ST CHAD’S CHURCH, BAGNALL —NEWSLETTER 03.02.19

January Deanery Synod:

Tuesday 22nd held at St. Philip & St. James Anglican Church, Milton.

Firstly, we received notices which included a reminder to ALL to complete a full review of Church Electoral Rolls.

The evening’s talk was driven by a new strategy introducing The Vision for Diocese. Originating from a Diocesan gathering back in February 2017, the purpose of that meeting was to consider what this invitation to follow Christ meant for them as a Diocese. Our guest speaker Venerable , Archdeacon for Stoke-on-Trent, distributed copies of his report : The Direction of Travel Update - named so by the of Lichfield, Rt Revd Dr , for progress of the Bishop Vision. The meeting progressed around the report content which was split into three sections: The Invitation, The Vision and The Priorities – how the Vision can support us/you and how the Diocese can support it. The vision for , Northern and for the Black Country is that the church will become a real blessing for the people of this region. Following in the footsteps of Chad, the first Bishop of Lichfield (c 634– d 672), well-known for his crossing boundaries, for his warm hospitality and, above all, for his prayerful commitment to following Jesus.

The Invitation – Come follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Chad.

The Vision (The Shared Diocesan Vision/Vision Statement) – “As we follow Christ in the footsteps of St. Chad, we pray that the two million people in our diocese encounter a church that is confident in the gospel, knows and loves its communities, and is excited to find God already at work in the world. We pray for a church that reflects the richness and variety of those communities. We pray for a church that partners with others in seeking the common good, working for justice as people of hope.” This vision is to be owned by the parishes, chaplaincies, Fresh Expressions, schools and the Cathedral in their own way and in their own context. The Direction of Travel Update report and The Vision video can be viewed on the Diocese website: www.lichfield.anglican.org/ourvision Matthew said, “It is not compulsory for ALL to use the Bishop Vision. Some may be happy to follow it, some may carry on as normal however this may well lead ‘us’ into new things”.

The Priorities – discipleship, vocation & evangelism (DVE):

1) developing Discipleship - the call to follow Jesus is lifelong. 2) encouraging Vocation– what is God calling you to do specifically? We have different gifts. Vocations can change direction and are distinct only to you. Vocation applies to every one of us. 3) inspiring Evangelism – Good News of Christ. Be good news and share your good news that’s evangelism and you invite others into the fellowship of Jesus Christ to follow Him. Matthew quoted, “As a Diocese we have committed in all that we do to DVE. The Priorities help us focus as a Diocese and we commend them to our parishes, schools, chaplaincies, Fresh Expressions and Cathedral.”

What has happened since February 2017: Bishop Michael had convened a Direction Steering Group to oversee progress and implementation of the Direction of Travel; Diocesan Officers responsible for DVE have relocated to Three Shires House to allow for closer working; Lindsey Hall was appointed Lead Officer for the DVE Project Implementation; a new Monitoring Framework had been developed and the Diocesan Website restructured. Looking ahead we heard of the development of DVE Projects e.g. new bible study resources, work on confronting modern slavery etc. The report stated other projects undertaken/completed or ongoing. This led on to Owning the Vision – here we formed small discussion groups to look at the new advice on the revised Mission Action Planning (MAP), choosing one of eight questions provided for ‘local’ reflection on the new vision statement. For more details please check online: www.lichfield.anglican.org/ourvision

Matthew closed the meeting with a ‘vision prayer’ - the vision prayer invites parishes etc., to connect their vision to the Diocesan vision, it was created from the vision statement (a template is available within Matthew’s report on the Diocese Website for those who wish to adapt it for their use).

This evening was the first time I had entered the doors of St. Philip & St. James Church in Milton, and my first time attending a meeting in the capacity of Deanery Synod Representative. The warm welcome and hot cup of tea were much appreciated on that cold January evening. Unfortunately, Julia Podmore was unable to attend due to illness, though I spied the familiar faces of James and Roz from Endon and, Rev. Alan Betts, joining them in group discussions. Thank you to Kathryn and the AGM for nominating me. Leonie M Siegertsz

Creative Corner craft club: Prayer Corner:

Meeting dates until Easter: Loving Father, thank you for all the blessings you’ve given to us, Feb 11th & 25th; our families and friends and all those we hold dear, the whole of Mar 11th & 25th; creation and our amazing world. April 8th. Lord God, may we see your vision of what can be done in this world. May we become those who ‘catch’ people for Your Don’t forget..... Kingdom. May we be content to do your will alone.

The church will NOT be In our world Brexit is bringing a time of disruption and realignment open on a Wednesday throughout Britain and Europe as a whole. Lord God, we pray that morning during the winter this will be achieved with understanding, patience and a sense of months. common purpose.

Leek Food Bank:

Christmas and beyond has been a very busy period. Every morning the foodbank wondered how they were going to store any more food, and every afternoon they wondered how they were going to fill the shelves again ready for the next session. They have been thankful to God that the balance has been just about maintained, although they did have to buy in some goods which fortunately they had the resources to do.

During the period 1st December to 16th January, they honoured 72 vouchers representing 103 adults and 94 children. They are very grateful to all who have donated food and finance to the foodbank over this period. It has been vital in keeping them going. A total of 3165kg left the warehouse and 3838kgs came in which is a reasonable position to be in after the Christmas period.

Thank you all once again and please keep up the good work.

Smiles: Leprosy Mission:

Mrs Jenning’s classes for children of pre- For anyone who missed last week’s service but kindergarten age will be resumed on Mondays, would like to donate to the Leprosy Mission, it is Wednesdays and Fridays from 9—12 o’clock. not too late. Just ask Muriel F. for a donation A slight smack will be served about 10.30. form and she’ll be happy to oblige.

The window of the schoolroom was too small for The Leprosy Mission Prayer: him to squeeze through. Keith scratched his Almighty Father, the giver of life and health, head and did some rapid thinning. look mercifully on those who suffer from

The team for the match today will not, it is leprosy. Stretch out your hand to touch and stated, be chosen until tomorrow morning. heal them as Jesus did during His earthly life. Grant wisdom and insight to those who are For those who like watching trains, as I seeking the prevention and cure of the disease, occasionally do, the Cornish Riviera Express give skill and sympathy to those who minister passes through a halt a couple of miles away. to the patients, reunite the separated with their And there are fishermen by the canal, running families and friends, and inspire your people alongside the railway, willing to talk about pike. with the task set before The Leprosy Mission,

The first three balls yielded four runs. Then the that it may never lack either the staff or the bowler took a very long swift run—and bit the means to carry on its healing work in off stump. accordance with your will, and to the glory of your holy name. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ your Last but not least Son, our Lord. Amen. I know that it feels as though Christmas is only just over, but as you know Easter is fast approaching. The shops are full of eggs, chicks SHEILA TIPPER etc and to this end I ask for your help. I plan to make the crème egg chicks again for the youngsters, so if you could donate a couple of Telephone: 01782 534647 crème eggs or a ball of fluffy wool I’d really appreciate it. Thank you. Email: [email protected]