United Reformed Church North Western Synod Franklin Street, Patricroft, Eccles, Manchester M30 0QZ 0161 789 5583 [email protected] Newsletter 14 – May 2014 Dear Friends Amongst the many initiatives and projects which come into the office one in particular attracted my attention. It came in from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. In newspaper format it reported on conversations held in Cornwall, Belfast, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and Swansea around the question ‘What does a good society mean for you?’ Taking a thematic approach, communities were asked about Hopes and aspirations, community, health and well being and Spirit. As we begin a year of preparation for a General Election, these conversations with people of faith and no formal faith tries to make links between people’s understanding of a good society and the beliefs that shape us. From Belfast Gerry (an ex paramilitiary) said: It’s a huge challenge to take your own people with you. And at times it’s a slow tedious an d frustrating process but you have to find compromises and bring people with you every inch of the way if you don‘t you fail. Peter (also ex paramilitiary) said: Religion is about pilgrimage, it is about making a better society. And we have an obligation to meet and join with all sorts of different people along the way. From Saltley Birmingham from a group of women of different ethnicities who gather to sew: ‘If we can understand other cultures and religions, we can get along. My friends here are like family now. That’s how close we are with each other.’ From Glasgow ‘I hope that the Church is a place where it is safe to come; for the young for the old, for the elderly and for the asylum seekers. I hope that they come and everybody will be as one. And they will have the love of God in this place. Because it is lack of love that is wrong with this community I think.’ The project is trying to promote a series of conversations about the values that have emerged, what are the marks of a good society. The report is at agoodsociety.org, where you will also be able to download a toolkit to assist you in undertaking your own research. I commend this project to you and we would be delighted if any churches wanted to undertake your own local research which we would love to feature in a future issue of the Synod News Bulletin. Best wishes Richard Cumbria Trinity Church Centre, Abbey Road, Barrow LA14 5HT THE KNITTED BIBLE Come and see 33 stories taken from the Bible and brought to life in the form of knitted figures. Fresh from its countrywide tour, we welcome the KNITTED BIBLE EXHIBITION to Trinity Church Centre JULY 5th - 15th 10.00am – 4.00pm MONDAY – SATURDAY 12noon – 4.00pm SUNDAY ADMISSION FREE Refreshments available Exciting New Development in Carlisle On Easter Sunday 20th April 2014 the people of St George’s United Reformed Church in Warwick Road Carlisle held their final service in a building which first opened for worship on 10th May 1863. The building has been sold and we are now worshipping with the Methodists in the Tithe Barn until our new premises, are ready. We are adapting a building leased from the Cathedral which was once used as a choir school. We will no longer have to put time and effort into the care and maintenance of a 150 year old building which has no disabled access, so we hope we will have greater opportunity for outreach and mission. Our final service, attended by 95 people, and conducted by our minister, the Reverend Nick Mark, was one of thanksgiving for all that is past and joyful anticipation of all that is to come. We look forward to exploring how we can best serve the community of Carlisle in our new home. Lancashire Elswick 365th Anniversary Sunday 8th June 2014 Service at 2.30pm Guest Preacher: Revd Lindsay Cottam Afternoon teas will be available after the service, and the booking of teas by 2nd June Would be much appreciated. Please ring Sam Kernohan on 01995 670816 or email [email protected]. There will be no charge for teas but there will be a basket for voluntary offerings. We do hope that some of your members will be able to join us on what is always a most enjoyable occasion. Forton URC held another successful Afternoon Tea Party on May 19th 2014. Ladies from Elswick URC Ladies Guild came to Forton URC on a lovely, sunny afternoon. Joyce Holden and Dr. Brenda Fox led a short service in the Church and then Brenda gave a very informative talk on the history of Nonconformity as it relates to Forton URC at School Lane, Forton PR3 OAS. There were amusing anecdotes about the preacher who wore silk stockings and knee breeches, arriving to preach in a hay cart and the little dog who walked to Church even after his mistress had died. The afternoon of fellowship ended of course with a nice cup of tea, served in dainty china teacups on a hand embroidered tablecloth. If any other Church groups would like a similar Vintage Tea Party, please contact Susan Redmayne, Church Secretary at Forton URC. There is a small charge for refreshments in aid of Church funds. On June 22nd 2014 at 2.30pm, Forton URC is hosting a Charity tea party in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. This is "A Blooming Great Tea Party", which is an annual event taking place in many venues during June. For a lovely country afternoon tea party come along to this event or arrange your own little outing to Forton URC. Maundy Thursday Reflection for Easter Sunday My wife and I were invited, by Buckingham Palace to attend Blackburn Cathedral last Thursday, to receive Maundy Money from Her Majesty the Queen – that was a big, big surprise. 175 other people from across Lancashire had also been invited. You had to be over 70 years of age to be invited and had to have helped the church and helped the people where you live. Each one of us received two purses – one white and one red. The purses were carried on very large gold plates by yeomen and handed to the Queen by other helpers. She went to and gave 88 people their purses after the first reading from the Bible and another 88 after the second bible reading. The white purse contains eight sets of four silver coins (1p, 2p, 3p, and 4p = 10pX 8 =80p) and a set of two silver 4p coins, (8p) 88p in total – the Queens age. The service of prayers, readings and hymns and giving out the purses of money started when the Queen arrived and finished when she left. It took precisely one hour. Colin Wills Blackburn North and East Pastorate Easter in our Pastorate Christians Together in Central Blackburn held the annual Walk of Witness on Saturday 12th April. We met at the cathedral for a short service, the cross bearer in front carrying a large wooden cross followed by Peg the donkey and the Salvation Army band. We stopped for scripture reading and singing at various places before finishing for a service at the Salvation Army Citadel followed by hot drinks and hot cross buns. A few hundred tracts were given out to passers by with the Easter message and we feel this is a real Christian witness in our town. Holy Monday Our ‘Pesach’ a Christian celebration of Passover was held on the Monday of Holy Week at Trinity. This is a beautiful start to Holy Week it is a service based on the Jewish Passover which gives us an understanding of the meaning of the traditional ‘Seder Plate’ along with the symbolism of the candles, the shank bone of the lamb and the cup of Elijah. A three course meal is served as part of the service. Maundy Thursday Our Maundy Thursday service this year was held at Revidge, it was a Tenebrae service – The Service of Shadows. One central candle is unlit with 8 lighted candles surrounding it. At the service, we meditate on the fact that it was on the evening before Good Friday that Jesus and his disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross. There are 8 readings and a light is extinguished after each reading. The gradual extinguishing of the lights is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus with the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, and the looming shadow of the cross. As the last light is extinguished, that moment of darkness recalls the time when Jesus was in the tomb, but the lighting of the central candle reminds us of the Easter that was soon to dawn. Good Friday Our Good Friday meditation was at Trinity, scenes from the 2010 Passion play at Oberammergau were used reflecting the text which was chapter 19 of St. John’s gospel. Following this service, the open air Good Friday ecumenical service for Churches together in Wilpshire was held at Holy Souls. Other Events Revidge Fold In April we held another musical evening with Eddie and his Three Swinging Chicks in, this time looking at hymns and choruses – Eddie gave us some background into the hymn writers of some of our great hymns and we were all invited to sing along, it was another super evening. Thank you Eddie and team. Our church was open each afternoon of Holy Week for our Art & Craft display.