Connecting the Churches of Macclesfield Team Ministry
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CONNECTING THE CHURCHES OF MACCLESFIELD TEAM MINISTRY LINKJULY & AUGUST 2019 FREE The Garden & Allotment at St Barnabas Church is run in conjunction with Cre8. The Garden is open for anyone to visit on Fridays between 1-3pm. All are welcome and there is always a need for volunteers! The space is used throughout the week for young people and adults groups. Check us out: facebook.com/garden&allotmentatstbarnabas From the Clergy - Rev Rob Wardle WHAM Nightshelter Cre8 Grow Project Hospitality at St Barnabas Red Letter Christians 2 Welcome to Macclesfield Team Ministry Macclesfield Team Ministry is a family of four churches located in the town and part of the Church of England. We are different communities of people seeking to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and trying to bring wholeness and healing. This magazine tells some of the stories from the people of these communities. All Saints St Barnabas St Peter’s St Michael & All Angels Brough Street West Lyme Avenue Windmill Street Market Place Macclesfield Macclesfield Macclesfield Macclesfield SK11 8EL SK11 7RS SK11 7HS SK10 1DY www.allsaintschurch facebook.com/stbarnabas www.stpetersmacc.org/ www.stmichaels- macclesfield.weebly.com churchmacc/ macclesfield.org.uk/ The Staff Team Key Contacts Team Rector: Revd Martin Stephens ADMINISTRATORS: 01625 426110 St Michael’s: Sue Reid 01625 421984 St Michael’s [email protected] [email protected] Sue Reid: 01625 421984 St Peter’s: Jann Thorpe [email protected] Team Vicar: Revd Andy Williams 01625 500544 St Peter’s 01625 432919 [email protected] Mike Boardman: 01625 428646 [email protected] WEEKLY NOTICE SHEETS: SAFEGUARDING CO-ORDINATORS: Curate: Revd Karen Brady All Saints: [email protected] All Saints: Chris Campbell-Kelly 01625 07419 820864 St Barnabas: 261373 [email protected] [email protected] St Barnabas: Jayne Shaw St Michael’s: Community Priest: Revd Rob Wardle St Michael’s: Paul Spedding [email protected] 01625 614819 & Chris Bentley 077101 73177 St Peter’s: [email protected] [email protected] St Peter’s: Jann Thorpe 01625 5005441 PA to the Clergy: Sue Reid CHURCH OR HALL BOOKINGS [email protected] Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor: Macclesfield Team Office All Saints: Pauline Butterfield 01928 718834 ext St Michael & All Angels Church Jim Donaldson 01625 619050 221 Market Place [email protected] [email protected]. Macclesfield SK10 1DY St Barnabas: org 01625 421984 (24 hour machine) Jonathan Aiken 07515 410170 [email protected] 3 From the Clergy . Extra Ordinariness The Church is now in the season of ‘ordinary time’. How boring. The Church’s spring festivals and celebrations are over, the mundane plod each Sunday towards a summer break may fail to ignite us each week and we don’t yet want to think about the Autumn and the work of Christmas. The rain comes down, how much duller can it get? And yet, there is a different story and a different way of telling our story at this time of year. I am continually amazed and humbled by the wonderful people in our Churches who give their time and their energy so freely to others; it is nothing short of extra-ordinary. These Current research shows that more expressions of our own Christian people do small jobs and big jobs, they people are interested in religion and tradition. Belief is not falling it is on give one hour a week or 30 hours a faith since any time in the last fifty the rise. The Church is not a shrinking week and anywhere in between. They years. More people are now following ‘island’ and we are not alone. cook food, they serve drinks, they a recognised faith and we could also I am often struck by how much people organise events, they serve the sick, conclude that more people may also ‘outside’ the Church are the same they befriend strangers, they sew, be interested. as those ‘inside’ it. Ordinary people they clean, they polish, they sing, they So where are they you might ask? are inside the Church and ordinary talk, they teach, they do accounts, Why are these people not in our people are outside the Church. There they plan, they take responsibility Church? Again, research shows should really be no ‘them and us’. In for buildings, they give their time to that more people are going to my experience there is a great deal run activities for children and young larger Churches and Cathedrals of belief outside the Church, there is people, they take people to hospital for ‘experiential’ religion; where it understanding, there is compassion appointments, they read, they pray, is possible to hear, smell and see and there is tolerance. The picture they write, they administer sacraments, something which speaks to them may not be entirely rosy, but we have they campaign for justice, they debate, spiritually and helps them to ‘see’ not suddenly become a hopeless they protect the environment, they God. We can do these things on nation either. We need to talk to support causes and charities. They a smaller scale as well I am sure. others outside, to share, to try and give their love to others. It is very much There is a move away from the more understand, to work together. Our extra-ordinary. cerebral ‘thinking’ and ‘explaining’ Churches may not suddenly balloon Our Churches are run and managed to people, towards an experience of in numbers but that’s OK - in my view, for others by ordinary people who are God. So the Church does need to and I am sure that things will change. extra-ordinary. And maybe you’ve done look at itself again, if it wants more Ordinary people inside the Church your bit already and now you’re having of these people to come through the and outside do extraordinary things. a rest and that’s fine as well, or maybe doors. You are extra-ordinary and you will be you just can’t do anything just now and There is nothing ‘ordinary’ about forever blessed. that’s also fine. these times. There are huge changes ~ Rev Rob Wardle Some people say there is anxiety in happening socially in this country our Churches nationally because of and in other parts of the world. falling numbers, rising costs and the Incoming economic migrants as well ‘threat’ of secularism. But hear this as refugees have brought with them folks and it’s a different story again: their own faith traditions which include 4 Fantastic news for Macclesfield as our friends at Cre8 are awarded £260K for a community food, health & wellbeing project Cre8 has won support from The The project begins from the 1st May National Lottery Community 2019, with initial set up over the Fund, the UK’s largest funder summer months with the plan to start of community activity, for a new delivering food, on a small-scale, in project called “Cre8 Grow”. The September 2019. National Lottery funding of £263,500 We are very keen to build up a bank over the next 5 years will support of ‘food waste warriors’ who might be this ambitious project that looks to interested in volunteering to help run run a Macclesfield wide food project the grocery - sort and distribute food, to help collect and distribute food admin tasks, managing relationships to those who need and help to fight with food retailers. We are also keen the war on food waste! to get in touch with anyone who might Cre8 Grow will see the set up of a be able to donate food to support the mobile membership-based grocery project. that will deliver low-cost food to the If you’d like to know more or would like four local estate communities as well Cre8 to speak at your local group or as provide food to other local charities organisation please do get in touch: who are feeding those in need. The Grocery will be open to all - with Katy Wardle, Cre8 Project Grow anyone able to become a member and Coordinator on 01625 503740 or email help divert food from becoming landfill. [email protected] Cre8 Grow will also deliver a weekly timetable of community, health and Thanks to everyone who has been wellbeing activities driven by the involved with our pilot activities over people of the Moss Rose Estate. The the last 12 months - Big Give on project will encourage people to run Christmas Eve, Community Feasts, their own activities relating to healthy the allotment & garden at St Barnabas lifestyles. and Team Cre8 running club. They Ameera Fletcher, Cre8 Director have been very successful and we are says, “The uniqueness of this project eager to do more in the coming years. shows what is so brilliant about Cre8. Having the support of National Lottery Community fund means that Cre8 can deliver new and innovative services across the Moss Rose Estate as well as other Macclesfield communities. This project responds to what the local community wants and we hope it will assist to transform lives.” 5 WHAM Winter Nightshelter 2018/19 Six churches again hosted the without known church connections. rough sleepers to ensure all were WHAM weekend shelter over fifteen • 39 volunteers staffed 100 shifts at offered assistance and support. weekends this winter. Participating St Michaels. This was 29 from St After that point guest numbers at churches were Elim Pentecostal, Michael’s, 8 from other churches WHAM were lower and occasionally Macclesfield Methodists, Salvation (including team churches) and 2 included those who had fallen out Army, St Alban’s, St Michael’s from no church. with Mill Lane temporarily. and the United Reformed Church, • Training sessions were provided for • We had plans in place, and an hosting two or three weekends arrangement with Cheshire East, to each.