Have a very Happy Christmas and a Joyful and Hopeful New Year. |
| With every blessing in this Holy Season, |
| Robert |
| Notes from the November PCC meeting |
| A report was given on the pastoral care meeting, which was attended by fourteen members of the congregation. The importance of the Church family in dealing with care was emphasised. A team will be authorised annually to co-ordinate pastoral care. |
| Much time was given to the discussion of the setting up of a strategy group, to meet fortnightly with the aim of improving communication within the church. This group will not necessarily be made up of PCC members, but must be representative of the whole church. |
| In the meanwhile a nuts and bolts group will be set up to discuss the remit of the strategy group and its composition. |
| Revd Rob Merchant explained that he would in future be working as an NSM (non-stipendiary minister). He would devote one day a week to St Luke's (split over three sessions) and would actively support the worshipping life of St Luke's, with a minimum commitment of 3 Sundays per month. He was stepping down from the PCC, but would continue to be involved in the appointment of a PA for Robert, in the SundayONE team and the Learning Group, and in pastoral care and home communion when available. |
| In the New Year Rob will be overseeing the introduction of a new programme for the home groups (“Way In”). People will not be expected to change groups. |
| A new welcome pack is to be launched at Christmas. |
| Notes from the December PCC meeting |
| There was agreement in principle to the purchase of a new wooden lectern to be funded from part of the proceeds from the cake stall (the remainder to be put into the toilet fund). |
| The PCC would seek grants towards the cost of the toilet project. We have been advised that the work would not be liable to VAT - a substantial saving. |
| We are now ready to advertise for a part-time Personal Assistant for Robert with the intention of interviewing in the second half of January. |
| Howard Marshall reported on St Luke's as a green church (see below) |
| It was agreed that we would not seek to reduce our parish share. The budget for 2008 was set to produce a small surplus (£485). It was thought that repairs to waterproof the clock chamber and west gallery would be affordable. |
| Wes Bell reported a successful Starlight Party on 31 October with 28 children and a great Advent Holiday club on 1 December with 22 children and “fantastic crafts”. He is now planning an Easter Holiday Club. The Christingle Celebration the previous evening was well attended and went well. The February SundayONE service would be a commissioning service for children's leaders and a prizegiving. |
| The PCC was asked to consider entering into a Mission Partner arrangement with Anne Lapage of CMS who is returning to Tanzania. Anne visited St Luke's on 23 September. |
| Thanks were expressed for Mike Gibson's work and generosity in having the ironwork on the church doors mended and the doors repainted. |
| Robert is planning a “Celebrating Marriage” weekend. |
| Robert has prepared a paper for the PCC called “Preparing to Put to Sea - The way ahead for 2008”. This proposes new structures for the church. It will be circulated to PCC members for discussion at the next meeting. |
| The church will be in use on all Saturdays in the new year, up to and including 16 February, with a booking transferred from the Church Hall. |
| WOMEN'S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER |
| Friday 7th March 2008 |
| A planning group from St. Michael's, St. Luke's and Highbury have been looking at organising some services in our cluster of churches to share in this event. |
| We are hoping to have at least one service in the daytime, when we hope to involve the schools in our area, and a more formal service with address in the evening at 8 p.m. at either St. Luke's or Highbury. If you are interested in being involved at any level, please speak to Sue Garcia or Sue Pestell. Men are welcome as well as women! |
| Thank you, Sue Pestell |
| NEW PAINTWORK |
| Thanks to Mike Gibson |
| Our thanks to Mike Gibson for having all the exterior doors to the church painted and the ironwork mended. Don't they look wonderful! Mike has done all this in memory of his beloved wife Chris, who died on 26 February 2005. We are truly grateful to Mike for this generous gift. |
| OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOE BOXES |
| Hallelujah!! We've passed the 100 mark! This year we've sent 110 boxes to needy children. A very BIG thank you to everyone who joined in this very worthwhile cause. That's 110 more children who will have a joyful Christmas - quite a change from having nothing at all! Imagine their faces as they open their boxes and realise that someone, somewhere, actually cares about them! |
| Jesus said 'love one another' - this is 'Love in a box together with prayer for a child! (The January sales are a good time to start collecting things for next year's boxes!!!) And on behalf of the children - thank you- Pam Dines |
| CRAFT SALE AND COFFEE MORNING |
| A very big thank you to everyone for their help at the Coffee Morning and Craft Sale on 17 November. A grand total of £262 was raised for the toilet fund. |
| HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST |
| Sponsored Bike Ride/Walk |
| Congratulations to Sue Garcia for her sponsored bike ride on 8 September which raised £134. Sponsorship is shared between the Trust and St Luke's Church. Next year's bike ride/walk will be on 13 September. Mark your new diaries! |
| LOVE RUSSIA - MANY THANKS |
| What a generous lot you are! We sent 25 packs of lovely new undies (+£25) for the 3,000 orphans in LOVE RUSSIA'S care this winter - a great effort; thank you very much on their behalf; Heather |
| THANKS TO KNITTERS |
| Many thanks to all who contributed such beautiful knitting (knitting machines are suspected) to the Children's Society appeal; a dozen squares were sent off with a donation; feedback on the world record Christmas stocking when I get it. Heather. |
| CAROL-SINGING FOR CHRISTIAN AID |
| The St Luke's one-hour carol-singing slot at Tesco on 15 December raised £120. Many thanks to all choristers. The total raised by Cheltenham churches at various supermarkets will be well in excess of £2,000. |
| HOW GREEN IS OUR CHURCH? |
| Not a day passes without reference in the media about climate change and environmental hazards, apparently, brought about by our domestic and commercial habits and lifestyles. No matter what your spiritual or political ideas are, everyone can make a difference in their own home by reviewing their domestic waste segregation and the use of low energy electric lighting. |
| The Church of England recently launched their own concern about environmental issues with their publication: “How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change A Christian? A Pocket Guide To Shrinking Your Ecological Footprint” Claire Foster & David Shreeve. Church House Publishing. 2007. |
| What can we do here at St. Luke's? Many, like myself, may have ambitious suggestions that would make the church more green and environmentally efficient. Most churches are old buildings with high ceilings, single glazed windows without draught proofing around the edges of doors. At St. Luke's we need to do an environmental audit to see how we can make our church more energy efficient and green. This is a Diocesan requirement. |
| We therefore need your help: I intend getting support from Cheltenham based Environmental & Educational Charity: “The Rendezvous Society”, Reg. No. 293357. They will be able to guide us with regards to Green & Environmentally friendly options to make our church more efficient. Perhaps Cheltenham Borough Council could advise us on waste management. Municipal authorities up and down the country are desperate to meet government targets and will only be too happy to offer advice. |
| We should initially try not to think too big, starting with small issues such as recycling (we already recycle ink cartridges in aid of Cheltenham Youth for Christ). How much waste goes into the Paladin/Grundon each week that could be segregated and recycled? Maybe we need several municipal supplied containers so that waste can be segregated, thus reducing landfill waste. |
| What are your opinions? If you have any suggestions, let us know. We would be most grateful of any help in doing our green audit with a view to making our church more efficient and less costly. |
| Howard Marshall |
| INSPIRE |
| Latin Link Conference |
| It was a truly inspirational weekend! |
| There were more than 150 young people who'd been part of teams of volunteers in Central or South America or in Spain for 3 weeks, 7 weeks or 4 months, during this year, as well as some mid- or long-term Latin Link members and about 80 supporters. The young people were so full of enthusiasm and had clearly found their time abroad rewarding. For them, there were de-briefing sessions as well. |
| The theme for the weekend was “Latin Mission, Local Church”, in both the main meetings and in the huge choice of talks. The Peruvian missions director of a group of churches explored the idea of cross-cultural mission, then a couple sent by his group (also Peruvians) told us about their part in a team working in Manchester, mainly among migrant Muslims. As foreigners themselves they find they are more easily accepted than Britons. |
| Latin Link members working near La Paz, Bolivia, explained their role in establishing a culturally relevant church in a poor community of brickmakers. Another talk was given by a Swiss couple working with street children in Lima, Peru, and of their hope to open a home for young adults. A British family spent 15 months in a coffee-growing community in Honduras and told of some of the challenges for them and also the struggle of the coffee growers to get a fair price. |
| Other talks included How does God guide?; Business as mission; Dare to be a disciple; and Want more for those considering longer term volunteering. |
| Altogether a stimulating and thought-provoking weekend. It's open to anyone - how about it next November? |
| Susan Garcia. |
| The Rendezvous Society |
| (UK Registered Charity 293357) |
| The Rendezvous Society & its 'Global Footsteps' programme |
| (in conjunction with Fair Trade shop & Cyber-café) |
| Aims & Objectives of Rendezvous: |
| Educate People about environmental issues such as Global Warming & Climate Change. |
| Promote Cultural Understanding within our communities, here and overseas. |
| Promoting Gloucestershire's overseas links. Cheltenham's overseas links include twinning with Goettingen in Germany, Annecy in France and Sochi in Russia. Cheltenham also has friendship links with Torun in Poland, Stampergat in Holland, Trabzon in Turkey, not to mention international links outside Europe, such as Kisumu, Kenya and the most recent partner, being Gloucester's twin of St. Ann in Jamaica. |
| Global Footsteps |
| Each 'footstep' emerges through dialogue with one or more of the overseas partners. They involve educational study tours, internet communication and youth conferences in which partners review their current 'footprint' (i.e their impact on the environment and culture). Since 2000 these have taken place successively in Kenya, Russia, Poland, Germany, Gloucestershire and, most recently, Jamaica. |
| Funding |
| The charity relies on membership, goodwill donations and proceeds from its Fair Trade shop and Cyber-cafe in Portland Street, Cheltenham. |
| Next year, in April, I am going to run the Berlin Half Marathon to raise funds for “Rendezvous”. I will be travelling overland, rather than by air, to reduce my carbon footprint in order to take part in this event. www.berliner-halbmarathon.de If you would like to support this charity please consider sponsoring me. |
| If you would like to know more about Rendezvous & Global Footsteps contact: Rendezvous at 16, Portland Street, Cheltenham. GL52 2PB. Tel: 01242 577893. Website: www.global-footsteps.com |
| Yours sincerely, Howard Marshall. stlukes@tiscali.co.uk Mob: 07903968185. |
| Rendezvous Renovation |
| For over 20 years the Rendezvous Society has been working for peace by bringing together different cultures and communities and fostering environmental awareness. In addition, our premises in Portland Street, central Cheltenham, have at various times provided office space for a number of local charities and voluntary organisations including Christian Aid, Workers Educational Association, Friends of the Earth, Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, etc. |
| The Rendezvous Shop has been supplying Cheltenham with Fair Trade foods, gifts and household goods for over 20 years and now we find our building is in need of repair. Extensive work is needed on the roof and wear and tear on the walls needs making good. We have already begun by repairing the rendering at the front of the building but we have a long haul ahead of us to raise the £140K-or-so we need to complete the project. |
| We recognise that there are many very good causes out there that appeal to churches for financial support. Were you to help us with a gift, we would feel especially grateful. |
| I could suggest a number of other ways that your church may help: |
| Use the shop. We stock catering packs of Fair Trade tea and coffee and can provide advice on three easy steps to becoming a Fair Trade organisation. |
| Order sale-or-return. If you want to encourage your congregation to buy Fair Trade but cannot afford a regular commitment, we supply stock on a sale-or-return basis. |
| Invite us to your church fete. Give us four weeks notice and we can usually find someone to run a stall for you at your event. |
| Use us as wholesalers. We give a discount of 10% on multiple packs from the Traidcraft catalogue. If you already have a Traidcraft stall this is the cost price you would be paying on food and stationery. With Rendezvous you won't be padding orders to avoid the £4.95 delivery charge. |
| Book us to speak at your house group, coffee morning or midweek fellowship. We can provide speakers on environmental themes, community and schools linking, fair trade and sustainable development, both from Christian perspectives and from other faith traditions. We would value the publicity this would afford and welcome the opportunities to speak on any of these subjects. |
| Publish our press release in your church newspaper. |
| Without our Portland Street premises, Cheltenham would be the poorer for not having a dedicated retail outlet for Fair Trade goods or space for its many other charitable operations. If you can help in any of the above ways, please get in touch with me on 01242-700-925, or e-mail leog@fish.co.uk, mentioning Rendezvous in the subject line. |
| Yours in Christ, Leo Guttridge (Chair of Directors) |
| The Parish of St Luke & St John and the Parish of St Michael in Cheltenham seek a personal assistant to support the work our shared Priest-in-Charge. |
| Job Description for the Post of Personal Assistant to the Priest-in-Charge (0.2 fte) |
| General Details |
| Job title: PA to the Priest-in-Charge |
| Location: Cheltenham |
| Normal work base: St Luke's Church Office |
| Tenure: 2 year fixed term contract. 7.5hours per week (0.2fte) |
| Salary: £2886.00 per annum (equivalent to £7.40 per hour) |
| Holiday: Full time equivalent (fte) 20 days holiday per annum. 0.2 fte equals 4 days per annum excluding Bank Holidays. |
| Job Purpose |
| To provide administrative assistance to the Priest-in-Charge in the carrying out of his duties within the parishes of St Luke & St John and St Michael Cheltenham. |
| To provide other administrative assistance as identified with the Priest-in-Charge within working hours provided. |
| Relationships |
| Responsible to: The Priest-in-Charge of the parishes of St Luke & St John and St Michael Cheltenham. |
| Main Activities |
| The parishes of St Luke & St John and St Michael are busy environments with many demands on the time of our current priest-in-charge. You will be responsible for providing well structured administrative support to the priest-in-charge, ensuring effective communication and the delivery of objectives agreed with the priest-in-charge. Your duties may include typing, composition of correspondence, dealing with email, data input, photocopying, sorting and organising paper work for, and after, meetings, postage and dealing with telephone enquiries regarding parish activities e.g. baptism, wedding, funerals, pastoral visiting etc. |
| Person Sought |
| The person sought will have: |
| Essential Requirements: |
| • Educated to A Level or equivalent. |
| • Good written and oral communication skills. |
| • Good problem solving skills. |
| • Flexible approach to working. |
| • Good IT skills with experience of use of MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and Publisher |
| • Good planning and organising skills and the ability to work within tight deadlines. |
| • Able to work on own initiative. |
| • Confident. |
| • Understanding and awareness of Christian faith. |
| • Commitment to aims of the parishes of St Luke & St John and St Michael. |
| Desirable Requirements: |
| Knowledge of database upkeep/implementation |
| Special Conditions |
| The post is subject to a 2 year fixed term contract. |
| The post holder will be required to travel between St Luke's and St Michael's to meet with the Priest in Charge. |
| A successful applicant will be required to complete a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure procedure prior to final confirmation of contract. |
| St Luke's Church and St Michael's Church are no smoking environments. |