Vicar’s Letter February 2021

Dear Friends,

Living His Story Lent 2021

During Lent (which starts on the 17th February), we are inviting you to study Living His Story, which is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2021.

Written by Hannah Steele (Director of St Mellitus College in London) Living His Story, is a practical, down to earth book, written with ordinary Christians in mind. The book explores how we can convey the love of God to our neighbours in a post-Christian world that has largely forgotten the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Written during the pandemic, the book is specifically intended to be used by individuals and groups during Lent, and is designed to help us grow in confidence in sharing God’s love with those around us. I was particularly struck by the following quote:

Evangelism… becomes an invitation not to a set of beliefs but to a new way of living. It is to encounter the one who has risen from the dead and in whom there is new life and a new purpose. It is to place his story at the centre of our lives. Through his story we find our sense of purpose, meaning and belonging.

In the foreword, the Archbishop Bishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, writes:

I hope that in reading this book you are reminded of how important you and your story are to Jesus and his Church and feel empowered to share the good news in your own way and context.

There are a number of ways you can participate in our Lent studies.

PURCHASING THE BOOK

First of all you can purchase Living His Story for £7 from Cornerstone (this is cheaper than Amazon), or you can purchase the Kindle version for £5.69. If you wish to purchase

1 the book from Cornerstone, please submit you order by Wednesday 10th February by emailing [email protected] or calling 549796.

The hope is that people will commit to reading a chapter of the book each week during Lent.

PARTICIPATE IN #LIVELENT

In addition to the book, you can sign up to receive free daily reflections from the Church of England. These reflections have been written by the Revd Dr Stephen Hance, Evangelism and Discipleship Lead for the Church of England, and are based on the book Living His Story. These daily reflections encourage all Christians to think about their calling, how to share their faith and reflect on the difference Christ makes in our lives.

From Ash Wednesday (17 February) to Easter Sunday (4 April), you will be sent a daily reflection by email. Each reflection will include a short passage from the Bible, a brief exploration of the reading, and a prayer (taking around 8 to 10 minutes to read). Additionally, each week will have a unifying theme and an action to be taken during the week. You can sign up for these daily emails by going to www.churchofengland.org/ livelent

If you don’t have access to email, or prefer something physical to read, you can order a #LiveLent booklet, which contains these daily reflections from the Parish Office (email [email protected] or call 810616), we recommend a donation of £2 per booklet - please place your order by 10th February at the latest.

JOIN OUR WEEKLY DISCUSSION GROUP

We hope as many people as possible will join in with our weekly Lent discussion group, which will start on Sunday 21st February at 6.30pm (meeting on Zoom). Please note, those without internet access can still participate in the Zoom meeting via the telephone, please contact Simon for more information (email [email protected] or call 319830).

It may also be that some of the home groups will be meeting to participate in this Lent

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Course.

Holiday Club

During the February half term we are going to be running a special online holiday club for primary school age children entitled ‘Bigger Than Big’. Each day we will be exploring different themes:

• Monday: God is bigger than imagination

• Tuesday: God is bigger than our problems

• Wednesday: God is bigger than our fears

• Thursday: God is bigger than our expectations

• Friday God is bigger than our mess

The holiday club will be running both on our YouTube channel and on Zoom, and will feature craft activities, lively songs, creative retelling of Bible stories, and much more. To sign up for the holiday club (and receive free craft materials and Zoom log in details) please contact Kate (email [email protected] or call 07436 802895).

Ash Wednesday

It is my hope that we may be able to hold a special online service for Ash Wednesday, please keep an eye on the e-bulletin for more details.

The Nature of Prayer Online Course

The Diocesan Spirituality Adviser Cameron Butland will lead an online Lent course which is open to everyone and reflects upon the nature of prayer.

Each week Cameron will offer an experience of Christian spirituality and prayer. The course will use Benedictine, Celtic and Ignatian spirituality, and will run each Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm over five weeks, starting on 3 March. Each of the evenings will have the same pattern:

• Worship on the theme

• Short Talk

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• Discussion in small groups, (breakout rooms)

• Experience of a spiritual practice

• Plenary discussion

• The prayer of ‘Examen’ If you wish to register to attend please email me on [email protected] by Sunday 28th February.

Online Services

At this time of writing this letter, it is my expectation that we will be continuing online services throughout February, those without internet access can listen to the services by dialling 01228 585724.

Mission Giving Update In January the PCC agreed that during 2021 we would support the work of Bettaway Community Church in South Africa. The church was planted in the township of Delft, on the outskirts of Cape Town by Clive and Glenda McMinn. Delft is situated on what is known as the Cape Flats, which has been described as “the dumping ground of apartheid.” It was here that people of colour were relocated to, as a result of the infamous Group Areas Act. Today Delft is a diverse community, where many different nationalities live together, it is also an area of high unemployment and crime, and the associated problems that this brings. Bettaway Community Church is a vibrant church at the heart of this community, whose main goal is to make disciples of all people by teaching the Word of God. On their website they write ‘We believe that God has called us to make the community in which we are based a better place. We have a strong sense to not just feed the people in Delft spiritually, but emotionally and physically as well. We want to walk alongside people in this area living in informal settlements and asbestos houses where poverty, aids, unemployment and crime is rife.’ In 2013 the Orchard's spent time with the McMinns in Delft, at the Church services, homework club, soup kitchen, men's and women's groups, and moving around the community, including tea in one of the resident's tin hut. What impressed them most was how the practical and spiritual go together, the self-sustaining power in that Church, Clive's Bible teaching and Glenda's worship leading, their ability to empower new leaders,

4 the joy of the Lord in people, and the power of the Holy Spirit working through them and all who set foot in the place, compelling them towards Jesus. In November Pastor Clive gave an inspiring talk to the St James Men’s Group, and we look forward to being able to support Bettaway Church financially and spiritually in the coming year. Cummersdale Update Letters have gone out to all the houses in Cummersdale to inform them that due to circumstances beyond our control, our tenancy of the building has come to an end.

Food Pantry

In addition to running a food bank, we also now offer a food pantry (operating from Cornerstone). The food bank exists to provide emergency food parcels to those who cannot afford to buy food, and provides an important service to those within our community.

The food pantry is to support people who are on very low incomes who would struggle to pay for a normal weekly shop, but would like to make a small contribution towards the food they purchase. The aim of the food pantry is to give people back their dignity, and help those on low incomes who need support, but wouldn’t feel comfortable asking for a free food parcel. Those wishing to use the food pantry are asked to phone Cornerstone to book a slot when they can come to the pantry. We recommend a donation of £2.50 for 10 items, or £5 for 20 items, all of which goes back into supporting the food bank.

Donations of food for the food bank and pantry are always gratefully received, and can be dropped off at the Parish Centre (810616) or at Cornerstone. As both Cornerstone and the Parish Centre are operating on reduced hours, we ask that you please call in advance.

Youth Alpha Ruth, along with several other youth leaders, are hoping to launch an online Youth Alpha after the February half term. This course will be specifically geared towards those at secondary school, who would like to find out more about the Christian faith. If you know anyone young people who would be interested in this course, please contact Ruth by emailing [email protected], or calling 07528 495288. Youth Drop In Ruth has launched a new weekly youth drop in, which is meeting online every Thursday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Each week there is the opportunity to catch up with one

5 another, play some games, and have a short reflection. Please contact Ruth for more information. Youth Videos Did you know that each week Ruth uploads a video specifically geared to help and inspire young people to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/stjamescarlisle)? Please do check out the videos, and share them with any young people you may know. Building For The Future A small group has been formed to begin the process of developing a vision for the building of St James Church in Denton Holme. The hope is that this may develop into a five to ten year plan for the building. Our building is a great resource, but we want to ensure that it is fit for purpose, so that we can better serve the wider community, and fulfil God’s mission in the world. If you are interested in joining this small group please get in touch with me. Best wishes

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