ST LUKE's CHURCH ENDON-With-STANLEY
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THE UNITED BENEFICE of ST LUKE’S, ENDON with ST CHAD’S, BAGNALL Encounter, Encourage, Enable …Committed to Sharing God’s Love www.endonstlukes.org.uk Vestry (church office): 01782 502166 June 2021 INTERREGNUM Month 12 Jean Brough has been determined to complete fifty laps of Milton Park (whenever the weather permitted) to raise funds for St Luke’s church. The total so far is over £1300. You’re a star, Jean! There is still time to show your support for Jean via the Just Giving site on website or a direct donation to Jean. JUNE PLAN ST LUKE’S ZOOM MEETINGS FOR ST LUKE’S 11.00am COFFEE & CHAT on Fridays (hosted by Neil Taylor). All welcome. Contact th SUNDAY June 6 Neil for further details. 9.15am MORNING WORSHIP led by Roger and Barrie SUNDAY June 13th 9.15am MORNING WORSHIP led by Roger and Barrie SUNDAY June 20th 9.15am MORNING WORSHIP led by Roger and Barrie 11.00am CONNECTIONS on Sundays led by Neil and Deb (phone nos back page.). SUNDAY June 27th On the first Sunday of the month we have a 9.15am MORNING WORSHIP child friendly, family service via Zoom with led by Roger and Barrie games, crafts and songs in a 25 minute package. Do spread the word! . MIDWEEK SERVICES The Zoom Connections passcode is Wednesdays at 9.15am in the 743 818 2108. chapter house led by Barrie. Holy Communion when Rev MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDY Eleanor is available. At 8pm on alternate Wednesdays Sue hosts a Zoom bible study led by Deb using the same password as above. Currently studying ST LUKE’S CHURCH OFFICE Ephesians. For more information please contact Sue or Deb. Unless involved with funeral duties, Barrie mans the church office in the vestry on Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri from 10.00am to 1.00pm using tel: CHURCH FUNDS 07517 653370. Please bring your gift or envelope to church or While the office is open the church issue a cheque and post it to Sheila Hurst or set is open for private prayer. All up a monthly standing order or use the ‘Just enquiries relating to baptisms, Giving’ link on St Luke’s website. If you bank weddings and funerals should be on-line you could pay directly into the church directed to Barrie. Currently a account by setting up Endon St Luke’s PCC as a maximum of 30 (5 for weddings) new recipient*. (*Bank details from Steve Dale are allowed in church but be aware or Sheila H. Phone nos back page.) THANK that guidelines can change. YOU to all our regular givers! 2 JUNE AT ST CHAD’S SERVICES June 6th Family Service KH/CS 13th Praise and Prayer KH/MF 20th Holy Communion Rev B Wilson 27th No service, church closed for CARYL’S ORDINATION AT LICHFIELD Carrie's new parish is Kingsley which includes Oakamoor, Cotton, Foxt and Whiston. The incumbent is Sue who is part-time (point 5). The plan when she began her training was that she would complete her curacy at Bagnall and Endon but of course that's not possible so we will lose her for at least two years. Kath Howell can be contacted on 01782 304616 or 07971 887039 or [email protected] From Sheila H: HEATING REMINDER From the beginning of June to the end of September there will be very little heating on in the church - remember your cardigans or jackets! GIFT AID If you have signed a Gift Aid Declaration form so that your donations can be gift aided please remember to inform Sheila Hurst if you no longer pay tax. If you forget to inform me and I wrongly claim gift aid YOU may have a bill from HMRC to recover the gift aid claimed. It is your responsibility to inform me. For the 2020/21 financial year we were able to claim over £5000 back from HMRC. MASKS I have just received another donation for the sale of masks made by Liz. Hopefully there will soon be no need for further use of masks. Altogether Liz has raised £255. Many thanks for all your hard work , Liz and thanks to your customers too. 3 ST LUKE’S APCM This was held on Sunday May 23rd after the morning service in church, chaired by Barrie and attended by about a dozen others including Rev Philip Swann. The accounts had been previously approved. Wardens, deanery reps, PCC members, examiner of accounts and electoral roll officer were all re-instated unchallenged. Reports were read out and included “The Simpson Report” being Roger’s usual… “STATE OF THE UNION” WARDEN’S MESSAGE: If the water is really clear, you can see how it is that a swan glides across the water. The big webbed feet furl on the fore-stroke, and then fan out on the back-stroke. Trailing one foot, the swan changes course and gently comes to rest. Beneath the water are skill, strength and beauty. After Alan’s retirement and the re-opening of some churches, we, your churchwardens agreed that we would present a simple service of morning prayer each Sunday, and that we would do this even if we were the only people in church. It is amazing and humbling to see that week after week this modest target has been exceeded tenfold, or even sixteen- fold, today. In addition, we are fortunate in having the support of several clergy, who take Communion services here, as is the case today. May we say how much we value this; it is a joy and a privilege to welcome them. It was only when I had started writing this that I realised that we had a human Swan in our midst; didn’t do that on purpose, honest! However, the number of bums on seats on a Sunday by itself is not a good indicator of the health of a church. “The service is over; now let the service begin!” as Alan once put it at the end of Morning Prayer. Monday to Saturday the less visible part of the life of this church goes on, the steady beat of webbed feet below the surface. The practical jobs get done; the bills are paid, repairs carried out, cleaning, sweeping and polishing, setting the central heating, counting the money; all these essential tasks are carried out by those who have been described as the unassuming, the unfailing, and all too often the unthanked, who are the backbone of any organisation. A quick look at the accounts shows that the financial backbone of the church is the band of unobtrusive and generous souls who give regularly, through the envelope system or by banker’s order. Sheila’s sterling work on the Gift Aid returns helps a lot. This is not to decry the cash donations, and the special fundraising efforts which are also part of the church’s life, some of which bring us together, as far as this is possible, while others are delicious. In parallel with the 9.15 service is the weekly Connections service, which originally took place in the school. Since the coming of Covid, it has been an on-line meeting. It concerns us that these two forms of worship, and the people who attend, are becoming increasingly separated. We would like to see a greater exchange of ideas and people. A more varied diet would be good for all. There are intangible forms of service too; Barrie’s open door at the church on several mornings each week brings him in contact with people who need to talk or to pray, or just to sit quietly. He’s also a wise and sympathetic taker of funerals; let’s not forget those who 4 give their time to act as vergers. We hope soon to balance these occasions with the joy of weddings. As direct social contact has been limited over the last year, other forms of communication have come to the fore. The text of each week’s address or sermon is e-mailed out each week, or distributed in print. The newsletter is faithfully produced by Ros, and distributed digitally or on paper. There are e-mails and phone calls and Zoom meetings and postings on social media. We do our best to maintain links; we’re all on the same bunch of grapes. It’s my ambition, if I’m spared, to pass on to the next Vicar of St Luke’s a church which is alive and kicking or, as Alan Titchmarsh might put it, is in good heart. Thank you all! FUNDRAISING REPORT (Sylvia Bradshaw) The Fundraising Team has worked together on several projects during the past year this included: Covid masks which were made beautifully by Liz and were much appreciated by everyone during the pandemic Homemade Jam and Marmalade are always very popular and we are grateful to Barbara & others for their skills and time. Shirley’s “Pick a Square” game where numbers were chosen at random and prizes donated by members of the congregation. This was enjoyed by the whole congregation. Jean’s walk Jean is at present tirelessly walking 50 laps of Milton Park and hopes to finish by the end of June. This brave lady has already raised over £1,300 and some of us have had the privilege of joining her. Well done Jean! Cake Challenge* – everyone has come together to bake100 (hopefully) boxes and plates of cakes will be available in the Chapter House, after morning worship on 23 May, in exchange for a Charity donation. (*total raised £165.) St Luke’s Lent Appeal (Bishops Lent Appeal was suspended due to Covid) Over £700 was raised specifically for the Teenage Cancer Trust.