Presentation of Christ, 31 January 2021

Love and blessings to you

May we live our lives such
that it might be said:

They brought blessing to others.

Dear friends,

As always, our message for you each and every week is for FAITH, HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE. And for us to feel connected.

The ‘Walmsley Parish Newsletter’ is the first attachment; please click to open and have a read. It includes a report from Derek Bailey of our PCC meeting on 12 January 2021. And wonderful news about the daughter of one of our ‘senior’ parishioners receiving a British Empire Medal in the News Year’s Honours List!

Our ‘Walmsley Parish Prayers’ leaflet includes words and reflections from people you will know from our Parish, our wider Team and beyond.  Links to information and worship resources are in this cover letter and its attachments.

This week, we include a colouring sheet with a woodland scene (complete with hedgehog), skilfully drawn by our own Ken Holt, to give you something soothing to do and great for the children, too.

On a personal note, we would like to wish MYLES DAVIES, CANON PRECENTOR at LIVERPOOL ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL, a HAPPY RETIREMENT this Sunday, and we look forward to a time when we can celebrate with you in person. (Myles is Nick Hitchen’s cousin and, due to the lockdown situation, the public service of celebration planned in the Cathedral has not been able to take place.)

Public Worship is still paused, but our prayer list is included in the newsletter.  Please let us know of any others who would wish to be added to this list; thank you.

Please know that you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.  Stay safe and keep well.  Love and blessings,

Reverend Carol Hayden, Iain Stewart – Church Warden, Angie Foster – Assistant Church Warden, Dawn Hitchen – Church Warden & Authorised Lay Minister for Pastoral Care

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Worship

Weekly online service

The wonderful weekly online service, led by our Team Rector, Peter Reiss can be found HERE

Pray for the Nation

The Church of England is inviting us to pray for our nation at 6pm each evening. (See Newsletter for prayer.) More details available HERE.

Lent

We will be running a Lent Course on Prayer: different approaches to prayer; different ways of praying; resources to help us pray; we hope it will excite, encourage and resource us as individuals and as churches. It will be available online and we will distribute it to those who are not on-line. There will be family resources and lots of ideas and help. Look out for more information next week.

Ash Wednesday (17 February)

We do not (yet) know if we will be able to mark the start of Lent together, though we suspect not (sadly). There is a suggestion that people who would like to, could have a short service to pray at home with (or without) imposition of ashes. Please could you let the clergy know if this is something you would like so we can provide what you could use by way of liturgy. Many may feel they should mark it rather differently given the situation and our isolation.

Virtual Evening Prayer

From our own Walmsley Parish, we share with you another ‘VIRTUAL EVENING PRAYER’, recorded in church and led this week by Adrian Golland. Jane Dent (former Church Warden) reads from the Old Testament and the New Testament reading is given by John Evans (ALM for Worship).  Those of you who usually attend Evensong at Christ Church Walmsley may wish to wait until 6.30pm for an element of ‘normality’, but this link is available to watch now: WATCH NOW.

Worship at home

New and exciting ‘Worship at Home’ resources for adults and children are created each week by the worship Team at St. Maxentius.  Available from the Team Website.

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Christian Stewardship Envelope Scheme 2021/2022

A message from David Spencer, our envelope stewardship secretary

**URGENT ACTION REQUIRED**

When I was sorting out the new boxes of envelopes at the beginning of last year and working out how to distribute them, I never expected to be having the same problem this year, but here we are again. Most people in the scheme got their boxes, some were able to use them but others weren’t and several responded to Dawn’s appeal to switch to Standing Order.

Due to Covid restrictions, the firm who supplies the boxes needs more time to produce them by our start date of the beginning of April, so I need to finalise numbers fairly quickly, i.e. by the end of January. When we can start using them is another matter.

Please can you consider changing to payment by standing order and let me know, if you so decide, so that I don’t order a box for you. You will still have to arrange the switchover by following the procedure set out below.

 Please can you also let me know if you no longer require a box of envelopes, again, so that I don’t order more than are needed.

Please contact David Spencer on 01204 307897 or david.irene@spencer-egerton.co.uk

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Online shopping

A reminder for you if you place orders through Amazon, as a registered charity, Walmsley Parish PCC has a link with Amazon Smile, which allows supporters to make Amazon purchases as normal, but 0.5% of the sale will go – at no cost to yourself – to Walmsley Parish (The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Christ Church, Walmsley With St Andrews, Bromley Cross.)